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ULJ 
> 


U.  H.  WAGtR. 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 


A  Descrihiish  Work  on 


Oneida  County 


NEW  YORK 


F.DirfcD  BY 

DANIHL    E.    WAGER 


THE  BOSTON   HISTORY   COMPANY,   PUBLISHERS 
1896 


PREFACE 


There  arc  few  sictioiis  of  this  country  that  are  richer  in  historical  ma 
terial  than  the  one  of  which  this  volume  treats.  l*>pecially  is  this  true 
in  its  relation  to  the  ohi  wars  for  supremacy  between  the  French  and 
the  iMif^iish,  and  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Stirring  events  then  took 
place  within  the  borders  of  what  is  now  Oneida  count)',  in  which 
stately  figures  took  part  Ami  in  those  struggles  for  supremac)-  the 
Indians  who  once  populated  the  valley  of  the  beautiful  Mohawk 
were  a  conspicuous  element.  One  of  the  historical  battles  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  was  fought  on  Oneida  county  soil — a  battle  upon 
the  issues  of  which  many  writers  contend  turned  the  success  or 
failure  of  the  atteuipt  of  the  colonists  to  secure  their  independence. 
Neither  is  the  history  of  this  locality  in  Liter  years,  during  which 
settlement,  j^rowth,  .md  development  marched  forward  to  |)resent 
advanced   conditions,  williout   interest. 

To  properly  set  before  the  reader  a  brief  record  of  the  long  and 
bloody  strife  that  at  last  culminated  in  the  triumph  of  American 
independence,  was  a  labor  of  love  on  the  part  of  the  late  Daniel  E. 
Wager,  of  Rome,  and  the  last  important  literary  undertaking  of  his 
busy  life.  That  he  was  eminently  qualified  for  the  great  task,  no 
one  who  knew  him  well  will  dispute.  Persons  unaccustomed  to 
literary  and  historical  labor  can  scarcely  comprehend  the  difficulties 
attending  the  preparation  of  such  a  work  as  this  ;  but  no  one  will 
doubt  the  painstaking  care,  the  unflagging  patience  in  research, 
and   the  appreciative  value  of  sources  of  information,  brought  to  task 


iv  PREFACE. 

by  the  author  in  his  unwearied  efforts  to  produce  a  historical  work 
that  would  be  a  monument  to  himself  and  of  great  value  to  the 
people  of  Oneida  county.  It  was  most  fortunate  that  his  work  was 
so  nearly  completed  before  he  was  stricken  with  his  last  sickness. 
He  was  given  liberal  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  the  histories 
of  the  various  towns  and  the  chapters  devoted  to  modern  topics.  b>' 
persons  skilled  in  that  class  of  work.  The  comjjiling  of  the  vast 
list  of  personal  sketches,  also,  was  in  other  hands  than  his  ;  and  it 
is  confidently  believed  that  this  de])artmciit  of  the  work,  a  feature 
never  before  attempted  in  this  count)',  will  be  considered  of  tiie 
greatest  value. 


i 

I 


CONTENTS, 


PART  I. 
(•iiai''1]:r  I 

l'Ki:i.lMINAKV    HIS'|()R\-  1_5 

chap'I'i:r  ii. 

17:.«   I75fi.  — FORT  lUI.L,   Ivr-  5-12 

ciiAr'ri:K  iii. 

1756-1758.— OSWKGO.  —  HKRKIMEK  12-17 

c"iiapti:r  i\'. 

iT.'.s   I7ii0      FOR'I  S  SI  WWIX  AND  SCIIUVLKR 17-21 

CIIAPTHR  V. 
i7f)((  TO  Ar(;rsT.  1777 22-32 

CHAPTICR  VI. 

1777.— SIKGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX.  — HAT  TLE  OF  ORISKANY 32-52 

CHAPTER  VII. 
1783-1788.  — EMIGRATION    WKSTWARD.. 53-(J2 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
17(48.- TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.— (JREAT  INDIAN  TREATY 63-74 

CHAPTER  IX. 
1789-1792 75-93 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 
COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS - \i-\-\'H\ 

CHAPTER  XI. 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY. ...  l-'»''  i:5:5 

CHAPTER  XH. 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTY  \:V.\-\4\ 

CHAPTILR  XIII. 
1788-1806.— FORMATION  OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY  .  Ml    l'"»-''> 

chai'ti:k  xi\'. 

.1806-1812 '•'•''  '••" 

ciiAi'T]:k  x\'. 

THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812  l(ill7:> 

CIIAPTICR  X\'I. 
1814-1819 17.'.  181 

chapti:r  x\ii. 

1820-1830 1>^''  l'-»> 

CHAPTER   XVI 1 1. 
1830  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  CIYIL  WAR  H»2-l»8 

CHAPTER  XIX, 
1866  TO  THE  PRESENT .        im»-20H 

CHAPTER  XX 
PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS .     •J(»9-2iri 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
CANALS  AND  RAILROADS 215-228 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY 329-247 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION  OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY..  .248-260 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
EDI'CA'I'IONAL    INSTITITIONS 260-278 


CllAl'TICR   XXV 


THE  CITY  OF   ITICA 


CHAPTER  XX \' I. 
THE  TOWN   OF  ANNSXILLi: 


ciiapti-:r  xx\'ii. 

THE  TOWN  m-   AUC.USTA 


CHAPTER   XW'III. 


Tin-:  'lOWN    OF  AVA 


chapti:r  xxix. 

THE  TOWN  OF    I'.OONVILEE  


ciiapti:r  XXX. 

Till-:    lOWN  ol"  I'.kII)C.i:W.\TER 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


THE  TOWN   ol-   CAMI)1-:N 


CHAPTER    XXX 1 1. 
THE  TOWN  OF    DEERFIELD 


278-371 


:{;2  :{79 


;579-:J93 


393-39(5 


396-107 


407-414 


414-426 


426-432 


CHAPTER  XXX HI. 
THE  TOWN   OF    FLORENCE 432-437 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
THE  TOWN  OF   FLOYD 437-445 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
THE  TOWN  OF    FORESTPORT 442-445 

CHAin^ER  XXXVI. 
THE  TOWN    DP    KIRKLAND ^  jr.  4»;u 

CHAPTER   XXXXll. 
THE  TOWN    OF    LEE... 4(io_4(5» 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  MARCV.  4<i!»  473 

chai'ti:r  XXXIX. 

THE  TOWN  OF  MARSHALL  4:;{  479 

CHAPTER    XL. 
THE  TOWN  OF  NEW    HARTl-oKD  471J  4111 

CHAPTER    XLI. 
THE  TOWN  OF   PARIS 4!M   f»05 

CHAPTER    XLI  I. 
THE  TOWN  OF    REMSEN .-.(Ml  .-,il 

CHAPTER    XLI  II. 
THE  TOWN  OF    ROME 511-533 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
THE  TOWN  OF   SANGERFIELD 5:W  543 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN 543-552 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
THE  TOWN   OF   TRENTON 552-566 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 
THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON..  566-579 

CHAPTER   XLVI  1 1. 
THE  TOWN  OF   \'ERONA.-  579-588 

CHAPTER   XLIX. 
THE  TOWN  (JF  VIENNA  .588-596 

CHAPTER    L. 
THE  TOWN  ()!•  WESTERN   596-603 

chapti:r  LI. 

THE  TOWN  OF   WKSTMORELAM) 6U3  614 

CIIAI'TICR    LII. 
THE  TOWN  OF    WHITESTOWN 615-6:56 


PART  II     BIOGRAPHICAL. 


PART  III     FAMILY  SKETCHES. 

FAMILY  SKETCHES 1-382 

INDEXES 383 


CONTENTS. 


PORTRAITS 


Abeel,  James  S.,  Capt, 

facing  176,  Part 

Ablett,  Robert facing  627,  Part 

Adams,  Silas facing  579,  Part 

Allen,  Bion  Pemberton,  M.D., 

facing  43,  Part  I 

Anthony,  Jesse  B facing  173, Part  I 

Babbitt,  John  L facing  161.  Part  I 

Bagg,  M.  M.,M.D facing  250,  Part 

Bailey,  E.  Prentiss facing  355,  Part 

Ballou,  Walter facing  401,  Part 

Barrows,  Samuel  J facing  46,  Part  I 

Birdseye,  Rufus  P facing  365,  Part 

Bissell,  Gordon  N facing  130,  Parti 

Booth,  Wilbur  II facing  178,  Part  I 

Boyle,  John  W facing  38,  Part  I 

Brewster,  Amos  F facing  582,  Part 

Brown,   Calvin facing  584,  Part 

Butler,  John  Milton facing  363,  Part 

Butler,   Morgan facing  483,  Part 

Capron,  Seth.  Dr facing  136,  I'art  I 

Chadwick,  sr.,  George  W., 

facing  170,  Part  I 
Chadwick,  jr.,  George  W., 

facing  172,  Part  I 
Chamberlain,  Ephraim. facing 326,  Part 
Cloher,  jr.,  William  H., 

facing  166,  Part  I 

Coggeshall,  H.  J facing  198,  Part  I 

Comstock,  Calvert.. bet.  122-123,  Part  I 
Comstock,  Edward,  bet.  122-123,  Part  I 

Conkling,  Roscoe facing  242,  Part 

Costello,   P.   C bet.  420-421,  Part 

Costello,  P.  H bet.  420-421,  Part 

Coxe,  Alfred  C facing  230,  Part 

Cromwell,  Stephen facing  414,  Part 

Curran,  Edward facing  288,  Part 

Darling,  Charles  W. .  .facing  132,  Parti 

Denio,  Hiram facing  237.  Part 

Dickinson,  Albert  M.  ..facing  357,  Part 

Dorrance,  D.  G facing  566.  Part 

Douglass,  James  A.  ...facing  392,  Part 
Draper,  Virgil facing  109,  Part  I 


Dunham,  George  E facing  356,  Part 

Dunmore,  Watson  T. .  .facing  232.  Part 
Dwight,  Benjamin  W.  .facing  272.  Part 

Ethridge,  Alfred facing  102.  Part  I 

Farman,  Henry facing  38(i,  Part 

Farwell,  Samuel facing  292,  Part 

Fa.xton,  Theodore  S.  ..facing  344,  Part 
Flandrau,  Thomas  M., 

facing  117,  Part  I 

Foster,  Henry  A facing  238,  Part 

Frisbie.  Willard  J facing  419.  Part 

Graham.  Edmund  A. .  .facing  227.  Part 

Hagedorn,  Henry facing  563,  Part 

Hall,   Benjamin facing  148,  Part  I 

Harvey,  Edwin  A.      .  .facing  423,  Part 

Haselton,  J.  S facing  532.  Part 

Helmer.  Rol)ert  J facing  406.  Part 

Hiebcr.  John  C facing  67.  Part  I 

Hunt.  James  (J. .  M.D  facing  is.  Part  1 
Hunt.  Myron  W  .  M.D.. 

facing  157,  Part  I 
Huntington,  Edward. facing  IHl,  Part  I 
HutchiiKson,  Charles  W., 

facing  211.  Part 
Jenkins.  TiniotJiy     ...  facing  570.  Part 

Jones.  Tiiomas  S facing  23Ji.  Part 

Kellogg,  Spencer         .. facing  304,  I'art 

Kernaii,  Francis facing  243,  Part 

Kingsley,  W.  J.  P.,  M.D., 

facing  128,  Part  1 
Laird,  Frank  F.,  M. D. .facing  64.  Part  I 

Lamb.  Harrison facing  93,  Part  I 

Lawton,  Elon  J facing  115,   Parti 

Lee,  Arthur  D facing  605,  Part 

Lewis,  Ladd  J facing  4h6,  Part 

Locke,  William  P facing  540,  Part 

Loomis,  Jon  J facing  10,  Part  I 

McGuire,  Philip  facing  444.  Part 

Mann,  Newlon facing  UK),  Part  I 

Middleton,  Robert facing  368,  Part 

Millar,  Charles facing  370,  Part 

Miller,  Addison  C facing  56,   Part  I 

Munson,  Alfred facing  302,  Part 


CONTENTS. 


Munson,  Edmund facing  367,  Part 

Nicholson,  Charles  A. .  facing  145,  Part  I 

Nock,  Thomas  G facing  125,  Part  I 

North.  Edward facing  271,  Part 

Osborn,  Amos  O. facing  16,  Part  I 

Owen,  Philip  facing  201,   Part  I 

Penfield,  Thomas  D.    .facing  29,  Part  I 

Perry,  Josiah facing  60,   Part  I 

Philo.  Charles  H facing  488,  Part 

Prescott,  Cyrus  Dan.   facing  127.  Part  I 

Ralph,  George facing  320,  Part 

Reid,  Christopher  C.  M.D., 

facing  119,  Part  I 

Rogers,  Publiu^  V facing  362.  Part 

Sanger.  Jedediah facing  64.   Part 

Sanger.  William  Cary  facing  181.  Part  I 

Saylcs,  Joseph  1 facing  120,  Part  I 

Scott,  Isaac  R facing  21,  Part  I 

Scripture,  W.  IC...    .facing  197,  Part  I 
Scuddcr,  Samuel  O. .   facing  114,  Part  I 

Searles,  James  H facing  131,  Part  I 

Seaton,  Albert   P facing  159.  Part  I 

Seymour.  Horatio facing  204.  Part 

Smith.  J.  Arthur.  V.  S.. 

facing  36,  Part  1 

Soper,  Albert bet.   112-113.  Part  1 

Soper,  Arthur  W.     bet.    112-113,  Part  I 
Spencer,  James  D facing  594,  Part 


Spencer,  Joshua  A facing  239.  Part  I 

Stoddard,   Davis  Curtis. 

facing  74,  Part  II 

Stryker,  John .facing  105,  Part  II 

Studor,  George  M facing  443,  Part  I 

Tower,  Reuben facing  537,  Part  I 

Trevvett,  Edward facing  146.  Part  II 

Utley,  David facing  108,  Part  II 

Utley,  Squire facing  538,  Part  I 

Wager,  Daniel  E frontispiece 

Wardwell,  Daniel facing  97,  Part  II 

Warren,  David  A facing  580,  Part  I 

Weaver,  Fred  G facing  430,  Part  I 

Wells,  John  B. facing  296,  Parti 

West,  M.  Calvin,  M.D., 

facing  104,  Part  II 

WhilTen.   Isaac facing  168.  Part  II 

White.  Canvass facing  82,  Part  II 

White  Hugh facing  81,  Part  II 

White.  W^illiam  M facing  89,  Part  II 

Wiley.  George  H facing  308.  Part  I 

Willard.  Garry  A facing  403,  Part  I 

Williams.  Abijah  J facing  280.  Part  I 

Williams,  Elliott  S.... facing  458,  Part  I 
Williams.  Robert  S.  ..facing  163,  Part  II 
Wilson,  Claude,  M.D... facing  6,  Part  II 
Woodruff,  Arthur  C... facing  416,   Part  I 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER   I. 
PRELIMINARY  HISTORY. 

Those  who  do  not  clearly  understand  the  preliminary  history  of  this 
part  of  New  York,  nor  fully  appreciate  the  important  part  it  has  played 
in  shaping  the  destin\'  of  the  country  and  determining  whether  we 
should  be  a  part  of  the  English  speaking  people  or  under  the  domina- 
tion of  France,  it  is  essential  to  go  back  far  enough  in  the  past  to  ob- 
tain a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  condition  of  affairs  on  this  continent  when 
England  and  France  were  struggling  for  its  mastery. 

Not  far  from  a  century  before  the  footsteps  of  the  white  man  pressed 
the  soil  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Ivmpire  State,  there  dwelt  along 
the  borders  of  the  Mohawk  river  and  so  on  westerly  to  within  the 
sound  of  Niagara's  eternal  roar,  a  powerful  race  of  Indian  statesmen 
and  warriors,  called  by  the  French,  the  "  Iroquois^  Confederacy,"  by 
the  English,  the  h'ive  and  later  the  Six  Nations.  Their  names  and 
location,  commencing  at  the  Hudson  and  going  westerly,  were  as 
follows  : 

The  Mohawks,  the  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  the  Senecas. 
The  easterly  boundary  of  the  Oneidas  was  a  line  extending  from  the 
north  to  the  south  bounds  of  New  York  and  nearly  on  a  line  between 
the  present  counties  of  Oneida  and  Herkimer.  The  westerly  boundary 
was  on  a  line  running  from  the  north  to  the  south  bounds  of  the  State, 
passing  through  or  near  "  Deep  Spring  "  (Manlius,  in  Onondaga  county,) 

•  The  meaning   of  the   word  is  thus  explained  :    Their  people,  when  making  a  speech  or  any 
emphatic   declaration,  generally  concluded  with  the  words,  "I  have  said  it."     So  the  French 
characterized  them  as  the  "the  people  who  say,  Iro,"  or  "I  have  said,  Kaue,"  hence Iro-quois. 
I 


2  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

but  making  a  detour  far  enough  to  the  west  to  include  the  whole  of 
Oneida  Lake  within  the  domain  of  the  Oneidas.  In  171 2,  or  there- 
abouts, the  Tuscaroras  came  from  North  CaroHna  and  were  adopted  as 
the  Sixth  Nation,  and  assigned  occupancy  of  lands  within  the  territory 
of  the  Oneidas,  mostly  in  what  is  now  Chenango  county.  In  primitive 
times,  when  the  savages  roamed  at  will  over  this  entire  continent,  and 
their  routes  lay  entirely  by  Indian  paths  and  trails  and  by  bark  canoes 
over  the  water  courses,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  between  the  east  and  the 
great  west,  the  water  route  by  the  Hudson  and  the  Mohawk  to  what  is 
now  the  site  of  Rome  and  then  by  a  sl^ort  carry  of  only  a  mile  or  so 
overland  to  Wood  Creek,  and  thence  down  that  stream  to  Oneida  Lake, 
and  by  that  outlet  and  Oswego  River  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  so  on  to  the 
great  lakes  of  the  west  and  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
would  be  the  shortest,  most  convenient  and  expeditious  of  any  that 
could  be  selected  ;  so,  too,  in  later  times,  when  the  white  men  were 
pushing  their  trade  and  settlements  into  this  region,  before  the  age  of 
canals,  railroads,  or  common  roads  even,  this  same  route,  traversed  by 
larger  boats  and  by  commerce  and  by  more  dangerous  munitions  of 
war,  was  selected  by  imperative  necessity.  A  glance  at  the  map  will 
show  that  the  location  of  the  Oneidas  was  more  favorable  than  any  of 
the  other  nations  ;  the  scenery  within  the  tci  ritor}'  was  ma'^nificcnt,  the 
soil  proved  to  be  rich  and  productive,  and  b\  reason  of  the  topography 
of  the  country,  and  the  course  of  the  streams,  the  Oneidas,  by  means 
of  their  light  and  fleet  canoes,  could  easily  glide  by  water  into  the  do- 
mains of  the  other  nations.  The  territory  of  the  Oneidas  was  the 
summit  level,  or  the  great  divide,  from  which  streams  flowed  in  every 
direction.  As  with  the  Oneidas,  so  with  Oneida  county  ;  it  is  perhaps 
pardonable  to  say,  that  in  the  galaxy  and  in  the  setting  of  the  counties, 
she  is  indeed  the  central  gem. 

England  and  France  commenced  explorations  and  settlements  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic  (1609)  about  the  same  time.  The  former  in  New 
England  and  southerly  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard  ;  the  French  taking 
possession  of  Canada  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  pushing  their  discoveries  to 
the  Mississippi,  and  down  the  sullen  tide  of  that  stream  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  before  1700  occupying  Louisiana.  Along  these  routes  from 
Canada  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  down  that  river,  the 


PRELIMINARY  HISTORY.  3 

French  had  estabh"shed  a  chain  of  trading  posts,  missionary  stations, 
and  forts,  sixty  in  number,  with  a  view  of  ultimately  surrounding  the 
English  and  driving  them  into  the  ocean.  Each  nation  tried  to  woo  and 
to  win  the  friendship  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy;  the  French  in  a 
great  measure  by  their  Jesuit  missionaries,  who,  with  their  religious  zeal, 
endeavored  to  imbue  the  Indians  with  love  of  the  French  nation  as  well 
as  with  a  love  of  the  Savior,  and  hatred  of  the  English.  As  before  in- 
cidentally stated,  the  members  of  this  Confederacy  were  skilled  in 
diplomacy,  brave  and  fierce  in  battle,  and  powerful  in  union.  They 
were  important  factors  in  determining  tlie  result  of  the  conflicts  between 
France  and  England  in  the  struggle  of  over  a  century,  for  supremacy 
in  America.  The  skill,  bravery  and  power  of  that  Confederacy  were 
near  their  zenith  when  Champlain,  the  daring  French  explorer,  sailed 
up  the  St.  Lawrence  and  founded  the  city  of  Quebec  in  1609;  when 
the  English  discovered  Cape  Cod  and  explored  the  Atlantic  coast ;  about 
the  same  time  when  Capt.  John  Smith  made  the  settlement  at  James- 
town ;  when  Hendrick  Hudson  sailed  up  the  Hudson;  when  the  Pilgrims 
landed  at  Plymouth,  and  that  influence  and  power  continued  and  went 
on  increasing  during  the  years  in  which  the  two  European  nations  were 
fighting  for  supremacy  in  America  and  until  that  Confederacy,  or  a 
majority  of  its  members,  made  the  fatal  mistake  of  linking  their  for- 
tunes with  the  English  in  the  struggle  of  the  American  Colonies  for 
independence.  When  that  struggle  ended  the  Six  Nations  as  a  Con- 
federacy (called  the  Romans  of  America)  ceased  to  exist,  and  their 
power  and  influence  vanished  from  the  land  as  effectually  as  if  they  had 
never  been.  It  does  not,  however,  fall  within  the  design  nor  the  scope 
of  this  work  to  give  anything  more  than  an  outline  sketch  of  those  Six 
Nations,  nor  to  do  more  than  to  briefly  mention  such  historical  facts  as 
seem  to  be  required  in  order  to  better  understand  the  history  in  hand. 

The  portage  at  Rome  was  called  bj'  the  Indians  "  De-o-Waim-Sta," 
signifying  the  place  where  boats  are  carried  from  one  stream  to  another. 
The  Dutch  called  it  "  Trow  Plat,"  and  the  English  in  early  times 
called  it  "  the  Great  Carrying  Place,"  to  distinguish  it  from  the  "  Little 
Carrying  Place,"  where  boats  and  their  cargo  were  carried  around  the 
rapids  of  the  Mohawk  at  what  is  now  Little  Falls.  It  may  be  of  inter- 
est to  state  in  this  connection  that  in  Washington  county  in  this  State 


4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

there  is  another  Wood  Creek,  called  by  the  French,  River  au  Chicot, 
(or  river  of  logs),  which  flows  into  Lake  Champlain,  and  that  between 
that  stream  and  the  Hudson  is  a  portage  of  six  to  ten  miles,  which  in 
early  times  was  also  called  "  the  Great  Carrying  Place,"  and  students  of 
history  in  this  locality  sometimes  become  confused  in  reading  of  Wood 
Creek  and  the  Great  Carrying  Place  where  the  tragic  events  around 
Lakes  George  and  Champlain  are  described  in  the  old  French  war  and 
the  war  of  the  Revolution.  In  later  times  the  portage  at  Rome  was 
called  the  "Oneida  carrying  place,"  as  it  was  within  the  territory  of  the 
Oneidas,  and  that  name  prevented  it  from  being  confounded  with  any 
other  carrying  place. 

In  1693  Albany  county  was  formed  and  extended  to  the  west  bounds 
of  the  province  and  so  continued  until  1772.  It  was  one  of  the  original 
ten  counties  of  New  York. 

Prior  to  1755  the  territory  within  Oneida'  county  was  without  a  his- 
tory.    It  was  scarcely  mentioned,  except  perhaps  incidentally. 

It  1705  the  Oriskany  Patent  was  granted  and  in  that  the  Oneida 
carrying  place  is  mentioned.  In  1725  it  is  again  mentioned  in  a  peti- 
tion to  the  Assembly  relative  to  the  Indian  trade;  and  again  in  1736, 
when  the  Assembly  is  asked  to  erect  forts  at  this  carrying  place.  Those 
three  are  the  only  places  where  this  locality  is  found  to  be  especially 
mentioned  in  history.  Nevertheless,  this  route  was  traversed  by  In- 
dians, by  traders  and  others,  and  was  well  known  by  the  men  of  that 
period.  A  fort  was  erected  at  Oswego  in  1727  and  men  and  materials 
went  over  this  route  to  erect  it.  After  its  erection,  Indians  usually  went 
there  in  May  with  their  furs  and  remained  until  the  last  of  July  to  dis- 
pose of  them.  In  the  summer  of  1725,  fifty-seven  canoes  went  from 
Albany  over  this  route  and  returned  with  738  packs  of  beaver  and  deer 
skins;  it  was  estimated  that  150  hogsheads  of  beaver  and  other  fine  furs 
and  200  hogsheads  of  dressed  deer  skins  were  exported  annually  from 
this  country. 

The  above  sufficiently  indicates  the  importance  of  this  route,  and  that 
the  French  and  English  were  very  anxious  to  control  the  Indian  trade 
and  the  influence  of  the  Confederacy.      It  must  also  show  that  this  por- 

1  It  will  be  observed  that  the  name,  Oneida  county,  is  used  in  this  work  lon^  before  it  was 
organized  with  its  present  boundary. 


1 754- 175G— FORT  BULL,  Etc.  5 

tage  was  of  immense  importance,  and  that  forts  were  essential  to  guard 
and  protect  it.  This  becomes  more  apparent  when  it  is  borne  in  mind 
that  a  dense  swamp  covered  with  cedar  and  undergrowth,  with  a  soil 
too  miry  and  porous  to  uphold  a  person,  extending  alongside  of  the 
whole  length  (four  miles  and  more)  of  this  carrying  place,  and  two 
miles  in  width,  forming  a  barrier  as  formidable  as  a  solid  stone  wall  of 
those  dimensions  ;  and  that  if  this  portage  could  not  be  crossed,  a  cir- 
cuit of  several  miles  must  be  made  to  the  south  through  the  unbroken 
wilderness.  This  impassable  swamp  continued  in  e.xistence  until  the 
fore  part  of  the  present  century. 

Neither  history  or  tradition  gives  the  dates  of  the  erection  of  the  first 
forts  on  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place.  The  first  full  and  reliable  account 
of  forts  at  this  point  is  given  in  Paris  Document  XII,  obtained  by  our 
State  government  from  the  archives  in  P^rance,  which  account  appears 
in  the  next  chapter,  including  an  account  of  the  destruction  of  Fort 
Bull.  In  1736  the  New  York  Assembly  was  petitioned,  as  before  stated, 
to  erect  a  fort  at  this  point,  and  was  shown  the  necessity  for  it ;  but 
there  is  no  account  as  to  what  action  if  any,  was  taken  under  that 
petition,  nor  as  to  when  the  first  fort  was  erected  at  this  carrying  place ; 
nor  is  there  any  previous  plan  for  the  construction  of  a  fort  here,  until 
that  of  P'ort  Stanwix  in  1758;  although  it  is  undisputed  there  were 
forts  at  this  place  as  early  as  the  spring  of  1756. 


CHAPTER   II. 
1754-1T56.— FORT  HULL,   Etc. 

In  1754  and  1755  war  was  in  progress  in  America  between  the 
French  and  English,  each  struggling  for  the  mastery  of  the  country. 
In  the  last  named  year  vigorous  measures  were  planned  by  the  English 
to  drive  the  P>ench  from  their  strongholds  on  the  borders  of  the  Eng- 
lish possessions.  Among  other  plans  three  expeditions  were  that  year 
set  on  foot  by  the  English,  one  of  which  was  for  the  capture  of  Fort 
Du  Ouesne  (now  Pittsburgh);  another  against  Ticonderoga  and   Crown 


6  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Point,  commanded  by  Sir  William  Johnson  ;  the  other  to  be  commanded 
by  General  Shirley,  to  go  from  Albany  up  the  Mohawk,  over  the  port- 
age (now  Rome)  to  Wood  Creek,  thence  via  Oneida  Lake  to  Oswego, 
there  to  rendezvous,  and  thence  west  by  a  journey  of  five  or  six  days 
by  boat  across  Lake  Ontario  and  capture  Niagara.  The  latter,  with 
Fort  Du  Ouesne,  were  the  keys  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The 
expedition  against  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  a  miserable  failure,  and  resulted 
in  the  killing  of  Braddock,  who  commanded  it.  Sir  William  Johnson 
won  a  battle  at  Lake  George,  resulting  in  the  death  of  Dicskau,  the 
French  commander;  but  that  success  was  only  temporary.  Early  in 
the  summer  of  1755  General  Shirley  made  preparations  to  go  to  Oswe- 
go via  Oneida  Carrying  Place.  Seventeen  hundred  beeves,  to  feed  the 
men  and  supply  the  troops  at  Oswego,  were  started  on  foot  from  Al- 
bany and  driven  by  the  land  route  up  the  \alle\'  of  the  Mohawk  ;  the 
probabilities  are,  that  on  reaching  Stanwix  village  in  Rome,  the  route 
was  followed  past  what  is  now  the  Custodial  Asylum  (old  county 
house),  thence  to  Oneida  and  around  Oneida  Lake  to  Oswego,  or 
through  Westmoreland,  as  such  a  body  of  cattle  could  not  be  taken  in 
the  bateaux  of  those  days  by  the  water  route.  Col.  John  Hradstrect, 
with  six  months  provisions  and  stores  costing  the  government  $3,000, 
started  for  Oswego,  went  by  the  same  water  route  and  crossed  over  the 
portage  between  Mohawk  River  and  Wood  Creek.  Governor  De 
Lancey,  writing  in  August  of  that  year  to  the  home  government,  highly 
complimented  Colonel  Bradstreet  for  his  energy,  and  says  that  in  three 
hours  time  the  latter  crossed  the  portage  with  his  men.  provisions,  bag- 
gage and  whole  supply  train,  and  with  as  little  time  as  was  usually  con- 
sumed in  getting  one  bateau  and  its  cargo  over  that  portage.  Two 
regiments  of  raw  provincials  soon  after  left  Albany  by  the  same  route, 
followed  by  General  Shirley  with  200  regular  troops,  the  whole,  about 
1,500  or  2,000,  to  congregate  at  Oswego  with  a  view  to  move  on  and 
capture  Niagara.  To  the  northward  fifty  miles  away  was  Fort  Frontenac 
(now  Kingston),  then  garrisoned  by  1,400  French  troops,  ready  to 
swoop  down  upon  Oswego,  if  General  Shirley  ventured  to  move 
towards  Niagara.  General  Shirley  took  with  him  to  Oswego  six  brass  12 
pounders,  one  brass  1 8  pounder,  and  seven  iron  six  pounders.  I  lis  whole 
force   reached   Oswego  the    last    of  August,   but    not  the   needful   pro- 


1754-1756— FORT  BULL,  Etc.  7 

visions  and  stores.  His  journey  up  the  Mohawk,  over  the  Oneida  Car- 
rying Place,  thence  to  Oswego,  is  graphically  and  poetically  described 
by  that  elegant  historian.  Dr.  Francis  Parkman,  in  Vol.  I  of  his  history 
on  Montcalm  and  Wolfe.      He  says  : 

They  left  Schenectady,  passed  Fort  Johnson,  the  two  villages  of  the  Mohawks,  the 
German  Flats,  and  left  behind  the  last  trace  of  civilized  man.  They  rowed  60 
miles  up  the  Mohawk  through  a  wilderness,  and  reached  the  Great  Carrying  Place, 
which  divided  the  waters  that  tlow  to  Lake  Ontario.  Here  now  stands  the  city  which 
the  classic  zeal  of  its  founders  has  adorned  with  the  name  of  Rome.  Then  all  was 
swamp  and  forest,  traversed  by  a  track  that  led  to  Wood  Creek,  which  is  not  to  be  con- 
founded with  the  Wood  Creek  of  Lake  Champlain.  Thittter  the  bateaux  were  dragged 
on  sledges  and  launched  on  the  dark  and  tortuous  stream,  which,  fed  by  a  decoction 
of  forest  leaves  that  oozed  from  the  marshy  shores,  crept  in  shadow  through  depths 
of  foliage,  with  only  a  belt  of  illumined  sky  gleaming  between  the  jagged  tree  tops. 
Tall  and  lean  with  straining  towards  the  light,  their  rough  gaunt  stems  trickling  with 
perpetual  damps,  stood  on  either  hand  the  silent  hosts  of  the  forest.  The  skeletons 
of  their  dead,  barklcss,  blanched  and  shattered,  strewed  the  mud  banks  and  shal- 
lows; others  lay  submerged  like  bones  of  drowned  mammoths  thrusting  lank  white 
limbs  above  sullen  water;  and  great  trees,  entire  as  yet,  were  tlung  by  age  or  storms 
athwart  the  current,  a  bristling  barricade  of  matted  boughs.  There  was  work  for 
the  a.x  as  well  as  for  the  oar,  till  at  length  Lake  Oneida  opened  before  them,  and 
they  rowed  all  day  over  its  sunny  breast,  reached  the  outlet  and  drifted  down  the 
shallow  eddies  of  the  Onondaga,  between  walls  of  verdure,  silent  as  death,  yet 
haunted  every  where  with  ambushed  danger.  It  was  twenty  days  after  leaving 
Schenectady  when  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  O.swego  river,  and  Lake  Ontario 
greeted  them  stretched  like  a  sea  to  the  pale  brink  of  the  northern  sky,  while  on  the 
bare  hill  on  their  left,  stood  the  miserable  Fort  of  Oswego. 

The  foregoing  pen  picture  of  the  route  will  give  but  a  faint  idea  of 
the  Wood  Creek  and  its  surroundings  of  140  years  ago.  and  but  dimly 
outlines  the  ilifficulties  attending  travel  over  this  route  in  the  early  days 
of  the  colony.  The  heavy  trees  which  lined  the  banks  of  Wood  Creek 
and  the  massive  ones  which  fell  across  the  stream,  rendering  navigation 
slow  and  toilsome,  indicate  why  it  was  thus  named.  General  Shirley 
dare  not  stir  from  Oswego  towards  Niagara.  The  disheartening  news 
of  Braddock's  death,  the  failure  before  Crown  Point,  his  Indian  allies 
deserting  him,  the  winds  and  storms  of  autumn,  and  the  fear  of  an  ap 
proach  of  the  French  from  Fort  Frontenac,  paralyzed  Shirley  and  he 
remained  helpless  at  Oswego  until  the  last  of  October,  when  he  returned 
to  Albany  by  the  same  route  he  traversed  two  months  before,  leaving 
700  men  at  Oswego.  The  campaign  of  1755  was  now  closed  and 
nothing  gained  by  the  English.     The  country  for  many  coming  months 


8  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  wrapped  in  snow  and  little  else  could  be  done  by  the  contending 
forces,  except  the  guarding  of  forts  or  lonely  blockhouses,  or  scouring 
the  forest  in  small  war  parties.  But  preparations  were  being  made  by 
both  sides  for  a  more  vigorous  campaign  the  next  year.  The  English 
planned  for  the  campaign  of  1756  as  for  the  year  before,  and  in  addition 
to  clear  the  French  vessels  from  Lake  Ontario  and  obtain  complete 
command  of  that  lake.  The  French  strengthened  all  of  their  fortifica- 
tions and  laid  plans  to  capture  Oswego.  It  does  not  clearly  appear  in 
history  whether  or  not  the  French  were  fully  advised  of  the  condition 
of  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place,  and  the  number  or  condition  of  the  Eng- 
lish forts  upon  it.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  the  French  were  deter- 
mined to  investigate  and  destroy  whatever  was  there,  to  better  enable 
them  to  capture  Oswego.  It  was  known  by  the  French  that  Oswego 
was  supplied  by  the  English  with  troops,  munitions  of  war,  and  provis- 
ions from  Albany  by  the  water  route  via  Wood  Creek  and  Oneida  Lake, 
and  if  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place  could  be  captured  or  rcntlered  use- 
less, a  great  point  would  be  gained.  The  best,  and  probabl)-  the  only, 
way  for  the  French  to  reach  it  in  those  days,  was  by  the  route  they  took. 
In  March,  1756,  M.  de  Lery  left  Montreal  with  a  force  of  French  and 
Canadian  Indians  362  strong,  of  which  103  were  Indians,  went  across 
the  country  through  what  are  now  St.  Lawrence  and  Lewis  counties,  to 
strike  this  portage.  They  left  Montreal,  came  up  the  St.  Lawrence  on 
the  ice  to  La  Presentation  (called  by  the  Indians,  Oswegatchie,  now 
Ogdensburgh),  waded  thiough  deep  snows,  forded  or  crossed  on  ice  or 
logs  Oswegatchie,  Black,  and  Mohawk  Rivers  and  other  swollen  streams 
and  lost  their  way  in  the  forest,  led  astray  either  by  accident  or  design 
by  their  Indian  guides.  They  were  fifteen  days  on  the  journey,  two 
days  wholly  without  food,  and  most  of  them  came  near  perishing  from 
cold  and  fatigue.  It  is  not  easy  at  this  late  date  to  locate  the  route  of 
that  expedition  across  the  country.  The  general  course  of  Indian  travel 
in  the  forest  was  to  avoid  hills  and  keep  near  streams  and  in  valleys. 
Not  unlikely  that  expedition  struck  Black  River  at  or  near  what  is  now 
Carthage  in  Jefferson  county,  followed  up  the  valley  of  that  stream  to 
the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  Boonville,  and  down  the  valley  of  the  Lan- 
singkill  and  the  Mohawk  to  Rome.  They  reached  this  locality  some 
hours  before  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  March  27,  1756,  and  remained 


1754-1756— FORT  BULL,  Etc.  9 

until  four  in  the  morning  ;  at  that  hour  they  resumed  their  march,  much 
weakened  by  hunger  and  fatigue,  and  at  half  past  five  in  the  morning 
reached  the  head  of  the  carrying  place,  towards  the  Mohawk.  The 
scouts  in  advance  brought  to  De  Lery  two  Englishmen  who  were  going 
from  Fort  Bull  along  the  portage  (supposed  to  be  what  is  now  Dominick 
street,  Rome,  or  near  it).  They  were  threatened  with  death  if  they 
concealed  the  truth  or  told  a  falsehood.  They  said  the  fort  nearest  to 
Wood  Creek  was  Fort  Bull,  named  after  the  captain  then  in  command, 
and  had  a  garrison  of  60  soldiers;  that  in  this  fort  was  a  considerable 
quantity  of  provisions  and  munitions  of  war,  and  that  the  fort  was  con- 
structed of  heavy  pickets,  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  above  ground,  doubled 
inside  to  a  man's  height,  and  the  fort  was  nearly  in  the  shape  of  a  star; 
that  it  had  no  cannon,  but  a  number  of  grenades  which  had  been  sent 
on  by  Sir  William  Johnson  from  down  the  Mohawk,  who  had  received 
news  of  this  expedition  through  friendly  Indian  runners;  that  fifteen 
bateaux  were  to  leave  that  evening  for  Oswego,  loaded  with  supplies  ; 
that  at  that  moment  sleigh  loads  were  going  along  the  portage  from  the 
Mohawk  to  Wood  Creek  with  nine  bateau  loads;  that  the  fort  on  the 
Mohawk  River  side  of  the  portage  was  of  much  larger  pickets  and  well 
planked,  having  four  pieces  of  cannon  and  a  garrison  of  150  men,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Williams,  whose  name  the  fort  bore  [This  was 
Capt.  William  W'illiams  of  Sir  Wm.  Pepperell's  regiment ;  he  was  a 
native  of  Massacinisetts.  His  regiment  was  disbanded  in  Dec,  1756; 
he  died  in  1787.]  They  said  they  had  not  been  in  that  fort  and  hence 
did  not  know  whether  or  not  there  were  provisions  in  it.  This  account 
of  the  expedition,  taken  from  the  archives  in  Paris,  and  published  in 
the  Documentary  History  of  N.  Y.  and  in  XII  of  Paris  Documents,  goes 
on  to  say : 

At  ten  in  the  forenoon  the  savages  captured  10  men,  who  were  conducting  sleighs 
loaded  with  provisions  from  the  Mohawk  side  of  the  portage  to  Wood  Creek  at  Fort 
Bull.  They  stated  in  addition  that  100  men  arrived  the  preceding  evening  from 
down  the  Mohawk,  who,  it  is  said,  were  followed  by  a  large  force  sent  on  by  Sir 
William  Johnson.  While  De  Lery  was  distributing  the  captured  provisions  among 
his  troops  he  was  told  that  a  negro  who  accompanied  the  sleigh  loads  had  escaped, 
taking  the  road  to  Fort  Williams,  on  the  Mohawk,  and  that  it  was  apprehended  that 
Captain  Williams  from  that  fort  would  sally  out  to  attack  the  French  force.  De  Lery 
thereupon  resolved  to  forthwith,  and  in  great  haste,  attack  Fort  Bull,  where  he  was 
assured  the  greater  part  of  the  provisions  and  stores  were.  The  Indians  were  reluctant 
? 


10  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  TEOPLE. 

to  join  in  the  attack,  but  favored  an  immediate  return  to  Canada.  Some  20  Indians, 
however,  started  with  De  Lery  to  attack  Fort  Bull,  while  the  rest  remained  to  i^uard 
the  road  and  provisions  and  prevent  an  advance  from  Fort  Williams.  The  orders 
were  for  the  detachments  to  move  rapidly,  without  firing  a  shot  or  making  noise,  and 
seize  the  guard  on  entering  the  fort.  When  near  the  fort  and  without  being  discov- 
ered, the  Indians,  in  their  eagerness  and  excitement,  gave  a  whoop ;  then  De  Lery 
ordered  an  advance  on  double  quick  in  order  to  carry  the  gate  of  the  fort  before  it 
could  be  closed,  but  the  garrison  had  bare  time  to  close  it.  Only  6  Indians  followed 
the  French  on  this  attack  ;  the  others  pursued  some  six  of  the  prisoners  who  tried  to 
escape.  De  Lery  set  some  men  to  cut  down  the  gate,  and  called  upon  the  comman- 
der of  the  fort  to  surrender,  which  he  refused,  and  answered  defiantly  by  throwing 
a  hand  grenade  and  a  fire  of  musketry  [a  brave  and  loyal  officer],  and  throwing  a 
quantity  of  grenades ;  the  French  and  Canadians  ran  at  full  speed  to  the  fort,  got 
possession  of  the  port  holes,  and  through  these  fired  at  those  inside.  In  about  an 
hour  the  gate  was  cut  down,  and  the  French  rushed  in  with  shouts  of  "  Vive  le  Roi  " 
and  put  every  one  to  the  sword  they  could  lay  hands  on.  One  woman  and  a  few 
soldiers  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape.  The  powder  and  other  stores  were  thrown 
into  the  creek  ;  one  of  the  magazines  caught  fire,  and  as  it  could  not  be  extinguished, 
orders  were  given  to  retire  as  quick  as  possible.  There  was  hardly  time  to  do  this 
when  the  fire  communicated  to  the  powder,  which  blew  up  at  three  {joints.  The  ex- 
plosion was  so  violent  that  portions  of  the  debris  was  thrown  at  some  distance,  and 
wounded  some,  and  in  great  danger  of  killing  tlie  whole  force.  News  was  brought 
that  a  sortie  from  Fort  Williams  was  being  made,  whereupon  De  Lery  rallied  his 
forces  and  caused  bombs,  grenades,  bullets,  and  all  the  provisions  that  could  be 
found  thrown  into  the  stream,  and  which  were  stored  in  fifteen  loaded  bateaux,  antl 
then  set  out  to  meet  the  sortie;  but  he  learned  that  the  Indians  had  repulsed  it. 
having  killed  seventeen  men.  De  Lery  then  moved  with  his  force  and  encamped  in 
the  woods  three-quarters  of  a  league  away.  The  Fort  Bull  prisoners  were  then  ex- 
amined, and  it  was  learned  that  Sir  William  Johnson  had  sent  notice  to  all  the  posts 
of  De  Lery's  rumored  coming,  but  it  was  regarded  impossible  on  account  of  the 
rigor  of  the  season.  Fort  Bull  is  situate  near  a  creek.  Fort  Williams  on  the  Mo- 
hawk. The  carrying  place  from  one  fort  to  the  other  is  about  four  miles  long,  over 
a  pretty  level  country,  though  swampy  in  some  places. 

No  mention  was  made  of  Fort  Craven,  from  which  it  may  be  right- 
fully inferred  that  this  fort  did  not  then  exist,  although  it  seems  well 
authenticated  that  it  once  stood  on  the  Mohawk  near  the  bend  of  that 
stream  and  below  where  the  railroad  bridge  of  the  New  York  Central 
now  crosses  the  river.  The  French  commander  estimated  that  over 
40,000  pounds  of  powder  were  burned  or  thrown  into  the  water,  besides 
balls,  bombs,  grenades,  clothing,  provisions  and  other  stores.  It  was  a 
great  loss  to  the  English. 

Fort  Bull  covered  about  an  acre  of  ground,  was  in  the  shape  of  a  star 
and  inside  were  a  well  and  magazine,  and  the  whole  enclosed  by  pickets. 


1754-1756— FORT  BULL,  Etc.  11 

as  above  stated,  and  surrounded  by  a  ditch  into  which  water  could  be 
easily  turned  from  Wood  Creek  when  necessary.  Its  shape  is  yet  (1896) 
plainly  discernible,  although  140  years  have  elapsed  since  its  destruc- 
tion. F"or  years  past  the  curious  and  students  of  history  have  taken 
from  the  bed  of  Wood  Creek  close  by  the  fort  a  large  number  of  balls 
and  other  relics.  In  September,  1893,  the  location  of  Fort  Bull  and 
the  events  connected  with  its  history  were  duly  celebrated  by  proces- 
sions, speeches,  etc.  De  Lery,  after  his  victory,  retreated  by  rapid 
marches  to  Canada,  taking  the  route,  as  near  as  can  now  be  ascertained, 
over  the  country  towards  Cape  Vincent,  reaching  Lake  Ontario  in 
seven  days,  where  he  was  met  by  a  convoy  of  provisions  in  bateaux 
and  proceeded  down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal.'  The  loss  of  the 
English  is  stated  at  ninety,  men,  of  whom  thirty  were  prisoners. 

In  connection  with  the  destruction  of  Fort  Bull,  an  extract  from  the 
narrative  of  Robert  Ivastburn,  published  in  1758,  is  of  interest.  Mr. 
Eastburn  was  born  in  England  in  1710,  and  when  four  years  of  age  was 
brought  to  this  country  by  his  parents.  Robert  had  six  children,  and 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  In  1756  he,  with  thirty  other  mechanics, 
came  from  Philadelphia  to  what  is  now  Rome,  probably  under  the  call 
of  General  Shirley  for  men  to  escort  provisions  over  the  carrying  place 
and  down  to  Oswego,  as  will  be  hereafter  detailed.  They  reached  this 
point  March  26,  1756,  on  their  way  to  Oswego.  Fort  Williams  being 
full,  he  says  they  took  up  quarters  in  the  "  Indian  House."  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  say  where  that  was,  but  possibly  on  or  near  the  site  of  Sink's 
opera  house.      He  goes  on  to  say  : 

About  10  o'clock  the  next  day,  March  27,  a  negro  came  running  down  the  road  and 
reported  that  the  sleigh-men  who  were  transporting  loads  over  the  carrying  place 
were  all  taken  prisoners.  Captain  Williams  thereupon  sent  a  sergeant  and  twelve 
men  to  ascertain  if  the  report  was  true.  I,  being  at  the  Indian  House,  asked  to  go 
along,  and  I  did.  When  we  had  advanced  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  a  man  was  shot  down. 
I  got  behind  a  large  pine  tree  and  shot  two  of  the  enemy.  I  then  ran,  got  into  a 
swamp,  and  by  reason  of  the  snow,  the  enemy  tracked  and  captured  me.  They 
stripped  me  of  my  hat  and  clothing,  so  that  I  had  nothing  left  but  a  flannel  vest 
without  sleeves.  They  put  a  rope  around  my  neck,  bound  my  arms  fast  behind  me, 
put  a  long  band  around  my  body  and  a  large  pack  on  my  back,  struck  me  on  the 
head  a  severe  blow  and  drove  me  before  them  through  the  woods.  Seventeen  or 
eighteen  prisoners  were  soon  added.     In  the  meantime  the  enemy  determined  to 

'  See  route  of  Helletre's  expedition,  1757,  in  next  chapter. 


12  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

destroy  Fort  Bull,  which  they  soon  effected,  all  being  put  to  the  sword,  except  five, 
the  fort  burned,  the  provisions  and  powder  destroyed,  when  they  retired  to  the  woods 
and  joined  their  main  body.  As  soon  as  they  got  together,  having  a  priest  with  them, 
they  fell  on  their  knees  and  returned  thanks  for  their  victory.  The  enemy  had  sev- 
eral wounded  men  with  them,  which  they  carried  on  their  backs;  besides  which  about 
fifteen  of  their  number  were  killed,  and  of  us  about  forty.  It  being  near  dark  and 
some  Indians  drunk,  they  marched  only  about  four  miles  and  encamped ;  the  Indians 
untied  my  arms,  cut  hemlock  boughs  and  strewed  around  the  fire,  tied  my  band  to 
two  trees  with  my  back  on  the  green  boughs  by  the  fire,  covered  me  with  an  old 
blanket  and  lay  down  across  my  band,  on  each  side,  to  prevent  my  escape  while  they 
slept.  Sunday,  March  28,  rose  early  and  the  commander  ordered  a  hasty  retreat 
towards  Canada,  for  fear  of  Sir  William  Johnson.  After  seven  days  march  we  ar- 
rived at  Lake  Ontario,  where  I  eat  some  horse  t'esh.  One  of  our  men  being  so  weak 
he  could  not  keep  pace,  was  killed  and  scalped.  I  was  almost  naked,  traveling 
through  deep  snow  and  wading  through  rivers  as  cold  as  ice. 

The  narrative  goes  on  further  to  say  they  were  taken  down  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  Montreal  and  thence  farther  back  into  Canada  ;  that  he 
finally  went  to  England  and  after  an  absence  of  a  year  and  a  half  he 
returned  to  his  famil)'  in  Philadelphia,  who  had  mourned  him  as  dead. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  only  forts  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  are 
Forts  William  and  liull  and  that  the  former  was  the  larger  fort.  It  has 
been  generally  supposed  that  Fort  Bull  was  the  larger  and  more  for- 
midable one. 


CHAPTER    III. 
1756  TO  1758. —OSWEGO.  — HERKIMER. 

The  destruction  of  Fort  Hull  did  not  dampen  the  efforts  of  the  Eng- 
lish to  strengthen  the  forts  at  Oswego,  which  they  had  occupied  since 
1727.  General  Shirley  was  at  Albany,  and  his  favorite  plan  was  to 
strengthen  Oswego  and  from  that  point  later  on  to  attack  Niagara. 
He  continued  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1756,  even  after  Fort  Bull 
was  destroyed,  to  supply  Fort  Williams  and  send  supplies,  munitions  of 
war,  and  troops  by  this  route  to  Oswego.  Having  no  troops  to  escort 
and  guard  his  provisions  along  the  route,  he  invented  the  novel  plan  of 
taking  into  his  pay  2,ooo  boatmen  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 


1756-1758— OSWEGO— HERKIMER.  13 

try,  dividing  them  into  companies  of  fifty,  eached  armed  with  a  gun 
and  a  hatchet,  and  placing  them  under  command  of  Lieut.-Col.  John 
Bradstreet.  Not  unUkely  Robert  Eastburn  and  his  associates  helped  to 
make  up  this  escort  in  March,  1756,  when  he  was  captured  and  Fort 
Bull  destroyed,  as  narrated  in  the  previous  chapter.  In  May,  i,ioo 
French  troops  prowled  around  Oswego  to  cut  its  communications  with 
Albany  ;  nevertheless,  Bradstreet  safely  conducted  into  Oswego  a  convoy 
of  provisions  and  military  stores,  and  July  3  set  out  on  his  return  with 
his  empty  boats.  He  fell  in  with  the  French  about  nine  miles  from 
Oswego  and  several  engagements  took  place,  in  which  Bradstreet  had 
the  final  advantage  and  returned  to  Albany  with  his  empty  boats.  The 
French  returned  towards  Frontenac  and  encamped  at  or  near  what  is 
now  Sackett's  Harbor,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  Black  River  Bay.  General 
Shirley  continued  his  efforts  to  reinforce  Oswego,  when  the  astounding 
news  came  to  him  that  he  was  superseded  in  command.  It  was  an- 
nounced that  Col.  Daniel  Webb  would  be  sent  to  America,  followed  by 
General  Abercrombie,  who  in  turn  was  to  be  followed  by  the  Earl  of 
Loudon  ;  Shirley  to  resign  to  Webb,  the  latter  to  Abercrombie,  and  the 
latter  to  Loudon.  Notwithstanding  this  news,  Shirley  continued  his 
efforts  in  the  direction  of  Oswego.  Webb  and  Abercrombie  arrived  in 
June,  Loudon  in  July,  1756.  It  was  tlie  general  understanding  among 
the  English  that  the  French  were  preparing  to  attack  Oswego  from  the 
direction  of  Frontenac,  and  the  attack  in  May  on  Bradstreet  was  con- 
firmatory of  this  understanding.  In  July  a  French  commander  with  700 
men  had  gone  from  I'rontenac  and  joined  the  French  troops  near 
Sackett's  Harbor,  as  before  stated.  On  the  2 1st  of  July  Montcalm  and 
the  French  governor  of  Canada  left  Montreal  and  by  eight  days  of 
hard  rowing  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  reached  Fort  Frontenac.  A 
French  engineer  had  secretly  reconnoitered  the  forts  at  Oswego 
and  returned  with  the  report  that  success  was  certain.  On  the 
4th  of  August,  1756,  all  was  ready;  3,000  men  were  destined 
for  the  enterprise.  Montcalm  embarked  at  night  from  Frontenac 
and  crossed  over  to  Wolf  Island  with  a  portion  of  the  troops 
and  on  that  island  were  hidden  all  day,  embarking  again  in  the 
evening.  They  joined  the  other  troops  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  the  next 
morning  at  7  (August  7).      On  the  8th   all  were  united  at  the  bay.      On 


14  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Qth,  covered  by  the  universal  forest,  a  portion  of  the  force  marched  in 
advance  to  protect  the  landing  of  the  troops.  Montcalm  followed, 
coasting  the  shore  in  bateaux  and  at  midnight  of  August  loth  landed 
within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  Oswego.  The  English  knew  nothing  of  the 
coming  army  until  in  the  morning,  when  a  reconnoitering  canoe  discov- 
ered the  invaders.  There  were  three  forts  at  Oswego,  and  after  three 
or  four  days  hard  fighting,  all  were  captured  and  1.600  troops  sur- 
rendered to  the  French.  The  latter  destroyed  the  forts,  burned  the 
vessels  on  the  stocks,  destroyed  such  provisions  as  they  could  not  carry 
away,  and  made  the  place  a  desert.  Tlien  the  army  decamped  loaded 
with  prisoners  and  spoil,  crossed  over  to  Fort  Frontenac,  descended  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal,  hung  the  captured  flags  in  the  churches  and 
sang  Te  Deum  in  honor  of  their  triumph. 

This  detailed  account  of  that  capture  is  given,  as  it  had  much  to  do 
with  the  subsequent  history  of  this  part  of  the  country  and  in  shaping 
its  destiny.  In  the  mean  time,  the  plans  of  Shirley  to  reinforce  Oswego 
were  continued.  On  the  12th  of  August  Webb  was  sent  from  Albany 
with  a  regiment  of  troops  up  the  Mohawk,  thence  to  go  to  Oswego  via 
Oneida  Carrying  Place.  He  had  scarcely  reached  the  Carrying  Place 
when  the  stunning  news  came  to  him  of  the  disaster  at  Oswego,  accom- 
panied by  the  alarming  rumor  that  Montcalm  with  a  force  of  6,000  was 
en  route  for  Oneida  Lake  and  Wood  Creek.  Webb  took  fright,  felled 
trees  in  Wood  Creek  so  as  to  impede  the  coming  of  the  French,  burned 
Fort  Williams  on  the  Carrying  Place  and  beat  a  hasty  retreat  down  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk.  His  conduct  on  this  occasion,  as  well  as  his 
action  at  Lake  George,  has  caused  his  name  to  come  down  in  history  as 
either  a  coward  or  a  very  inefficient  ofl^cer.  The  destruction  of  Fort 
Williams  and  the  conduct  of  Webb  left  this  part  of  the  country  defence- 
less, and  exposed  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk  and  the  territory  of  the  Six 
Nations  to  the  attacks  of  the  French,  and  tended  strongly  to  win  over 
to  the  latter  the  friendship  of  the   Iroquois  Confederacy. 

The  war  between  the  French  and  English  continued  around  Lake 
Champlain  and  at  other  points,  but  not  in  this  vicinity  or  in  what  is 
now  Oneida  county.  The  French  did  not,  however,  cease  their  efforts 
to  learn  the  condition  of  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place,  and  of  the  route 
between  Oswego  and  Albany.      In  1757  a  French  spy  was  sent  over 


1756-1758— OSWEGO— HERKIMER.  15 

this  route  to  obtain  information  for  his  government.  His  report,  with 
other  valuable  documents,  are  published  in  the  Colonial  History  of  New 
York.  He  started  from  Oswego  and  went  up  Oswego  River  to  Oneida 
River,  the  outlet  of  Oneida  Lake,  and  then  to  Wood  Creek.  The  lake 
is  about  twenty-one  miles  long  and  several  miles  wide  ;  the  distance 
from  the  moutii  of  Wood  Creek  to  Fort  Bull,  following  that  crooked 
stream,  is  about  twenty-seven  miles  and  about  one  half  that  distance  in 
a  straight  line.  The  distance  from  Oswego  to  Fort  Bull  is  io8  miles, 
and  it  took  a  loaded  boat  five  days,  and  about  three  and  a  half  to  go  the 
other  way.  In  low  water  a  loaded  boat  could  not  go  from  Oneida  Lake 
within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  Fort  Bull  ;  it  must  be  parti)'  unloaded  and 
the  boat  return  for  the  remainder  of  the  cargo  The  narrative  of  the 
French  spy,  goes  on  to  say  : 

Wood  Creek  is  full  of  sinuosities,  narrow  and  sometimes  embarrassed  with  fallen 
trees.  Its  navigation  is  difficult  when  the  water  is  low.  Fort  Bull  was  burned  in 
1756,  and  was  situate  on  the  right  bank  of  Wood  Creek.  From  Fort  Bull  to  Fort 
Williams  is  one  league  and  a  half.  This  is  the  carrying  place  across  the  height  of 
land.  The  English  had  con.structed  a  road  there,  over  which  all  carriages  passed, 
and  the  English  were  obliged  to  build  a  portion  of  the  way  from  Fort  Bull  because 
of  the  marshy  ground;  near  a  small  .stream  [Stony  Creek]  a  fort  had  been  begun 
[Fort  Newport,  site  of  late  U.S.  Arsenal,  now  now  balh  tub  factory]  but  not  finished. 
It  was  to  be  intermediate  between  Forts  Bull  and  Williams  on  the  summit  level. 
Fort  Williams  was  on  the  right  bank  of  Mohawk  River,  at  the  east  end  of  the  carry- 
ing place;  it  was  abandoned  and  destroyed  by  the  English  in  1856  [De  Lery's  ex- 
pedition]. Leaving  Oswego  is  a  road  over  which  the  English  drove  cattle,  on  the 
border  of  Oswego  River,  to  Oneida  Lake,  and  around  to  Oneida  village,  and  they 
can  goto  P'orts  Bull  and  Williams.  (This  is  probably  the  route  over  which  Gen. 
Shirley  drove  his  beef  cattle  to  Oswego  in  1755.  as  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter.] 
From  Fort  Williams  to  Herkimer  is  thirty-si.\  miles.  The  road  follows  on  the  right 
bank  [south]  of  the  Mohawk;  leaving  Fort  Williams  there  is  a  road  north  of  the 
river  but  it  can  be  traveled  only  on  foot  or  horseback;  there  is  another  road  which 
joins  that  [at  Stanwix  village  probably]  by  which  horses  and  cattle  pass  from  Her- 
kimer to  Oswego.  This  road  is  bad  for  about  four  leagues  [Whitesboro].  The 
country  is  marshy,  and  carriages  travel  it  in  winter  and  during  summer,  and  it  can 
be  easily  passed  on  horseback  at  all  times,  though  in  some  places  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  mud.  After  these  four  leagues,  carts  can  easily  go  to  Fort  Herkimer.  Five 
leagues  this  side  of  Fort  Herkimer,,  are  the  forks  of  two  roads,  one  of  which  to  the 
left  leads,  by  fording  the  river,  to  the  Palatines  village  [village  of  Herkimer.] 

The  forts  on  the  carrying  place  being  destroyed  in  1756,  the  French 
had  easier  access  from  Canada  to  the  English  settlements  down  the 
Mohawk  valley.     In  the  fall  of  1757  a  French  expedition  under  Belletre 


16 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


left  Kingston  and  on  the  I2th  of  November,  1757,  made  an  attack 
about  three  in  the  morning  on  the  forts  and  Palatine  settlements  (now 
the  village  of  Herkimer,  formerly  Fort  Dayton),  murdering  the  settlers 
and  destroying  the  property.  The  question  is,  which  route  did  that  ex- 
pedition follow  ?  The  histories  of  Herkimer  county  say  that  it  went 
via  Black  River;  if  this  be  correct,  it  must  iiave  followed  the  valley  of 
the  stream  and  struck  West  Canada  Creek  above  Herkimer  village  not 
far  from  "  Hess  Rifts,"  where  some  authorities  say,  Walter  Butler 
crossed  at  the  time  he  was  killed,  on  his  way  back  to  Canada  in  1780, 
after  his  Johnstown  invasion,  when  pursued  by  Colonel  Willett.  The 
French  spy  who  gave  the  account  of  the  itinerary  from  Oswego  to 
Albany,  above  quoted,  writes  as  follows  of  Belletre's  expedition  : 

He  went  from  the  mouth  of  La  Famine  river  30  miles  l)elow  Oswego,  ascended 
that  river  four  leagues  [12  miles]  and  leaving  it  on  the  left,  and  followed  the  path 
leading  to  Oneida  lake,  which  he  left  on  his  right,  and  came  to  the  level  .summit  to 
Fort  Williams,  [at  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place].  He  forded  three  rivers,  the  water 
being  very  high,  during  the  four  days  he  was  going  from  La  Famine  to  Fort  Will- 
iams, from  24  to  30  leagues  [77  or  90  miles.)  The  soil  is  soft  only  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  season,  the  country  is  (inc  and  but  few  mountains. 

It  has  always  been  an  unanswered  point  in  history  as  to  the  location 
of  river  La  F'amine.  Some  maps  and  authors  locate  it  as  Chaumont 
Bay;  others  at  the  mouth  of  Salmon  River;  sonic  at  Henderson  H:\y  ; 
some  in  EUisburgh.  The  hVench  spy  places  it  thirt\-  miles  from  Oswego, 
which  wovild  locate  it  near  the  mouth  of  Sandy  Creek  in  the  town  of 
Henderson,  Jefferson  county  ;  following  up  that  stream  twelve  miles, 
would  reach  Adams,  and  the  distance  from  the  starting  point  to  Fort 
Williams  (now  Rome)  is  about  aeventy-five  miles,  as  stated  by  the 
French  spy.  Again,  the  description  of  the  route  would  closeh-  resemble 
the  route  from  Henderson  to  Rome,  and  the  three  rivers  crossed  might 
have  been,  and  quite  likely  were,  Salmon  River,  Mad  River  and  Fish 
Creek,  all  large  and  turbulent. streams  at  times  in  those  days  ;  that  route 
might  have  led  through  Adams,  Lorraine,  Boylston,  Redfield  and  Flor- 
ence. It  will  be  observed  that  the  Itinerary  of  the  spy  makes  no  men- 
tion of  a  single  fort  standing  in  1757  at  the  carrying  place,  and  only 
those  of  Forts  Bull  and  Williams  which  had  been  erected  and  were  de- 
stroyed the  year  before.  Nothing  is  said  of  Fort  Craven,  although  the 
latter,  on  the  site  of  it,  is  shown  on  the  topographical    map  in  the  next 


1758  TO  1760-FORTS  STANWIX  AND  SCHUYLER.  17 

chapter.     That  partisan  and  bloody  attack  of  Belletre  closed  the  cam- 
paign of  1757. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

1758  TO  1760.  — FORTS  STAXWIX  AM)  SCFIUYLER. 

In  1756  William  Pitt,  the  first  Earl  of  Chatham,  became  Prime  Min- 
ister of  England.  For  more  than  two  years  the  English  in  America 
had  acted  so  much  like  children  that  the  Indians  were  disgusted,  while 
the  activity  of  the  French  tended  to  win  the  admiration  and  alliance  of 
the  Iroquois  Confederacy.  This  condition  of  affairs  in  the  colonies  had 
greatly  troubled  the  English  people.  When  Pitt  came  into  power  he 
bent  the  energies  of  his  great  mind  to  produce  a  change.  It  was  to- 
wards America  that  he  turned  his  heartiest  efforts.  He  had  in  view 
the  driving  of  the  French  from  their  Canadian  possessions,  and  his  first 
step  in  tliat  direction  was  the  capture  of  Louisburg,  next  Du  Quesne 
and  then  Ticonderoga.  To  capture  the  latter  Abercrombie  went  in 
June,  1758,  from  Albany  to  Lake  Champlain,  and  with  him  went  Colonel 
John  Pradstreet  (afterwards  General  Braiistreet  and  part  owner  of  Cosby 
Manor)  and  Marinus  Willctt  (the  then  future  hero  of  Fort  Stanwix), 
then  eighteen  years  old.  That  expedition  was  a  disgraceful  fizzle,  and 
Colonel  Bradstreet,  indignant  at  the  unnecessary  failure,  obtained  from 
his  superior  officer  permission  to  take  3,000  troops  and  go  back  to 
Albany,  and  via  Mohawk  River  and  Oneida  Carrying  Place  to  Oswego, 
thence  to  attack  I*"ort  Frontenac.  This  scheme  was  kept  secret  from  all 
but  the  leading  officers.  On  reaching  Albany  they  hastened  in  boats 
up  the  Mohawk,  and  reached  the  carrying. place  about  the  first  of  Au- 
gust. Here  they  found  General  Stanwix  with  6,000  troops,  whither  he 
been  ordered  a  short  time  before  to  erect  a  formidable  fort  in  place  of 
those  destroyed.  On  this  expedition  went  also  the  following,  who  sub- 
sequently became  famous  in  the  history  of  their  country,  viz.:  Nathaniel 
Woodhull,  a  major,  subsequently  a  general  in  the  Revolutionary  army, 
and  the  first   president  of  the  provincial  congress;   Horatio  Gates,  then 


18  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  TEOPLE. 

a  captain,  subsequently  a  general,  who  captrred  Burgoyne  in  1777  at 
Saratoga;  James  and  George  Clinton,  the  former  general  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary army,  the  latter  the  war  governor  of  New  York,  the  former 
then  twenty-two,  the  latter  nineteen  years  old. 

Bradstreet  began  with  his  usual  vigor  to  transport  his  men  and  his 
munitions  of  war  across  the  portage  and  to  clear  Wood  Creek  of  the 
numerous  trees  with  which  General  Webb  had  obstructed  it  two  years 
before.  A  dam  was  built  across  the  creek  near  the  lat-  U.  S.  Arsenal 
site  to  raise  the  water  and  aid  in  floating  the  boats  down  that  stream. 
Two  weeks  were  occupied  in  these  preparations,  a  .1  ihese  movements 
first  indicated  to  the  troops  the  direction  they  were  1 )  like.  The  troops 
started  from  the  carrying  place  August  14,  reached  Oswego  in  six  days, 
and  after  resting  there  a  few  hours,  started  for  Fort  Frontenac  On  the 
evening  of  the  twenty-fifth  the  fort  was  reached,  and  in  three  days  it 
was  captured.  On  arriving  at  the  site  of  Fulton.  Oswego  county,  on 
their  return,  the  men  were  three  days  in  dragging  the  boats  around 
Oswego  Falls,  and  so  excessive  was  tlie  labor  and  so  great  the  fatigue 
that  nearly  lOO  deaths  occurred  at  that  point,  and  when  Fort  IUjII  w;is 
reached  about  one-half  the  men  were  unfit  for  dut\-.  It  required  four 
days  to  transport  the  boats  and  stores  from  Wood  Creek  to  Mohawk 
River,  and  the  men  were  so  completely  exhausted  that,  accortiing  to 
Smith's  Colonial  History,  500  died  and  were  buried  at  the  carrying 
place.  The  cause  is  attributed  to  the  haste  in  cooking  the  food  and  the 
bad  water  of  Wood  Creek  and  the  great  fatigue  of  the  men.  The 
troops  reached  this  point  on  their  return  Se[)tember  10,  1758,  and  that 
very  night  young  Willett  was  taken  sick,  and  was  confined  to  his  tent 
until  November  by  a  dangerous  illness.  Before  that  summer  was  over 
it  was  evident  that  a  fort  was  needed  at  this  carrying  place,  and  hence 
General  Abercrombie  gave  orders  to  build  one,  detailing  Gen.  John 
Stanwix  to  superintend  its  construction. 

While  General  Abercrombie  was  at  Lake  George  in  the  summer  of 
1758,  he  wrote  to  General  Stanwix  two  letters  under  dates  of  July  16 
and  23,  1758,  directing  that  the  fort  should  be  built  forthwith  at  the 
Oneida  Carrying  Place.  Under  date  of  July  27th.  General  Aber- 
crombie writes  a  third  letter  to  General  Stanwix  on  the  same  subject, 
in  which  he  says: 


1758  TO  1760— FORTS  STANWIX  AND  SCHUYLER.  19 

Having  been  told  that  you  had  been  obliged  to  encamp  your  troops  at  Schenectady 
through  the  reason  of  the  present  shallowness  of  the  Mohawk  River,  where  it  is  said 
you  cannot  even  get  up  light  bateaux,  which  will  have  prevented  your  forwarding 
the  tools  and  materials  necessary  for  building  at  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place,  the  post 
or  fort  I  directed  by  my  letters  of  the  16th,  and  23d,  should  be  forthwith  built  there 
and  having  been  since  advised,  instead  of  that  post  or  fort,  to  build  one  more  exten- 
sive, pursuant  to  a  plan  laid  before  me,  I  have  accordingly  sent  that  plan  to  Lieut. 
Williams,  now  at  Albany,  with  directions,  if  his  health  should  permit,  to  undertake 
the  same  immediately,  to  join  you  and  set  about  it;  my  reason  for  sending  him  is, 
that  he  is  acquainted  with  that  part  of  the  country',  and  accustomed  to  the  method 
of  working  in  it.     .     .     . 

General  Stanwix  asked  the  opinion  of  Captain  Green  on  a  plan  of  a 
fort  to  be  built  at  the  carrying  place,  and  that  officer  answered  as  fol- 
lows : 

Heads  of  the  ordered  Plan  : 

A  good  post  to  be  made  at  the  Oneida  carrying  place,  capable  of  lodging  200  men 
in  the  winter,  and  3  or  400  men  in  the  summer  for  its  defence,  with  logs — a  parapet 
of  such  thickness  as  the  engineer  shall  think  necessary  according  to  the  situation. 

A  ditch  to  be  made  to  serve  to  thicken  the  parapet — barracks  to  be  made  under- 
neath the  rampart,  with  flues  of  the  chimneys  to  come  through  the  top. 

The  square  will  be  the  cheapest  form  to  be  made  use  of  for  this  work. 

The  bastions  in  like  manner  can  be  made  use  of  for  storehouses  or  magazines.  In 
the  square  may  be  made  lodging  for  officers,  and  the  rest  of  the  quadrangle  clear — 
the  whole  to  be  logged. 

And  opposite  the  officers  barracks,  may  be  made  a  storehouse  for  the  deposit  of 
Indian  goods. 

By  a  good  post — I  understand  to  be  meant  such  a  one,  as  will  contain  with  ease, 
the  .said  number  of  men,  to  be  executed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  protect  them  from  a 
coup-de-maht,  and  to  be  of  such  a  size  as  will  admit  of  a  proper  defence  by  such  a 
garrison — the  exterior  side  of  such  square,  cannot  possibly  be  less  (if  so  little)  than 
3<K)  feet  which  procures  but  a  very  small  defence  from  its  flank,  and  will  make  an  ex- 
terior circuit  of  logging  of  nearly  1,420  feet  by  at  the  least  of  14  feet  high,  according 
to  the  situation ;  and  in  order  to  admit  of  barracks  under  the  rampart,  to  which  the 
retaining  and  braceing  log  works,  as  well  as  the  log  work  fronting  the  interior  area, 
must  of  course  be  considered,  as  likewise  the  log  work  to  cover  the  barracks,  store- 
houses, and  magazines  that  are  proposed  to  be  made  under  the  ramparts  of  the  cur- 
tains and  bastions,  by  which  it  will  appear  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  rampart 
round  this  post  must  be  formed  and  supported  with  log  work. 

As  to  the  thickness  of  the  parapet,  being  informed  cannon  may  be  brought  by  the 
enemy,  it  cannot  be  less  than  12  feet,  if  so  little,  18  feet  being  the  standard  in  such 
cases. 

The  rampart  for  the  maneuver  of  cannon,  and  likewise  to  admit  of  a  reasonable 
breadth  for  the  barracks  underneath,  cannot  be  less  than  20  feet. 

The  breadth  and  depth  of  ditch  must  be  considered  in  proportion  for  the  earth 
wanted  to  form  said   parapet,  and  to  cover  the  logwork  <>f  the  proposed  barracks. 


20  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Magazines  and  storehouses  to  be  made  under  the  rampart.  The  exterior  circuit  of 
Fort  Edward  is  nearly  1,569  feet,  and  as  I  am  informed  took  nearly  two  seasons  to 
complete  it. 

Fort  Stanwix  was  begun  August  23,  1758,  by  the  troops  undefGen- 
eral  Stanwix,  and  nearly  finished  November  11,  1758;  it  cost  60,000 
pounds  sterHng.  The  ground  where  the  fort  was  built  was  nineteen  feet 
higher  than  the  swamps  and  low  land,  and  descended  gradually  west- 
ward towards  Fort  Newport  (late  U.  S.  Arsenal).  It  is  supposed  that 
Dominick  street  follows  the  route  of  the  old  carrying  path,  except  that 
in  those  years  that  path  went  to  the  east,  or  left,  of  what  was  then  Fort 
Newport  (late  U.  S.  Arsenal).  Fort  Stanwix  was  bounded  east,  north 
and  south  by  what  are  now  Spring,  Liberty,  and  Dominick  streets.  An 
indentation  in  the  ground  commencing  on  the  west  bounds  of  George 
Barnard's  late  residence  on  Dominick  street,  and  running  northerly  to 
Liberty  street  is  where  ran  the  westerly  ditch  of  the  fort. 

The  capture  of  Fort  Frontenac  by  Bradstreet,  followed  by  the  taking 
of  Louisburg  and  Fort  Du  Quesne  by  the  Knglish  in  November  there- 
after, closed  the  campaign  in  1759.  A  fleet  was  to  sail  up  the  St.  Law- 
rence to  besiege  Quebec  and  Ticonderoga,  and  Crown  Point  and  Niagara 
were  to  be  captured.  With  the  latter  only  this  narrative  has  to  do,  as 
it  more  immediately  concerns  Oneida  county.  Fitlier  in  1758  or  1759 
(authorities  disagree  as  to  the  year),  a  mud  fort  was  erected  on  the 
present  site  of  Utica,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mohawk  River,  in  the 
block  bounded  by  Second  street  and  Hallou  Creek,  close  by  the  tracks 
of  the  N.  Y.  C.  R.  R.,  a  little  easterly  of  the  railroad  depot.  An  Indian 
path  leading  from  Oneida  Castle,  and  one  from  the  Oneida  Carrying 
Place,  met  or  crossed  each  other  at  the  foot  of  what  is  now  Genesee 
street  in  Utica;  one  path  kept  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  down  the 
valley;  another  forded  that  stream  where  those  paths  met,  and  led  down 
the  Mohawk  on  the  north  side,  and  another  diverged  (as  supposed)  and 
led  to  the  Black  River  valley  and  thence  north.  This  fording  place 
was  considered  a  good  site  for  a  fort  and  one  was  accordingly  erected, 
as  before  stated  ;  it  was  surrounded  by  palisades  and  ditches,  and  was 
probably  intended  more  as  a  place  of  rest  and  a  moderate  protection  to 
the  inmates,  than  as  a  formidable  work  of  defence.  It  was  named  after 
Peter  Schuyler  ;  authors  disagree  whether  it  was  that  Peter  who  was  an 
uncle  of  Gen.    Philip    Schuyler   of  the    Revolution,    or  another    Peter 


1758  TO  1760— FORTS  STANWIX  AND  SCHUYLER.  21 

Schuyler.     That  fort  went  to  decay  soon  after  the  Revolution,  and  seems 
not  to  have  been  an  important  fortification. 

General  Prideaux  and  Sir  William  Johnson  were  charged  with  the  ex- 
pedition against  Niagara.  They  were  instructed  to  go  up  the  Mohawk 
in  May,  1759,  with  5,000  troops,  to  leave  a  strong  garrison  at  Fort 
Stanwix,  establish  a  post  on  the  east  end  of  Oneida  Lake  (the  Royal 
Block  House,  now  Sylvan  Beach,  town  of  Vienna)  and  one  at  the  west 
end  of  the  lake  (Fort  Brewerton),  descend  the  river  to  Oswego,  leave 
nearly  one  half  his  force  there  and  proceed  with  the  remainder  to  at- 
tack Niagara.  These  orders  were  accomplished,  and  the  troops  pass- 
ing up  the  Mohawk  probably  stopped  for  a  while  at  Fort  Schuyler 
(Utica)  on  their  way  west.  Niagara  was  besieged,  General  Prideaux 
was  killed,  the  fort  captured  by  Sir  William  and  the  whole  region  of 
the  upper  Ohio  fell  into  undisputed  possession  of  the  English.  In  the 
mean  time  the  French  forts  around  Lakes  George  and  Champlain  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  ICnglish,  and  in  September  Wolfe  captured  Que- 
bec. These  victories  practically  assured  Canada  to  England,  although 
the  war  in  Canada  continued  for  two  or  three  years  longer.  In  1760  a 
final  campaign  was  ordered  by  the  British  government  to  drive  the 
French  forces  which  hat!  con\erged  around  Montr(?al  from  Canada. 
One  English  armj-  was  to  proceed  from  Quebec,  another  from  Lake 
Champlain,  and  a  third  from  Albany,  up  the  Mohawk  via  the  Oneida 
Carrying  Place  to  Oswego,  thence  over  Lake  Ontario  to  and  down  the 
St.  Lawrence.  General  Amherst  commanded  the  last,  consisting  of 
4,000  English  regulars,  6,000  IVovincials,  and  600  Indians  under  Sir 
William  Johnson.  With  this  army,  and  who  went  over  this  route,'  were 
General  .Amherst,  the  comn\ander- in-chief ;  Gen.  Thomas  Gage,  com- 
mander of  the  British  forces  around  Boston  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion ;  Colonel  Haldimand,  subsequently  governor  general  of  Canada  ; 
General  l^radstreet,  Israel  Putnam,  later  a  general  in  the  arm}'  of  the 
Revolution.  In  September  of  that  year  the  English  forces  converged 
at  Montreal,  where  the  P^rench  army  had  been  driven,  and  the  French 
were  compelled  to  surrender,  and  all  Canada  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  English.' 

'The  vestige  of  apart  of  an  old  military  road  near  Lairdsville,  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  is 
yet  visible  ;  said  to  have  been  the  road  over  which  some  of  .\mherst's  men  traveled  on  that  ex- 
pedition. 

*.\  brief  sketch  of  General  Stanwix  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  in  this  connection.     He 


22  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

1760  TO  AUGUST,  1777. 

The  history  of  Oneida  county,  prior  to  1760,  is  mainly  written  in  war 
and  bloodshed.  Aside  from  the  Indian  trade  carried  on  over  its  terri- 
tory, nothing  of  a  peaceful  character  prior  to  that  year  was  transacted 
within  its  borders.  The  routes  across  it  were  traveled  by  hostile  forces, 
infested  by  scalping  parties  lurking  in  ambush,  and  lined  by  forts 
erected  for  protection  and  defence.  Not  a  road  was  laid  out,  not  an 
acre  of  land  cleared,  not  a  tree  felled,  not  a  building  erected  for  any 
object  other  than  of,  or  for,  a  warlike  purpose.  1  he  "  old  French  war  " 
was  in  progress  in  1760  ami  continued  for  several  years  thereafter;  and 
up  to  that  d.ite  not  a  person  with  a  view  to  a  settlement  had  located 
within   its   limits.      The    first   settlers    within    the  county  were  Johannis 

entered  the  army  as  early  as  iroti.  In  ITW  he  was  governor  of  Curlisle,  in  the  north  part  of  EnK- 
land,  which  city  he  then  represented  in  parliament.  In  1T5»>  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  Wrth 
Royal  regiment,  went  as  a  volunteer  to  America,  and  was  put  in  command  of  the  southern  dis- 
trict of  America  and  made  his  headquarters  at  Carlisle,  I'cnn  ,  during  IT.'iT  ;  in  December  of  that 
year  was  made  brigadier  general.  In  i;.Vl,  having  been  superseded  by  Ucneral  Forbes,  General 
Stanwi.x  procLtdcd  to  Albany,  where  he  was  ordered  by  Oemral  Abercrombie  to  proceed  to  the 
Oneida  Carrying  Place,  there  to  erect  a  fort,  as  heretofore  stated,  and  which  in  his  honor  was 
named  Fort  Stanwix,  by  which  name  it  has  come  down  to  us  in  history,  notwithstanding  the 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  .Vmericans  during  the  Revolution  to  give  it  the  name  of  Fort  Schuyler. 
By  reason  of  this  attempt  and  of  its  being  so  called  in  oflficial  dispatche.s,  and  in  some  histories, 
this  fort  has  been  at  times  confounded  with  the  Fort  Schuyler  at  I'tica  ;  the  latter  fort  has  been 
called  "Old  Fort  Schuyler."  In  1T5!1  General  Stanwix  returned  to  Pennsylvania;  he  repaired  the 
old  Fort  Du  Quesne,  changed  to  the  name  of  Fort  Pitt,  site  of  the  present  city  of  Pittsburgh. 
On  his  return  to  England  he  wasappointed  lieutenant  governor  of  the  I.sle  of  Wight ;  he  married 
a  second  wife  in  17t)3.  In  lTt>5  he  was  ordered  to  Ireland,  and  in  December,  KtMl,  in  crossing  the 
sea  to  take  his  seat  in  the  EInglish  parliament,  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  a  passenger  and  all  on 
board,  including  his  wife  and  only  daughter  were  lost.  A  singular  lawsuit  grew  out  of  the  death 
of  his  family.  By  a  stipulation  on  his  marriage  it  was  agreed  that  in  case  he  survived  his  wife, 
the  personal  estate  was  to  go  in  a  certain  direction,  and  if  his  daughter  survived  both  husband 
and  wife,  then  in  another  line.  The  case  was  brought  into  chancery  and  the  lawyers  in  the  case 
made  ingenious  arguments  as  to  the  "  survival  of  the  fittest,"  and  as  to  the  probabilities  which 
could  buffet  with  the  waves  and  death  longest,  the  old,  the  middle  aged,  or  the  young.  The 
questions  were  so  intricate  and  difficult  of  decision,  the  court  advised  a  compromise  by  an  equal 
division  of  the  property,  which  was  agreed  to  by  the  parties.  In  the  north  part  of  England  is 
the  city  of  Carlisle,  from  which  General  Stanwix  was  a  member  of  parliament  at  the  lime  of  his 
death.    One  of  the  suburbs  of  that  city  is  a  hamlet  named  "Stanwix." 


1760  TO  AUGUST,  1777.  23 

Reuff  (anglicized  John  Roof)  and  wife.  He  was  born  January  9,  1730, 
in  the  city  of  Durlach,  Suabice,  Germany,  and  January  13,  1759,  mar- 
ried in  that  city  and  both  came  to  this  country.  In  October  of  that 
year  they  landed  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Soon  thereafter  they 
pushed  their  wa\'  onward  to  New  York,  up  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
past  the  Palatine  settlement  at  German  Flats  and  early  in  1760  we  find 
them  located  at  Fort  Stanwix.  Not  unlikely  the  location  of  the  Ger- 
man Palatinates  along  the  Mohawk  and  up  as  far  as  Herkimer  induced 
those  persons  to  come  so  far  into  this  wilderness  region.  Fort  Stanwix 
was  erected  about  a  year  and  a  half  before,  and  when  Roof  and  wife 
came  it  was  garrisoned  by  I^ritish  trooj:)s  and  was  likely  to  be  the 
theater  of  active  military  operations,  or  the  route  for  the  passage  of 
hostile  armies.  Mr.  Roof  erected  a  log  house  on  or  near  the  banks  of 
the  Mohawk,  opened  trade  with  the  Indians,  and  as  time  progressed, 
furnished  board  and  lodgment  for  boatmen  and  for  those  who  assisted 
boatmen  across  the  carrying  place,  and  for  those  who  crossed  this  por- 
tage to  trade  with  the  Indians  Their  nearest  neighbors,  aside  from  the 
garrison,  were  thirty  miles  away,  and  here  this  newly  married  couple 
commenced  the  battle  of  life,  Xhe  pioneer  settlers  of  Oneida  cotinty.  Mr. 
Roof  leased  or  purchased  b>-  contract,  of  Oliver  De  Lancey,  a  portion 
of  Oriskany  Patent,  just  east  of  the  river,  the  present  site  of  Factory 
Village  ;  this  land  he  cultivated,  in  due  time  erected  barns,  filled  them 
with  produce,  and  before  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  a  thrifty,  pros- 
perous business  man.  Unto  him  while  at  F"ort  Stanwix  the  following 
children  were  born:  John,  born  August  28,  1761  ;  Susannah,  born 
August  9,  1766;  Martyn,  born  February  2.  1776;  Barbara,  born  Oc- 
tober 30,  1771  ;   Adam,  born  May  16,  1773. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  this  family  were  permanent  settlers,  for  they 
lived  at  that  fort  until  driven  out  by  the  siege  of  F'ort  Stanwix  in  Au- 
gust, 1777.  John,  the  first  born,  was  baptized  when  Sir  William  John- 
son and  Captain  Nicholas  (afterward  General)  Herkimer  were  present, 
the  latter  acting  as  godfather.  When  sixteen  years  old.  John  entered 
the  army  under  General  Herkimer,  was  by  the  side  of  the  latter  when 
shot  in  the  leg  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  and  also  present  when  that  leg 
was  amputated  and  the  general  died.  The  father  was  captain  in  Colonel 
Mellon's  force   of  200  Massachusetts  men  and  under  Colonel  Gansevoort 


24  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

at  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix.  The  son  Martyn  was  baptized  by  Rev. 
Samuel  Kirkland,  the  well  known  divine  and  Indian  missionary  ;  three 
other  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  Roof  at  Canajoharie,  after  his  family 
sought  safety  in  that  locality,  subsequent  to  the  beginning  of  the  war. 

From  the  best  attainable  accounts  Bartholomew  Brothock  (Brodock) 
was  the  next  comer  after  Mr.  Roof.  He  came  from  down  the  valley, 
and  after  the  Revolution  located  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  where  descend- 
ants of  his  yet  reside.  Soon  thereafter  the  following  families  were  found 
located  around  the  fort  clearing  up  small  patches  of  ground,  trading 
with  the  Indians,  and  assisting  boatmen  up  and  down  the  river  and 
over  the  carrying  place,  viz  :  William  Kline,  Thomas  Myers,  John 
Steere  (or  Steeve),  William  Quinn.  Stephanes  De  Grow,  and  one  Reg- 
gins,  and  others,  about  a  dozen  families  in  all.  In  the  Documentary 
History  is  a  letter  from  Kleazer  Whcelock,  who  had  charge  of  a  charity 
school  at  Lebanon.  Cdiiii  ,  for  the  education  of  Indian  youths,  to  Sir 
William  Johnson.  The  letter  is  dated  August  20.  1762,  and  it  says 
that,  '■  one  Reggins  lives  at  Fort  Stanwix,  but  is  doing  business  at  the 
Royal  Block  house  at  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek  at  the  east  end  of 
Oneida  Lake  [now  S)'lvaii  Beach],  and  has  in  his  employ  a  young  boy 
of  sixteen  years  by  the  name  of  George  Haxton,  and  the  latter  would 
like  to  attend  school,  but  his  obh'gations  to  Reggins  and  the  violent  op- 
position of  the  latter  prevent."  The  writer  asks  for  the  assistance  of 
Sir  William.  These  families  continued  around  Fort  Stanwix  until 
driven  down  the  valley  by  the  Revolutionary  war,  as  will  be  more  fully 
stated  hereafter. 

On  March  12,  1772,  Tryon  county  was  taken  from  Albany  count}-  by 
a  north  and  south  line  which  ran  nearly  through  the  center  of  Schoharie 
county  ;  all  west  of  that  line  in  New  York  was  in  Tryon  county  (named 
in  honor  of  William  Tryon,  then  governor  of  the  province). 

The  next  settlement  in  Oneida  county,  after  the  one  at  Fort  Stanwix, 
was  at  Deerfield  Corners.  In  1773,  George  J.  Weaver  (spelled  Weber) 
Mark  Damuth  (sometimes  called  Damoot  and  by  the  English  Dame- 
wood),  and  Christ  Jan  Rcall,  located  at  the  corners  at  Deerfield,  built  a 
log  house  and  commenced  to  improve  the  land.  That  was  in  Cosby's 
Manor,  which  was  sold  the  year  before  by  the  sheriff  of  Albany  county 
for  quit  rents,  to  Philip  Schuyler,  for  the  benefit  of  himself,  Gen.  John 
Bradstreet  and  others. 


1760  TO  AUGUST,  1777.  25 

The  settlers  around  Fort  Stanwix  seemed  to  be  doing  a  thriving  busi- 
ness for  those  times,  and  to  be  acquiring  considerable  property.  From 
old  documents  found  in  the  possession  of  Jelles  Fonda,  of  Caughnawaga 
(see  history  of  State  Patents),  at  his  death,  it  would  seem  as  if  those 
located  around  the  fort  considered  they  had  in  1773  a  monopoly  of  the 
carrying  place,  of  the  price  of  travel,  and  of  carriage  of  goods.  The 
following  are  among  the  documents  referred  to : 

<:aughna\vaga  [Fonda],  29  January,  1773. 

We  the  subscribers  do  agree  that  William  Kline  and  Christian  Reel  shall  have  a 
wagon  to  ride  over  the  carrying  place,  and  work  as  we  do;  and  shall  have  a  full 
share  of  a  wagon's  riding  and  payment  for  the  same  during  their  good  behavior,  ac- 
cording to  an  agreement  made  this  29  day  of  January,  1793. 

Jelles  Fonda,  Johannes  RufF,  Anthony  Van  Veighton,  William  Kline,  Thomas 
Maircs,  Christ  Jan  Reil.  Bartholomay  Brodock. 

l're.sent — Daniel  Steele,  Richard  Caller,  John  Seere. 

Fort  Stanwix,  March  3,  1773. 

Sir: — This  morning  we  met  together  at  Mr.  Stephanes  (Stephanes  Degrow'.s]  and 
has  agreed  about  the  price  of  the  riding  at  this  place,  which  is  20  shillings  to  Kenned}'^ 
[Canada]  Creek,  and  likewise  from  there  the  same  to  the  Indian  field  [perhaps  Shoe- 
maker's at  Mohawk],  and  from  the  common  Carrying  place  18  shillings  to  Kennedy 
Creek,  coming  and  going. 

Thomas  Mearse,  Johannes  RufF,  William  Kline,  Stephanus  De  grow. 

P.  S. — The  short  carrying  j^lace  is  4  shillings,  and  from  the  Indian  field  to  New- 
port is  six  shillings. 

The  following  letter  was  from  Mr,  Roof  to  Jelles  Fonda  : 

Fort  Stanwix,  April  23,  1773. 
Sir. — Your  favor  rec'd  the  20  inst. ;  the  next  day  I  sent  them  to  plow  with  my 
servant  and  my  plow  as  I  want  the  seed  in  the  ground  as  soon  as  possible.  I  want 
no  pay  for  it,  only  they  must  help  me  and  I  them ;  the  riding  [carrying  persons, 
likely]  is  beginning  to  be  pretty  .smart,  therefore  I  want  to  have  done  with  plowing. 
We  have  made  a  new  sluice  and  it  is  in  good  order.  The  traders  make  complaint  in 
regard  to  paying  4  shillings  over  this  place,  but  as  to  Kanady  Creek,  I  hear  they 
seem  to  be  easy  about  the  price.  They  threaten  to  get  other  wagons  here,  but  that 
we  care  nothing  about :  for  I  am  not  afraid,  one  wagon  this  year  will  clear  as  much 
two  last  year. 

The  foregoing  will  indicate  what  was  going  on  in  this  county  120 
years  ago.  Thus  affairs  moved  on  hereabouts,  no  great,  if  any,  addition 
being  made  to  the  settlers  in  the  county  before  the  Revolution  ;  and 
none,  so  far  as  history  chronicles,  outside  of  Fort  Stanwix  and  Deer- 
field. 

Political  affairs  in  the  colonies  were  approaching  a  crisis.  The  French 
i 


25  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

had  been  driven  from  the  Canadian  possessions,  and  England  was  seek- 
ing to  tax  and  otherwise  oppress  her  colonial  subjects  in  America 
beyond  endurance.  The  spirit  of  liberty,  especially  among  the  Angli- 
cized people  in  the  colonies,  was  fully  aroused  and  hardly  a  decade  had 
passed  before  a  war  was  again  threatened  in  the  colonies,  and  more 
formidable  than  the  old  French  war.  The  battles  of  Lexington  and 
Bunker  Hill  in  1775  set  the  country  in  motion.  Tiie  news  from  be- 
leagured  Boston  stirred  up  the  people  to  the  wildest  extent  and  enthu- 
siasm. Indians  were  on  the  war  path  and  scattered  colonial  settle 
ments  were  wiped  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence July  4,  1776,  solidified  the  sentiment  of  the  colonial  patriots 
in  favor  of  a  separation  from  the  mother  country.  Karly  in  that  >car 
matters  assumed  a  very  warlike  aspect.  The  various  forts  in  the 
Mohawk  Valley  were  garrisoned,  and  although  Kort  Stanwix  was  in 
the  midst  of  a  wilderness,  thirty  miles  from  civilization,  yet  it  was  consid 
ered  the  key  to  the  western  country,  and  to  the  Mohawk  Valley  from 
the  west.  General  Washington  at  an  early  day  had  called  the  attention 
of  General  Schuyler  to  this  fort,  the  importance  of  this  carrying  place, 
and  the  necessity  of  repairing  and  garrisoning  it.  In  the  course  of  1776 
Congress  directed  General  Schuyler  to  put  the  fort  in  a  state  of  defence, 
but  nothing  was  done  to  it  that  year.  The  settlers  remained  arountl  the 
fort  as  in  years  before,  but  war  parties  began  to  move.  In  the  summer 
of  1776  a  friendly  Oneida  Indian  was  hunting  north  of  Dcerfield 
Corners  and  while  thus  engaged  came  upon  a  party  of  Tories  and 
Indians  who  were  very  particular  in  their  inquiries  as  to  the  white  settle- 
ment at  the  corners.  The  Oneida  Indian  gave  evasive  answers,  and  the 
party  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  settlement.  As  soon  as  out  of 
sight  the  friendly  Indian  made  a  detour  and  hastened  to  apprise  the 
whites  of  their  danger.  Being  acquainted  with  the  woods,  thickets, 
hills,  swamps,  and  streams,  he  reached  the  settlement  and  gave  warning 
to  the  whites,  who  barely  had  time  to  hide  their  scanty  furniture  in  the 
woods.  The  women  and  children  in  a  wagon,  and  the  men  on  foot, 
beat  a  hasty  retreat  down  the  valley.  The  war  party  came,  found  the 
settlers  gone,  set  fire  to  and  burned  the  buildings,  and  the  town  of 
Deerfield  was  again  a  deserted  wilderness.  The  only  settlers  then  left  in 
Oneida    county   was   those  who   yet  remained  around   I-'ort    Stanwix. 


1760  TO  AUGUST,   1777. 


27 


Colonel  Dayton  was  in  command  of  the  fort  of  that  name  (now  Herki- 
mer village)  in  1776,  and  he  was  ordered  to  take  charge  of  Fort  Stan- 
wix  and  repair  it.  The  fort  had  gone  greatly  to  decay,  the  pickets 
rotted  ofif,  and  the  earthworks  much  out  of  repair.  It  seems  that  Col. 
F^lias  Dayton  ^  was  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  the  summer  of  1776  and  he  was 
the  one  wIk^  changed  the  name  to  Fort  Schuyler;  that  name  clung  to  it 
in  part  during  the  war,  and  in  that  way  it  has  often  been  confounded 
with  I'ort  Schuyler  at  Utica ;  Colonel  Dayton  was  superseded  in  the 
year  1776  in  command  at  Fort  Stanwix  by  Colonel  Flmore  of  the  State 
service.  In  April,  1777,  Col. 
Peter  Gansevoort,  then  twcnt\- 
eight  years  of  age,  of  the  State 
service,  was  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed Colonel  I'^lmore  by  an  order 
of  General  Gates  dated  April  26, 
1777.  On  reaching  Fort  Stan 
wix  Colonel  Gansevoort  found 
the  ditches  nearly  filled  up,  maga- 
zine and  barracks  gone  to  ruin 
and  the  works  untenable  and  in 
no  condition  for  defence.  He 
had  but  a  small  number  of  men 
and  it  was  rumored  there  was 
to  be  an  attack  by  the  Hritisli 
during    the    summer.        In    May 

Col.  Marinus  Willett,  then  thirty-seven  years  old,  and  near  Peekskill, 
was  ordered  with  his  regiment  to  join  Colonel  Gansevoort  ;  he  started 
from  Fort  Constitution,  opposite  West  Point,  with  his  regiment  in  three 
sloops,  reached  Albany  in  three  days,  thence  in  boats  up  the  Mohawk 
and  .irrived  at  Fort  Stanwix  May  29,  1777.  When  Colonels  Ganse- 
voort and  Willett  reached  Fort  Stanwix,  the  work  of  repairing  com- 
menced in  earnest.  The  French  engineer  employed  turned  out  to  be 
wholly  incompetent.  Instead  of  repairing  the  works  after  the  manner 
of  their  original   construction,   which   would  have  been  comparatively 

»  Colonel  Dayton  was  grandfather  of  William  L.  Dayton,  of  New  Jersey,  minister  to  France 
under  I'n-Milcnt  Lincoln,  and  who  ran  for  vi(  .-nr.sident  in  1850,  on  the  ticket  with  John  C- 
Fremont. 


I'l. itK  Gansevoort,  jr. 


28  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

easy,  he  sent  out  to  the  swamp  large  parties  to  cut  pickets,  which  when 
brought  to  the  fort  with  so  much  labor  were  found  to  be  seventeen  feet 
long,  seven  feet  longer  than  required,  and  instead  of  putting  them  in  the 
center  of  the  ditch,  as  formerly,  they  were  put  in  the  covert  way.  A 
building  for  barracks  was  erected  outside  of  the  fort.  Another  blunder 
was  that  the  port  holes  in  the  pickets  did  not  correspond  with  the  em- 
brasures of  the  fort.  The  upshot  of  the  matter  was,  the  engineer  was 
arrested  and  sent  down  the  valley  to  General  Schuyler.  It  was  not  until 
into  July  that  this  was  done. 

The  British  plan  of  the  campaign  for  1777  was  for  General  Burgoyne 
to  go  from  Canada  with  an  army  of  7,000  men  up  Lake  Champlain,  cross 
over  to  the  Hudson  River  at  Fort  Edward,  down  that  stream  to  Albany 
and  there  unite  with  General  Howe,  who  was  to  come  up  the  Hudson  with 
his  forces,  and  those  two  armies  meet  St.  Leger  with  another  army,  which 
was  to  go  via  Lake  Ontario,  Oswego  River,  Oneida  Lake,  Wood  Creek, 
capture  Fort  Stanwix,  and  proceed  down  the  Mohawk  and  overrun  and 
wipe  out  the  settlements  in  the  valley.  Tiiat  plan  was  formulated  in 
England,  and  the  forces  started  in  the  spring  of  1777  to  execute  it.  If 
it  had  been  successful  it  would  have  been  the  death  knell  of  American 
independence,  as  it  would  have  separated  the  New  England  from  the 
other  colonies,  as  was  the  plan,  and  trampled  under  foot  the  patriots  of 
the  Mohawk  Valley  — among  the  most  vigilant,  the  most  brave,  the  most 
alert  and  active,  of  any  of  the  settlements  in  the  thirteen  colonies;  but 
the  British  authorities  had  not  duly  considered,  nor  given  proper  weight 
to,  the  part  Fort  Stanwix  might,  and  was  to  act  in  this  contest  They 
did  not  seem  to  have  taken  into  account  that  it  was  possible  for  St.  Leger 
to  fail  before  this  fort;  but  to  have  assumed  it  was  to  be  taken  and  the 
valley  overrun  as  a  matter  of  course. 

And  now  the  time  was  approaching  when  within  the  borders  of  Oneida 
county  were  to  be  enacted  scenes,  and  in  which  history  was  to  be  made, 
of  momentous  import ;  history  concerning  not  this  locality  alone,  but 
involving  the  destiny  of  a  nation,  and  hence  it  is  not  an  exaggeration  to 
say  that  the  result  of  tiie  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix  was  the  turning  point 
in  the  Revolutionary  conflict  and  assured  independence  to  the  colonies. 
General  Burgoyne  had  charge  of  the  Champlain  expedition  He  came 
from  England  in  the  spring  of   1777,  and  in  June  went  up  Lake  Cham- 


176U  TO  AUGUST,  1777.  29 

plain  and  in  due  time  reached  the  Hudson  River  with  an  army  of  7,000 
men.  It  was  not  fully  known  in  earl}-  summer  to  the  colonies  as  to  the 
general  plan  of  the  English  campaign  ;  but  as  the  season  advanced,  ru- 
mors thickened,  and  savages  prowling  around  Fort  Stanwix,  picking  off 
all  they  could  see,  indicated  the  trend  of  events. 

Under  date  of  June  26,  1777,  Colonel  Gansevoort  wrote  to  General 
Schuyler  as  follows  : 

I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  Captain  Gregg  went  out  gunning  yesterday  morning, 
contrary  to  orders,  and  about  10  a.  m.  Corporal  Madison  was  killed  and  scalped  and 
Captain  Gregg  shot  through  the  back,  tomahawked  and  scalped  and  left  for  dead ; 
but  he  survives.     He  saw  two  Indians. 

Under  date  of  July  4  Colonel  Gansevoort  writes  again,  as  follows: 

The  soldiers  are  constantly  at  work  sending  out  parties  of  observation,  felling  the 
timber  into  Wood  Creek,  clearing  the  road  to  Fort  Dayton,  which  in  many  parts  is 
impassable,  and  at  the  same  time  prosecuting  the  works,  are  objects  of  great  impor- 
tance. 150  men  would  be  needed  speedily  and  effectually  to  obstruct  Wood  Creek; 
an  e<}ual  number  necessary  to  guard  the  men  at  work  in  felling  and  hauling  timber. 
The  number  of  inimical  Indians  increases.  Yesterday  a  party  of  40,  supposed  to  be 
Hutler's  emissaries,  attacked  Ensign  Spoor  with  16  privates,  who  were  out  cutting 
turf  three-<juarters  of  a  mile  from  the  ff)rt ;  one  soldier  was  brought  in  dead,  and  in- 
humanly mangled;  two  brought  in  wounded;  Mr.  Spoor  and  six  privates  are  missing. 
Our  provisions  are  greatly  diminished  by  reason  of  the  spoiling  of  the  beef;  it  will 
not  hold  out  six  weeks.     Our  stock  of  powder  is  too  little. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  about  noon.  Colonel  VVillett  chronicles  in  his  nar- 
native  that  he  was  startled  from  his  siesta  by  the  report  of  musketry  ; 
hastening  to  the  parapet  he  saw  a  little  girl  running  with  a  basket  in  her 
hand,  while  the  blood  was  trickling  down  her  bosom.  It  appeared  that 
the  girl,  with  two  others,  had  been  picking  berries  not  forty  rods  from 
the  fort  (about  where  now  stands  the  freight  house  of  the  N.Y.  C.  R.  R.) 
and  were  fired  upon  and  two  of  the  number  killed.  The  girl  who  es- 
caped was  but  slightly  wounded.  One  of  the  girls  killed  was  Katy 
Steers,  twenty  years  old,  daughter  of  one  of  the  settlers;  the  other  was 
the  daughter  of  an  invalid  British  officer,  and  was  entitled  to  a  position 
in  the  Chelsea  hospital,  but  had  preferred  to  remain  in  the  cultivation 
of  a  small  piece  of  land  around  Fort  Stanwix  than  to  again  cross  the 
ocean.  Quite  likely  this  invalid  was  the  patentee  of  Sumner's  Patent 
(see  history  of  that  patent),  and  this  murdered  girl  his  daughter. 

The  storm  was   thickening  and    rapidly  approaching,  full  of  evil  por- 


30  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tents;  by  the  middle  of  July  Indians  were  prowling  around  the  fort 
with  murderous  intent,  and  it  became  necessary  to  house  the  cattle 
within  the  fort,  to  send  the  families  down  the  valley  for  safety,  and  for 
none  of  the  garrison  to  venture  out  except  in  good  sized  parties  and  well 
armed.  At  this  time  the  garrison  consisted  of  550  men,  but  they  were 
only  partially  supplied  with  provisions,  powder,  and  munitions  of  war. 
Boats,  however,  with  men  and  supplies,  were  daily  expected  to  arrive 
from  down  the  valley.  On  the  30th  of  July  a  letter  was  received  at  the 
fort  from  Thomas  Spencer,^  a  friendly  half  breed  Oneida,  an  Indian 
interpreter,  that  in  four  days  the  king's  troops  would  be  at  the  fort.  On 
the  first  of  August,  1777,  the  walls  around  the  fort  were  repaired  ;  the 
parapets  nearly  raised  ;  the  embrasures  made  on  three  sides  of  the  bas- 
tions ;  horizontal  pickets  extending  over  the  ditches  from  the  embank- 
ment, and  the  perpendicular  pickets  were  erected  around  the  covert 
way,  and  the  gate  and  bridges  made  secure.  The  sally  port  was  on  the 
east  side  of  the  fort  towards  the  river  ;  the  covert  wa)'  was  on  the 
opposite  side  (wcstcrl\);  the  drawbridge  on  the  southerly  side  towards 
Dominick  street.  On  the  northeast  corner  or  bastion  of  the  fort, 
towards  St.  Peter's  church,  were  three  guns;  on  the  northwest  corner, 
towards  the  City  Hall,  four  guns  :  on  the  southeast  corner  towards  tiie 
river,  four  guns,  and  on  the  southwest  corner  three  guns,  and  there  was 
the  flag  staff.  On  the  side  (northerly)  towards  Liberty  street,  were  the 
soldiers'  quarters  ;  on  the  east  and  south  sides,  the  officers  barracks 
and  in  the  southeast  corner  the  magazine  constructed  of  the  seven  feet 
cut  off  from  the  seventeen  feet  logs  procured  for  pickets.  Between  the 
fort  and  the  river  the  land  was  mainly  cleared  of  trees,  but  the  ap- 
proaches from  that  direction  were  deemed  difficult  if  not  impassable  by 
reason  of  the  morass  A  deep  broad  ditch  encircled  the  fort,  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  wide  at  the  top,  sloping  to  the  bottom,  and  eighteen  to 
twenty  feet  deep.  In  the  center  of  the  ditch  were  heavy  perpendicular 
pickets,  sharp  pointed  at  the  top.  Another  row  of  horizontal  pickets 
projected  from  the  ramparts  over  the  ditch.  I^ctween  the  fort  and  what 
is  now  the  Erie  Canal,  the  land  was  cleared,  and  so  it  was  westerly  most 
of  the  way  between  the  fort  and  Wood  Creek.      August  1st  an  express 

'  He  was  killed  afterwards  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany.  He  was  the  one  who  went  to  Canada  on 
a  secret  mission  in  the  spring  of  ITTT,  and  brought  the  news  of  the  British  plan  of  the  campaign 
for  that  year. 


1760  TO  AUGUST,  1777.  31 

arrived  at  the  fort  with  the  news  that  the  boats  coming  up  the  Mohawk 
were  near  at  hand.  On  the  2d  of  August  in  the  afternoon,  the  boats 
with  supphes  and  200  men  under  Colonel  Mellon  (Mass.  troops)  reached 
the  landing,  just  as  a  detachment  from  St.  Leger's  forces  appeared  in 
sight ;  all  of  Colonel  Mellon's  men  reached  the  fort  except  the  man  who 
commanded  the  boats,  who  by  reason  of  his  dilatoriness,  was  taken 
prisoner.  An  hour's  difference  in  time  might  have  entirely  changed  the 
result  of  that  siege  There  were  now  750  men  in  the  fort,  provisioned 
for  six  weeks,  with  plenty  of  ammunition  for  small  arms,  but  a  scanty 
supply  for  the  large  guns,  with  nine  rounds  for  each  for  the  same 
period.  The  main  body  of  St.  Leger's  forces  was  near  at  hand,  con- 
sisting of  less  than  500  troops  outside  of  the  Indians,  and  1,000  of  the 
latter;  some  accounts  place  the  number  of  the  enemy  from  1,000  to 
2,000  men.  The  siege  commenced  at  once,  while  the  parapets  had  to 
be  finished  by  the  garrison  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy. 

Early  in  the  year  1776  a  regiment  was  raised  in  Connecticut,  under 
authority  of  the  Continental  Congress,  to  serve  for  one  year  from  April, 
1776.  It  is  known  as  Colonel  Elmore's  regiment.  Col  Samuel  Elmore 
and  most  of  his  company  oflficers  recruited  their  men  in  Connecticut, 
and  to  some  extent  from  regiments  which  had  served  in  the  north. 
Some  of  the  officers  belonged  in  New  York  and  a  few  in  Massaciiusetts, 
and  men  were  recruited  from  both  of  those  States.  Col.  Samuel  Elmore 
was  from  Sharon,  Conn.;  Lieut. -Col.  John  Brown  was  from  Massachu- 
setts (both  appointed  b}'  Congress) ;  Maj.  Robert  Cochran  was  from  New 
York  (probably  from  Westchester  county).  The  regiment  took  the  field 
in  July,  1776,  under  Gen.  Philip  Schuyler,  and  on  August  25  marched 
from  Albany  up  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Capt.  David  Smith's  company 
was  on  duty  at  German  Elats,  Capt.  Lathrop  Allen's  company  was  in 
garrison  at  Fort  Dayton  (Herkimer),  Capt.  William  Satterlee's  company 
in  garrison  at  Johnstown,  Capt.  Joel  Dickenson's  company  (of  which 
Robert  Cochran  was  captain  until  he  was  promoted  to  be  major)  in  gar- 
rison at  Fort  Dayton,  Capt.  Theodore  Woodbridge's  company,  Capt. 
Albert  Chapman's  company,  Capt.  Robert  Walker's  company,  and  Capt. 
Jeremiah  Parmalee's  company  (four  companies)  marched  on  to  Fort 
Stanwix  and  were  in  that  fort  and  its  vicinity  until  they  broke  up  in  the 
spring  of  1777,  when  their  term  of  service  expired.      Most  of  the  offi- 


32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cers  and  a  number  of  the  men  re-entered  the  Continental  service  in  the 
Connecticut,  Massachusetts  and  New  York  hnes.  Captain  Satterlee 
was  from  Massachusetts,  Captain  Cochran  from  New  York,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  captains  from  Connecticut.  It  is,  or  has  been,  generally 
supposed  this  regiment  was  at  Fort  Stanwix  during  its  siei;e.  This 
supposition  is  not  well  founded.  The  regiment  at  that  fort  during  the 
siege  in  August,  1777,  was  the  Third  New  York  regiment,  of  which 
Colonel  Gansevoort  was  colonel,  and  Col.  Marinus  Willett  lieutenant- 
colonel.  In  addition  there  were  200  Massaciuisetts  men  under  Colonel 
Mellon  (of  Colonel  Weston's  regiment)  who  arrived  at  the  fort  the  day 
the  siege  was  commenced  by  St.  Leger  (August  2,  1877),  and  barely 
reached  the  fort  before  the  advance  force  under  Brant  and  Colonel  Bird 
arrived.  April  26,  1777,  Colonel  Gansevoort  was  appointed  by  General 
Gates  to  succeed  Colonel  Elmore,  and  May  18,  1777,  Colonel  Willett 
was  ordered  to  proceed  from  opposite  West  Point  to  Fort  Stanwix,  as 
lieutenant-colonel,  with  his  regiment,  the  Third  New  York. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  ST AWVIX-RATTLE  OF  ORISKANV. 

This  chapter  embodies  an  account  of  events  which  in  their  results 
more  vitally  alTected  the  destiny  of  this  county  and  of  the  nation  than 
any  others  in  their  liistory.  The  territory  embraced  in  this  county  was 
more  than  a  century  ago  the  theater  of  passing  events  which  then  and 
there  practically  decided  the  question  whether  the  thirteen  American 
colonies  then  struggling  for  independence  were  to  continue  as  depend- 
encies of  Great  Britain,  or  were  to  become  the  first,  and  probably  the 
only,  republic  on  this  continent.  Within  this  territory  the  battle  was 
fought  and  won  which  practically  settled  that  question;  hence  it  is  fair 
to  assume  that  the  student  of  local  history  will  desire  to  be  informed  in 
detail  of  each  step  in  the  progress  of  events  which  gave  this  county  of 
ours  such  paramount  historical  interest. 

In  a  former  chapter  is  outlined  the  plan  of  the   British  for  their  cam- 


1777-SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  33 

paign  of  1777.  With  the  Burgoyne  movement  up  Lakes  Champlain 
and  George,  across  the  country  to  the  Hudson  and  down  that  stream 
until  the  army  met  its  fate  on  the  field  of  Saratoga,  this  volume  has 
very  little  to  do.  But  the  expedition  of  St.  Leger  from  La  Chine,  near 
Montreal,  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  thence  to  Oneida 
Lake  and  Wood  Creek  to  Fort  Stanwix,  with  the  purpose  of  meeting 
Burgoyne  at  Albany,  is  of  the  greatest  local  importance  and  historical 
interest. 

Sir  John  Johnson  was  with  this  expedition,  and  a  copy  of  bis  Orderly 
Book  is  before  the  writer.  This  Orderl}-  Book  was  captured  by  Colonel 
Willett  when  he  made  his  sortie  at  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix.  The 
troops  to  accompany  the  expedition  were  of  the  8th  regiment  and  of  the 
34th,  each  of  100  men.  Sir  John  Johnson's  regiment,  133,  and,  as  was 
intended,  342  Hanau  Chasseurs.  In  the  Orderly  Book,  date  of  June  20, 
1777,  is  this  order  : 

Forty-eight  batteaux  to  be  delivered  to  the  Royal  Regiment  (8th),  45  felling  axes, 
and  3  broad  axes;  75  felling  axes  and  2  broad  axes  to  the  34th  regiment.  The  8th 
regiment  to  take  440  barrels  of  provisions,  allowing  10  bbls  each  for  44  batteaus;  the 
rum  or  brandy  to  be  jiut  for  security  in  the  officer's  boats.  The  8th  reg't  to  be  com- 
pleted with  14  days  i)rovisions,  commencing  Saturday,  June  21st. 

On  the  2  1st  is  this  order: 

Forty  boats  to  contain  400  bbls  of  provisions,  and  7  of  rum ;  the  remainder  to  be 
left  at  St.  Leger's  quarters. 

Lieutenant- Colonel  St.  Leger  was  to  command  and  accompany  this 
expedition,  and  Sir  John  Joiinson  and  Colonel  Glaus,  his  brother-in-law, 
subordinates.  Colonel  Claus,  under  date  of  October  16,  1777,  after  the 
expedition  was  over,  wrote  to  the  home  government  as  follows  : 

On  the  23d  of  June  I  set  out  from  La  Chine  near  Montreal.  The  Brigadier  was 
getting  the  artillery  boats  ready  to  take  in  2  sixes,  two  3's,  and  four  cohorns  (being 
our  artillery  for  the  expedition)  was  to  follow  the  day  after,  and  proceeded  for  an 
island  destined  for  our  rendezvous  in  the  entrance  of  Lake  Ontario,  called  Buck 
[Carleton]  I.sland,  in  company  with  Sir  John  Johnson  and  his  regiment.  In  my  way 
thither  I  collected  a  body  of  150  Missagues  [a  Huron  clan  of  Indians]  and  6  nation  of 
Indians.  The  foregoing  Indians  the  Brigadier  intended  should  accompany  him  on 
an  alert  to  Fort  Stanwix  by  a  short  cut  thro'  the  woods  from  the  mouth  of  the  Sal- 
mon River,  about  20  miles  from  Oswego,  in  order  to  surprise  the  garrison,  and  take 
it  with  small  arms.  Between  60  and  70  leagues  from  Montreal,  the  reconnoitering 
party  I  sent  to  Fort  Stanwix  returned  and  met  me  with  5  prisoners  (one  lieutenant) 
and  4  scalps,  having  defeated  a  working  party  of  16  rebels  as  they  were  cutting  sods 
5 


34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

toward  repairing  and  finishing  the  old  fort.i  which  is  garrisoned  by  upward  of  600 
men— the  repairs  far  advanced  and  the  rebels  expecting  us,  and  were  acquainted 
with  our  strength  and  route.  The  Brig,  was  about  15  leagues  in  our  rear;  on  reach- 
ing Buck  island,  he  admitted  our  artillery  was  insufficient,  if  the  rebels  intended  to 
defend  themselves  in  their  fort.  Here  he  had  opportunity  of  sending  for  a  better 
train  of  artillery.  He  was,  however  still  on  the  alert.  We  arrived  at  Buck  island 
July  8th. 

This  expedition  remained  at  Buck  Island  until  the  19th  of  July  On 
the  17th  an  order  appears  on  Sir  John's  Orderly  Book  for  forty  days' 
provisions  for  500  pien,  by  which  it  is  argued  by  the  British  authorities 
that  not  more  than  500  men,  Indians  and  all,  were  with  St.  Leger  until 
he  reached  Oswego,  where  an  addition  of  Indians  was  made  to  his  force 
On  the  i8th  of  July  the  Orderly  Book  had  the  following  entry: 

The  8th  and  34th  regiments  will  receive  10  boats  each  for  their  men  and  20  days 
provisions;  the  officers  allowed  a  proper  portion  for  their  baggage  on  their  way  to 
Oswego.  The  corps  of  Canadians  will  move  at  same  time  and  carry  20  days  provis- 
ions for  500  men.  The  advance  corps  to  carry  6  days  provisions  in  bread  and  pork, 
to  shut  any  possibility  of  want  of  provisions  from  delay.  &c.  The  artillery  to  carry 
20  days  provisions  for  their  own  detatchnicnt.  The  artillery,  the  chas.seurs.  officers 
and  Rangers  of  the  Indian  department  and  Canadians,  to  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness to  embark  at  4  in  the  morning,  to-morrow 

There  is  a  hiatus  in  the  Orderly  Book  from  the  above  date  until  after 
Oswego  was  reached  and  passed,  and  until  July  31st.  when  Oswego 
Falls  (Fulton,  Oswego  county)  was  passed  and  the  troops  ready  to  pro- 
ceed in  boats  up  the  Oswego  River.  The  letter  of  October  16,  1777, 
from  Colonel  Claus,  is  continued  as  follows  : 

The  Brigadier  set  out  from  Buck  Island  July  19.  for  Salmon  river.  I  having  been 
ordered  to  proceed  to  Oswego  with  Sir  John's  regiment  and  a  company  of  chasseurs, 
lately  arrived,  there  to  convene  and  prepare  the  Indians  to  join  the  Brigadier  at  Fort 
Stanwix.  I  reached  Oswego  July  23d.  and  there  found  Brant,  who  informed  me  that 
his  party  of  300  Indians  would  be  there  the  next  day;  and  that  having  been  more 
than  two  months  upon  service,  were  destitute  of  necessaries,  ammunition  and  some 
arms.  July  24th  I  rec'd  an  express  from  St.  Ledger  at  Salmon  river  to  repair  there 
with  what  arms  and  vermillion  I  had,  and  wished  I  would  come  prepared  for  a  march 
thro'  the  woods.  I  had  no  arms  nor  vermillion,  but  I  prepared  to  go  ujx)n  the  march, 
and  was  ready  to  set  off  when  Brant  came  to  my  tent  and  told  me,  that  as  no  jx-rson 
was  there  to  take  care  of  the  Indians  with  him,  he  ai)prehended  that  in  case  I  should 
leave  them,  they  would  become  disgusted  and  disperse,  which  might  prevent  the 
rest  of  the  6  nations  to  assemble,  and  be  hurtful  to  the  expedition,  and  begged  I 

'This  was  the  party  that  captured  Ensign  Spoor,  mentioned  in  Colonel  Gansevoort's  letter  of 

July  4,  1777,  in  a  former  chapter. 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  35 

would  first  represent  these  circumstatices  to  the  Brig,  by  letter.  The  Brig,  had  men- 
tioned by  letter  to  me,  that  my  going  was  chiefly  intended  to  quiet  the  Indians  with 
him,  who  were  very  drunk  and  riotous;  Capt.  Tice,  the  messenger,  informed  me 
that  the  Brig,  had  ordered  a  quart  of  rum  apiece,  which  made  them  beastly  drunk, 
and  in  which  case,  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  man  to  quiet  them ;  so  I  mentioned  these 
suggestions  to  him  of  Brant;  upon  which,  and  finding  the  Indians  disapproved  of 
my  going,  the  Brig,  came  away  from  Salmon  river,  and  arrived  at  Oswego  the  next 
day,  with  the  companies  of  the  8th  and  34th  regiments  and  about  250  Indians. 

On  the  26th  of  July  the  expedition  left  Oswego  with  the  purpose  of 
meeting  at  Three  River  Point  such  other  Indians  as  were  expected  to 
join.  On  the  31st,  after  reaching  Oswego  Falls,  around  which  it  re- 
quired three  days  to  transport  the  baggage  and  guns,  the  following 
entry  was  made  in  the  Orderly  Book: 

The  detachment  of  the  Royal  artillery,  and  the  company  of  Canadians  are  to  take 
in  their  loading  immediately ;  each  Capt.  "boat  to  carry  4  bbls — 10  lieut.  boats  5  bbls 
each,  private  boats  G  each,  and  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  embark  at  2  P.  M. 

There  is  no  entry  in  the  Orderly  Book  after  the  above  date. 

After  leaving  Oswego  St.  Leger  sent  in  advance  a  small  detachment 
of  thirty  men  of  the  regular  troops  under  Colonel  Bird  (who  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Oriskany),  to  proceed  to  Fort  Stanwix,  cut  the  com- 
munications of  the  garrison  with  their  friends  down  the  valley,  and  cap- 
ture the  supply  boats  then  on  their  way  to  the  fort  with  supplies. 
From  the  diary  of  Colonel  l^ird,  which  was  captured  by  Colonel  Willett 
on  his  sortie  from  the  fort,  as  detailed  later  on,  the  following  entries  are 
taken  : 

Tuesday,  July  29.  1777  After  going  2  miles  and  no  savages  coming  up,  waited  2 
hours  for  them.  Sixteen  Senecas  arriving  proceeded  to  3  Rivers;  waited  there  2 
hours;  70  or  HO  Indians  came  up;  they  had  stolen  2  oxen  from  the  droves  of  the 
army,  and  would  not  advance,  but  stayed  to  feast.  I  advanced  7  miles  farther  with- 
out them — in  all  19  miles. 

Wed..  July  30.  Set  oflF  next  morning  at  6,  having  waited  for  the  savages  till  that 
time,  tho"  none  arrived.  Ordered  the  boats  to  keep  70  rods  behind  each  other — half 
of  the  men  keeping  arms  in  their  hands,  while  the  other  ^  rowed;  ordered  that  if 
any  of  the  boats  were  fired  upon,  the  men  should  jump  ashore.  Rowed  all  night, 
encamped  at  Nine  Mile  Point.  [Probably  Bernhard's  Bay.  It  is  evident  that 
Colonel  Bird  expected  an  ambush.] 

Thursday,  July  31st.  With  27  Senecas  and  9  Hurons,  joined  Mr.  Nair's  '  party. 
Many  savages  being  with  us,  we  proceeded  to  Wood  Creek,  a  march  of  15  miles. 

Friday.  Aug't  1st.     The  savages  hinted  an  intention  to  send  parties  to  Fort  Stan- 

'  Killed  at  the  battle  of  t)riskanv. 


36  '   OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

wix,  but  to  proceed  no  farther  in  a  body.  I  called  a  council  of  the  Chiefs,  and  told 
them  of  my  orders  to  go  to  the  fort,  and  if  they  would  not  go  with  me,  I  should  take 
the  white  men  and  go;  the  Hurons  said  they  would  go  with  me.  The  Senecas  said 
it  was  their  way  to  proceed  with  caution.  I  told  them  I  would  wait  until  next  morn- 
ing at  daybreak,  and  then  certainly  go.  They  said  they  would  send  out  large  scouts 
to  prepare  the  way;  accordingly  18  or  20  set  off  this  evening. 

The  Indians  were  very  insubordinate  and  intractable,  demonstrat- 
ing the  embarrassment  that  often  arose  in  attempting  to  employ  them 
with  regular  troops.  It  was  owing  to  the  acts  of  the  Indians  that 
Colonel  Bird  was  prevented  from  reaching  the  fort  in  time  to  intercept 
and  capture  the  supply  boats,  as  narrated  in  the  previous  chapter.  On 
Saturday,  the  2d  of  August,  Colonel  Bird  reached  the  fort  and  imme- 
diately wrote  back  to  St.  Leger,  who  had  arrived  at  Nine  Mile  Point. 
He  wrote  that  no  savages  would  advance  with  him,  except  two  of  the 
Six  Nations.  "Twelve  Hurons  came  up  two  or  three  hours  after  I  had 
left;  those  with  the  scout  of  fifteen,  I  mentioned  in  my  last,  are  suffi- 
cient to  invest  Fort  Stanwix,  if  you  favor  me  so  far  as  not  to  order  mc 
to  the  contrary."     St.  Leger  at  once  replied  as  follows  : 

You  will  observe  that  I  will  have  nothmg  but  an  investment  of  the  fort;  and  to 
enable  you  to  do  it  with  greater  effect.  I  send  Brant  with  his  Indians  to  re-enforce 
you;  and  in  case  the  enemy  observing  the  discretion  and  judgment  with  which  it  is 
made,  should  offer  to  capitulate,  you  are  to  tell  them,  you  are  sure  I  am  well  disposed 
to  listen  to  them.  Heave  here  at  11  this  a.  m.  and  shall  reach  the  entrance  to  Wood 
Creek  (15  miles)  early  in  the  afternoon. 

The  foregoing  extract  indicates  how  confident  St.  Leger  was  of  suc- 
cess and  how  little  he  realized  the  terrible  earnestness  of  the  garrison 
and  of  the  colonies.  Not  unlikely  he  had  heard  so  much  from  the 
tory  leaders  of  the  imbecility  and  cowardice  of  the  "  rebels,"  and  of 
their  willingness  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  join  the  king's  troops,  if 
they  dared,  he  expected  to  capture  the  fort  without  firing  a  gun. 

After  St.  Leger  left  Oswego  the  expedition  was  "  shadowed  "  all  the 
way  to  Wood  Creek  b\'  friendly  runners  from  the  Oneidas,  who  kept 
the  garrison  daily  and  almost  hourly  advised  of  the  progress  of  the  ad- 
vancing foe.  When  Wood  Creek  was  reached  the  enemy  found  the 
channel  completely  blocked  by  trees  fallen  into  it  by  orders  of  Colonel 
Gansevoort.  A  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  garrison  were  fourteen  days 
in  cutting  down  those  trees,  thus  forcing  St.  Leger's  troops  to  travel 
through  the  forest  by  an  Indian  path.      In  his  report  of  the  expedition 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  37 

St.  Leger  says  that  it  took  i  lo  of  his  men  nine  days  to  clear  Wood 
Creek  of  the  trees,  and  that  before  he  could  get  his  cannon  and  muni- 
tions, with  seven  days'  provisions,  from  Oneida  Lake  to  the  fort,  he  had 
to  cut  a  road  through  the  woods  sixteen  miles  long,  and  that  it  took  two 
days  to  do  this. 

On  Saturday,  August  2d,  the  fort  was  formally  invested  by  Colonel 
Bird  and  by  Brant,  who  had  been  sent  in  advance  of  the  main  body. 
On  Sunday  forenoon  following.  St.  Leger  and  the  remainder  of  the 
forces  reached  the  site  of  Fort  Bull  at  the  lower  landing  of  Wood  Creek. 
At  that  point  the  troops  forined  in  line  and  marched  to  the  upper 
landing,  the  site  of  the  old  U.  S.  Arsenal.  From  that  point  to  the  fort 
was  an  open  plain  in  full  view  of  the  soldiers  on  the  rampart.  The  first 
heard  by  the  garrison  was  martial  music  and  then  the  columns  appeared 
in  sight.  The  garrison  was  paraded  on  the  ramparts  to  watch  the  com- 
ing of  the  enemy.  Onward  they  marched,  deplo\'ing  as  they  approached, 
while  the  Indians  spread  themselves  out  on  the  flanks,  with  feathers 
fluttering  in  their  head-gear  and  tomahawks  glistening  in  their  hands, 
their  yells  at  times  drowning  the  sound  of  the  bugle  and  the  drum. 
The  bri'^ht  scarlet  uniforms  of  the  regulars,  taken  out  fresh  that  morn- 
ing, the  banners  and  flags  waving  in  the  air  as  the  march  proceeded,  the 
shimmer  of  the  rifles  in  the  sun  and  the  precision  of  the  military  tread 
of  the  trained  soldiery,  were  all  calculated  to  strike  terror  to  the  hearts 
of  the  garrison.  But  the  spectacle  had  a  contrary  effect.  They  knew 
they  need  not  expect  mercy  at  the  hands  of  the  invaders,  and  that  they 
must  defend  to  the  last  extremit\-  the  fort  entrusted  to  their  charge. 
The  garrison  watched  in  silence  the  oncoming  of  the  foe.  Not  a  gun 
was  fired,  not  a  shout  of  defiance  was  heard,  and  stillness  reigned.  It 
was  Sabbath,  and  the  silence  of  the  garrison  compared  with  the  so- 
lemnity of  the  day.  The  men  on  the  ramparts  were  intent  upon  count- 
ing the  number  of  the  besiegers.  A  flag  of  truce  was  sent  into  the  fort 
by  St.  Leger  demanding  surrender,  which  was  promptly  refused.  The 
4th  and  5th  of  August  were  occupied  b}'  St.  Leger  in  cutting  out  a  road 
and  getting  his  cannon  from  Oneida  Lake.  On  Monday,  the  4th,  active 
hostilities  began.  During  that  day  and  the  next  Indians  concealed 
themselves  behind  stumps  and  trees  to  pick  oft"  those  who  were  on  the 
ramparts  making  repairs.      Both  evenings  were  passed  by  the  Indians  in 


38 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


spreading  themselves  through  the  woods,  crossing  the  river  and  encir- 
cHng  the  fort,  making  the  nights  hideous  with  their  yells.  It  was  un- 
certain what  would  be  attempted  in  the  dead  of  night  by  the  savages  in 
their  greed  for  scalps,  and  hence  the  garrison  took  no  rest.  St.  Leger 
established  his  headquarters  on  the  eminence  now  occupied  by  St. 
Peter's  church,  6oo  yards  northeast  of  the  fort,  and  there  he  planted  his 
cannon,  with  which  he  intended  to  drive  out  the  garrison  or  batter  down 
the  walls  of  the  fortification.^ 

Over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  where  the  batteries  were  placed,  the  camps 
and  tents  of  St.  Leger  were  located,  within  easy  distance  of  the  cool 
spring  of  water  which  then  and  for  half  a  century  thereafter  gushed 
forth   from  the  hill  side  and   formed  the  small    stream  that   flowed   past 

and  near  the  fort ;  this  stream  lias 
passed  into  history  as  "  Spring 
brook."  Following  down  the  Mo- 
hawk and  near  the  bend  in  the 
river  below  where  the  railroad 
bridge  crosses  it,  Sir  John  Johnson 
with  his  torics  and  chasseurs  was 
posted,  while  between  that  en- 
campment and  the  fort,  and  on 
both  sides  <>f  tiic  river.  Brant  and 
his  Indians  were  located  with 
license  to  roam'  at  will  through  the 
woods  surrounding  the  fort.  A 
part  of  St.  Ledger's  troops  were 
encamped  on  Wood  Creek  near 
the  site  of  the  United  States  arse- 
nal. It  will  thus  be  seen  how  eflfect- 
ually  the  garrison  was  surrounded  by  the  implacable  and  savage  enemy. 
On  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  August  i,  the  sentinels  on  the  ramparts 
observed  that  a  large  body  of  the  Indians  and  some  of  Sir  John's  forces 
were  moving  in  the  direction  of  Oriskany  along  tlie  edge  of  the  woods. 


JOSEI-H    Br.\N'1. 


•  On  the  27th  of  August,  after  the  siege  was  abandoned,  St.  Leger  wrote  in  a  letter  from  Os- 
wego to  General  Burg<5yne  as  follows  :  "  It  was  found  our  cannon  had  not  the  least  effect  upon 
the  sod  work  of  the  fort,  and  that  our  royals  had  only  the  power  of  teasing,  as  a  six-inch  plank 
was  a  sufficient  security  for  their  powder  magazine,  as  we  learned  from  the  deserters." 


I 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  39 

and  early  the  next  morning  other  men  from  Brant's  and  Sir  John's 
camps  were  seen  hurrying  eastward.  The  cause  of  these  movements 
was  involved  in  mystery  to  the  garrison.  It  had  been  known  for  a 
couple  of  weeks  down  the  valley  that  St.  Leger  was  on  his  way  to  in- 
vest Fort  Stanwix,  via  Oswego  and  Wood  Creek.  In  July  General 
Herkimer  issued  a  proclamation  stating  that  the  enemy  was  at  Oswego 
2,000  strong  and  calling  upon  all  healthy  able-bodied  males  between 
sixteen  and  sixty  years,  to  assemble  at  Fort  Dayton  (now  Herkimer  vil- 
lage), with  a  view  to  march  and  meet  the  enemy  when  they  approached. 
On  the  4th  of  August  about  800  had  assembled  at  Fort  Dayton  and  on 
that  day  began  their  march,  keeping  on  the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk 
and  that  night  camping  on  that  side  of  the  river.  The  next  day  the 
troops  forded  the  river  at  Genesee  street,  Utica,  and  proceeded  to  a 
point  between  Whitesboro  and  Oriskany,  where  they  camped  for  the 
night.  As  soon  as  General  Herkimer  started  from  Fort  Dayton,  Molly 
Brant,  a  former  housekeeper  and  mistress  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  sent 
a  swift  Indian  runner  to  her  brother  Joseph  at  Fort  Stanwix  with  the 
news  of  Herkimer's  advance.  This  act  explains  the  cause  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  Indians  and  Sir  John  toward  Oriskany  on  the  evening  of 
the  5th  and  early  in  the  morning  of  the  6th.  On  the  evening  of  the  5th 
General  Herkimer  sent  three  messengers  (Adam  Helmer,  John  Da- 
nuith  or  Demoot)  and  a  third  person  (name  not  known)  to  General 
Gansevoort  with  intelligence  of  Herkimer's  approach  and  tliat  he  was 
already  at  or  near  Oriskan\'.  It  was  expected  that  the  three  men  would 
reach  the  fort  earl)'  the  next  morning  and  their  arrival  was  to  be  an- 
nounced from  the  fort  by  three  successive  discharges  of  cannon,  which 
it  was  believed  would  be  heard  at  Herkimer's  encampment,  upon  which 
the  latter  would  move  on  and,  acting  in  co-operation  with  the  garrison, 
scatter  the  besiegers  and  enter  the  fort. 

At  break  of  day  on  the  morning  of  August  6,  Herkimer  and  his  men 
were  astir  ready  for  the  march  and  anxiously  waiting  for  the  signal 
guns,  but  none  was  heard  as  early  as  was  expected.  The  woods  on  the 
route  were  infested  witii  unfriendly  Indians  and  scouting  parties  and  the 
messengers  were  obliged  to  be  extremeh-  cautious.  They  had  to  make 
a  detour  to  the  south  and  reach  the  fort  through  the  dense  cedar  swamp 
described  in  a  former  chapter,  so  that  they  were  greatly  delayed  and  did 


40  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

not  arrive  at  the  fort  until  between  lo  and  1 1  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  ' 
The  concerted  signals  were  promptly  fired,  but  at  that  time  matters  of 
fearful  import  were  taking  place  between  Herkimer's  forces  and  those 
under  Brant  and  Sir  John  Johnson.  General  Herkimer  and  his  officers 
waited  for  hours  for  the  signal  guns.  Some  of  the  latter  urged  a  for- 
ward movement  without  waiting  longer.  General  Herkimer  doubted 
the  wisdom  of  such  a  course  and  opposed  it.  Colonels  Cox,  Paris,  and 
others  grew  clamorous  and  manifested  great  impatience,  while  Herki- 
mer urged  them  to  remain  until  the  signal  guns  were  heard.  A  con- 
sultation was  held,  high  words  ensued,  and  General  Herkimer  was  ac- 
cused of  being  a  coward,  and  charged  with  being  a  tory,  like  one  of  his 
brothers  in  the  tory  army,  and  with  having  brothers-in-law  who  sym- 
pathized with  the  side  of  the  crown.  Stung  by  these  accusations  the 
phlegmatic  temper  of  the  Mohawk  Dutchman  was  quickened  beyond 
control  and  the  brave  general  gave  the  order,  "  march  on."  The  troops 
gave  a  shout  when  the  order  came  and  on  they  pushed  in  files  of  two, 
in  great  haste,  preceded  by  an  advance  guard,  and  with  a  guard  on  their 
flanks,  but  not  with  that  order  and  care  requisite  in  marching  in  the  woods 
when  liable  to  meet  hostile  Indians  at  every  step.  The  march  continued 
until  about  ten  o'clock.  Two  miles  west  of  Oriskany  was  a  deep  ravine, 
which  is  still  plainly  visible,  marshy  at  the  bottom  and  a  dozen  rods  in 
width,  extending  from  the  south  northerly  toward  the  Moliawk,  directly 
across  the  route  by  which  Herkimer  and  his  men  were  advancing. 
Over  this  ravine  was  a  narrow  causeway  or  corduroy  road,  to  keep  the 
men  out  of  the  mud  and  water;  the  advancing  line  of  the  hurrying 
troops  had  descended  the  eastern  hill,  crossed  this  causeway,  and  was 
ascending  the  western  hill  ;  the  baggage  wagons  were  crossing  the 
ravine,  followed  closely  by  Colonel  Visscher's  regiment,  which  brought 
up  the  rear,  when  the  guards  on  both  the  flanks  and  in  front  were  sud- 
denly shot  down  by  an  unseen  foe  and  the  forest  rang  with  the  war 
whoop  from  the  throats  of  more  than  a  thousand  savages  The  greater 
part  of  Herkimer's  forces  now  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  a 
formidable  ambuscade.  Sir  John  Johnson's  troops  were  in  front  and 
the  Indians  on  each  side  of  the  advancing  line,  so  arranged  as  to  encircle 

»  St.  Ledger  in  his  letter  to  Burgoyne  of  August  27  says,  "the  garri.son  being  apprised  of  Herki- 
mer's march  by  four  men  who  were  seen  to  enter  the  fort  in  the  morning  through  what  was 
thought  an  impenetrable  swamp,  I  did  not  wait  for  the  advance." 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STAN WIX- BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  41 

sides  and  rear,  as  soon  as  the  attack  was  begun  in  front.  But  the  In- 
dians were  so  excited  and  impetuous  that  they  would  not  wait  for  the 
whole  force  to  cross  the  ravine,  nor  for  the  attack  to  commence  in  front,  i 
The  position  for  the  ambuscade  was  exceedingly  well  chosen.  The 
ravine  was  deep  and  narrow,  crooked  somewhat  like  the  letter  S,  in  a 
dense  forest,  difficult  to  cross,  and  the  ambuscade  laid  on  the  high  ground 
west  of  the  ravine.  Plad  the  Indians  waited  for  an  attack,  the  whole  of 
Herkimer's  forces  would  have  been  encompassed  within  the  enemy's 
lines  like  a  victim  within  the  folds  of  an  anaconda.  As  it  was,  the  In- 
dians closed  the  gap  in  the  rear  (at  the  east),  which  shut  out  from  the 
circle  the  baggage  and  ammunition  wagons,  just  descending  into  the 
ravine  from  the  east,  and  also  shut  out  Colonel  Visscher's  regiment,  still 
further  in  the  rear.  Thus  separated  the  regiment  turned  and  fled 
towards  and  down  the  river,  -  and  were  pursued  and  many  of  them 
killed  by  the  Indians,  though  not  unlikely  they  fought  well.  The  troops 
surrounded  fought  bravely  and  desperately  ;  they  neither  asked  for  nor 
gave  quarter.  They  were  thrown  into  disorder  and  confusion  and 
threatened  with  annihilation.  The  savages  were  concealed  behind  trees 
whence  they  firt-d  and  darted  forward  to  make  certain  death  by  the  use 
of  the  tomahawk  to  those  whom  the  bullet  or  the  arrow  had  not  killed. 
The  many  hand  to-hand  conflicts  cannot  be  recorded  here.  General 
Herkimer  was  wounded  below  the  knee  early  in  the  engagement  and 
his  horse  was  killed  under  him.  His  saddle  was  placed  against  a  beech 
tree  (the  location  of  which  is  still  pointed  out,  a  rod  or  so  from  the 
present  highway,  on  a  rise  of  ground),  and  there  with  steel  and  tinder  he 
lit  his  |)ipe,  and  smoked  calmly  through  the  tumult  of  the  battle  while 
giving  orders  to  his  men.  The  men  were  falling  like  leaves  about  him. 
He  saw  the  Indians  shooting  from  behind  trees  and  then  rushing  for- 
ward with  the  tomahawk  ;  this  bloody  work  was  stopped  by  orders  of 
General  Herkimer  to  place  two  of  his  men  behind  a  tree,  one  to  load 
while   the  other  fired.      For    nearly  an   hour  the  battle  raged  with  fury 

1  St.  Ledjjcr  in  his  letter  .say,-;,  "the  impetuosity  of  the  Indians  is  not  to  be  described.  On  the 
sixht  of  the  enemy,  forgetting  the  judicious  disposition  formed  by  Sir  John  and  agreed  to  by 
themselves,  which  was  to  suffer  the  attack  to  begin  with  the  troops  in  front,  while  they  should  be 
on  both  flank  and  rear,  they  rushed,  hatchet  in  hand,  and  thereby  gave  the  enemy's  rear  an  op- 
portunity to  escape." 

*  See  Irving's  Life  of  Washington;  Stone's  Life  of  Brant ;  Simm's  Frontiersman. 
6 


42  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  fierceness,  the  forest  respunding  with  the  yells  of  the  savages,  the 
roar  of  guns,  and  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  dying.  Then  came  on 
a  terrific  rain  storm,  the  sky  was  blackened  with  clouds,  the  wind  blew  a 
gale,  the  thunder  roared,  lightning  flashed  and  rain  fell  in  torrents.  The 
storm  separated  the  combatants  and  for  an  hour  there  was  a  lull  in  the 
struggle.  In  the  mean  time  each  side  made  a  new  disposition  for  the 
conflict  to  be  renewed  at  the  end  of  the  storm.  The  provincials  took 
possession  of  an  advantageous  position,  formed  themselves  into  circles 
back  to  back  and  thus  awaited  for  the  coming  of  the  foe.  The  strife 
was  renewed  and  again  the  fighting  was  terrific.  Men  seized  each 
other  by  the  throat  or  hair,  stabbing  with  knife  or  bayonet  and  dying  in 
each  other's  grasp.  Some  parts  of  the  conflict  could  hardly  be  called  a 
battle;  it  was  more  like  a  butchery  in  a  slaughter-pen. 

During  the  battle  guns  from  Fort  Stanwix  were  heard  (probabl\- 
those  of  Colonel  Willett,  when  he  made  the  sortie  at  3  r.  M.).  The 
Provincials  took  courage,  the  Indians  were  alarmed  and  withdrew  from 
the  field,  leaving  Herkimer  and  his  men  in  possession.  During  the 
thunder  storm  the  enemy  had  taken  some  of  their  wounded  and  the 
papers  captured  from  General  Herkimer,  to  the  camp  at  Fort  Stanwix. 
Sir  John,  by  a  ruse,  attempted  to  deceive  Herkimer's  men.  After  the 
firing  at  the  fort  some  of  Johnson's  Greens  put  American  hats  on  their 
heads  and  approached  from  the  direction  of  Fort  Stanwix  as  if  they 
were  friends.  The  ruse  was  well  nigh  successful  for  the  capture  of  some 
of  our  men,  but  it  was  detected  in  time  to  be  exposed  and  thwarted. 
The  firing  at  the  fort  conveyed  to  Sir  John  and  the  Indians  at  Oriskany 
intelligence  that  their  presence  was  needed  by  St.  Leger,  and  they  ac- 
cordingly retraced  their  steps  to  Fort  Stanwix.  Indian  runners  from 
the  fort  had  also  apprised  Sir  John  of  Col.  Willett's  sortie. 

Sad  and  mournful  indeed  was  the  return  down  the  valley  of  those  who 
survived  the  bloody  battle  of  Oriskanx — among  the  hardest  fought  and 
bloodiest  on  record,  considering  the  number  engaged.  It  is  calculated 
that  about  2,000  were  engaged,  and  that  each  side  lost  from  i6oto  200 
men.  The  Provincials  constructed  litters  on  which  they  conveyed  their 
wounded  ;  some  forty  or  fifty  were  borne  away  in  this  manner,  among 
whom  was  the  brave  Herkimer.  The  Indians  were  in  the  foremost  of 
the  fight,  where   they  were   placed  to   shield    the  tory  troops,  and  they 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  43 

suffered  accordingly.  General  Herkimer  was  taken  to  his  own  dwelling 
two  miles  east  of  Little  Falls,  then  occupied  by  John  Roof's  family,  the 
first  settler  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  1760,  but  who  had  to  drop  down  the 
valley  when  the  fort  was  besieged.  When  General  Herkimer  was  shot 
at  Oriskany  the  wound  was  dressed  by  Dr.  William  Petrie,'  of  Herki- 
mer, grandfather  of  Judge  Robert  Earl,  late  of  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

After  General  Herkimer's  removal  to  his  home  he  was  attended  by 
another  physician  and  his  leg  unskillfully  amputated  above  the  knee  by 
a  French  surgeon.      He  died  August  i6,  just  ten  days  after  the  battle. 

And  thus  ended  the  ever- to  be- remembered  battle  of  Oriskany. 
Harold  Frederic,  in  his  impressive  story,  "  In  the  Valley,"  has  painted 
in  vivid  colors  the  true  significance  of  that  conflict.      He  says : 

It  was  not  until  much  later — until  definite  news  came  not  only  of  St.  Leger's  flight 
back  to  Canada,  but  the  capture  of  the  whole  British  army  at  Saratoga — that  the 
men  of  the  Mohawk  began  to  comprehend  what  they  had  really  done.  To  my  way 
of  thinking  they  have  ever  since  been  unduly  modest  about  this  truly  historic 
achievement.  Thus  it  happens  that  the  great  decisive  struggle  of  the  whole  long 
war  for  independence — the  conflict  which,  in  fact,  made  America  free — is  suffered  to 
pass  into  the  records  as  a  mere  frontier  skirmish.  Yet,  if  one  will  but  think,  it  is  as 
clear  as  daylight  that  Oriskany  was  the  turning  point  of  the  war.  The 

essential  feature  of  Burgoyne's  plan  had  been  that  this  force  (which  we  so  roughly 
stopped  and  turned  back  in  the  forest  defile)  should  victoriously  sweep  down  our 
valley,  raising  the  tory  gentry  as  they  progressed  and  join  him  at  Albany.  If  that 
had  been  done,  he  would  have  held  the  whole  Hudson,  separating  the  rest  of  the 
colonies  from  New  England,  and  having  it  in  his  power  to  punish  and  subdue  first 
the  Yankees,  then  the  others  at  his  leisure.  Oriskany  prevented  this!  Coming  as  it 
did  at  the  darkest  hour  of  Washington's  trials,  and  the  colonies'  despondency,  it  al- 
tered the  face  of  things  as  gloriously  as  does  the  southern  sun  rising  swiftly  upon  the 
heels  of  night.  Burgoyne's  expected  allies  never  reached  him  ;  he  was  compelled  in 
consequence  to  surrender,  and  from  that  day  there  was  no  doubt  who  would  in  the 
long  run  triumph.  Therefore,  I  say,  all  honor  and  glory  to  the  rude,  unlettered, 
great-souled  yeomen  of  the  Mohawk  valley,  who  braved  death  in  the  wildwood  gulch 
at  Oriskany  that  Congress  and  the  free  colonies  might  live. 

The  same  storm  that  separated  the  combatants  on  the  Oriskany 
battlefield  delayed  Colonel  Willett  in  making  his  sortie  from  Fort 
Stanwix  to  attack  the  enemy's  camps.  At  3  P.  M.  the  storm  subsided 
and  Colonel  Willett  prepared  to  make  the  sally.  The  account  of  this 
sortie  w.^s  furnished  by  Willett  himself  to  the  Connecticut  Courant  and 

'  Dr.  Pctrie  wa.s  himself  wounded  in  that  battle  and  could  not  attend  the  general  down  the 
valley.  Skenandoah,  the  Oneida  chief,  fought  in  the  battle  on  the  side  of  Herkimer;  he  lived 
until  ISKi  and  died  at  the  age  of  110  years. 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  published  in  that  paper  August  25,  1777;    it  is  also  embodied  in 

"  Willett's   Narrative,"   prepared   by   Colonel  Willett  and  published  in 

1831.     The  account  says  : 

The  men  within  the  fort  were  paraded  in  a  square  and  the  intelligence  of 
Herkimer's  coming  was  communicated  to  them.  Colonel  Willett,  who  was  to  lead 
them,  went  down  into  the  esplanade  and  addressed  the  men  substantially  as  follows: 
"Soldiers,  you  have  heard  that  General  Herkimer  is  on  the  march  to  our  relief.  The 
commanding  officer  feels  satisfied  that  the  toriesand  Queen's  rangers  have  stolen  off 
in  the  night  with  Brant  and  his  Mohawks  to  meet  him.  The  camp  of  Sir  John  is 
therefore  weakened.  As  many  of  you  as  feel  willing  to  follow  me  in  an  attack  upon 
it,  and  are  not  afraid  to  die  for  liberty,  will  shoulder  your  arms  and  step  out  one  pace 
in  front."  Two  hundred  men  obeyed  the  impulse,  almost  at  the  same  moment; 
fifty  or  more  with  a  three-pounder  were  soon  added.  As  soon  as  the  storm  was  over 
the  men  issued  from  the  sally  port  at  a  brisk  pace  and  rushing  down  on  Sir  John's 
camp,  carried  it  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  drove  the  enemy  into  and  across  the 
river,  and  captured  a  large  amount  of  army  stores,  destroyed  all  the  provisions, 
brought  off  fifty  brass  kettles,  more  than  100  blankets,  a  quantity  of  muskets,  toma- 
hawks^  spears,  ammunition,  deer  skins,  and  five  colors. 

Colonel  Willett  then  attacked  and  scattered  the  Indian  camp,  and  on 
his  return  to  the  fort  along  the  west  side  of  the  river,  St.  Leger  pro- 
ceeded from  his  head<iuartcrs  across  the  Mohawk  [into  "Factory  Vil- 
lage "]  to  fire  from  an  ambush  into  Colonel  Willett's  men;  but  the}' 
were  soon  dispersed.  Colonel  Willett  brought  in  twenty-one  wagon 
loads  of  captured  articles,  and  as  to  the  five  caj)tured  flags,  they  were 
run  up  on  the  flagstaft",  underneath  the  United  States  flag,  then  and 
there  improvised  for  the  occasion,  accompanied  by  cheers  from  the 
garrison  that  njight  have  been  heard  at  Oriskan\-. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1777,  Congress  resolved,  *'  That  the  flag  of  the 
thirteen  United  States  be  thirteen  stripes,  alternated  red  and  white  ; 
that  the  union  be  thirteen  stars,  white  in  a  blue  field,  representing  a  new 
constellation."  This  resolution  was  not  officially  promulgated  until 
September  3,  1777,  although  it  was  published  in  the  newspapers  a 
month  before.  The  news  of  the  adoption  b)'  Congress  of  this  regula- 
tion flag  had  doubtless  reached  the  fort  in  this  far-ofi"  wilderness,  and 
the  garrison  hastily  improvised  a  flag  from  such  materials  as  were  at 
hand — the  white  from  the  shirts  of  soldiers  ;  the  blue  field  from  a  cam- 

*  Colonel  Cl.T-us  writes  as  follows  of  this  capture  :  "They  took  away  the  Indians'  packs  with 
their  clothes,  they  having  gone  in  their  shirts,  as  naked  to  action,  and  when  they  returned  they 
had  nothing  to  cover  themselves  with  at  night  against  the  weather,  and  nothing  in  our  camp  to 
supply  them,  until  we  got  to  Oswego,  three  weeks  later. 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STAN WIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  45 

let  cloak  which  Colonel  Willett  captured  at  Peekskill  in  the  preceding 
March,  and  the  red,  as  stated,  from  a  red  petticoat  captured  at  the  same 
time.  This  was  the  first  flag,  the  emblem  of  the  nation- to-be,  unfurled 
to  the  breeze  on  this  continent.  This  flag  should  not  be  confounded 
with  the  State  flag  which  accompanied  the  3d  regiment  of  General 
Gansevoort  at  Fort  Stanwix,  and  which  was  present  at  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  four  years  later. 

There  were,  as  has  thus  been  shown,  two  great  events  which  took 
place  in  this  locality  on  the  6th  of  August,  1777, — the  battle  of  Oris- 
kany,  in  a  large  measure  the  turning  point  in  the  Revolutionary  struo-- 
gle,  and  the  raising  of  the  first  flag  of  the  embryo  republic. 

In  the  afternoon  of  August  7  a  white  flag  from  the  enemy  approached 
the  fort,  escorted  by  three  officers,  with  a  request  that  they  might  enter 
with  a  message  from  St.  Leger.  Permission  was  granted  and  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  they  were  first  blindfolded  and  then  conducted  into 
the  dining  room  of  the  officers,  where  the  windows  were  darkened  and 
candles  lighted,  the  table  spread  with  some  light  refreshments,  the 
bandages  removed  from  the  messengers'  eyes,  and  they  were  then  re- 
ceived by  General  Gansevoort.  The  principal  officer  made  known  his 
errand,  the  purport  of  which  was.  a  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the 
fort,  accompanied  by  intimations  that  if  surrendered  the  prisoners  would 
be  treated  humanely  ;  but  if  taken  by  force,  St.  Leger  would  not  hold 
himself  responsible  for  the  cruelty  of  the  Indians  Colonel  Willett  was 
deputed  to  reply,  and  no  one  was  better  qualified.  He  said  in  sub- 
stance : 

This  garrison  is  committed  to  our  charge  and  we  will  take  care  of  it.  After  you 
get  out  of  this  fort,  you  may  turn  around  and  look  at  its  outside,  but  never  expect  to 
come  in  again,  unless  you  come  as  prisoners.  I  consider  the  message  you  have 
brought  a  degrading  one  for  a  British  ofticer  to  send,  and  by  no  means  reputable  for 
a  British  ofHcer  to  carry.  For  my  own  part,  I  declare  that  before  I  would  consent  to 
deliver  this  garrison  to  such  a  murdering  set  as  your  army,  by  your  own  account, 
consists  of,  I  would  suffer  my  body  to  be  filled  with  splinters  and  set  on  fire,  as 
you  know  has  at  times  been  practiced  by  such  hordes  of  women  and  children  killers 
as  l^elong  to  your  army. 

These  sentiments  were  re  echoed  with  applause  by  all  officers  present 
and  by  the  garrison.  A  cessation  of  hostilities  for  three  days  was  then 
agreed   upon.      As  nothing  was  heard   from   dow  n  the  valley  since  the 


46  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

battle  of  Oriskany,  the  garrison  began  to  be  uneasy.  They  needed 
more  ammunition  and  might  soon  need  provisions.  Sir  John  Johnson 
proposed  to  St.  Leger  to  march  down  the  valley  with  about  200  men, 
Colonel  Claus  to  join  him  with  a  body  of  Indians;  but  St.  Leger  could 
not  spare  the  men  and  disapproved.  As  it  was.  the  tory,  Walter  N. 
Butler,  went  down  the  valley  to  rally  his  tory  friends  and  was  captured, 
as  hereafter  narrated.  A  consultation  was  held  in  the  fort  as  to  sending 
Colonel  Willett  down  the  valley  for  assistance.  The  siege  was  mean- 
while progressing  and  measures  were  taken  by  St.  Leger  to  approach 
the  fort  by  sapping  ;  two  parallels  were  formed,  tiie  second  of  u  liich 
brought  him  near  the  edge  of  the  glacis,  but  the  fire  from  the  fort  ren- 
dered further  progress  difficult,  although  he  had  reached  within  1  50  feet 
of  the  works.  On  the  9th  of  August  St.  Leger  sent  a  written  message 
again  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  to  which  General  Gansevoort 
replied  that  "  It  is  my  determined  resolution,  with  the  forces  under  my 
command,  to  defend  this  fort  to  the  last  extremity,  in  behalf  of  the 
united  American  States,  who  have  place  me  here  to  defend  it  against  all 
enemies." 

Matters  were  now  getting  serious  and  on  consultation  of  the  oflficers 
of  the  garrison,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  send  Colonel  Willett  down 
the  valley  for  assistance,  knowing  his  great  popularity  among  the 
patriots  of  that  section.  Accordingly,  at  10  o'clock  on  Sunday  night, 
August  10,  Colonel  Willett  and  Lieutenant  Stockwcll,  carrying  a  small 
quantity  of  crackers  and  cheese,  stole  silently  out  of  tile  sally  port  and 
started  without  blankets  or  baggage,  on  their  perilous  mission.  The 
usually  traveled  route  down  the  river  was  on  tiie  south  side  ;  but  that 
route  at  this  time  was  a  dangerous  one  as  it  was  liable  to  be  infested 
with  lurking  savages.  They  therefore  crossed  the  river  into  *'  Factory 
Village  "  by  crawling  on  a  log.  and  when  over  the  stream  they  were  in 
a  dense  forest  in  pitch  darkness.  In  rambling  about  they  lost  their  way 
and  bearings  and  became  alarmed  by  the  barking  of  a  dog  not  far 
away.  They  discovered  they  were  near  an  Indian  camp,  and  stood  per- 
fectly still  beside  a  large  tree  for  hours,  not  venturing  to  move  less 
they  should  be  discovered.  Thus  they  remained  until  the  morning  star 
appeared.  I'rom  the  account  which  Colonel  Willett  published  in  his 
"Narrative"  in    1831,  their  course  was  taken   northerly,  following  the 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY. 


47 


Mohawk,  sometimes  wading  in  the  river,  sometimes  on  one  side  and 
sometimes  on  the  other,  so  as  to  conceal  their  trail.  For  several  hours 
they  pursued  this  route  and  then  turned  easterly  to  strike  the  Mohawk 
settlements.  When  night  came  they  dare  not  strike  a  light,  fearing  to 
attract  the  notice  of  prowling  Indians,  and  so  camped  in  the  thicket 
without  light,  fire  blankets  or  covering  At  peep  of  day  they  were  on 
their  feet  again,  altiiough  weary  and  lame  from  the  day's  travel  and 
night's  chill.  Yet  they  kept  on 
their  journey,  now  proceeding 
more  southerly,  and  about  9  in 
the  morning  they  struck  a  heavy 
windfall  where  were  growing  large 
quantities  of  ripe  blackberries. 
With  this  fruit  and  the  crackers 
and  cheese,  with  spirits,  they  made 
a  hearty  breakfast  Simm's  Fron- 
tiersman says,  that  years  before  the 
Revolution  a  hurricane  arose  in 
the  western  part  of  Oneida  county, 
swept  through  tlie  forest  in  an 
easterly  direction  across  the  pres- 
ent towns  of  Camden  and  Trenton, 
and  entering  Herkimer  county  at  a 

place  called  the  "  iJugway  "  near  Poland,  passed  onward  through  Russia, 
Norway,  and  Salisbury,  extending  a  distanceof  fifty  or  sixty  miles  in  length 
with  a  breadth  of  sixty  to  one  hundred  rods,  and  so  great  was  its  fury  that 
almost  every  tree  in  its  course  was  uprooted.  Its  traces  were  visible 
more  than  half  a  century  afterwards  and  a  j)ortion  of  the  ground  over 
which  it  passed  is  to  this  day  called  "The  Hurricane."  Willett  and  his 
companions  must  have  passed  northerly  of  Floyd  and  Trenton 
and  struck  "  the  hurricane,"  having  climbed  mountains,  waded 
streams  and  penetrated  an  unbroken  forest  the  whole  distance  of 
sixty  or  seventy  miles.  After  their  breakfast  they  observed  the 
sun  and  the  points  of  the  compass  and  without  other  helps  steered 
for,  and  about  3  r.  M.  reached,  h^ort  Dayton  (now  Herkimer  village) 
On  their  arrival    it  was   ascertained  that  General   Schuyler  had  ordered 


Marinus  Willeti. 


48  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  brigade  of  Massachusetts  troops,  stationed  some  ten  miles  above 
Albany,  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Stanwix,  and  that  Gen.  Benedict  Arnold 
was  to  be  in  command.  Having  rested  one  night,  Willett  and  Stock- 
well  started  the  next  morning  on  horseback  for  Albany  to  meet  the 
troops  and  interview  General  Arnold.  They  met  the  same  evening  and 
it  was  then  learned  that  the  1st  New  York  Regiment  was  also  on  its 
way  to  Fort  Stanwix. 

As  stated  on  a  preceding  page,  Walter  N.  Butler  went  down  the 
valley  after  the  battle  of  Oriskany  to  stir  up  the  tories.  The  "  faithful  " 
were  summoned  to  meet  him  on  I'Viday  evening,  August  15,  at  the 
house  of  one  Shoemaker,  near  what  is  now  Mohawk  ;  he  was  one  of  the 
the  king's  justices  of  the  peace.  Colonel  Weston,  who  commanded  at 
F^ort  Dayton,  heard  of  this  clandestine  meeting  and  sent  a  detachment 
of  soldiers  to  arrest  the  tories.  The  assemblage  was  completely  sur- 
prised and  all  arrested  just  as  Butler  was  in  the  midst  of  his  harangue. 
Among  the  number  were  fourteen  white  soldiers,  the  same  number  of 
Indians,  and  one  Man  Yost  Schu\lcr.  Although  the  latter  was  a 
nephew  of  General  Herkimer  and  of  weak  miiul,  he  was  yet  a  devoted 
tory.  General  Arnold  ordered  a  court  martial  to  try  Butler  and 
Schuyler  as  spies,  for  being  found  within  the  American  lines.  Colonel 
Willett  was  appointed  judge  advocate  and  the  two  were  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  be  executed.  General  Arnold  approved  the  sentence  and 
ordered  the  execution  to  take  place  next  morning.  Han  Yost  Schuy- 
ler's brother  and  his  widowed  mother.  Elizabeth  Barbara  (Herkimer) 
Schuyler,  hastened  to  General  Arnold  to  intercede  for  the  pardon  or 
reprieve  of  Han  Yost.  As  the  latter  was  half-witted,  a  well  known 
tory,  and  as  the  Indians  always  entertained  towards  those  of  weak 
minds  a  feeling  of  superstitious  awe,  General  Arnold  conceived  the  idea 
of  using  Han  Yost  to  frighten  away  the  besiegers  of  b'ort  Stanwix.  In 
the  mean  time  the  garrison  had  not  heard  a  word  from  down  the  valley 
since  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  nor  from  Willett  and  Stockwell  since  they 
left  the  fort  on  August  10,  and  as  St.  Leger  was  pushing  the  siege  with 
vigor  and  had  approached  by  sapping  nearly  to  the  ditch,  the  situation 
of  the  garrison  was  alarming.  Provisions  and  ammunition  were  getting 
low  and  in  this  extremity  General  Gansevoort  came  to  the  deliberate 
conclusion  that  if  no  succor  came,  he  would   make  a  sally  at  night  and 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STANWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  49 

cut  his  way  through  the  enemy's  camp,  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  The 
Indians  under  Brant  were  also  getting  uneasy  and  discouraged  and  it 
was  with  difficulty  that  St.  Leger  kept  them  from  leaving.  Suddenly 
on  the  22d  of  August,  the  garrison  saw  the  besiegers  break  their  camps 
in  great  haste  and  confusion,  leave  their  tents  with  a  great  part  of  their 
artillery,  camp  equipage  and  baggage,  including  St.  Leger's  writing 
desk,  and  flee  precipitately  towards  Wood  Creek,  over  the  route  they 
had  traveled  in  a  far  difterent  manner  twenty  days  before.  General 
Arnold's  ruse  had  worked  like  a  charm.  It  was  this:  Han  Yost  was  to 
hasten  to  P'ort  Stanwix  with  the  story  of  his  capture,  trial,  and  sen- 
tence, and  of  his  escape,  showing  bullet  holes  in  his  clothes  as  evidence 
of  his  narrow  chance,  and  relating  that  Arnold  with  a  large  army  was 
on  the  march  and  near  at  hand.  The  mother  and  brother  offered  to  be 
retained  by  Arnold  as  hostages,  the  latter  to  be  executed  if  the  ruse 
failed.  It  was  a  complete  success,  for  Han  Yost  and  those  with  him  so 
well  dissembled  and  acted  their  part  that  the  Indians  were  ready  to  be- 
lieve and  to  run.  Hut  St.  Leger  doubted.  When  Han  Yost  was  asked 
the  number  of  the  troops,  he  shook  his  head  mysteriously  and  pointed 
to  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  as  indicating  the  number  of  the  troops.  The 
story  had  the  desired  effect,  the  Indians  could  no  longer  be  re- 
strained and  without  them  St.  Leger  was  helpless.  All  fled  and 
took  boats  at  Oneida  Lake,  while  at  the  first  opportunity  Han  Yost  re- 
turned to  Fort  Dayton  and  his  brother  was  released. 

General  Arnold  and  his  troops  arrived  at  4  P.  M.  August  23,  and 
with  four  brass  fieUl  pieces,  banners  displayed,  drums  beating,  and 
music  playing,  marched  into  the  fort  amid  the  booming  of  cannon,  the 
roar  of  musketry,  and  the  cheers  of  the  garrison.  And  thus  ended  the 
siege  of  Fort  Stanwix,  which  placed  the  seal  upon  American  inde- 
pendence. 

St.  Leger,  with  his  scattered  forces,  hastened  to  Oswego  and  thence 
to  Montreal  ;  from  there  he  proceeded  to  Lake  Champlain  and  Ticon- 
deroga,  with  the  purpose  of  joining  Burgoyne ;  but  in  that  region  also 
matters  had  suffered  material  change,  to  the  discomfiture  of  the  British. 
Burgoyne  had  gone  southward,  left  Lake  Champlain  and  George, 
crossed  over  the  Hudson  River,  severed  his  connection  with  his  base  of 
supplies,  and  was  foiled  in  his  attempt  to  capture  other  supplies  at  Ben'- 


60  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nington.  By  reason,  among  other  things,  of  the  murder  and  scalping 
of  the  beautiful  Jane  McCrea,  the  yeomen  of  the  country  were  rising 
and  were  in  between  Burgoyne  and  his  line  of  Canada  communications, 
thus  placing  him  between  two  fires,  instead  of  placing  Gates  and  Schuy- 
ler between  St.  Leger  and  Burgoyne,  as  they  had  intended.  Within 
two  months  thereafter  Burgoyne  and  his  army  were  captured  (October 
17,  1777),  on  the  fields  of  Saratoga,  and  the  British  gave  up  control  of 
the  Hudson,  and  New  York  was  redeemed. 

These  and  other  victories,  beginning  at  this  lone  fortress  in  the  far- 
off  wilderness,  sent  a  glow  of  joy  throughout  the  colonies,  paved  the 
way  for  France  in  less  than  four  months  thereafter  to  acknowledge  our 
independence,  and  justly  entitled  the  territory  now  within  Oneida 
county,  where  the  battle  of  Oriskany  was  fought  and  Fort  Stanwix 
successfully  defended,  to  be  ever  remembered  by  a  patriotic  and  a 
grateful  people. 

During  the  siege,  John  Roof's  buildings  afforded  shelter  to  the  enemy, 
and  hence  were  destroyed  by  General  Gansevoort,  who  gave  a  certifi- 
ca'.e  of  the  destruction  to  Mr.  Roof,  that  lie  might  receive  reimburse- 
ment from  the  government;  but  nothing  was  ever  obtained  by  him. 
Colonel  Willett  did  not  return  to  the  fort ;  he  did  good  service  elsewhere 
in  the  Mohawk  Valley. 

General  Gansevoort  remained  at  Fort  Stanwix  during  1778,  e\ce[)t- 
ing  during  occasional  absences.  The  Indians  during  the  >'ear  were 
prowling  about  the  fort  more  or  less,  shooting  any  of  the  garrison  that 
was  found  outside  of  the  works.  The  inaction  of  the  garrison  made  the 
men  restless  and  discontented  and  desertions  were  frequent  ;  from  the 
fore  part  of  April,  1 778,  there  had  deserted  from  the  fort  three  sergeants 
two  corporals,  twenty  privates,  one  bombadier,  and  two  gunners.  In 
the  fore  part  of  August  of  that  year  five  more  deserted  and  were  fifty 
miles  on  their  way  to  Canada  when  they  were  intercepted  by  friendly 
Indians  and  returned  to  the  fort.  A  court  martial  was  held  and  the  five 
deserters  were  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  On  the  day  of 
the  sentence,  six  more  deserted  from  the  fort.  After  this,  while  a  party 
which  had  been  sent  down  for  cattle  were  returning,  six  more  deserted 
and  were  not  captured.  The  sentence  of  the  five  was  carried  into  ex- 
ecution  August    17,    1778,   at   the  head   of  the  regiment.      In  five  days 


1777— SIEGE  OF  FORT  STAXWIX— BATTLE  OF  ORISKANY.  51 

two  more  deserted.  The  emissaries  of  the  enemy  had  much  to  do  with 
this.  In  the  spring  of  1778  these  emissaries  were  at  work  in  the  fort 
to  ascertain  its  strength  and  betray  it.  The  traitor,  one  Geake,  was 
discovered  and  arrested  just  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  deserting  to  the 
British;  he  was  tried  and  sentenced  to  be  executed,  but  execution  was 
delayed.  In  November.  1778,  Colonel  Van  Schaack,  with  his  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Fort  Stanwix  and  the  old  regiment  was  transferred  else- 
where. In  the  fore  part  of  1779  Colonel  Van  Dyke  was  in  command 
at  the  fort,  and  in  February  Captain  Graham  was  in  charge. 

Those  of  the  Six  Nations  who  adhered  to  the  crown  made  their  head- 
quarters in  the  country  of  the  Senecas,  and  thence  made  raids  into  the 
valleys  of  Mohawk,  Wyoming  and  Schoharie.  Washington,  Schuyler, 
Clinton  and  others  felt  that  a  country  which  furnished  so  much  aid  and 
comfort  to  the  enemy  should  be  thoroughly  devastated,  and  accordingly 
the  memorable  "  Sullivan  "  campaign  of  1779  was  planned  to  include 
an  invasion  of  the  country  of  the  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Senecas. 
Those  nations  possessed  large  fields  of  great  productiveness,  extensive 
garilens  and  orchards,  and  lived  in  frame  houses,  raised  peaches,  pears, 
apples,  plums,  melons,  cranberries,  squashes,  grapes,  beans,  tobacco  and 
corn,  in  great  profusion.  This  Indian  country  embraced  some  fifty  or 
sixtN'  towns  and  all  were  in  a  prosperous  condition.  An  expedition 
was  planned  to  go  into  that  country  via  Canajoharie  and  Elmira  and 
the  inland  lakes.  As  preliminary,  an  armed  force  of  600  started  in 
April  of  that  year,  in  charge  of  Colonels  Willett  and  Van  Schaack  from 
Fort  Stanwix,  via  Wood  Creek  and  Oneida  Lake,  for  the  Onondaga 
country  to  lay  it  in  waste.  This  expedition  left  Fort  Stanwix  April  18, 
and  was  gone  eighteen  days,  traveled  180  miles,  and  thoroughly  ac- 
complished its  work,  burning  buildings  and  destroying  cattle  and  grain. 
In  August  of  that  year  the  expedition  which  has  passed  into  history  as 
the  "  Sullivan  expedition"  penetrated  the  country  of  the  Senecas,  left 
destruction  in  its  track  and  substantially  broke  the  backbone  of  the 
Confederacy.  More  than  forty  towns  were  burned,  which  included  700 
buildings.  160,000  bushels  of  corn  were  destroyed,  gardens  were  laid 
waste,  1,500  fruit  trees  were  leveled  to  the  ground,  cattle  were  killed  or 
driven  away,  and  the  inhabitants  compelled  to  flee  to  Canada.  The 
army  found  the  Indian  country  a  garden  and  left  it  a  desert. 


52  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

William  Colbraith  was  a  captain  in  the  Sullivan  expedition  ;  he  was 
the  first  sheriff  of  Herkimer  county,  and  the  first  one  of  Oneida  county. 
His  residence  was  about  half  way  between  the  business  portion  of  Rome 
and  the  "village  of  Stanwix." 

For  the  raid  of  Sullivan,  Brant  and  Sir  John  Johnson  and  the  Butlers 
paid  the  Mohawk  valley  in  kind.  The  garrison  in  Fort  Stanwix  in  1 780 
was  not  of  much  practical  use.  In  the  spring  of  1 78 1 ,  by  reason  of  floods 
in  the  river  and  fire,  the  fort  was  ruined  and  abandoned.  Cornwallis 
surrendered  at  Yorktown  in  October,  1781,  practically  ending  the  war. 
In  February,  1783,  Colonel  Willctt  was  sent  b\-  Washington  from  the 
Mohawk  valley  via  Fort  Stanwix  ant!  Wood  Creek  to  capture  Oswego 
by  surprise.  The  expedition  crossed  Oneida  Lake  on  the  ice  ;  the  snow 
was  very  deep  and  the  expedition  was  not  successful.  When  Colonel 
Willett  returned  to  Albany  he  heard  the  joyful  news  proclaimed  by  the 
clerk  by  the  ringing  of  the  city  bell. 

And  now,  after  seven  long  years,  peace  reigned  again  in  the  land. 
The  valley  of  the  Mohawk  had  suffered  more  than  any  other  like  extent 
of  country  in  the  whole  thirteen  colonies.  Statistics  show  that  in  this 
valley  during  the  war,  700  buildings  were  burncti,  1,200  farms  left  un- 
cultivated, thousands  of  horses  and  cattle  killed  or  stolen,  millions  of 
bushels  of  grain  destroyed,  354  families  abandoned  their  homes,  613 
persons  deserted  to  the  enem)-,  197  killed  at  their  homes,  I2i  taken  cap- 
tives, 300  women  made  widows,  and  2,000  children  made  orphans. 
This  valley  has  justly  earned  the  appellation  of  "  the  dark  and  bloody 
ground." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  General  Washington  ami  Governor  Clinton, 
with  other  officers,  made  a  tour  up  the  Hudson  and  the  Mohawk  to  Fort 
Stanwix,  thence  over  the  portage  to  Wood  Creek  and  Oneida  Lake,  and 
thence  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Susquehanna  and  to  Otsego  Lake  and 
return.  Both  became  owners  of  land  in  Oneida  county,  in  Westmore- 
land and  New  Hartford. 


1783  TO  1788— EMIGRATION  WESTWARD.  53 


CHAPTER  VII. 

1783  TO  17SR_ EMIGRATION     WESTWARD. 

The  "old  French  War,"  the  travel  up  the  Moliawk  and  through  New 
York,  the  trade  with  the  Indians,  the  early  settlement  around  Fort  Stan- 
wix  from  1 760  to  the  summer  of  i  'J'J'J,  the  siege  of  that  fort,  the  battle  of 
Oriskany,  and  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  all  gave  Central  New  York  a 
prominence  in  the  history  of  the  country,  not  surpassed  by  that  of  any 
other  section  in  the  thirteen  colonies.  These  historical  facts  made  the 
territory  of  the  Oneidas  (now  Oneida  county),  its  streams,  location, 
scenery,  soil,  its  beauty  and  fertility,  as  familiar  as  "  household  words," 
to  the  people  down  the  valle)'  of  the  Mohawk,  but  more  especially  to 
those  of  the  New  England  States,  whose  men  had  been  in  trade,  travel. 
and  war  through  this  section.  The  Revolutionary  war  had  closed  but 
a  few  months  before  men  past  middle  life,  witii  large  families,  broke  up 
their  old  homes  in  New  England  and  made  their  wa)'  on  foot,  in  ox  carts, 
and  by  canoes  up  the  Mohawk,  to  found  new  homes  and  make  perma- 
nent settlements  in  the  region  now  marked  by  the  boundaries  of  Oneida 
county;  overleaping  the  Mohawk  settlements  and  pushing  their  way 
into  the  wilderness  thirty  miles  westward  from  the  nearest  neighbor  and 
habitation,  they  commenced  anew  the  battle  of  life,  to  fell  the  forest, 
clear  up  the  land,  till  the  soil,  erect  log  cabins,  and  to  eventually  make 
the  wilderness  to  blossom  like  the  rose  ;  and  in  place  of  the  forest,  the 
savage,  and  wild  beasts,  make  it  the  abode  of  a  civilized  and  an  enlight- 
ened race  and  to  be  occupied  by  cultivated  fields,  by  towns,  villages  and 
cities.  Peace  was  concluded  in  September.  1783;  the  United  States 
armies  disbanded  in  December  thereafter  and  in  March,  1784,  emigra- 
tion commenced  its  course  from  New  England  to  flow  towards  the  set- 
tin"  sun  and  to  settle  in  the  former  territory  of  the  Oneidas. 

In  April,  1783,  Congress  issued  its  proclamation  announcing  a  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities.      In  the  summer  of  that  year  Washington  visited  that 


54  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE.  ^ 

locality.  July  15  he  wrote  from  his  headquarters  at  Newburgh,  to  Gen- 
eral Schuyler,  saying  he  had  entertained  a  desire  to  visit  the  northern 
part  of  the  State,  and  that  he  had  made  an  arrangement  with  Governor 
Clinton  to  make  a  tour  and  reconnoiter  those  places  where  the  most 
remarkable  posts  were  established,  and  the  ground  which  had  become 
famous  by  the  war  in  1777,  and  that  he  should  set  out  b\-  water  on  tiie 
Hudson  July  18,  and  proceed  to  Albany.  Under  date  of  July  16,  1783. 
Washington  wrote  to  Congress  to  the  same  effect  and  mentioned  his 
intention  to  visit  Ticonderaga,  Crown  Point,  Lake  Champlain,  Fort 
Stanwix,  etc.  General  Washington  made  the  tour  to  Lake  Champlain 
by  the  Hudson  ;  he  then  returned  to  Schenectad}-,  and  thence  went  to 
Fort  Stanwix.  On  his  return  trip  he  reached  Newburgh  August  5  ; 
that  day  he  wrote  to  the  president  of  Congress  saying  : 

My  tour  northward  and  westward  to  Fort  Schuyler  (Stanwix)  and  my  movements 
having  been  pretty  rapid,  my  horses  which  had  not  yet  arrived  would  be  so  much 
fatigued  they  will  need  several  days  rest. 

He  writes  further : 

1  have  directed  ten  mouths'  provisions  for  Cwv  hundred  men  to  be  laid  up  at  Fort 
Herkimer  and  ordered  Colonel  Willctt  to  repair  the  roads  and  remove  obstructions  in 
the  rivers,  build  houses  for  the  reception  of  the  provisions  and  stores  at  the  "  carrv- 
ing  place"  [Fort  Stanwixl  between  the  Mohawk  and  Wood  Creek. 

At  that  time  the  cessation  of  hostilities  was  awaiting  the  action  of  the 
two  governments,  with  a  view  to  peace.  In  (.)ctober,  1783.  General 
Washington  wrote  from  Princeton  to  an  old  friend  (Chevalier  Chas- 
telleux)  as  follows : 

I  have  lately  made  a  tour  to  Lake  Champlain  and  returned  to  Schenectady;  thence 
I  proceeded  up  the  Mohawk  to  Fort  Stanwi.x  and  crossed  over  to  Wood  Creek.  I 
then  traversed  the  country  to  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  and  viewed 
Otsego  Lake  and  the  portage  between  it  and  Canajoharie. 

History  does  not  record  with  exactness  whether  the  Father  of  his 
Country  made  this  trip  up  the  Mohawk  by  water  or  on  horseback,  but 
it  is  presumable  the  latter,  as  General  Washington  says  in  his  aforesaid 
letter  to  Congress,  his  horses  are  much  fatigued,  and  besides,  on  foot  or 
on  horseback  was  the  only  way  he  could  have  gone  from  Oneida  Lake 
to  Otsego  Lake.  Nor  is  it  mentioned  where  he  sta\ed  over  night  on  his 
route  to   Fort  Stanwix,  nor  the  names  of  those  who  accompanied  him- 


1783  TO  178S— EMIGRATION  WESTWARD.  55 

Campbell's  Annals  of  Tryon  County  says  he  was  accompanied  by  Gen- 
eral Hand  and  many  other  officers  of  the  New  York  line. 

In  the  spring  of  1784  emigration  commenced.  The  first  to  start  from 
New  England  was  Hugh  White.  He  had  been  selectman  of  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  from  1779  to  1783,  and  v\as  commissary  in  the  army  of 
the  Revolution  duiing  a  portion  of  the  war.  He  became  part  owner  of 
the  Sadequahada  Patent,  along  with  Zephaniah  Piatt  (father  of  Judge 
Piatt),  Ezra  L'Honmiedieu,  and  Melancthon  Smith,  and  by  an  arrange- 
ment between  them,  the  owners  were  to  meet  on  the  patent  in  June, 
1784,  at  the  mouth  of  Sauquoit  Creek  (Whitesboro),  and  divide  the  land 
among  themselves.  Mr.  White  started  from  Middletown  in  April  or 
May,  1784  ;  at  that  time  he  was  fifty  one  years  old  and  had  eight  chil- 
dren. Four  sons,  one  daughter  and  a  daughter  in-law,  accompanied 
him  on  his  journey  up  the  Mohawk.  One  of  the  sons,  with  two  yokes 
of  oxen,  preceded  him  by  land  to  Albany,  where  they  met,  and  thence 
with  the  teams,  they  kept  even  pace  with  the  bateau  up  the  Mohawk. 
As  the  party  proceeded  they  found  on  their  way  many  farms  which  had 
been  devasted  and  abandoned  and  the  charred  remains  of  buildings,  all 
of  which  told  a  sad  and  fearful  tale  of  the  ravages  of  war  and  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Mohawk  valley.  At  a  vacant  farm  known 
as  "  Shoemaker's,"  near  the  present  village  of  Mohawk,  in  Herkimer 
county,  the  party  stopped  to  plant  corn.  It  was  a  thoughtful  measure, 
inasmuch  as  the  pioneers  were  going  to  a  region  covered  with  a  forest. 
This  "  Shoemaker's,"  was  the  same  place  where  Walter  N.  Butler,  Han 
Yost  Schuyler  and  others  were  arrested  just  after  the  battle  of  Oriskany, 
as  narrated  in  a  foriv.t.  chapter.  Tl  '.  time  the  party  was  thus  engaged 
in  planting  corn  was  auuut  May  2i  ,  1784  While  thus  engaged,  an- 
other party  of  pioneer  emigrants  on  their  way  up  the  Mohawk  from 
Connecticut  passed  the  White  family,  and  became  in  fact  the  first  actual 
settlers  in  Oneida  county.  The  names  of  those  comprising  the  second 
party  will  be  given  later  on.  When  the  corn  was  planted,  the  White 
family  moved  on  and  arrived  at  Whitesboro  June  4,  1784;  another  ac- 
count says  June  25.  That  summer  Hugh  White  built  a  log  house  and 
a  log  barn,  partitioned  the  land  with  the  other  owners,  cleared  oft" a  few 
acres,  and  then  returned  to  "  Shoemaker's  "  in  the  fall,  to  gather  the 
crop  of  corn  planted  in  the  spring.      It  was  a  good  yield.      In  January, 


56  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1785,  Mr.  White  returned  to  Middletown  for  his  wife  and  other  son  and 
the  two  daughters  and  then  came  back  to  his  new  home  in  the  wilder- 
ness. P"or  years  thereafter  all  of  the  State  west  of  Utica  was  known  as 
the  *'  Whitestown  Countr}'."  It  is  glor)'  enough  for  all  future  genera- 
tions to  be  thus  honored,  aside  from  other  honors  so  nobly  earned,  so 
rightly  deserved,  and  so  worthily  bestowed.  The  persons  who  passed 
the  White  family  at  "  Shoemaker's,"  as  before  stated,  were  James  Dean, 
Andrew  Blanchard,  and  Jedediah  Phelps.  They  started  from  Connecti- 
cut in  April,  1784,  and  reached  Schenectady  May  3,  and  thence  pro- 
ceeded via  Mohawk  River,  Fort  Stanwix  and  down  Wood  Creek  to  a 
point  near  its  junction  with  I*"ish  Creek  where  they  arrived  May  13, 
1784.  The  Oneida  Indians  had  the  year  before  given  to  Mr.  Dean  a 
tract  of  land  two  miles  square,  with  the  right  to  make  the  selection  any- 
where in  their  territor)'.  He  selected  the  tract  within  what  is  now  the 
town  of  Vienna,  north  side  of  Wood  Creek,  about  a  mile  from  its  junc- 
tion with  Fish  Creek.  It  was  an  imfortunate  selection,  as  it  turned  out. 
Mr.  Phelps  was  a  silversmith  and  brass  founder  and  he  intended  to  en- 
gage in  that  business,  and  to  manufacture  rings  and  brooches  for  the 
Indians  and  Indian  trade.  Mr.  Dean  erected  a  log  house  close  b)' 
Wood  Creek,  and  Mr  Phelps  built  a  log  shop  near  by  for  his  business  ; 
they  made  a  small  clearing  and  then  and  there  commenced  the  first 
actual  settlement  of  Oneida  county,  after  the  Revolution.  At  that  time 
Mr.  Dean  was  unmarried  and  not  quite  thirty  six  years  old.  Mr.  Phelps 
was  thirty- one,  had  a  wife  and  two  children,  the  oldest  six  and  the  other 
four  years  of  age.  Andrew  Blanchard  eventually  located  in  Kirkland, 
and  in  1788  was  married  in  that  town  to  Anna  Cook.  In  the  same 
year  that  Hugh  White  located  at  Whitesboro,  ami  Dean  and  Phelps  in 
Vienna,  the  three  families,  Damooth  or  Damuth,  Real,  and  Weaver,  who 
had  settled  in  Deerfield  in  1773  and  were  driven  out  in  1776,  came  back 
to  Deerfield  Corners  and  located,  bringing  with  them  George  Damuth. 
All  of  these  families  had  seen  service  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
and  all  were  true  patriots.  Mark  Damuth  (who  came  in  1773)  was 
captain  of  a  company  ;  Mr.  Weaver  (or  Weber)  was  taken  prisoner  near 
Herkimer  by  a  band  of  tories  and  Indians  and  taken  to  Canada,  and  for 
nine  months  was  confined  in  prison  in  Quebec,  and  so  closely  that  he 
did  not  for  that  time  see  the  sun,  moon,  or  stars.      From  Quebec  he  was 


1783  TO  1788- EMIGRATION  WESTWARD.  57 

taken  to  England  and  there  detained  two  years.  Descendants  of  those 
and  other  Weavers  who  came  to  Deerfield  yet  reside  in  Deerfield  and 
in  Utica  and  are  prominent  citizens;  worthy  sons  of  patriotic  sires. 
Real  Creek,  which  empties  into  the  Mohawk  opposite  Utica,  received 
its  name  from  that  Jan  Christian  Real  whose  house  stood  upon  its  banks 
when  it  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  1776. 

The  next  thing  of  importance,  in  the  order  of  time,  wliich  occurred 
within  the  present  limits  of  Oneida  county  was  a  treaty  with  the  Indians 
at  Fort  Stanwix.  The  State  and  National  governments  were  not  as  yet 
in  good  working  order,  and  the  relations  of  each  towards  the  various 
nations  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  were  not  well  defined  or  agreed 
upon.  The  Indian  commissioners  in  behalf  of  the  State  of  New  York 
were  trying  most  of  the  summer  of  1784  to  get  a  council  of  the  Six 
Nations  convened,  with  a  view  to  treat  with  them.  In  the  mean  time 
Congress  was  moving  in  the  same  direction  and  for  a  similar  purpose. 
The  Indians  kept  aloof  and  were  adverse  to  treating  with  a  State,  but 
generally  disposed  to  meet  "  thirteen  fires  "  and  hold  a  treaty  of  peace 
jointly  with  them.  The  State  and  National  authorities  were  seemingly 
but  not  actually  in  collision  with  each  other.  The  1st  of  September, 
1784,  the  State  Hoard  of  Commissioners  met  at  Fort  Stanwix  deputies 
from  the  Mohawks,  Cayugas,  Onondagas,  and  Senecas.  The  Oneidas 
and  Tuscaroras  held  back,  but  after  a  while  deputies  from  those  two 
nations  came  in  It  was  October  22,  1784,  before  a  treaty  was  made, 
and  then  only  as  to  giving  up  captives  and  regulating  boundaries. 
Brant,  Red  Jacket  (a  Seneca  chief),  and  Cornplanter,  and  Governor 
Clinton,  La  Fayette  and  others  were  present,  and  also  other  notable  per- 
sonages. Red  Jacket  made  a  fiery  and  eloquent  speech  against  the 
Indians  ceding  any  of  their  lands.  Brant  left  before  the  session  was 
concluded  to  go  on  business  to  Canada,  and  nothing  particular  was  ac- 
complished except  to  fix  the  western  boundary  of  the  Six  Nations. 
No  land  was  ceded.  The  United  States  commissioners  were  Oliver 
VVolcott,  Richard  Butler,  and  Arthur  Lee.  That  treaty  was  made  with 
the  United  States,  and  none  with  the  State,  and  it  was  the  first  treaty 
made  by  the  Six  Nations  with  the  United  States  after  the  war. 

In  1785  there  joined  the  "  Whitesboro  Colony"  Amos  Wetmore  and 
Lemuel  Leavenworth,  from  Middletown,  and  possibly  Nathaniel  Loomis 


58  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Roswell  Goodrich  in  that  same  year.  Mr.  Wetmorc  had  a  large 
family  and  located  east  of  Sauquoit  Creek;  he  had  been  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  In  the  spring  of  1785  Mr.  Dean  and  Mr  Phelps  found 
the  waters  of  Wood  Creek  rose  so  high  as  "  to  drown  them  out."  They 
were  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  the  garret  of  the  house,  on  account  of 
the  rise  of  the  water,  and  by  means  of  a  ladder  placed  on  the  outside 
descend  into  a  boat  and  row  to  Mr.  Phelps's  shop  to  cook  their  meals. 
That  would  not  answer  their  purpose,  and  so  Mr  Dean  that  fall  obtained 
the  consent  of  the  Oneidas  to  make  another  selection.  This  time  he 
selected  a  tract  in  what  is  now  the  towi.  of  Westmoreland,  ever  since 
known  as  "  Dean  Patent."  He  returned  to  Connecticut,  and  in  1786 
married  and  came  back  in  that  year  with  his  wife,  both  on  horseback. 
In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Phelps,  in  the  spring  or  summer  of  1785.  also 
changed  his  location  by  moving  up  stream  to  Fort  Stanwix  ami  building 
a  log  house  and  shop  on  the  banks  of  Wood  Creek,  near  the  site  know  n 
thirty  years  later  as  "the  United  States  Arsenal  "  When  he  came  to 
Fort  Stanwix,  Mr.  Phelps  said  there  was  but  one  other  white  man  here 
(and  he  a  Frenchman,  living  with  the  Indians).  Mr.  Piielps  carried  on 
his  trade  and  business  at  that  location  for  about  fifteen  years  thereafter. 
July  4,  1786,  a  third  child  was  born  unto  him;  three  other  children 
were  born  unto  him  in  this  new  home.  About  1800  he  moved  to  what 
is  now  the  town  of  Verona  and  in  1802  was  elected  its  first  supervisor, 
and  was  re-elected  in  each  year  thereafter  until  1808.  In  1819  he  re- 
moved to  Orleans  county,  and  died  there  in  1849  ^^  the  age  of  ninety- 
six  years,  with  a  mind  quite  clear  for  one  of  his  years.  He  was  the 
first  settler  of  what  is  now  Rome,  after  the  Revolutionary  war.  A 
grandson  of  his  married  a  sister  of  the  mother  of  Mr.  Harvey  S. 
Bedell,  a  Roman. 

In  1786  a  survey  of  Cosby  Manor  and  a  map  of  it  were  made  by  John 
R.  Bleecker,  son  of  Rutger  Bleecker,  one  of  the  owners.  On  that  map 
appear  two  log  houses  located  near  the  ford  across  the  Mohawk  on  the 
east  side  of  Genesee  street,  and  one  house  on  the  west  side  of  that 
street.  ^  Improvements  had  also  been  made  a  little  further  westward, 
somewhere  between  the  present  lines  of  Broadway  and  State  streets ; 
and   there    were  also    improvements  near  the   present   eastern    limits  of 

»  Bagg's  Pioneers. 


1783  TO  17S8— EMICxR^lTION  WESTWARD.  59 

Utica.  The  occupant  of  the  house  nearest  the  river,  on  the  east  side  of 
Genesee  street,  was  John  Cunningham,  his  neighbor  beside  him  being 
George  Damuth.  '  Bagg's  Pioneers  says  :  "  The  resident  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  Genesee  street  was  Jacob  Chrisman.  The  settler  towards 
the  west  was  McNamee,  and  the  clearings  on  the  eastern  borders  of  the 
city  were  designated  as  those  of  McNamee  and  Abraham  Boom."  Moses 
Foot,  who  settled  in  Clinton  in  1787,  while  on  his  way  there,  slept  in  the 
log  house  belonging  to  John  Cunningham,  one  of  these  early  settlers,  who 
informed  Foot  that  he  (Cunningham)  had  half  an  acre  cleared  in  1785. 
Hendiich  Salyea  was  another  settler  there  in  1787.  The  father  of 
Pomroy  Jones,  who  passed  through  Old  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica)  in  Janu- 
ary, 1787.  to  Dean  Patent,  says  there  were  then  three  log  houses  at  Old 
Fort  Schuyler.  The  foregoing  settlers  around  Fort  Schuyler  were  not 
permanent;  the\-  were  men  mostly  engaged  in  boating,  or  in  the  Indian 
trade.  The  house  above  mentioned  as  being  occupied  by  Jacob  Chris- 
man,  west  of  Genesee  street,  must  have  been  occupied  in  March,  1788, 
when  Whitestown  was  formed,  by  William  Cunningham,  for  the  line  be- 
tween that  town  and  Herkimer  "crosses  Mohawk  River  at  the  ford- 
ing [)lace  near  the  house  of  Willi.im  Cunningham,  leaving  the  same 
house  to  the  west  of  that  line;"  so  that  act  of  1788  says. 

It  is  not  possible  at  this  late  day,  and  with  the  scanty  material  at 
hand,  to  locate  the  exact  date,  nor  the  priority  of  their  cc  ming  to  Oneida 
county,  of  those  who  came  along  in  1785,  1786,  and  1787.  The  United 
States  census  of  1790,  elsewhere  published,  will  tell  very  nearly  who 
were  here  on  the  first  Monday  in  August,  1790.  It  is  pretty  well 
established  that  those  whose  names  have  been  already  given  were  in  this 
vicinity  as  stated.  It  is  also  pretty  certain  that  about  1786,  Gen.  George 
Doolittle  came  from  Middletown  to  Whitesboro,  and  there  located  ;  he 
was  twenty-six  \ears  old,  yet  he  had  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
army  ;   he  became  a  prominent  personage  in  Oneida  county. 

Along  about  1785  there  also  came  to  Deerfield  another  colony  of 
emigrants  from  down  the  valley,  viz.  :  Peter,  Nicholas,  and  George 
Weaver,  George  Damuth,  Nicholas  and  Philip  Harter.  Nicholas 
Haiter  manied  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Mark  Damuth.  When  Nicholas 
Harter    was    a    lad    he    was    perfectly    familiar    with    all    of   the  paths 

'  See  note  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 


60  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Indian  trails  which  led  up  the  Mohawk,  and  across  the  country  to 
Canada  via  Black  River,  or  via  Oneida  Castle  to  Oswego.  Both  of  the 
Harters  and  the  Weavers  were  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  as  were  about 
all  of  the  Mohawk  Dutch.  Nicholas  died  July  25,  1854.  aged  ninety- 
four  years. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  1786  Cosby  Manor  was  brought 
into  market,  and  that  Oriskany  Patent  was  divided  and  parts  sold,  and 
many  other  patents  had  been  granted  ;  and  that  Baron  Steuben,  Colonel 
Willett,  George  Washington,  Governor  Clinton,  and  other  notable  per- 
sonages were  owners  of  land  in  Oneida  county  ;  and  hence  the  foregoing 
were  inducements  for  settlers  to  locate  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Most  of 
those  lands  were  about  that  time  offered  to  settlers. 

The  next  settlers  in  what  is  now  Oneida  county,  came  from  Con- 
necticut in  1785  or  1786,  and  located  in  the  shadow  of  Fort  Stanwi.x. 
They  were  all  related  to  each  otiier  by  blood,  or  connected  by  mar- 
riage. Their  names  were  as  follows :  Willett  Ranney,  sr.,  with  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  all  grown  to  maturity,  and  the  most  if  not  all  mar- 
ried;  Seth  Ranney,  one  of  the  sons,  with  wife  and  children,  located 
northeast  of  the  present  Rome  court  house  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  late 
residence  of  G.  N.  Bissell.  Willett  Ranney,  jr.,  another  son  and  his 
family;  also  Nathaniel  Gilbert  and  David  I.  Andrus,  both  of  whom  had 
married  in  the  Ranney  family,  and  had  been  in  the  war  oi  the  Revolu- 
tion. In  January,  1787,  there  came  Captain  Nehemiah  Jones,  father  of 
Pomroy  Jones,  and  also  Ephraim  Blackmer  at  same  time  from  Berkshire 
county,  Mass.,  and  located  in  Oneida  county.  Mr.  Blackmer  came  in 
advance  with  a  horse  team,  bringing  the  families  ;  Mr.  Jones  followed 
with  an  ox  team,  with  beds,  provisions,  and  clothing.  Mr.  Blackmer 
had  a  wife  and  two  children  ;  Mr.  Jones  a  wife  and  one  child.  They 
settled  upon  Dean's  Patent  in  Westmoreland.  Both  had  rendered 
service  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  That  same  winter  and  in  the  spring 
of  1787,  Joseph  Jones  and  Joseph  Blackmer,  jr.,  came  from  Berkshire 
county  and  settled  on  Dean's  Patent,  and  perhaps  also  William  Dean, 
brother  of  James.  Isaac  Jones,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  came  from 
Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  in  1787,  and  for  a  short  time  located  in  Clin- 
ton in  this  county  and  then  moved  to  Westmoreland.  Joseph  Jones, 
brother  of  Isaac,  came  to  Westmoreland  from  Berkshire  county,  Mass., 


1783  TO  1788— EMIGRATION  WESTWARD.  61 

in  the  spring  of  1787  and  located  near  Lairdsville.  In  the  same  year 
there  located  in  Kirkland,  Moses  Foot  and  family,  Barnabas  Pond, 
James  Bronson,  Lewis  Sherman,  and  Solomon  Hovey ;  and  possibly  the 
same  year  Ludlim  Blodgett.  Timothy  Tuttle,  Samuel  Hubbard,  Randall 
Lewis,  Cordial  Storrs,  John  Bullens,  and  Captain  Cassety.  1 

Before  Whitestovvn  was  organized  as  a  town  (March  7,  1788)  there 
was  living  therein,  and  near  F'ort  Stanwix,  William  Colbraith  (or  Col- 
breath).  The  year  he  came  cannot  now  be  stated.  He  was  captain  of 
a  company  under  Peter  Gansevoort,  in  the  Sullivan  expedition  of  1779 
against  the  Indians  in  the  western  part  of  New  York.  He  was  the  first 
sherifif  of  Herkimer  county  in  1791,  and  then  resided  near  Fort  Stan- 
wix, as  above  stated.  He  was  also  first  sheriff  of  Oneida  county,  in 
1798.      He  cannot  be  traced  further. 

In  the  spring  of  1787  Gen.  Oliver  Collins,  with  his  vN'ife  and  two  chil- 
dren, came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  upon  the  Middle  Settlement 
road,  leading  from  Whiteboro  to  Middle  Settlement.  While  in  his 
'teens  he  enlisted  in  the  Continental  Army  and  rendered  faithful  service 
during  the  war;  he  was  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga  under  General  Gates. 
He  cames  from  the  war  a  sergeant. 

There  was  another  settler  in  what  is  now  Oneida  county  prior  to  the 
time  Whitestown  was  organized  into  a  town,  named  Archibald  Arm- 
strong. He  located  at  the  junction  of  Wood  and  Canada  Creeks,  in 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Rome.  He  was  great  grandfather  of  Jonas  W. 
Armstrong  of  Rome,  and  of  William  C.  and  David  Armstrong  of  Anns- 
villc  ;  he  was  twice  married  ;  his  first  wife  was  a  sister  of  Heinrich 
Starring,  a  prominent  persona^^-e  in  the  Mohawk  valley  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  first  judge  of  Herkimer  county  when  that  county  was 
formed  in  1791.  That  Armstrong  came  originally  from  Pennsylvania, 
later  from  down  the  Hudson,  and  still  later  from  the  Mohawk  valley. 
On  the  26th  of  August,  1775,  the  Tryon  county  militia  was  organized 
into  four  battalions,  and  that  Archibald  Armstrong  was  second  lieuten- 
ant in  the  8th  company  of  the  4th  battalion,  of  which  George  Herkimer 
(brother  of  the  general)  was  captain,  and  Han  Yost  Herkimer  (another 
brother  of  General  Herkimer)  was  colonel.  This  was  in  the  German  Flats 
and  Kingsland  district.   On  the25th  of  June,  1778,  new  appointments  were 

'  Jones's  Annals. 


62 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


made,  and  the  nine  companies  organized  in  August.  1775,  were  reduced 
to  seven  in  about  eighteen  months  of  active  war.  The  name  of  Herki- 
mer entirely  disappeared  from  the  rolls  after  the  battle  of  Oriskany  The 
most  of  the  loss  was  sustained  in  this  battle. 

It  is  traditionary  in  the  family  that  Archibald  Armstrong  served  in 
the  army  during  that  war,  down  the  valley.  The  military  records  at 
Albany  show  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  Arciiibald  Armstrong  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  Captain  Telford's  company,  in  a 
regiment  belonging  to  Orange  county,  under  command  of  Col.  John 
Hallern;  also,  that  a  person  of  the  same  name  was  in  Capt.  Abraham 
Westfall's  company  belonging  to  a  regiment  in  Dutchess  county,  under 
command  of  Col.  Albert  Pawling;  also  in  Capt.  James  McBride's  com 
pany  belonging  to  the  2d  regiment  of  Ulster  count}  ,  under  command  of 
Lieut-Col.  Jacob  Newkirk:  also  in  Capt.  Richard  Haily's  ct)mpany  of  the 
Orange  county  regiment  under  command  of  Lieut. -Col.  Henry  W'isner, 
or  Col.  John  Hathern,  and  that  those  persons  were  employed  in  actual 
service.^ 


'  The  Damooth,  Demoot,  Demiith,  and  Teymouth  (or  Damewoocl,  as  ntiKlicized)  family,  as  the 
name  was  variously  spelled,  seems  to  be  nearly  extinct  in  the  male  line  ;  but  very  few  i)(  that 
name  can  now  be  found  in  this  section.  They  were  prominent  in  the  valley  i>f  the  Mtihawk  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  fought  bravely  on  the  side  of  the  colonics,  and  suffered  severely 
by  reason  of  their  activity  on  the  side  of  the  cause  they  had  espou.sed.  John  J<ist  Teymouth  lor 
Damuth)  was  born  in  1700  and  in  175"  was  living  at  Little  Falls,  and  owned  land  there.  He  went 
to  Deerfield  in  1773,  but  was  driven  out  in  1770  and  returned  to  the  (German  Flat.s.  His  son,  Capt. 
Mark  Damuth,  was  born  in  173<t,  and  in  1773  went  to  Dccrtield  and  was  also  driven  "Ut,  as  stated 
in  a  former  chapter.  In  1777  he  was  captain  of  Rangers,  was  shot  through  the  arm,  taken  prisoner 
October  29,  1780,  at  (ierman  Flats,  near  Fort  Dayton  i  Herkimer i.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany 
and  his  name  is  recorded  in  the  list  furnished  at  the  Oriskany  Centennial  Celebration  in  tH77. 
He  returned  to  Deerfield  in  1784.  A  daughter  married  Col.  NichoIa.s  Harter,  an  old  and  aged 
resident  of  Deerfield  and  of  Utica.  George  Damuth  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  brother  of  Cap- 
tain Mark,  of  the  Palatine  District,  before  the  Revolution,  but  in  17H4  went  to  Deerfield  with 
Mark.  In  1786 he  lived  at  "Old  Fort  Schuyler,"  and  in  ITKT  leased  two  hundred  and  seventy-three 
acres  of  land  of  Rutger  Bleecker,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Cosby  Manor.  He  died  before  ITlNi, 
leaving  a  widow  and  a  number  of  sons.  One  of  the  sons  was  a  boatman  in  the  employ  of  John 
Post,  a  merchant,  tavern  keeper,  and  trader  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler  in  171K);  another  son  remained 
with  his  mother  on  the  farm  of  Peter  Smith  ;  another  son  went  to  Sackett's  Harbor ;  (teorge  Da- 
muth, another  son,  was  called  "Old  Yare,"  was  a  boatman,  and  when  an  infant  was  captured  by 
Indians,  who  cut  his  ears  and  put  a  ring  in  his  nose.  When  eighteen  years  old  he  escaped  and 
and  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  At  one  time  an  Indian  threw  a  knife  at  him,  which  en- 
tered his  body  and  which  he  bore  until  he  reached  his  home.  After  the  war  he  lived  in  Deer- 
field ;  he  married  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Chrisman,  an  early  settler  at  Fort  Schuyler.  The  late  Da- 
vid Gray,  of  Marcy,  when  a  boy,  remembered  "Old  Yare."  with  his  pinked  ears  and  the  ring  in 
his  nose.  George  was  living  as  late  as  ISHi ;  he  was  buried  at  Herkimer.  In  1775  George  Damuth 
was  adjutant  in  the  9th  Company,  4th  Battalion  of  the  regiment  <>f  which  Han  Yost  Herkimer 
(brother  of  the  general)  was  colonel.  The  descendants  of  the  Damuth  family  arc  scattered  ;  some 
went  to  ()nomhiv;;i  count  v.  <ot„,.  t,,  Wisconsin,  and  some  to  Mi.s.souri.     The  male  members  are 


17^8— TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY.  63 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

1788— TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY. 

By  an  act  of  colonial  Legislature,  passed  March  24,  1772,  Tryon 
county  was  subdivided  into  six  "  Districts";  Kingsland  District  was  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Mohawk  River  and  was  west  of  Little  Falls  ;  the 
German  Mats  District,  north  of  the  Mohawk  River  and  west  of  Little 
I'alls  March  28,  1773.  the  names  of  the  Kingsland  and  the  German 
h'lats  Districts  were  exchanged,  one  for  the  other.  April  3,  1775,  the 
"  old  England  District  "  was  formed  and  embraced  part  of  Herkimer 
county,  and  nearly  what  is  now  Otsego  county.  As  before  stated, 
April  2,  1784,  the  name  of  Trx'on  county  was  changed  to  that  of 
Montgomery.  By  an  act  passed  March  7,  1788,  the  State  of  New 
York  was  divided  into  sixteen  counties,  and  those  counties  subdivided 
into  towns,  instead  of  "  districts,"  as  formerly.  Montgomery  county 
was  subdivided  into  nine  towns;  all  that  part  of  the  county  and  of  the 
State  lying  westerly  of  a  north  and  south  line  running  across  the  Mo- 
hawk River  at  the  fording  place  near  the  house  of  William  Cunning- 
ham, at  Old  I'ort  Schuyler,  leaving  that  house  to  the  west  of  the  same 
line,  and  bounded  north  and  west  by  the  north  and  west  bounds  of  the 
S'ate,  and  south  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  was  erected  into  the 
town  of  "  Whitcstown  "  The  house  of  William  Cunningham  then  stood 
near  the  foot  of,  and  on  the  west  side  of,  Genesee  street,  Utica,  midway 
between  Water  and  Whitesb oro  streets,  as  before  noted.  The  town  thus 
formed  was  named  after  Hugh  White,  the  early  pioneer,  and  covered 
an  area  nearly  equal  to  half  of  the  State,  including  12,000,000  acres  of 
land  with  the  navigable  headwaters  of  the  Mohawk,  the  Delaware,  the 
Susquehanna  and  Ohio  Rivers,  the  chain  of  small  lakes  in  Central  and 
Western  New  York,  the  Genesee  River  and  the  cataract  of  Niagara  on 

nearly  extinct  ;  quite  a  number  are  yet  alive  of  the  female  line.  In  1780  there  was  a  Mr.  Demuth 
living  in  a  lojr  house,  on  the  .site  of  St.  Peter's  church,  wrhere  St.  Leger  planted  his  batteries  at  the 
siege  of  Fort  istanwix  in  1777. 


64  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  American  side,  and  the  territories  of  five  of  the  Six  Nations,  and 
with  a  frontage  on  the  great  lakes  and  rivers  of  at  least  four  hundred 
miles  in  length.  From  this  year  may  be  fairly  recorded  the  beginning 
of  the  great  emigration  westward. 

In  1788  there  was  also  living  at  "Old  Fort  Schuyler  "  Philip  Morey 
and  his  three  sons,  Solomon,  Richard  and  Sylvanus,  all  of  whom  were 
from  Rhode  Island,  also  Francis  Foster.  In  March,  1788,  there  came 
to  the  same  place  Maj.  John  Bellinger,  from  down  the  valley.  He  was 
at  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  and  was  at  the  side  of  General  Herkimer 
when  the  latter  was  shot.  In  that  same  month  and  year  Jedediah 
Sanger,  who  subsequently  became  a  power  in  Oneida  county,  came 
from  Jeffries,  in  New  Hampshire,  and  located  in  what  is  now  the  village  of 
New  Hartford.  He  was  then  thirty  three  years  old,  with  a  wife  and 
several  children,  but  without  pecuniary  means,  as  he  had  recently  lost 
his  property  by  fire.  He  was  born  on  the  29th  day  of  February,  and 
consequently  he  had  a  birthday  only  once  in  four  years.  He  purchased 
one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  one  body,  for  fifty  cents  an  acre,  which 
purchase  included  the  whole  of  the  present  village  of  New  Hartford; 
subsequently  he  became  an  extensive  land  owner.  In  the  year  1788 
Samuel  Laird  came  from  Berkshire,  Mass.,  and  located  in  Lairdsville,  in 
Westmoreland,  and  soon  after  began  housekeeping  in  a  log  house.  In 
that  same  year  there  came  to  that  town  Peletiah  Rawson  and  John 
Blair;  Joseph  Farwell  located  in  what  is  now  Bridgewater,  and  also 
came  to  the  same  town  Ezra  Parker.  It  is  bclievetl  that  the  persons 
whose  names  have  been  given  as  settlers  in  each  year  from  and  includ- 
1784  to  1788,  included  all,  or  nearly  so,  who  located  in  what  is  now 
Oneida  county  prior  to  the  time  VVhitestown  was  organized  in  March, 
1788.  Not  unlikely  other  persons  squatted  in  the  county  during  the 
above  period,  but  were  not  here  as  permanent  settlers. 

Elkanah  Watson,  an  extensive  traveler  in  this  country  and  abroad, 
and  a  close  observer  of  the  course  of  events,  was  in  this  VVhitestown 
country  in  1788  and  again  in  1791,  and  left  a  published  journal  of  his 
observations.  His  views  of  the  prospect  of  a  canal  in  the  near  future, 
connecting  the  waters  of  the  Mohawk  River  with  those  of  Wood  Creek, 
the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  great  possibilities  in  the  near  future  of 
this  part  of  the  country  are  of  great  interest.  He  writes  under  date  of 
September,  1788,  as  follows: 


^^s 


y^^^^^^^c^^^^'^'^^iC^^'^^^-r 


1783— TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY.  65 

I  forded  the  Mohawk  at  old  Fort  Schuyler  [Utica]  alone  and  both  shores  were 
alive  with  savages.  As  there  was  no  tavern  here,  and  but  a  few  scattering  houses, 
I  proceeded  to  an  old  German  log  house  on  the  margin  of  the  river  and  interceded 
for  something  to  eat.  After  much  difficulty  I  pervailed  upon  an  ill-natured  German 
woman  to  spare  me  two  ears  of  green  corn  and  some  salt.  The  road  was  as  bad  as 
possible,  obstructed  by  broken  bridges,  logs  and  stumps,  and  my  horse  at  every  step 
sinking  knee  deep  into  the  mud.  I  remained  one  day  at  Judge  White's  log  house, 
the  founder  of  the  settlement,  and  slept  in  his  log  barn,  with  horses  and  other  ani- 
mals. Whitesboro  is  a  promising  .settlement  in  the  heart  of  a  fine  tract  of  land  and 
just  in  the  transition  from  a  state  of  nature  into  civilization.  The  settlement  com- 
menced four  years  ago ;  log  houses  are  already  scattered  in  the  midst  of  stumps, 
half  burned  logs,  and  girdled  trees.  1  observed  the  log  barns  were  well  filled.  A 
few  years  ago  land  might  have  been  bought  for  a  trifle ;  now  lands  bordering  on  the 
river  have  advanced  to  three  dollars  an  acre.  Settlers  are  continually  pouring  in 
from  the  Connecticut  hive,  which  throws  off  its  annual  swarms  of  intelligent,  indus- 
trious and  enteprrising  emigrants — the  best  qualified  of  any  men  in  the  world  to 
overcome  and  civilize  the  wilderness.  They  already  estimate  three  hundred  brother 
Yankees  on  their  muster  list,  and  in  a  few  years  hence  they  will  undoubtedly  be 
able  to  raise  a  formidable  barrier  to  oppose  the  intrusions  of  the  savages.  At  Orisk- 
any  I  passed  two  hundred  Indians,  the  remnant  of  that  once  powerful  confederacy. 
On  ascending  a  hill  west  of  Oriskany,  I  approached  the  place  where  the  intrepid 
General  Herkimer  was  driven  into  a  fatal  combat  in  August,  1777.  Just  before  I 
reached  the  sanguinary  battlefield,  I  met  two  Germans,  familiar  with  its  incidents. 
They  conducted  me  over  the  whole  ground;  they  informed  me,  a  number  of  the 
slain  were  never  interred;  in  corroboration  of  the  fact,  I  noticed  numerous  human 
bones  strewn  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  ^ 

Soon  after  leaving  this  consecrated  spot,  and  alone  in  the  woods,  I  was  in  the 
midst  of  a  band  of  Indians,  as  drunk  as  lords;  they  looked  like  so  many  evil  spirits 
broken  loose  from  pandemonium,  wild,  frantic,  almost  naked,  and  frightfully  painted, 
they  yelled,  whooped  and  danced  around  me  in  such  hideous  attitudes  that  I  was 
seriously  ajiprehensive  they  would  end  the  farce  by  taking  off  my  scalp.  On  my 
arrival  at  Fort  Stanwix,  I  found  the  whole  plain  around  the  fort  covered  with  Indians 
of  various  tribes,  male  and  female.  Many  of  the  latter  were  fantastically  dressed  in 
their  best  attire,  in  the  richest  silks,  fine  scarlet  clothes,  bordered  with  gold  fringe, 
a  profusion  of  brooches,  rings  in  their  noses,  their  ears  slit  and  their  heads  decorated 
with  feathers.  The  object  of  this  treaty  is  to  procure  a  cession  from  the  Indians  of 
territory  lying  west  of  Fort  Stanwix,  extending  to  the  Great  Lakes.  Contemplating 
the  position  of  Fort  Stanwix  at  the  head  of  bateau  navigation  on  the  Mohawk,  and 
within  one  mile  of  Wood  Creek,  and  thence  west  to  Oneida  Lake  and  connecting 

'  On  the  fir.st  settlement  of  this  section  of  the  country,  many  skeletons  were  found  yet  bleach- 
ing and  uncovered,  and  a  number  of  the  first  settlers  met  and  gathered  all  that  could  be  found 
and  undistinguished  between  friend  and  foe,  they  were  interred  in  a  common  grave.  The  party 
consisted  of  persons  from  Rome,  Westmoreland  and  Whitestown.  Judge  Joshua  Hathaway,  of 
Rome,  was  the  first  to  move  in  the  matter,  and  a  number  of  cart  loads  of  bones  were  thus  col- 
lected and  buried.  Judge  Hathaway  and  his  father  and  six  brothers  were  under  General  Stark 
at  Bennington. — [Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County. 
9 


66  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  Lake  Ontario,  I  am  led  to  think  it  will  in  time  become  the  emporium  of  com- 
merce between  Albany  and  the  vast  Western  world. 

It  was  calculated  that  at  the  time  the  town  of  Whitestovvn  was 
formed  it  contained  less  than  200  inhabitants;  that  included  all  within 
the  State  west  of  Genesee  street,  Utica.  East  of  that  street  and  south 
of  the  river  was  in  the  town  of  German  Flats  ;  north  of  the  river  in  the 
town  of  Herkimer. 

In  the  mean  time  serious  trouble  was  brewing  with  "  land  grabbers," 
those  who  were  trying  to   obtain  from    the  Indians  the  lands  in  Central 
•and  Western    New  York.     The  State  Constitution  of  1777  forbade  the 
purchase  of  the  fee  in  the  lands  of  the  Indians  by  individuals,  reserving 
the  right  to  the  State  alone.      To  evade  this  and  to  come  into  possession 
of  the  lands,  an  association  of  individuals  called   the  "  New  York  Gen- 
esee Land  Company"  was  organized  in  the  winter  of  1 787-8,  composed 
of  some  eighty  or  ninety  persons,  who    were    wealthy  and   influential. 
At  the  same  time  a   branch  company  was   organized   in  Canada.      This 
company  obtained   of  the   Six  Nations   a   lease   for    nine   hundred   and 
ninety-nine  years  of  all  their  lands;   this  lease  was  to  evade  the  consti- 
tutional provision   as  to   the   conveyance   of  the    fee  of  the   lands       In 
March,  1788,  John  Taylor,  of  Albai>y,  was  appointed  agent  or  superin 
tendent  of  the   New  York  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners,  and   in  that 
month   he   was  sent   to   the  Indian   country  to  counteract  the  unlawful 
proceedings   of  the   "  Lessees  "      He   learned   that    the    latter  had   sent 
fourteen  sleigh  loads  of  goods  to  the  Indian  country  ;   that  one  hundied 
and  sixty  families  had  arrived  at  Tioga,  on   their  way  west  to  settle  on 
the   Indian   lands.      But  those   families   learned   the  State  was  going  to 
oppose  the  "  Lessees,"  and  hence  hesitated  in  going  further.     Governor 
Clinton  issued  a  proclamation  warning  purchasers  against  the  actions  of 
the  "  Lessees,"  and  sent  messengers  to  all   of  the  Six  N.itions,  warning 
them  also  of  the  fraud  being  practiced  upon  them.      It  was  a  formidable 
organization,  embracing  men  of  wealth   and   political    influence.      Gov. 
George  Clinton  met  the  whole  matter  with  energy  and  promptness  and 
urged  upon  the  Legislature  the  adoption  of  decisive  measures  to  coun- 
teract the  plans  of  the  "  Lessees."     In  March,  1788.  an  act  was  passed 
authorizing  the  governor  to  disregard  all   contracts  made  with   the   In- 
dians not  sanctioned  by  the  State,  and  to  cause  all  persons  to  be  arrested 


1788— TOWN  OF  WHTTESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY.  67 

who  had  entered  upon  the  Indian  lands  under  such  contracts  and  to  be 
driven  off  by  force  and  the  buildings  destroyed.  Governor  Clinton  or- 
dered Samuel  Clyde,  the  sheriff  of  Montgomery  county,  and  the  first 
one  appointed  after  the  war  (whicli  county  then  extended  to  the  west 
bounds  of  the  State),  to  disperse  intruders  and  burn  their  dwellings.  A 
military  force  was  called  out  and  the  orders  were  strictly  executed. 
One  of  the  prominent  settlers  and  co  operators  of  the  "  Lessees  "  was 
taken  to  New  York  city  in  irons  upon  a  charge  of  high  treason.  Thus 
baffled,  the  "  Lessees  "  determined  to  meet  the  State  officials  at  Fort 
Stanwix,  where  the  treat)-  was  to  be  held  in  September,  1788,  and  by 
lobbying  prevent  the  treaty  being  made.  The  governor  took  the  field 
in  person,  backed  by  all  the  official  influence  at  his  command  ;  yet  it 
was  difficult  for  him  for  a  time  to  effect  anything  The  ist  of  Septem- 
ber, 1788,  was  fixed  as  the  period  of  the  treaty.  Active  preparations 
for  it  were  going  on  through  the  preceding  summer.  In  all  of  the  In- 
dian villages  the  "Lessees"  had  their  agents  and  runners  or  Indian 
traders  at  work.  The  preparations  at  Albany  and  New  York,  on  the 
part  of  the  State  officials,  were  formidable.  A  sloop  came  up  from 
New  York  with  Indian  goods,  stores  for  the  expedition,  marqtiees, 
tents,  and  specie  for  the  purchase  money  (which  was  obtained  after 
much  trouble).  On  board  of  the  sloop  were  those  who  resided  in  New 
York  city  and  many  others  ;  among  them  Count  Monsbiers,  the  then 
French  minister,  and  the  Marchioness  de  Biron,  his  sister,  who  were 
going  to  attend  the  treaty  out  of  curiosity.  The  commissioners  and  the 
retinue,  goods  and  baggage,  going  up  the  Mohawk,  started  August  23, 
in  bateaux  built  expressly  for  the  occasion,  and  arrived  at  Fort  Stanwix 
August  28.  A  wild  and  romantic  scene  presented  itself.'  The  veteran 
soldier.  Governor  Clinton,  pitched  his  marquee  and  was  as  much  the  gen- 
eral as  if  he  had  headed  a  military  expedition.  Among  his  associates 
in  the  commission  and  his  companions  were  Egbert  Benson,  afterward 
attorney- general  of  the  State;  General  Gansevoort,  defender  of  Fort 
Stanwix;  William  Floyd,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence; Kzra  L'llonimedieu,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  the 
missionary. 

Among   the   noted    Indian   speakers  and  who  signed  the  treaty,  were 


'  Turner's  Phelps.  &•  Gorhain  Purcliase. 


^ 


6g  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Skenandoah,  who  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  ten  years  old  ;  Peter 
Otsequet,  who  was  sent  to  France  by  La  Fayette  and  there  educated, 
and  to  whom  a  patent  of  one  thousand  acres  was  granted  in  Westmore- 
land ;  Paulus,  an  Oneida  chief  (after  whom  Paulus  Pond,  in  edge  of 
Lewis  county  was  named),  and  many  others  who  had  been  conspicuous 
in  the  Revolution  and  became  the  leading  men  of  our  then  young  State. 
They  were  surrounded  by  the  camp  fires  of  tiie  numerous  representa- 
tives of  the  Six  Nations  numbering  thousands,  who  had  been  attracted 
to  the  spot,  some  from  interest,  some  from  curiosity;  but  by  far  the 
larger  proportion  of  them  had  been  attracted  from  their  scattered  wil- 
derness homes  by  the  hopes  and  promises  of  presents,  feast,  andcarousals. 
Indian  traders  and  speculators  from  all  their  localities,  with  their  showy 
goods  and  trinkets  and  plenty  of  "  fire  water,"  were  upon  the  ground 
with  their  goods  for  sale  to  the  Indians  when  they  received  the  money 
for  their  lands.  Some  of  the  "  Lessees  "  had  preceded  the  governor  and 
were  in  the  crowd  secretly  endeavoring  to  thwart  the  objects  of  the 
council.  Governor  Clinton  ordered  in  writing  John  Livingston,  the 
ring  leader  of  the  "  Lessees,"  to  leave  in  three  hours,  and  to  retire  forty 
miles  from  the  fort.  After  this  Governor  Clinton  org.inizcd  a  court  of 
inquest  and  took  affidavits  of  all  that  had  taken  place  on  the  part  of  the 
"  Lessees."  Finding  that  the  Senecas  were  holding  back  from  the  coun- 
cil and  that  many  of  the  head  men  of  the  Cayugas  and  Onondagas  were 
absent,  and  that  a  counter  gathering  was  being  held  at  Geneva  by  tiiose 
in  the  interests  of  the  *'  Lessees,"  where  liquor  was  dealt  out  freely,  and 
where  the  Indians  were  told  if  they  went  to  h^ort  Stanwix,  Governor 
Clinton  would  either  cheat  them  out  of  their  lands  or  fall  upon  them 
with  an  armed  force.  Governor  Clinton  sent  thither  messengers  who 
undeceived  most  of  the  Indians  after  they  had  recovered  from  their 
beastly  state  of  intoxication.  It  was  the  8th  of  September  before  the 
different  nations  were  so  far  represented  as  to  warrant  the  council  to 
proceed  to  business.  On  the  I2th  the  treaty  with  the  Onondagas  was 
completed  and  the  deed  of  cession  of  most  of  the  lands  executed.  The 
consideration  was  one  thousand  French  crowns  in  money,  in  hand,  and 
two  hundred  pounds  in  clothing,  and  an  annuity  of  five  hundred  dollars 
forever.  The  presents  were  given  and  friendly  speeches  made.  [This 
treaty  was   ratified  June    i6,  1790,  at  Fort  Stanwix,  on  which  occasion 


1788— TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY.  69 

the  State  bestowed  five  hundred  dollars  as  a  gratuity]  Negotiations 
with  the  Oneidas  followed,  September,  1788,  which  concerned  the  lands 
within  what  is  now  Oneida  county,  and  continued  for  days,  accompa- 
nied by  speeches  pro  and  con,  propositions  made  and  rejected,  until  at 
last  a  deed  of  cession  was  agreed  upon  and  executed  by  the  chiefs,  a 
number  of  women  signing  the  deed.  The  substance  of  that  deed  and 
the  consideration  are  given  in  the  chapter  relative  to  land  patents.  The 
deed  bears  date  September  22,  1788.  The  council  had  continued  for 
twenty-five  days.  This  treaty  is  known  as  the  "  Oneida  Reservation." 
The  father  of  the  author  of  the  "Annals  of  Oneida  County"  came  to 
Oneida  county  in  January,  1787,  and  he  said  that  then  there  were  three 
log  houses  at  "  Old  Fort  Schuyler  "  (Utica),  seven  at  Whitesboro,  three 
at  Oriskany,  four  at  Fort  Stanwix,  and  three  at  Westmoreland,  most  of 
them  mere  shanties  or  huts.  It  has  been  heretofore  stated  that  the  Ranney 
family  came  to  Fort  Stanwix  in  1785-6  Willett  Ranney,  senior,  located 
in  a  log  house  northwest  of  the  present  Rome  court  house,  on  or  near 
the  site  of  the  late  residence  of  Gordon  N.  Bissell,  on  Stanwix  street. 
Twenty  eight  years  ago  the  author  of  this  history  received  a  letter  from 
a  great  granddaughter  of  Mr.  Ranney  (she  then  residing  at  Theresa, 
Jefferson  county).  She  narrates  what  she  heard  from  her  grandmother 
(a  daughter  of  Willett  Ranney,  senior).      She  thus  wrote: 

I  luive  often  heard  my  grandmother,  Mrs.  Samuel  Jarvis,  daughter  of  Willett  Ran- 
ney, senior,  tell  of  her  early  life  at  Fort  Stanwi.x.  She  was  a  little  girl  when  her 
father  moved  there,  proljably  eleven  or  twelve;  she  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn. 
April  2,  1773.  "  I  have  often  heard  her  tell  of  assisting  her  mother  baking  bread  at  the 
time  of  the  treaty  with  the  Indians,  at  Fort  Stanwix,  in  September,  1788;  the  bread 
was  baked  at  her  brother's,  Seth  Ranney's  house,  where  many  barrels  of  flour  were 
stored  to  be  baked  into  bread  for  the  use  of  those  expected  to  attend  the  treaty. 
The  oven  was  on  the  outside  of  the  house;  it  was  a  large  one  and  kept  running  night 
and  day  in  baking  bread  some  days  before  the  treaty.  There  was  also  stored  in  the 
barn  near  by  a  tjuantity  of  liquor,  and  as  it  was  feared  the  Indians  might  get  it  and 
thereby  become  furious  and  massacre  the  people,  Willett  Ranney,  senior,  with  a  few 
others  went  to  the  barn  and  poured  the  liquor  on  the  ground. 

That  treaty  and  its  results  were  among  the  most  important  events  in 
the  history  of  Oneida  county.  Following,  as  it  did,  so  soon  after  the 
dividing  of  the  State  into  counties,  and  the  said  division  of  the  counties 
into  towns,  and  the  organization  of  '*  Whitestown,"  its  tendency  was  to 
give  a  great  impetus  to  immigration  and  to  make  Oneida  county  what 
it  has  become. 


70  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Thus  in  brief  has  faded  away  the  power  of  that  once  famous  Indian 
confederacy.  They  were  a  wonderful  people;  banded  together  by  prin- 
ciple of  unity  not  unlike  that  which  holds  together  this  union  of  States, 
they  loved  liberty,  were  proud  spirited  and  haughty,  and  scorned  sub- 
mission to  foreign  control.  They  had  the  ability  to  cope  in  council  with 
the  most  skillful  diplomats,  and  the  eloquence  of  their  addresses  chal- 
lenged comparison  with  many  who  boasted  of  their  civilization  They 
were  indeed  a  powerful  and  a  gifted  people.  It  was  at  this  treaty  of 
1788,  that  Governor  Clinton  in  his  speech  to  the  Indians,  said  that  after 
the  treaty  was  over,  all  would  "  indulge  ''n  innocent  mirth  and  pleasure." 
After  all  had  feasted  and  the  payments  and  presents  were  made,  Gov 
ernor  Clinton  proposed  that  a  foot  race  take  place  among  the  Six  Nations, 
each  nation  to  select  its  swiftest  runner,  and  the  rr.ce  was  made  over 
what  is  now  Dominick  street,  and  extended  from  Mohawk  River  t<>  Wood 
Creek.  The  governor  placed  a  bag  of  g  )ld  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  on  the  top  of  a  flag  staff  at  the  river,  that  to  be  the  starting  point, 
and  the  footmen  to  run  to  Wood  Creek,  turn  a  stake,  and  tiie  one  who 
reached  the  flag  staff  on  the  return  to  have  the  gold.  E:\ch  nation  re- 
tired to  select  its  runners,  except  the  Oneidas  That  home  tribe, 
according  to  Indian  etiquette  (Fort  Staiiwi.x  being  within  its  territory), 
awaited  for  the  selections  to  be  first  made  b)'  the  visiting  tribes  that 
were  from  abroad.  The  other  tribes  soon  returned  with  five  stalwart, 
athletic  young  men,  tall  in  stature  and  symmetrical  in  form.  The  Oneidas 
then  retired  to  make  their  selection.  Powlis,  the  war  chief,  had  been  in 
his  day  one  of  the  fleetest  runners  in  the  confedcrac}-,  and  he  had  a  num 
ber  of  stalwart  sons,  grand  representatives  of  his  lt)ft\-  stature  and  agile 
movements.  Outsiders  supposed  that  one  of  these  w  ould  be  chosen  to 
represent  the  Oneidas.  But  the  tribe  passed  by  these  and  others  of  the 
like,  and  with  great  unanimity  selected  a  slender  boy  of  fifteen  yeais — a 
mere  stripling — the  youngest  son  of  Powlis — his  parents'  darling,  with  his 
mother's  form  and  wiry  make  up.  The  selection  of  one  so  young  and 
slim  to  run  a  long  race  with  formidable  competitors,  and  taken,  too, 
from  a  tribe  that  could  boast  of  its  powerful  braves,  greatly  surprised  all, 
and  provoked  a  quiet  laugh  among  the  Indians  of  the  other  tribes  Hut 
this  laugh  was  quickly  suppressed,  as  it  might  be  construed  discourteous 
to   their   brothers,    the   Oneidas.      The    boy   was  called   by    the   whites 


1788— TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY.  71 

"  Little  Paul,"  was  the  pet  of  the  tribe,  and  his  being  the  pet  was  sup- 
posed by  the  other  tribes  to  account  for  the  selection.  Not  so  with  the 
Oneidas.  They  had  better  reasons  than  favoritism,  for  they  knew  the 
staying  qualities  and  fleet  movements  of  the  lad.  Preparations  were 
promptly  and  fully  made  for  the  race.  The  course  was  on  what  is  now 
Domiiiick  street,  smooth  and  gently  rising  from  east  to  west.  The  road 
was  staked  in  quarters,  and  a  horseman  accompanied  the  runners  to  see 
that  all  was  fair  play.  The  course  was  straight,  and  there  was  no  con- 
tention for  the  inside  track.  The  runners  stood  side  by  side,  in  the 
order  of  the  location  of  their  tribes,  the  Mohawks  first.  The  head  of 
"  Little  Paul"  scarcely  reached  the  shoulders  of  the  majestic  Mohawk, 
and  he  presented  a  striking  contrast  with  the  other  contestants  in  the 
field.  Each  bore  on  his  head  a  badge  of  distinction.  Little  Paul  wore 
a  feather,  a  single  w  hite  plume,  stuck  in  his  straight  shining  locks,  which 
were  as  glossy  and  as  black  as  the  wing  of  a  raven  All  being  ready, 
they  start  at  the  tap  of  a  drum,  and  on  they  rush.  They  wore  mocca- 
sins, but  otherwise  were  stripped  nearly  to  the  skin.  Every  eye  is  fixed 
on  the  competitors,  as  they  and  the  horsemen  push  madly  forward  fur 
the  farthest  stake  at  Wood  Creek.  Not  a  word  escapes  from  the  inter- 
ested spectators,  nor  do  the  runners  make  a  sound,  save  that  made  by 
their  moccasined  feet  and  panting  breath.  The  Mohawk  leads  and  the 
Oneida  boy  brings  up  the  rear.  P^vidently  the  latter  is  taking  it  easy, 
holding  his  best  efforts  in  reserve  He  passes  over  the  ground  as  lightly 
and  as  lilhely  as  a  fo.v,  and  quite  swiftly  too,  yet  he  is  considerably  be- 
hind all  the  rest,  but  the  others  are  running  at  the  top  of  their  speed. 
The  boy  is  so  far  behind  that  it  looks  as  if  he  would  be  distanced,  and 
those  of  the  otiier  tribes  find  it  hard  work  to  repress  their  mirth.  But 
the  Oneidas  maintain  their  gravity  and  apparently  stolid  indifference. 
They  know  he  will  show  his  best  on  the  home  stretch.  The  runners 
are  gradually  approaching  the  farther  goal,  and  Little  Paul  draws 
gently  on  his  reserve  force  and  thereby  lessens  the  distance  between 
him  and  the  forward  competitors.  The  horseman  has  kept  his  steed  on 
a  keen  gallop  all  the  way,  to  keep  abreast  of  the  runners.  The  Mo- 
hawk is  ahead,  the  others  at  his  heels,  and  the  Oneida  a  little  behind. 
As  the  stake  at  Wood  Creek  is  reached  the  racers  turn  it  almost  in  a 
body,  and  now  begins  the  fierce  struggle  on  the  home  run-      Little  Paul 


72  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

again  draws  on  his  reserve  force  and  gains  on  the  Mohawk,  who  leads 
all  the  rest,  and  before  the  first  quarter  stake  is  reached  Little  Paul  passes 
all  but  the  Mohawk.  The  latter  strains  every  nerve ;  perspiration 
stands  out  in  beads  on  his  swarthy  frame,  while  his  veins  look  like  whip 
cords.  The  little  Oneida  "lets  out  another  link,"  and  soon  is  abreast 
of  the  Mohawk  and  the  two  run  side  by  side.  The  latter  feels  the  lad 
close  at  his  heels,  and  hears  the  cheers  of  the  spectators  at  the  other  end 
of  the  course.  He  must  have  felt  that  their  sympathies  are  with  the 
youngster.  Not  a  word  is  uttered  by  either  of  the  racers  as,  for  a  little 
distance,  they  run  side  by  side.  The  Mohawk  struggles  bravely,  as  for 
life,  but  in  vain.  Little  Paul  has  too  much  endurance  and  nimbleness 
of  foot  for  his  tall  competitor,  and  before  the  halfway  stake  is  readied 
the  Oneida  shoots  ahead,  and  all  of  his  competitors  are  behind.  Then 
it  was  that  he  gave  a  whoop  of  triumph  as  shrill  as  that  of  a  panther, 
which  resounded  through  the  forest,  was  heard  by  the  large  concourse 
who  witnessed  the  strugi^le,  and  was  echoed  back  with  a  will.  With 
his  five  competiters  the  race  was  over,  but  the  boy  iiad  just  begun  to 
bound  and  fly.  The  arrow  parting  from  its  bow  was  scarce  swifter 
than  his  flight,  as  he  now  seemed  determined  to  distance  the  swiftest  of 
the  racers,  and  to  show  what  he  could  do.  He  flies  as  on  the  wings  of 
the  wind,  and  the  spectators  partake  of  his  ambition  and  enthusiasm. 
When  he  is  within  twenty  rods  of  the  home  goal  they  went  forward  to 
meet  the  victor,  and  with  the  wildest  cheers  and  excitement  take  him  in 
their  arms  and  bear  him  aloft  in  triumph  to  the  homo  stake.  The  com- 
peting tribes  were  as  enthusiastic  as  the  rest,  and  none  bestowed  higher 
praise  or  received  Little  Paul  with  greater  admiration  than  the  van- 
quished. Governor  Clinton  presented  the  pri/.e  and  congratulated  the 
victor  and  his  tribe  in  a  complimentary  speech.  The  Oneida  chief  died 
about  i8i8,  and  his  remains  were  carried  from  the  "  meadows"  near 
Taberg  to  Oneida  Castle  on  the  shoulders  of  members  of  his  tribe,  some 
200  following  in  the  proceession.  Col.  T.  G.  Halley,  then  of  New  Lon- 
don, relates  to  the  writer  seeing  that  funeral  procession.  He  well  knew 
the  sons  of  old  Powlis,  and  remembers  their  return  from  Wisconsin  some 
thirty  or  more  years  ago  on  a  visit  and  to  ascertain  if  they  or  their  rtribe 
did  not  yet  own  lands  in  this  vicinity.  But  their  rights  had  all  been 
extinguished,     "  Powlis  Pond,"  in  the  edge  of  Lewis  county,  was  named 


1788— TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN— GREAT  INDIAN  TREATY.  73 

after  that  chief,  as  that  was  one  of  his  favorite  resorts.  Little  Paul  suc- 
ceeded to  his  father's  title.  About  1830  the  family  removed  to  Green 
Bay  in  Wisconsin. 

Here  may  be  a  proper  place  to  again  briefly  referto  the  Iroquois  Con- 
federacy and  to  the  nations  which  composed  it  and  which  exercised  such  a 
powerful  influence  in  New  York  for  two  hundred  years  or  more.  The  ori- 
gin and  date  of  the  formation  of  that  confederacy  are  involved  in  obscurity. 
It  is  supposed  to  have  been  formed  between  the  years  1400  and  1500,  and 
was  composed  of  five  and  from  171 2  and  onward  of  six  nations.  It  is 
unquestioned  that  when  the  confederacy  was  at  the  height  of  its  power, 
its  members  were  able  to  cope  in  battle,  in  diplomacy,  in  council,  and 
in  oratory,  with  the  best  and  most  skilled  of  the  civilized  nations.  But 
"  fire  water,"  the  advancement  of  civilization,  and  entanglements  with 
European  powers  eventually  disrupted  the  confederacy  and  proved  the 
ruin  of  that  people.  The  Sullivan  expedition  of  1779  broke  the  back- 
bone of  the  confederacy  and  completed  its  disruption  and  overthrow. 
The  Mohawks,  under  the  influence  of  the  Johnson  family,  took  sides 
with  the  British  in  the  American  Revolution,  with  hardly  an  exception, 
and  as  a  result  all  fled  to  Canada  at  the  termination  of  the  war.  The 
Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  sympathized  with  the  Americans;  the  remain- 
ing nations  sided  with  the  E^nglish.  England  made  a  treaty  of  peace 
with  her  colonies,  acknowledging  their  independence,  but  making  no 
provision  or  stipulation  for  her  Indian  allies.  Those  of  the  latter  who 
had  fought  against  the  colonies  were  in  eft'ect  a  conquered  people  and 
had  no  claim  upon  the  new  republic.  The  latter  had  a  legal  right  to 
confiscate  and  appropriate  the  Indian  lands  without  compensation  ;  but 
that  has  never  been  the  American  policy.  Not  conceding  an  absolute 
ownership  of  the  lands  to  the  Indians,  yet  a  right  of  occupancy  by  them 
has  been  recognized,  and  as  politic  to  acquire  such  lands  by  purchase 
or  treaty.  Upon  that  theory  have  the  State  and  National  governments 
acted.  After  the  first  cession  of  lands  by  the  Indians,  and  especially 
after  the  treaty  of  1788,  the  Six  Nations  were  quite  disposed  to  sell 
their  lands  to  the  white  men.  They  clearly  saw  that  their  own  power 
and  influence  were  gone  and  that  they  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  white 
race.  The  latter  have  pushed  their  way  across  a  continent,  and  the  red 
men  have  disappeared  like  frost  beneath  the  summer  sun.  In  New 
10 


74  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

York,  where  the  Six  Nations  were  once  supreme,  their  power  and  influ- 
ence have  withered  away,  and  a  few  scattered  reservations  are  all  that 
now  remain  of  their  landed  possessions,  and  those  at  the  sufferance  of 
the  white  people. 

The  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  Wyoming  and  Cherry  Valley,  made  red 
with  the  blood  of  our  patriotic  ancestors,  can  never  be  forgotten  nor 
obliterated  from  American  history  ;  yet,  the  remembrance  of  what 
the  Iroquois  Confederacy  once  was  can  never  fade  away,  nor  the  intel- 
lectual greatness  of  its  chiefs,  warriors  and  statesmen  be  forgotten  so 
long  as  so  many  of  the  lakes,  streams,  and  places  are  stamped  with  their 
names  upon  the  pages  of  historj-. 

Ye  say  that  all  have  passed  away. 

The  noble  race  and  brave ; 
That  their  light  canoes  have  vanished 

From  off  the  crested  wave ; 
That  mid  the  forests  where  they  roamed 

There  rings  no  hunter's  shout. 
But  their  name  is  on  your  waters — 
Ye  may  not  wash  it  out. 

Ye  say  their  condikc  cabins 

That  clustered  o'er  the  vale. 
Have  disappeared,  like  withered  leaves 

Before  the  autumn  gale; 
But  their  memory  liveth  on  your  hills. 

Their  baptism  on  your  shore. 
Your  ever-living  waters  speak 

Their  dialect  of  yore. 


1789  TO  1792.  75 


CHAPTER  IX. 

1789  TO  1792. 

The  fact  that  the  Indian  title  to  lands  in  Central  and  Western  New 
York  was  adjusted  ;  that  the  counties  of  the  State  were  subdivided  into 
towns;  that  the  "Holland  Land  Company"  and  Phelps  and  Gorham 
had  purchased  millions  of  acres  of  land  in  tiie  western  part  of  the  State 
and  settlers  were  going  thither,  all  tended  to  induce  emigration  into 
New  York,  The  further  facts  (which  have  already  been  briefly  alluded 
to)  that  "  Whitestown  "  was  organized  as  a  town,  and  that  George 
Washington,  Gov.  George  Clinton,  Col.  Marinus  Willett,  Baron  Steuben, 
William  Floyd,  Judge  John  Lansing  and  other  prominent  personages 
owned  lands  in  Oneida  county  ;  while  Cosby  Manor,  Oriskany,  Fonda, 
Steuben,  and  other  patents  and  tracts  were  thrown  upon  the  market  and 
most  of  the  patentees  or  owners  were  pushing  sales  and  making  extra 
efforts  to  attract  settlers,  all  had  much  to  do  in  the  permanent  settlement 
of  what  is  now  Oneida  county  in  the  years  of  which  we  are  writing. 
Under  the  general  election  law  of  February,  1787,  general  elections 
were  ordered  to  be  held  in  the  State  on  the  last  Tuesday  in  April  in 
each  year,  and  the  polls  at  an  election  might  be  kept  open  not  exceed- 
ing five  days.  By  an  act  of  April  17,  1822,  the  time  for  holding  gen- 
eral elections  was  changed  to  the  first  Monday  in  November  in  each 
year,  and  to  be  held  for  three  successive  days,  including  the  first  day. 
l^y  an  act  passed  April  5,  1842,  the  time  of  holding  general  elections 
was  changed  to  the  Tuesday  succeeding  the  first  Monday  in  each  year, 
and  to  be  held  for  one  day  only.  By  the  act  of  March  7,  1788,  divid- 
ing the  State  into  counties  and  subdividing  the  counties  into  towns, 
town  meetings  were  ordered  to  be  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April 
in  each  year.  Before  any  town  meeting  or  general  election  was  held 
in  the  town  of  Whitestown,  as  organized  under  the  act  of  March  7, 
1788,  Ontario  county  was  taken  from  Montgomery  county  by  an  act 
passed  January  27,   1789. 


76  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

That  same  year  {1789)  there  came  to  Fort  Stanwix  from  Wethers- 
field,  Conn.,  Ebenezer  Wright,  senior,  with  a  wife  and  six  children  ;  he 
was  then  forty-seven  years  old  and  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the  Conti- 
nental army.  He  was  father  of  Benjamin  Wright,  who  afterward  be- 
came the  noted  engineer  and  surveyor.  About  the  same  time,  but 
later,  came  Thomas,  the  brother  of  Ebenezer  Wright,  senior,  with  a 
wife  and  ten  children.  These  two  brothers  married  sisters  ;  Thomas 
was  fifty- one  years  old.  The  two  brothers  lived  near  Fort  Stanwix 
until  1790,  when  they  "leased  "  land  in  Wright  Settlement  and  located 
there.  Both  of  their  names  appear  in  the  United  States  census  of 
1790.  In  the  year  1789  the  following  persons  located  in  the  places  as 
mentioned  below  :  At  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  William  Alverson  (father- 
in-law  of  Theodore  S.  Faxton),  Peter  Smith,  father  of  Gerrit  Smith  ;  in 
the  town  of  Paris  there  located  in  1789.  Cnptain  Rice,  Benjamin 
Barnes  and  son,  and  John  Humaston,  Stephen  Barrett,  Aaron,  Adam 
and  Abel  Simons  (three  brothers)  ;'  in  Westmoreland,  Joseph  Black- 
mer,  senior,  and  Benjamin  Blackmer,  John  and  Nathan  Townsend, 
The  latter  was  owner  of  one  of  the  slaves  in  town  as  shown  in  the 
United  States  census  of  1790.  That  year  or  the  next  there  located  in 
Westmoreland  John  Vaughn  and  Josiah  Stillman.  All  of  the  foregoing 
had  served  in  the  Continental  army.  In  1789  there  located  in  Bridge- 
water  Ephraim  and  Nathan  Waldo  ;  they  came  the  fore  part  of  March 
in  that  year.  At  the  time  of  their  coming  snow  was  a  foot  and  a  half 
deep,  which  increased  to  four  feet,  and  the  cow,  two  yokes  of  oxen,  and 
a  horse  they  had  with  them  had  to  be  supported  entirely  upon  browse.^ 
Asa  Beckwith  and  his  four  sons,  Asa,  Reuben,  Walcott,  and  Lemuel, 
pushed  their  way  in  1789  up  the  Mohawk  beyond  Fort  Stanwix,  and 
located  near  North  Western.  They  were  the  first  settlers  in  that  region. 
The  same  year  Henry  W^ager,  then  twenty  five  years  old,  who  had  been 
married  five  years,  located  near  Westernville,  upon  a  farm  on  which 
now  resides  his  two  granddaughters.  Mr.  Wager  came  from  Columbia 
county;  he  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town  and  for  twenty-four 
consecutive   years   from    1800   was   its   supervisor.      He   was  father  of 

"  Jones's  Annals. 
*  Jones's  Annals. 


1789  TO  1792.  77 

David  Wager,  a  prominent  lawyer  and  state  senator  at  Utica,  grand- 
father of  Gen.  H.  Wager  Halleck  and  Bishop  Whipple. 

It  is  not  easy  to  give  the  names  of  all  the  settlers  in  Oneida  county 
prior  to  1790.  The  United  States  census  of  that  year,  elsewhere  pub- 
lished, is  supposed  to  show  all  who  were  in  the  county,  or  rather  in  the 
town  of  Whitestown,  on  the  first  Monday  of  August,  1790,  the  time 
the  census  was  taken.  Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County  state  that 
Ezra  Parker,  Ephraim  and  Nathan  Waldo  located  in  Bridgevvater  in 
1789;  and  that  John  and  Sylvester  Butler  and  Asa  Shepard  settled  at 
or  near  Sauquoit  in  that  year  ;  and  that  in  March  and  April,  1789,  the 
families  of  Benjamin  Barnes,  junior,  John  Ilumaston,  and  Aaron,  Adam, 
and  Abel  Simmons  located  the  same  year  on  Paris  Hill.  None  of  those 
names  appears  in  that  census.  It  is  an  historical  fact  that  Ephraim 
Webster,  Asa  Danforth.  junior,  and  Comfort  Tyler  were  all  located  in 
what  is  now  Onondaga  county  (then  Whitestown)  as  early  as  1786,  yet 
none  of  those  names  appears  in  that  census. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Whitestown  was  held  Tuesday,  April  7, 
1789,  at  the  barn  of  Hugh  White  at  Whitesboro.  The  following  town 
oflFicers  were  elected  : 

Supervisor,  Jedediah  Sanger;  town  clerk,  Elijah  Blodgett:  assessors,  Amos  Wet- 
more,  James  Bronson  Ephraim  Blackmer;  collector,  Oliver  Collins;  jioormasters, 
Hugh  White  and  Moses  Foote;  commissioners  of  highways,  George  Doolittle,  Jede- 
diah Sanger.  Ephraim  Blackmer;  constables,  Jedediah  Phelps,  Joseph  Sowle,  Solo- 
mon Butler,  Amos  Kellogg,  Nehemiah  Jones,  and  Alexander  Parkman ;  overseers  of 
roads,  Gilbert  Willett,  Amos  Ives,  Ebenezer  Butler,  junior,  Alexander  Parkman, 
Joseph  Jennings;  fence  viewers,  Lemuel  Leavenworth,  Rice  Hawley,  Lemuel  Cook, 
Seth  Ranney,  Barnabas  Pond;  pound  keepers,  Ebenezer  Butler,  junior,  and  Daniel 
C.  White. 

The  first  general  election  in  Whitestown  was  held,  commencing  at 
Cayuga  Ferry  the  last  Tuesday  of  April,  1789,  thence  adjourned  to  Man- 
lius,  thence  to  Fort  Stanwix,  and  closed  at  Whitesboro.  The  town 
meeting  for  the  town  in  1790  was  held  at  the  barn  of  Captain  Needham 
Maynard,  on  the  Middle  Settlement  road.  Before  all  of  the  electors 
had  voted,  all  not  having  arrived,  the  polls  were  opened  and  those  who 
had  come  voted,  and  the  polls  were  then  closed  and  the  votes  counted 
and  officers  declared  elected.  Later  comers  objected  to  this  and  in- 
sisted upon  voting  and  having  the  polls  opened.      A  vote  was  taken,  the 


1 


78  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

first  election  declared  void,  and  then  the  meeting  adjourned  to  the  next 
day  and  a  new  election  was  held.  The  two  town  clerks  signed  the  cer- 
tificate of  the  election  of  the  second  day.  The  same  officers  in  the  main 
were  elected  on  the  second  day,  except  Jedediah  Sanger  was  elected 
supervisor,  in  place  of  William  Colbraith  ;  Ashbel  Beach,  town  clerk  in 
place  of  Elijah  Blodgett.  Prior  to  iSio  town  officers  were  elected  by 
viva  voce  vote.  By  an  act  passed  March  29,  1809,  it  was  provided  that 
"all  town  officers  after  March  i,  18  10,  shall  be  chosen  by  ballot."  Au- 
gustus Porter  (who  became  county  judge  of  Niagara  county),  on  his  way 
to  that  section  in  May,  1789,  has  left  on  record  the  following: 

I  assisted  in  navigating  one  of  the  two  boats,  called  bateau.v,  each  navigated  by 
four  men.  Leaving  Schenectady  we  proceeded  up  the  Mohawk  to  Fort  Stanwi.x. 
In  passing  Little  Falls  of  the  Mohawk,  the  boats  and  their  consents  were  transported 
around  on  wagons.  At  Fort  Stanwix,  we  carried  over  a  portage  of  about  one  mile 
to  the  waters  of  Wood  Creek.  The  creek  affords  but  little  water  from  the  portage 
to  its  juncture  with  the  Canada  Creek,  seven  miles  west  of  Fort  Stanwix.  At  the 
portage  [near  the  United  States  Arsenal],  there  was  a  dam  near  Wood  Creek  for  a 
saw  mill,  which  created  a  considerable  pond.  This  pond,  when  filled,  could  be  rap- 
idly discharged  and  on  the  flood  thus  suddenly  made,  boats  pressed  down  the  stream 
which  empties  into  Oneida  Lake,  and  through  that  lake  and  its  outlet.  From  the 
time  we  left  Fort  Stanwix,  until  we  arrived  at  Geneva,  we  found  no  white  person, 
except  at  the  juncture  of  Wood  and  Canada  Creeks,  where  a  man  lived  by  the  name 
of  Armstrong. 

That  was  the  Archibald  Armstrong  heretofore  spoken  of 
Jared  Broughton  settled  in  the  Genesee  country  in  1790.  He  and 
his  wife  and  two  children  and  a  younger  brother,  started  in  a  sleigh 
from  Stockbridge,  Mass  ,  in  February  of  that  year,  and  went  via  Sche- 
nectady and  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  From  his  published  reminiscences, 
the  following  extract  is  made: 

At  Utica  there  was  a  small  frame  store  of  old  John  Post  [west  side  of  Genesee 
street  near  Whitesboro  street],  an  Indian  trader,  and  a  large  log  house  kept  as  a 
tavern.  There  were  one  or  two  families,  the  Blackmers.  at  Westmoreland.  Two  or 
three  families  between  Utica  and  Westmoreland;  Esquire  Hlackmer's  was  the  la.st 
house  until  we  arrived  at  Oneida  Castle.  It  was  but  a  wood  road.  At  Oneida  Cas- 
tle there  was  a  Dutchman  who  had  hired  an  Indian  hou.se  to  accommodate  travelers. 
We  arrived  there  about  midnight,  and  found  no  lodgings  except  on  the  floor,  all  the 
beds  being  occupied  by  emigrating  families.  The  road  was  very  bad;  we  got  our 
sleigh  stuck,  which  hindered  us  a  day.  xMo  settlement  between  Oneida  Castle  and 
Onondaga  Hollow.  At  the  latter  place  Comfort  Tyler,  Ephraim  Webster,  and  his 
squaw  wife,  and  Colonel  Danforth  resided.     The  latter  kept  a  tavern. 


1789  TO  1792.  79 

Pearly  in  the  spring  of  1790,  Nathaniel  Sanborn,  with  his  wife  and 
two  young  children,  went  from  one  of  the  New  England  States  to  the 
Genesee  country,  via  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  From  the  published  remin- 
iscences of  hers  the  following  extract  is  made  : 

The  last  house  where  we  slept  was  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  until  we  reached  the  end 
of  our  journey  in  the  Genesee  country.  There  was  then  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler  one 
log  house  It  was  crowded  with  boatmen  from  Niagara;  we  spread  our  bed  upon 
the  floor  for  myself,  husband  and  children,  and  the  wearied  boatmen  begged  the 
privilege  of  laying  their  heads  upon  its  borders.  After  that,  we  camped  wherever 
night  overtook  us. 

Another  early  settler  in  the  Genesee  coimtry,  in  1791,  in  the  pub- 
lished reminiscences  of  his  journey  via  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  and  overland 
through  Westmoreland,  has  left  the  following  record : 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1791,  I  left  Albany  on  my  route  to  the  Genesee  country, 
via  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk.  The  Genesee  country  was  then  so  remote  and  so 
very  little  known,  I  could  not  prevail  upon  the  owner  of  the  sled  I  had  hired  to  go 
further  than  Whitestown.  The  road  as  far  as  Whitestown  had  been  made  passable 
for  wagons;  but  from  that  to  the  Genesee  country,  it  was  little  better  than  an  Indian 
path,  just  sufficiently  opened  to  allow  a  sled  to  pass,  and  the  most  impassable  streams 
bridged.  At  Whitestown  I  was  obliged  to  change  my  sled  ;  the  Albany  driver  would 
proceed  no  further;  he  found  that  for  the  next  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  we  were 
delayed  not  only  to  take  provisions  for  ourselves  and  our  horses,  but  also  blankets  as 
a  substitute  for  beds.  After  leaving  Whitestown  we  found  only  a  few  straggling 
huts  scattered  along  the  i)ath  at  the  distance  from  ten  to  twenty  miles,  and  they 
affording  nothing  but  the  convenience  of  fire  and  a  kind  of  shelter  from  the  snow. 
On  the  eveningof  the  third  day's  journey  from  Whitestown,  we  were  agreeably  surprised 
to  find  ourselves  on  the  east  side  of  Seneca  Lake,  which  we  found  perfectly  open  and 
free  from  ice  as  in  June. 

At  the  session  of  Congress  held  in  the  winter  of  1789-90,  Congress 
passed  a  law  authorizing  the  first  census  ot  the  United  States  to  be 
taken.  The  act  was  passed  March  i,  1790,  and  directed  an  enumera- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  to  be  taken  in  the  summer  of  1790  of  the  several 
States  in  the  Union.  That  census  showed  the  population  of  Ontario 
county  (formed  in  1789)  to  be  960  persons,  including  all  of  the  sur- 
veyors and  attendants,  and  all  then  within  that  county.  The  popula- 
tion of  Montgomery  county  as  then  constituted  was  28,848,  as  shown 
by  that  census  The  population  of  all  of  the  territory  between  the 
fording  place  on  the  Mohawk  River  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler  and  Ontario 
county  was  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-one.  That  census 
further  showed  the  population  of  the  State  to  be  324, 127,  an  increase  of 


80  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

over  85,000  since  1786,  and  such  increase  was  mainly  in  the  northern 
and  western  parts  of  the  State. 

The  settlers  along  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  were  largely  of  German 
descent,  intermixed  with  immigrants  from  the  New  England  States,  and 
especially  since  the  Revolution,  had  people  from  New  England  settled 
in  that  valley;  but  more  particularly  had  they  peopled  the  central  and 
western  part  of  the  State,  so  that  the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  of  the 
State  were  almost  wholly  of  the  Yankee  element  when  this  census  was 
taken,  and  rapidly  increasing  thereafter. 

A  copy  of  this  census,  which  included  the  town  of  VVhitestown  as 
then  constituted,  has  been  obtained  from  the  department  at  Washington 
and  appears  in  this  chapter.  It  shows  the  names  of  heads  of  families 
in  the  town,  with  the  number  of  free  white  males  of  sixteen  years  old 
and  upwards  in  each  family,  including  heads  of  families,  and  the  num- 
ber of  free  white  males  under  that  age  in  each  family  ;  the  number  of 
free  white  females  in  each  family  under  sixteen,  and  the  number  of 
slaves  The  list  as  procured  from  the  department  was  not  arranged  in 
alphabetical  order,  but  it  has  since  been  so  arranged  and  also  classified 
according  to  the  towns  in  the  county  as  the}-  now  exist,  as  near  as  can 
be  at  this  late  date. 

Jacob  Morris  was  the  enumerator.  Some  of  the  given  names  could 
not  be  deciphered.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  this  census 
was  taken  the  town  of  Whitestown  included  all  of  the  State  between 
the  Genesee  bridge  at  Utica  and  Ontario  county. 

Number  of  free  white  males  of  16  and  upwards 689 

Number  of  free  white  males  under  16 .  443 

Number  of  free  white  females 749 

Number  of  slaves 3 

Number  not  included  in  above 7 

1.891 
The  respective  owners  of  each  of  the  three  slaves  in  Whitestown 
were  Nathaniel  Townsend,  of  Westmoreland,  and  Zenas  Gibbs  and 
Charles  Putnam,  residences  unknown.  Those  marked  residence  un- 
known probably  resided  in  what  is  now  Onondaga  county.  Following 
are  the  lists : 


1789  TO  1792. 


SI 


NAMES  OF  MALE  HEADS  OF  FAMILIES— CENSUS  OF  1800. 


Bridgeivater. 
Farewell,  Joseph. 

Deerfield. 
Damevvood  (Damoth),  Richard, 
Fanning,  William, 
Shearman,  James. 

Kirkland. 
BuUen,  David, 
Bullen,  John, 
Blodgett,  Rufus, 
Blodgett,  Elijah, 
Blodgett,  Ludim, 
Blanchard,  Andrew, 
Butler,  Ebenezer, 
Butler,  Ebenezer,  jr., 
Butler,  Salmon, 
Bristol,  Eli, 
Bristol,  Joel, 
Carpenter,  William, 
Cassady  (Cassety),  Thomas, 
Curtis,  Jesse, 
Catlin,  Jessie, 
Cook,  William, 
Eastman,  Peter, 
Ellenwood,  Hannaniah, 
Foot,  Moses, 
Foot,  Luther, 
Foot,  Ira, 
Foot,  Bronson, 
Ferguson,  Samuel, 
Ferguson,  Samuel,  jr., 
Fancher,  Thomas, 
Gridley,  Abraham, 
Gridley,  Jobe, 
Hubbard,  Thomas, 
Hovey,  Solomon, 
Kirkland,  Samuel, 
Kellogg,  Amos, 
Marsh,  John, 
Marsh,  Samuel, 
Marsh,  Asa, 
Marsh,  Theodore, 
11 


Marsh,  Stephen, 
Munroe,  Theodore, 
Markham,  Stephen, 
Merrell,  Caleb  B., 
Pond,  Barnabas, 
Stebbens,  Judah, 
Stebbens,  Judah,  jr., 
Tuttle,  Timothy, 
Willard,  Lewis, 
Willard,  Rufus. 

New  Hartford. 
Blair,  Joel, 
Bushnell,  Stephen, 
Blodgett,  Solomon, 
Beach,  Ashbel, 
Cook,  Trueworthy, 
Collins,  Oliver, 
Gaylord,  Jotham, 
Gurney,  Bezelial, 
Hale,  Memon, 
Haminway,  Isaac, 
Higby,  Joseph, 
Ives,  Amos, 
Jennings,  Joseph, 
Jewett,  Samuel, 
Kellogg,  Jesse, 
Kellogg,  Jalob, 
Kellogg,  Frederick  W., 
Kellogg,  Freeman, 
Kellogg,  Aaron, 
Kellogg,  Solomon, 
Kellogg,  Stephen, 
Miller,  Amoch, 
Olmstead,  Ashbel, 
Olmstead,  Gamaliel, 
Risley,  Allen, 
Risley,  Elijah, 
Savage,  Guideon  (Gideon), 
Staples,  George, 
Sanger,  Jedediah, 
Seward,  Nathan, 
Wells,  Samuel, 
Williams,  Thomas, 
Williams,  Ezekiel. 


82 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Paris. 
Coolage,  Charles, 
Barnes,  Benjamin, 
Barrett,  Stephen, 
Barrett,  Isaac, 
Davis,  Elijah, 
Fowler,  Reuben, 
Griffin,  Kirkland, 
Hopkins,  Elias, 
Kellogg,  Phineas, 
Lummas  (Loomis),  Ladoc, 
Plum,  Joseph, 
Porter,  Raphel, 
Rice,  Hezekiah, 
Rice,  William. 

Rotne. 
Armstrong,  Archibald, 
Andrus,  David, 
Colbreath,  William, 
Demont,  Joseph, 
French,  Jasper, 
Fellows,  Roswell  (Rozel), 
Gilbert,  Nathaniel, 
Knight,  Daniel  W., 
Phelps,  Jedediah, 
Perkins,  Silas, 
Robbins,  Ephraim, 
Ranney,  — eth  (Seth), 
Ranny,  — illett  (Willett), 
Ranny,  James, 
Smith,  Bill, 

Wright,  er  (Ebenezer), 

Wright,  as  (Thomas). 


Stetibcn. 


Sizer,  Samuel. 


Utica. 
Alberson,  (Alverson)  Uriah, 
Bellinger,  Tohn, 
Brown,  D  miel, 
Christman,  Jacob, 
Clark,  Aaron, 
Harris,  Joseph, 
Morey,  Solomon, 


Morey,  Sylvanus, 
Nutting,  Simeon, 
Post,  John, 
Potter,  Stephen, 
Parser,  Jason, 
Rust,  Samuel, 
Sailes,  Darius, 
Saule,  Joseph, 
Smith,  Peter, 
Smith,  Nathan, 
Smith,  James, 
Wells,  Arnold. 

/  ernon. 
Brownson,  Solomon. 

Western. 
Beckwith,  Asa, 
Beckwith,  Reuben, 
Wager,  Henry. 

Westinort'lami. 
Blackmer,  P>phraim, 
Blackmer,  Jcjseph, 
Blackmer,  Joseph,  jr., 
Brigham,  Stephen, 
Brigham,  Lyman, 
Blair,  John, 
Collins,  Samuel, 
Cone,  Walter, 

Chittingtou,  Gerard,  (Chittenden.  Jared) 
Dean,  James. 
Dean,  Jonathan. 
Dean,  W'illiam, 
Gleason.  Solomon. 
Gleason.  Joseph. 
Griffin.  Natheeneil. 
Jones,  Nehemiah. 
Jones,  Joseph, 
Laird,  Samuel, 
Laird,  John, 

Lummas  (Loomis)  Nathan, 
Lummas,  (Loomis)  Isaac, 
Parkman,  Alexander. 
Phelps,  Silas, 
Phelps,  Jacob, 


1789  TO  1792. 


83 


Phelps,  Joseph, 
Rogers,  Simeon, 
Smith,  Amos, 
Smith,  Elijah, 
Stillman,  Samuel, 
Stillman,  John, 
Townsend,  Nathaniel. 
Townsend,  John. 

Whiiestoiun. 
Badcock,  (Babcock)  David, 
Barnard,  Moses, 
Brainard,  Jeptha, 
Beardsley,  John, 
Doolittle,  iGeorge, 
Ensign,  Samuel, 
Ferguson,  James, 
Goodrich,  Rosel,  (Roswell), 
Holt,  Justice.  (Isaac), 
Kane,  Elisha, 
Leavenworth,  Lemuel, 
Maynard,  Needham, 
Pool,  Simeon, 
Root,  Joseph,  sr. , 
Steel,  Seth, 
Seymour,  Uriah, 
Tovvny,  John, 

Whitmore,  (Wetmore),  Amos, 
Whitmore,  (Wetmore).  Parsons, 
Wilcox,  Ozias, 
White,  Hugh, 
White,  Hugh,  jr.. 
White,  Daniel  C, 
White,  An.sel, 
White,  Joseph, 
White.  Philo, 
Wilson,  John, 
Winch,  Samuel. 

Litchfield,  Hcrkifiier  Co. 
Angier,  John, 

Norwich,  Herkimer  Co. 
Powell,  (Farwell,  Dr.,)  Isaac, 

Persons  whose  Precise  Localities    are 

Unkiioiu7i. 
Arnold,  Hopkins 


Allen,  Gideon, 

Allen,  John, 

Allen,  Jeremiah, 

Ames,  Robert, 

Austin,  Nathaniel, 

Allen,  Thomas, 

Arnold,  David, 

Ailworth,  Philip, 

Allen,  Isaac, 

Atwater,  Asaj^h, 

Brannan,  Seabury, 

Barnard,  Samuel, 

Belnap,  John, 

Blodgett,  Joseph, 

Ballard,  Luke, 

Blount,  Samuel, 

Barnes,  Asa, 

Barker,  Simeon, 

Brown.  Levy, 

Badcock,  (Babcock)  Jonathan. 

Briggs,  William, 

Bronson,  Asiel, 

Clary,  William, 

Cone,  Osias, 

Cutter,  Joseph, 

Cook,  Samuel, 

Cook,  Selah, 

Cook,  Samuel, 

Cleveland.  Gardner, 

Cergil,  James, 

Collister,  James, 

Coughlin,  John, 

Coiighlin,  John,  jr., 

Crandle,  John, 

Case,  Benjamin, 

Dunn,  Joseph, 

Drury,  Josiah, 

Davis,  Joshua, 

Dewey,  Elias, 

Eno,  John, 

Fortune,  Enoch, 

Fisk,  Abraham,  g 

Graves,  Nathaniel, 

Groves,  tine  (Valentine), 

Graves,  Jacob, 
Gibbs,  Zenas, 
Guile,  Elijah, 


I 


84 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Gridley, eadorus, 

Gillett,  Timothy, 
Hall,  Barnabas, 
Humphrey,  Noah, 
Hall,  Jonathan. 
Hale,  Thomas, 
Hayden,  Jonathan, 
Huggins,  William, 
Higgins,  Edward, 
Hulvert,  Joshua, 
Hubbard,  Baxter, 
Hawkins,  Widow, 
Hawkins,  David, 
Harrison,  Elisha, 
Howard,  Stephen, 
Hawley,  Rice, 
Hammond,  Benjamin, 
House  &  Pearce,  (?) 
Ingram,  Joseph, 

Johnstone, sa, 

Keltz,  Philip, 
Kelsey,  Nathan, 

King, us, 

Meyer, , 

Merriman,  Christopher, 
Mills,  Kanah, 
Mclntire,  James, 
Morse,  Joshua, 
Nurse,  Jonathan, 
Noyes,  Amns, 
Newell,  Elisha, 
Peters,  Benjamin, 
Paine,  Joshua, 
Putnam,  Charles, 
Parks,  Robert, 
Parmalee,  Amos, 
Perry,  George  H., 
Potter,  Sheldon, 
Pryor,  Azariah, 
Root,  Simeon, 


Rush,  Elijah, 
Stanley,  John, 
Smith,  John, 
Steel,  James, 
Shaw,  Samuel, 
Sails,  George, 
Sails,  Jeremiah, 
Scott,  Ezekiel, 
Sheldon,  Stephen, 
Smith,  James, 
Sanford,  Jonah, 
Smith,  James, 
Smith,  Benjamin, 
Smith,  David, 
Smith,  Ebenezer, 
Satchell,  William, 
Shifferd,  Samuel, 
Smith,  Theodoric. 

Shurman, Imer, 

Shurman, dediah, 

Tillotson,  John, 
Thompson,  Zebulon, 
Tryon,  Thomas, 
Tyler.  Ashbel, 
Tuller,  James, 
Thompson,  James, 
Tuttle,  Samuel, 
Weston,  Jonathan, 
Willy.  Bezihal, 
Wood.  Joseph, 

Wright, omon,  (Solomon), 

Webster,  Daniel, 
Webster,  David, 
Whipple,  Israel, 
Whipple,  Calvin, 
Wood,  Thomas, 
Wilson,  John,  jr., 
Wilco.x,  David, 
Wright,  Gabriel, 
Wright,  Samuel. 


The  next  year  after  the  foregoing  census  was  made,  and  in  less  than 
two  years  after  Ontario  county  was  taken  from  Montgomery  county, 
the  Yankee  element  in  the  latter  county  demanded  another  division, 
while  the  German  population  opposed  it,  but  the  Legislature,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1 79 1,  formed   four   new   counties,  taking    Herkimer  from    Mont- 


1789  TO  1792.  85 

gomery  county  and  naming  it  in  honor  of  Gen.  Nicholas  Herkimer, 
who  fourteen  years  before  received  his  fatal  wound  in  the  bloody  battle 
of  Oriskany,  Herkimer  county  as  thus  formed  included  not  only  its 
present  territory,  but  extended  westerly  to  Ontario  county  and  north- 
erly to  Canada.  It  was  provided  by  the  act  that  the  Courts  of  Common 
Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  that  county  "  should  be  held  in  the  church 
in  the  town  of  Herkimer."  That  church  stood  diagonally  across  the 
street  from  the  present  court  house  in  Herkimer  village.  The  site 
selected  for  a  court  house  in  the  county  was  the  present  one,  and  work 
was  soon  commenced  on  the  building.  At  that  early  time  county  and 
many  other  local  officers  were  appointed  by  a  council  composed  of  one 
senator  from  each  senatorial  district  and  called  a  Council  of  Appoint- 
ment, which  had  its  headquarters  in  Albany.  The  first  appointees  of 
officers  for  Herkimer  county  who  then  resided  in  what  became  Oneida 
county,  were  as  follows:  Jedediah  Sanger,  New  Hartford,  and  Hugh 
White  and  Amos  Wetmore,  of  Whitesboro,  side  judges  ;  Jonas  Piatt, 
of  the  latter  place,  county  clerk,  and  William  Colbraith.  who  then  re- 
sided on  the  road  from  Fort  Stanwix  to  what  is  now  the  village  of 
Stanwix,  in  Rome,  was  made  sheriff. 

Mr.  Sanger  moved  into  New  Hartford  in  1788  and  became  a  promi- 
nent man,  as  elsewhere  appears  in  this  volume;  the  same  may  be  said 
of  Hugh  White.  Amos  Wetmore  settled  in  Whitesboro  in  1786  and 
was  a  leading  citizen  there.  Jonas  Piatt,  a  young  lawyer  of  twenty- one 
years,  settled  in  Whitesboro  in  1790,  was  seven  years  clerk  of  Herkimer 
county,  and  clerk  of  Oneida  county  from  1798  to  1802  ;  was  elected  to 
Congress  in  1798.  State  senator  in  1809,  and  in  1814  was  appointed  one 
of  the  judges  of  the  old  Supreme  Court,  which  office  he  held  until 
1 82 1.  William  Colbraith  was  a  jolly  Irishman,  had  been  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  and  was  captain  of  a  company  in  Sullivan's  army  in  the 
expedition  against  the  Senecas  in  1779;  before  1790  he  had  settled  in 
Rome  on  the  road  before  mentioned. 

In  1793  a  law  was  passed  authorizing  the  courts  in  Herkimer  county 
to  alternate  "  between  the  court  house  in  the  town  of  Herkimer,  and 
such  place  in  the  town  of  VVhitestown  as  said  courts  should  order." 
Accordingly  the  January  term  of  the  Herkimer  court  of  1794  was  held 
in    an    "  unfinished    meeting    house,"   in   what  is   now   New    Hartford. 


86  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

That  was  the  first  court  of  record  held  in  what  is  now  Oneida  county. 
It  was  on  that  occasion,  when  the  court  was  about  to  adjourn  by  reason 
of  the  intense  cold  and  absence  of  fire  in  the  unfinished  meeting  house, 
that  Sheriff  Colbraith  cried  out,  "  Don't  adjourn,  jedge ;  take  some  gin 
from  this  jug  [which  was  passed  up  to  the  bench]  and  it  will  keep  you 
warm  !  "     The  court  did  not  adjourn. 

From  and  after  that  date  and  until  Oneida  county  was  formed  the 
courts  of  Herkimer  county  alternated  between  Herkimer  village  and 
"  the  school  house  near  Hugh  White's  in  Whitestown."  That  school 
house  stood  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  present  town  hall  in  the  village  of 
Whitesboro.  When  Oneida  county  was  formed  William  Colbraith  was 
appointed  sheriff  and  held  the  office  until  December  of  that  year. 
History  and  tradition  are  silent  as  to  his  life  and  career  after  that  date. 

In  April,  1792,  the  town  of  Whitestown  was  divided,  and  the  towns 
of  Mexico,  Paris,  Peru,  and  Steuben  created  from  it.  In  1794  Onon- 
daga county  was  taken  from  Herkimer.  In  1795  Sangerfield  was  taken 
from  Paris.  On  March  4,  1796,  Rome  and  Floyd  were  taken  from 
Steuben,  making  the  present  year  (1896)  Rome's  centennial  year.  In 
1797  Steuben  was  again  divided  and  the  towns  of  Steuben,  Leydcn, 
and  Western  formed  from  it.  In  March  of  the  same  )'ear  the  town  of 
Trenton  was  formed  from  the  town  of  Schuyler,  and  on  the  same  day 
Bridgewater  was  set  off  from  Sangerfield. 

In  less  than  four  years  after  Onondaga  county  was  taken  from  Her- 
kimer, the  Yankee  element  of  the  latter  count}'  again  sought  a  division. 
Although  the  county  seat  was  in  the  village  of  Herkimer,  the  enter- 
prising and  uneasy  citizens  had  pushed  their  abodes  into  the  wilderness 
and  settled  in  what  are  now  Oswego,  Jefferson,  and  Lewis  counties,  and 
were  demanding  a  new  county  for  their  convenience  and  to  meet  the 
existing  exigencies.  Elkanah  Watson  made  the  following  entry  in  his 
journal  in  1788,  while  on  a  visit  to  Fort  Stanwix  : 

Settlers  are  continually  pouring  in  from  the  Connecticut  hive,  which  throws  off 
its  annual  swarms  of  intelligent,  industrious  and  enterprising  emigrants,  the  best 
qualified  to  overcome  and  civilize  the  wilderness.  They  already  estimate  3U0  brother 
Yankees  on  the  muster  list,  and  in  a  few  years  hence  they  will  undoubtedly  be  able 
to  raise  a  formidable  barrier  to  oppose  the  incursion  of  the  savages,  in  case  of 
another  war. 

This  entry  was  made  just  ten  years  before  Oneida  county  was 
formed. 


1789  TO  1792.  87 

When  the  [legislature  convened  in  January,  1791,  Gov.  George 
Clinton  called  the  attention  of  that  body  in  a  speech'  to  the  great  in- 
crease, and  to  recommend  a  new  apportionment  of  the  representatives 
in  the  Legislature  and  a  new  division  of  senatorial  districts  Scattered 
settlements  had  been  made  westerly  as  far  west  as  Oneida  Lake  and 
into  the  Genesee  country,  and  northerly  up  the  Hudson  toward  Lake 
Champlain  The  governor  took  occasion  in  that  speech  to  state  the 
above  facts,  and  to  state  that  the  country  bordering  on  those  regions 
had  been  explored  by  an  enterprising  people,  and  at  that  early  day  in 
the  history  of  the  State  to  suggest  that  facilities  ought  to  be  afforded 
for  cleaning  out  the  obstructions  in  the  Mohawk  River,  and  of  cutting 
a  canal  across  the  portage  at  Fort  Stanwix  between  the  Mohawk  and 
Wood  Creek;  and  also  of  opening  the  communication  between  the 
upper  Hudson  and  Lake  Champlain.  The  action  of  the  Legislature  on 
this  branch  of  the  speech  will  appear  in  the  chapter  on  canals. 

The  great  influx  of  population  into  what  was  in  1790  the  western 
part  of  Montgomery,  and  largely  composed  of  New  England  people, 
added  to  the  large  increase  in  the  State  as  shown  by  the  census  o{  ly go, 
excited  a  great  desire  on  the  part  of  the  Yankee  element  for  a  division 
of  Montgomery  county  and  the  formation  of  one  or  more  additional 
counties  out  of  it.  The  county  seat  was  at  Johnstown,  and  it  was  a 
great  inconvenience  for  those  then  residing  in  what  are  now  Oneida, 
Onondaga,  Oswego,  Jefferson  and  Lewis  counties,  and  even  Herkiiner 
county,  to  go  so  far  to  attend  jury  and  other  duties  which  called  them 
to  the  shire  town.  Strenuous  efforts  were  made  in  1790  to  procure  a 
division  of  Montgomery  ;  but  there  was  much  opposition  to  it,  mainly  ^ 
from  the  German  element  The  petition  in  opposition  to  the  measure 
bears  date  December  29,  1790,  and  contained  400  names,  most  of  them 
descendants  of  the  old  Palatinates,-  but  push  and  enterprise  prevailed 
and  on  the  i6th  of  February,  1791,  an  act  was  passed  for  the  formation 
of  Herkimer,  Otsego,  and  Tioga  counties  from  the  then  county  of 
Montgomery.      The  county  of  Herkimer    in  the  main  included  then  its 

'  Prior  to  imi  the  governor  addressed  the  Legislatures  by  speeches  on  all  matters  now  com- 
municated by  messages.  The  Constitution  of  1.S21  provided  that  the  governor  should  communicate 
bv  message.  Gov.  Joseph  C.  Yates,  the  first  governor  elected  after  the  adoption  of  that  Consti- 
tution, was  the  first  governor  to  send  in  a  message. 

2  See  Judge  Hardin's  History  of  Herkimer  County. 


88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

present  bounds  and  also  Hamilton  county,  and  in  addition  the  territory 
west  to  Ontario  county  and  north  to  the  north  bounds  of  the  State. 
No  United  States  consus  was  taken  of  Herkimer  county  while  it  retained 
its  then  boundaries.  The  act  of  1791  forming  Herkimer  county  pro- 
vided that  the  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  of  General  Sessions  of  that 
county  "should  be  held  at  the  church  in  the  town  of  Herkimer" — the 
present  site  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  in  th.e  village  of  Herkimer. 
The  judges  and  justices  of  those  courts  and  the  supervisors  of  the 
several  towns  of  the  county  of  Herkimer  were  authorized  "  to  select  a 
site  for  the  court  house  and  jail."  The  site  thus  selected  is  the  present 
one  in  the  village  of  Herkimer  ;  the  jail  was  placed  underneath  the 
court  house.  Whitestown  while  a  part  of  Herkimer  county  was  never 
its  county  seat,  although  county  courts  were  held  occasionally  in  Whites- 
town  while  it  was  a  part  of  Herkimer  county.  Hendrick  Starring,  of 
the  town  of  Schuyler,  was  the  first  county  judge  ;  he  was  a  farmer  of 
strong  sense,  quite  a  character  in  the  countrj',  was  a  survivor  of  the 
battle  of  Oriskany  and  had  suffered  in  the  Revolution.  Jonas  Pratt,  a 
young  lawyer  in  Oneida  county,  and  who  settled  at  Whitesboro  in  1790, 
was  appointed  county  clerk;  William  Colbraith,  whose  location  was 
near  Fort  Stanwix,  was  sheriff.  Hugh  White,  of  Whitesboro,  was  one 
of  the  side  judges.'  Work  on  the  court  house  at  Herkimer  was  soon 
commenced  and  the  court  house  and  jail  were  in  due  time  completed. 

In  connection  with  this  brief  sketch  of  the  organization  of  the  county 
and  the  appointment  of  its  officers,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  the  curious  to  the  act  of  February  22,  1788,  passed  at  the 
same  session  of  the  Legislature  which  divided  the  State  into  counties 
and  subdivided  into  towns,  provided  that  "  no  person,  little  or  great, 
shall  sit  upon  the  bench  with  the  justices  in  the  sessions,  upon  pain  of 
fine  and  imprisonment,  and  said  justices  are  hereby  charged  that  they 
do  not  suffer  any  person  to  sit  with  them  on  the  bench  in  their  session, 
contrary  to  the  intent  of  this  act."  Under  the  English  law  certain  of 
the  nobility  were  allowed  to  sit^  upon  and  occupy  the  bench  of  judges 
during  the  session  of  the  court,  even  though  such  of  the  nobility  were 
on  trial  (for  a  minor  offense),  and  this    law  was  to  prevent  any  such   in- 

'  Local  officers  were  then  appointed  by  the  "Council  of  Appointment,"  composed  of  a  senator 
from  each  senatorial  district. 


1789  TO  1792.  89 

terference  with  justice ;  it  shows  how  jealous  the  people  of  the  colonies 
were  of  kingly  rule,  and  of  everything  that  tended  to  encroach  upon 
their  rights  or  liberties. 

In  this  connection,  although  anticipating  events  and  publishing  them 
out  of  chronological  order,  it  may  be  well  to  note  the  construction  of 
the  Great  Genesee  Road  from  Utica  through  to  the  Genesee  country. 
As  early  as  1790  William  and  James  Wadsworth  located  on  lands  in 
what  is  now  Livingston  county,  at  Geneseo.  They  cut  a  wood  road, 
along  the  route  above  mentioned,  the  "  great  Indian  trail,"  but  as  trav- 
elers remarked,  it  was  not  much  better  than  an  Indian  path,  March 
22,  1794,  an  act  was  passed  appointing  Israel  Chapin,  Michael  Myer, 
and  Othniel  Taylor,  commissioners,  to  lay  out  and  improve  a  road,  to 
begin  at  old  Fort  Schujler  and  to  thence  run  in  a  line  as  nearly  straight 
as  the  situation  of  the  country  would  admit  to  Cayuga  Ferry,  or  to  the 
outlet  of  Cayuga  Lake  ;  thence  to  the  settlement  at  Avon  in  the  Gen- 
esee country.  The  road  to  be  laid  out  six  rods  wide,  but  not  necessary 
to  open  and  improve  the  road  to  over  four  rods  in  width  ;  the  sum  of  ;^6oo 
appropriated  for  opening  and  improving  said  road,  and  the  further  sum 
of  ;^i, 500  was  appropriated,  as  should  not  be  otherwise  appropriated 
at  the  end  of  the  session,  for  making  and  improving  the  remainder  of 
said  road.  The  road  was  laid  out,  but  not  much  of  anything  else  was 
done,  for  travelers  as  late  as  in  June,  1797,  still  represent  the  road  as 
little  better  than  an  Indian  trail.  On  the  ist  of  April,  1796,  a  law  was 
passed  appropriating  iJ^SOO  in  amending  the  "  Great  Genesee  Road  " 
where  it  ran  through  the  Oneida  Reservation  ;  and  the  further  sum  of 
;^500  to  amend  said  road  through  the  Onondaga  and  Cayuga  Reser- 
vations. On  the  28th  of  March,  1797,  a  law  was  passed  for  the  open- 
ing and  improving  roads  direct  through  the  western,  northern  and 
and  southern  parts  of  the  State,  authorizing  the  raising  by  three  suc- 
cessive lotteries  of  $45,000,  of  which  $13,900  was  to  be  used  for  the 
opening  and  improving  said  Genesee  road  from  Old  Fort  Schuyler  to  Ge- 
neva. Work  commenced  in  earnest  on  this  highway,  so  that  on  Sep- 
tember 30,  1797,  a  stage  started  from  Old  Fort  Schuyler  and  arrived  at 
Geneva  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day.  This  road  was  simply  of 
earth,  and  low  swampy  places  were  crossed  on  logs,  called  "causeways." 
But  emigration  westward  was  pushing  on  rapidly,  and  the  settlers  were 

clamoring  for  a  better  road. 
12 


90  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

John  Maude  who  passed  through  Utica  in  1800,  on  a  visit  to  Niagara 
Falls,  has  left  the  following  record  of  Old  Fort  Schuyler  : 

Utica,  ninety-six  miles  from  Albany,  Schwartz  Hotel,  excellent  house,  and  miser- 
ably kept,  built  by  Boon  &•  Lincklaen,  agents  for  Holland  Land  Company  [New- 
England  house  on  Whitesboro  street].  Utica  is  in  the  present  town  of-  Whitestown 
and  contains  about  sixty  houses.  No  genteel  family  except  Colonel  Walker,  who 
resides  a  short  distance  east  of  the  village.  The  Great  Genesee  Road  turns  off  at 
this  place.  An  act  has  lately  passed  making  it  a  turnpike  road  to  Genesee  and  Can- 
andaigua,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  The  expense  is  estimated  at  $1,000  per 
mile.  The  inhabitants  of  LTtica  subscribed  to  finish  the  first  mile;  they  fgrmed  '^0 
shares  of  §50  each,  which  shares  they  afterwards  sold  to  Col.  Walker  and  Mr.  Post 
for  44  cents  on  the  dollar,  who  have  finished  the  first  mile;  the  river  here  is  narrow 
and  shallow;  no  fish;  7  boats  at  the  wharf;  heard  a  bull  frog;  groves  of  sugar 
maple,  a  tree  very  common  here. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1800,  an  act  was  passed  incorporating  "the 
Seneca  Road  Company,"  who  were  to  build  a  road  to  start  from  tlie 
tavern  of  John  House  in  the  village  of  Utica,  and  run  through  to  the 
court  house  at  Canandaigua.  John  House  kept  a  tavern  at  tlie  foot  ot 
Genesee  street.  The  incorporators  were  Col.  Benjamin  Walker,  Jedc- 
diah  Sanger,  Charles  Williamson,  Israel  Chapin,  and  such  others  as 
chose  to  be  associated  with  them  ;  the  turn]:iike  to  observe  as  nearly  the 
line  of  the  State  road  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  permit.  The 
capital  stock  was  to  consist  of  2,200  shares  of  $50  each  ($110,000). 
Toll  gates  were  required  to  be  erected  at  a  distance  of  not  less  than 
ten  miles  from  each  other.  The  rates  of  toll  were  as  follows:  At  each 
gate  for  every  wagon  with  two  horses,  not  more  tiian  12^  cents,  and 
not  more  than  three  cents  for  every  additional  horse  used  in  any  wagon, 
cart  or  carriage  ;  for  every  one  horse  cart,  six  cents;  for  every  coach, 
four  wheeled  pleasure  carriage  or  pleasure  wagon  with  two  horses, 
25  cents,  and  three  cents  for  every  additional  horse  ;  for  every  chair  or 
pleasure  carriage  with  one  horse,  I2>^  cents,  and  for  every  additional 
horse,  six  cents  ;  for  every  cart  drawn  by  two  oxen,  eight  cents,  and 
for  every  additional  yoke,  three  cents  ;  for  every  saddle  or  led  horse, 
four  cents;  for  every  sled  traveling  the  above  road  from  December  15 
to  March  15  in  each  year,  one  half  of  the  tolls  above  demanded  for  car- 
riages ;  for  every  score  of  cattle,  six  cents  ;  for  every  score  of  sheep  or 
hogs,  three  cents  and  so  in  proportion  ;  provided  those  who  use  wagons 
or  other  carriages  the  wheels  of  which  shall    exceed    the    width    of  nine 


1789  TO  1792.  91 

inches  shall  not  pay  above  two  thirds  of  above  rates.  Those  going  on 
Sundays  to  and  from  public  worship,  going  to  their  common  labor  on 
their  farms  with  their  cattle  or  teams,  or  returning  ;  or  to  mill  for  family 
purposes,  etc.,  or  going  or  returning  from  funerals  went  free.  The 
Mohawk  Turnpike  and  Bridge  Company,  between  Albany  and  Utica, 
was  then  in  running  order.  This  Seneca  road  was  pushed  ahead  rap- 
idly and  it  gave  new  life  to  Utica,  while  it  produced  an  opposite  effect 
upon  Rome,  its  then  rival.  Thereafter  the  route  west  was  b}'  the  Mo- 
hawk to  Fort  Stanwix,  then  over  the  portage  to  Wood  Creek  and  down 
that  stream  to  Oneida  Lake  and  so  on  to  Lake  Ontario,  or  across  the 
country  west  from  Oneida  Lake.  The  Seneca  Turnpike  shortened  the 
distance  to  the  Genesee  country  and  opened  a  new  and  more  expe- 
ditious mode  of  travel  and  attracted  settlers  along  that  route.  Thirty 
years  ago  Thomas  Walker  informed  the  author  that  the  opening  of  the 
Seneca  Turnpike,  and  the  refusal  of  Dominick  Lynch,  of  Rome,  to  sell 
his  land  by  absolute  deed  and  his  determination  to  give  only  leases, 
induced  Mr.  Walker  to  remove  his  newspaper,  the  Columbian  Gazette, 
to  Utica,  and  also  influenced  other  settlers  in  the  same  direction;  those 
two  points  gave  Utica  the  start  and  Rome  a  set  back. 

The  first  mail  to  Utica  was  conveyed  in  1793  by  Simeon  Pool,  under 
an  arrangement  with  the  post-office  department  authorizing  the  trans- 
l)ortation  of  mail  from  W'hitestown  to  Canajoharie,  a  distance  of  fifty 
miles,  the  inhabitants  along  the  route  paying  the  expenses.  The  post- 
rider  was  allowed  twenty-eight  hours  to  make  the  trip,  and  the  same  to 
return.  Tiiis  contract  passed  into  the  hands  of  Jason  Parker  and  he  for 
a  time  carried  the  mail  on  horseback,  his  wife  sometimes  taking  his 
place.  At  that  time  there  was  no  post-ofifice  at  Utica  ;  the  nearest  was 
at  VVhitestown,  where  Dr.  Llizur  Moseley  was  the  first  postmaster.  A 
letter  to  the  [)ost-c)fifice  department  as  to  when  the  post-office  was  estab- 
lished at  Whitestown,  brought  back  the  reply  that  a  fire  had  destroyed 
the  earlier  records,  but  that  it  appears  from  the  records  that  Elizur 
Moseley  was  postmaster  in  1795  and  continued  such  until  1825,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  William  G.  Tracy.  Mr.  Moseley  had  been  longer 
in  that  service  at  that  time  than  any  other  postmaster  in  the  United 
States.  On  the  3  i^t  of  March,  1801,  the  Oneida  Turnpike  Road  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature,  with  the  purpose  of  construct- 


92 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


ing  a  turnpike  from  the  "  dwelling  house  of  Jonathan  Dean,  in  the  town 
of  Augusta,"  through  the  Oneida  and  Stock-bridge  Reservations  to  the 
"dwelling  house  of  John  Lincklaen  in  the  village  of  Cazenovia."  An- 
other early  road  which  was  laid  out  about  i8o6  from  Rome  to  Lake  On- 
tario. On  April  i8,  1815,  this  highway  and  the  one  from  Fish  Creek 
to  Rome  and  thence  "  to  the  village  of  Rotterdam"  (now  Constantia), 
were  named  in  an  act  providing  for  taxation  for  their  improvement. 
Benjamin  Wright  was  appointed  to  assess  the  tax. 

By  an  act  passed  March  31,  1804,  Jason  Parker  and  Levi  Stephens 
were  given  the  exclusive  right  of  running  stage  wagons  from  Utica  to 
Canandaigua,  under  certain  restrictions,  for  seven  years  from  June  i, 
1804.  Two  trips  were  to  be  made  each  week  ;  no  more  than  five  cents 
per  mile  could  be  charged  each  passenger,  and  no  more  than  seven  full 
grown  persons  to  be  taken  at  once  in  the  stage,  without  the  consent  of 
all  on  board.  Between  June  i  and  October  i,  the  trip  was  to  be  made 
in  forty- eight  hours. 

The  mail  leaves  Whitestown  every  Monday  and  Thursday  at  2  r.  m.,  and  proceeds 
to  Old  Fort  Schuyler  the  same  evening;  next  morning  starts  at  4  o'clock  and  arrives 
in  Canajoharie  in  the  evening,  exchanges  passengers  with  the  Albany  and  Coopers- 
town  stages,  and  the  next  day  returns  to  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  Fare  for  passengers 
four  cents  per  mile,  fourteen  pounds  of  baggage  gratis;  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
weight  rated  the  same  as  a  passenger. 

Ml.  Parker  without  doubt  found  his  business  meager  in  profits,  for  he 
petitioned  the  Legislature  for  aid  (in  association  with  other  proprietors) 
in  January,  1797.  He  was  joined  not  long  afterward  by  Moses  Beal, 
and  in  1802  they  advertised  that  "a  stage  for  the  conveyance  of  the 
mail,  and  those  who  wish  to  travel  by  stage,  will  start  from  Utica  to 
Onondaga  twice  a  week."  Other  stage  lines  were  put  in  operation,  in 
many  of  which  Mr.  Parker  was  interested.  Other  prominent  Oneida 
county  men  who  were  conspicuous  in  early  transportation  business  were 
T.  S.  P^axton,  S.  D.  Childs,  John  Butterfield,  Joshua  Ostrom,  Baker  & 
Swan,  J.  Wetmore  &  Co.,  Powell  &  Parker,  and  others,  the  headquarters 
of  most  of  them  being  in  Utica.  As  travel  increased  and  more  capital 
was  available  for  investment,  stage  lines  were  extended  in  length,  and 
in  181 1  we  find  Poweli;&  Parker,  Baker  &  Co.,  Parker  &  Powell,  Hos- 
mer  &  Co.,  and  Landon  &  Co.,  announcing  a  line  from  Albany  to  Ni- 
agara Falls.  Their  advertisement  is  quaint  and  indicates  the  existing 
opposition  of  different  proprietors  : 


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.■.<?^' 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  93 

N.  B. — The  public  will  observe  that  this  is  the  only  line  which  reaches  the  Falls 
and  that  the  stages  of  the  speculative  oppositionists  who  impose  on  travelers  by- 
assuring  them  that  their  stages  extend  to  Canandaigua  or  Niagara  Falls  go  no 
farther  than  Utica;  but  that  the  present  line  of  stages  will  afford  them  a  safe  and 
direct  passage  either  to  Utica,  Canandaigua,  Buffalo,  or  the  Falls,  without  subjecting 
the  passengers  to  the  trouble  of  applying  to  another  stage  for  conveyance.  Fare 
from  Albany  to  Utica,  $5.oO;  from  Utica  to  Geneva  §5;  Utica  to  Canandaigua, 
$5.75;  from  Canandaigua  to  Buffalo,  six  cents  per  mile. 

In  the  fall  of  l8i6  Parker  and  his  associates  were  running  stages  three 
times  a  week  between  Albany  and  Canandaigua,  by  way  of  Auburn, 
Skaneateles,  Onondaga,  Manlius,  Cazenovia,  Madison,  and  Cherry  Val- 
ley ;   the  trip  was  made  in  two  days. 


CHAPTER  X. 

COLONIAL    LAND  PATENTS. 

In  this  connection,  a  sketch  of  land  patents  in  this  county,  may  not 
be  out  of  place. 

It  is  a  fundamental  principle  in  the  Knglish  law,  and  has  been  from 
time  immemorial,  that  the  sovereign  is  the  original  proprietor  of  all  the 
land  in  the  realm,  as  well  as  of  that  in  all  of  the  colonial  dependencies, 
and  the  true  and  only  source  of  title.  All  titles  to  land  in  the  colonies 
passed  to  individuals  from  the  crown,  through  the  colonial  or  proprie- 
tary authorities.  Notwithstanding  this  fundamental  English  principle, 
that  government  conceded  to  the  Indians  certain  rights  in  the  soil,  at 
least  those  of  occupancy,  which  it  was  at  least  politic  to  extinguish  be- 
fore granting  patents  to  individuals.  In  the  early  history  of  the  colony 
it  was  the  practice  to  issue  instructions  to  the  coif  'lial  governor  to  grant 
lands,  with  the  consent  of  the  council,  "  reserving  moderate  quit-rents, 
as  he  saw  fit,  and  to  have  the  patents  recorded  in  the  colonial  office  of 
the  secretary  of  the  colony."  But  it  was  not  until  after  the  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Fletcher  in  1692,  and  the  rascality  practiced  in  his 
five  years  of  mal-administration,  that  attention  was  called  to  the  loose- 
ness of  those  instructions  and  the  power  that  the  governor  possessed  in 


94  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  matter.  During  his  governorship  he  made  a  fortune  of  forty  thou- 
sand pounds  and  granted  away  to  a  few  individuals  three-fourths  of  the 
lands  in  the  colony.  By  his  corrupt  recklessness  he  came  near  ruining 
the  colony  by  granting  lands  without  reserving  proper  quit  rents,  there- 
by depriving  his  government  of  an  immense  revenue  and  nearly  driving 
the  Indians  to  the  side  of  the  French  by  reason  of  taking  their  lands 
without  treaty,  purchase,  or  pay.  He  granted  to  a  minister  of  Albany 
a  tract  seventy  .six  miles  in  length  and  twelve  in  breadth  (about  620,000 
acres)  extending  through  what  is  now  Washington  county  into  Ver- 
mont, reserving  as  quit- rent  only  one  raccoon  skin  yearly.  Another 
tract  was  granted  to  the  same  minister  and  another  person  of  fihy  miles 
in  length  and  two  in  breadth  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  Mohawk,  con- 
taining about  130,000  acres,  which  included  tiirec  of  the  Mohawk  In- 
dian castles,  and  reserving  as  quit-rents  one  beaver  skin  yearly  for  the 
first  seven  years  and  eight  beaver  skins  yearly  thereafter  ;  some  authors 
say  this  grant  extended  from  Amsterdam  to  Herkimer  ;  others  from 
Fonda  to  Frankfort.  Another  patent  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson 
River  was  granted,  four  by  twenty-nine  miles  in  extent,  containing  from 
500,000  to  600,000  acres,  reserving  yearly  as  quit  rent  one  otter  skin. 
Many  other  patents  of  like  import  were  issued,  and  the  colonial  Legisla- 
ture of  1698  annulled  them  ;  but  as  such  annuUnient  had  to  be  approved 
by  the  home  government,  a  long  and  bitter  controversy  was  carried  on 
for  years,  finally  resulting  in  their  annullment,  the  issuing  of  more 
stringent  instructions  to  the  governors,  and  the  adoption  by  the  colonial 
council  of  more  rigid  measures.  It,  therefore,  became  the  rule  and  the 
practice  that  patents  should  issue  for  only  2,000  acres  (later  for  1,000 
acres)  to  one  person.  This  was  evaded  by  including  just  as  many 
persons  in  the  patent  as  there  were  subdivisions  of  2,000  (or  1,000) 
acres.  These  persons  were  always  the  friends  or  the  tools  of  the  real 
party  in  interest,  and  when  the  patent  was  issued  it  was  transferred  by 
them  to  the  interested  party.  The  rule  and  practice  were  established 
to  require  the  would-be  purchaser  to  apply  in  the  first  instance  to  the 
colonial  authorities  for  leave  to  purchase  the  Indian  title.  If  leave  was 
granted  a  treaty  was  held  with  the  Indians,  an  Indian  deed  obtained, 
frequently  for  a  trifling  consideration,  and  then  the  colonial  authorities 
issued  a  warrant  to  the  surveyor- general   to  survey  the  land  claimed  to 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  95 

have  been  purchased.  Here  again  the  Indians  were  often  cheated  as  to 
the  quantity  of  land  they  alleged  they  had  sold.  A  map  of  the  land 
was  made,  accompanied  by  field  notes,  and  both  filed.  The  attorney- 
general  was  then  directed  to  prepare  a  patent,  which  was  submitted  to 
the  governor  and  council  and  if  approved,  was  engrossed  upon  parch- 
ment, sealed  and  recorded,  and  sent  to  England  to  be  approved  and  ex- 
ecuted by  the  sovereign  authorities. 

Under  this  system  grossly  fraudulent  practices  prevailed,  and  some 
who  were  high  in  colonial  authority  were  deeply  engaged  in  defrauding  the 
Indians  of  their  lands  and  the  government  of  quit- rents.  It  was  custom- 
ary to  reserve  in  the  patents  all  gold  and  silver  mines,  a  certain  sum  for 
quit-rents  payable  annually,  and  in  some  cases  large  trees  for  masts  for 
the  navy.  In  some  cases  the  patent  was  granted  direct  by  the  sover- 
eign, as  in  the  cases  of  the  '•  Royal  Grant"  to  Sir  William  Johnson  in 
1769,  of  66,000  acres,  he  having  first  extinguished  the  Indian  title. 
From  and  including  1705  to  1773  the  government  granted  within  what 
is  now  Oneida  county,  seven  land  patents,  and  two  others  partly  in  this 
county  and  partly  in  Herkimer,  of  over  170,000  acres.  The  patents 
which  were  wholly  or  partly  in  what  is  now  Oneida  county,  issued  be- 
fore the  Revolution,  were  as  follows  : 

Oriskany  Patent. — The  first  patent  of  lands  in  what  is  now  Oneida 
county,  and  the  second  one  in  the  State  west  of  Albany,  was  issued 
April  18,  1705  ;  it  included  over  32,000  acres  in  two  parcels.  The 
boundaries  of  one  parcel  commenced  at  the  junction  or  Oriskany  Creek 
with  the  Mohawk  and  ran  up  that  creek  a  distance  of  four  English 
miles,  and  back  into  the  woods  a  distance  of  two  miles  on  each 
side  of  the  stream.  The  other  parcel  was  on  both  sides  of  the  Mo- 
hawk River,  commencing  at  Oriskany  Creek  and  running  up  the 
river  a  distance  of  two  miles  on  each  side  to  the  Oneida  Carry- 
ing Place  (now  Rome  and  formerly  Fort  Stanwix) ;  thence  of  the 
same  width  on  each  side  of  the  "  Indian  path  "  which  leads  over  that 
carrying  place  between  Mohawk  River  and  Wood  Creek  to  a  swamp 
then  located  at  what  is  now  known  as  West  Rome.  The  patentees 
were  five  in  number,  viz.:  Peter  Schuyler.  George  Clarke,  Thomas 
Wenham,  Peter  F'auconnier,  and  Robert  Mompeson,  to  each  one  fifth. 
The  patent  required  the   annual   payment  of  ten  shillings  as  quit- rents, 


96  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 

to  be  paid  on  each  Lady  Day  to  the  receiver  of  customs  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  All  gold  and  silver  mines  were  reserved  to  the  govern- 
ment. Why  such  easy  terms  were  obtained  for  so  great  a  tract  of  land 
will  be  more  apparent  later  on  when  the  names  and  official  positions  of 
the  patentees  appear  The  patent  is  in  what  are  now  the  towns  of 
Floyd,  Marcy,  Rome,  Westmoreland,  and  Whitestown.  The  respective 
patentees  parted  with  their  undivided  interests  by  deed,  will  or  inheri- 
tance, but  the  patent  was  never  sold  as  a  whole,  nor  divided,  from  the 
time  it  was  granted  in  1705  until  after  the  Revolution,  a  period  of  eighty 
years. 

Peter  Schuyler,  one  of  the  patentees,  was  the  first  mayor  of  Albany 
in  1686,  a  member  of  the  colonial  council  from  1692  to  1720,  and  in 
1709,  while  president  of  the  council,  was  acting  governor  of  New  York. 
In  1691  he  was  made  commissioner  of  Lidian  affairs  and  held  the  office 
many  years.  In  17 10  he  went  to  England,  taking  with  him  several 
Iroquois  chiefs  to  show  Queen  Anne  what  strong  allies  she  had  on  this 
continent.  The  queen  presented  Mr.  Schuyler  with  a  silver  vase  as  a 
token  of  her  regard.  He  was  great  uncle  of  Philip  Schuyler,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame.  The  Schuyler  and  Livingston  families  were  connected 
by  marriage,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  William  Livingston,  the 
war  governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  his  sister,  Alida  Hoffman,  were  the 
owner  of  Peter  Schuyler's  one-fifth  share  of  the  patent. 

George  Clarke  came  to  this  country  in  1762,  and  landed  in  Virginia. 
His  wife  was  Anne  Hyde,  a  relative  of  the  royal  family  of  England  and 
a  cousin  of  Lord  Cornbury,  who  was  appointed  that  same  year  by  his 
cousin,  Queen  Anne,  governor  of  New  York.  In  1703  Mr.  Clarke  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  province  of  New  York,  and  held  the  position 
until  1736.  Two  years  after  his  appointment  as  secretary  his  Oriskany 
patent  was  obained.  In  1736  Clarke  became  acting  governor  and  con- 
tinued as  such  until  1843.  His  son  George  was  made  secretary  of  the 
colony  in  1738  and  acted  as  such  until  1778,  excepting  two  years.  In 
1745  Governor  Clarke  went  to  England,  having  accumulated  a  fortune 
of  over  100,000  pounds.  On  his  way  home  he  was  captured  by  French 
cruisers,  but  was  afterwards  released  and  received  indemnity  for  his 
capture  from  the  English  government.  His  wife  died  in  New  York  city 
and  was  buried  in  Trinity  churchyard.      He  died   in   England  in  1759, 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  97 

at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and  is  buried  at  Cheshire.  He  left  two 
sons,  Maj.  Edward  Clarke  and  George  Clarke,  jr.  By  his  will  Governor 
Clarke  devised  his  interest  in  the  Oriskany  Patent  to  his  son  George, 
who,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  American  Revolution,  went  to  England. 
By  the  will  of  the  latter,  made  in  1776,  he  devised  his  interest  in  the 
patent  to  his  two  grandnephews,  George  and  Edward  Clarke,  grandsons  of 
Gov.  George  Clarke's  son,  Maj.  Edward  Clarke.  Soon  after  i  'j'jG  George 
Clarke,  jr.  (the  secretary  in  1738),  died  unmarried.  Maj.  Edward  Clarke 
(Governor  Clarke's  son)  died  before  the  death  of  George,  jr.;  Edward 
Clarke,  one  of  the  devisees  of  George  Clarke,  jr.,  left  one  son,  George  Hyde 
Clarke,  grandfather  of  that  George  Clarke  who  was  latterly  so  well  known 
in  Otsego  county  and  Oneida  county,  and  who  died  at  Richfield  Springs 
a  few  years  ago  ;  he  was  the  last  George  Clarke  who  owned  an  interest 
in  the  Oriskany  Patent.  Those  two  grandnephews  of  George  Clarke, 
jr.,  devisees  of  part  of  the  Oriskany  Patent,  resided  in  England  and 
were  minors  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  their  property  in  this 
country  was  saved  to  them  through  the  treaty  between  the  two  govern- 
ments covering  cases  where  the  owners  had  remained  abroad  and 
taken  no  part  in  the  war.  George  Hyde  Clarke  left  one  son,  named 
George,  who  was  father  of  the  George  Clarke  who  died  at  Richfield 
Springs,  as  above  stated.  In  December,  1791,  Edward  Clarke,  the 
grandnephew  of  George  Clarke,  jr.,  and  the  father  of  George  Hyde 
Clarke,  released  his  interest  in  the  Oriskany  Patent,  or  placed  it  in  trust 
for  his  benefit,  to  the  said  George  Hyde  Clarke,  grandfather  of  the 
George  Clarke  who  died  at  Richfield  Springs.  George  Clarke,  father 
of  the  last  above  named,  came  to  New  York  in  1789,  but  returned  to 
England  ;  came  over  again  in  1797,  went  back  to  England,  and  again 
came  over  in  1807  and  remained.  In  1835  he  erected  the  imposing 
Clarke  mansion,  *'  Hyde  Hall,"  at  the  head  of  Otsego  Lake.  He  had 
a  large  estate  in  England  as  well  as  in  this  country.  He  willed  his  in- 
terest in  New  York  lands  to  his  son  George  before  mentioned.  The 
father  was  twice  married  ;  by  his  first  wife  he  had  five  children,  and  by 
his  second  wife  (relict  of  Richard  Fennimore  Cooper,  eldest  brother  of 
the  novelist)  he  also  had  five  children,  George,  above  named,  and  a 
daughter,  widow  of  Duncan  C.  Pell;  the  others  died  minors.  That  an 
idea  of  Governor  Clarke's  wealth  may  be  gained  it  may  be  stated  that 
13 


98  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

at  his  death  in  1759  he  owned  in  this  country,  in  addition  to  his  riches 
in  England,  the  following  lands:  One- ninth  of  Nine  Partners  Patent  of 
40,000  acres  in  Dutchess  county  ;  one-half  of  the  Corry  Patent  of  25,000 
acres  in  Schoharie  and  Montgomery  counties  ;  one-half  of  the  Oot- 
houdt  Patent  of  13,000  acres  in  Otsego  county  ;  one-third  of  four  other 
tracts  in  Otsego  and  Delaware  counties  ;  one-half  of  Cherry  Valley 
Patent  of  7,000  acres  ;  one-quarter  owner  of  a  patent  in  Greene  county, 
near  Catskill  ;  and  owner  of  lands  in  Vermont  and  in  what  are  now 
Fulton  and  Washington  counties,  making  in  all  over  60,000  acres.  The 
share  and  interest  of  the  Clarkes  in  the  Oriskany  Patent  remained  in 
that  family  until  1887,  a  period  of  over  180  years,  when  it  passed  from 
George  Clarke  into  other  hands. 

Thomas  Wenham,  another  patentee  of  the  Oriskany  Patent,  was  in 
1705  a  merchant  in  New  York  city,  colonel  of  the  king's  troops  at  Fort 
George,  receiver  of  customs  in  1702,  and  associate  judge  of  the  Su[)reme 
Court.  He  died  in  1709,  childless,  and  his  property  descended  to  his 
two  sisters  ;  one  of  the  sisters  married  a  Mr.  Smith  and  their  only  child 
was  Rev.  George  Wenham  Smith,  who  inherited  not  only  his  mother's 
property,  but  that  of  his  mother's  sister,  both  of  whom  died  intestate. 
After  the  Revolution,  Rev.  George  Wenham  Smith  sold  his  interest  in 
the  patent  (the  one-fifth  of  Thomas  Wenham,  tlie  patentee)  to  Gov. 
George  Clinton,  who  in  1786  owned  that  interest. 

Peter  Fauconnier,   another  patentee,    was   receiver   of  customs  from 

1702  to  1707,  and  held  other  positions  His  interest  in  the  patent 
passed  to  James  De  Lancy.  lieutenant  governor  of  the  colony  in  1753- 
4  and  1757-60.  His  was  among  the  proudest  and  most  influential  fam- 
ilies of  New  York.  On  his  death  his  son  James  succeeded  to  the  es- 
tate and  held  one-filth  interest  in  the  Oriskany  Patent  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  ;  as  he  adhered  to  the  crown  his  property  was  confiscated 
by  the  State  of  New  York  He  went  to  England  in  May,  1775,  and 
died  therein  i8oo,  aged  about  sixty- eight  years. 

Roger  Mompeson,  before  his  coming  to  this  country  in  1703,  was 
twice  member  of  parliament  and  once   recorder  of  Southampton.      In 

1703  he  was  in  this  country  and  appointed  judge  of  admiralty,  and  in 

1704  was  chief  justice  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey;  in  1705  (when 
he  became  one  of  the  patentees)  he  was  member  of  the  council,  and  in 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  99 

1784  was  chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania.  He  remained  chief  justice  of 
New  Jersey  until  17 10,  and  of  New  York  until  his  death  in  17 15.  He 
is  described  by  Governor  Hunter  as  a  lawyer  of  ability  and  a  good 
judge.  By  Judge  Mompeson's  will,  made  in  1712,  but  not  filed  in  the 
surrogate's  office  until  1741,  he  devised  to  his  wife  Martha,  his  one- 
fifth  interest  in  the  Oriskany  Patent.  She  conveyed  her  interest  there- 
in in  1734  to  John  Chambers,  after  whom  Chambers  street  in  New  York 
city  was  named.  She  died  childless  in  1763,  after  having  been  twice 
married  succeeding  the  death  of  Judge  Mompeson.  In  1735  John 
Chambers  conveyed  to  Gov.  George  Clarke  one-half  of  Chambers's  in- 
terest in  the  Oriskany  Patent,  and  willed  the  other  one-half  to  his  three 
relatives,  James,  Frederick  and  Augustus  Van  Cortland.  James  willed 
his  interest  to  Augustus  and  died,  and  Frederick  made  the  same  dis- 
position of  his  property,  so  that  Augustus  Van  Cortland  owned  one- 
half  of  one  fifth  (or  one-tenth)  of  the  patent.  George  Clarke  and 
Augustus  made  a  division  between  themselves,  in  which  the  ground 
whereon  now  stands  the  Oriskany  monument  fell  to  Van  Cortland.  The 
boundary  line  is  only  a  few  rods  from  the  monument.  It  was  before 
Judge  Mompeson  and  a  jury  that  the  celebrated  trial  took  place,  in 
1 707,  of  Rev.  Francis  Mackenzie,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  for  preach- 
ing without  having  a  license  from  the  Bishop  of  London.  He  was 
acquitted. 

The  foregoing  facts  as  to  the  genealogy  of  the  Clarke  family,  and  the 
connecting  links  in  the  chain  of  title  of  the  Oriskany  Patent,  the  writer 
obtained  from  the  lips  of  George  Clarke  in  1890,  not  long  before  the 
death  of  the  latter  at  Richfield  Springs. 

In  1779  the  Legislature  of  New  York  passed  a  law  confiscating  the 
property  of  fifty  nine  persons,  three  of  whom  were  married  women. 
Among  the  number  was  James  De  Lancy,  the  owner  of  one  fifth  of  the 
Oriskany  Patent.  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  partition  confis- 
cated property,  and  in  1786  the  Oriskany  Patent  was  divided  into  allot- 
ments and  lots  and  divided  among  the  five  owners.  The  part  which 
lell  to  De  Lancy  was  set  off  to  the  State.  To  pay  the  expenses  of  the  par- 
tition, a  parcel  of  697  acres  was  surveyed,  which  included  Fort  Stanwix 
and  the  "  carrying  place."  now  covered  by  the  business  portion  of  the 
city  of  Rome  ;   that  parcel  was  sold  at  auction  in  March,  1786,  and  was 


\ 


100 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


bid  off  by  Dominick  Lynch  for  2,250  pounds.  It  formed  the  nucleus 
of  Mr.  Lynch's  later  purchases,  which  he  designed  for  a  city  site  to  be 
called  "  Lynchville". 

Cosby s  Manor. — After  the  issuing  of  Oriskany  Patent  nearly  thirty 
years  elapsed  before  another  patent  was  granted  for  land  in  what  is  now 
Oneida  county.  The  next  patent  granted  was  Cosby's  Manor,  the  is- 
suing of  which  was  thus  brought  about :  In  1725  Nicholas  Ecker  and 
other  German  associates  of  his  obtained  a  license  from  Governor  Burnet, 
of  New  York,  to  treat  with,  and  buy  lands  from,  the  Indians  on  both 
sides  of  the  Mohawk  west  of  Little  Falls.  Ecker  and  his  associates  ob- 
tained a  deed  of  the  Indians  of  two  parcels  covering  what  later  became 
Cosby's  Manor.  Nothing  was  done  under  these  deeds  for  nine  years 
thereafter,  and  not  until  William  Cosby  became  governor  of  New  York 
colony  in  1732.  He  landed  in  New  York  city  April  i  of  that  year,  and 
in  August  thereafter  assumed  the  duties  of  governor.  He  had  married 
a  daughter  of  Lord  Halifax  against  her  father's  will,  as  she  was  much 
superior  to  Cosby  in  social  rank.  This  marriage  gave  Cosby  an  ad- 
vantage at  court  and  procured  for  him  positions  which  he  otherwise 
could  not  have  obtained.  He  came  to  New  York  with  a  bad  reputation 
for  ability  and  honesty.  Soon  after  he  became  governor  he  was  in- 
volved in  violent  controversies  with  other  branches  of  the  government 
and  incurred  the  bitter  hatred  of  many  of  those  whom  he  came  to  gov- 
ern. His  administration  was  among  the  most  stormy  and  turbulent  of 
his  times.  It  was  at  his  instigation  that  Zenger,  the  publisher  of  the 
second  newspaper  issued  in  New  York,  was  prosecuted  for  libels  on  the 
governor  and  tried  in  1735.  Chief  Justice  De  Lancy,  who  presided 
at  the  trials,  was  a  devoted  friend  of  Cosby  and  he  overruled  all  of  the 
objections  that  William  Smith,  sen.,  counsel  for  Zenger,  raised  on  the 
trial,  and  finally  debarred  Smith  from  practicing  at  the  bar.  Zenger 
was  thus  left  without  counsel,  as  no  New  York  lawyer  dared  to  under- 
take his  defence.  In  this  emergency  he  and  his  few  friends  secured  the 
services  of  Andrew  Hamilton,  an  eminent  member  of  the  bar  of  Phila- 
delphia. Hamilton  was  then  eighty  years  old  ;  he  came  on  to  the  de- 
fence and  after  a  bitter  contest  Zenger  was  acquitted  by  the  jury,  in 
spite  of  the  hostility  of  the  chief  justice.  Hamilton's  eloquent  and  suc- 
cessful defence  of  Zenger  has  passed   into  history  as  one  of  the  great 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  101 

events  of  the  time.  The  verdict  of  acquittal  was  received  by  Zenger's 
friends  with  tumultuous  cheers,  and  in  their  excitement  they  carried  on 
their  shoulders  from  the  court  room  the  venerable  counsel  who  had 
made  such  a  magnificent  plea  and  defence  in  behalf  of  the  freedom  of 
the  press.  On  page  146  of  Lossing's  history  of  the  Empire  State  is  a 
graphic  picture  of  that  memorable  scene. 

All  the  title  which  Ecker  and  his  associates  acquired  by  the  Indian 
deeds  was  transferred  to  the  persons  hereafter  named,  and  on  January 
2,  1734,  the  latter  acquired  a  patent,  or  rather  two  patents.  The  lands 
thus  acquired  on  the  same  day  are  situated  about  one-half  in  what 
is  now  Herkimer  county,  and  about  one-half  in  what  is  now  Oneida 
county;  the  western  boundary  is  the  Sauquoit  Creek  so  as  to  take 
in  a  part  of  the  creek,  and  the  tract  is  about  three  miles  wide  on 
each  side  of  the  Mohawk,  and  includes  about  43,000  acres.  The 
lands  in  Herkimer  county  were  patented  to  John  Lyne  and  eight  asso- 
ciates;  those  in  Oneida  county  were  patented  to  Joseph  Worrall  and 
ten  associates ;  nine  of  the  patentees  in  each  patent  were  the  same. 
Six  days  after  the  issuing  of  these  two  patents,  both  parcels  were  con- 
veyed to  Gov.  William  Cosby  and  have  ever  since  been  known  as 
Cosby's  Manor.  It  was  provided  in  the  patents  that  the  patentees 
should  cultivate  three  acres  in  every  fifty  within  three  years  thereafter, 
and  that  all  pine  trees  fit  for  masts  for  the  royal  navy,  and  all  ores 
should  be  reserved.  A  quit  rent  of  two  shillings  and  six  pence  for 
every  lOO  acres  was  to  be  paid  annually  to  the  government  receiver  in 
New  York  city.  No  quit-rents  were  to  be  paid,  however,  for  thirty- 
eight  years  thereafter,  and  the  lands  were  sold  for  those  quit-rents  in 
1772,  as  will  appear  further  on.  In  1735  Governor  Cosby  made  his 
will,  devising  to  his  son  William  that  part  of  the  manor  lying  south  of 
the  Mohawk,  and  to  his  son  Henry  that  part  lying  north  of  the  river, 
and  all  the  rest  of  his  lands  in  America  to  his  wife,  Grace  Cosby.  He 
made  no  provision  for  his  only  daughter.  Through  the  management  of 
the  mother,  that  daughter  became  the  wife  of  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  who 
later  in  life  was  a  prominent  figure  in  English  politics  After  a  sickness 
of  fifteen  weeks  Governor  Cosby  died  in  New  York  city  March  10, 
1736,  and  historians  say,  "universally  detested."  He  was  buried  in 
Trinity  churchyard  and  his  will  was  proven  in  that  city.      In  June,  1736, 


102  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

his  widow  sailed  for  England  and  never  returned.  She  left  Sir  William 
Johnson  her  agent.  The  son  Henry  was  the  next  one  to  die  after  his 
father,  intestate  and  unmarried.  The  son  William  died  next,  unmarried 
and  insane,  and  both  sons  before  1761.  The  daughter  died  about  1791. 
The  widow,  through  her  agent,  sold  the  land  north  of  the  river  for 
6,000  pounds  to  Oliver  Do  Lancy,  Goldsboro  Banyar,  James  Jauncey, 
and  Peter  Remsen.  That  was  the  parcel  devised  to  the  son  Henry  and 
was  sold  as  containing  2  i  ,000  acres.  By  the  correspondence  between  the 
parties,  as  found  in  the  Documentary  History  of  New  York,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  there  were  two  prior  unpaid  mortgages  on  the  lands  thus 
sold,  and  also  quit-rents  since  the  time  Governor  Cosby  became  the 
owner;  and  further,  it  was  claimed  that  instead  of  21,000  acres,  there 
were  only  18,000.  It  does  not  appear  from  that  correspondence  how 
the  difificulty  was  settled  Mrs.  Cosby  was  clamorous  for  money,  say- 
ing she  was  "  needy."  She  died  in  1767.  As  no  quit  rents  were  paid, 
proceedings  were  taken  in  1771  to  sell  the  whole  manor  for  back  quit- 
rents,  and  it  was  sold  by  the  sheriff  of  Albany  county  July  4,  1772,  at 
the  Albany  court  house.  The  Herkimer  county  land  was  bid  off  by 
Nanning  Vischer,  as  containing  19,000  acres.  The  Oneida  county  land 
was  bid  off  by  Philip  Schuyler  for  himself,  John  Bradstreet,  and  Rutger 
Bleccker,  and  the  heirs  of  John  M.  Scott.  The  records  of  Oneida 
county  show  that  in  1793  Mr.  Schuyler  bought  of  the  Cosby  heirs  all 
of  the  lands  in  the  manor  south  of  the  river,  for  $io,oco  In  the 
sheriff's  deed  to  Schuyler,  a  strip  of  land  of  1,284  '»cres,  next  to  the 
Bayard  and  Coxe  Patents,  was  omitted,  and  this  subsequently  gave  rise 
to  serious  difficulty,  the  forty  claimants  (Jedediah  Sanger,  I'iiilip  Schu\- 
ler,  Rutger  Bleecker  and  others),  invoking  the  aid  of  the  Legislature  in 
1 8 10  and  again  in  iSi  i,  and  commissioners  were  appointed  to  adjust 
the  differences. 

In  Vol.  V  of  Peters's  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  Reports,  and  in  Jones's 
Annals  of  Oneida  County,  and  in  Bagg's  Pioneers  of  Utica,  will  be 
found  a  sketch  of  the  long  litigation  which  took  place  between  Martha 
Bradstreet  and  Utica  owners  relative  to  lands  in  that  city  which  Martha 
claimed  in  the  manor.  Samuel  A.  Talcott,  Daniel  Webster,  and  other 
eminent  counsel  were  engaged  in  the  case,  and  although  Martha  in  part 
managed  her  own  case,  and  was  as  well  versed   as   to   the   facts  and  in 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  103 

many  of  the  points  of  the  law  as  were  the  lawyers  themselves,  she  was 
never  successful.  The  writer  of  this  remembers  many  anecdotes  and 
incidents  of  that  trial  in  Utica,  related  by  William  Tracy,  Judge  Grid- 
ley,  and  others  who  heard  part  of  the  trial,  of  the  skill  and  ability  of 
Martha  in  the  part  she  took  in  the  proceedings. 

Sadeqiiahada  Patent. — The  next  patent  granted  of  lands  in  what  is 
now  Oneida  county,  after  Cosby's  Manor,  was  a  tract  of  some  6,000 
acres,  called  the  Sadaquahada  Patent  (Sauquoit),  sometimes  called  the 
"  Morris  Tract."  It  was  granted  June  25,  1736,  to  Frederick  Morris 
and  others.  At  that  date  Mr.  Morris  was  secretary  of  the  colony,  in 
which  office  he  succeeded  George  Clarke,  one  of  the  patentees  of 
Oriskany  Patent,  and  hence  he  was  in  a  good  position  to  obtain  titles  to 
lands.  A  glance  at  the  Oneida  county  map  shows  that  this  patent 
nicely  fits  in  between  Oriskany  Patent  and  Cosby's  Manor,  and  that  it 
runs  up  the  valley  of  the  Sauquoit  Creek  to  what  is  now  Coxe's  Patent. 
It  is  also  on  the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk  and  is  bounded  northerly  by 
Holland  and  Sumner  Patents  Parts  of  Marcy,  New  Hartford,  and 
Whitestown  are  in  Sauquoit  Patent.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution 
Hugh  Wallace  was  owner  of  Sauquoit  Patent  and  half  of  Sunmer  Patent  ; 
he  adhered  to  the  crown  and  by  the  act  of  1779  was  one  of  the  fifty- 
nine  persons  attainted  of  treason  and  his  property  confiscated.  For  a 
time  he  was  confined  as  a  political  prisoner  to  the  limits  of  Middletown, 
Conn.,  but  later  was  allowed  to  escape.  He  and  Robert  Yates  (after- 
wards judge  from  1777  to  1790,  and  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  York  from  1790  to  1798)  were  personal  friends.  To  preserve 
his  silver  plate  from  loss,  valued  at  1,500  pounds,  Mr.  Wallace  placed  it 
in  cha.ge  of  Mr.  Yates,  and  the  latter,  for  its  greater  security,  sent  it  on 
board  of  a  vessel  The  vessel  was  captured  by  American  cruisers  and 
divided  among  the  captors  as  a  lawful  prize.  After  the  war  Mr.  Wal- 
lace returned  to  Ireland,  his  native  country,  and  died  in  Waterford  in 
[788  The  purchasers  of  that  patent,  after  its  confiscation,  where  Zeph- 
aniah  Piatt  (father  of  Jonas  Piatt),  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  Melancthon 
Smith,  and  Hugh  White.  It  was  arranged  among  the  proprietors  tliat 
the)'  should  meet  on  the  tract  to  divide  it  in  the  summer  of  1784.  Mr. 
White  came  on  from  Connecticut  and  arrived  at  Whitesboro  in  June  of 
that  year;  he  was  then  fifty- one  years  old  and  had  a  large  family  who 
came  later. 


104  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

"  Line  of  Property y — The  encroachments  made  by  the  white  men 
upon  Indian  lands  while  New  York  was  a  colony,  created  serious  dis- 
turbances between  the  two  classes  and  finally  led  up  to,  and  resulted  in, 
the  treaty  in  the  fall  of  1768  at  Fort  Stanwix  by  which  a  boundary  line 
was  established  by  the  English  government  and  the  various  Indian 
tribes.  That  treaty  was  attended  by  representatives  from  a  number  of 
the  American  colonies,  by  chiefs  and  representatives  of  various  Indian 
tribes,  and  by  squaws  and  children  as  well.  Sir  William  Johnson  rep- 
resented the  English  government  and  was  the  principal  manager  and 
speaker  on  that  side.  Some  2,000  persons  were  present  and  the  gath- 
ering continued  about  tvyo  months.  There  was  not  much  difificulty 
about  the  line,  outside  of  New  York  ;  but  there  was  great  diflficulty  in 
agreeing  on  the  line  in  what  is  now  Oneida  county,  and  it  required  all 
the  eloquence,  art,  making  of  presents,  and  shrewd  management  of  Sir 
William  to  accomplish  the  agreement.  The  line,  as  agreed  upon,  starts 
at  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek  in  Rome,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Canada 
Creek,  and  extends  thence  for  twenty-two  miles  and  sixty-four  chains 
in  a  direct  line  through  the  towns  of  Westmoreland  and  Kirkland  (over 
College  Hill),  and  Marshall  and  Paris  to  the  Unadilla  River  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  town  of  Kridgewater,  and  so  on  by  various  courses 
and  distances  to  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  Rivers  and  beyond.  This  line 
has  ever  since  been  known  in  history  as  "  The  Line  of  Property."  That 
treaty  cost  the  English  government  over  10,000  pounds  After  the 
line  was  established  it  seemed  to  incite  the  taking  out  of  other  patents, 
for  within  less  than  three  years  thereafter,  six  patents  were  granted  in 
what  is  now  Oneida  county,  embracing  160,000  acres  of  land. 

Servis  Patent. — The  next  patent  after  Sauquoit  Patent  was  Servis 
Patent  of  some  2,000  acres,  mostly  in  Trenton,  granted  February  28, 
1769,  to  Peter  Servis  and  twenty  four  others,  but  really  for  the  benefit 
of  Sir  William  Johnson.  Peter  Servis  was  a  relative  of  the  first  wife  of 
Sir  William  and  twenty-four  of  the  other  patentees  were  his  tenants  or 
hired  retainers.  Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County  states  that  after  the 
patent  was  issued  Sir  William  made  a  great  feast,  roasted  an  ox,  and 
when  the  patentees  were  "  in  a  happy  mood,"  procured  an  assignment 
of  the  patent  to  himself  Before  the  death  of  Sir  William  in  1774  he 
had  conveyed  away  about  half  of  the  patent,  as  recited  in  his  will.      His 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  105 

executors,  as  provided  by  the  will,  sold  the  remainder  (about  13,000 
acres)  but  to  whom  cannot  be  ascertained  ;  and,  besides,  his  title  deeds  in 
time  of  the  Revolution  were  buried  in  the  ground  near  Johnstown  by 
his  son.  Sir  John,  and  when  recovered  after  the  war  were  so  mouldy  as 
to  make  the  writing  illegible.  In  a  litigation  concerning  some  of  the 
lands,  as  it  appeared,  a  deed  or  patent  to  Sir  William  was  once  in  exist- 
ence, and  on  proof  of  loss,  the  court  allowed  parol  proof  to  be  given  of 
the  deed  or  patent  and  the  contents.  The  records  of  Oneida  county 
show  that  as  early  as  1793  John  Kelly,  of  New  York,  owned  2,000  acres 
in  the  southwest  corner  of  Servis  Patent,  next  to  Holland  Patent,  and 
partly  in  Trenton  and  partly  in  Marcy.  It  is  called  the  "  Kelly  Tract" 
in  the  deeds  and  on  the  Oneida  county  maps.  It  was  subdivided  in 
1793  into  twenty-two  lots  by  William  Cockburn,  surveyor.  The  rec- 
ords do  not  show  who  conveyed  to  Kelly.  Not  far  from  1790  Gerret 
Boon  and  others  owned  the  Servis  Patent,  excepting  the  Kelly  Tract, 
and  other  lands  for  the  Holland  Land  Company.  The  records  do  not 
show  who  conveyed  to  Boon  and  others.  In  1798  Peter  Kemble,  father- 
in-law  of  General  Thomas  Gage,  purchased  of  Kelly  the  Kelly  Tract. 
In  1795  the  remainder  of  the  Servis  Patent  was  divided  into  191  lots 
by  Calvin   Guiteau,  surveyor.      Kelly  died  in  1801. 

Holland  Patent. — On  the  20th  of  March,  1769,  20,000  acres,  partly 
in  Steuben,  Trenton  and  Marcy,  were  granted  to  Henry  Fox,  Lord 
Holland.  This  is  in  no  way  connected  with  the  Holland  Land  Com- 
pany, as  some  suppose.  Lord  Holland  was  born  in  1 705  and  the  Fox 
family  for  more  than  a  century  stood  prominent  in  position  in  English 
history  ;  when  young,  Lord  Holland  was  a  gambler  and  a  spendthrift, 
but  later  in  his  life  he  became  influential  in  politics.  He  died  in  1774, 
and  his  son  Stephen,  who  succeeded  to  his  titles,  died  a  few  months 
thereafter,  Richard  Henry  Fox  was  then  about  a  year  old,  was  grand- 
son of  Lord  Holland  and  succeeded  to  the  property.  About  1795  the 
trustees  of  the  will  and  of  the  property  conveyed  Holland  Patent  to  this 
grandson,  and  the  latter,  in  November,  1796,  conveyed  the  property  to 
Seth  Johnson,  of  New  York  city,  and  Andrew  Craig,  of  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  which  conveyance  is  recorded  in  the  Oneida  county  clerk's  office. 
When  this  patent  was  granted  it  was  supposed  to  contain  about  20,000 
acres,  but  on  a  survey  made  in  1797  by  Moses  Wright,  then  of  Rome, 
it  was  found  to  contain  21,230^  acres  ;  it  was  divided  into  212  lots. 
14 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Gage's  Patent. — On  July  6,  1769,  a  tract  of  18,000  acres,  wholly  in 
Deerfield,  was  granted  to  Sir  Thomas  Viscount  Gage,  then  of  New  York 
city,  formerly  the  tory  governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  it  was  called 
Gage's  patent.  Quit-rents,  all  gold  and  silver  mines  and  all  timber  fit 
for  masts  were  reserved.  Sir  Thomas  Gage  came  to  America  with  Gen- 
eral Braddock  in  1755  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  and 
with  General  Amherst  in  1759  in  the  expedition  against  Ticonderoga. 
and  with  General  Wolfe  at  Quebec  when  that  city  surrendered  to  the 
Enghsh,  and  he  was  then  appointed  governor  of  that  city.  In  1763  he 
was  made  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in  North  America, 
and  in  1770  lieutenant  general.  His  home  was  in  New  York  cit>' 
until  1774,  where  he  lived  in  a  large  double  dwelling,  numbers  6^  and 
69  Broad  street,  which  was  surrounded  by  elegant  gardens.  In  that 
year  he  removed  to  Boston  and  assumed  administration  of  civil  and 
military  affairs  in  Massachusetts  ;  as  commander  he  was  succeeded  by 
Sir  William  Howe  in  1775,  and  Gage  went  to  England  in  that  year  and 
died  there  April  2,  1787.  He  was  very  odious  to,  and  unpopular  with, 
the  American  Whigs  ;  the  provincial  Congress  in  1775  declared  Gen. 
Thomas  Gage  "an  inveterate  enemy  of  his  countr\-,  disqualified  from 
serving  the  colony  and  unworthy  of  confidence."  General  Gage,  while 
in  Boston,  offered  pardon  for  all  the  rebels  except  Samuel  Adams  and 
John  Hancock.  As  before  stated  he  married  a  daughter  of  Peter  Kem- 
ble,  who  espoused  the  American  cause.  This  daughter  died  in  1824  at 
the  age  of  ninety  years.  The  records  of  Oneida  county  show  that  in 
March,  1788,  one  Jacob  Lally,  a  mariner,  for  5,900  pounds,  conveyed 
Gage's  patent  to  Peter  Kemble.  Where  Lally  got  his  title  the  records 
do  not  show;  perhaps  from  General  Gage,  so  as  to  escape  forfeiture. 
The  records  further  show  that  on  August  10,  1794,  Henry  Lord  Vis- 
count Gage  conveyed  this  patent  to  Peter  Kemble,  his  grandfather,  for 
1,991  pounds  5  shillings.  That  deed  recites  that  Gen.  Thomas  Gage  in 
July.  1786,  made  his  will,  devising  all  of  his  property  to  trustees  to  con- 
vey to  said  Henry,  which  they  did  on  August  4,  1794,  and  said  Henry 
conveyed  as  above  to  his  grandfather,  Peter  Kemble.  In  1803  Alex- 
ander Enos,  jr.,  subdivided  into  lots  the  north  part  of  the  patent,  and 
Calvin  Guiteau  the  south  part.  General  Gage  was  the  first  military, 
and  the  last  royal,  governor  of  Massachusetts.      He  was  personally  es- 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  107 

teemed,  but  particularly  odious  to  the  Whigs  of  the  Revolution.  As 
showing  how  time  softens  the  political  asperities  of  political  animosities 
it  may  be  stated  that  in  1862  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed  a 
resolution  requesting  and  authorizing  the  governor  of  that  State  to  re- 
ceive a  portrait  of  General  Gage  and  place  it  in  the  State  library  ;  and 
it  was  so  done,  and  thus  the  portrait  hangs,  instead  of  its  original,  which 
the  Whigs  of  1775  would  gladly  have  seen  hung  in  the  same  place,  or 
anywhere  else,  1 20  years  ago.  The  granddaughter  of  that  Peter  Kem- 
ble,  who  had  married  General  Sumner,  offered  this  portrait  to  the  Mas 
sachusetts  library.  Will  the  time  ever  come  when  the  portraits  of 
Jefferson  Davis  and  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee  will  hang  in  the  State  library 
of  Massachusetts  ? 

Sumner  Pateiit. — In  the  northwest  corner  of  what  is  now  Marcy  is  a 
tract  of  2,000  acres  of  land  granted  May  2,  1  770,  to  Hezekiah  Sumner, 
reserving  gold  and  silver  mines  and  trees  for  masts,  to  be  free  of  quit- 
rents  the  first  ten  years,  and  after  that  to  be  subject  to  the  annual  quit- 
rent  of  2s.  6d.  for  every  100  acres.  This  tract  has  ever  since  been 
known  as  tlie  Sumner  Patent.  The  patentee  was  a  subaltern  officer,  re- 
tired on  half- pay.  It  is  believed  he  was  the  officer  in  charge  of  the 
British  stores  of  Fort  Stanwix  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  whose 
daughter  was  shot  by  the  Indians  in  July,  1777.  In  fifteen  days  after 
he  got  the  patent,  for  twenty-five  pounds  he  conveyed  it  to  Hugh  Wal- 
lace and  Goldsboro  Banyar.  As  the  former  adhered  to  the  crowd  his 
property  was  confiscated  and  his  interest  in  the  patent  was  sold  in 
April,  1796,  to  John  Clayton.  The  latter  in  a  few  days  thereafter  sold 
to  John  Kelly — the  same  who  owned  the  Kelly  Tract  in  Servis  Patent. 
Judging  by  Kelly's  will  he  must  have  been  a  queer  personage.  He 
made  Alexander  Hamilton,  John  V.  Henr)-.  Robert  Troup,  Peter  Kem- 
ble,  Goldsboro  Banyar,  Simeon  De  Witt,  Egbert  Benson,  and  Richard 
Harrison,  all  notable  persons,  his  executors,  and  provided  that  his  prop- 
erty should  be  held  in  trust,  and  his  half  interest  in  the  Sumner  Patent 
was  to  be  conveyed  in  1805  to  his  son,  John  J.,  on  the  express  condition 
that  the  latter  behaved  himself  properly,  soberly,  justly  and  honestly, 
and  neither  turns  drunkard,  or  horse  racer,  nor  plays  cards,  dice  or  any 
other  unlawful  games  ;  and  also  provided  he  does  not  become  a  de- 
bauchee or  a  vagabond.      Kelly  owned  interests  in  other  patents,  which 


108  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

he  disposed  of  by  his  will  in  a  similar  manner.  The  patent  eventually 
was  owned  by  Gov.  George  Clinton,  and  in  1814  was  subdivided  into 
twenty-two  lots  by  Benjamin  Wright  for  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Clinton. 

Coxe  Patent. — The  next  patent  in  this  county  was  dated  May  30, 
1770,  to  William  Coxe,  Daniel  Coxe,  Rebecca  Coxe,  John  Tabor  Kempe, 
then  attorney- general  of  New  York,  and  Grace  (Coxe)  his  wife.  The 
Coxe  family  at  that  time  were  the  descendants  and  heirs  of  the  Dr.  Coxe, 
of  London,  who  became  in  1696  owner  of  the  patent  granted  to  Robert 
Heath  of  lands  south.  This  patent  of  1770  was  in  consideration  of  re- 
lease by  the  patentees  of  the  Heath  Patent  The  Coxe  Patent  in  Oneida 
county  embraces  47,000  acres  and  is  bounded  by  the  whole  length  of 
the  Line  of  Property,  and  includes  parts  of  the  towns  of  Westmoreland, 
Whitestown,  Kirkland,  and  New  Hartford,  and  some  of  Rome.  For 
the  first  ten  years  the  patent  was  to  be  free  of  quit  rents.  John  Tabor 
Kempe  adhered  to  the  crown  and  his  property  was  confiscated.  In 
1783  he  went  to  England  and  there  died.  After  the  Revolution  the 
patent  was  divided  into  seven  grand  divisions.  General  Washington, 
Governor  Clinton,  and  Colonel  Willett  owned  large  tracts  of  land  in 
this  patent.  The  first  division  in  Rome  is  known  as  the  "  Fan  Lots," 
by  reason  of  its  shape. 

Bayard,  or  Freemason. — Partly  in  this  county,  but  mostly  in  Herki- 
mer county,  is  a  patent  of  land  of  50,000  acres,  granted  June  12,  1 771,  to 
William  and  Robert  Bayard,  and  fift)'- three  others.  It  is  called  the 
"Bayard,  or  Freemason  Patent" — why  the  latter  name  is  not  known, 
unless  because  the  patentees,  or  most  of  them,  were  Freemasons.  The 
Indian  deed  was  obtained  in  1766,  but  the  patent  was  not  issued  until 
the  date  above  given.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  several  of  the 
patentees  adhered  to  the  crown  and  by  the  act  of  attainder  of  1779 
those  disloyal  persons  were  attainted  of  treason  and  their  property  con- 
fiscated. John  Weatherhead  was  one  of  that  number;  he  was  an  ex- 
tensive importer  in  New  York  city.  William  Bayard,  another  owner,  at 
first  sympathized  with  the  colonies,  but  later  went  over  to  the  British 
and  departed  for  England  ;  the  property  of  both  of  those  was  confisca- 
ted. Bayard  died  in  England  in  1804,  a  very  old  man.  April  11, 
1787,  an  act  of  the  Legislature  was  passed  reciting  that  said  patent  be- 
fore the  Revolution  had  been  surveyed  into  lots  by  Thomas  Palmer  and 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  109 

Beriah  Palmer  for  the  patentees,  but  as  the  land  was  not  actually  divid- 
ed, and  that  by  reason  of  the  death  of  some  of  the  owners,  the  attainder 
and  removal  of  others,  it  was  impracticable  to  make  a  division  without 
a  new  survey,  which  would  be  attended  with  great  expense ;  therefore 
the  Legislature  appointed  commissioners  to  make  partition  of  the  lands 
agreeable  to  the  survey  of  said  Palmers,  and  to  ballot  for  the  lots  to  be 
drawn  and  owned  by  the  respective  owners. 

Fonda  s  Patent. — This  was  the  first  patent  in  Oneida  county  granted 
in  New  York  after  the  Revolution.  It  was  granted  Jan.  31,  1786.  It 
was  then  in  Montgomery  county.  Jelles  (or  Giles)  Fonda  was  the  pat- 
entee and  lived  in  Caughnawaga  (now  Fonda),  and  was  an  active  busi- 
ness man.  He  was  a  major  in  the  British  service  under  Col.  Guy  John- 
son, but  in  the  Revolution  was  an  active  supporter  of  the  colonists  in 
the  struggle  for  independence,  for  which  he  and  his  family  incurred  the 
bitter  enmity  of  Sir  John  Johnson  and  his  followers.  In  the  fall  of  1781 
when  Sir  John  raided  his  old  neighborhood  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  the 
father  of  Jelles  P"onda,  then  eighty- four  years  old,  was  forced  from  his 
bed  in  the  night,  taken  to  the  Mohawk  River,  tomahawked  and  scalped 
and  left  on  the  bank  of  the  stream.  Jelles  Fonda  had  been  engaged  in 
the  Indian  trade  at  Caughnawaga,  where  he  had  a  store  and  had  extended 
his  trips  and  his  trade  to  Fort  Stanwix,  Oswego  and  Niagara,  and  be- 
came man  of  wealth  for  those  times.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  had 
upon  his  account  books  over  $10,000  of  accounts,  most  of  which  he  lost. 
The  patentee  was  State  senator  eight  years  and  county  judge  of  that 
county.  The  patent  was  issued  on  condition  that  within  three  years  a 
settler  for  each  500  acres  should  be  located  on  the  land.  The  land  of 
this  patent  is  mostly  in  Rome  and  Floyd,  with  some  in  the  town  of 
Western,  and  there  was  quite  a  rush  of  settlers  to  those  towns  as  the 
three  years  period  approached  its  close.  The  Oneida  county  records 
show  that  in  1786  Mr.  Fonda  sold  portions  of  his  patent  as  follows: 
an  undivided  one-eighth  to  John  Lansing,  jr.,  who  was  afterwards  chief 
justice  and  chancellor  of  New  York  ;  an  undivided  one- eighth  in  1788 
v/as  sold  to  each  of  the  following:  Gov.  George  Clinton,  William  Floyd 
(one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence),  Stephen  Lush, 
and  John  Taylor.  In  1787  the  patent  was  surveyed  into  100  lots  by 
James  Cockburn.     The  owners  gave  perpetual  leases,  reserving  an  an- 


no  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nual  wheat  rent,  so  much  per  acre,  payable  in  Albany.  That  was  then 
the  easist  way  for  the  settlers  in  a  new  country  to  pay  the  rent  and  for 
their  lands.  Each  year  loaded  teams  wjth  wheat  for  rent  wended  their 
way  down  the  valley,  stopping  over  night  at  the  country  taverns,  the 
teamsters  generally  taking  with  them  their  own  provisions  and  oats  for 
their  horses.  The  usual  wheat  rent  was  "  18  bushels  good  merchant- 
able winter  wheat  for  each  100  acres." 

Fort  Bull  is  in  lot  98,  very  near  the  line  of  the  Oriskany  Patent.  That 
lot  fell  to  the  share  of  George  Clinton  and  later  to  Mr.  L'Hommedieu. 
Jelles  Fonda  died  about  1792. 

Oothondt  Patent,  Henry  Oothoudt,  Patentee. — Soon  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolution  there  was  a  great  rush  of  settlers  to  the  "  Whitestown 
country."  In  1786  in  the  northern  part  of  what  is  now  Oneida  county, 
nearly  100,000  acres  were  granted  in  various  patents.  One  of  the  con- 
ditions of  the  patent  was  that  the  patentee  should  within  three  years 
procure  a  settler  for  each  500  acres,  as  before  alluded  to.  That  proviso 
stimulated  the  activity  of  the  patentee  to  place  his  lands  in  the  market 
and  at  a  low  price.  The  most  northern  patent  in  Oneida  county  granted 
that  year  was  one  of  16,052  acres  to  Henry  Oothoudt.  About  one-half 
of  the  town  of  Ava  is  in  that  patent,  and  it  also  includes  parts  of  the 
towns  of  Lee  and  Western.  In  the  same  year  a  patent  of  1,900  acres 
was  granted  to  Mr.  Oothoudt,  called  "  Oothoudt's  small  patent,"  which 
lies  easterly  of  and  alongside  of  the  large  patent  Mr.  Oothoudt  was  a 
resident  of  Catskill  and  a  person  of  prominence.  In  1775  and  1776  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  provincial  Congress,  and  in  1779  and  1780,  mem- 
ber of  assembly  from  Albany  county.  He  was  one  of  the  three  com- 
missioners of  forfeitures  under  the  attainder  act  of  1779  and  in  1789 
was  a  delegate  to  the  United  States  convention  to  form  the  United 
States  Constitution.  About  1790  he  sold  out  most  of  his  lands  to  vari- 
ous persons.  In  the  noithwest  corner  of  the  large  patent,  and  includ- 
ing Ava  Corners,  1,237  acres  were  sold  to  Daniel  Hall,  and  the  tract  is 
marked  on  the  county  map,  "  Hall."  In  1795  that  parcel  was  subdi- 
vided into  twelve  lots.  In  November  of  that  year  James  Caldwell,  of 
Albany,  who  bought  "  Johnson  Hall  "  in  Johnstown,  was  owner  and  he 
conveyed  the  tract  to  Ezra  Adams  and  Michael  Hahn,  and  subsequent 
deeds  so  refer  to  it.     The  patent  is  not  on  record  in  Oneida  county  nor 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  Ill 

are  the  intermediate  deeds  to  Cadwell.  East  of  the  Hall  or  Cadwell 
purchase  is  a  tract  of  750  acres  deeded  by  Mr.  Oothoudt  to  Nathan 
Rosco,  Isaac  Knapp,  and  William  Wiltsey,  which  is  on  the  Blankman 
map  of  1894  marked  "  Knapp,  Rosco  &  Co."  In  1701  Andrew  Clarke 
was  owner.  No  deeds  are  on  record  prior  to  Clarke's,  which  recite  the 
former  conveyances.  South  of  the  last  parcel  is  the  "Carpenter  lot"  of 
1,000  acres  in  said  patent,  conveyed  by  Mr.  Oothoudt  in  1790  to  Benja- 
min and  David  Carpenter;  the  deed  to  them  is  not  recorded.  South 
of  and  next  to  the  Carpenter  lot  is  a  tract  of  i,iOO  acres  conveyed  Feb- 
ruary 22  1790,  by  the  patentee  to  Piatt  Rogers  and  called  the  "  Rogers 
lot."  In  May,  1795,  Rogers  conveyed  to  Melancthon  Smith.  South  of 
that  parcel  are  1,000  acres  called  the  "  Van  Tine  lot,"  conveyed  by  the 
patentee  to  Robert  Van  Tine  February  20,  1790  South  of  the  Van 
Tine  lot  and  in  Western,  are  1,800  acres  which  Mr.  Oothoudt  deeded  to 
Nicholas  Boeram,  called  "  Boeram's  purchase."  It  was  divided  into 
twelve  lots  by  Benjamin  Wright.  South  of  the  aforesaid  tract  deeded 
to  Hall,  is  a  parcel  of  1,350  acres  deeded  by  Oothoudt  to- Nathan  Rosco 
and  Isaac  Knapp,  marked  on  said  county  map  as  "  Rosco  &  Knapp." 
South  of  that  parcel  are  200  acres  deeded  to  Daniel  Ter  Boss,  marked 
on  the  map  as  "  Ter  Boss  tract."  In  1800  Ter  Boss  deeded  to  Andrew 
Hunter  and  to  two  others.  The  county  records  show  nothing  of  deeds 
prior  to  the  one  from  Ter  Boss  South  of  the  Ter  Boss  lot  and  in  the 
town  of  Lee  is  a  parcel  of  2,150  acres  designated  on  the  county  map  as 
the  "  Cooper  tract,"  and  sometimes  as  the  "  Mappa  tract,"  and  also  in 
deeds  as  the  "  Boone  lot."  In  1795  it  was  subdivided  into  sixteen  lots 
by  Calvin  Guiteau.  In  1790  it  was  deeded  to  Thomas  Palmer  by  Mr. 
Oothoudt,  but  that  deed  is  not  recorded.  Prior  to  1800  the  Holland 
Land  Company  became  the  owner  of  this  tract  and  of  100,000  acres  in 
Oneida  county,  and  as  Cooper,  Mappa,  and  Boone  had  each  and  all 
been  connected  with  that  company,  that  fact  may  account  for  the  above 
different  designations  of  the  lot.  There  was  left  of  the  above  patent  a 
parcel  of  4,432  acres,  mostly  in  Lee  and  partly  in  Ava  and  Western. 
In  1793  Mr.  Oothoudt  caused  this  to  be  divided  into  tvv'enty-six  lots. 
In  July,  1795,  he  sold  it  to  David  Tallman  ;  in  December  of  that  year 
the  latter  sold  one  half  to  Robert  Bowne,  and  in  July,  1796,  he  sold  the 
other   half  to   Bowne,  so  that  it  took  the  name  of  "  Bowne's  purchase." 


112  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE, 

That  is  east  of  the  Mappa  tract  and  includes  West  Branch.  Mr. 
Oothoudt  conveyed  other  parcels  in  that  large  patent,  but  none  of  his 
deeds  are  on  record.  Chief  Justice  Ambrose  Spencer,  as  the  county 
records  show,  owned  300  acres  in  1833,  near  the  "  Bates  place,"  in 
Ava. 

Machin  Patents. — Seven  patents  of  lands  in  Oneida  county,  aggre- 
gating over  57,000  acres  were  granted  to  Thomas  Machin  in  the  years 
1786,  1787,  and  1788.  The  first  one  of  2,400  acres  is  partly  in  the 
town  of  Steuben  and  partly  in  Western.  December,  1787,  Machin  sold 
this  patent  and  by  sundry  mesne  conveyances  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Charles  Tillinghast.  The  intervening  deeds  were  lost  without  being 
recorded  and  on  application  to  the  Court  of  Chancery,  an  order  was 
made  by  that  court  appointing  trustees  to  receive  from  Machin  a  deed 
of  the  patent,  for  benefit  of  Tillinghast,  to  take  the  place  of  the  lost 
deeds,  and  in  1804  such  a  deed  was  executed  by  Machin,  as  appears  by 
Deed  Book  eleven  in  the  county  clerk's  office  ;  hence  this  patent  is  some- 
times called  in  the  deeds,  "the  Tillinghast  tract."  In  1786  another 
patent  of  2,400  acres  next  west  of  the  Tillinghast  tract  was  granted  to 
Machin.  In  1787  he  conveyed  it  to  Simeon  De  Witt,  who  for  fifty 
years  was  surveyor-general  of  this  State,  and  hence  in  many  of  the 
deeds  it  is  called  the  "  De  Witt  tract."  This  tract  includes  Frenchville 
and  North  Western.  In  1795  the  patent  was  subdivided  by  Benjamin 
Wright  into  fourteen  lots.  In  1787  another  patent  of  2,400  acres 
was  granted  to  Machin  next  west  of  the  one  last  described  and  most  of 
it  west  of  the  Mohawk.  Machin  sold  the  tract  to  Thomas  and 
William  Burling,  of  New  York  city.  In  some  deeds  it  is  called  the 
"  Burling  tract  "  In  1780  those  two  gentlemen  conveyed  900  acres  of 
the  patent  to  Samuel  Dean,  of  New  Castle,  in  Westchester  county.  On 
March  3,  1786,  a  patent  of  2,096  acres  in  Western  and  next  east  of  the 
Banyar  Patent,  was  granted  to  Machin.  In  July  of  that  year  he  con- 
veyed it  to  Peter  Nestle,  and  three  years  later  Leonard  Fisher, 
"surgeon  barber,"  of  New  York  city,  was  owner  of  a  large  portion  of 
said  patent,  and  hence  it  is  sometimes  called  the  "Fisher  tract."  In 
August  of  the  same  year  a  patent  of  1,600  acres  in  the  town  of  Lee, 
next  west  of  the  Banyar  Patent,  was  granted  to  Machin,  In  July,  1787, 
he    conveyed    it  to    James    Giles    and    the  latter   conveyed    to   Joseph 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  113 

Bloomfield,  of  New  Jersey.  The  latter  had  been  governor  of  that  State, 
member  of  congress,  and  attorney-general,  and  had  seen  much  service 
and  suffered  severely  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  was  stationed  at 
Fort  Stanwix.  He  was  cousin  of  the  late  John  W.  Bloomfield,  of 
Rome.  In  April,  1793,  Mr.  Bloomfield  sold  the  patent  to  his  brother- 
in-law,  Joseph  Mclllvane,  and  hence  it  is  often  called  the  '*  Mclllvane 
tract."  In  the  spring  of  that  year  John  W,  Bloomfield,  as  agent  for 
Mr.  Mclllvane,  came  to  this  region  on  horseback  to  look  after  that  tract. 
From  Whitesboro  he  was  accompanied  by  John  Youngs,  a  brother-in- 
law  of  D.  C.  White,  son  of  Hugh  White.  They  examined  the  land  and 
also  explored  adjacent  lands;  they  purchased  of  George  Scriba  6,000 
acres  nearly  all  in  Lee  and  smce  called  the  "  Six  thousand  acre  tract." 
Scriba  sold  to  John  Hall  and  others  nearly  4,000  acres,  called  "the  four 
thousand  acre  tract."  In  April,  1795,  George  Huntington,  of  Rome, 
purchased  of  Scriba  2,000  acres  in  Lee,  called  "  the  two  thousand  acre 
tract."  Mr.  Bloomfield  returned  to  New  Jersey  via  Wood  Creek,  Oneida 
Lake  and  Otsego  county,  and  reached  home  after  an  absence  of  three 
months.  In  that  year  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Taberg,  and  in  18 12 
removed  to  Rome,  where  he  died  in  1849  ^t  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  In  May,  1787,  a  patent  of  15,360  acres  was  granted  to  Machin 
in  Ava  and  the  south  part  of  Boonville  called  the  "  Gore  patent."  In 
June,  1788,  a  patent  of  31,360  acres,  lying  partly  in  Forestport  and  ex 
tending  into  Herkimer  county,  was  granted  to  Machin,  thus  making 
over  57,000  acres  granted  to  him  within  three  years.  Thomas  Machin, 
patentee  of  the  above  described  lands,  was  born  in  England  and  came 
to  New  York  in  1772.  He  was  a  skilled  engineer  and  surveyor  and 
during  the  Revolution  rendered  valuable  services  under  the  direction  of 
Washington  and  Governor  Clinton  to  the  American  cause,  in  placing 
obstructions  across  the  Hudson  at  West  Point  and  other  places  on  that 
river  to  impede  the  passage  of  the  British.  He  died  in  Charleston, 
Montgomery  county,  in  18 16,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  He 
had  a  son  named  Thomas,  who  also  became  a  noted  surveyor.  He  died 
in  Albany  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

Steuben    Patent. — Baron    Frederick  William   Steuben    came    to  this 
country  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution    and  rendered  valuable   service  to 
the   American   cause  in    disciplining  troops.      The  United   States  gave 
15 


114 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


him  a  pension  of  $2,500  yearly.      The  Legislature  of  New  York  by  an 

act  passed  May  5,  1786,  recited  that  Baron  Steuben  had  rendered  very 

essential  service  to  this  State, 
therefore  the  Land  Commissioners 
were  directed  to  issue  a  land  patent 
to  the  Baron,  of  one  fourth  of  a 
township,  equal  to  16.OOO  acres, 
without  fee  or  reward.  A  patent 
was  issued  to  hini  June  27,  1786, 
which  lies  mostly  in  the  town  of 
Steuben,  as  shown  on  the  Oneida 
county  map.  In  1790  the  Baron 
went  upon  the  tract,  erected  a  log 
house,  and  in  it,  with  a  few  do- 
mestics, he  lived  until  his  death, 
November  28,1794,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  He  was  buried 
at  his  own  request  in  the  center 
of  a  five-acre  parcel  of -woodland  ; 
in    1872    a   monument,  erected  at 

his  grave  by  citizens,  mostly  German,  was  finished.      "  After  life's  fitful 

fever  he  sleeps  well :" 

How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest 
With  all  their  country's  wishes  blest ; 
When  spring  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 
Returns  to  deck  the  hallowed  mold, 
She  there  shall  dress  a  sweeter  sod, 
Than  fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod. 

Deati's  Patent. — An  act  of  the  New  York  Legislature,  passed  May  5, 
1786,  directed  the  Land  Commissioners  to  issue  letters  patent  to  James 
Dean  on  the  Line  of  Property  and  on  Oriskany  Creek,  two  miles 
square,  of  2,560  acres.  That  tract  is  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland, 
near  Lairdsville.  Mr.  Dean  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  in  early  life 
was  destined  as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians,  and  when  twelve  years  old 
was  sent  to  live  with  an  Indian  missionary  in  Broome  county  in  this 
State,  who  was  then  laboring  with  a  branch  of  the  Oneida  tribe.  He 
soon  became  master  of  the  Indian  tongue  and  so  perfect  was  he  in  that 


Bakon  Steihen. 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  115 

language  that  it  was  said  he  was  the  only  white  person  who  spoke  the 
language  so  perfectly  and  fluently  that  he  could  not  be  detected  as  a 
white  man.  He  became  such  a  favorite  with  the  Indians  that  a  female 
of  the  Oneidas  adopted  him  as  her  son  He  subsequently  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College.  In  1774  he  was  sent  by  the  Continental 
Congress  to  ascertain  the  views  of  the  Six  Nations  as  to  the  then  im- 
pending war  of  the  Revolution  ;  he  rendered  valuable  services  to  his 
country  in  that  war.  During  most  of  the  war  period  he  was  stationed 
at  Fort  Stanwix  and  Oneida  Castle.  By  his  efforts  and  those  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Kirkland,  the  great  body  of  the  Oneidas  were  induced  to  re- 
main neutral  during  the  struggle.  In  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix  and 
the  battle  of  Oriskany,  in  August,  1777,  Mr.  Dean  was  absent  down 
the  valley,  but  he  returned  with  General  Arnold  when  the  siege  was 
abandoned,  August  22.  He  always  had  tlie  confidence  of  the  Oneidas, 
For  his  services  they  gave  him  a  tract  of  land  two  miles  square.  He 
chose  for  the  location  a  tract  on  Wood  Creek  in  what  is  now  Vienna, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1784  he  came  from  Connecticut  to  settle  on  the 
land.  He  remained  there  about  a  year,  but  found  the  location  too  wet, 
which  fact  he  communicated  to  the  Indians,  and  in  1785  he  left  it. 
The  Indians  agreed  that  he  might  make  another  choice  in  any  place 
on  the  west  of  the  Line  of  Property,  and  he  accordingly  located  near 
Lairdsville,  as  before  stated,  in  the  fall  of  1785,  and  the  State  ratified 
the  grant  in  the  next  year.  He  became  judge  of  the  old  Oneida  Com- 
mon Pleas  and  was  twice  member  of  assembly.  He  died  in  1823,  aged 
seventy  six  years;  one  of  his  daughters  was  the  wife  of  Joshua  A. 
Spencer,  an  eminent  member  of  the  Oneida  bar.  The  deed  to  James 
Dean  from  the  sachems  and  chief  warriors  of  the  Oneidas,  dated  August 
II,  1785,  recites  that  it  is  by  consent  of  the  nation  and  for  great  and 
important  services  by  Dean,  and  as  a  token  of  the  esteem  and  affection 
borne  him  by  the  Oneidas.  The  patent  from  the  State  bears  date  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1787. 

Kirkland  Patent. — On  the  5th  of  May,  1786,  an  act  was  passed  di- 
recting a  patent  for  640  acres  to  be  issued  to  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  in 
a  square  form,  and  to  be  bounded  by  a  tract  to  be  issued  to  James 
Dean,  and  one  to  be  issued  to  Abraham  Wemple  ;  one-half  of  the  640 
acres  to  be  to  Mr.  Kirkland  in    fee  and  the  other  half  in  trust  for  any 


116  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

minister  who  might  be  employed  by  the  Oneidas.  In  1846  the  Oneidas 
agreed  to  release  their  half  of  this  patent  from  the  trust.  The  treaty 
of  1788  recited  that  lands  were  intended  for  G.  W.  and  J.  T.  Kirkland, 
and  therefore  an  act  was  passed  February  25,  1789,  authorizing  the 
Land  Commissioners  to  issue  a  patent  of  one  square  mile  to  J.  T. 
Kirkland,  and  one  of  the  same  to  G.  W.  Kirkland,  and  a  patent  of  two 
square  miles  to  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  and  his  heirs,  the  whole  to  be 
contiguous  to,  and  bounded  on,  the  Line  of  Property  and  adjoining  the 
patent  granted  to  Abraham  Wemple.  The  Kirkland  Patent  is  in  the 
town  of  Kirkland,  southwest  of  Clinton.  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  is  too 
well  known  in  history  as  a  minister,  a  missionary  to  the  Indians,  be- 
loved by  the  Oneidas,  and  a  friend  to  the  colonies  in  their  struggle  for 
independence,  to  require  further  notice  He  was  founder  of  the  school 
out  of  which  grew  Hamilton  College  ;  he  died  in  1808  at  the  age  of 
sixty- seven  years.      G.  W.  and  J.  T.  Kirkland  were  his  sons. 

Brotherton  Tract. — Before  the  Revolution  there  were  remnants  of 
various  tribes  of  Indians  in  New  Jersey,  some  on  Long  Island,  and 
some  in  New  York.  At  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  in  1768,  as  to  the 
Line  of  Property,  the  commissioners  from  New  Jersey  bought  of  the 
Oneidas  some  30,000  acres  for  the  benefit  of  those  remnants.  Some 
settled  on  the  tract  purchased  and  a  minister  was  furnished  them.  The 
tribes  were  remnants  of  the  Mohegans,  Narragansetts,  Pequods,  Mon- 
tauks,  etc.  In  1786  Rev.  Samson  Occum  was  preaching  there.  He 
was  a  highly  educated  and  talented  Indian.  In  the  treaty  of  Septem- 
ber, 1788,  as  to  the  Oneida  Reservation,  it  was  provided  that  the  tract 
reserved  for  the  New  England  Indians,  where  Rev.  Samuel  Occum 
preached,  should  be  respected.  He  had  been  to  England,  preached 
before  King  George  III,  and  the  latter  presented  him  with  a  gold- 
headed  cane,  and  the  first  pulpits  in  that  country  were  open  to  him. 
February  25,  1789,  an  act  of  the  Legislature  confirmed  the  grant  there- 
tofore made  by  the  Oneidas  by  the  name  of  "  Brother  Town,"  and  a 
township  with  this  name  was  formed  and  officers  elected  until  about 
1831.  Being  composed  of  different  tribes,  they  spoke  only  the  English 
language  and  in  time  lost  their  Indian  pride  and  respect  and  became 
dissipated  and  demoralized.  They  sold  out  from  time  to  time  their  in- 
terest in  the  land  and  moved  to  Green  Bay.  This  tract  is  partly  in 
Kirkland,  but  mostly  in  Marshall. 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  117 

New  Petersbiirgh — In  1794  Peter  Smith,  father  of  Gerrit  Smith, 
leased  of  the  Indians  a  tract  of  60,000  acres,  partly  in  Augusta  and 
partly  in  Madison  county.      It  took  the  name  of  New  Petersburgh. 

Bayiyar  Patent. — Partly  in  Lee  and  partly  in  Western,  and  next  east 
of  the  Mclllvane  tract,  are  5,000  acres  of  land  granted  by  patent  to 
Goldsboro  Banyar  July  ii,  1786;  it  was  subdivided  into  fifty  lots  in 
1793,  by  William  Cockburn  and  son,  and  C.  C.  Broadhead.  Mr.  Banyar 
was  a  prominent  personage  in  his  day  and  largely  interested  in  lands  in 
this  State.  He  was  born  in  London  and  came  to  America  in  1738, 
locating  in  New  York  city.  In  1746  he  was  deputy  secretary  of  state, 
deputy  clerk  of  the  colony  of  New  York,  and  deputy  clerk  of  the  Su- 
preme Court.  In  1752  he  was  register  in  chancery  and  in  the  next 
year  judge  of  probate  (Surrogate's  Court).  When  the  Whigs  of  New 
York  city  in  the  Revolution  assumed  power  he  removed  to  Rhinebeck 
on  the  Hudson.  It  was  doubtful  with  which  side  he  sympathized  dur- 
ing the  war,  so  closely  did  he  keep  his  counsels  Before  the  attack  on 
Esopus  (now  Kingston)  in  October,  1777,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  sent  a 
messenger  with  a  sealed  letter  to  Mr.  Banyar  ;  when  the  sealed  answer 
was  opened  by  Mr.  Clinton  it  simply  read,  "  Mr.  Banyar  knows  noth- 
ing." In  1767  he  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  xMartin,  then  postmaster- 
general,  a  widow  of  Judge  Appey,  judge  advocate.  After  peace  in 
1783  he  went  to  Albany  and  took  an  active  interest  in  all  that  concerned 
internal  improvements  He,  Elkanah  Watson,  and  General  Schuyler 
were  commissioners  to  report  on  the  feasibility  of  constructing  a  canal 
(the  Inland  canal)  from  the  Mohawk  River  through  Rome  to  Wood 
Creek.  He  visited  this  region  with  those  men  and  they  made  a  report 
which  is  published  in  the  Documentary  History  of  New  York.  In  the 
late  years  of  his  life  he  became  totally  blind  and  was  led  about  the 
streets  by  a  colored  servant  He  died  in  Albany  November  15,  181 5, 
at  the  age  of  ninety  one,  leaving  a  large  fortune.  His  son  Goldsboro 
died  in  New  York  city  in  1806. 

Lansifig  Patent. — On  September  12,  1786,  a  patent  of  2,000  acres 
was  granted  to  John  Lansing,  jr.,  and  Stephen  Lush,  and  subdivided 
into  twenty  lots.  It  was  called  Lansing  Patent  No.  i,  and  is  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town  of  Western,  next  east  of  the  Curtenius  Patent. 
One  of  Stephen  Lush's  daughter  was  the  wife  of  Henry  G.  Wheaton,  a 


118  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

noted  lawyer  of  Albany  John  Lansing,  jr.,  was  a  prominent  man  in 
the  State  and  rendered  valuable  service  to  his  country  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  had  been  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed  the  first 
United  States  Constitution  ;  was  mayor  of  Albany,  judge  of  the  old 
Supreme  Court  of  this  State  from  1790  to  1798,  chief  justice  from  1798 
to  1 80 1,  chancellor  of  New  York  from  1801  to  18 14.  His  death  is  in- 
volved in  mystery.  He  left  his  hotel  in  New  York  city,  December  12, 
1829,  to  go  to  Albany  on  a  boat  up  the  Hudson,  and  was  seen  as  he 
left  the  rotunda  of  the  hotel,  but  never  afterwards,  nor  was  his  body 
ever  discovered.  In  the  autobiography  of  Thurlovv  Weed  it  is  stated 
that  years  afterwards  he  was  informed  as  to  how  the  chancellor  was 
murdered  and  the  motive  for  the  deed  ;  but  Mr.  Weed  was  not  at  liberty 
to  give  the  facts.  Next  east  of  the  Banyar  Patent,  and  in  the  town  of 
Western,  is  a  patent  of  2,000  acres  granted  Stephen  Lush  September 
12,  1786,  and  subdivided  into  fifteen  lots  ;  it  is  next  south  of  the  Boeram 
and  Taylor  Patents.  Next  south  of  the  Curtenius  Patent  is  a  patent  of 
2,000  acres  granted  September  12,  1786,  to  John  Lansing,  jr.,  and 
divided  into  twenty  lots.  Partly  in  Steuben  and  partly  in  Western  is  a 
patent  of  2,000  acres  granted  to  Lansing  and  Van  Schaack  September 
12,  1786,  and  divided  into  twenty  lots,  next  south  of  Lansing  Patent 
No.  2  North  of  No  2  and  next  to  the  town  of  Boonville,  partly  in 
Western  and  Steuben,  is  a  patent  of  2,000  acres  granted  to  John  Lan- 
sing, jr.,  L.  Theal,  and  Quick,  subdivided  into  twenty  lots,  granted 
September  12,  1789,  called  Lansing  Patent  No  3.  In  September,  1788, 
a  patent  of  2,000  acres  was  granted  to  Richard  Lush  and  Dr.  Stringer, 
in  the  town  of  Western,  next  south  of  Lansing  Patent  No.  i,  divided 
into  twenty  lots 

Ciirtenms  Patent. — On  September  21,  1786,  a  patent  of  2,000  acres 
was  granted  to  Peter  Curtenius  and  Jonathan  Pearse,  lying  in  the  town 
of  Western  next  to  Boonville  and  called  the  Curtenius  Patent;  it  was 
divided  into  twenty  lots  in  1793  by  William  Cockburn.  Mr.  Curtenius 
was  born  in  New  York  city,  always  resided  there  and  was  a  wealthy 
merchant  Besides  this  patent  he  owned  thousands  of  acres  in  Oswego 
county  which  he  purchased  of  George  Scriba,  tlie  patentee.  He  was 
member  of  assembly  in  1804  and  in  1806;  was  appointed  by  President 
Jefferson   marshal   of  the  southern    district  of  New  York  and  held  that 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  119 

office  until  1812,  when  he  was  appointed  by  President  Madison  and 
continued  until  18 14.  Mr.  Curtenius  died  about  1817  and  the  next 
year  his  widow  with  five  children  and  two  others  by  a  former  wife, 
moved  to  VVhitesboro  that  the  children  might  there  be  educated.  She 
purchased  the  residence  of  Arthur  Breese,  the  first  surrogate  of  Oneida 
county  (the  former  residence  of  Gideon  Granger)  ;  a  granddaughter  of 
Mr.  Curtenius  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Edward  Brayton,  of  Utica. 
A  daughter  of  Mrs.  Curtenius  married  William  Wolcott ;  another  daugh- 
ter became  the  wife  of  William  S.  Wetmore,  a  grandson  of  one  of 
Whitesboro's  pioneer  settlers;  she  became  a  widow  in  1846  and  died  a 
few  years  ago,  having  resided  in  that  village  about  seventy  years. 

Reniscnburgh  Patent. — There  is  a  patent  of  48,000  acres  lying  partly 
in  Oneida  county  and  partly  in  Herkimer  county,  granted  December 
28,  1787,  to  Henry  Remsen.  J.  G.  Klock  and  George  Klock  and  John 
Van  Sice.  They  had  presented  a  petition  to  the  Legislature  stating 
these  lands  had  been  conveyed  to  them  by  deed  dated  May  28,  1766, 
and  now  on  record  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state.  An  act  was 
passed  May  5,  1786,  authorizing  a  patent  to  issue  of  any  ungranted 
lands,  unlocated,  in  one  parcel,  if  such  a  large  parcel  could  be  so  located, 
etc.     A  patent  was  thereupon  issued. 

Willett  Patent. — On  the  15th  of  September,  1786,  a  tract  of  1,500 
acres  was  granted  to  Col.  Marinus  Willett  of  lands  lying  partly  in  the 
town  of  Steuben  and  partly  in  Boonville.  The  name  of  Colonel  Willett 
as  the  heroic  defender  of  Fort  Stanwix  is  too  well  known  to  require 
further  mention,  except  that  he  died  August  23,  1830,  a  few  weeks 
past  his  ninetieth  birthday,  and  the  fifty- third  anniversary  of  the  day 
the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix  was  abandoned. 

Scriba  s  Patent. — In  August,  1791,  John  and  Nicholas  I.  Roosevelt, 
merchants  of  New  York  city,  purchased  by  contract  of  the  State  some 
500,000  acres  at  the  price  of  three  shillings  and  one  penny  an  acre, 
lying  partly  in  Oneida  county,  but  mostly  in  Oswego  county.  The 
easterly  boundary  of  this  tract  commences  at  the  junction  of  Canada 
and  Wood  Creeks,  in  Rome,  runs  up  the  former  stream  and  Fonda  and 
Oothoudt  Patents  to  Macomb's  Purchase,  being  on  the  northern  bound- 
ary o-f  Oneida  county.  It  includes  what  are  now  the  towns  of  Anns- 
ville,  Camden,  part   of  Ava,  Florence,  part  of  Lee,  part  of  Rome,  and 


120  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Vienna,  in  Oneida  county.  Besides  the  Roosevelts,  and  Franklin  and 
Robinson,  George  Scriba  was  interested  in  this  purchase  and  on  April 
7,  1792,  they  sold  to  Scriba,  and  on  December  12,  1794,  a  patent  was 
issued  to  the  last  named  man  ;  this  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the 
Roosevelt  Purchase,  or  Scriba's  Patent.  In  1793-4  Benjamin  Wright 
subdivided  this  patent  into  twenty-four  townships  and  great  lots.  Mr. 
Scriba  gave  a  name  to  each  township,  but  in  their  reorganization  only 
one  in  this  county  (Florence)  retains  the  name  given  it  by  him.  Town- 
ship No  I,  named  Fulda,  is  the  northwest  part  of  the  town  of  Lee  and 
the  northeast  part  of  Annsville.  Township  No.  2  is  parts  of  Rome  and 
Lee,  and  was  named  "  Unden."  Township  No.  3  is  the  northwest  part 
of  Annsville  and  was  named  "  Solingen."  Township  No.  4  included  the 
west  part  of  Florence  and  was  so  named  Township  No.  5  included 
the  west  part  of  Camden  and  was  named  "  Linley."  Township  No. 
8  included  the  east  part  of  Camden  and  part  of  Annsville,  and  was 
named  "  Bloomfield,"  after  the  late  John  \V.  Bloomfield.  Township 
No.  9  included  the  east  part  of  Vienna  and  was  called  "  Embden." 
Township  No.  10  included  the  west  part  of  Vienna  and  was  named 
"  Edam."  Soon  after  his  purchase  Mr.  Scriba  commenced  making  im- 
provements, built  a  store,  saw  and  grist  mills  in  Constantia,  which  he 
named  "Rotterdam,"  and  nearly  lOO  years  ago  he  built  a  two-story 
frame  dwelling  on  the  shore  of  Oneida  Lake  at  that  place,  into  which  he 
moved  ;  this  house  is  yet  standing.  He  sold  off  the  "  Munro  Tract  "  on 
the  share  of  the  lake  ;  sold  large  tracts  to  Alexander  Hamilton  and 
others;  sold  in  December,  1794,  to  John  W.  Bloomfield  and  others  the 
Six  Thousand  Acre  Tract  north  of  Lee  Center  in  Lee  ;  to  John  Hall 
and  others  the  Four  Thousand  Acre  Tract  in  the  same  town,  and  the 
Two  Thousand  Acre  Tract  in  the  same  town  to  George  Huntington  in 
April,  1795,  as  before  described.  A  tract  of  7,147  acres  he  laid  out 
on  the  north  shore  of  Oneida  Lake,  which  includes  Cleveland,  Bern- 
hard's  Bay,  and  Constantia,  and  called  it  "  Scriba's  Location."  In  the 
town  of  Annsville  is  a  tract  of  1,254  acres  which  he  laid  out  and  called 
"Scriba's  Reservation;"  it  includes  Glenmore,  north  of  Taberg.  Mr. 
Scriba  was  a  New  York  merchant,  a  German,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
purchase  was  worth  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars.  But  his  great  pur- 
chase made  him  "  land  poor  "  and  he  died  in  Constantia  a  poor  man,  on 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  121 

August  26,  1836,  at  the  age  of  eighty  four  years;  his  remains  were 
buried  in  that  village.  He  left  an  only  child,  Frederick  Scriba,  who 
died  years  ago,  leaving  a  widow,  now  residing  in  the  old  homestead  ; 
she  has  a  son,  George  Scriba. 

Franklin  and  Robinson  Tract. — In  January,  1795,  George  Scriba  sold 
from  his  patent  75,000  acres,  partly  in  Lee  and  Annsville,  and  a  part  in 
Ava,  with  some  in  Oswego  county,  to  Abraham  Franklin  and  William 
Robinson;  it  is  known  as  the  Franklin  and  Robinson  Tract,  and  is  some 
times  called  the  "  Quaker  Tract,"  those  persons  being  Quakers.  It  is 
recited  that  said  parties  were  interested  in  the  original  contract  of  pur- 
chase commonly  called  "  Roosevelt  Purchase,"  and  that  they  had  paid 
their  share  of  the  purchase. 

Mrcller  Tract. — FrankHn  and  Robinson  mortgaged  twelve  lots  (37  to 
48,  both  inclusive),  as  surveyed  by  Benjamin  Wright,  making  1,615  acres, 
to  Rembrandt  Muller.  That  parcel  extends  north  past  Point  of  Rock 
and  into  Ava,  east  of  the  Fish  Creek  Reservation,  to  the  county  line. 
The  mortgage  was  foreclosed  and  the  premises  sold  on  April  i,  181 1, 
and  bid  off  by  Muller  ;  since  then  the  land  has  been  known  as  the  Muller 
Tract.  That  Muller  was  father  of  Adrian  H.  Muller,  of  New  York  city, 
so  well  known  in  connection  with  auction  and  real  estate  sales  there. 
The  latter  died  in  October,  1886,  aged  eighty- four  years. 

Sargeanf s  Patent — John  Sargeant  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  at- 
tended Yale  College  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1729.  He  became  a 
tutor  in  that  college,  but  relinquished  his  plans  and  was  ordained  minister 
in  August,  1734,  at  Deerfield,  Mass.,  and  was  then  a  missionary  among 
the  Stockbridge  Indians  in  that  State.  He  died  July  27,  1749,  at  the  age 
of  thirty- nine  years,  leaving  three  children;  the  youngest  was  named 
John  and  he  afterwards  became  a  minister.  In  1775  young  Sargeant 
took  charge  as  missionary  of  the  mission  school  of  Stockbridge  Indians. 
In  1785  he  removed  to  New  Stockbridge  and  took  charge  of  a  church 
there,  where  he  passed  six  months  of  each  year.  In  1796  he  moved  his 
family  there  and  continued  his  labors  among  the  Indians  in  this  new 
home  until  his  death,  September  8,  1824,  aged  sev^enty-seven  years.  A 
monument  at  his  grave  in  Vernon,  near  his  former  home,  states  that  he 
was  missionary  for  thirty-six  years.  By  an  act  passed  April  r,  1796,  the 
Land   Commissioners  were  directed  to  issue  a  patent  a  mile  square,  ad- 

16 


122  OUE  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

joining  land  called  New  Stockbridge,  for  John  Sargeant,  Minister  of  the 
Gospel,  who  resides  among  the  Indians  at  that  place.  That  patent  is 
located  a  little  to  the  southwest  of  Vernon  Center. 

Oneida  Reservatioji.—\n  the  description  of  the  Line  of  Property  on  a 
previous  page  of  this  chapter,  an  account  is  given  of  the  cession  by  the 
Indians  of  all  lands  (except  some  reservations)  lying  east  and  south  of 
that  Hne.  That  was  the  first  cession  of  lands  by  the  Indians  to  the  gov 
ernment  within  what  is  now  Oneida  county,  and  included  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  present  area  of  the  county.  After  the  Revolution  and  on 
June  28,  1785,  a  treaty  was  made  at  Fort  Herkimer,  with  the  Oneidas 
and  the  Tuscaroras,  by  Governor  Clinton  and  Indian  commissioners, 
under  which  the  lands  of  the  Oneidas  occupied  by  the  Tuscaroras,  lying 
between  the  Unadilla  and  the  Chenango  Rivers,  were  purchased  for 
$1 1,000.      After  this  the  Tuscaroras   moved  to  the  land  of  the  Senecas. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1788,  a  treaty  was  made  at  Fort  Stanwix 
by  the  Oneidas  and  representatives  of  the  State,  by  which  the  former 
ceded  all  of  their  lands  in  New  York  State  (except  as  hereinafter  stated); 
the  main  and  larger  part  thus  reserved  has  passed  into  history  as  the 
Oneida  Reservation.  The  line  of  that  reservation  commenced  on  Wood 
Creek  opposite  the  mouth  of  Canada  Creek,  where  the  Line  of  Property 
begins,  and  runs  thence  along  the  easterly  line  of  the  towns  of  Verona, 
Vernon  and  Augusta  ;  along  the  southerly  hne,  or  nearly  so,  of  the  latter 
town,  and  so  on  westerly  until  it  intersects  a  line  due  north  to  "Deep 
Spring"  in  Manlius,  on  the  east  line  of  wiiat  is  now  Onondaga  county  ; 
thence  by  the  nearest  course  to  Canasaraga  Creek,  and  thence  via  Oneida 
Lake  and  Wood  Creek  to  the  place  of  beginning;  the  Oneidas  to  hunt 
and  fish  forever  in  all  the  ceded  territory.  There  was  also  reserved  to 
the  Oneidas  one  half  a  mile  square  at  the  distance  of  every  six  miles 
along  the  north  bounds  of  Oneida  Lake  ;  also  the  lands  half  a  mile  in 
breadth  on  each  side  of  Fish  Creek.  This  cession  by  the  Oneidas  was 
made  subject  to  the  rights  of  the  Brotherton  Indians,  under  Samson 
Occum,  and  the  Stockbridge  Indians  (a  tract  of  two  by  three  miles). 
The  State  was  to  pay  the  Oneidas  for  the  cession,  $2,000  in  money, 
$2,000  in  clothing  and  other  goods,  and  $1,000  in  provisions,  with  $500 
towards  building  a  grist  mill  and  a  saw  mill  at  their  village  ;  and  to  an- 
nually thereafter  on  June  ist,  pay  at  Fort  Stanwix  $600  in  silver,  or  in 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  123 

clothing  and  provisions  as  the  Oneidas  might  elect.  The  State  was  also 
to  grant  to  John  Francis  Perache  a  tract  of  land  at  the  Line  of  Property, 
two  miles  square,  in  satisfaction  of  what  the  Oneidas  had  agreed  to  give 
Perache  for  an  injury  done  him  by  one  of  their  nation;  and  further,  the 
State  was  to  grant  to  John  T.  Kir.kland,  and  also  to  G.  W.  Kirkland, 
other  lands  as  a  compensation  for  other  lands  which  the  Oneidas  had  m- 
tended  for  those  persons  ;  also  to  grant  to  Peter  Penet  certain  lands  for 
services  rendered  by  him  to  the  Oneidas,  the  tract  to  be  ten  miles  square. 
(A  tract  ten  miles  square,  called  "Penet  Square,"  was  set  off  in  Jefferson 
county  for  this  purpose.) 

This  treaty  was  written  on  parchment  two  feet  square,  with  thirty- 
five  seals  of  the  parties,  and  appended  to  it  is  a  string  of  wampum  made 
of  blue  and  white  beads  strung  upon  deer  skin  cords.  This  belt  is 
about  two  inches  wide  and  nearly  two  feet  long.  The  document  was 
placed  in  the  ofifice  of  the  secretary  of  state  for  preservation.  The  above 
reservation  included  what  is  known  as  the  Wood  Creek  Reservation.  April 
26,  1832  a  law  was  passed  authorizing  a  sale  of  the  latter  reservation. 
The  Oneidas  became  divided  among  themselves  on  religious  matters, 
one  party  taking  the  name  or  the  "christian  party,"  and  another  the 
"  pagan  party."  In  1805  a  partition  of  the  lands  was  made,  by  which 
the  pagan  party  took  those  east  of  Oneida  Creek.  In  February,  1809, 
the  pagan  party  sold  their  lands  to  the  State,  which  extended  from 
Oneida  Lake  to  Mud  Creek,  which  empties  into  Oneida  Creek  south  of 
Oneida  Castle;  a  few  reservations  were  made.  This  tract  has  passed 
into  history  as  the  "  first  pagan  purchase."  In  1807  the  christian  party 
deeded  a  part  of  their  tract  to  the  State,  and  in  1809  the  "Fish  Creek 
Reservation  "  was  sold  to  the  State,  comprising  about  7,500  acres,  ex- 
cepting a  few  reservations.  From  time  to  time  the  Oneidas  sold  to  the 
State  and  to  individuals  all  of  their  lands,  including  their  right  to  the 
Stockbridge  and  the  Brotherton  tracts.  A  patent  was  issued  to  Perache 
in  1789,  in  pursuance  of  the  treaty  of  1788.  The  lands  are  in  West- 
moreland north  of  Spencer  settlement. 

Wemple  Patents. — By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  May  5,  1786 
a  Patent  of  640  acres  was  granted  to  Abraham  Wemple,  to  be  located 
next  to  James  Dean's  Patent  and  next  to  the  Line  of  Property.  The 
patent  was  issued  February  5,   1789.     April  i,  1796,  an  act  was  passed 


124  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

reciting  that  Abraham  Wemple  had  aided  the  Oneidas  while  refugees 
at  Schenectady,  during  the  late  war  ;  that  a  patent  of  one  mile  square 
be  issued  to  Abraham  Wemple,  out  of  the  lands  purchased  in  1795  of 
the  Oneidas.  That  patent  was  issued  in  March,  1798,  and  the  lands  are 
situated  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  near  the  village. 

Vatt  Epps  Patent. — The  same  act  of  1796  which  granted  the  patent 
to  Wemple,  ordered  one  to  be  issued  to  Abraham  Van  Epps,  of  two 
miles  square,  and  it  was  so  issued  and  included  Vernon  village.  The 
act  recites  that  Van  Epps  had  aided  the  Oneidas  and  made  advances 
to  them.  The  father  of  Van  Epps  was  a  fur  trader.  After  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  he  again  embarked  in  the  business,  but  was  plundered  in 
Canada  and  his  death  remained  a  mystery.  Young  Van  Epps  took  up 
the  business  in  1784  and  came  from  Schenectady  up  the  valley.  In  1785 
he  located  at  Oriskany  and  there  began  trading  with  the  large  body  of 
Oneida  Indians  then  located  there.  About  1787  he  settled  in  what  is 
now  Westmoreland.  After  he  received  his  patent  he  moved  upon  it  ; 
he  died  in  1844  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  He  had  a  store  in 
Westmoreland  and  was  the  first  merchant  in  Vernon. 

Baschard's  Location. — In  the  town  of  Vernon,  to  the  southeast  of 
Vernon  village  and  extending  to  and  including  Vernon  Center,  is  a 
tract  of  4,91 1  acres,  granted  to  T.  L.  Whitbeck  and  others  (see  Oneida 
county  deed  of  books,  No.  6),  called  Baschard's  Location.  Its  history 
is  as  follows:  On  June  27,  1786,  a  patent  for  4,883  acres  was  granted 
by  the  State  to  "  Bass  Chard,"  Samuel  Hatch  and  others  of  the  Isle 
La  Mott,  in  Lake  Champlain.  In  the  difficulties  between  New  York 
and  Vermont,  that  island  was  ceded  to  the  latter  State,  and  the  New 
York  Legislature,  by  act  passed  April  1 1 ,  i  796,  authorized  a  patent  to 
the  above  patentees,  or  their  assigns,  for  any  unappropriated  lands  in 
New  York,  in  lieu  of  the  said  island  The  parties  located  their  lands  in 
Vernon,  as  above  stated,  and  hence  the  name  of  the  "  Location." 
About  1797  a  company  of  wealthy  farmers  from  Connecticut  bought  a 
part  of  this  patent,  a  part  of  the  Van  Epps  Patent,  and  a  part  of  the 
Sergeant  Patent,  laid  out  a  town  plat  six  miles  square  and  sold  to 
actual  settlers. 

Bleecker  Patents. — By  a  treaty  made  with  the  Oneidas  the  State 
agreed  to  grant  a  patent  of  lands  to  John    I.    Bleecker,  for  lands  which 


COLONIAL  LAND  PATENTS.  125 

the  Oneidas  had  agreed  to  give  him,  and  on  February  25,  1789,  a 
patent  called  "  Bleecker's  South  Patent,"  was  issued;  it  lies  in  the  town 
of  Vernon,  next  south  of  Dean's  Patent.  By  the  same  act  another 
patent  a  mile  square  was  ordered  to  be  issued  to  Bleecker  for  further 
compensation  for  his  faithful  services;  this  patent  is  called  "  Bleecker's 
North  Patent,"  and  is  located  in  Westmoreland  next  to  the  Line  of 
Property,  and  next  northerly  of  Dean's  Patent. 

Otsequette  Patent. — An  act  was  passed  March  18,  1 791,  directing  a 
patent  of  1,000  acres  to  be  issued  to  Peter  Otsequette,  of  the  Wolf 
tribe  of  the  Oneidas,  for  Otsequette's  use  for  life  and  the  issue  of  his 
body.  That  tract  is  in  Westmoreland,  next  to  Dean's  Patent  and 
Bleecker's  North  Patent.  Otsequette  was  a  noted  personage,  was  one 
of  the  chiefs  who  signed  the  treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  September,  1788, 
was  highly  educated  and  when  a  youth  was  taken  to  France  by  La  Fay- 
ette and  placed  in  the  French  schools  where  he  remained  seven  years. 
He  could  speak  French  with  great  fluency  and  recite  with  thrilling 
effect  from  the  tragedies  of  Racine  and  Corneille.  And  yet  he  possessed 
Indian  tastes  and  instincts  and  would  drink  whisky  from  a  keg  and 
whoop  like  the  lowest  savage  In  February,  1820,  an  act  was  passed 
reciting  the  death  of  Peter  Otsequette  (who  died  in  1792),  and  that 
Anthony  was  his  only  surviving  child  and  entitled  to  one-half  of  the 
benefits  of  said  patent,  and  that  George  and  Henry  Hill,  infant  children 
of  a  deceased  daughter,  are  entitled  to  the  other  half;  and  Anthony, 
desirous  of  surrendering  his  half  to  the  State  upon  being  paid  $300  and 
$42  annuity,  it  was  enacted  that  those  sums  be  paid  and  a  release  taken  ; 
in  March,  1821,  the  share  of  the  Hill  children  was  disposed  of  in  the 
same  way. 

Laivrence,  or  Smith  Patent. — On  December  23,  1793.  a  patent  was 
issued  for  1,896  acres  to  Melancthon  Smith.  The  parcel  is  in  Rome 
and  includes  Green's  Corners,  or  Greenway,  as  now  called.  The  con- 
tract was  made  in  1791  for  three  shillings  and  seven  pence  per  acre.  It 
was  divided  into  lots  by  C.  C.  Broadhead,  surveyor.  Mr.  Smith  was  a 
prominent  man  in  his  day,  was  largely  interested  in  lands,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  assembly  for  New  York  and  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress. 
Before  1800  he  sold  the  land  to  Jonathan  Lawrence,  a  merchant  of  New 
York,  and  hence  it  is  sometimes  called  the  Smith  Patent  and  sometimes 


126  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Lawrence  Tract.  Mr.  Lawrence  usually  leased  the  land  for  lives. 
Mr.  Lawrence  died  intestate  before  i8i6  and  in  that  year  his  heirs  par- 
titioned the  property  among  themselves. 

McKesson  Patent. — In  Westmoreland  and  including  Lowell,  a  patent 
of  4,080  acres  was  granted  to  John  McKesson,  of  New  York  ;  it  was 
contracted  to  him  for  three  shillings,  six  pence  per  acre.  A  patent  was 
issued  to  him  May  20.  1795.  He  died  September  18,  1798,  intestate, 
leaving  no  children  and  his  real  estate  descended  to  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  five  in  number.  In  1801  the  patent  was  partitioned  among 
them  ;  it  was  called  the  "  two- mile  tract,"  and  was  supposed  to  contain 
2,000  acres. 

Adgates  Patent. — In  1761  Matthew  Adgate,  of  Columbia  county, 
purchased  of  the  State  by  contract,  a  parcel  of  land  in  the  north  part  of 
this  county,  estimated  to  be  45,000  acres,  for  two  shillings  six  pence  per 
acre.  It  is  known  as  Adgate's  Western  Tract,  and  lies  next  to  Ma- 
comb's Purchase.  A  patent  was  issued  January  30  1798.  Another 
tract  called  Adgate's  Eastern  Tract,  of  40.000  acres,  was  owned  by 
Adgate,  lying  partly  in  Oneida  county  and  partly  in  Herkimer  county. 
In  1794  Benjamin  Wright  surveyed  the  western  tract  into  lots  west  of 
Black  River.  Mr.  Adgate  was  member  of  the  convention  that  formed 
the  first  United  States  Constitution,  and  member  of  assembly. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PHYvSlCAL  FEATURES  OF  ONEIDA  COTXTV. 

The  oldest  land  on  this  continent  was  a  V-shaped  ridge  which 
appeared  above  the  vast  waters  then  covering  all  of  North  America. 
This  ridge  stretched  from  a  point  north  of  Lake  Ontario,  northeast  to 
Labrador,  and  northwest  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  belongs  to  what  is 
known  in  geology  as  the  Azoic  Age,  or  the  Archaic  Rock.  It  was 
upheaved  at  a  time  previous  to  the  existence  of  life  on  the  earth  and  is 
now  found  overlaid  in  places  by  a  series  of  layers  of  sedimentary  rocks 
in  which  are   found  fossil   remains  of  the  lowest  forms  of  animal  life. 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  COUNTY.  127 

This  series  of  sedimentary  rocks,  up  to  a  certain  point,  constitute  what 
is  known  in  geology  as  the  Silurian  Age,  and  in  it  is  embraced  the  terri- 
tory beginning  at  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  and  extending  to  a 
point  in  the  southern  part  of  Oneida  county  where  the  series  closes 
with  what  is  known  as  the  Oriskany  Sandstone.  The  Silurian  rocks 
were  formed  mainly  by  the  decomposition  and  gradual  disintegration  of 
the  older  rock  mentioned,  and  the  washing  down  of  the  material  thus 
produced  into  the  sea.  In  the  course  of  the  passing  ages  sufficient  of 
this  material  was  thus  deposited  and  slowly  hardened  into  stone,  to  form 
the  lowest  and  oldest  layer  of  the  series,  which  was  succeeded  by 
another,  and  so  on  to  the  uppermost.  A  later  upheavel  tilted  these 
vast  layers  of  rock  and  lifted  their  northern  edges  above  the  waters, 
giving  the  layers  a  dip  towards  the  south,  at  the  same  time  driving  the 
wafers  southward  and  forming  a  new  shore.  In  other  words,  these  tilted 
rock  layers  lie  upon  each  other  like  the  shingles  on  a  roof.  As  these 
layers  of  sedimentary  rock  came  into  being  and  their  edges  appeared 
above  the  waters  to  the  northward,  the  shore  of  the  great  ocean  moved 
southward,  each  succeeding  layer  forming  a  step  in  the  progression, 
until  the  first  appearance  of  the  Niagara  limestone  is  reached  at  Oneida 
Lake.  About  this  time  a  great  upheaval  occurred  to  the  eastward  and 
southward,  in  the  region  of  what  is  now  Maryland  and  West  Virginia, 
which  cut  off  from  the  main  body  of  water  several  great  inland  seas, 
one  of  which  covered  the  territory  which  now  constitutes  that  part  of 
this  State  lying  south  of  a  line  drawn  from  Oneida  Lake  to  Niagara 
Falls.  The  waters  of  this  sea.  thus  cut  off  from  the  main  ocean  and 
having  no  larger  rivers  flowing  in  to  increase  their  volume,  slowly 
evaporated  under  the  heat  of  the  sun,  depositing  the  minerals  which  they 
contained,  and  thus  forming,  with  the  clay  and  impure  limestones  of 
the  muddy  bottom,  the  rocks  of  the  Salina  Period.  It  is  believed  by 
good  authorities  that  after  the  close  of  the  Salina  Period  the  rocks  of 
that  series  probably  remained  for  a  long  time  at  the  surface  of  Central 
and  Southern  New  York.  During  this  time  the  older  granitic  rocks 
toward  tiie  north  were  being  disintegrated  and  ground  up  ;  and  when 
the  great  convulsion  occurred  which  ushered  in  the  Devonian  Age  (next 
above  the  Silurian),  this  sandy  material  was  washed  down  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  new-formed  sea,  and  re-hardened  into  the  layer  now  known 


128  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

as  the  Oriskany  Sandstone.  When  the  Devonian  sea  became  calm,  the 
layers  of  the  Onondaga  Limestone  were  deposited  at  its  bottom  by  the 
carbonic  acid  gas  of  the  heavy  atmosphere  uniting  with  the  lime  held 
in  solution  by  the  water.  This  sea  finally  became  shallower  and  was 
subsequently  filled  up  by  the  Hamilton  shales. 

In  the  territory  now  embraced  in  Oneida  county  there  is  an  outcrop 
of  nearly  every  formation  from  the  lower  (the  Archaean)  to  the  Carbon- 
iferous (see  diagram).  Thus,  beginning  with  the  primary  rocks  of  the 
Adirondack  region,  there  occur  as  we  go  south,  the  great  lime  stone  sys- 
tem known  as  the  Trenton  formations,  containing  wonderful  fossil  re- 
mains; then  the  Utica  Slate;  the  Lorraine  Shales,  or  Hudson  River 
Group  ;  the  Oneida  Conglomerate  ;  the  Medina  Sandstone;  the  Clinton 
Group  ;  the  Niagara  Shale  and  Limestone  ;  the  Onondaga  Salt  Group; 
the  Helderberg  Limestone  ;  the  Oriskany  Sandstone  ;  and  the  Hamil- 
ton and  Chemung  shales  and  sandstones.  Of  these  several  formations, 
the  Trenton  Limestone,  the  Utica  Slate,  the  Oneida  Conglomerate,  the 
Clinton  Group,  and  the  Oriskany  Sandstone  received  their  names  from 
their  remarkable  development  in  Oneida  county. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Adirondacks  were  uplifted  before  the  formation 
of  the  sedimentary  rocks  began,  and  that  they  are  part  of  the  earliest 
uplift  on  the  globe.  The  outcropping  formations  of  the  State  of  New 
York  represent  the  Arcli^ean,  the  Silurian,  the  Devonian  and  partly  the 
Carboniferous  Ages  (see  diagram).  In  the  Archaean  no  animal  life  is 
known  to  have  existed,  and  there  is  no  positive  evidence  that  vegeta- 
tion had  yet  appeared  on  the  earth.  In  the  Silurian  the  Invertebrates 
appeared,  and  plants  of  the  Algae  ;  in  the  Devonian,  various  fishes  are 
represented  and  some  new  forms  of  vegetation  ;  in  the  Carboniferous, 
amphibious  animals  made  their  appearance,  and  other  plant  life,  among 
which  were  those  that  contributed  largely  to  the  formation  of  the  coal 
beds.  The  thickness  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  in  this  State,  above  the 
Archaean,  is  about  13,000  feet,  and  it  rapidly  and  greatly  increases  as  we 
proceed  southward. 

The  celebrated  Potsdam  sandstone  lies  directly  upon  the  primary  forma- 
tion and  contains  a  few  forms  of  animal  life  ;  as  we  come  upward  these  in- 
crease both  ill  species  and  in  individuah,  until  the  Trenton  Group  is 
reached,  which  is  largely  composed  of  animal  remains,  particularly  in  its 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF, THE  COUNTY.  129 

upper  strata.  The  picturesque  gorge  of  West  Canada  Creek  at  Trenton 
falls  is  cut  for  three  miles  through  the  Trenton  limestone  to  a  depth 
of  from  60  to  100  feet,  offering  to  the  naturalist  a  most  prolific  source 
of  rare  and  beautiful  specimens  of  extinct  life.  Black  River,  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  county,  runs  very  nearly  on  the  line  dividing 
the  primitive  from  the  secondary  formation  ;  on  the  east  is  the  granite 
rock  and  on  the  west  the  Trenton  limestones.  The  outcrop  of  the  Tren- 
ton rocks  covers  an  area  in  Oneida  county  of  100  or  150  square  miles. 
Extensive  quarries  have  been  and  are  worked.  The  thickness  of  the 
Trenton  limestone  in  Oneida  county  is  about  300  feet,  while  in  the 
Appalachian  Mountains  it  reaches  2,000  feet.  In  geology  the  Trenton 
Period  includes  the  Black  River  and  Trenton  Limestones,  the  Utica 
Shales  and  Slates,  and  the  Hudson  River  and  Cincinnati  groups  of 
Limestones  and  Shales,  The  Utica  Shale  overlies  the  Trenton  and 
Black  River  formations  and  extends  in  a  narrow  band  along  the  Mohawk 
valley,  reaching  a  thickness  of  i  5  to  35  feet  at  Glens  Falls,  250  feet  in 
Montgomery  county,  and  about  300  feet  in  Oneida  county.  It  out- 
crops in  Boonville,  Steuben,  Western,  Floyd,  Trenton,  Rome,  Marcy,  and 
Deerf]eld.     It  has  no  value  for  building  purposes. 

Succeeding  this  is  the  Hudson  River  group,  known  as  the  Hudson 
River,  Pulaski,  and  the  Lorraine  Shales,  which  is  similar  in  character 
to  the  Utica  shale  and  like  that  abounds  in  fossils.  It  is  found  in  the 
towns  of  Boonville,  Ava,  Western,  Lee,  Annsville,  VVhitestown,  and 
Utica,  and  extends  down  the  Mohawk  valley  on  its  southern  side  to  the 
Hudson. 

This  closes  the  Lower  Silurian  Age,  and  is  succeeded  by  the  Upper 
Silurian,  as  shown  in  the  diagram,  which  includes  the  Niagara,  Salina, 
Lower  Helderberg,  and  the  Oriskany  formations  The  Niagara  group 
includes  the  Medina,  the  Clinton,  and  Niagara  subdivisions,  while  the 
Medina  includes  the  Oneida  Conglomerate  and  the  Medina  Sandstone. 
The  Oneida  Conglomerate  is  a  pebbly  sandstone  or  grit  and  extends 
through  the  towns  of  Florence,  Camden,  Annsville  and  in  a  narrow 
strip  into  Herkimer  county,  where  it  disappears.  Its  thickness  is  from 
20  to  120  feet.  In  Ulster  county  it  reaches  500  feet  in  thickness  and 
the  celebrated  Esopus  millstones  are  manufactured  from  it.  The  upper 
formation  of  the  Medina  epoch  is  the  well  known  valuable  Medina  sand- 

17 


130  -       OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

stone,  which  from  a  great  thickness  in  the  western  part  of  the  .State, 
gradually  becomes  thinner  to  the  eastward  and  disappears  in  the  central 
parts  of  Oneida  county.      It   is  found  in  Camden,  Vienna  and   Rome. 

Above  the  Medina  stone  appears  the  Clinton  Sandstone,  which  ex- 
tends from  Schoharie  county  westward  through  Herkimer  and  Oneida 
counties  and  on  westward  across  this  State  through  Canada  and  Michi- 
gan. In  Oneida  county  it  has  a  width  of  six  to  ten  miles,  and  Oneida 
Lake  lies  wholly  within  the  formation  ;  its  thickness  in  this  county  is 
from  lOO  to  200  feet,  and  it  has  been  quarried  to  some  extent  for  build- 
ing purposes  for  which  it  is  superior.  Iron  ore  is  found  in  this  forma 
tion. 

Overlapping  the  Clinton  is  the  Niagara  formation,  which  extends 
from  Herkimer  county  through  Oneida  in  a  narrow  belt,  outcropping  in 
the  towns  of  Paris,  Kirkland,  and  Vernon.  While  very  thin  in  this 
region,  it  increases  in  thickness  to  the  westward,  being  about  88  feet  at 
Niagara  Falls.     The  Niagara  rock  abounds  in  fossils. 

Next  above  the  Niagara  is  the  Salina  Period,  or  Onondaga  Salt  Group^ 
which  affords  the  brine  of  the  salt  supply.  From  a  thickness  of  700  to 
1,000  feet  in  Onondaga  county,  the  rock  grows  thinner  to  the  eastward, 
and  is  only  a  few  feet  thick  at  the  Hudson  The  formation  is  almost 
destitute  of  fossils.  The  Lower  Helderberg,  which  is  next  above,  ex- 
tends across  this  State.  It  is  known  also  as  the  Waterline  Group,  be- 
ing a  bluish,  impure  limestone  of  thin  layers.  It  abounds  in  fossils. 
The  Upper  Helderberg  extends  as  far  west  as  Ontario  county,  but  is 
very  thin,  although  it  reaches  a  thickness  of  400  feet  in  eastern  New 
York.  In  Oneida  county  it  passes  through  the  towns  of  Paris,  Marshall, 
Augusta  and  Vernon. 

The  uppermost  rock  of  the  Silurian  Age  is  the  Oriskany  Sandstone, 
which  extends  from  Central  New  York,  in  the  Oriskany  neighborhood, 
southwestward  along  the  Appalachians  and  spreads  out  in  the  Missis- 
sippi valley ;  it  thins  out  towards  the  Hudson  River.  Dana  says  that  "  in 
New  York  it  consists  either  of  pure  siliceous  sands,  or  of  argillaceous 
sands.  In  the  former  case  it  is  usually  yellowish  or  bluish,  and  some- 
times crumbles  into  sand  suitable  for  making  glass.  The  argillaceous 
sandstone  is  of  a  dark  brown  or  reddish  color,  and  was  evidently  a  sandy 
or  pebbly  mud."      During  the  formation  of  this  rock  sea  weeds  were  not 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF  TPIE  COUNTY.  131 

uncommon  and  traces  of  terrestrial  animals  have  been  found.  The 
number  of  fossils  discovered  in  the  Silurian  reaches  far  into  the  thou- 
sands, among  which  are  many  varieties  of  the  Trilobites. 

The  Devonian  Age,  or  Age  of  Fishes,  is  next  above  the  Silurian,  as 
shown  in  the  diagram,  and  includes  the  Corniferous,  the  Hamiltonian, 
the  Chemung,  and  the  Catskill  Periods  in  the  order  named.  The  first 
two  divisions  of  the  Corniferous  Period  thicken  towards  the  Hudson 
River  and  one  of  them,  the  Schoharie  Grit,  may  possibly  reach  Oneida 
county.  The  upper  divisions,  the  Onondaga  and  the  Corniferous  Lime- 
stones exist  in  this  county,  the  first  outcropping  in  Sangerfield,  and  the 
last  named  near  Waterville.  The  Corniferous  abounds  in  fossil  plants 
and  animals,  and  tiie  remains  of  vertebrates,  in  the  form  of  fishes,  appear 
first  in  America  in  these  rocks. 

Above  the  Corniferous  Period  comes  the  Hamilton,  which  includes 
the  Marcellus.  Hamilton,  and  Genesee  Shales.  The  Marcellus  is  a  soft 
argillaceous  rock  ;  the  Hamilton  (so  named  from  the  town  of  Hamilton, 
Madison  county)  consists  of  shales  and  flags,  with  some  thin  limestone, 
and  is  extensively  used  in  Utica  and  many  other  places  for  walks  and 
other  purposes.  The  Genesee  shale  is  a  blackish,  bituminous  shaly  rock 
overlying  the  Hamilton. 

Next  above  comes  the  Chemung  Period,  which  includes  the  Portage 
and  the  Chemung  groups.  The  former  consists  of  shales  and  laminated 
sandstones  and  does  not  appear  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  The 
Chemung  covers  a  large  part  of  southern  New  York,  but  neither  that 
nor  the  Catskill  is  developed  in  Oneida  county. 

The  Carboniferous  Age,  next  above  the  Devonian,  and  its  several  for- 
mations, are  not  found  in  this  State,  except  in  the  lower  portions  (the 
sub  carboniferous),  and  therefore  need  not  be  further  described  in  these 
pages 

The  topography  of  Oneida  county  presents  a  variety  and  beauty  of 
landscape  that  has  attracted  the  attention  not  only  of  the  early  ambi- 
tious agriculturist  in  quest  of  a  favorable  location  to  establish  his  home, 
but  also  of  the  artist  and  the  poet  seeking  subjects  for  the  canvas  and 
the  song.  The  fame  of  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  has  traveled  far  and 
the  swelling  hills  that  border  it  possess  equal  natural  beauty  of  another 
order.      From   northwestwardly  to  .southeastwardly  extends  the  broad 


132  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

valley  of  the  beautiful  river,  the  lowest  pass  through  the  Appalachian 
mountain  system,  and  one  of  the  most  fertile  sections  of  this  State. 
Northward  and  southward  from  the  valley  rises  a  broken  and  hilly  re- 
gion, in  the  southern  part  lying  in  ridges  extending  north  and  south 
and  divided  by  streams  and  ravines ;  northward  of  the  valley  the  sur- 
face rises  abruptly  to  a  height  of  8oo  to  i,200  feet  and  spreads  out  in  a 
nearly  level  plateau,  except  as  broken  by  the  ravines  of  streams.  The 
height  of  this  part  of  the  county  culminates  in  "  Penn  Mount,"  in  the 
town  of  Steuben,  which  rises  1,727  feet  above  the  sea,  the  height  of  the 
Mohawk  above  tidewater  at  Albany  being  427  feet.  The  highest  point 
south  of  the  Mohawk  is  locally  known  as  "  Tassell  Hill,"  from  a  Dutch- 
man named  Van  Tassel  who  lived  near  it ;  it  is  near  the  joining  four 
Corners  of  the  towns  of  Marshall,  Sangerfield,  Bridgewater,  and  Paris, 
and  is  approximately  1,800  feet  above  the  Mohawk  at  Rome.  The 
northeastern  part  of  the  county  extends  into  the  borders  of  the  great 
northern  wilderness.  Oneida  county  is  well  drained,  the  Mohawk  ris- 
ing upon  the  north  border  of  the  county,  flows  southerly  to  Rome  and 
thence  southeast  to  the  eastern  bounds  of  the  county.  Its  principal 
tributaries  from  the  north  are  Nine  Mile  Creek  and  Lansing  Kill,  and 
from  the  south,  Sauquoit  and  Oriskany  Creeks.  East  Canada  Creek, 
forms  a  part  of  the  east  boundary  of  the  county  and  Black  River  flows 
across  the  northeast  corner.  The  western  and  southwestern  parts  are 
drained  by  Wood  Creek  (flowing  west  into  Oneida  Lake),  Fish  Creek, 
Mad  River,  and  Little  River.  Included  in  the  towns  of  Vienna  and 
Verona  is  a  part  of  Oneida  Lake,  probably  about  57,000  acres.  In  the 
northeastern  part  are  several  small  lakes  and  ponds  which  are  further 
described  in  the  town  histories. 

The  soil  of  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county  is  derived  from  the 
disintegration  of  the  primitive  rocks  before  described  and  is  light  and 
sandy.  In  the  central  part  it  is  a  sandy  and  gravelly  loam  and  alluvium 
of  great  fertility.  The  highlands  south  of  the  Mohawk  have  a  soil  com- 
posed of  clay  and  sandy  and  gravelly  loam,  well  adapted  to  pasturage. 
Minerals  of  value  are  confined  to  the  lenticular  clay  ^ron  ore  of  the  Clin- 
ton Group,  bog  iron  ore  in  the  swamps  near  Oneida  Lake  and  possibly 
magnetic  ore  in  the  northeastern  part.  Waterlime  and  gypsum  have 
been  quarried  to  a  limited  extent,  and  marl  and  peat  have  been  found 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  133 

in  some  places.  Nearly  all  of  the  territory  of  the  county  was  formerly 
covered  with  a  heavy  forest  of  valuable  timber  which  was  of  consider- 
able value  to  the  pioneers. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
DESCRIPTION  OF  COUNTY. 

By  an  act  passed  April  lo,  1792.  the  town  of  Whitestown,  then  in 
Herkimer  county,  was  divided  and  the  towns  of  Westmoreland,  Steuben, 
Paris,  Mexico,  Peru,  and  Whitestown  formed  therefrom.  These  towns 
embraced  substantially  the  following  territory  :  The  town  of  Westmore- 
and,  in  the  main  its  present  boundaries,  and  in  addition  the  town  of 
Verona  and  part  of  Vernon. 

Steuben,  its  present  boundaries  and  the  towns  of  Ava,  Boonville, 
part  of  Annsville,  Lee,  Western,  Floyd,  and  Rome  in  Oneida  county, 
and  a  large  part  of  tiie  territory  in  what  is  now  Jefferson  and  Lewis 
counties. 

Paris,  the  present  territory  of  the  town,  and  Rridgewater,  Kirkland, 
Marshall,  and  Sangerfield  in  Oneida  county,  and  portions  of  the  terri- 
tory in  what  are  now  Chenango  and  Madison  counties. 

Mexico  was  an  immense  town  and  has  been  justly  styled  "  the  mother 
of  towns."  It  included  as  thus  constituted  the  present  counties  of  On- 
ondaga and  Cortland,  all  of  Oswego  lying  west  of  the  east  bounds  of 
the  Military  Tract  and  a  line  drawn  from  the  mouth  of  the  Caneseraga 
Creek  through  Oneida  Lake  to  Ontario,  which  line  would  strike  a  point 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  Williamstown  in  Oswego  county,  Febru- 
ary 26,  1796,  the  town  of  Mexico  was  reformed  and  the  second  Mexico 
included  all  of  what  is  now  Oswego  county  east  of  Oswego  River  and 
north  of  Oneida  River  and  Lake  and  including  the  towns  of  Camden, 
Florence  and  Vienna  and  part  of  Annsville  in  Oneida  county,  and 
most  of  the  towns  in  Jefferson  and  Lewis  counties  lying  west  of  Black 
River. 

Peru  embraced  all  of  Whitestown,  in  Herkimer  county,  lying  west  of 


134  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  town  of  Mexico  as  first  formed,  bounded  westerly  by  Ontario 
county  and  northerly  by  Lake  Ontario.  It  was  that  territory  lying  west 
of  the  present  counties  of  Onondaga  and  Cortland.  The  western  bounds 
of  the  townships  of  Homer,  Tully,  Marcellus,  Camillus,  Lysander,  and 
Hannibal  in  said  Military  Tract,  being  the  eastern  bounds  of  the  town 
of  Peru,  and  the  westerly  bounds  of  the  town  of  Mexico,  as  first  organ  • 
ized.  All  of  the  remainder  of  the  town  of  VVhitestown  was  constituted 
a  town  by  itself  and  named  Whitestown  ;  which  remainder  included  the 
present  towns  of  Whitestown,  New  Hartford,  Augusta,  and  part  of 
Vernon,  and  the  city  of  Utica. 

In  1792  the  first  bridge  over  the  Mohawk  in  Oneida  county  was 
erected  on  the  line  of  Second  street.  It  was  swept  off  in  a  few  months  and 
in  1794  a  new  one  at  the  foot  of  Genesee  street  was  constructed. 

Judge  Vanderkemp  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  and  became  a  prominent 
citizen  of  the  town  of  Trenton.  In  1792  he  journeyed  from  Kingston 
up  the  Hudson  to  Albany  and  thence  up  the  Mohawk  to  Old  I^'ort 
Schuyler,  thence  to  Fort  Stanwix,  crossed  over  to  Wood  Creek  and 
down  that  stream  to  Oneida  Lake  and  so  on  to  Oswego.  He  writes  as 
follows  : 

Although  the  Mohawk  becomes  navigable  for  bateaux  at  no  great  distance  from 
Cohoes,  all  merchandise  nevertheless  is  thus  far  carried  by  wagons  from  Albany  to 
Schenectady  (16  miles)  whence  these  are  conveyed  in  bateau.\  for  about  100  miles, 
including  one  mile  portage  at  Little  Falls,  via  Fort  Stanwi.x.  Here  is  a  carrying 
place  of  one  mile  to  Wood  Creek,  which  empties  it  waters,  after  it  is  joined  by  Can- 
ada and  Fish  Creeks,  in  Oneida  Lake;  as  handsome,  as  rich  in  fish,  as  any  lake  in 
the  western  world.  Our  government  has  passed  a  law  to  clear  the  navigation  from 
the  Mohawk  to  the  Hudson.  So  much  is  certain  that  it  is  resolved  to  open  the  carry- 
ing place  between  the  Hudson  and  Wood  Creek,  and  to  clear  the  latter  from  any 
obstructions.  Fort  Stanwix  must  become  a  staple  place  of  the  commodities  of  the 
west  stored  there  from  the  fertile  lands  bordering  the  lakes  and  rivers  and  Old  Fort 
Schuyler,  nearly  the  central  part  of  intercourse  between  the  north  and  west,  trans- 
formed in  an  opulent  mercantile  city,  where  future  Lorenzos  will  foster  and  protect 
arts  and  sciences;  where  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  shall  be  replaced  by  the 
chisel  and  pencil  of  the  artist,  and  the  wigwam  by  marble  palaces.  Our  canals  open 
an  early  communication  between  the  lakes  Ontario  and  Oneida,  which  is  possible, 
and  can  thus  be  executed.  Go  on,  then,  and  dig  canals  through  the  western  dis- 
trict and  be  not  afraid  that  a  single  hair  shall  be  hurt  on  the  head  of  its  inhabitants 
by  the  waves  of  Lake  Erie.  Dare  only  to  undertake  the  enterprise,  and  I  warrant 
the  success. 

I  rode  to  Schenectady  from  Albany,  and  passed  a  few  hours  with  the  Rev. 
Romeyn,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  eminent  divines  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  135 

this  State.  He  assured  me  that  fifteen  hundred  families  passed  by  his  house  during 
the  winter  of  1791  to  various  parts  of  the  western  lands;  while  I  was  informed  by 
another  credible  witness  that  during  the  winter  of  1790,  within  40  miles  of  the 
river  point,  where  the  rivers  of  Onondaga,  Seneca,  and  Oswego  are  joined  [Three 
River  Point  west  of  Oneida  Lake]  two  hundred  and  forty  yokes  of  oxen  had  been 
counted.  .  .  Now  I  was  in  Herkimer,  passed  slowly  through  the  German  Flats. 
Col.  Starring  was  the  man  with  whom  I  intended  to  dine,  if  it  was  obtainable ;  al- 
though his  honor  was  at  the  time  a  Judge  of  the  Common  Pleas,  thus  high  in  civil 
and  military  authority,  yet  he  kept  a  public  house.  The  Col.  was  gone  to  meeting ; 
his  barn  was  the  place  of  worship.  I  went  thither ;  the  assembled  congregation  was 
very  numerous;  our  Lord's  supper  was  celebrated  with  decency,  and  as  it  appeared 
to  me,  by  many  with  fervent  devotion.  Four  children  were  baptized  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Rosenkrantz.  After  service,  the  congregation  flocked  to  the  Col.'s  house  and  used 
sparingly  some  refreshments.  The  weighty  principle  with  many  was,  that  now 
(inasmuch  as  George  Clinton  was  elected  Gov.)  the  court  house  should  be  fixed  at 
Herkimer  Near  Old  Fort  Schuyler  I  crossed  the  Mohawk,  and  took  my  tea  at  John 
Post's;  reached  Whitesborough  about  evening,  and  .stopped  at  the  house  of  Judge 
White,  the  father  of  this  flourishing  settlement.  Gov.  Clinton  had  favoi'ed  me  with 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  Jonas  Piatt,  then  county  clerk.  I  met  on  the  road  to 
Whitesborough  a  group  of  Oneida  Indians,  some  of  them  on  horseback,  others  walk- 
ing  and  jumping;  the  one  with  a  bottle,  another  with  a  jug  or  small  keg  of  rum  ;  for 
the  most  part,  merrily  jolly;  some  deeply  soaked  by  the  beverage,  distilled  from  the 
cane.  Their  numbers  increased  as  I  approached  pear  Whitesborough.  There  I 
saw  about  200  of  ev^ery  age  and  of  both  sexes,  around  their  fires  near  the  road, 
eating,  drinking,  smoking,  singing;  laughing,  all  of  them  in  perfect  harmony.  The 
occasion  of  this  unusual  concourse  was,  they  came  to  receive  the  corn  from  the 
State,  which  had  been  stipulated  in  one  of  the  articles  of  the  late  treaty;  they  soon 
changed  this  corn  (a  large  part)  for  money,  and  that  for  silk  handkerchiefs,  linen,  &c. 
Judge  White  was  commissioned  to  distribute  the  corn.  He  is  a  man  between  50  and  60, 
middle  stature,  corpulent  and  of  acomely  appearance.  The  roads  are  daily  improving, 
as  evidenced  from  the  fact  that  while  I  was  here,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Livingston  came  to  visit 
their  son-in-law,  Jonas  Piatt,  from  Pokeepsie,  in  their  own  carnage  in  4  days. 
There  is  scarce  an  acre  of  land  for  sale  in  Whitesborough.  Mr.  Elizur  Moseley  [the 
first  physician,  the  first  merchant,  the  first  postmaster  of  the  place  and  the  second 
sheriff  of  Oneida  county]  paid  8150  for  3  acres,  for  a  building  spot.  About  two  miles 
from  Whitesborough  I  crossed  Oriskany  creek,  where  many  Oneida  Indians  resided 
in  former  days.  I  had  advanced  but  a  few  steps  when  my  attention  was  fixed  on  a 
number  of  skulls,  placed  in  a  row  on  a  log  near  the  road.  I  was  informed  by  work- 
men that  this  place  was  the  fatal  spot  on  which  the  murderous  encounter  happened 
between  Gen.  Herkimer  and  his  sturdy  associates  and  the  Indians  and  English. 
Where  the  brave  and  gallant  soldier  did  fall,  I  was  shown  a  tree,  on  which  was 
closely  carved  something  resembling  a  man's  head  intended  to  represent  this  in- 
trepid warrior.  About  noon  on  Monday,  I  arrived  at  Fort  Stanwix.  Baron  De  Zeng 
was  employed  in  laying  out  a  kitchen  garden.  He  gave  me  a  cordial  reception,  and 
introduced  me  to  Col.  Colbraith  [then  sheriff  of  Herkimer  county],  a  revolutionary 
soldier.     We  partook  of  some  refreshments ;  ray  horse  was  turned  out  on  luxuriant 


136  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

pasture  grounds.  Baron  De  Zeng  is  a  German  nobleman,  descended  from  a  noble 
family  in  Saxony  and  arrived  in  America  during  the  revolutionary  war.  He  mar- 
ried a  respectable  lady  in  New  York  and  intends  to  begin  a  settlement  in  this 
vicinity. 

The  soil  here  is  not  much  different  from  Whitesborough.     By  digging  10  and  12 
feet,  often  deeper,  leaves  are  found  perfectly  preserved,  and  branches  ©f  trees,  large 
pieces  of  timber  are  discovered.     I  saw  several  samples  of  all  these  when  a  well  was 
dug  for  Col.  Colbraith.  ^     While  at  Fort  Stanwix  a  large  bateau  of  furs  came  from 
the  west;  two  yokes  of  oxen  drew  the  furs  over  the  portage.     This  was  the  second 
cargo  within  a  week.     From  these  examples,  it  may  be  conjectured  what  riches  the 
waters  of  Oneida  lake  may  carry  on  to  Fort  Stanwix,  if  obstruction  should  be  re- 
moved.    Salmon  river  and  Fish  creek,  are  in  the  spring  full  of  salmon ;  an  Oneida 
Indian  with  his  spear  took  45  salmon  in  one  hour,  another,  65  in  one  night,  and  an- 
other 80.     The  eel  of  Oneida  lake  is  equal  to  the  best  in  the  Holland  market;  in  the 
waters  hereabouts,  are  also  pike,  pickerel,  catfish,  lobster,  turtle,  swordfish,  whitefish, 
etc.    Scarce  a  day  passes,  in  which  not  two,  sometimes  three,  bateaux  arrived  whose 
destination  was  towards  the  Genesee  lands.     We  met  daily  with  groups  of  5  or  6 
on  horseback  in  search  for  land,  with  intention,  if  succeeding,  to  move  on  with  their 
families  the  next  winter,  or  following  spring;  while  every  day  someone  wanted  to 
buy  of  us  land,  of  which  we  did  not  own  a  single  inch.     During  the  time  I  tarried 
here,  a  large  bateau   with  furs,  arrived  from  the  west;  two  yokes  of  oxen  drew  it 
over  the  portage ;  this  was  the  second  cargo  within  one  week.     We  arrived  at  Fort 
Bull,  three  miles  distant — or  rather  where  that  fort  once  stood.     There  came  up  a 
great  rain  .storm,  with  thunder  and  lightning;  we  proceeded  rapidly,  and  discovered 
after  a  few  minutes  a  light  in  a  small  cottage.     It  was  that  of  Widow  Armstrong  on 
the  corner  of  Wood  and  Canada  creeks,  7  miles  from  Fort  Stanwix — the  part  of  land 
where  Roosevelt  Purchase  [Scriba's  Patent]  begins.     As  we  are  now  engaged  in  dry- 
ing our  clothes  by  a  good  fire  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  is  preparing  our  supper  and 
couches,  I  must  allow  you  a  little  rest  before  I  offer  you  my  rough  sketch  of  the  skirts 
of  that  noble  tract,  once  the  heritage  of  the  Oneidas.     On  Sunday  we  bid  adieu  to 
the  good  widow  Armstrong,  who  left  nothing  undone  which  was  in  her  power  to 
render  her  homely  cottage   comfortable   to  us.     About   3   miles  from   her  house 
a  small  swift  running  stream  empties  into  Wood  creek  from  the  south.     From  thence 
we  proceeded  to  a  place  called  "  Oak  Orchard"  [close  by  lots  11  and  12  Wood  Creek 
Reservation,  south  side  of  Wood  Creek  in  town  of  Verona].     Ere  long  we  arrived  at 
a  singular  neck  of  land,  about  a  mile  in  length,  and  so  small  that  by  standing,  we 
discovered  the  water  at  the  opposite  side.     This  was  a  tedious  circumnavigation  in- 
deed.    We  might  have  passed  it  in  a  few  seconds  if  a  passage  had  been  cut  through. 
Not  far  from  this  spot  we  discovered  a  clearing,  extended  towards  the  F'^-h  creeV,  on 
the  north,  known  by  the  name  of  Captain   Phillips  and  "Dean's  improvements." 
[This  was  at  the  southwest  corner  of  lot  112,  Scriba's  Patent,   on  the  north  side  of 
Wood  Creek  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  and  about  a  mile  or  so  before  Wood  and  h  ish 
Creeks  unite;  it  is  where  James  Dean  and  Jedediah  Phelps  settled  in  1784,  as  before 

'  These  evidences  are  confirmatory  of  the  theory,  that  from  Oneida  Lake  to  Little  Falls  was 
once  one  large  continuous  body  of  water,  and  that  the  gap  at  Little  Falls  is  the  outlet  to  this 

lake,  where  the  water  broke  away  in  early  ages. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  137 

narrated].  We  left  our  canoes  to  look  at  the  land ;  it  was  low  and  flat  near  the  bor- 
ders of  the  creek,  and  had  the  appearance  of  being  annually  overflowed;  Wood  creek 
increased  in  width,  and  had  the  appearance  of  a  handsome  river.  We  were  sur- 
prised to  see  a  little  after  sunset,  nine  flres  in  a  semi-circular  form  on  the  lake.  The 
fires  were  made  by  the  Indians  spearing  eels.  They  are  usually  2  or  3  in  a  canoe.  A 
catfish  was  brought  in  by  a  fisherman  that  weighed  10  pounds;  we  afterwards  ob- 
tained one  of  24  pounds;  some  have  been  taken  of  40  and  45  lbs;  but  those  of  the 
largest  size  are  brought  from  Lake  Ontario.  .  .  At  the  end  of  Oneida  lake  we 
met  Judge  John  Lansing  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  Morgan  Lewis,  Atty.  Gen.  of 
the  State,  who  went  to  attend  the  circuit  court  in  Ontario  county.  We  returned  to 
Wood  Creek,  where  we  met  Abraham  Lansing  and  Jelles  Fonda.  It  was  2  P.  M.  be- 
fore we  arrived  at  Widow  Armstrong's  cottage.  In  an  instant  the  kettle  was  hung 
on  the  fire  to  boil  our  fresh  salmon.  We  made  ourselves  an  ample  compensation  for 
our  frugal  repast  at  breakfast.  Amos  Fuller  who  resides  now  (with  his  family)  at 
the  Widow's  until  he  should  be  successful  as  he  said  in  purchasing  a  farm  in  this 
neighborhood ;  he  informed  us  that  men  from  Mass.  had  been  looking  over  the  land 
and  were  willing  to  give  £1,000  for  a  township  of  land  and  to  have  35  families  settled 
upon  it  in  2  years.  Fuller  tackled  his  horse  to  our  canoe  and  dragged  it  to  Fort 
Bull. 

Tlie  widow  Armstrong  mentioned  herein  was  the  second  wife  and 
the  widow  of  Archibald  Armstrong,  heretofore  spoken  of.  Be- 
tween 1789  and  1792  this  Archibald  Armstrong  died  and  was 
buried  on  the  east  side  of  the  highway  which  leads  to  New  London 
from  the  junction  of  Wood  and  Canada  Creeks.  She  returned  down 
the  valley  and  in  1805  Nicholas  Armstrong,  son  of  Archibald,  became 
one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Annsviile  and  settled  on  the  "  Indian 
meadows"  in  that  town  ;  he  and  Dan  Taft  and  Adam  P.  Campbell  were 
the  first  settlers  of  Annsviile. 

On  July  10,  1793,  the  first  newspaper  west  of  Albany  was  established 
at  New  Hartford,  and  called  the  Whitestown  Gazette.  Its  proprietors 
were  Jedediah  Sanger,  Samuel  Wells,  and  Elijah  Risley.  Its  printer  was 
Richard  Vanderberg.  After  a  while  it  was  discontinued,  but  was  re-estab- 
lished in  May,  1796,  Samuel  Wells,  proprietor,  and  William  McLean  prin- 
ter. In  the  same  year  of  1793  the  erection  of  the  first  church  in  Oneida 
county  was  begun  at  New  Haitford  ;  it  was  the  meeting  house  where 
the  first  court  of  record  was  held  in  the  county.  In  January,  1794,  the 
Western  Centinel  was  established  at  Whitesboro  by  Oliver  P.  Eaton,  who 
was  fitted  out  by  Mr.  Swords,  of  New  York  city,  for  that  purpose. 

In  1793  John  W.  Bloomfield,  who  was  then  twenty-nine  years  old 
and  had  been  married  four  years,  came  on  horseback  from  Burlington, 

18 


138  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

N.  J.,  to  visit  this  part  of  the  State.  He  became  a  large  landholder  in 
this  county,  was  the  first  supervisor  of  Camden  (1799),  after  whose  wife, 
Ann,  the  town  of  Annsville  was  named.  He  died  in  1848  at  the  a^'e 
of  eighty-four,  and  in  that  year  was  written  out  by  B.  J.  Beach  the  fol- 
lowing reminiscences  of  his  trip,  taken  from  his  lips;  Mr.  Beach  was  his 
grand  nephew : 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1793  I  came  to  New  York  State  for  the  first  time.  Mr. 
Mclllvane,  of  Burlington,  N.  J.,  had  purchased  1,600  acres  of  land  in  the  present 
town  of  Lee  from  Joseph  Bloomfield,  then  governor  of  New  Jersey  [the  Mclllvane 
tract],  whose  title  was  derived  from  Thomas  Machin  [or  Matchin],  the  original 
patentee,  and  the  conditions  of  the  patent  were,  that  a  certain  number  of  settlers 
should  be  established  upon  the  land  within  a  limited  time.  I  set  out  on  horseback 
in  the  early  part  of  April,  1793,  went  up  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  river,  thence 
to  Esopus  and  Albany,  and  to  Schenectady.  Of  this  place  the  Dutch  had  at  that 
time  full  possession,  and  I  believe  there  was  not  a  single  English  inhabitant.  I 
went  up  the  Mohawk  on  the  south  side;  the  flats  were  under  full  cultivation,  and  not 
divided  by  fences;  the  road  was  open  and  ran  directly  through  the  fields  of  grain 
and  grass.  I  crossed  the  Mohawk  at  Little  Falls,  and  continued  on  to  Fort  Schuyler 
[Utica]  which  was  a  few  rods  lower  down  the  river  than  the  site  of  the  present  (1848) 
R.  R.  depot;  about  where  the  depot  now  stands,  was  the  only  house,  with  one  ex- 
ception, within  the  present  limits  of  the  present  city  of  Utica.  There  was  already  a 
large  clearing  of  200  acres,  but  I  was  unable  to  get  food  either  for  myself  or  horse, 
and  was  obliged  to  continue  on  without  stopping  to  Whitesboro.  This  was  the  prin- 
cipal settlement — the  headquarters  of  civilization  in  what  is  now  the  county  of 
Oneida.  Here  was  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  of  Herkimer  county,  kept  by  Mr., 
afterwards  Judge,  Jonas  Piatt;  here  was  the  most  western  post-office  in  the 
State.  1  The  tract  known  as  Scriba's  Patent,  had  been  contracted  to  the  Messrs. 
Roosevelt  at  7  cents  an  acre,  and  George  Scriba,  a  merchant  of  New  York  city, 
in  company  with  4  or  5  others,  were  assignees  of  the  contract.  At  Whitestown, 
I  agreed  with  Mr.  Young,  who  resided  there,  and  a  son-in-law  of  Judge  White,  and 
the  founder  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  who  was  a  surveyor,  to  go  with  me  to  point 
out  the  boundaries  of  the  lands,  and  was  to  look  after  and  assist  me  in  the  explora- 
tion. We  came  together  to  Fort  Stanwix,  where  there  was  a  tavern  kept  by  John 
Barnard,  a  little  northeast  of  the  present  Rome  court  house— a  tenant  of  Dominick 
Lynch.  The  carrying  business,  between  the  Mohawk  river  and  Wood  creek,  was 
brisk,  and  the  tavern  was  crowded  constantly  with  boatmen  and  emigrants.  In 
this  house,  occupying  a  part  of  the  bar  room  and  of  the  bar  with  his  goods,  was  George 
Huntington,  then  a  young  unmarried  man,  who  that  spring  opened  the  first  store  in 
Fort  Stanwix.  Wood  and  myself  went  over  to  the  Mclllvane  tract,  and  also  explored 
the  tract  since  known  as  the  "  6.000  acre  tract,"  lying  between  the  Mclllvane  land  and 
Fish  creek  reservation.  That  reservation  was  I  a  mile  wide  on  each  side  of  that 
stream,  from  Oneida  lake,  to,  or  near  to,  its  source.  Finding  the  land  very  good,  a 
company  was  formed  to  purchase  of  Mr.  Scriba  4,000  acres,  and  to  extend  it  to  6,000 

1  This  would  indicate  that  there  was  a  post-office  at  Whitesboro  as  early  as  1793. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  139 

acres,  if  we  thought  proper.  The  price  was  12  shillings  an  acre,  and  Daniel 
C.  White  and  myself  received  a  joint  deed.  After  further  exploring,  we  concluded 
to  extend  the  purchase  to  6,000  acres;  the  additional  2,000  was  however  divided  be- 
tween Young,  White  and  myself.  After  this  I  went  down  Wood  creek  in  one  of  the 
small  boats,  used  in  conveying  goods.  In  the  same  boat  was  a  Frenchman  who  a 
year  ago,  had  made  his  escape  from  France,  carrying  a  nun,  whom  he  had  stolen 
from  a  convent  in  that  country.  He  had  married  her,  and  for  the  purpose  of  security 
had  taken  up  his  residence  upon  an  island  of  about  30  acres  in  Oneida  lake,  about  3 
miles  from  shore;  now  called  Frenchman's  Island.  It  is  opposite  the  village  of 
Rotterdam,  now  Constantia.  He  built  a  log  hut  upon  it,  and  mainly  supported  his 
wife  and  himself  by  fishing.  This  man  remained  on  the  island  until  1796,  when  the 
troubles  in  France,  having  subsided,  he  returned  to  that  country.  He  loaded  his 
boat  with  wife  and  clothes,  and  went  up  Wood  creek  and  down  the  Mohawk  and  the 
Hudson,  all  the  way  m  his  boat,  and  in  New  York  city,  Mr.  Scriba  aided  him  with 
funds  to  go  to  France.  I  staid  at  Rotterdam  one  night,  where  Mr.  Scriba  had  made 
a  considerable  of  a  settlement.  We  went  to  Oswego,  which  the  British  yet  held. 
After  my  return  to  Fort  Stanwix,  I  set  out  on  my  return  to  New  Jersey,  via  Old  Fort 
Schuyler,  New  Hartford,  Bridgewater,  Unadilla,  Cooperstown ;  thence  to  Fort  Plain, 
down  the  south  side  of  the  Mohawk  to  Schenectady  and  Albany,  crossed  the  Hudson 
and  reached  the  village  of  Hudson  July  4,  1793.  Here  I  was  tired  and  took  a  boat, 
shipped  myself  and  horse  to  New  York,  and  reached  Burlmgton  July  10,  after  an 
absence  of  nearly  3  months. 

Work  was  begun  on  the  Herkimer  jail,  and  in  January,  1793,  a  law 
was  passed  authorizing  the  supervisors  to  raise  ;!^i,000  to  defray  the 
expenses  already  incurred  in  the  erection  of  those  buildings.  By  the 
same  act  the  county  courts  were  authorized  to  alternate  '*  between  the 
court  house  in  Herkimer,  and  such  place  in  the  town  of  Whitestown,  as 
said  courts  should  order  to  be  entered  on  the  minutes."  In  pursuance 
of  the  above  act  the  January  term  of  1794  of  the  Common  Pleas  was 
held  at  an  unfinished  meeting  house  in  the  village  of  New  Hartford, 
Judge  Starring  presiding.  This  was  the  first  court  of  record  held  in 
what  is  now  Oneida  county.  It  was  at  that  term  of  court  of  which  the 
story  is  told  of  Sheriff  Colbraith,  a  jolly  Irishman.  The  day  was  bitterly 
cold,  the  meeting  house  insufficiently  warmed,  and  along  in  the  after- 
noon the  court  directed  the  crier  to  adjourn  for  the  day.  A  jug  of 
spirits  had  been  in  use  by  some  of  the  bar  to  aid  them  in  keeping  warm, 
and  as  the  sheriff  heard  the  order  to  adjourn,  he  seized  the  jug  and 
holding  it  towards  the  bench,  cried  out:  "  Oh,  no.  Judge,  don't  adjourn 
yet ;  take  a  little  gin,  Judge  ;  it  will  keep  you  warm.  'Tain't  time  to 
adjourn  yet!"  And  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  passed  the  jug 
up  to  the  court.     The  court  did  not  then  adjourn.     After  that  term 


140  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

those  Herkimer  courts  alternated  between  Herkimer  and  the  log  school 
house  near  Hugh  White's,  which  stood  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent town  hall. 

On  March  5,  1794,  Onondaga  county  was  taken  from  Herkimer. 
March  5,  1795,  the  town  of  Cazenovia  was  formed  from  parts  of  Paris 
and  Whitestown,  and  three  towns  were  formed  from  Sangerfield. 
March  4,  1796,  the  town  of  Steuben  was  divided  and  the  towns  of  Floyd 
and  Rome  erected  from  its  territory.  March  10,  1797,  the  then  town 
of  Steuben  was  divided  into  three  towns  of  Steuben,  Western  and  Ley- 
den.  March  24,  1797,  Trenton  was  taken  from  the  town  of  Schuyler, 
and  by  an  act  passed  on  the  same  day,  Sangerfield  was  divided  and 
Bridgewater  formed  from  its  territory. 

From  a  series  of  letters  written  by  a  man  prior  to  1800  and  published 

in  the  Documentary   History  of  New   York,  the  following  extracts  are 

made : 

The  first  settlement  of  the  Genesee  Country,  was  attempted  by  Oliver  Phelps  in 
1789.  By  the  census  taken  in  1790,  it  appeared  that  Ontario  county  contained  960 
inhabitants,  including  all  travellers,  surveyors  and  their  attendants.  To  remedy  the 
inconvenience  for  want  of  roads,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  in  1797,  authorizing 
the  raising  of  $45,000  by  lotteries,  towards  the  construction  of  a  road  from  Old  Fort 
Schuyler  to  Geneva.  The  inhabitants  through  which  the  road  passed  made  a  volun- 
tary contribution  of  their  services  and  subscribed  4,000  days'  work,  which  they  per- 
formed with  fidelity  and  cheerfulness.  The  State  Commissioners  were  thus  enabled 
to  complete  the  road  of  100  miles,  opening  it  64  feet  wide  and  paving  with  logs  and 
gravel,  m  the  moist  parts.  Hence  the  road  from  Old  Fort  Schuyler  to  Genesee 
river,  instead  of  being  as  in  June,  1797,  little  better  than  an  Indian  path,  was  so  far 
improved,  that  a  stage  started  from  Old  Fort  Schuyler  .September  30,  and  arrived  at 
the  hotel  in  Geneva  in  the  afternoon  of  the  3d  day  with  4  passengers.  This  line  of 
road  being  established  by  law,  not  less  than  50  families  settled  on  it  in  the  space  of 
4  months  after  it  was  opened.  It  now  bids  fair  to  be  one  continuous  settlement  to 
Geneva,  in  a  few  years.  All  last  winter  2  stages,  one  of  them  a  mail  stage,  ran  from 
Geneva  and  Canandaigua  to  Albany,  weekly;  3,000  families  came  into  the  Genesee 
country  in  the  winter  of  1797-8.  Land  which  6  years  ago  could  not  be  sold  for  25 
cents  an  acre,  is  now  reckoned  cheap  at  §10  an  acre.  The  cost  of  the  following  is 
given:  A  good  log  house  with  2  rooms,  if  made  by  hired  men  will  cost  §100;  a  small 
log  house,  20  feet  square  will  cost  §50;  1  yoke  of  oxen  §70;  a  cow  §15;  farming  uten- 
sils at  first  $20;  an  ox  cart  §30.  This  is  the  least  any  family  can  do  with.  During 
the  summer  months,  sloops  are  constsntly  passing  from  New  York  to  Albany;  they 
generally  run  the  distance  in  2  days,  and  sometimes  in  one ;  Utica  is  96  miles  from 
Albany,  and  the  road  here  is  intersected  by  the  Great  Genesee  Road ;  you  will  find  a 
well  settled  country  to  Geneva.  I  will  now  give  you  an  idea  of  the  route.  From 
Old  Fort  Schuyler  to  Samuel  Laird's  tavern  [Lairdsville]  on  the  Great  Genesee  Road 


1788  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  141 

is  10  miles.  To  Abraham  Van  Epps'  [Vernon  village]  near  the  Oneida  Reservation, 
6  miles.  To  Wemple's  in  the  Oneida  Reservation,  6  miles.  To  the  Deep  Spring  [in 
Manlius]  11  miles. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

1788  TO  1806.— FORMATION    OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY. 

When  the  American  colonies  became  independent  of  Great  Britain, 
the  State  of  New  York  held  more  than  7,000,000  acres  of  wild,  unculti- 
vated and  unappropriated  lands.  A  number  of  patents  of  lands  had 
been  granted  prior  to  1791  ;  as  to  those  in  Oneida  county,  see  the  chap- 
ter on  State  patents.  Those  were  patents  comparatively  small  in  amount, 
and  but  few  sales  had  been  actually  made,  considering  the  amount  of 
land  in  the  market.  The  State  being  in  want  of  funds  and  all  well- 
wishers  of  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  State  being  desirous  to  in- 
duce settlements  in  the  wilds  of  New  York,  favored  more  numerous  and 
extensive  grants,  as  it  was  agreed,  thereby  the  patentees  would  be  influ- 
ential in  inducing  settlers  to  take  up  lands.  Accordingly  in  1791  over 
5,000,000  acres  were  disposed  of,  for  the  sum  of  $1,030,433.  Among 
the  sales  was  a  parcel  of  3,635,200  acres  to  Alexander  Macomb,  for 
eight  cents  an  acre,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  it  being  on  the 
northern  boundary  of  Oneida  county.  Another  parcel  of  500,000  acres 
was  sold  to  J.  I.  and  Nicholas  Roosevelt  (Scriba's  Patent)  for  three  shil- 
lings and  one  penny  an  acre,  mostly  in  Oswego  county.  Other  parcels 
were  also  sold,  some  for  two  and  some  for  one  shilling  an  acre.  Such 
large  sales,  especially  the  Macomb  Purchase,  created  a  great  deal  of 
excitement  at  the  time  and  serious  accusations  were  made  against  the 
commissioners  of  the  land  office,  especially  as  the  prices  of  the  different 
parcels  were  so  different.  The  upshot  of  it  was,  the  sales  were  confirmed 
and  there  was  no  real  belief  that  anything  dishonest  had  been  practiced. 

The  above  is  not  strictly  a  part  of  the  history  of  Oneida  county,  but 
it  is  placed  in  this  connection  as  showing  the  influence  those  sales  had 
in  attracting  to  this  region  a  large  class  of  settlers  and  hastening  the 
organization   of  Oneida    county.      Settlers   had  pushed   their   way  into 


142  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Redfield  and  other  parts  of  Oswego  county  and  into  what  are  now  the 
counties  of  Jefferson  and  Lewis,  and  quite  numerously  into  this  county, 
so  that  the  clamor  for  a  new  county  was  much  greater  than  it  had  been 
seven  years  before,  when  Herkimer  county  was  formed.  On  the  15th 
of  March,  1798,  a  new  county  was  formed  from  Herkimer,  and  at  the 
suggestion  of  a  resident  of  Whitesboro,  it  was  named  after  that  nation 
of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy  whose  territory  the  new  county  was  to 
occupy.  By  the  act  creating  Oneida  county,  it  was  provided  that  there 
should  be  held  in  said  county  a  Court  of  Common  Please  and  General 
Sessions  bf  the  Peace,  three  times  in  eacii  year,  to  commence  and  end 
as  follows  :  The  first  term  to  begin  the  third  Tuesday  of  May  [then  next] 
and  may  continue  till  the  Saturday  following  inclusive.  The  second 
term  to  begin  the  first  Tuesday  in  September,  and  may  continue  until 
the  Saturday  following  inclusive;  and  the  third  term  to  begin  the  last 
Tuesday  of  December  and  end  on  the  Saturday  following  inclusive. 
Nothing  was  contained  in  said  act  to  prevent  the  judges  and  justices 
adjourning  on  any  day  previous  to  Saturday  in  any  of  said  weeks,  if  the 
business  of  said  courts  permitted  the  same.  It  was  further  provided  that 
said  terms  of  the  court  should  be  held  at  the  school  house  near  Fort 
Stanwix  in  the  town  of  Rome  in  said  couniy.  That  school  house  was 
erected  in  1795  and  stood  at  the  southwest  CDiner  of  the  West  Park, 
across  Park  street  from  the  present  city  hall  building.  It  was  made 
lawful  to  confine  Oneida  county  prisoners  in  Herkimer  county  jail,  until 
a  jail  in  Oneida  county  was  erected.  The  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court 
were  not  required  to  hold  a  Circuit  Court  in  Oneida  county  in  the  year 
1798,  unless  in  their  judgment  they  deemed  it  proper  and  necessary. 
Oneida,  Herkimer,  and  Otsego  counties  were  constituted  a  district  for 
the  prosecution  of  offenses,  under  the  charge  of  the  assistant  attorney- 
general.  It  was  provided  that  the  court  hou^e  and  jail  in  and  for 
Oneida  county  should  be  erected  within  one  mile  of  Fort  Stanwix,  as 
the  surpervisors  of  the  several  towns  in  the  county  should  designate. 
Three  members  of  assembly  for  the  county  were  to  be  elected.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  the  county  was  to  be  held 
at  said  school  house  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  May,  1798.  The  following 
were  the  first  county  ofificers : 

First  judge,   Jedediah  Sanger,   of  New   Hartford;  side   judges,   Hugh  White,  of 


1788  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  143 

Whitesboro;  David  Ostrom,  Utica,  George  Huntington,  Rome,  James  Dean,  of 
Westmoreland;  sheriff,  William  Colbraith,  Rome;  county  clerk,  Jonas  Piatt, 
Whitesboro;  surrogate,  Arthur  Breese,  Whitesboro.  The  following  were  appointed 
assistant  justices:  Amos  Wetmore,  Needham  Maynard,  and  Elizur  Mosely,  Whites- 
boro; Thomas  Cassety,  Augusta;  Garret  Boon,  Boonville;  Adrian  Vanderkemp, 
Trenton;  Peter  Colt,  Rome,  and  Henry  McNeil.  For  justices  of  the  peace,  James 
S.  Kip,  James  Steele,  Mathias  Hurlbut,  James  Sheldon,  Jared  Chittenden,  Joseph 
Jennings,  Reuben  Long,  Ithamer  Coe,  Jesse  Curtiss,  Kirkland  Griffin,  William 
Blount.  James  Kinney,  Ephraim  Waldo,  Thomas  Converse,  Joseph  Jones,  Daniel 
Chapman,  Ebenezer  Hawley,  Abram  Camp,  Joshua  Hathaway,  Jesse  Pierce, 
Mathew  Brown,  jr.,  Daniel  W.  Knight,  Samuel  Sizer,  Ebenezer  Weeks,  William 
Olney,  Henry  Wager.  John  Hall,  Isaac  Alden,  Joseph  Strickland,  Samuel  Royce, 
John  W.  Bloomfield,  Benjamin  Wright,  Luke  Fisher,  Jonathan  Collins,  John  Storrs, 
D.  C.  I.  De  AngeHs,  Stephen  Moulton,  Abel  French,  Daniel  J.  Curtiss,  Samuel 
Howe,  Rozel  Fellows,  Rudolph  Gillier,  Medad  Curtiss,  John  Townsend,  Abial  Linds- 
ley,  G.  Camp,  Alexander  Coventry,  and  John  Bristol,  (48). 

The  first  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  for  Oneida  county  was  held  on 
June  5,  1798,  by  James  Kent,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  at  the 
aforesaid  school  house,  assisted  by  George  Huntington,  side  judge  of 
the  Common  Pleas,  and  by  Thomas  Cassety  and  Elizur  Moseley,  assist- 
ant justices.  The  next  Oyer  and  Terminer  was  held  on  the  second 
Tuesday  of  September,  1798,  at  the  school  house.  The  first  term  of 
the  Common  Pleas  was  held  at  the  said  school  house  on  the  third  Tues- 
day in  May,  1798, present  Jedediah  Sanger,  first  judge,  and  George  Hunt- 
ington and  Drivid  Ostrom,  side  judges.  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Joseph  Kirkland, 
Arthur  Breese.  Joshua  Hathaway,  Erastus  Clark,  Joab  Griswold,  Nathan 
Williams,  Francis  A  Bloodgood,  Rufus  Easton,  Jonas  Piatt,  and  Medad 
Curtiss  having  been  theretofore  admitted  as  attorneys  to  the  Herkimer 
Common  Pleas,  were  at  that  term  of  the  court  admitted  to  the  Oneida 
Common  Pleas. 

The  first  Circuit  Court  held  in  Oneida  county  was  also  at  the  same 
school  house  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  September,  1798,  by  Hon.  John 
Lansing,  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Previous  to  May,  1802, 
the  county  courts  were  held  at  the  Rome  school  house. 

For  over  200  years  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  has  existed  in 
New  York.  Before  the  Revolution  justices  were  appointed  by  the 
colonial  Governor  and  Council  ;  after  the  Revolution  by  the  Council  of 
Appointment.  As  many  were  appointed  in  each  county  (not  by  towns) 
as  were  deemed  necessary  "to  keep  the  peace."      In  colonial  times  they 


144  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

were  called  the  "  king's  justices."  Under  the  first  Constitution  of  New 
York  in  1777,  justices  held  their  office  at  pleasure  of  the  appointing 
power,  but  the  commissions  must  issue  at  least  every  three  years.  Jan- 
uary 30  1787,  an  act  was  passed  providing  "  that  every  county  in  this 
State,  good  and  lawful  men  of  the  best  reputation  and  who  were  known 
to  be  no  maintainers  of  evil  or  barrators,  shall  be  assigned  under  the 
great  seal,  from  time  to  time,  justices  to  keep  the  peace  in  the  same 
counties."  By  an  act  passed  April  11,  1808,  suitors  (except  in  the 
case  of  sickness)  were  not  allowed  to  have  attorneys  appear  and  advo- 
cate for  them;  this  act  was  repealed  in  18 10.  In  18 13  it  was  enacted 
that  in  every  county  in  this  State,  "  fit  and  discreet  men  should  be  ap- 
pointed to  keep  the  peace."  By  the  State  Constitution  of  1821,  boards 
of  supervisors  and  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  were  authorized  to  act 
together  and  appoint  justices  of  the  peace,  who  were  to  hold  office  for 
four  years,  and  to  appoint  as  many  in  each  town  as  should  be  provided 
bylaw.  April  17,  1826,  an  act  was  passed  submitting  to  the  people 
an  amendment  to  that  Constitution,  authorizing  the  electors  of  the  sev- 
eral towns,  at  the  annual  election  (not  town  meeting)  to  elect  justices  of 
the  peace.  That  amendment  was  adopted.  An  act  was  passed  May  4, 
1829,  authorizing  justices  to  be  elected  at  town  meetings,  four  in  each 
town. 

On  the  organization  of  the  county  the  same  act  creating  Oneida 
county  provided,  that  part  of  the  town  of  Frankfort  included  within 
Oneida  county  was  added  to  and  made  a  part  of  the  town  of  Whites- 
town  ;  and  all  that  part  of  the  town  of  Schuyler  included  in  Oneida 
county  was  erected  into  the  town  of  Deerfield  ;  and  all  that  part  of  the 
town  of  Norway  within  Oneida  county  was  erected  into  the  town  of 
Remsen,  and  the  town  of  Augusta  was  erected  from  all  that  part  of 
Whitestown  bounded  westerly  and  southerly  by  the  county  of-  Che- 
nango, easterly  by  the  Brothertown  Reservation  and  Paris,  and  north- 
erly by  the  southernmost  "  Great  Genesee  Road  "  ;  and  the  remainder 
of  Whitestown  lying  within  the  Oneida  Reservation  was  annexed  to 
Westmoreland. 

By  an  act  passed  April  3,  1798,  "Old  Fort  Schuyler"  was  incorpo- 
rated into  the  village  of  Utica.  An  act  passed  March  13,  1799,  direct- 
ing the  then  clerk  of  Oneida  county  to  deliver  to  the  Herkimer  county 


1788  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  145 

clerk  all  records,  books,  and  papers  appertaining  to  the  clerk's  office  of 
the  latter,  excepting  deed  and  mortgage  books,  and  as  to  those  they 
were  to  be  retained  by  the  Oneida  county  clerk  and  he  to  give  a  certi- 
fied copy  of  them  to  be  recorded  in  Herkimer  county,  so  far  as  they  re- 
lated to  Herkimer  county  lands.  Those  record  books  are  yet  in  Oneida 
county  clerk's  office.  A  fire  in  1804  in  the  Herkimer  county  clerk's 
office  destroyed  all  the  books,  papers  and  records  then  in  that  county 
clerk's  office. 

By  an  act  passed  March  15,  1799,  the  town  of  Mexico  was  divided 
and  the  toAvn  of  Camden  was  erected  out  of  the  portion  taken  off. 
Camden  then  contained  .what  are  now  the  towns  of  Annsville,  Camden, 
Vienna  and  Verona.  In  1799  the  third  newspaper  was  started  in  Oneida 
county,  at  Rome,  called  the  Columbian  Patriotic  Gazette.  Its  first 
issue  was  dated  August  15,  1799,  s"<J  Thomas  Walker  and  Ebenezer 
Eaton  were  its  proprietors.  The  Gazette  in  1803  was  removed  to  Utica. 

On  March  14,  1800,  Redfield  was  erected  into  a  town  from  Mexico. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  when  Oneida  county  was  formed  it  included 
the  present  counties  of  Jefferson,  Lewis,  and  St.  Lawrence,  and  that 
part  of  Oswego  county  lying  east  of  the  Oswego  River,  and  also  Oneida 
Lake. 

An  act  was  passed  April  7,  1800,  authorizing  the  Board  of  Supervis- 
ors of  Oneida  county  at  their  annual  meeting  in  the  next  May,  to  raise 
$3,000  to  build  a  jail  in  Oneida  county,  pursuant  to  a  petition  of  the 
supervisors  ;  and  the  prisoners  were  to  be  removed  to  said  jail  when 
the  sheriff  of  the  county  reported  that  it  was  finished.  Nothing  indi- 
cates where  the  jail  was  to  be  built  nor  who  was  to  authorize  its  con- 
struction. 

The  law  of  1798  organizing  Oneida  county  provided  for  the  erection 
of  a  court  house  and  jail  within  one  mile  of  the  school  house  at  Fort 
Stanwix,  as  the  supervisors  should  designate  ;  and  that  county  courts 
then  named  should  be  held  at  that  school  house  ;  yet  the  act  did  not 
provide  where  the  Circuit  Courts  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  should  be  held, 
nor  where  the  county  clerk's  office  should  be  located  and  its  reports 
kept,  nor  where  other  county  buildings  should  be  located.  At  that 
time  there  were  three  persons  residing  in  different  localities  within  the 
county,  men  of  influence,  who  had  large  landed  interests  to  be  bene- 
19 


146  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

fited  by  the  erection  of  the  county  buildings  and  the  designation  of  the 
county  seat,  viz.:  Dominick  Lynch,  of  Rome,  Jedediah  Sanger,  of  New 
Hartford,  and  Hugh  White,  of  Whitesboro.  The  first  named  was  a 
resident  of  New  York  city,  but  he  owned  a  large  acreage  of  lands  at  the 
•'  Oneida  Carrying  Place  "  ;  Judge  Sanger  was  a  large  land  owner  at 
New  Hartford,  and  Judge  White  at  Whitesboro  Judge  Sanger  had 
large  political  influence,  but  it  is  not  recorded  that  he  donated,  or  offered 
to  donate,  a  site  for  any  of  the  county  buildings.  Mr.  Lynch'  in  1796 
mapped  out  for  a  village  plot  the  territory  then  owned  by  him,  which 
included  what  is  now  the  business  portion  of  Rome  city,  and  he  divided 
it  into  village  or  city  lots,  gave  it  the  name  of  Lynchville,  and  engrafted 
upon  his  tenure  system  "  durable  leases  "  for  a  term  of  years  (except  in 
a  few  instances),  instead  of  conveyances  in  fee.  By  a  deed  of  convey- 
ance Mr.  Lynch  on  the  21st  of  May,  1800,  conveyed  to  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Oneida  county  the  East  and  West  Parks  and  the  sites 
now  occupied  by  the  court  house  and  jail,  for  the  use  of  these  buildings, 
and  also  provided  that  all  on  the  east  side  of  James  street  should  belaid 
out  and  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of  building  and  erecting,  and  to 
the  use  of  the  court  house  and  jail,  and  that  all  the  part  west  of  James 
street,  for  the  purpose  of  building  and  erecting  a  church  and  school 
house  thereon,  which  church  and  school  house  shall  be  established  and 
built  according  to  the  direction  of  a  majorit>-  of  the  freeholders  of  the 
town  of  Rome,  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  said  town.  About 
the  time  that  deed  was  given,  individuals  erected  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  the  jail  a  wooden  structure  for  a  jail  one  story  high,  made  of 
hewn  timber,  flattened  and  dove-tailed  together  so  that  it  was  a  firm  and 
substantial  structure  for  those  times.  The  timber  was  blocks  of  wood 
one  foot  to  eighteen  inches  in  thickness  and  two  and  one-half  feet  long_ 
That  was  before  the  site  for  a  court  house  and  jail  was  fixed,  and  it  was 
doubtless  erected  in  view  of  Mr.  Lynch's  deed  and  to  influence  the  offi- 
cial location  of  those  buildings. 

In  1800  the  second  United  States  census  was  ordered  to  be  taken.  It 
was  ordered  to  be  commenced  on  the  first  Monday  in  August  and  to  be 
completed  within  nine  months  thereafter.  Indians  not  taxed  were 
omitted  from  the  lists.      The  enumeration  was  to  be  made  as  of  the  first 


1788  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  147 

Monday  in  August,  i8oo.     That  census  shows  the    population   in    the 
respective  towns  then  comprising  Oneida  county  as  follows  : 

Towx.  Formed  in  Population. 

Augusta 1798, .1,598 

Bridgewater, 1797, .     . .    1,061 

Deerfield, 1 798 1 ,  048 

Floyd, 1796, 767 

Leyden, 1797 623 

Mexico, 1796, 246 

Paris 1792,... 4,721 

Remsen, 1798, _.    224 

Rome 1796 1,497 

Steuben, ...1792,. 552 

Trenton, 1797 624 

Westmoreland, 1797, 1,493 

Whitestown, .1788, 4,212 

Total 18, 665 

An  act  was  passed  March  30,  1801,  making  it  lawful  for  all  officers 
of  Oneida  county  to  confine  their  prisoners  in  the  jail  in  Herkimer 
county,  until  a  jail  is  erected  in  Oneida  county  ;  and  that  as  soon  as 
the  sheriff  of  Oneida  county  shall  deem  the  jail  directed  to  be  built  in 
that  county  sufficiently  finished  for  the  safe  keeping  of  prisoners,  the 
same  shall  from  thence  be  the  jail  of  Oneida  county,  and  the  sherifi" 
shall  so  remove  his  prisoners.  At  the  December  term  of  the  Common 
Pleas  of  1801,  Sheriff  Broadhead  reported  the  jail  at  Whitesboro  was 
completed,  and  that  authorized  prisoners  to  be  removed  there  under  the 
act  before  mentioned. 

On   the   3d   of  April,  1801,   the   State  Legislature   divided   the  State 

into  counties,  making  the  boundary  of  Oneida  county  more  definite  as 

follows  : 

All  that  part  of  the  State  bounded  easterly  by  the  county  of  Herkimer,  northerly 
by  the  County  of  Chnton,  and  by  the  northern  bounds  of  this  State,  from  the  most 
westerly  corner  of  the  County  of  Clinton  to  a  place  in  Lake  Ontario  where  the  said 
northern  bounds  shall  be  intersected  by  the  new  pre-emption  line  aforesaid,  con- 
tinued due  north ;  westerly  by  the  line  last  mentioned  to  the  south  bank  of  Lake 
Ontario;  and  southerly  by  the  counties  of  Cayuga,  Onondaga,  and  Chenango,  and  the 
southern  bounds  of  the  patent  granted  to  William  Bayard  and  others,  called  the 
"Freemasons'  Patent." 

Under  an  act  passed  April   7,  1801,    describing   the  divisions  of  the 


148  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

various  counties  into  towns,  the  following  were  named  as  the  then  ex- 
isting subdivisions  of  Oneida  county: 

Bridgewater,  erected  from  Sangerfield  March  24,  1797  (annexed  to 
Oneida  county  April  4,  1804) 

Deerfield,  erected  from  Schuyler  (then  Herkimer  county)  March  15, 
1798. 

Trenton,  erected  from  Schuyler  (in  Herkimer  county)  March  24, 
1797. 

Paris,  erected  from  Whitestown,  April  2,  1792. 

Whitestown,  erected  March  7,  1788. 

Remsen,  erected  from  Norway  (in  Herkimer  county)  March  15,  1798. 

Floyd,  erected  from  Steuben  March  4,  1796. 

Steuben,  erected  from  Whitestown  April  10,  1792. 

Western,  erected  from  Steuben  March  10,  1797. 

Leyden,  erected  from  Steuben  March  10,  1797  (taken  into  Lewis 
county  when  it  was  erected,  in  1805). 

Rome,  erected  from  Steuben  March  4,  1796. 

Camden,  erected  from  Mexico  (now  Oswego  county)  March  15, 
1799. 

Redfield,  erected  from  Mexico  March  14,  1800  (taken  into  Oswego 
county  when  it  was  erected  in  18 16). 

Watertown,  erected  from  Mexico  March  14,  1800  (taken  into  Jeffer- 
son county  when  it  was  erected  in  1805). 

Champion,  erected  from  Mexico  March  14,  1800  (taken  into  Jefferson 
county  in  1805). 

Lowville,  erected  from  Mexico  March  14,  1800  (taken  into  Lewis 
county  in  1805). 

Turin,  erected  from  Mexico  March  14,  1800  (taken  into  Lewis  county 
into  1805). 

Mexico,  erected  from  Whitestown  April  10,  1792,  as  part  of  Her- 
kimer county,  and  taken  into  Oswego  county  in  18 16 

Westmoreland,  erected  from  Whitestown  April  10,  1792. 

Augusta,  erected  from  Whitestown  March  15,  1798. 

Of  this  list  of  twenty  towns  seven  are  now  in  other  counties,  as  noted. 
To  the  remaining  thirteen  have  since  been  added  thirteen  others,  be- 
sides the  city  of  Utica,  the  erection  of  which  was  as  follows  : 


17S8  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  149 

Annsville,  formed  from  Lee,  Florence,  Camden  and  Vienna  April  12, 
1823. 

Ava,  formed  from  Boonville  May  12,  1846. 

Boonville,  formed  from  Leyden  (Lewis  county)  March  28,  1805. 

Florence,  formed  from  Camden  February  16,  1805. 

Kirkland,  formed  from  Paris  April  13,  1827. 

Lee,  formed  from  Western  April  3,  18 r  I. 

Marcy,  formed  from  Deerfield  March  30,  1832. 

Marshall,  formed  from  Kirkland  February  21,  1829. 

New  Hartford,  from  Whitestown  April  12,  1827, 

Sangerfield,  formed  from  Paris  March  5,  1795. 

Utica,  formed  as  a  town  from  Whitestown  April  7,  18 17. 

Vernon,  formed  from  Westmoreland  and  Augusta  February  17,  1802. 

Verona,  formed  from  Westmoreland  February  17,  1802. 

Vienna,  formed  from  Camden  April  3,  1807  (as  Orange). 

The  first  attempt  to  divide  Oneida  county  after  its  erection  was  dis- 
cussed in  the  early  years  of  the  century  and  in  1804  assumed  tangible 
form.  Three  delegates  were  chosen  from  each  of  the  towns  most  inter- 
ested in  the  project  and  they  met  on  the  20th  of  November,  of  the  year 
named,  at  the  house  of  Freedom  Wright,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Denmark  (Lewis  county).  The  usual  contention  for  the  location  of  the 
county  seat  of  the  proposed  new  county  ensued  among  the  delegates 
and  it  was  found  impossible  to  come  to  an  agreement.  The  problem 
was  finally  solved  by  a  proposition  to  erect  two  new  counties  instead  of 
one,  and  application  was  made  to  the  Legislature  to  this  effect.  The 
result  was  the  passage  of  the  act  of  March  28,  1805,  erecting  Lewis 
and  Jefferson  counties.  This  left  Oneida  county  with  substantially  its 
present  territory  and  all  of  the  present  county  of  Oswego  lying  east  of 
Oswego  River,  which  was  taken  off  on  the  ist  March,  18 16. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1801,  the  Legislature  appointed  Thomas  Jenkins 
and  Hezekiah  L.  Hosmer,  of  Saratoga,  and  Dirck  Lane,  of  Rensselaer 
county,  commissioners  for  designating  the  place  for  a  court  house  and 
jail  in  Oneida  county  ;  and  said  commissioners  by  said  act,  to  repair  to 
the  county,  as  soon  as  may  be  after  May  ist,  and  after  exploring  the 
county,  to  ascertain  and  designate  a  fit  and  proper  place  therein,  for 
erecting  said  building,  having  respect  or  reference  to  a  future  division 


150  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  county  ;  and  it  was  provided,  that  in  the  opinion  of  any  two  of 
said  commissioners,  the  building  erected  for  a  jail  in  the  town  of  Rome 
by  individuals  of  the  same  county,  shall  be  at  a  proper  place  and  duly 
constructed  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  then  in  that  case,  the  supervisors 
of  said  county  were  directed  to  audit  the  accounts  of  such  individuals 
for  erecting  said  jail  and  allow  such  just  sum  therefor  as  might  with 
reasonable  economy  have  been  necessarily  expended  upon  the  same 
building,  and  thereupon  draw  an  order  or  orders  in  favor  of  such  indi- 
viduals upon  the  county  treasurer  of  Oneida  county  for  same  ;  and  it 
was  further  provided,  that  if  said  commissioners  or  any  two  of  them 
shall  agree  and  designate  any  other  place  than  that  at  which  the  said 
building  for  a  jail  is  so  erected,  as  a  fit  and  proper  place  for  such  court 
house  and  jail,  and  file  a  certificate  with  the  county  clerk,  then  and  in 
that  case  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  the  said  supervisors,  and  they 
are  required  to  appoint  one  or  more  commissioners  to  erect  a  jail  for 
said  county  at  the  place  designated,  to  be  constructed  upon  such  plan 
and  in  such  manner  as  said  supervisors  shall  prescribe.  And  the 
supervisors  were  required  by  said  act  to  audit  and  pay  the  accounts  of 
such  commissioners  in  erecting  said  jail;  provided,  that  in  case  the 
commissioners  above  named,  or  any  three  of  them,  shall  not  be  able  to 
a^ree  upon  a  place  for  said  court  house  and  jail,  it  shall  then  be  their 
duty  to  nominate  an  additional  commissioner  to  associate  with  them  in 
discharging  said  trust,  and  the  determination  of  any  tiiree  of  them  to  be 
final.  It  was  further  provided  by  said  act,  that  tiie  building  erected,  or 
to  be  erected,  for  said  jail  and  so  designated,  shall  be  the  jail  of  said 
county,  and  as  soon  as  said  building  shall,  in  the  opinion  of  the  sheriff 
of  Oneida  county,  be  finished  in  such  manner  as  to  confine  his  prisoners, 
it  was  made  lawful  for  such  sheriff  to  remove  his  prisoners  in  his  county 
to  such  jail.  It  was  further  provided,  that  in  case  the  jail  was  not 
selected  which  the  individuals  had  erected,  then  the  supervisors  were 
directed  to  audit  and  pay  the  accounts  of  said  individuals  for  erecting 
said  jail. 

Mr.  Hosmer,  one  of  the  commissioners  named,  was  member  of  con- 
gress from  Columbia  county  in  1797  98.  Mr.  Thompson  was  county 
judge  of  Saratoga  county  in  1791,  member  of  congress  in   1797-98,  and 


1788  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY.  151 

a  member  of  the  State  constitutional  convention  in  i8oi.  ]\Ir.  Lane 
was  a  member  of  assembly  from  Rensselaer  county  in  1809. 

Following  dates  in  chronological  order  as  far  as  practical  and  con- 
venient, it  need  be  stated  that  on  April  7,  iSoi,  the  counties  of  the 
State  were  subdivided  into  towns,  and  that  the  towns  in  Oneida  county 
in  that  year  were  as  follows  :  Augusta,  Bridgewater,  Camden,  Champion, 
Deerfield,  Floyd,  Leyden.  Lowville,  Mexico,  Paris,  Redfield,  Remsen, 
Rome,  Steuben,  Turin,  Trenton,  Watertown,  Western,  Westmoreland, 
and   Whitestown  (20). 

Matters  in  reference  to  locating  the  court  house  and  jail  were  ap- 
proaching a  crisis  and  Hugh  White  bestirred  himself.  On  the  20th  of 
June,  1 801,  he  conveyed  to  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Oneida  county 
one  acre  and  fifty-three  rods  of  land  in  Whitesboro,  on  the  corner  of 
the  road  leading  to  Utica  and  the  one  leading  to  Middle  Settlement, 
for  the  sole  and  exclusive  use  of  a  court  house  and  "  gaol  "  (as  that 
word  was  then  spelled),  for  said  county  buildings  to  be  erected  thereon, 
and  for  no  other  use,  cultivation  or  improvement  whatever,  except  for 
a  public  parade  or  common  forever  ;  subject  to  the  express  condition 
that  the  said  supervisors  shall  erect  and  set  up  a  good  and  sufficient 
fence  around  said  grounds  and  keep  the  same  in  repair;  and  in  default, 
said  grant  to  become  void.  Said  deed  was  acknowledged  before  Arthur 
Breese,  master  in  chancery,  September  28,  1801,  and  recorded  the  same- 
day.  As  before  stated.  Sheriff  Broadhead  reported  to  the  court  in  De- 
cember, 1 801,  that  the  jail  was  completed  sufficient  for  prisoners.  It 
was  constructed  similar  to,  if  not  exactly  like,  the  Rome  jail ;  the  cor- 
ners fastened  by  pins  (like  the  jail  in  Rome)  The  structure  is  now 
used  as  a  residence ;  the  court  house  is  now  used  as  a  town  hall.  When 
those  buildings  ceased  to  be  used  for  the  original  purposes,  the  prop- 
erty reverted  to  the  heirs  of  Hugh  White,  the  grantor.  In  a  chancery 
partition  and  sale  of  property,  Hon.  Philo  White,  a  descendant  of  the 
donor,  became  tlie  owner,  and  he  in  1 860  donated  the  old  court  house  for  a 
town  hall  to  the  village  and  town  for  public  purposes;  and  he  also  donated 
or  dedicated  the  public  green  in  front  for  similar  uses  and  purposes  to 
the  same  municipal  bodies. 

An  act  was  passed  February  20,  1802,  authorizing  and  directing  the 
supervisors  of  Oneida  county  to  levy  $539  for  the  purpose  of  complet- 


152  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ing  the  jail  in  said  county.      It  is  not  said  which  jail,  but  the  one  at 
Whitesboro  is  presumably  the  one. 

On  March  3,  1802,  the  county  of  St.  Lawrence  was  taken  from 
Oneida  county.  On  February  17,  1802,  the  towns  of  Verona  and 
Vernon  were  formed  of  parts  of  the  towns  of  Augusta  and  Westmore- 
land. On  April  i  of  the  same  year  the  towns  of  Leyden,  Mexico  and 
Watertown  (then  in  Oneida  county)  were  divided  and  the  towns  of 
Adams,  Brownville,  and  Rutland,  now  in  Jefferson  county,  were  formed 
from  their  territory. 

An  act  passed  February  22,  1803,  divided  the  towns  of  Champion^ 
Lowville,  Mexico,  and  Turin,  and  the  new  towns  of  Kllisburgh,  Harris- 
burgh,  and  Martinsburgh  were  formed  therefrom  ;  and  by  an  act  passed 
on  the  same  day,  all  such  parts  of  the  Steuben  Patent  as  were  pre- 
viously included  in  the  towns  of  Remsen  and  Trenton  were  annexed  to 
the  town  of  Steuben. 

Prior  to  1802  all  the  courts  in  Oneida  county  were  held  at  the  school 
house  near  Fort  Stanwix  ;  in  that  year  they  were  held  at  the  school 
house  near  Hugh  White's  in  Whitesboro.  By  an  act  passed  April  6, 
1803,  the  courts  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  and  the  Circuit  Courts  in  Oneida 
county  were  authorized  to  be  held  either  in  Rome  or  Whitesboro,  at 
the  discretion  of  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  ;  and  the  courts  of 
General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  and  the  Common  Pleas  in  and  for  said 
county  were  required  to  be  alternately  held  between  Rome  and  Whites- 
town.  And  the  same  act  provided,  that  the  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  supervisors  of  the  county  for  building  the  jail  in  said  county  were 
directed  to  cause  the  doors  of  the  jail  lately  built  at  Rome  to  be  made 
complete,  and  the  supervisors  were  directed  to  audit  and  pay  the  ac- 
counts. On  P'ebruary  26,  1803,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  su- 
pervisor of  Oneida  county  to  raise  $500  for  finishing  and  completing 
the  jail  at  Whitestown. 

The  following  shows  the  towns  of  Oneida  county  in  1803,  the  number 
of  residents  and  non-residents,  the  names  of  the  supervisors,  and  the 
aggregate  valuation  in  each  town  : 


1788  TO  1806— FORMATION  OF  THE  COUNTY. 


153 


1803. 
SUPERVISORS  AND  TOWNS. 


1.  Jedediah  Phelps,  Verona 

2.  Daniel  Kelley,  Lowville 

3.  Sheldon  Parmelee,  Augusta .. 

4.  Gershom  Hinckley,  Jr.,  Remsen 

5.  Joseph  Jones,  Westmoreland 

G.   Jesse  Curtis,  Paris 

7.  Henry  Huntington,  Rome 

8.  Geo.  Doolittle,  Whitestown 

9.  Samuel  Wetmore,  Vernon . 

10-  Nathan  Sage,  Redfield 

11.  Henry  Wager,  Western 

12.  Isaac  Brayton,  Deerfield 

13.  Henry  Coffeen,  Watertown 

14.  Asa  Brayton,  Martinsburg . 

15.  Silas  Southwell,  Leyden 

16.  David  Coffeen.  Rutland. 

17.  Samuel  Sizer,  Steuben 

18.  Eleazer  House,  Turin 

19.  Noadiah  Hubbard,  Champion 

20.  Jacob  Brown,  Brownville 

21.  Jarvis  Pike,  Floyd 

22.  Lewis  Graves,  Harrisburg 

23.  Nicholas  Salisbury,  Adams 

24.  Reuben  Hamilton,  Mexico 

25.  John  Humaston,  Camden 

26.  John  Storrs,  Trenton 

27.  Asher  Flint,  Bridgewater 


c 

o 
d 

+j 
c 

.'2 

'tr. 

© 
Pi 

a 
o 
"A 

107 

28 

161 

224 

i 

53 

24 

171 

17 

758 

28 

248 

25 

600 

6 

160 

9 

55 

17 

252 

30 

181 

16 

163 

24 

53 

13 

183 

42 

129 

18 

143 

25 

145 

7 

93 

16 

124 

6 

142 

25 

110 

9 

120 

12 

121 

45 

194 

29 

158 

17 

187 

12 

41 

82 

57 

211 

403 

189 

705 

65 

52 

127, 

240 

46 

45 

287, 

29, 

75, 

279 

27, 

484, 

149, 

54 

83 

628 

129 

116 

145 


129.00 
300.00 
271.00 
544.00 
223.00 
139.00 
748.00 
113.00 
966.00 
537.50 
043.00 
532.00 
412.10 
418.80 
885.77 
34.00 
209.11 
824.00 
263.00 
856.75 
332.00 
006.00 
455.37 
071.00 
,499.00 
,250.70 
,441.00 


By  an  act  passed  March  24,  1804,  the  towns  of  Adams  and  Mexico, 
then  in  Oneida  county,  were  divided,  and  the  towns  of  Harrison,  Malta, 
and  Williamstown  formed  out  of  such  division.  February  16,  1805, 
the  town  of  Camden  was  divided  and  the  town  of  Florence  formed 
therefrom. 

And  now  the  time  was  near  at  hand  when  it  was  self-evident  that  the 
county  of  Oneida  was  to  be  divided  and  one  or  more  counties  formed 
from  the  territory  detached.  The  settlement  in  what  are  now  Jefferson 
and  Lewis  counties,  and  in  the  town  of  Redfield  and  contiguous  terri- 
tory, placed  the  inhabitants  of  those  localities  at  a  great  inconvenience 
in  going  to  Rome  for  a  county  seat,  as  the  settlers  in  Oneida  and  Herki- 
mer counties  had  suffered  in  going  to  Johnstown  and  later  to  Herkimer 

for    county    seats,     before    Herkimer  and   Oneida  counties     were    or- 
20 


154  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ganized.  In  1804  the  excitement  ran  high.  The  towns  of  Redfield, 
Champion,  Watertown,  Brownville,  Lowville,  and  Martinsburgh  aspired 
to  be  county  seats.  The  first  two  named  did  not  expect  the  honor  if 
two  counties  were  formed.  At  Redfield  Square  was  quite  a  settlement, 
made  prior  to  1800.  The  leader  there  was  Capt.  Nathan  Sage;  he  had 
been  in  the  Revolution,  commander  of  the  war  vessel  Middletown,  six- 
teen guns  and  one  hundred  men,  and  came  from  Connecticut  about 
1795.  At  Champion  was  Judge  Noadiah  Hubbard,  father  of  the  late 
Judge  F.  W.  Hubbard,  of  Watertown.  He  went  in  1797  from  Steuben 
in  Oneida  county,  with  a  number  of  others,  to  settle  on  the  new  town  - 
ship  now  known  as  Champion,  and  to  act  as  agent  for  the  two  owners 
(Champion  and  Storrs).  He  started  in  the  fall,  went  down  Black  River 
to  Carthage,  then  known  as  Long  Falls  ;  thence  across  the  country 
eicrht  to  ten  miles  through  an  unbroken  wilderness  to  Champion.  There 
were  also  in  1804  settled  at  Champion  three  young  lawyers,  in  expecta- 
tion that  it  would  be  selected  as  the  county  seat,  viz,  :  Moss  Kent, 
Egbert  Ten  Eyck,  and  Henry  R.  Storrs.  Mr.  Kent  was  brother  of 
Chancellor  Kent  and  land  agent  for  land  owners  ;  later  assemblyman 
and  congressman  from  Jefferson.  Mr.  Ten  Eyck  was  later  county 
judge  and  member  of  congress  and  of  the  Assembly  ;  he  was  later  the 
father-in-law  of  the  late  Judge  Mullin.  Henry  R.  Storrs  was  son 
of  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  township  and  went  from  Whitesboro  to 
Champion  ;  when  that  town  did  not  become  a  county  seat  he  returned 
to  Whitesboro,  became  one  of  the  most  eloquent  jury  lawyers  in  the 
State,  judge  of  Oneida  county  and  member  of  congress  four  terms. 
At  Watertown  was  Henry  Coffeen,  the  first  county  clerk,  and  a  host  of 
other  strong  men.  At  Brownville  was  Gen.  Jacob  Brown,  who  settled 
there  in  1799  and  was  agent  for  Le  Ray.  He,  like  Colonel  Willett, 
was  of  Quaker  origin,  yet  both  became  military  heroes.  Colonel  Willett 
in  the  Revolution,  and  General  Brown  in  the  war  of  1812.  At  Lowville 
was  Judge  Stow  and  at  Martinsburgh  General  Martin,  both  with  large 
landed  interests  to  be  benefited  by  the  location  of  the  county  seat.  All 
of  these  men,  as  well  as  most  of  those  who  settled  in  the  •'  rural  dis- 
tricts" early  in  the  present  century,  and  seventy- five  or  even  fifty  years 
ago,  were  generally  remarkable  men.  "  They  were  giants  in  those  days." 
Those   in  this  county  whose   names  readily  come  to  memory,   without 


1806  TO  1812.  155 

consulting  records,  are  such  men  as  Judge  Amos  Wood  worth  of 
Florence;  Caleb  Goodrich  and  Richard  Hurlburt,  of  I5oonville  ;  Judge 
Israel  Stoddard,  of  Camden  the  "  king  of  the  Fish  Creek  nation,"  who 
carried  the  towns  of  Camden,  Annsville,  Vienna,  and  Verona  in  his 
pocket ;  Delos  De  Wolf,  of  Bridgewater  ;  "  King"  David  Moulton,  of 
F'loyd  ;  Hiram  Shays  and  the  Prescotts,  of  New  Hartford  ;  John  D. 
Leland  of  Deerfield  ;  Aaron  Stafford,  of  Sangerfield  ;  Judge  Truman 
Enos,  and  Pomroy  Jones,  of  Westmoreland  ;  David  and  Squire  Utley, 
and  the  Wagers  and  the  Braytons,  of  Western ;  Israel  S.  Parker,  of 
Vienna. 

Well,  the  outcome  of  the  division  of  Oneida  county  was  that  two 
counties  were  taken  off,  Jefferson  and  Lewis;  the  one  named  after  the 
then  president  of  the  United  States,  and  the  other  after  Morgan  Lewis, 
then  governor  of  the  State.  The  county  seat  for  Jefferson  was  located 
at  Watertown  ;  the  one  for  Lewis  at  Martinsburgh.  The  act  incorpo- 
rating those  counties  passed  March  28,  1805  ;  and  by  the  same  act  the 
town  of  Boonville  was  formed  from  that  of  Leyden  which  remained  in 
Oneida  county. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
1806  TO  1812. 


On  March  21,  1806,  an  act  was  passed  dividing  the  town  of  Mexico, 
then  in  Oneida  county,  and  forming  the  town  of  Fredericksburg  (now 
Volney,  Oswego  county)  from  a  portion  of  the  territory. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  1806,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Oneida  county  to  raise  $4,000  for  the  purpose  of  build- 
ing the  court  houses  in  the  county,  one  to  be  erected  near  the  jail  at 
Whitesboro,  and  one  near  the  jail  at  Rome.  These  two  court  houses 
were  erected  accordingly  and  completed  about  1807.  Both  were  built 
of  brick.  The  one  at  Whitesboro  is  still  standing  and  is  now  used  as  the 
town  hall ;  over  the  front  door  is  a  marble  tablet  bearing  the  inscription, 
"  Erected  in  1807."     The  court  house  in  Rome  was  erected  at  the  same 


166  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

time  and  was  destroyed  by  fire  March  15,  1848.  At  the  time  of  the  fire 
there  were  three  prisoners  in  the  jail  (two  men  and  one  woman),  and  one 
of  the  prisoners  was  first  to  give  the  alarm  ;  he  stated  the  smoke  found 
its  way  into  his  room,  and  seemed  to  come  from  the  roof  of  the  jail,  and 
the  fire  had  made  such  headway  when  first  discovered,  it  was  evident 
the  jail  could  not  be  saved  ;  the  court  house  was  forty  feet  westerly 
from  the  jail,  and  between  the  two  buildinj^s  was  a  wooden  build- 
ing ;  that  was  torn  down  to  save  the  court  house,  but  of  no  use.  The 
prisoners  were  removed  and  Mrs.  Calvin  Washburn,  the  jailor's  wife, 
was  sick  in  bed  ;  she,  too,  was  carried  to  a  place  of  safety.  The  west 
wind  was  blowing  furiously,  and  carried  burning  cinders  and  shingles 
to  near  dwellings,  and  also  to  the  roof  of  the  M.  E.  church,  which  then 
stood  in  close  proximity.  A  burning  shingle  was  carried  by  the  wind 
to  the  spire  of  that  church  and  lodged  above  the  dome  and  set  it  on  fire. 
A  number  of  men  went  up  the  steeple  on  the  inside,  and  Albert  Soper, 
more  venturesome  than  the  rest,  broke  a  hole  through  the  top  of  the 
dome,  and  went  to  the  outside,  and  at  that  dizzy  height,  with  one  hand 
clung  to  the  edges  of  the  loose  tin  with  which  the  dome  was  covered, 
and  with  the  other  hand  and  a  tin  dipper,  dashed  water  on  and  put  out 
the  fire.  A  number  of  old  residents  remember  that  fire  ;  but  nothing 
was  so  vividly  impressed  on  their  memories,  as  they  related  to  the  au- 
thor the  story  of  that  fire,  as  that  daring,  fearless  adventure  of  Albert 
Soper.  A  sketch  and  a  picture  of  Mr.  Soper,  appear  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  It  is  supposed  both  court  buildings  were  very  much  alike,  if 
not  exactly  the  same,  and  smaller  than  the  present  Rome  court  house. 
Where  the  brick  were  made  which  were  used  in  the  buildings  is  uncer- 
tain. They  were  brought  from  Albany  via  the  Mohawk  River.  John 
Healt  came  to  Rome  in  18 16  from  Herkimer  county.  His  son,  David 
W.,  now  over  seventy-five  years  old,  and  Jolin  Healt's  daughter,  Sarah, 
now  over  eighty,  relate  that  they  often  heard  their  father  say  that  he 
helped  pole  the  boats  up  the  Mohawk  from  Albany  which  carried  those 
brick  ;  that  their  father  in  those  days  did  much  of  that  kind  of  work  and 
that  his  shoulders  were  as  raw  as  a  piece  of  uncooked  beef,  caused  by 
the  pole  resting  against  them  while  pushing  boats  up  the  stream.  When 
the  Rome  court  house  was  burned  in  1848,  Woodman  Kimball,  an  old 
Rome  contractor,  had  the  job  of  building  the  present  Rome  court  house 


1806  TO  1812.  157 

and  the  right  to  the  old  brick.  The  brick  were  used  by  him  in  erecting 
the  dwelHng  which  was  his,  and  which  now  stands  on  the  corner  of 
George  and  Court  streets. 

February  20,  1807,  the  town  of  Wilhamstown,  then  in  Oneida  county, 
was  divided  and  the  town  of  Richland  formed,  and  a  part  added  to  the 
town  of  Redfield.  By  an  act  passed  April  3,  of  the  same  year,  the  town 
of  Camden  was  divided  and  the  town  of  Orange  was  formed  from  it. 
On  April  6,  1808,  Orange  was  ciianged  to  the  town  of  Bengal,  and  on 
April  12,  1816,  that  town  was  changed  to  the  present  town  of  Vienna. 
On  April  8,  1808,  the  town  of  Wilhamstown  in  Oneida  county  was 
again  divided  and  the  town  of  Constantia  was  erected. 

In  February,  1808,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  the  governor  of 
New  York  to  distribute  military  stores  in  different  parts  of  the  State, 
and  among  other  places  Rome  was  designated  as  the  depository  of  700 
stand  of  arms.  The  records  of  Oneida  county  clerk's  office  show  that 
in  June,  1809,  Dominick  Lynch  deeded  to  the  State  by  gift  a  parcel  of 
land  now  occupied  by  St.  Peter's  church  in  Rome,  on  the  road  leading 
to  Floyd.  The  premises  were  98  by  200  feet  and  were  to  be  used  for 
a  deposit  for  military  stores  ;  and  when  for  three  years  they  ceased  to 
be  used  for  that  purpose,  the  land  was  to  revert  to  the  grantor.  A 
brick  building  with  a  stone  foundation  was  erected  about  1809  O""  18 10 
and  used  by  the  State  for  storing  arms  until  1822.  On  May  22  of  that 
year  that  building  was  destroyed  by  fire,  after  which  the  arms  not 
burned  were  removed  to  the  U.  S.  Arsenal,  then  on  Wood  Creek,  Rome, 
now  the  bath  tub  factory. 

On  March  19,  18 10,  an  act  was  passed  directing  the  supervisors  of 
Oneida  county  to  raise  money  not  exceeding  $1,000  for  the  purpose  of 
completing  the  court  houses  in  the  county. 

April  5,  181 1,  the  town  of  Fredericksburgh,  Oneida  county,  was 
divided  and  the  town  of  Scriba  was  formed  from  its  territory,  and  the 
rest  of  the  town  of  Fredericksburgh  took  the  name  of  Volney. 

March  i,  1816,  the  towns  of  Constantia,  Mexico.  New  Haven,  Red- 
field,  Richland,  Scriba,  .Volney,  Wilhamstown  (all  then  in  Oneida 
county),  and  Hannibal  in  Onondaga  county,  were  formed  into  a  new 
county  named  Oswego.  Whatever  other  changes  were  subsequently 
made  in  the  towns  of  Oneida  county  will  be  described  in  the  history   of 


158  OUR  COUNTY  AI^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  respective  towns.  The  matters  contained  in  preceding  chapters 
relative  to  the  formation  of  Oneida  county  show  how  it  happened  that 
our  county  was  given  two  court  houses  and  two  jails — in  fact  two  county 
seats. 

Members  of  the  local  bar  half  a  century  ago,  whose  memories  went 
back  a  quarter  of  a  century  farther,  stated  to  the  author  that  they  re- 
membered when  stocks  and  the  pillory  were  in  use  in  this  county  for 
the  punishment  of  minor  offenses.  Hamilton  Spencer,  son  of  the  late 
Joshua  A.  Spencer,  stated  that  among  his  early  recollections  of  Whites- 
boro  jail,  was  seeing  a  man  in  the  stocks  standing  in  the  court  house 
yard  for  some  minor  offense.  The  stocks  were  made  of  two  upright 
posts  and  a  platform  on  which  the  offender  sat,  while  his  legs  were 
thrust  through  two  holes  in  a  board  in  front  of  the  platform,  and  there 
fastened.  The  pillory  was  similar  except  that  the  offender's  head  and 
arms  were  put  through  the  board  in  front.  The  late  Harmon  Pease 
and  Hon.  Philo  White,  of  VVhitesboro,  related  seeing  in  their  younger 
days  the  stocks  in  the  court  yard  in  that  village,  about  midway  between 
the  court  house  and  Main  street. 

By  an  act  passed  March  24,  1787,  punishment  for  petit  larceny  by 
whipping  was  authorized,  not  to  exceed  thirty-nine  lashes  in  one  day ; 
and  whipping  posts  were  in  use  and  in  jail  yards  after  the  American 
Revolution  ;  but  by  an  act  passed  March  26,  1796,  that  mode  of  pun- 
ishment was  abolished.  By  an  act  passed  February  7,  1788,  forcer- 
tain  offenses  and  in  certain  cases  the  offenders  were  ordered  "  set  in  the 
pillory  for  the  space  of  one  hour,  in  some  town  or  public  place,  where 
the  offense  was  committed."  Cooper,  in  his  "  Pioneers,"  describes  the 
punishment  of  Leather  Stocking,  in  what  is  now  Otsego  county,  by 
placing  him  in  the  stocks.  That  old  Indian  hunter  and  trapper,  whose 
domain  was  the  boundless  woods,  and  who  never  knew  what  fear,  con- 
finement, or  restraint  was,  was  humiliated  beyond  measufe  to  be  thus 
deprived  of  his  liberty,  even  for  one  hour. 

February  23,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  convicted  offenders  to  be 
placed  in  the  stocks  for  two  hours  for  drunkenness,  profane  cursing  and 
swearing,  and  similar  offenses.  This  mode  of  punishment  was  abolished 
in  this  State  about  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Revised  Statutes, 
not  far  from  1830. 


1806  TO  1812.  159 

April  30,  1890,  Congress  authorized  for  certain  offenses  against  the 
United  States,  that  the  offender  should  be  punished  by  whipping,  not 
to  exceed  thirty-nine  lashes  in  one  day.  February  28,  1839,  that  mode 
of  punishment  was  abolished  by  Congress,  as  was  the  pillory  and  the 
stocks.  It  is  understood  that  Delaware  is  the  only  State  in  the  Union 
where  the  whipping  post  is  retained.  It  is  a  matter  of  interest,  as  well 
as  astonishment,  to  read  in  this  enlightened  age  of  the  various  offenses 
which  were  punishable  by  death  in  England  as  late  as  1806.  There 
were  160  of  them,  of  which  the  following  are  a  part:  Treason,  murder, 
arson,  rape,  counterfeiting  coin,  falsifying  judicial  records,  hunting  in 
the  night  in  disguise,  writing  threatening  letters  to  extort  money,  pull- 
ing down  toll  gates,  assembling  to  produce  riots,  smuggling,  marrying 
a  couple  except  in  church  without  a  license  from  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  wandering  as  gypsies  for  thirty  days,  burglary  in  the  night, 
stealing  from  the  person  over  twelve  pence,  stealing  fish,  hares,  or  rob- 
bing on  the  highway,  soldiers  or  sailors  found  begging  without  pro- 
ducing testimonials  of  their  discharge  from  service.  A  British  soldier 
who  had  lost  a  leg  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  or  a  sailor  an  arm  fighting 
against  Paul  Jones  off  the  coast  of  Great  Britain,  was  liable  to  the  death 
penalty  if  found  begging,  without  producing  evidence  of  his  discharge 
from  service  ;  and  in  addition  to  the  punishment  the  offender  might  be 
dragged  to  the  place  of  execution  at  the  heels  of  horses,  or  disemboweled 
while  alive,  or  quartered  and  the  parts  nailed  up  in  a  conspicuous  place 
or  his  skeleton  left  to  rot  on  the  gallows,  or  his  hands  and  ears  cut  off 
and  his  nose  slit,  or  be  branded  on  the  hand  or  cheek,  before  execution. 
With  such  barbarous  laws  existing  on  the  statute  books  of  England,  is 
it  a  wonder  tliat  some  of  the  minor  punishments  should  have  found 
their  way  into  the  laws  of  the  colonies  and  remained  there  for  years 
after  we  became  separated  from  the  mother  country  ? 

March  26,  18 10,  Congress  authorized  the  third  United  States  census 
to  be  taken,  the  enumeration  to  begin  on  the  third  Monday  in  August 
in  that  year.  For  convenience  the  fourth  census  of  1820  is  also  here 
given,  and  also  the  votes  for  governor  in  each  of  those  years.  In  18 10 
Jonas  Piatt,  who  then  resided  in  Whitesboro,  was  one  of  the  candidates 
for  governor,  which  may  account  for  the  large  vote  he  received  in  this 
county  ;  his  majority  was  377  in  the  county,  but  he  was  defeated  in  the 


160 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


State  by  7.514.  Mr.  Clinton's  majority  in  the  State  in  1820  was  only 
1,457.  Following  is  the  record  of  votes  in  each  of  those  years  in  the 
towns  then  in  Oneida  county  : 


Augusta 

Boonville--.. . .-. 

Bridgewater 

Bengal  (Vienna)  . 

Camden 

Constantia 

Deerfield 

Floyd 

Florence  

Fredericksburgh . 

Mexico .  . 

Paris . 

Remsen 

Redfield.-.. 

Richland 

Lee 

Rome 

Steuben  

Sangerfield 

Trenton 

Verona   

Vernon  

Westmoreland . . . 

Whitestown 

Williamstown  ... 

Western 

Scriba . 

Utica 


-Population. 


1810. 


,004 

393 

,no 

454 
,132 

153 
,232 

970 

396 

'845 
,418 
489 
362 
947 

'603 
105 
324 
548 
014 
519 
135 
912 
562 
416 
328 


1820. 


-Governor,    1810.- 


2,771 
1,294 
1,533 
1,307 
1,772 

2^346 

1,498 

640 


6,707 
912 


2.186 
3,569 
1,461 
2,011 
2,617 
2,447 
2,707 
2,791 
5,219 

2^237 

2^972 


150 
15 
63 
46 
68 
7 
62 
99 
33 
5 
61 

187 
19 
54 
73 


200 
52 
88 
25 

110 
19 
55 
28 
29 
6 
61 

465 

14 

3 

79 


^Governor,    1820. 


100 

82 

83 

57 

44 

133 

45 

82 

98 

53 

88 

102 

48 

93 

161 

372 

34 

48 

255 

25 

66 
24 
35 
20 
89 

38 
72 
16 


129 


123 
96 
44 
26 
41 
78 
20 
95 

103 
64 

134 
16 
25 


104 

36 

86 

149 

166 

97 
61 
41 


430 
31 


32 
140 

51 
142 
133 

95 
196 
135 
260 

32 

24 
108 
122 


Whatever  Oneida  county  history  there  is  from  this  period  down  to 
the  close  of  the  war  of  i8i2  is  so  closely  interwoven  with  that  war  that 
it  is  difficult,  as  well  as  unnecessary,  to  treat  it  separately.  A  brief 
sketch  of  that  war,  in  which  Oneida  county  figures,  is  given  in  the  next 
chapter. 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  161 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1813. 

With  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  long-harassed  inhab- 
itants of  the  Mohawk  valley  turned  to  peaceful  vocations,  intent  only 
upon  providing  homes  for  themselves  and  their  children  ;  and  before  the 
loud  alarms  of  war  again  resounded  through  the  land  fifteen  years  later, 
marked  and  important  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  territory  of  which 
this  work  treats.  Many  settlers  had  come  in  and  at  various  points 
formed  the  nucleus  of  hamlets,  usually  where  mills  were  built ;  forests 
fell  before  the  pioneer's  axe  leaving  clearings  around  every  log  house 
that  year  by  year  extended  their  boundaries  and  gladdened  the  owner's 
heart  with  larger  crops  ;  early  mills  were  built  and  primitive  stores  were 
opened  where  the  settler  and  his  family  could  procure  their  limited  sup- 
plies without  the  long  journeys  of  the  first  years  ;  schools  and  churches 
were  established  and  roads  opened  in  many  directions,  making  it  possi- 
ble for  distant  neighbors  to  meet  for  social  and  other  purposes  and  ren- 
dering communica' ion  with  mill  and  store  more  easy.  But  this  prog- 
ress was  slow  and  followed  only  upon  arduous  and  unremitting  toil 
and  many  hardships. 

It  will  be  correctly  inferred  that  the  first  settlers  in  the  Mohawk  val- 
ley were  a  patriotic  band  ;  it  could  scarcely  be  otherwise  after  their  pro- 
longed and  bitter  experience  at  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  in  whose  ranks 
had  fought  a  considerable  number  of  their  former  neighbors  and  ac- 
quaintances— the  so-called  tories.  When  the  war  closed  there  was 
shown  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  many  of  the  tories  to  return  to  the 
State  and  occupy  their  former  homesteads.  This  prospect  called  forth 
from  the  Whigs  the  most  emphatic  protests  and  practical  opposition. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Canajoharie  and  Mohawk  dis- 
tricts, proceedidgs  were  enacted  that  demonstrated  in  the  most  remark- 
able  manner  the  feelings  of  the  patriots  towards  their  recreant  neigh- 

21 


162  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

bors.      After  recounting  in  a   preamble  the  barbarities  of  the  tories  the 
following  was  adopted  : 

Therefore,  Resolved  unanimously,  That  all  those  who  have  gone  off  to  the  enemy, 
or  have  been  banished  by  any  law  of  this  State,  or  those  who  we  shall  find  tarried  as 
spies  and  tools  of  the  enemy,  and  encouraged  and  harbored  those  who  went  away, 
shall  not  live  in  this  district  under  any  pretence  whatever;  and  as  for  those  who 
have  washed  their  faces  from  Indian  paint,  and  their  hands  from  the  innocent  blood 
of  our  dear  ones,  and  have  returned  either  openly  or  covertly,  we  hereby  warn  them 
to  leave  this  district,  before  the  20th  of  June  next,  or  they  may  expect  to  feel  the  just 
resentment  of  an  injured  and  determined  people. 

This  document  is  dated  May  9,  1783.  Similar  and  more  extended 
resolutions  were  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  in  Fort  Plain  on  the  7th  day 
of  June,  1783  The  patriotism  of  the  people  would  not  even  tolerate 
the  name  "Tryon  "  as  applied  to  the  great  county  embracing  a  large 
part  of  the  State,  and  it  was  changed  to  Montgomery  on  the  2d  of  April, 

1784. 

The  reader  has  learned  in  the  preceding  chapter  that  the  territory  of 
Oneida   county  presented  characteristics    that  would  be  sure  to  attract 
settlers  as  soon  as  guarantees  of  peace  was  established.      No  land  fairer 
than   the  Mohawk  valley  exists  anywhere,  and   the   natural   features  of 
other  parts  of  the  county  are  little  less  attractive.      Hence,  when  peace 
settled  down   upon  the  country,  the  pioneers  came  in  rapidly,  many  of 
them  having  become  to  some  extent  familiar  with  the  region  during  the 
Revolution.      Whitestown  and  Vienna  each   received  its  first  settler  i 
1784,  Rome  in  1785,  Westmoreland  about  the  same  time;   in  1786  there 
were  a  few  houses  in  the  vicinity  of  Utica,  and   in  1788  New   Hartford 
was  first  settled,  while  Kirkland  had  received  her  earliest  pioneer  in  the 
previous  year.      Steuben,  Paris  and  Western  were  settled  in  1789,  Floyd 
in  1790,  and  before  the  middle  of  that  decade   nearly  or  quite  all  of  the 
towns  of  the  county  had  welcomed   their  pioneers.'      Between  the  close 
of  the  war  and  the  first  year  of  the  present  century  almost  all  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  county  (including  the  colonial  patents)  had  been  granted  in 
land  patents  which  are  described  in  Chapter  X.      The  progress  that  had 
been  made  in  the  valley  was  recorded  by  Capt.  Charles  Williamson,  an 
English  land  agent,  who  made  a  journey  from  Schenectady  westward  in 
1792.     He  said  : 

'  This,  of  course,  leaves  out  of  consideration  the  settlements  of  Fort  Stanwix  and  Dcerfield 
described  in  Chapter  V. 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  163 

After  leaving  Schenectady  I  traveled  over  a  most  beautiful  country  eighty  miles  to 
Fort  Schuyler  (old  Fort  Schuyler,  the  site  of  Utica),  where  I  forded  the  Mohawk. 
This  extent  was  the  scene  of  the  British  and  savage  cruelty  during  the  late  war,  and 
they  did  not  cease  while  anything  remained  to  destroy.  What  a  contrast  now !  Ev- 
ery house  and  barn  rebuilt,  the  pastures  crowded  with  cattle,  sheep,  etc.,  and  the  lap 
of  Ceres  full.  I  next  passed  through  Whitestown.  It  would  appear  to  you,  my 
friend,  on  hearing  the  relation  of  events  in  this  western  country,  that  the  whole  was 
fable;  and  if  you  were  placed  in  Whitestown  or  Clinton,  ten  miles  west  from  Fort 
Schuyler,  and  could  see  the  progress  of  improvement,  you  would  believe  it  en- 
chanted ground.  You  would  there  view  an  extensive,  well  built  town,  surrounded 
by  highly  cultivated  fields,  which  spot  in  the  year  1783  was  the  "haunt  of  tribes"  and 
the  hiding-place  of  wolves,  now  a  flourishing,  happy  situation,  containing  about  six 
thousand  people.  Clinton  stands  a  little  south  of  Whitestown,  and  is  a  very  large, 
thriving  town.  After  passing  Clinton  there  are  no  inhabitants  upon  the  road  until 
you  reach  Oneida,  an  Indian  town,  the  first  of  the  Six  Nations.  It  contians  about 
five  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants. 

Elkanah  Watson  from  whose  journal  of  1788  we  have  already  quoted 
in  Chapter  VIII  made  another  journey  in  1791,  accompanied  in  the  lat- 
ter by  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  and  kept  a  voluminous  diary,  from 
which  some  pertinent  quotations  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connection. 
He  left  Albany  on  the  ist  of  September,  and  after  noting  events  and 
places  in  his  travels  to  this  vicinity,  he  writes  as  follows  under  date  of 
September  8  and  later  : 

September  8. — A  pleasant  sail  of  ten  miles  this  fine  morning  brought  us  to  Old 
Fort  Schuyler.  Here  we  were  joined  by  General  Van  Cortlandt  and  Mr.  Bayard, 
who  were  waiting  for  us,  which  completes  our  number  to  thirteen. 

From  Little  Falls,  thus  far,  the  river  is  nearly  competent  to  inland  navigation, 
with  the  exception  of  a  serious  rapid,  and  a  great  bend  at  the  German  Flats,  called. 
Wolf-riff,  which  must  be  subdued  either  by  a  cut  across  the  neck  of  land,  upwards  of 
one  mile,  or  by  removing  the  obstructions. 

An  Indian  road  being  opened  from  this  place  (now  Utica)  to  the  Genesee  country, 
it  is  probable  that  the  position  at  Fort  Stanwix  and  this  spot  will  become  rivals  as  to 
the  site  of  a  town,  in  connection  with  the  interior,  when  it  shall  become  a  settled 
country. 

If,  however,  the  canals  should  be  constructed,  I  think  Fort  Stanwix  will  take  the 
lead  at  a  future  day.  Such  was  my  impressions  when  there  in  1788.  Since  that  only 
a  few  houses  and  stores  have  been  erected  here,  also  a  tolerable  tavern  to  administer 
comfort  to  the  weary  traveler,  which  I  experienced  the  want  of  three  years  past.  In 
the  afternoon  we  progressed  thirteen  miles,  meeting  many  obstructions  in  conse- 
quence of  the  cruel  conduct  of  the  new  settlers  (who  are  wonderfully  increased  since 
I  was  here),  filling  the  river  with  fallen  trees  cut  on  its  margin,  narrowing  it  in  many 
places,  producing  shoals  where  the  deepest  waters  had  been  accustomed  to  flow,  and 
impeding  the  progress  of  our  boats.  We  pitched  our  camp  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  in  the  midst  of  woods.     All  hands  fell  to   work,  soldier-like.     We  soon  had  a 


164  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

roaring  fire  and  the  tents  pitched,— open  on  one  side  to  the  fire,  and  closed  at  each 
end  with  canvas.  We  found  an  excellent  substitute  for  feathers,  laying  our  buffaloes 
on  hemlock  twigs;  although  the  ground  was  extremely  moist,  we  were  effectually 
protected  from  any  inconvenience.  We  enjoyed  a  pleasant  night,  with  ten  times 
more  comfort  than  we  could  in  the  miserable  log  huts  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 

September  g. — At  noon  we  reached  Fort  Stanwix,  to  which  place,  with  some  aid  of 
art,  the  river  continues  adapted  to  inland  navigation  for  boats  of  five  tons  burthen. 
Emigrants  are  swarming  into  these  fertile  regions  in  shoals,  like  the  ancient  Isra- 
elites, seeking  the  land  of  promise. 

We  transported  our  boats  and  baggages  across  the  carrjnng-place,  a  distance  of 
two  miles,  over  a  dead  flat,  and  launched  them  into  Wood  Creek,  running  west.  It 
is  a  mere  brook  at  this  place,  which  a  man  can  easily  jump  across.  In  contemplating 
this  important  creek,  the  only  water  communication  with  the  immense  regions  in  the 
West,  which  are  destined  to  bless  millions  of  freemen  in  the  approaching  century,  I 
am  deeply  impressed  with  the  belief,  considering  the  great  resources  of  the  State, 
that  the  improvement  of  our  internal  navigation  cannot  much  longer  escape  the  de- 
cided attention  of  our  law-makers,  and  more  especially  as  it  is  obviously  practicable. 
When  effected,  it  will  open  an  uninterrupted  water  communication  from  the  immense 
fertile  regions  in  the  West  to  the  Atlantic.  But  more  of  this  as  I  advance  in  my 
travels. 

The  situation  of  Fort  Stanwix  appears  destined  to  become  a  great  city.  It  lies  in 
an  open  plain, — healthv,  and  exactly  at  the  point  where  the  eastern  and  western 
waters  unite.  There  is  a  large  clearing  about  the  old  fort,  with  two  or  three  scatter- 
ing houses.  No  progress  has,  however,  been  made  since  I  attended  the  treaty  here 
in  1788,  although  the  plan  of  a  city  is  now  contemplated. 

September  jo. — This  morning  our  bateaux  began  to  descend  Wood  Creek,  with 
the  aid  of  a  mill-dam  which  had  been  filled  just  above.  Some  of  our  party  at  the 
same  time  descended  by  land  on  a  tolerable  wagon  road  to  Canada  Creek  six  miles. 

Although  aided  by  the  sluice,  we  progressed  with  infinite  difficulty.  In  many 
places  the  windings  are  so  sudden  and  so  short,  that  while  the  bow  of  the  boat  was 
plowing  the  bank  on  one  side,  her  stern  was  rubbing  hard  against  the  opposite  shore. 
In  some  places  our  men  were  obliged  to  drag  the  boats  by  main  strength,  and  in 
others  the  boughs  and  limbs  were  so  closely  interwoven  and  so  low  as  to  arch  the 
creek  completely  over,  and  oblige  all  hands  to  lie  flat.  These  obstacles,  together 
with  the  sunken  logs  and  trees,  rendered  our  progress  extremely  difficult,  often 
almost  impracticable. 

From  a  superficial  view  of  this  important  creek,  it  appears  to  me  the  great  difficul- 
ties may  be  surmounted, — First,  by  cutting  away  all  the  bushes  and  trees  on  its 
banks;  second,  by  cutting  across  the  necks,  and  removing  all  sunken  logs  and  trees; 
and,  lastly,  by  erecting  substantial  sluices  or  inclined  planes  at  given  distances,  so 
as  to  continue  a  head  of  water  from  sluice  to  sluice.  This  creek  in  its  present  state 
may  be  considered  a  natural  canal,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  wide. 

Bateaux  which  ascend  the  creek,  and  frequently  the  descending  boats,  at  this  sea- 
son, are  dragged  by  horses  traveling  in  the  water.  This  is  a  work  of  incredible 
fatigue  and  difficulty. 

The  accession  of  Canada  Creek  more  than  doubles  the  size  of  Wood  Creek. 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  165 

September-  ii. — Last  night  and  this  day  we  were  inundated  by  heavy  rains,  which 
our  tent  was  unable  to  repel;  in  consequence  we  were  all  exposed  in  the  most  uncom- 
fortable manner.  In  the  intervals  of  showers  we  amused  ourselves  by  catching  fish. 
Salmon,  Oswego  bass,  catfish,  chubs,  trout,  pike,  are  the  fish  common  in  this  river. 
Salmon  are  sometimes  caught  at  the  mill-dams,  near  Fort  Stanwix. 

Septeinber  12. — At  2  o'clock  we  reached  the  royal  block-house,  at  the  east  end  of 
the  Oneida  Lake.  The  innumerable  crooks  and  turns  in  Wood  Creek  carried  us  to 
every  point  of  the  compass.  Should  the  Western  canals  be  ever  attempted,  I  am  per- 
suaded this  creek  may  be  shortened  at  least  one-third.  The  lands  on  each  side  of 
Wood  Creek  are  low,  and  heavily  timbered  with  beech,  maple,  oak,  elm,  linden,  and, 
near  the  lake,  some  white  pine.  Bears  are  plenty,  and  deer  scarce.  At  two  miles 
from  the  lake  the  river  suddenly  widened,  and  we  took  to  our  oars.  Fish  Creek,  one 
mile  nearer  the  lake,  falls  into  Wood  Creek  from  the  north,  and  is  about  one  hundred 
feet  wide.  Thence  to  the  lake  the  stream  is  bold  and  spacious.  We  caught  a  catfish 
as  large  as  a  common-sized  cod,  measuring  five  inches  between  the  eyes. 

September  ij. — This  morning  we  wrote  home  by  a  boat  coming  from  the  West 
loaded  with  hemp,  raised  at  the  south  of  Cayuga  Lake.  What  a  glorious  acquisition 
to  agriculture  and  commerce  do  these  fertile  and  extensive  regions  in  the  West  pre- 
sent in  anticipation !  And  what  a  pity,  since  the  partial  hand  of  nature  has  nearly 
completed  the  water  communication  from  our  utmost  borders  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
that  art  should  not  be  made  subservient  to  her  to  complete  the  work ! 

Immediately  after  breakfast  we  embarked,  doubled  a  point  of  land,  and  entered 
the  Oneida  Lake  with  our  sails  filled  to  a  light  easterly  breeze.  The  lake  opened 
to  our  view,  spreading  before  us  like  a  sea.  We  glided  smoothly  over  its  surface, 
and  were  delighted  with  a  charming  day.  On  the  south  is  the  Oneida  Reservation, 
at  present  inhabited  by  the  Oneida  nation  of  Indians.  The  country  lies  flat  for  eight 
or  ten  miles,  and  th;en  swells  into  waving  hills.  On  the  north  it  is  generally  low,  but 
heavily  timbered. 

This  lake  is  thirty  miles  long,  and  from  five  to  eight  broad.  We  are  now  sailing 
parallel  with  the  Ontario  Ocean,  which  I  hope  to  see,  and  at  least  enjoy  in  delightful 
anticipation  the  prospect  of  a  free  and  open  water  communication  from  thence  to 
the  Atlantic,  vz'a  Albany  and  New  York. 

Near  the  west  end  of  the  lake  are  two  small  islands,  on  one  of  which  resides  a  re- 
spectable Frenchman,  who  came  from  France  a  few  years  since,  and  has  voluntarily 
sequestered  himself  from  the  world  and  taken  up  his  solitary  abode  upon  this  island, 
with  no  society  but  his  dogs,  guns,  and  library,  j^et  he  appeared  happy  and  con- 
tent. 

This  lake  is  extremely  turbulent  and  dangerous,  a  small  breeze  producing  a  short, 
bobbing  sea,  in  consequence  of  its  shoal  waters. 

The  bateauxmen  commonly  hug  the  north  shore  as  safest,  as  well  as  more  direct 
from  point  to  point.  On  that  side  these  points  project  less  into  the  lake  than  on  the 
south  shore.  The  wind  soon  rose  to  a  brisk  side  gale,  which  occasioned  such  a  dan- 
gerous agitation  as  obliged  us  to  make  a  harbor  at  Twelve-Mile  Point,  near  which 
we  noticed  two  large  bears  walking  along  the  shore  in  majestic  confidence. 

We  trolled  wnth  our  lines  and  caught  some  bass.  The  day  concluded  with  heavy 
rains  and  a  violent  squall.  In  spite  of  our  tents  we  were  much  wet  and  suffocated 
with  smoke. 


166  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  territorial  divisions  of  Montgomery  county  prior  to  the  erection 
of  Oneida  county,  have  been  described  as  far  as  necessary  for  the  pur- 
poses of  this  work,  in  former  chapters.  On  the  15th  of  March,  1798, 
an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  dividing  the  county  of  Herkimer 
and  erectincr  from  its  territory  the  new  counties  of  Chenango  and  Oneida. 

The  new  county  of  Oneida  included  all  of  what  are  now  the  counties 
of  Oneida,  Lewis,  and  Jefferson,  and  all  that  part  of  Oswego  county 
lying  east  of  Oswego  River.  The  territory  of  St.  Lawrence  county 
also  appears  to  have  nominally  been  included,  but  it  was  provisionally 
annexed  to  Clinton  coimty  in  1801,  and  erected  into  a  separate  county 
on  March  3,  1802.  The  town  of  Sangerfield  was  included  in  Chenango 
county,  but  was  annexed  to  Oneida  county  April  4.   1804. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  the  population  of  New  York  State 
had  reached  589,000,  of  which  total  about  60.OOO  dwelt  in  New  York 
city.  Albany  was  a  considerable  community,  while  at  Utica,  Rochester 
and  Buffalo  the  foundation  had  been  laid  for  the  present  thriving  cities. 
At  Oswego  the  incipient  commerce  of  the  great  lake  was  be<^inning  its 
growth,  and  salt  from  Salina  was  passing  eastward  through  the  Mohawk 
valley.  Development  through  Central  New  York  was  early  stimulated 
by  improvement  of  the  old  waterway  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
previous  chapters  by  the  Western  Inland  Lock  and  Navigation  Com- 
pany. This  improvement  consisted  of  the  construction  of  a  canal  with 
locks  around  the  rapids  at  Little  Falls,  the  opening  of  a  canal  from  Rome 
to  Wood  Creek,  connecting  thence  with  Oneida  Lake,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  navigation  facilities  in  the  Oswego  and  the  Seneca  Rivers. 
The  work  was  completed  in  1800  and  man\'  early  settlers  in  this  county, 
carrying  their  families  and  household  stores,  traveled  over  this  route, 
and  until  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  it  was  of  vast  commercial  im- 
portance to  the  whole  State.  In  1812  the  firm  of  Eri  Lasher  &  Co. 
were  running  during  the  season  a  weekly  line  of  boats  from  Schenec- 
tady for  Cayuga,  Seneca  Falls,  and  Oswego,  which,  with  the  use  of 
wagons  kept  constantly  in  readiness,  enabled  them,  as  they  advertised, 
to  "  transport  from  Albany  to  any  part  of  the  western  country  either 
by  land  or  water  whatever  property  might  be  directed  to  their  care." 

In  the  mean  time  the  east  and  west  turnpike  were  considerably  im- 
proved, as  described  in  Chapter  IX. 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  167 

Early  in  the  century  began  the  acts  on  the  part  of  England  and 
France  which  resulted  in  another  war.  Through  orders  issued  by  Great 
Britain  and  decrees  made  by  Napoleon,  all  American  commerce  in  neu- 
tral ships  with  either  of  those  nations  was  suspended.  American  sailors 
were  claimed  as  British  subjects  and  seized  on  American  vessels,  the 
right  to  board  such  vessels  for  this  purpose  being  one  of  the  unjust 
claims  set  up  by  Great  Britain.  These  and  other  outrages  continued 
until  forbearance  was  exhausted.  Late  in  October,  1807,  Congress 
opposed  this  action  by  laying  an  embargo  on  all  vessels  in  United  States 
harbors.  This  measure,  necessary  as  it  may  have  appeared  as  a  gen- 
eral policy,  was  disastrous  to  the  mercantile  and  shipping  interests  of 
the  whole  country.  The  embargo  act  was  supported  by  a  large  part 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  as  strongly  opposed  by  the  Federalists. 
On  June  i,  1812,  President  Madison  sent  a  confidential  message  to 
Congress  in  which  he  reviewed  the  causes  of  complaint  against  Great 
Britain  and  called  upon  that  body  to  decide  whether  they  would  act 
upon  their  rights  and  as  duty  dictated,  or  remain  passive  under  accumu- 
lating injustice.  It  was  well  known  that  the  president  favored  prompt 
retaliation.  By  one  party  he  was  urged  by  ridicule  as  well  as  threats 
to  declare  war,  while  the  other  bitterly  opposed  such  a  policy.  Mad- 
ison's message  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations, 
which,  on  June  3,  made  a  report  favoring  the  president's  views  and  ac- 
companied by  a  bill  declaring  war  with  Great  Britain.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  include  France  in  the  declaration,  which  failed.  After 
much  debate  and  amid  great  excitement  throughout  the  country,  Con- 
gress passed  the  bill  on  July  18,  and  the  president  signed  it.  On  the 
19th  the  president  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  the  fact  and  call- 
ing on  the  people  of  the  country  to  support  the  government  in  its  war 
poMcy.  Although,  of  course,  the  settlers  in  Oneida  county  felt  a  deep 
interest  in  the  approaching  conflict,  their  inland  situation  relieved  them 
to  a  great  extent  from  the  special  anxiety  that  existed  on  the  seaboard 
and  at  lake  ports.  At  Oswego  and  Sackett's  Harbor,  for  example, 
excitement  ran  high  and  was  reflected  to  the  people  of  this  county. 
All  along  the  northern  frontier  the  inhabitants  realized  that  war  meant 
the  destruction  of  their  developing  lake  commerce  and  its  many  attend- 
ant blessings,  while  they  could  not  escape  the   conviction    that   the   ap- 


168  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

preaching  struggle  meant  bloodshed  and  desolation  at  their  very  doors. 
Oswego  was  still  directly  and  closely  connected  with  Oneida  county 
and  the  whole  valley  by  the  old  waterway  so  frequently  mentioned, 
and  memories  of  the  Revolution  and  the  bloody  scenes  witnessed  along 
its  line  were  still  comparatively  fresh. 

Full  details  of  the  Oneida  county  men  who  took  part  in  this  war  can- 
not be  obtained.  It  is  known  that  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the 
militia  force  of  Montgomery  county  comprised  five  regiments,  consti- 
tuting one  brigade,  of  which  Frederick  Fisher  was  commander.  Be- 
tween this  time  and  1812,  reorganizations  and  changes  were  fre- 
quent. In  one  of  these,  made  about  1791,  a  troop  of  horse 
was  formed  of  which  Jonas  Piatt  was  commander,  while  John  F'ranks 
commanded  a  company  of  artillery.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
or  very  soon  thereafter,  there  was  a  general  reorganization  and  exten- 
sion of  the  militia,  in  which  many  Oneida  county  men  joined.  Great 
Britain  again  sought  to  enlist  the  services  of  the  Six  Nations  and  the 
Canadian  Indians,  but  failed  in  the  attempt.  A  council  was  held  in 
Buffalo  on  the  6th  of  July,  1812,  where  speeches  were  made  by  the 
great  Seneca  chief,  Red  Jacket,  and  by  representatives  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  a  policy  of  neutrality  decided  upon  by  the  Senecas,  who 
promised  also  to  influence  the  Mohawks  to  adopt  tiie  same  course.  The 
Indians  evidently  soon  foresaw  where  their  interests  lay  and  by  the  year 
1 8 14  the  American  forces  were  augmented  by  large  bodies  of  the  Iro- 
quois and  other  nations. 

Military  preparations  were  made  and  minor  events  occurred  on  the 
northern  frontier  in  18 12.  Provisions  were  early  made  for  a  naval 
squadron  on  Lake  Ontario,  in  view  of  the  facility  with  which  the  British 
could  occupy  its  waters  for  offensive  demonstrations.  At  each  end  of 
the  lake  was  an  important  military  gateway  through  which  the  enemy 
could  send  expeditions  to  act  upon  water  or  land.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  conflict  the  only  armed  vessel  on  the  lake  was  the  Oneida,  but 
all  available  craft  were  soon  purchased  by  the  government  and  armed. 
Commodore  Chauncey  made  his  headquarters  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in 
the  fall  of  181 2,  and  with  several  vessels  blockaded  Kingston,  Canada, 
until  the  ice  closed  it  in.  Late  in  the  autumn,  in  anticipation  of  an  at- 
tack upon   Ogdensburg,  Gen.  Jacob   Brown  was  sent  thither,   where  he 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  169 

arrived  October  1st.  He  was  none  too  early,  for  on  the  next  day 
a  flotilla  of  British  vessels  with  about  750  men  from  Prescott  attacked 
the  place.  They  were  soon  repulsed.  Some  time  in  18 12,  the  first  de- 
tachment from  Oneida  county  went  to  Sackett's  Harbor  under  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Bellinger.  This  detachment  was  accompanied  by 
Major  Samuel  Dill,  of  Rome.  Joshua  Hathaway,  of  Rome,  was 
appointed  quartermaster- general  of  the  State  and  ordered  to  the  same 
post.  On  the  22d  of  June,  18 12,  four  days  after  war  was  declared,  two 
expresses  passed  through  Utica  and  Rome,  with  news  of  the  war 
declaration,  and  on  the  13th  of  August  a  company  of  flying  artillery,  139 
strong,  from  Lancaster,  Pa.,  passed  through  Utica  and  Rome,  on  their 
way  to  the  frontier.  In  the  fall  of  1812  the  militia  of  Oneida  county 
were  called  out  and  ordered  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  the  157th  regi- 
ment, known  as  the  Rome  regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  John  West- 
cott,  of  Rome,  marched  to  that  post.  Among  the  officers  were  Lieut.- 
Col.  Joshua  G.  Green,  Captains  Rudd,  Fillmore,  Church,  Grannis, 
Hinckley  and  Peck,  and  Adjutant  Samuel  Beardsley,  Paymaster  Jay 
Hathaway,  a  Roman,  and  Surgeon  Henry  H.  Smith.  ' 

In  September,  18  12,  a  body  of  800  drafted  men  from  Albany  camped 
in  Utica  for  a  week,  and  during  their  stay  the  number  was  increased  to 
1,600,  with  drafted  men  and  volunteers.  They  were  from  the  eastern 
and  southern  counties  of  the  State,  were  under  command  of  General 
Dodge,  and  were  wholly  undisciplined  and  committed  many  petty 
depredations.  About  the  20th  of  September  the  5th  United  States 
Regiment,  recruited  in  Maryland,  under  command  of  Colonel  Milton, 
passed  north  They  were  insolent  to  their  officers  and  clamorous  for 
their  long  overdue  pay.  On  the  22d  of  September  two  companies  of 
light  artillery  from  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  marched  through  Utica 
and  Rome,  north,  and  on  the  30th  ninety  sailors  passed  through  on  their 
way  to  Sackett's  Harbor.  On  the  5th  of  October,  150  men,  including 
the  crew  of  the  John  Adams,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Pettigrew, 
with  fifty  wagons,  camped  in  Utica  twenty  four  hours,  and  then  left  for 
Buffalo.  They  are  credited  with  thefts  and  other  depredations.  On 
the  day  of  their  departure,  130  more  men  with  twenty  wagons  passed 
through.      On  the    lOth   of  October,    130  United  States  marines  passed 

'  Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County. 
22 


170  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

through  Utica,  their  neat  uniforms  and  soldierly  bearing  in  marked  con- 
trast to  the  looks  and  acts  of  the  militia  volunteers.  On  the  I3tli  and 
14th  other  bodies  of  troops  passed  through  the  county.  On  the  24th  of 
that  month  the  23d  United  States  Regiment  arrived  at  Utica  from  Al- 
bany. They  started  out  300  strong,  but  had  lost  some  by  desertion. 
They  also  were  demanding  their  back  pay  and  $2  was  given  to  each 
man  with  a  double  allowance  of  liquor.  On  the  27th  they  resumeci 
their  march  for  Buffalo.  At  about  the  same  time  130  artillerymen 
passed  through  Utica,  and  with  the  coming  on  of  winter  several  de- 
tachments were  quartered  in  and  around  Utica  and  New  Hartford. 

On  the  i6th  of  February,  1813,  Baltimore  volunteers  to  the  number 
of  190,  under  Captain  Moore,  broke  in  the  door  of  the  hotel  and  took 
possession.  On  the  6th  of  April  a  detachment  of  150  light  horse  came 
to  Utica  from  Sackett's  Harbor,  having  left  that  post  on  account  of 
scarcity  of  provisions ;  and  on  the  13th  of  the  same  month  150  more 
arrived.  On  the  24th  and  25th  about  500  soldiers  were  in  Utica,  and 
100  sailors  belonging  to  the  famous  frigate,  Constitution,  halted  at  Deer- 
field  Corners.  The  latter  departed  for  Sackett's  Harbor,  having  come 
from  Boston  to  Utica  in  wagons.  Following  them  came  500  horse  and 
foot  soldiers  who  passed  on  towards  Buffalo.  During  April  and  May 
movements  of  other  bodies  of  troops  through  the  country  were  numer- 
ous and  frequent.  On  the  14th  of  May  the  high  grounds  above  the 
village  of  Utica  were  covered  with  tents.  On  the  15th  and  i6th  not 
less  than  900  men  are  reported  as  passing  through  from  Massachusetts, 
and  four  days  later  left,  accompanied  on  their  march  by  a  body  of  dis- 
mounted cavalry.  All  were  dissatisfied  with  their  rations,  their  pay  and 
their  duties.  On  the  23d  of  May  about  500  men,  mostly  from  the  2 1st 
United  States  Regiment,  slept  in  Deerfield  barns,  grumbling  like  the 
rest  and  dissatisfied  with  the  war.  On  the  26th  a  column  of  from  500 
to  1,000  men  passed  Utica,  and  about  the  15th  of  June  300  of  the  14th 
United  States  Regiment  arrived  at  the  village,  with  a  rifle  company.  In 
the  latter  part  of  this  month  and  the  forepart  of  July  the  town  was 
thronged  with  sailors  on  their  way  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  on  the  19th 
of  July  270  men  from  the  3d  and  the  25th  U.  S.  Regiments  were  in 
Utica.  On  the  22d  a  salute  was  fired  there  in  honor  of  the  arrival  of 
Gen.  Henry  Dearborn. 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  171 

These  many  military  movements  need  not  be  followed  further.  They 
continued  through  the  year,  and  as  the  war  progressed  were  varied  by 
the  passage  of  British  prisoners  On  the  3d  of  November  Commodore 
Oliver  Hazard  Perry  was  in  Utica  and  was  given  a  public  dinner.  These 
brief  chronicles  are  derived  from  the  diary  of  Dr.  Alexander  Coventry, 
of  Utica,  and  are  sufificient  to  indicate  the  fact  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Oneida  county  were  kept  on  the  alert  as  to  the  progre.ss  of  the  war 
and  its  bearing  upon  their  own  locality. 

During  the  year  1 8 1 3  Sackett's  Harbor  was  the  chief  depot  of  military 
and  naval  supplies  on  Lake  Ontario  and  presented  a  tempting  prize  for 
the  enemy.  About  noon  of  May  28,  18 13,  Sir  James  L.  Yeo,  com- 
manding the  British  squadron,  arrived  off  Sackett's  Harbor  from  Kings- 
ton, with  six  armed  vessels  and  forty  bateaux  carrying  more  than  1,000 
troops.  The  harbor  was  feebly  protected  and  a  prompt  assault  would 
have  resulted  in  its  capture  ;  but  the  appearance  of  a  few  American  gun 
boats  transporting  a  regiment  to  its  relief,  frightened  away  the  enemy. 
An  attack  was,  however,  made  on  the  following  day,  and  fearing  cap- 
ture, the  Americans  burned  stores  worth  $500,000.  The  British,  see- 
ing the  hurrying  to  and  fro  of  the  people  on  the  land,  filed  in  disorder 
to  their  vessels  and  the  whole  squadron  sailed  away.  Sackett's  Harbor 
was  not  again  molested. 

In  the  month  of  June  several  armed  vessels  of  the  British  appeared 
off  Oswego  harbor.  They  opened  fire  on  Fort  Ontario,  then  occupied 
by  a  small  garrison.  Anchored  in  the  harbor  was  the  American  vessel, 
Growler,  of  three  guns.  She  replied  vigorously,  as  did  also  the  fort 
batteries,  and  after  a  brief  cannonade  the  enemy  retired. 

In  1 8 12  a  brilliant  young  naval  officer,  twenty-seven  years  old,  had 
charge  of  a  fleet  of  gun  boats  in  New  York  harbor.  In  18 13  he  was 
called  northward,  served  a  short  time  on  Lake  Ontario  under  Commo- 
dore Chauncey,  and  was  then  given  command  of  an  armed  fleet  of  nine 
small  vessels  on  Lake  Erie.  This  young  officer's  name  was  Oliver 
Hazard  Perry.  His  flag  ship  was  the  Lawrence.  On  September  10 
he  encountered  the  British  squadron  and  after  a  desperate  and  bloody 
battle  the  enemy  was  defeated  with  a  loss  of  200  killed  and  600  pris- 
oners. Perry  announced  his  victory  to  General  Harrison  by  sending 
his  famous  message  "  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they  are  ours." 


172  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Operations  were  also  active  on  the  Niagara  frontier  during  1813  and 
culminated  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  in  the  burning  of  Buffalo  and 
Black  Rock,  a  deed  which  the  British  justified  by  the  previous  burning 
of  Newark,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  by  the  Americans. 

It  was  during  the  year  18 16  that  the  United  States  government  com- 
pleted the  arsenal  in  Rome,  commenced  in  18 14,  to  which  reference  has 
already  been  made.  A  State  arsenal  had  been  built  prior  to  18 10,  on 
the  site  of  St.  Peter's  church  in  Rome,  and  which  was  burned  May  22, 
1822.  The  United  States  arsenal,  with  its  officers' quarters,  magazines, 
and  worksliops,  was  quite  a  pretentious  establishment  and  was  erected 
under  superintendence  of  Major  James  Dalliba,  of  the  ordnance  depart- 
ment. The  arsenal  property  was  sold  in  1873  to  Mudge  &  Ames  and 
converted  into  a  knitting  factory. 

Early  in  18 14  it  was  evident  that  the  British  intended  a  more  vig- 
orous prosecution  of  the  war.  The  victory  of  the  allies  over  Napoleon 
had  relieved  from  European  service  thousands  of  English  soldiers,  and 
early  in  the  summer  nearly  1 5,000  of  Wellington's  bronzed  veterans  were 
sent  over  to  Canada.  The  inhabitants  of  this  State  received  this  news 
with  deep  concern.  During  the  winter  and  spring  the  military  author- 
ities on  both  sides  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  lakes  made  preparations 
for  a  determined  struggle,  with  Lake  Ontario  as  the  prize.  Commander 
Cliauncey  was  adding  largely  to  his  fleet  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  which  was 
finally  armed  with  guns  and  provided  with  stores  sent  from  Albany  by 
way  of  Mohawk,  Rome,  Wood  Creek,  Oneida  Lake  and  down  the 
Oswego  River  to  Oswego,  whither  they  were  transported  by  water. 
This  armament  was  delayed  at  Oswego  Falls,  and  there  were  also 
large  quantities  of  military  stores  accumulated  at  Oswego  With  all 
these  valuable  and  much  needed  supplies  feebly  protected  and  with 
Commodore  Chauncey  practically  tied  up  at  Sackett's  Harbor  awaiting 
their  arrival,  an  auspicious  opportunity  was  presented  to  the  British  for 
an  attack  on  the  important  post  of  Oswego.  They  promptly  availed 
themselves  of  the  opportunity.  No  sooner  had  the  ice  left  Kingston 
harbor  than  Sir  James  Yeo  sailed  out  with  a  fleet  of  eight  war  vessels, 
several  other  fighting  craft,  and  a  force  of  about  3,000  men,  with  Oswego 
as  his  destination.  As  soon  as  General  Gaines  (Edmund  P.),  then  in 
command  on  the  land  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  learned  that  a  fleet  was  pre- 


THROUGH  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  173 

paring  to  sail  from  Kingston,  he  sent  Colonel  Mitchell  with  five  artillery- 
companies,  about  300  strong,  armed  as  infantry,  to  Oswego  with  orders 
to  protect  the  threatened  stores  at  all  hazards.  Mitchell  arrived  at 
Fort  Ontario  on  April  30,  1814,  and  found  a  wretched  state  of  things 
— only  five  rusty  guns  on  the  ramparts  and  dilapidation  and  ruin  on  all 
sides.  The  assault  of  the  British  was  made  on  the  5th  and  6th  of  May. 
Their  fleet  anchored  half  a  mile  from  the  fort  on  the  5th  and  a  force 
attempted  to  make  a  landing;  but  the  prompt  and  efTective  defense  of 
Colonel  Mitchell  and  his  troops  sent  the  enemy  back  to  his  vessels  in 
shattered  boats,  and  the  fleet  sailed  away.  Not  so  on  the  6th.  Under 
similar  circumstances  the  fleet  returned  and  the  British,  outnumbering 
the  Americans  two  to  one,  efTected  a  landing,  and  in  spite  of  a  deter- 
mined and  heroic  defense,  drove  the  garrison  to  retreat.  The  enemy 
fortunately  did  not  pursue,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  they  knew  of  the  val- 
uable stores,  large  quantities  of  which  had  been  secreted  in  the  vicinity. 
The  British  loss  was  somewhat  larger  than  the  American.  Five  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Oswego  were  captured  and  taken  to  Kingston,  but  were 
soon  after  released.  Strange  as  it  seems  under  the  then  existing  cir- 
cumstances, the  British  did  not  occupy  Fort  Ontario,  and  it  remained 
without  another  garrison  until  1838.  The  sound  of  the  cannonading  of 
the  battle  was  heard  for  miles  around,  causing  intense  anxiety.  There 
were  Oneida  county  men  present  at  Oswego  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
county  shared  in  the  <^eneral  apprehension.  The  stores  and  munitions 
were  finally  safely  delivered  at  Sackett's  Harbor. 

On  the  31st  of  July  Commodore  Chauncey  sailed  up  the  lake  from 
Sackett's  Harbor,  blockaded  Kingston  and  vainly  endeavored  to  draw 
Sir  James  Yeo  into  action.  With  the  completion  of  a  man-of-war  of 
1 12  guns  in  that  port  in  September  the  American  commander  pru- 
dently returned  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  where  the  building  of  two  first- 
class  frigates  was  begun  ;  ihey  were  never  finished.  When  the  ice 
closed  in  on  the  lake,  the  war  had  ended  on  the  northern  frontier. 

Other  principal  military  operations  of  the  year  18 14,  ending  with  the 
final  victory  of  General  Jackson  at  New  Orleans,  January  8,  1815,  were 
those  at  Fort  Erie  July  3,  and  August  13-15  ;  at  Lundy's  Lane  July 
25  ;  on  Lake  Champlain  and  at  Plattsburg  September  1 1  ;  at  Chippewa 
October  15,  and  the  victories  of  Decatur  and  others  at  sea. 


174  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  treaty  of  peace  was  agreed  to  between  commissioners  of  the  United 
States  and  those  of  Great  Britain,  at  Ghent  on  December  24,  1814,  and 
ratifications  were  exchanged  at  Washington  February  17,  181 5.  The 
treaty  provided  for  the  mutual  restoration  of  all  conquered  territory, 
and  for  three  commissions — one  to  settle  the  title  to  the  islands  in  Pas- 
samaquoddy  Bay ;  one  to  lay  out  the  northeast  boundary  of  the  United 
States  as  far  as  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  third  to  run  the  line  through 
that  river  and  the  lakes  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  Other  minor  mat- 
ters were  embraced  in  the  treaty.  The  reception  of  the  news  in  this 
country  spread  joy  throughout  the  land,  reaching  New  York  city  Feb- 
ruary II,  181  5.  Banquets  and  illuminations  followed,  not  alone  in  the 
metropolis,  but  in  many  principal  villages  and  cities.  No  one  can  now 
tell  us  of  what  he  saw  in  the  small  villages  of  Oneida  county  when  the 
news  of  peace  came  slowly  northward  ;  but  we  may  well  believe  that  in 
proportion  to  numbers  of  population,  the  joy  and  exultation  of  our 
peace-loving  settlers  were  demonstrated  with  the  same  enthusiasm  dis- 
played elsewhere  through  the  country. 

The  following  list  of  officers  is  copied  from  the  rolls  on  file  in  the  office 
of  the  county  clerk  at  Utica.  From  a  note  at  the  bottom  of  the  roll  it 
would  appear  that  a  part  of  them  belonged  to  the  Third  Brigade: 

Brigadier-Generals. — Oliver  Collins,  Joseph  Kirkland,  Henry  McNeil. 

Colonels. — William  Stone,  Caleb  Clark. 

Majors. — James  Dodd,  Samuel  Dill,  David  Curtiss,  Gardner  Avery,  James 
Lynch,  Eleazer  Dickinson,  Theodore  W.  Sill  (Artillery),  Jonathan  Tower,  John 
Westcott. 

Captains. — Francis  Brown,  Amos  Wetmore,  William  Hubbard,  Gurdon  Caswell, 
Fortune  C.  White,  Orrin  Gridley,  John  Harris,  Joseph  Stone,  Asa  Bullock,  James 
Gardiner,  Jacob  Hovey,  Timothy  L.  Bacon,  Ichabod  Davis,  Samuel  Shepherd,  jr., 
Edward  Grannis,  Zimri  Howland,  G.  Chamberlain,  Rice  Austin,  Benjamin  Rudd, 
Peleg  Matteson,  Asa  Baker,  Daniel  Butts,  Joshua  Northrup,  Edward  Grannis,  Ed- 
ward Fuller,  Ichabod  Cole,  Enos  Githert  (Artillery),  John  Wright  (Cavalry). 

Lieutenants. — Amos  Woodward,  Bradford  Seymour,  Salmon  Laird,  Nathan  Rose, 
Seth  Hastings,  Henry  Bingham,  Stephen  Leonard,  Bridge  Wakefield,  Samuel  Corn- 
stock,  Nicholas  Smith,  Albion  Smith,  W.  B.  Savage,  Abram  Catlin,  Abel  Dewey, 
James  Lynch,  Rollin  Blount,  Chester  Andrews  Nathan  Eells,  A.  Earms,  John  Z. 
Hartwell,  Edward  Allen,  Dan  Bosworth,  Calvin  Church,  Arunah  Wright,  Jos.  A. 
Clark.  J.  C.  Greene,  Ezekiel  Clark  Seth  Langdon,  Gates  Peck,  A.  Spencer  (Cav- 
alry), Paul  Taft  (Cavalry),  Charles  Wylie  (Artillery),  Levi  Green  (Artillery). 

Ensigns. — Abel  Downey,  Job  Herrick,  Saml.  Comstock,  Frederick  Kellogg,  Bar- 
nabas Cook,  Rollin  Blount,  Oren  Betts,  Wm.  B.  Savage,  James  Sage,  A.  W.  Gridley, 


1814  TO  1819.  175 

Amasa  Rowe,  Job  Herrick,  Calvin  Pierce,  Eliphalet  Hotchkiss,  Reuben  Daggett, 
Roswell  P  Hayes,  A.  W.  Gridley,  Abel  Mosher,  Abram  Young,  Jared  Vining,  Am- 
asa Hinckley,  Jonathan  Tibbitts,  Hazel  Lathrop,  Ely  Wheelan,  Joseph  Hallock, 
William  Parker,  Aaron  Smith,  Simeon  Fuller. 

Cornets. — Job  Williams,  Joel  Parker. 

Adjutants.  —  Timothy  L.  Bacon,  William  Williams,  Jonah  Bacon,  Joshua 
Bushnell. 

Quarterjnasters. — Jonah  Bacon,  Silas  Judson,  Waitstill  Wolcott,  Warren  Kent. 

Paymaster. — Jesse  Doolittle. 

Surgeon. — Roswell  P.  Haj-es. 

Surgeon  s  Mate. — Zenas  Huntington. 

Brigade  Inspector. — Richard  Sanger. 

Names  of  officers  on  file  in  the  county  clerk's  office  belonging  to  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty  seventh  Regiment  New  York  Militia  in  1818:  Colonel  John  Westcott;  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, Benjamin  Rudd;  Major,  Joshua  G.  Green;  Surgeon,  George  Brown; 
Quartermaster,  B.  B.  Lansing;  Paymaster,  B.  B.  Hyde;  Adjutant.  Robert  G.  Clark; 
Captains,  Wm.  Tallcott,  Jonathan  Tibbits,  Joseph  Hallock,  David  Hill,  Simeon 
Fuller;  Lieutenants,  John  Bailey,  James  Snyder,  James  Knox,  Milton  Bird,  Abner 
Chase;  Ensigns,  Chester  Hayden,  Peier  Hartwell,  James  Powell,  Benjamin  Wig- 
gins, Harvey  Phelps. 

Officers  of  the  rifle  company  attached  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-seventh  Reg- 
iment, 1818:  Captain,  Archibald  T.  Frink;  Lieutenant,  J.  Hathaway;  Ensign,  Amos 
Flint. 

Part  of  the  officers  of  the  Seventy-second  Regiment,  1818:  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
Ichabod  Davis;  Major,  Henry  Sheldon;  Lieutenants,  Aaron  White,  Andrew  Bill- 
ings, Eusebius  Ball;  Ensigns,  Stephen  Brooks,  Matthew  Buck ;  Surgeon.  Jeremiah 
Carrier. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
1814  TO  1819. 


When  the  war  of  i8i2  had  been  in  progresss  nearly  two  years,  the 
United  States  government  commenced  the  erection  of  United  States 
arsenals  in  the  States  for  the  manufacture  of  gun  carriages,  machines, 
ammunition,  and  mihtary  suppHes,  and  for  the  deposit  of  those  articles. 
The  one  at  Watervliet,  in  Albany  county,  erected  in  1814,  was  and  is 
the  most  formidable,  outside  of  the  city  of  New  York.  On  the  ist  of 
March,  18 14,  the  government  purchased  of  Dominick  Lynch  in  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  a  parcel  of  land  on  the  southerly  side  of  Dominick  street,  extend- 


176  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ing  from  that  street  (then  known  as  the  Sackett's  Harbor  road)  southerly 
to  the  then  Inland  Canal.  October  9,  181  5,  the  government  bought  of 
Mr.  Lynch  other  grounds  adjoining  the  above  on  the  south  side  of  that 
road  for  arsenal  purposes,  and  also  a  parcel  on  the  northerly  side,  oppo- 
site, for  a  site  for  the  residence  for  the  officers  in  command.  July  4, 
1 8 16,  the  government  purchased  other  lands  on  both  sides  of  said  roads, 
for  the  same  purpose  as  above.  The  work  of  constructing  the  arsenal 
buildings  was  commenced  in  18 14,  and  was  completed  in  18 16.  This 
was  the  first  and  only  United  States  arsenal  erected  in  Oneida  county, 
or  of  one  nearer  than  Albany  and  the  Madison  Barracks  at  Sackett's 
Harbor  in  1816  and  1819  D.  W.  Flagler,  brigadier-general  and  chief 
of  ordnance  at  Washington,  has  kindly  furnished  the  author  the  follow- 
ing facts  relative  to  this  Rome  arsenal,  and  the  officers  in  charge  of  it  at 
various  times  : 

The  total  cost  of  the  laud  and  buildings,  as  completed  in  1816,  was  $36,078.61. 
The  work  of  construction  was  under  the  supervision  of  James  Dallaba,  who  com- 
manded the  arsenal  from  August  5,  1813,  to  P'ebruary,  1816.  [He  was  a  brother-in- 
law  of  the  late  B.  N.  Huntington,  of  Rome.]  The  records  in  the  department  show 
that  no  moneys  were  expended  for  ordinary  repairs  after  1816,  until  1838,  when  there 
was  an  expenditure  of  $1,124.38.  Again  from  1838  to  1842  there  were  no  expendi- 
tures, except  for  ordinary  repairs,  but  between  1842  and  1851  there  were  consider- 
able improvements  amounting  in  all  to  §6, 164. 85.  The  following  are  the  officers 
who  commanded  the  Rome  arsenal,  and  the  dates  of  their  commands:  Major  James 
Dallaba,  August  5,  1818,  to  February,  1816;  Third  Lieutenant  John  Hills  was 
stationed  at  the  arsenal  as  an  assistant.  March  2,  1815,  and  Third  Lieuteuant 
James  Simonson,  September,  1816;  Lieutenant  Richard  C.  Pomeroy,  February,  1816, 
to  April,  1817;  Capt.  D.  T.  Welch,  April,  1817,  to  January,  1821;  Lieutenant  John 
W.  Thompson,  June,  1821  to  January,  1825;  Lieutenant  J.  H.  Cooke,  April  29,  1826, 
to  1827;  Lieutenant  A.  D.  Tompkins,  March,  1827  to  1828;  Lieutenant  of  Artillery 
James  S.  Abeel,  1  April,  1828  to  1833;  Lieutenant  H.  S.  Mallory  January  1834,  to 
November,  1836;  Military  Storekeeper  S.  Perkins,  December,  1836,  to  December, 
1837;  Lieutenant  and  Captain  James  S.  Abeel,  military  storekeeper,  January,  1838, 
to  March,  1855.  On  May  7,  1855,  in  obedience  to  instructions  of  the  war  department, 
Captain  Abeel  turned  over  the  arsenal  to  Captain  Delos  B.  Sackett  for  a  recruiting 
station.  Captain  Sackett  left  the  arsenal  with  his  command  August  21,  1855,  and 
from  that  date  until  1862.  there  was  no  officer  stationed  at  the  Rome  arsenal,  in  com- 
mand of  the  same ;  but  the  arsenal  was  under  the  control  of  the  commanding  officer 
of  Watervliet  arsenal  at  West  Troy,  N.  Y.  J.  Molinard,  military  storekeeper,  1862 
to  1863;  Captain  James  S.  Abeel,  military  storekeeper,  June,  1863,  to  February, 
1870.     February  16,    1870,  the  arsenal  was  again  turned  over  to  the  commanding 

I  A  sketch  of  Captain  Abeel  is  elsewhere  published  in  this  volume. 


JAS.   S.  ABEEL. 


1814  TO  1819.  177 

officer  of  the  Watervliet  arsenal,  who  remained  in  charge  of  the  same  until  the 
arsenal  grounds  south  of  Dominick  street  were  sold  June  2,  1873,  to  Jerome  L. 
Mudge. 

Mr.  Mudge  sold  to  the  Mudge  &  Ames  knitting  works.  In  1891 
the  premises  southerly  of  Dominick  street  became  and  is  now  (1896) 
the  property  of  R.  M.  Wilson,  who  is  extensively  engage*,,  in  the  manu- 
facture of  bath  tubs. 

The  premises  where  the  brick  dwelling  is,  north  of  Dominick  street, 
in  1883  became  and  is  now  the  property  of  Leopold  Hower,  senior,  and 
Leopold  Hower,  junior,  as  a  residence.  The  arsenal  at  Rome  was 
erected  and  used  simply  as  a  depository  of  military  stores.  In  the 
magazine  was  gunpowder  only,  sometimes  as  much  as  twenty  tons. 
In  the  basement  of  the  arsenal  were  saltpeter,  bombshells,  cannon  balls, 
grape  and  cannister  shot,  cartridges,  flints,  boxes  of  sabres,  cavalry 
pistols,  cartridge  boxes,  belts,  holsters  In  the  second  sto:  y  in  cases,  in 
racks,  were  muskets,  carbines,  sabres,  pistols,  and  base  and  snare  drums 
and  bugles.  On  the  third  floor  were  swords,  sabres,  and  swabs  used 
for  cannon.  There  were  in  sheds,  cannon,  twenty-five  immense  guns, 
two  brass  pieces,  captured  from  the  English  at  Sackett's  Harbor 
in  18 13.  In  the  laboratory  rockets  were  made,  and  in  the  repair  shop 
was  the  polishing  wheel,  where  arms  were  kept  bright.  The  map  shows 
the  other  buildings  on  the  grounds,  and  their  use,  on  each  side  of  the 
road.  Some  ten  to  a  dozen  men  were  employed  looking  after  the  arms 
and  keeping  them  in  order,  and  were  subjected  to  stricter  discipline 
than  ordinary  laboring  men.  John  B.  McHarg,  of  Rome,  the  only  man 
now  living  who  was  employed  in  the  arsenal  as  early  as  1830,  furnishes 
the  foregoing  information.  His  father,  James  McHarg,  came  from  the 
Watervliet  Arsenal  to  the  Rome  Arsenal  in  18 18. 

Here  is  as  good  a  place  as  any,  to  make  mention  of  the  cold  summer 

of  1816,  characterized  as   "the   year  without  a  summer."     It  was  not 

confined  to  Oneida  county,  but  extended  over  most  of  the  Northern  and 

Eastern  States.      In  fact,  it  has  passed  into  history  as  the  coldest  year 

ever  known  in  the  United  States  and  Europe.      The  month  of  May  in 

the  New  England  States  was  unusually  cold  for  the  season,  buds  and 

fruits   were   frozen,    cornfields   were   again   and    again   replanted,    until 

deemed  too  late.     June  was  the  coldest  ever  known  in  that  month  in 
23 


178  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

that  latitude;  frost  and  ice  were  common.  In  Vermont  snow  fell  to 
the  depth  of  ten  inches,  seven  in  Maine,  three  in  the  interior  of  New 
York  State,  and  one  in  Massachusetts.  In  a  town  in  Vermont  a  flock 
of  sheep  belonging  to  a  farmer  had  been  turned  out  as  usual  to  pasture. 
On  the  17th  of  June  a  heavy  snow  fell,  the  cold  was  intense  and  the 
owner  started  at  noon  for  his  sheep.  Night  came,  the  storm  increased 
and  he  did  not  return.  The  next  morning  the  family  started  for  help, 
the  snow  had  covered  up  all  the  tracks  and  not  until  the  end  of  the 
third  day  did  they  find  the  man,  on  the  side  of  the  hill  with  both  feet 
frozen  an  unable  to  move.  Farmers  built  large  fires  around  their  corn- 
fields to  keep  them  from  freezing.  Coming  down  to  Oneida  county, 
old  residents  who  were  old  twenty-five  years  ago  and  remembered  the 
cold  summer  of  18 16,  informed  the  author  that  there  were  frosts  in 
Oneida  county  every  month  that  year  ;  corn  which  had  come  up  was 
cut  down  by  the  frosts  in  June.  The  fore  part  of  the  month  the  nights 
had  been  unusually  cold,  and  on  the  6th  of  June  it  snowed  in  all  parts  of 
the  county  ;  in  some  places  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  several  inches. 
But  little  corn,  wheat  and  potatoes  were  raised  that  year.  Wheat  was 
$3  a  bushel;  corn  $1.50.  Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County  mentions 
that  cold  summer  and  relates  the  story  of  four  children  in  the  town  of 
Annsville,  residing  in  the  neighborhood  of  "  Cold  Hill  Bridge,"  over 
Fish  Creek,  attending  school  three  miles  distant;  one  boy  was  nine,  the 
other  six,  the  other  two  of  the  four  were  girls,  about  the  same  ages; 
they  usually  walked  to  and  from  school.  The  youngest  girl  was  the 
only  one  who  had  a  pair  of  shoes ;  none  of  them  had  stockings.  On 
the  6th  of  that  ever-to-be- remembered  June,  the  four  children  were 
punctual  at  school  in  the  morning.  At  2  P.  M.  the  weather  had  become 
so  cold  the  teacher  concluded  to  dismiss  the  school  and  send  her 
scholars  home.  About  one-quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  school  house  a 
family  resided,  and  the  four  children  mentioned  passed  that  way  on 
their  way  home,  but  when  they  got  there  the  inmates  were  absent,  and 
the  house  was  locked.  Snow  was  falling  fast  and  it  was  already  two 
inches  deep.  The  oldest  boy  had  on  his  father's  roundabout.  He  took 
the  six  year  old  boy  on  his  back,  put  the  little  fellow's  feet  in  the 
pockets  of  the  roundabout  and  directed  the  two  little  girls  to  go  ahead 
as  fast  as  they  could,  and  when  tired  sit  down  and  rub  each  other's  bare 


1814  TO  1819.  179 

feet  until  he  came  up.  When  the  large  boy  came  up  to  the  girls,  he 
put  the  boy  down  from  his  back,  took  the  large  girl  on  his  back,  who  had 
no  shoes,  and  the  boy  and  the  small  girl  pushed  on.  When  within  forty 
rods  from  home,  the  father  heard  the  cries  of  the  children,  and  hastened  to 
their  aid.  The  feet  of  the  larger  boy  were  so  lacerated  with  sticks  and 
stones  and  frozen  on  the  way,  that  it  was  several  days  before  he  could 
go  out.  Such  were  the  sufferings  of  many  who  became  pioneer  set- 
tlers in   the  country. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1817,  the  opening  ceremonies  of  commencing 
work  on  the  Erie  Canal  were  observed  in  Rome,  a  little  to  the  south- 
west of  the  then  United  States  Arsenal.  The  following  account  is 
taken  from  the  newspapers  of  the  dates  as  named  below,  and  hence  the 
account  may  be  considered  authentic  : 

[From  the  Utica  GazL-ttc,  July  15th,  and  New  York  Columbian,  July  18th.  1817.] 

An  intention  to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  American  Independence,  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Rome,  on  the  Fourth  of  July  instant,  having  been  announced  in  the  public 
papers,  and  the  preparation  of  the  Canal  Commissioners  being  in  a  state  of  suffi- 
cient forwardness,  an  engagement  was  made  by  the  Hon.  S.  Young  (the  only  com- 
missioner present),  and  the  committee  of  arrangements,  to  unite  with  this  joyous 
festival,  the  commencement  of  the  excavation  of  the  Grand  Erie  Canal. 

Accordingly  on  that  day,  at  sunrise,  a  large  mmber  of  citizens,  accompanied  by 
the  commissioners  and  engineer,  assembled  and  proceeded  to  the  place  appointed  on 
the  line  of  the  canal. 

The  Hon.  Joshua  Hathaway,  of  Rome,  on  the  part  of  the  citizens 
present  with  a  few  pertinent  observations  delivered  the  spade  into  the 
hands  of  the  commissioner,  by  whom  it  was  delivered  to  Judge  Rich- 
ardson, of  Cayuga  county,  who  had  entered  into  the  first  contract  for 
constructing  a  portion  of  the  canal.  The  contract  bore  date  June  27, 
1 8 17.     Judge  Richardson  said  : 

"  Fellow  Citizens  : — We  have  assembled  to  commence  the  excavation  of  the  Erie 
Canal.  This  work,  when  accomplished,  will  connect  our  Western  hiland  Seas  with 
the  Atlantic.  It  will  diffuse  the  benefit  of  internal  navigation  over  a  surface  of  vast 
extent,  blessed  with  a  salubrious  climate  and  luxuriant  soil,  embracing  a  tract  of 
country  capable  of  sustaining  more  human  beings  than  were  ever  accommodated  by 
any  work  of  the  kind. 

"  By  this  great  highway  unborn  millions  will  easily  transport  their  surplus  produc- 
tions to  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  procure  their  supplies,  and  hold  a  useful  and 
profitable  intercourse  with  all  the  marine  nations  of  the  earth.  The  expense  and 
labor  of  this  great  undertaking  bear  no  proportion  to  its  utility.     As  nature  has 


180  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

kindly  afforded  every  facility,  we  have  all  the  moral  and  physical  means  within  our 
reach  and  control.  Let  us,  then,  proceed  to  the  work,  animated  by  the  prospect  of 
its  speedy  accomplishment,  and  cheered  by  the  anticipated  benedictions  of  a  grate- 
ful posterity." 

Judge  Richardson  then  broke  the  earth,  and  was  followed  by  the  citizens,  and  his 
own  laborers,  each  vieing  with  the  other  in  this  demonstration  of  the  joy  of  which 
all  partook  on  that  interesting  occasion. 

Thus,  accompanied  by  the  acclamations  of  the  citizens,  and  the  discharge  of  can- 
non from  the  United  States  Arsenal,  has  been  struck  the  first  stroke  towards  the  con- 
struction of  a  work,  which,  in  its  conception,  will  unite  Erie  with  the  Hudson;  the 
West  with  the  Atlantic;  which  will  scatter  plenty  along  its  borders;  carry  refinement 
and  civilization  to  the  regions  of  the  wilderness,  and  ever  remain  a  proud  and  useful 
monument  of  the  enlightened  views  of  its  projectors  and  of  the  wisdom  and  mag- 
nanimity of  the  State  of  New  York. 

The  foregoing  account  from  the  Utica  Gazette  and  the  Columbian 
makes  no  mention  of  Governor  De  Witt  Chnton  being  present  at  the 
ceremonies,  and  awards  to  Judge  John  Richardson  the  honor  of  shovel- 
ing the  first  spadeful  of  earth.  Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County  awards 
that  honor  to  Hon.  Joshua  Hathaway,  of  Rome,  and  it  is  so  inscribed 
on  the  tombstone  of  Judge  Hathaway  in  Rome  cemetery.  History 
records  (E.  H.  Roberts's  History  of  New  York)  that  Governor  Clinton 
was  present,  and  that  be  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  only  three 
days  before.  Further,  the  late  Judge  Henry  A.  Foster  informed  the 
author  of  this  work,  that  when  he  (Judge  Foster)  was  senator  in  1828, 
Governor  Clinton  informed  him  (Judge  F.)  that  he  was  present  at  those 
ceremonies  and  stated  that  to  him  (the  governor)  really  belonged  the 
honor  of  casting  the  first  spadeful  of  earth. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  1819,  the  channel  of  the  canal  between  Utica  and  Rome, 
was  filled  with  water  from  Oriskany  creek,  and  on  the  next  day  a  boat  named  the 
"Chief  Engineer,"  in  honor  of  Judge  Benjamin  Wright,  made  a  trial  trip  from  Rome 
to  Utica.  A  military  band  and  a  number  of  citizens  were  on  board,  and  they  were 
received  by  the  Uticans  by  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  applause 
of  the  multitude.  On  the  23d  of  the  same  month,  that  boat  returned  to  Rome  with 
a  company  of  70  ladies  and  gentlemen,  among  whom  were  Governor  Clinton, 
General  Van  Rensselaer,  the  canal  commissioners.  Colonel  Lansing,  Judge  Morris  S. 
Miller  and  Judge  Benjamin  Wright.  The  boat  was  61  feet  long,  7^  feet  wide,  a 
cabin  at  each  end,  and  each  cabin  14  feet  in  length,  with  a  flat  deck  between  the  two 
cabins.  At  9  that  morning,  the  excursionists  embarked  at  Utica  for  Rome,  amid  the 
ringing  of  bells,  the  firing  of  cannon,  and  the  shouts  of  the  people.  In  40  minutes 
the  boat  reached  Whitesboro,  and  at  1  p.  m.,  arrived  at  Rome.  All  along  the  route, 
the  canal  banks,  the  fences,  the  trees  and  the  buildings,  were  crowded  by  an  eager, 
curious   and   excited  multitude,  to  witness   the  novel  sight.     At  3  i'.   m.  the  boat 


1814  TO  1819.  181 

started  from  Rome  on  its  return  trip,  and  reached  Utica  a  little  before  8in  the  even- 
ing. 

In  the  spring  of  1820  the  canal  between  Utica  and  Montezuma  was  open  for  busi- 
ness, and  about  the  middle  of  April  of  that  year  the  first  boat  of  the  season,  and  the 
first  packet  which  ever  run  on  the  Erie  canal,  started  from  Utica  for  Montezuma. 
The  boat  was  the  "Chief  Engineer;"  it  left  Utica  early  in  the  morning  of  Thursday, 
having  on  board  John  T.  Clark,  (afterwards  state  engineer,)  Mayor  Burse,  (or  Buss,) 
John  B.  Pease,  then  sheriff  of  Oneida  county,  (father  of  the  late  Harmon  Pease,)  and 
others.  It  reached  Rome  about  1  v.  m.  and  took  on  board  Henry  A.  Foster,  (now 
ex-Judge  Foster,  and  who  is  my  informant,)  Colonel  John  Westcott  and  his  son, 
Simon  Matteson  and  his  brother,  Clark  Matteson.  Jesse  Matteson  w-as  captain. 
About  5  p  M.  that  boat  reached  Brandy  Brook,  in  the  town  of  Verona,  and  there  was 
obliged  to  remain  until  Friday  afternoon,  owing  to  the  low  state  of  the  water  in  the 
canal,  by  reason  of  a  break.  That  night  (Friday)  the  boat  reached  a  point  in  the 
town  of  Sullivan  in  Madison  county,  and  there  remained  all  night.  Saturdaj^  night 
the  boat  and  its  company  reached  "old  Real's  tavern"  in  the  town  of  Manlius  in 
Onondaga  county,  and  there  remained  over  night,  and  Sunday  night  the  party 
reached  "  Cc'/vV////"  (now  Syracuse.)  Some  twelve  to  fifteen  horses  were  taken  along, 
to  distribute  along  the  route  to  be  used  as  packet  horses  and  for  a  change.  Portions 
of  the  way  oxen  were  used  to  draw  the  boat  along.  The  return  trip  was  made  a 
little  quicker,  and  the  party  reached  home  in  time  to  vote  at  the  general  election, 
then  held  the  last  of  April,  at  which  De  Witt  Clinton  was  elected  governor  over 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins. 

On  the  20th  of  May  of  the  same  year  an  excursion  was  made  by  the  "  Chief  Engi- 
neer" and  "Montezuma"  from  Utica  to  Seneca  river,  and  among  the  excursionists 
were  Governor  Clinton,  the  canal  commissioners,  and  a  large  party  from  Utica, 
Whitesboro,  Rome,  and  other  points. 

In  June,  1820,  the  '  Erie  Canal  Navigation  company"  advertised  that  100  miles  of 
the  canal  was  open  from  Utica  westward,  and  that  boats  left  Utica  Mondays  and 
Thursdays  at  9  a.  m.  and  and  reached  Canastotaat  7  i'.  m.,  and  that  the  fare  was  $4 
including  meals. 

In  the  same  year  that  the  work  was  commenced  on  the  Erie  Canal, 
President  James  Monroe  made  a  partial  tour  through  the  Northern 
States.  It  is  not  definitely  known  whether  he  passed  through  Oneida 
county  or  not,  but  it  is  thou^^ht  he  did  not.  The  object  of  the  tour  was 
to  inspect  the  military  condition  of  the  northern  frontier.  He  came  up 
the  St.  Lawrence  River  as  far  as  Ogdensburgh  ;  there  he  was  met 
August  I,  1817,  by  Gen.  Jacob  Brown  and  others,  escorted  over  the 
country  to  Rossie,  Antwerp,  Leray  and  thence  to  Watertown.  He 
proceeded  from  there  to  Brownville  and  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  which 
place  he  reached  August  4  There  he  was  received  with  military  honors 
and  a  brief  address  and  on  the  6th  he  embarked  on  board  the  United 
States  brig  Jones,  bound  for  Niagara. 


182  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

It  has  been  incidentally  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter  that  the 
Rome  jail,  which  was  erected. before  i8oo,  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1817. 
That  fire  was  an  incendiary  one,  set  by  the  prisoners  confined  therein, 
and  occurred  August  19,  18 17.  There  were  a  number  of  prisoners  in 
the  jail  at  the  time,  and  some  five  of  them  attempted  to  escape  by  set- 
ting fire  to  the  jail.  The  flames,  however,  got  under  such  headway  be- 
fore being  discovered  by  outsiders,  that  many  of  the  prisoners  came 
near  to  death  by  suffocation.  It  was  some  time  before  the  doors  were 
opened.  They  all  crowded  to  the  door,  through  a  small  crack  in  which 
a  little  fresh  air  came,  and  where  they  crowded  each  other  and  struggled 
and  fought  for  a  breath  of  air  and  for  life.  One  of  the  prisoners.  Elisha 
Green,  was  killed  in  the  struggle,  or  died  of  suffocation.  When  the 
doors  were  opened  the  prisoners  were  so  much  exhausted  as  to  make  it 
difficult  to  revive  them.  They  were  laid  out  in  the  open  air  upon  the 
grass  and  as  they  revived  their  agony  and  contortions  were  dreadful. 
One  of  the  prisoners,  John  J.  Sundown,  an  Oneida  Indian,  was  alive 
some  twenty-five  years  ago,  living  at  Oneida.  Five  of  the  prisoners 
who  were  implicated  in  the  offense  of  setting  the  fire  were  indicted  for 
arson  at  the  December  term  of  the  court  held  by  Judge  Piatt  at  Whites- 
town  in  1 8 17,  and  tried  at  the  same  term.  Their  names  were  John 
Harris,  John  Denny,  James  O'Brien,  David  Linus,  and  Rosvvell  T.  Pratt. 
Denny  and  Linus  were  Oneida  Indians.  Denny  was  in  jail  under  an  in- 
dictment for  an  assault  with  intent  to  kill;  Pratt  under  an  indictment  for 
passing  counterfeit  money.  Harris,  Linus  and  O'Brien  were  in  jail  under 
sentence  to  the  State's  Prison  for  three  years  for  grand  larceny.  The 
prisoners  were  defended  by  T.  R.  Gold  and  F.  C.  White,  of  Whitesboro. 
All  of  the  five  indicted  persons  were  convicted,  the  penalty  of  which  was 
death,  and  were  sentenced  to  be  hung  the  2d  (Friday)  of  February, 
1818.  ApoUos  Cooper,  of  Utica,  was  sheriff"  and  John  Westcott,  the 
Rome  jailor.  The  coffins  were  made  for  the  prisoners  and  a  gallows 
erected  for  the  five.  The  day  of  execution  was  in  midwinter  and  old 
residents  gave  to  the  author  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  an  account  of 
the  burning  of  the  jail,  the  scene  presented  by  the  suffocating  prisoners, 
and  the  looks  of  the  gallows  and  the  crowd  that  came  to  witness  the 
execution.  Men,  women,  and  children,  came  in  sleighs,  on  horseback, 
and  some  on  foot,  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  some  of  the  way  through 


1814  TO  1819.  183 

woods,  and  breaking  roads  and  starting  the  night  before  and  riding  all 
night  so  as  to  be  on  hand  in  time  to  witness  the  execution.  There  was 
a  large  gathering  of  people,  but  on  the  day  of  the  execution  and  a  few 
hours  before  the  time  fixed,  there  came  from  the  governor  a  commuta- 
tion of  the  sentence  of  death  penalty  to  imprisonment  for  life.  De  Witt 
Clinton  was  then  governor  of  the  State.  Being  thus  deprived  of  wit- 
nessing the  hanging,  a  number  of  persons  clubbed  together,  erected  a 
gallows  of  their  own  in  a  little  piece  of  woods  near  the  present  St. 
Joseph's  church,  close  by  the  Central  Railroad,  and  there  hung  the  five 
prisoners  in  effigy.  One  of  the  spectators  froze  his  feet  by  standing  so 
long  in  the  snow  to  witness  the  spectacle. 

It  has  been  stated  in  a  previous  chapter  that  on  the  organization  of 
Oneida  county  in  1798  Jonas  Piatt,  of  VVhitesboro,  was  the  first  county 
clerk.  That  office  he  held  until  he  was  succeeded  February  2,  1802, 
by  Francis  A.  Bloodgood.  The  law  had  fixed  the  site  of  the  court 
houses  and  jails  in  this  county,  but  not  the  site  of  a  clerk's  office,  and 
hence  the  clerk  could  keep  the  records  in  his  own  private  office,  as  the 
clerks  did  until  a  law  was  passed  fixing  the  site  of  the  county  clerk's 
office.  Mr.  Bloodgood  resided  in  Utica,  on  VVhitesboro  street,  a  little 
westerly  of  what  fifty  years  ago  was  the  hotel  known  as  the  "  McGregor 
House,"  and  later  the  "  Dudley  House."  His  office  was  on  the  same 
street  a  little  westerly  of  his  residence.  By  successive  appointments  Mr. 
Bloodgood  held  the  office  until  February  23,  1813,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Abram  Camp,  who  held  the  office  until  March  16,  18  15,  when 
Mr.  Bloodgood  was  reappointed.  April  5,  18 16,  an  act  was  passed 
authorizing  the  count)-  to  raise  $2,000,  to  construct  a  fire-proof  build- 
ing for  a  county  clerk's  office  to  be  erected  in  Utica.  Charles  C.  Broad- 
head,  Francis  A.  Bloodgood,  and  Joseph  Jennings  were  appointed  com- 
missioners to  locate  and  purchase  a  site,  and  contract  for  the  erection  of 
the  building.  The  site  selected  was  on  Whitesboro  street,  not  far  from 
the  place  where  Mr.  Bloodgood  had  kept  his  office.  April  11,  1817, 
the  Legislature  authorized  the  raising  of  an  additional  $1,000  to  com- 
plete the  building.  The  county  clerk's  office  was  kept  there  until  1849, 
when  it  was  removed  to  its  present  location  on  Genesee  street.  The 
manner  of  the  change  occurred  after  this  wise:  Prior  to  the  State  Con- 
stitution of  1 82 1  there  were  five  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  this 


184  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

State.  Each  of  those  judges  held  Circuits  and  Courts  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer,  and  together  acted  as  an  appellate  court.  The  General  Terms 
were  held  prior  to  i8i8  in  Albany  and  New  York.  The  clerks  of  those 
courts  were  wholly  different  from  the  county  clerks  and  from  the  clerks 
of  our  present  courts.  April  14,  1820,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing 
the  holding  of  the  October  term  of  the  General  Term  (that  was  held  in 
New  York)  to  be  held  at  the  Utica  Academy.  That  building  was 
erected  in  18 18,  and  as  there  was  no  court  house  in  Utica  prior  to  1850, 
courts  were  frequently  held  in  that  academy.  It  was  in  the  second 
story  of  that  building  the  famous  McLeod  trial  took  place  in  October, 
1 841.  It  was  probably  through  the  influence  of  Judge  Jonas  Piatt,  who 
was  from  18 14  to  1823  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  that 
that  the  October  general  term  was  authorized  to  be  held  in  Utica  The 
October  teim  of  1820  was  the  first  time  that  court  was  held  there,  and 
the  judges  who  held  the  term  were  Ambrose  Spencer,  VV.  W.  Vanness, 
Joseph  C  Yates,  John  Wood  worth  and  Jonas  Piatt.  Among  the  emi- 
nent lawyers  in  attendance  at  that  term  of  the  court  were  Martin  Van 
Buren,  T.  A.  Emmett,  Elisha  Williams,  A.  Van  Vechten,  Daniel  Cady, 
John  V.  Henry  and  Thomas  Oakley,  then  attorney-general.  Not  far 
from  1820  a  story  and  a  half  building  was  erected  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  the  county  clerk's  office  on  Genesee  street  and  .for  the  clerk's 
office  of  the  old  Supreme  Court.  The  State  Constitution  of  1846  abol- 
ished the  old  Supreme  Court  and  the  clerks  went  with  the  court  An 
act  was  passed  January  29,  1848,  authorizing  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Land  Office  to  convey  to  Oneida  county  the  premises  of  the  old  supreme 
court  clerk's  office  on  Genesee  street,  and  the  State  to  receive  in  ex- 
change the  site  of  Oneida  county  clerk's  office  on  Whitesboro  street. 
Those  conveyances  were  executed. 


1820  TO  1830.  185 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

1820  TO  1830. 

An  event  of  great  historical  importance  in  and  to  Oneida  county  took 
place  on  October  23,  1819.  It  is  well  worthy  of  a  place  in  this  history, 
as  thereby  the  narration  of  facts  which  now  rests  only  on  newspaper 
publications  can  be  preserved  in  a  more  enduring  form.  The  account 
of  this  event  is  from  the  Utica  Observer  of  October  26,  18 19,  and  is  as 
follows : 

On  Saturday,  October  23,  1819,  his  Excellency  Governor  Clinton  ;  Gen.  Van 
Rennsalaer  ;  Messr.s.  Holly  and  Seymour,  canal  commissioners  ;  Mr.  Wright,  engi- 
neer of  the  middle  sections  of  the  Erie  Canal ;  Messrs.  White,  Bates  and  Jarvis, 
assistant  engineers,  and  Mr.  Agent  Barton,  together  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Blatchford, 
of  Lansingburgh;  and  Mr.  Stanbury,  of  Albany;  Mr.  Bunner,  of  New  York;  Judge 
Miller,  Mr.  Williams,  Mr.  Clark,  Mr.  Van  Rennsalaer,  Mr.  Bloodgood,  Mr.  Lansing, 
Mr.  Childs,  Mr.  Walker,  and  many  other  gentlemen  of  the  village  of  Utica,  and  its 
vicinity;  the  sheriff  of  Oneida  county.  Colonel  Westcott  and  the  Hon.  E.  Hart  and 
P.  G.  Childs,  senators  of  the  Western  District,  started  in  a  canal  boat  from  the  east- 
ern extremity  of  the  middle  section,  on  an  excursion  of  curiosity,  and  experiment, 
for  Rome. 

The  dam  at  Oriskany  Creek  having  been  finished  and  the  bars  of  earth  adjoining 
it  having  been  removed,  so  as  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  boat;  a  depth  of  two  and 
one-half  feet  of  water  had  been  let  into  the  canal  on  the  Thursday  preceding.  The 
first  admission  of  water  into  a  canal  is  always  attended  with  great  solicitude.  It  is 
the  ultimate  test  of  the  accuracy  of  the  levels,  and  affords  most  important  references 
as  to  the  solidity  and  fidelity  with  which  the  banks  have  been  constructed,  and  the 
sufficiency  of  the  feeders.  One  of  the  jobs  east  of  Oneida  Creek,  not  being  entirely 
completed,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  prevent  the  water  extending  further  west  on 
the  Rome  summit  than  Wood  Creek  aqueduct,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles;  and  it 
was  known  that  the  quicksands  at  Oriskany  Hill  presented  more  cause  of  alarm  than 
is  anywhere  else  to  be  found  on  the  section.  A  number  of  men  had  been  stationed 
on  the  bank  at  that  place  to  watch  the  effect  and  motion  of  the  waters  as  they  accu- 
mulated, and  to  arrest  as  quick  as  possible  the  progress  of  any  evil  that  might  arise. 
The  waters  moved  gently  on  from  Oriskan}^  Creek,  the  great  feeder  of  the  eastern 
end  of  the  level,  towards  Utica,  swelled  around  Oriskany  Hill  to  the  intended  depth, 
and  were  not  observed  to  produce  any  threatening  indications  on  the  banks  for  sev- 
eral hours,  when  at  about  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  a  breach  was  sud- 
denly effected  at  a  place  where  a  drain  had  been  very  recently  filled  up.  At  the 
24 


186  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

place  of  this  drain,  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground  was  two  feet  below  the  bottom 
of  the  canal. 

Of  course  when  the  water  was  two  and  one-half  feet  deep  along  the  line  in  gene- 
ral, there  was  here  a  pressure  of  four  and  one-half  feet  head.  But  this  pressure 
would  have  produced  no  injury,  if  due  care  had  been  taken  in  raising  the  bottom  of 
the  canal,  and  breaking  in  the  sides  of  the  drain,  and  puddling  the  earth  required 
in  closing  it.  By  the  activity  and  energy  of  Mr.  Brown,  assistant  engineer,  and 
Messrs.  Brainard,  Miller,  Chapin  and  Simpson,  contractors,  the  breach  was  soon 
repaired,  so  that  by  noon  on  Friday,  the  waters  were  again  allowed  to  enter  the 
canal ;  and  before  daylight  on  Saturday,  they  filled  it  for  eighteen  miles  to  the  depth 
of  near  three  feet.  On  the  morning  of  this  day,  therefore,  the  party  above  men- 
tioned commenced  their  excursion.  The  scene  was  novel  and  most  interesting,  con- 
sidering the  circumstances  of  our  country,  the  great  benefits  sure  to  result  to  us 
from  internal  trade,  the  intelligence  of  our  citizens  to  perceive  and  appreciate  these 
benefits,  their  virtues  and  public  spirit  to  make  the  necessary  permanent  appropria- 
tion beforehand,  the  influence  on  all  our  best  sympathies,  which  cannot  fail  to  be 
most  extensively  produced  by  such  easy,  pleasing,  and  economical  means  of  general 
intercourse,  as  are  furnished  by  navigable  canals,  and  in  the  construction  of  our 
great  work,  not  only  in  the  light  of  its  exceeding  utility,  but  as  introducing  through- 
out the  ample  territories  of  our  National  Empire,  a  spirit  of  action  and  persevering 
internal  improvements;  it  is  believed,  that  the  records  of  social  life,  do  not  aflford  a 
scene  more  interesting : 

Amidst  the  cheers  and  shouts  of  almost  the  whole  neighboring  population,  the 
ringing  of  the  church  bells  in  Utica,  and  the  patriotic  tunes  of  a  band  of  music  on 
board,  the  boat  was  put  in  motion.  It  was  drawn  by  one  horse,  by  means  of  a  rope 
eighty  feet  long,  of  which  one  end  connected  with  the  whippletree,  and  the  other 
with  a  hook  secured  to  the  boat,  a  little  distance  from  the  bow,  on  the  towing 
path  side.  And  everybody  was  surprised  to  see  the  ease  with  which  a  single  horse 
moved  on,  at  the  rate  of  four  miles  an  hour,  drawing  a  boat  with  from  70  to  100  pas- 
sengers continually  on  board.  The  agitation  of  the  waters  in  the  canal,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  motion  of  the  boat,  was  not  such  as  to  induce  the  fear  of  much  injury 
to  the  banks,  and  when  the  whole  depth  of  the  waters  is  let  in,  it  will  be  much  less. 
At  a  short  distance  from  the  place  of  starting,  on  the  line  of  the  canal,  there  is  an 
embankment  over  Nail  Creek,  twenty-one  feet  in  height  above  the  natural  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  thirty-two  rods  long,  under  which  is  constructed  a  large  semi- 
circular culvert  of  stone  for  passing  the  waters  of  the  creek  under  the  canal  into  the 
Mohawk  River  below.  The  arch  of  the  culvert  has  a  span  of  five  feet,  and  the  whole 
structure  looks  stable  and  well  adapted  to  its  object.  In  a  canal  the  triumph  of  art 
is  most  apparent  where  the  navigation  is  carried  high  over  the  neighboring  land ; 
this  embankment  was  therefore  regarded  with  great  complacency. 

In  thirtj'-six  minutes  we  had  passed  near  three  miles,  and  reached  the  east  end  of 
an  embankment  about  130  chains  long  across  the  valley  of  the  Socdaqueda  (Socke- 
voit)  Creek.  The  creek  itself  is  passed  by  an  aqueduct  260  feet  long,  connected  with 
the  embankment.  This  aqueduct  consists  of  two  abutments,  with  the  necessary  wing 
walls,  and  seven  piers  of  solid  masonry.  And  this  stone  work  supports  a  trunk  six- 
teen feet  wide,  consisting  of  timber  and  plank,  for  the  water  of  the  canal  to  occupy, 


1820  TO  1830.  187 

and  a  towing  path  of  plank  eight  feet  wide  for  the  horse  to  travel  on.  There  is  an 
angle  in  the  embankment  where  it  connects  with  the  aqueduct,  at  each  end ;  but  the 
connection  is  so  contrived  as  to  admit  of  an  easy  passage  in  both  directions,  and  the 
whole  work  appears  strong  and  well-planned.  Passing  westerly,  this  embankment 
is  terminated  by  excavation  through  the  beautiful  plateau  of  land  which  constitutes 
the  site  of  the  village  of  Whitesborough.  All  the  way  to  this  place  many  hundreds 
of  spectators  had  followed  the  boat  on  the  banks  of  the  canal,  very  frequently  filling 
the  air  with  their  animating  cheers.  Arrived  here,  the  bells  of  Whitesborough  be- 
gan to  ring,  a  salute  was  fired  from  a  road  bridge,  by  a  detachment  from  Captain 
Mann's  company  of  artillery,  and  the  whole  village  arrayed  itself  with  the  most 
lively  demonstrations  of  curiosity  and  joy  upon  the  banks  of  the  canal.  Some  of  the 
pas.sengers  in  the  boat  gave  place  to  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Whitesborough ; 
and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frost,  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Gold,  with  two  of  his  daughters,  Mr. 
Sheriff  Pease,  Judge  Young,  Mr  Sill,  Mr.  White,  and  several  other  persons  came  on 
board.  When  the  boat  came  in  sight  of  the  place  where  the  breach  in  the  bank  had 
occurred,  about  twenty  hardy  looking  workmen,  who  had  not  quite  completed  the 
necessary  preparation,  sent  up  a  shout  of  welcome,  more  cordial  and  contagious  than 
ever  before  echoed  through  the  woods  of  the  Mohawk.  The  pond  m  the  Oriskany 
Creek,  above  the  dam,  is  about  thirty  rods  wide,  and  the  towing  path  bridge  is  not 
yet  made  across  it,  it  was  necessary  to  move  the  boat  over  it,  by  setting  poles ;  this 
was  effected  in  nine  minutes;  when,  after  taking  Colonel  Lansing  on  board,  with 
Mr.  Green  and  several  others,  and  being  greeted  by  the  ringing  of  the  factory  bell, 
and  the  acclamation  of  a  multitude  of  spectators,  the  passage  was  continued,  while 
the  little  girls  were  seen  throwing  flowers  and  green  sprigs  into  the  boat.  Oriskany 
to  Rome  the  canal  is  laid  chiefly  through  swamps.  In  several  places  the  depth  of 
digging  is  from  eight  to  ten  feet;  and  from  four  miles  below  Rome  the  northern 
bank  is  all  the  way  westerly  to  that  place,  raised  fourteen  feet  above  the  bottom  of 
the  canal,  with  a  view  of  protection  against  the  floods  of  the  Mohawk.  The  depth 
of  the  excavation,  the  size  of  the  guard-bank,  the  apparent  security  of  the  whole 
canal,  with  the  regularity  of  its  straight  lines,  and  the  beauty  of  its  curves,  gave  all 
the  passengers  great  delight.  At  the  bridge  across  the  canal,  in  the  swamp,  a  little 
southwest  of  the  hotel  in  Rome,  the  passage  westward  was  ended,  after  having 
been  extended  a  few  chains  more  than  fifteen  miles.  The  officers  of  the  United 
States  garrison  stationed  at  Rome,  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  village,  came 
to  mingle  their  congratulations  with  those  of  their  fellow  citizens,  on  the  perfect  suc- 
cess at  the  first  attempt  at  navigation  on  the  Erie  Canal.  It  was  in  this  vicinity  and 
but  two  years  ago,  the  fourth  of  last  July,  that  the  first  shovelful  of  earth  was  ex- 
cavated in  the  construction  of  this  great  work.  And  it  is  truly  with  a  mixture  of 
wonder,  surprise  and  the  most  joyful  anticipations,  that  one  now  sees  so  many  miles 
filled  with  water  and  navigable;  and  learns,  that  it  is  almost  certain,  that  the  whole 
middle  section,  and  the  side  cut  from  the  main  trunk  to  the  village  of  Salina,  in  all  a 
distance  of  ninety  miles,  will  be  navigable  in  one  month  more.  An  elegant  dinner 
had  been  provided  at  Rome,  for  the  passengers,  which  they  were  obliged  to  forego, 
by  the  engagement  most  of  them  had  entered  into,  of  returning  that  evening.  After 
a  delay  of  forty-eight  minutes,  during  which  the  party  partook  of  suitable  refresh- 
ments,  prepared  for  them  in  the  boat,  Mr.   Wright  and  Mr.  Bunner  debarked,  and 


188  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Lynch,  from  Rome,  and  Alderman  Lawrence  and  Mr.  Benson,  of  New  York, 
came  on  board.  The  boat  set  out  on  the  return  to  Utica,  where  she  arrived  ten 
minutes  before  eight,  without  the  occurrence  of  the  slightest  incident  of  an  unpleas- 
ant nature.  And  if  ever  deep-felt  gladness  was  exhibited,  on  the  human  face  divine, 
it  was  in  universal  and  full  display,  throughout  this  excursion.  The  boat  was  built 
at  Rome  by  Messers.  Miller,  Chapin  and  Brainard,  contractors,  on  a  neat  and  con- 
venient model,  being  sixty-one  feet  long,  eight  feet  wide  and  four  feet  deep,  with 
two  cabins,  each  of  which  is  fourteen  feet  long,  six  feet  six  inches  from  the  floor  to 


The  First  Boat  Built  for  the  Erie  Canal. 
[From  an  old  newspaper  print.] 

the  ceiling,  and  accommodated  with  the  necessary  closets  and  furniture.  She  is 
called  the  "  Chief  Engineer  of  Rome."  and  carried  a  flag  on  this  occasion,  on  which 
was  handsomely  painted  the  American  Eagle,  and  a  canal  boat  with  the  words 
•'  Erie  Canal "  above  and  "  Inland  Navigation"  below.  In  building  the  boat, -taking 
out  the  bars  of  earth  near  Oriskany  and  making  every  other  provision  for  the  first 
experiment  of  navigating  the  canal,  Messrs.  Brainard,  Miller  and  Chapin,  Sheriff 
Pease  and  Colonel  Westcott,  have  made  great  and  laudable  exertions;  and  it  was 
easy  to  perceive  that  the  canal  commissioners,  the  engineer  with  his  assistants,  and 
every  other  witness  and  partaker  of  this  expedition,  will  set  down  the  day  on  which 
it  occurred  as  the  happiest  in  their  lives. 

The  boat  returned  to  Utica  at  ten  minutes  before  eight,  making  the  whole  time  of 
the  trip  ten  hours  and  thirty-five  minutes.  From  which  deduct  (in  all  stops)  two 
hours  and  fifteen  minutes,  and  the  whole  time  of  the  passage  is  eight  hours  and 
twenty  minutes,  a  distance  of  more  than  thirty  miles. 

A  Passenger  in  the  Boat. 

Other  details  of  the  construction  of  the  canal  are  left  for  a  separate 
chapter  on  the  subject. 

The  State  constitutional  convention  of  1821  agreed  upon  a  new  Con- 
stitution for  the  State.  Various  amendments  were  made  to  former  con- 
stitutions, among  which  was  a  change  in  the  judiciary  system  ;  many 
offices  were  made  elective  which  had  theretofore  been  appointive ; 
an  enlargement  of  the  right  of  suffrage  was  provided  for,  etc.  The 
delegates  to  that  convention  from  Oneida  county  and  a  part  of  Oswego 
county,  were  Ezekiel  Bacon,  Henry  Huntington,  Nathan  Williams,  S. 
S.  Breese,  and  Jonas  Piatt.     The  last  two  did  not  approve  of  nor  sign 


1820  TO  1830. 


189 


tlie  Constitution.  It  was  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  of  the 
whole  State  January  15,  16,  and  17,  1822,  and  adopted  by  the  following 
vote:  For,  73,732  ;  against,  41,402.  The  vote  in  this  county  by  towns 
is  given  below,  and  for  convenience  the  U.  S.  census  of  1830  is  put  in 
the  same  table  : 


Population 
in  1830. 


Annsville    

Augusta  .  - .  _ . 

Boonville 

Bridge  water.. . 

Camden 

Ueerfield 

Floyd 

Florence. - 

Kirkland 

Lee 

Marshall. 

Paris - . 

New  Hartford. 

Remsen 

Rome.- .. 

Steuben 

Sangerfield 

Trenton 

Utica 

Verona 

Vienna 

Vernon 

Westmoreland. 
Whitestown... 
Western. 


For. 

Against. 

69 

88 

.59 

15 

87 

15 

47 

111 

95 

84 

140 

41 

31 

18 

126 

27 

252 

299 

16 

23 

222 

44 

74 

4 

72 

89 

108 

122 

139 

90 

134 

83 

73 

58 

164 

219 

109 

354 

126 

600 

5 

263 

1.481 
3,058 
2,746 
1,608 
1,945 
4,182 
1,699 
964 
2,505 
2,514 
1,908 
2,765 
3,599 
1,400 
4,360 
2,094 
2,272 
3,221 
8,323 
3,739 
1,766 
3,045 
3,303 
4,410 
3,418 


A  matter  of  national  interest  and  importance  was  the  visit  of  La 
Fayette  to  this  country.  He  landed  in  New  York,  August  15,  1824, 
after  an  absence  of  forty  years,  and  visited  every  one  of  the  then  twen- 
ty-four States  of  the  Union,  stopping  in  most  of  the  large  cities.  His 
tour  was  a  perfect  ovation  from  the  time  he  set  foot  on  American  soil 
until  he  left  Washington  for  France,  September  7,  1825 — over  a  year. 
He  went  up  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  West  and  came  from 
Buffalo,  most  of  the  way  by  the  Erie  Canal  (which  was  completed 
nearly  to  Buffalo  in  the  summer  of  1825).  He  reached  Canandaigua  on 
the  evening  of  June  7,  1825,  left  that  village  on  the  morning  of  the  8th, 
reached  Geneva,  where  he  had  a  public  reception,  and  left  there  at  i  P.  M., 
passed  through  Waterloo,  Syracuse,  etc.,  and  arrived  at  Rome  about 
10   P.    M.    of  June  9.      He   was  met  on   the  canal   a  few  miles  west  of 


190  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Rome  by  a  committee  from  Utica,  Whitesboro  and  Rome  ;  a  number 
from  Rome  were  ladies  with  bouquets.  Cols.  B.  P.  Johnson,  H. 
A.  Foster,  and  Ardon  Seymour  were  at  the  head  of  the  Rome  military 
organizations.  The  canal  boats  stopped  at  the  "  White  House,"  a  short 
distance  southwesterly  from  the  late  U.  S.  Arsenal,  where  the  company 
landed  from  the  boats  and  proceeded  in  a  procession,  by  the  light  of 
tallow  candles,  to  the  American  Hotel,  which  then  stood  on  the  corner 
of  James  and  Dominick  streets.  Tiiere  La  Fayette  was  welcomed  by 
Wheeler  Barnes,  then  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Rome.  After  the  recep- 
tion and  hand-shaking,  La  Fayette  and  the  procession  proceeded  down 
James  street  to  the  old  canal  and  there  took  the  boat  for  Oriskany. 
Rome  village  was  illuminated  for  the  occasion.  The  distinguished 
visitor  stayed  that  night  with  Colonel  Gerrit  Lansing,  at  Oriskan)-,  who 
was  under  his  command  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  in 
October,  1781.  The  forenoon  of  June  10  the  company  proceeded  to 
Whitesboro.  There  on  a  raised  platform  in  front  of  Jonas  Piatt's  then 
residence,  the  marquis  was  seated  in  an  arm  chair  and  received  the  con- 
gratulations of  the  people  and  a  thorough  hand- shaking.  He  inquired 
if  the  good  woman  (the  widow  of  Hugh  White)  was  still  living  who 
made  him  such  a  nice  johnny-cake  !  La  Fayette  was  through  Whites- 
boro in  1784  on  his  way  to  attend  the  treaty  that  was  held  that  year  at 
Fort  Stanwix,  as  narrated  in  a  former  chapter ;  on  being  informed  that 
the  woman  was  still  alive  he  called  upon  her  again.  Later  on  he  pro- 
ceeded on  his  way  to  Utica,  accompanied  by  the  reception  committee. 
The  following  account  of  La  Fayette's  visit  to  this  county  was  published 
at  the  time  in  a  Utica  newspaper: 

June  9,  1825,  the  deputations  from  the  general  committee  of  arrangements  at 
Utica,  of  which  his  honor  Judge  Williams  was  chairman,  accompanied  by  Colonel 
Lansing  and  his  honor  Judge  Storrs,  proceeded  to  Rome  to  meet  General  La  Fayette. 
After  fitting  honors  had  been  paid  him  both  at  that  place  and  at  Whitesboro  the 
committee  proceeded  to  conduct  him  hither.  The  procession  was  formed  at  Whites- 
boro; the  general  was  seated  in  the  barouche  accompanied  bj^  Judge  Williams  and 
preceded  by  an  escort  of  cavalry  commanded  by  Gen.  John  J.  Knox.  The  general 
was  followed  by  a  carriage  conveying  his  son,  Colonel  La  Fayette,  Colonel  Lansing, 
Colonel  Mappa,  and  Richard  R.  Lansing.  Next  succeeded  coaches  with  his  secre- 
tary, M.  Le  Vasseur,  the  other  gentlemen  of  his  suite,  and  the  Utica  committee. 
Judge  Storrs,  Lieutenant  Simonson,  and  Captain  Wright,  of  Rome.  A  large  caval- 
cade of  citizens  on  horseback  riding  three  abreast  followed,  and  were  succeeded  by 
a  squadron  of  cavalry   under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Cone.     The  procession 


1820  TO  1830.  191 

moved  rapidly  and  increased  as  it  passed  from  the  accession  of  citizens.  All  the  way 
the  fences  were  lined  and  the  houses  thronged  with  people  manifesting  the  utmost 
eagerness  to  see  the  favorite  and  guest  of  the  nation.  When  the  general  arrived  at 
the  boundary'  of  the  village  a  salute  of  twenty-four  guns  was  fired.  The  procession 
entered  La  Fayette  street,  where  the  troops  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Ostrom  were  drawn  up  on  both  sides  of  the  way  and  saluted  the  general  as  he 
passed.  The  procession  entered  Genesee  street,  the  crowd  of  eager  spectators  ac- 
cumulating at  every  step,  and  passed  the  bridge  over  the  canal  where  a  triumphal 
arch  was  erected  surmounted  by  a  flag  labeled  "  La  Fayette,  the  Apostle  of  Liberty, 
we  hail  thee — welcome  !"  The  procession  moved  down  Genesee  street  and  stopped 
at  Shepard's  Hotel,  where  the  general  was  received  on  the  steps  at  the  frontdoor  by 
William  Clarke,  esq.,  president  of  the  village  of  Utica,  and  a  speech  was  delivered 
by  Mr.  Clarke  followed  by  a  reply  from  La  Fayette. 

The  general  breakfasted  and  dined  at  Shepard's,  and  in  the  interval  the  ceremonies 
of  introduction  and  the  review  of  the  troops  were  performed.  An  immense  number 
of  gentlemen  of  the  county  of  Oneida  and  the  vicinity  were  introduced  to  the  general, 
and  at  12  o'clock  the  ladies  were  introduced  which  ceremony  occupied  nearly  an 
hour,  so  great  was  the  number  whom  patriotism,  respect,  and  affection  called  to  the 
interesting  scene.  The  troops  passed  in  review  before  the  general,  who  received 
their  salute  standmg  with  head  uncovered  on  the  steps  of  Mr.  Shepard's  front  door. 
At  the  particular  request  of  La  Fayette  the  chiefs  of  the  Oneidas  were  invited  to 
meet  him,  and  among  them  he  recognized  two  whom  he  knew  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  But  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  affecting  incidents  was  the  interview 
between  the  general  and  the  old  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  army.  A  large  num- 
ber were  assembled,  some  of  whom  were  with  him  at  the  attack  on  the  redoubts  at 
Yorktown.  The  deep  and  keen  feelings  manifested  by  these  venerated  men  on  once 
more  beholding  their  beloved  general,  and  his  frequent exclamatins  "Oh,  my  friend, 
I  know  you !"  with  the  impassioned  salutations,  excited  the  livliest  sympathies  of 
every  heart. 

Over  the  front  door  of  Mr.  Shepard's  hotel  was  placed  a  splendid  transparent 
painting  by  Mr.  Vanderlip,  on  which  was  inscribed  in  large  letters  "Welcome,  La 
Fayette."  After  the  general  had  partaken  of  a  cold  collation  (the  only  dinner  which 
circumstances  would  permit),  at  which  Rev.  Mr.  Wiley  craved  the  blessing  of  Prov- 
idence, the  general,  by  particular  request  of  the  president  of  the  United  States,  vis- 
ited the  family  of  Alexander  B.  Johnson,  esq.  (Mrs.  Johnson  being  a  niece  of  the 
president),  who  with  a  few  ladies  of  the  village  received  him  with  the  cordiality  and 
respect  which  all  feel.  On  his  return  he  called  for  a  moment  at  the  house  of  Arthur 
Breese,  esq.,  where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Galusha  delivered  him  a  neat  poetical  address. 
The  general  then  paid  his  respects  to  the  family  of  President  Clarke  and  was  con- 
ducted to  the  packet  boat  Governor  Clinton,  named  for  the  occasion  La  Fayette, 
commanded  by  Major  Swartout,  and  which  had  been  fitted  in  tasteful  and  elegant 
style  for  his  accommodation  to  Schenectady.  It  was  drawn  bj^  three  white  horses, 
which  with  their  riders  had  appropriate  decorations.  At  the  moment  of  embarkation 
a  salute  of  twenty-four  guns  was  fired,  and  when  the  boat  began  to  move  the  citizens 
congregated  on  the  bridges  and  banks  of  the  canal  rent  the  air  with  loud  and  long 
continued  cheering,  which  was  repeated  at  intervals  until  the  general  had  passed 


192  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  compact  part  of  the  village.  At  the  last  bridge,  near  the  residence  of  the 
lamented  Judge  Miller,  little  bo)'S  threw  baskets  of  flowers  into  the  boat  as  it  passed. 
The  general  all  the  time  presented  himself  to  the  people  and  answered  their  con- 
gratulations with  bows  and  expressive  gesticulations.  The  committee  attended  him 
to  the  bounds  of  the  county  and  a  deputation  proceeded  with  him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

1830  TO  THE    CLOSE  OF  THE    CIVIL  WAR. 

The  history  of  Oneida  county  to  1866,  while  devoid  to  a  great  extent 
of  important  or  exciting  events,  except  in  connection  with  the  civil 
war,  is  a  record  of  continuous  growth  and  advancement  in  all  direc- 
tions. It  was  a  period  that  witnessed  the  introduction  of  railroads,  the 
rapid  development  of  canal  trafilic,  the  establishment  of  plank  roads,  the 
formation  of  four  towns  in  the  county,  the  opening  of  many  highways, 
the  founding  or  reorganization  of  several  important  educational  institu- 
tions, and  the  adoption  of  other  public  measures  of  considerable  im- 
portance. 

The  population  of  Oneida  county,  which  had  reached  almost  60,000 
in  1820,  increased  to  71,326  in  1830,  and  to  85,310  in  1840.  The  act 
of  Legislature  of  February  21,  1829,  erecting  the  town  of  Marshall  from 
Kirkland,  was  followed  by  another  under  date  of  March  30,  1832,  creat- 
ing the  town  of  Marcy  from  Deerfield.  Only  two  other  subdivisions  of 
the  county  were  made,  those  erecting  Ava  from  Boonville,  May  12,  1846, 
and  Forestport  formed  from  Remsen,  November  24,  1869,  making  the 
number  of  towns  twenty-six,  besides  the  cities  of  Utica  and  Rome. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  April  26,  1830,  incorporated  the  Rome 
and  New  London  Turnpike  Company,  and  authorized  the  construction 
of  a  road  from  the  town  of  Verona  to  "  near  the  house  of  Benjamin 
Potter,  in  the  town  of  Rome."  But  methods  of  transportation  were 
about  to  undergo  a  wonderful  transformation.  The  canal  had  proved 
to  be  of  immense  utility,  but  a  successful  rival  was  coming  into  exist- 
ence to  the  eastward.  A  charter  had  been  granted  by  the  Legislature 
to  the  Mohawk  and   Hudson  River  Railroad   Company  in  April,  1826, 


1830  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  193 

and  this  was  followed  in  the  next  decade  by  other  charters  almost  with- 
out number  for  roads  in  various  parts  of  the  State,  many  of  which  were 
never  built.  The  charter  for  the  first  railroad  to  enter  Oneida  county 
was  granted  in  1833  to  the  Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad  Company, 
and  work  was  begun  on  the  road  in  1834;  it  was  opened  for  traffic  in 
the  summer  of  1836  The  incorporation  of  the  Utica  and  Syracuse 
Railroad  Company  was  effected  in  Ma}'-,  1836,  and  the  road  was  finished 
in  June,  1839  The  original  charter  of  the  Rome  and  Watertown  Rail- 
road was  granted  in  April,  1832,  but  the  construction  of  the  road  was 
not  commenced  until  1848.  The  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  chartered  in  1853  and  the  line  was  opened  to  Boonville  the 
following  year.  These  and  other  later  railroads  are  noticed  more  in 
detail  in  a  later  chapter. 

The  opening  of  these  early  railroads  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new 
era  in  Oneida  county.  They  were  influential  in  promoting  the  material 
growth  of  Utica  and  Rome  and  in  locating  and  building  up  various  vil- 
lages along  their  lines,  sometimes  to  the  detriment  of  other  nearby  busi- 
ness centers.  Among  the  companies  incorporated  at  an  early  date  and 
which  did  not  carry  out  their  plans  were  the  Utica  and  Susquehanna 
Railroad  Company,  incorporated  April  25,  1832,  and  the  Black  River 
Company,  April  1 1,  1832.  to  build  a  canal  from  Rome  or  Herkimer  to 
the  St.  Lawrence.  On  March  23,  1834.  the  Utica  and  New  Berlin  Mc- 
Adam  Turnpike  Company  was  incorporated,  and  by  an  act  of  June  29, 
1832,  Oneida  and  Oswego  counties  were  constituted  the  17th  Congress- 
ional district. 

In  the  mean  time  the  memorable  cholera  epidemic  of  1832  swept  over 
the  country  and  this  county  suffered  in  common  with  others,  and  espe- 
cially those  along  the  line  of  the  canal  over  which  were  then  traveling 
westward  hosts  of  emigrants.  In  this  county  the  ravages  of  the  disease 
were  greatest  in  Utica  and  Rome  and  are  more  particularly  described  in 
the  histories  of  those  places  in  later  pages. 

Oneida  county  passed  through  the  financial  crisis  of  1837-38  with  as 
little  loss  and  suffering,  perhaps,  as  any  other  section  similarly  situated. 
Utica  and  Rome  being  at  that  time  without  large  natural  and  manufac- 
turing resources,  and  with  limited  banking  facilities  and  accumulated 
capital,  felt  the  stringency  severely  as  elsewhere  recorded  ;   but  the  ag- 

25 


194:  '  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ricultural  districts  were  comparatively  rich  and  prosperous,  and  not  only 
recovered  quickly  themselves,  but  aided  materially  in  bringing  renewed 
financial  health  and  activity  to  the  business  centers  of  the  county. 

What  may  be  termed  the  plank  road  era  began  in  1846,  when  in  July 
the  first  one  in  the   United   States    was  opened   from  Salina  to  Central 
Square,  Onondaga  county.     The  following  list  embraces   nearly  if  not 
quite  all  the  plank  roads  constructed  in  Oneida  county,  with  other  infor- 
mation  concerning  them  :    The  Rome  and  Utica  Plank  Road  Company, 
authorized    November    18,  1847,  located   in    June,  1848;   the    road  was 
partly  surrendered  in  1856,  and  later  was  wholly  abandoned.    The  New 
London  Plank  Road  Company  was  incorporated   November  22,  1847; 
the  road  was  only  five  and  one-half  miles  long   and  e.\tended  between 
points  in  Vienna  and  Verona.     The    Rome  and  Turin  plank  road  was 
located  in  1848,  extending  from    Rome  through    the  towns  of  Lee  and 
Ava  to  Turin  in  Lewis  county,  and  was  abandoned  in  1855.     The  Fish 
Creek  Plank  Road  Company  built  a  road   from  near   McConnellsville  to 
Fish  Creek  Landing  in  Vienna.     The   Bridgewater   and    Utica   Plank 
Road  Company  laid  out  its  road    in    1848       The  Northern  Plank  Road 
Company    laid    out    its    road    in    the    fall     of     1848.    extending   from 
Deerfield  northward  beyond  Remsen  village  ;  this  was  one  of  the  most 
important  of  these  highways.      Its  charter  expired  in  1877  and  was  not 
renewed.    The  Hamilton  and  Deansville  Plank  Road  Company  laid  out 
its   road   in    June,  1848;   it    was   abandoned    in    1874.      The   Utica  and 
Waterville  Central  Plank  Road  Company  laid  out  its  road  in  February, 
1849.  and  surrendered  its  charter  in    1854.      The    Frankfort   and    Utica 
Plank  Road  Company  built  its   road    in  April,  1849,  and    abandoned  it 
in  1 86 1.     The  Russia  and  North  Gage  Plank  Road  Company  laid  its 
road  in  1849,  ^^^  surrendered    it   in    i860      The    Rome   and    Madison 
Plank  Road  Company  laid  its  road  in  April,  1850,  through  Vernon  and 
Augusta,  to  Madison.     The  Seneca  Plank  Road  Company  built  a  road 
on  the  turnpike  bearing  its  name,  and  the   Waterville  and   Utica  Com- 
pany laid  a  road  in  1848.     The    Earlville   and   Waterville    Plank    Road 
Company  was  organized  in  1849,  ^^^  the   road    was   laid    between    the 
two  points  named ;   it   was   abandoned    in    1869.      The    Augusta    Plank 
Road    Company   was  organized    in   1852,  and    built   a   road  which  was 
abandoned  about  1869.     T^he   Holland    Patent   and  Marcy  Plank  Road 


1830  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  195 

Company  laid  its  road  in  1850,  and  the  Central  Square  and  Vienna 
road,  laid  about  the  same  time,  was  abandoned  in  1855.  The  Rome 
and  Taberg  Plank  Road  Company  was  organized  March  28,  1854;  the 
road  was  abandoned  in  1871.  The  Winfield  and  Paris  Plank  Road 
Company,  organized  in  1854,  abandoned  its  road  in  1872.  The  Tren- 
ton and  Prospect  Plank  Road  Company  abandoned  most  of  its  road  in 
i860.  For  a  time  many  of  these  useful  highways  paid  profits,  but  when 
the  planks  had  to  be  renewed  and  railroads  came  into  competition  with 
some,  while  the  condition  of  the  ordinary  highways  improved,  they  in 
many  cases  failed  to  pay  expenses. 

The  population  of  the  county  by  1850  had  reached  98,537,  and  pros- 
perity was  everywhere  manifest.  The  great  value  of  manufacturing 
industries  began  to  be  appreciated  and  the  reader  of  subsequent  city 
and  town  histories  in  this  work  will  note  what  was  accomplished  to- 
wards their  establishment  in  this  county. 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  March  30,  1846,  Oneida  county  was 
given  four  members  of  assembly,  and  under  another  act  of  May  13  of 
that  year  it  was  associated  with  Jefferson,  Lewis,  Oswego,  Madison  and 
Otsego  to  form  the  Fifth  Senatorial  District. 

The  increase  in  population  from  1850  to  i860  was  comparatively 
small,  it  being  in  the  latter  year  101,626,  about  3,ooo  more  than  at  the 
beginning  of  that  decade.  During  that  period  the  county  passed 
through  another  financial  crisis  which  was  in  some  respects  more  dis- 
astrous than  the  one  of  twent}'  years  earlier.  Two  financial  institutions 
in  Utica  failed,  business  was  greatly  depressed  in  all  sections,  and  anx- 
iety and  suffering  were  generally  prevalent  through  the  year  1857. 

The  country  at  large  was  now  upon  the  eve  of  momentous  events. 
The  "  irrepressible  conflict  "  for  the  abolition  of  southern  slavery  reached 
a  crisis  in  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  president  of  the  United 
States,  and  led  to  the  opening  of  the  guns  of  Charleston  upon  Fort 
Sumter  on  the  12th  of  April,  1861.  The  oncoming  of  civil  war  found 
the  people  of  Oneida  county  ready  with  patriotism,  men  and  money  to 
meet  its  demands.  A  call  was  issued  signed  by  nearly  500  citizens  for 
a  meeting  in  Utica  as  early  as  February  i,  1861,  of  "  all  who  believe  a 
real  and  substantial  difficulty  exists  in  the  administration  of  the  Federal 
Government."     The   meeting  was  largely  attended  and  many  patriotic 


196  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

speeches  were  made.  Other  similar  gatherings  were  held  in  other 
places  in  the  county.  The  first  call  of  the  president  for  volunteers  was 
made  April  15,  1 861,  for  75,000  militia  to  serve  three  months.  This  was 
followed  by  another  on  May  3,  under  which  and  the  several  acts  of  ap- 
proval of  that  summer,  a  total  of  over  700,000  men  was  required.  Re  - 
cruiting  began  at  once  in  Oneida  county  and  what  became  known  as 
the  First  Oneida  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  for  two  years 
on  May  17,  1861.  It  served  honorably  throughout  its  term.  Only 
four  days  later.  May  21,  the  Second  Oneida  regiment,  as  it  was  known, 
was  mustered  in  for  two  years,  and  came  home  with  an  honorable 
record.  These  two  regiments  were  regularly  numbered  the  Fourteenth 
and  the  Twenty-sixth. 

The  next  call  for  troops  was  issued  on  July  2,  1862,  for  300,000  men, 
which  was  succeeded  by  another  on  August  4  for  300,000  nine  months 
men,  and  recruiting  in  Oneida  county,  which  had  been  quiet  for  some 
months,  again  became  active.  A  large  meeting  was  held  in  Utica  on 
the  14th  of  Jiily,  where  a  liberal  subscription  was  made  towards  a  fund 
for  the  payment  of  bounties.  This  was  followed  by  a  special  meeting 
of  the  supervisors  at  Rome  on  the  14th  of  August,  at  which  a  com- 
mittee reported  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  Horatio  Seymour,  C.  H.  Doolittle,  Francis  Kernan,  William  H. 
Ferry,  William  J.  Bacon,  Edward  Huntington,  E.  B.  Armstrong,  and  Samuel  Camp- 
bell, together  with  L.  Rouse,  chairman  of  the  meeting,  and  O.  Carpenter,  clerk,  be 
appointed  a  committee  to  raise  upon  the  credit  of  the  county  $162,700,  upon  county 
orders,  bearing  interest,  signed  by  the  clerk  and  chairman. 

The  quota  of  Oneida  county  under  the  last  call  was  about  1,200,  and 
under  the  foregoing  resolution  a  bounty  of  $50  was  offered  to  each  vol- 
unteer. In  that  year  (1862)  the  following  towns  voted  the  sums  named 
for  bounties: 

Augusta,  $1,180;  Bridgewater,  $2,688.50;  Lee,  $647;  Marcy,  $317;  New  Hartford, 
$3,400;  Paris,  §1,600;  Remsen,  82,017.50;  Trenton,  S3. 227.62;  Verona,  >!15(I;  West- 
moreland, $1,000. 

Recruiting  under  the  two  calls  above  mentioned  was  pushed  to  the 
utmost.  The  third  regiment  from  this  county  was  the  97th,  which  was 
organized  at  Boonville  and  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  that  place 
on  the  1 8th  of  February,  1862,  and  served  in  many  of  the  important 
battles  of  the  war  and  was   mustered   out   July    18,    1865.      Before  this 


1830  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR.  197 

regiment  was  filled,  recruiting  for  the  next  was  under  way,  and  early 
in  August,  1862,  the  first  company  of  what  became  the  1 17th  regiment, 
the  fourth  one  from  this  county,  was  mustered  in.  The  regiment  was 
mustered  in  and  broke  its  camp  to  start  for  the  front  on  the  22d  of 
August.  It  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  after  a  long  and  most  hon- 
orable term,  on  June  8,  1865.  at  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Recruiting  continued  active  through  the  summer  and  fall  of  1862, 
and  the  fifth  regiment  from  this  county,  the  146th,  was  filled  and  mus- 
tered in  at  Rome  on  the  loth  of  October,  1862.  It  saw  three  years  of 
exceptionally  hard  service  and  became  known  as  "  the  fighting  regi- 
ment."     It  was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war,  July  16,  1865. 

A  draft  was  ordered  for  August  25,  1863,  to  supply  deficiencies  in 
the  quotas  of  the  several  towns.  The  draft  was  held  in  Utica  as  an- 
nounced and  passed  off  without  trouble  of  any  kind.  Meanwhile  many 
enlistments  were  made  in  organizations  that  were  partly  filled  in  other 
localities.  Among  these  were  Companies  C,  D,  and  E  of  the  50th  In- 
fantry (Engineers),  mustered  in  September  18,  1861  ;  Company  B  of 
the  47th  Infantry  ;  parts  of  Companies  D,  E,  and  H  of  the  68th  Infantry, 
mustered  in  August,  1861  ;  Companies  C,  E,  and  I  of  the  8ist  Infantry, 
mustered  in  September  14,  1861  ;  Company  H  of  the  164th  Infantry, 
mustered  in  November,  19,  1862  ;  parts  of  Companies  A,  B,  C,  D,  E, 
and  F,  of  the  I92d  Infantry,  mustered  in  during  the  spring  of  1865  and 
parts  of  companies  in  many  other  regiments  of  infantry,  cavalry  and 
artillery,  which  were  were  recruited  under  the  several  calls  succeeding 
those  already  mentioned. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  held  December  7,  1863, 
a  resolution  was  adopted  taxing  the  county  a  sum  sufficient  to  pay  each 
volunteer  $300,  amounting  to  $389,400.  This  was  for  the  quotas  of 
that  year.  On  the  23d  of  August,  1864,  the  board  adopted  a  resolu- 
tion to  pay  $400  to  two  year  men  and  $500  to  three  year  men.  On 
the  2 1st  of  December,  1864,  under  another  call  for  300,000  men,  the 
board  passed  a  resolution  to  pay  volunteers  $200  for  one  year;  $400 
for  two  years,  and  $6oo  for  three  years.  The  total  amount  of  county 
orders  issued  to  December  22,  1864.  including  interest  was  $777,939.59. 
On  the  24th  of  January,  1865,  the  board  adopted  a  resolution  to  pay 
$300,  $500,  and  $700  respectively  for  one,  two,    and    three   year  men. 


198  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  payments  of  the  county  treasurer  for  1864  were   $651,447.92  ;   for 

1865,  $309,962.19.      The  following  table  shows  the  amount  of  war  bonds 

issued  to  the  towns  in  1865  : 

Annsville $21,750.00      Rome $72,375.00 

Augusta ....14,500.00      Sangerfield .18,550.00 

Ava 18,125.00      Steuben  14,475.00 

Boonville 32.425.00       Trenton 33,600.00 

Bridgewater 13,750.00      Utica ....171,  945.00 

Camden 31,975.00      Vernon 30,700.00 

Deerfield 17,400.00      Verona ..44,600.00 

Florence 27,675.00      Vienna .26,100.00 

Floyd. 8,000.00      Western 20,350.00 

Kirkland 19,575.00      Westmoreland 26, 125.00 

Lee 29. 150. 00      Whitestown    22,950. 00 

Marcy 18  850.00      C.  H.  Doolittle ..500.00 

Marshall 5,075.00      T.  Buchanan,  jr 386.03 

New  Hartford .24,900.00  

Paris 26,325.00  $819,176.03 

Remsen 26,850.00 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  bonds  issued  each   year  and  the 
amount  paid  to  the  county  treasurer  by  the  supervisors: 

Bonds  of  1 864 §1 29, 350. 00 

Interest  on  above 9,054.50 

§138,404.50 

Bonds  of  1865 864,474.29 

Orders  of  1864  (extended) 14,900.00 

Paid  treasurer  by  supervisors 28,407.78 


Total .^1 ,  046, 186. 57 

Of  this  amount  $973,510  was  refunded  by  the  State. ^ 

'  For  further  details  of  the  enlistments  from  this  county  and  the  deeds  o£  Oneida  county  men 
in  the  field,  the  reader  Is  referred  to  the  State  mu.ster  rolls  in  the  county  clerk's  office,  to  the 
various  histories  of  regiments  and  brigades,  and  to  the  full  account  given  in  the  Everts  history  of 
the  county  of  1878. 


1866  TO  THE  PRESENT.  199 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

1866  TO  THE  PRESENT. 

The  condition  of  tlie  country  at  large  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  is 
well  remembered  by  most  people  of  the  present  generation.  The  out 
ward  aspect  of  material  affairs  indicated  unexampled  prosperity.  While 
the  "war  prices"  of  all  of  the  necessaries  and  the  luxuries  of  life  were 
unprecedentedly  high,  money  on  the  other  hand  was  extremely  plenty. 
Fortunes  of  greater  or  less  magnitude  had  been  rapidly  accumulated 
and  the  current  in  financial  channels  everywhere  flowed  freely.  As  a 
consequence,  public  improvements  of  various  kinds  were  projected  ; 
railway  extension,  the  founding  of  new  manufactures,  and  the  multipli- 
cation of  mercantile  houses  in  this  and  other  counties,  all  evidenced  the 
high  tide  of  apparent  prosperity.  Of  course  much  of  this  outward 
prosperity  was  fictitious,  resting  as  it  did  upon  a  greatly  inflated  cur- 
rency, and  built  up,  as  it  was,  during  a  period  of  the  most  extravagant 
expenditures,  now  fortunately  closed.  A  reaction  was  sure  to  follow, 
sooner  or  later. 

The  history  of  Oneida  county  since  the  war  must  be  briefly  written, 
except  as  it  further  appears  in  later  chapters.  It  has  been  similar  to 
that  of  almost  all  other  counties  in  the  State.  The  people  united,  in 
spirit  at  least,  with  those  of  the  whole  North  in  welcoming  peace  to  the 
land,  and  turned  with  new  energy  to  their  ordinary  vocations.  While 
general  progress  and  growth  have  been  marked  in  this  county,  signifi- 
cant changes  have  been  taking  place  which  constitute  a  small  part  of 
the  great  social  and  industrial  problems  of  the  time.  For  example,  a 
glance  at  the  statistics  of  population  at  the  close  of  this  chapter  shows 
that  only  eight  of  all  the  towns  in  Oneida  county  have  increased  their 
number  of  inhabitants  since  1870,  and  these  eight  only  by  a  small  per 
centage ;  all  the  others  have  decreased,  and  of  the  eight  mentioned  a 
part  had  more  population  at  a  still  earlier  date  than  1870,  than  they 
have  at  the  present  time.     All  of  the  eight,  excepting  Forestport,  have 


200  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

within  their  respective  Hmits  one  or  more  active  villages  or  industrial 
centers,  which  have  been  sufficient  to  attract  such  small  gain  in  popula- 
tion as  they  have  had.  During  this  census  period  (1870-1892)  Utica 
has  grown  in  population  from  about  28.OOO  to  nearly  50,000,  and  Rome 
from  1 1,000  to  14,000.  It  need  scarcely  be  noted  that  these  facts  have 
been  repeated,  in  some  cases  in  an  exaggerated  form,  in  very  many  of 
the  Middle  and  the  New  England  States.  It  is  a  part  of  the  great  drift 
of  population  towards  the  larger  villages  and  cities.  One  of  the  causes 
of  this  exodus  from  the  country  is  the  changed  condition  of  agricultural 
interests  which  have  been  brought  about  since  the  war,  largely  through 
the  competition  of  the  products  of  the  great  West,  and  partly  through 
the  general  depreciation  of  rural  real  estate  values ;  this  latter  being  in 
turn  caused  partly  by  the  western  competition  mentioned  and  by  the 
gradual  return  to  the  business  basis  that  existed  before  the  war.  Oneida 
county  is  not  alone  in  seeing  this  remarkable  decrease  in  value  of  farm 
lands  ;  it  is  a  condition  that  confronts  the  farmer  all  through  the  East, 
and  what  will  be  its  ultimate  consequences  is  difficult  to  determine,- 

At  the  same  time  quite  important  changes  have  taken  place  in  the 
character  of  agricultural  products  in  the  county  during  the  period  since 
the  war.  As  the  growing  of  grains  became  unprofitable,  dairying  has 
been  followed  more  extensively;  the  butter  and  cheese  of  Oneida 
county  have  gained  a  high  reputation  and  Utica  has  become  one  of  tiie 
most  extensive  cheese  markets  in  the  State.  As  a  whole,  the  farming 
community  in  this  county  is  as  prosperous  as  it  is  in  any  of  the  adjoining 
counties,  and  much  more  so  than  in  many  other  localities. 

Among  the  public  improvements  following  the  close  of  the  war 
and  in  which  Oneida  county  was  especially  interested  was  the  extension 
of  the  Black  River  Railroad  which  was  carried  out  between  1862  and 
1880,  under  the  presidency  of  John  Thorn,  of  Utica.  It  was  of  large 
benefit  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  the  city  of  Utica. 

The  Utica,  Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Railroad  Company  was 
formed  January  ii,  1866,  the  road  extending  southerly  from  Utica 
through  the  towns  of  New  Hartford,  Paris,  Marshall,  and  Sangerfield 
in  this  county,  and  thence  on  southward.  It  was  opened  to  Waterville 
November  14,  1866.  During  the  next  two  years  the  road  of  the  Utica, 
Clinton  and  Binghamton   Company  was  opened  to  Oriskany   Falls  and 


1866  TO  THE  PRESENT.  201 

subsequently  extended  southward.  All  of  these  lines  were  instrumental 
in  developing  the  districts  through  which  they  passed  and  contributed 
to  the  changes  mentioned  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter.  The  West 
Shore  Railroad  was  opened  through  this  county  in  October,  1883,  but 
its  influence  in  this  county  was  not  marked  excepting  in  the  southwest- 
ern part,  as  it  extends  parallel  to  the  New  York  Central  through  much 
of  the  distance  across  the  county. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  May  23,  1867,  authorized  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railroad  from  Forestport  to  Bellinger  town  and  a  branch  by 
way  of  Grant's  Mills  to  the  west  line  of  Herkimer  county  ;  this  road 
was  useful  in  the  prosecution  of  the  large  lumber  business  of  that  sec- 
tion. 

By  an  act  of  Legislature  dated  June  li,  1889,  the  supervisors  were 
authorized  to  raise  by  tax  the  sum  of  $15,000  to  aid  in  the  erection  of 
the  beautiful  soldiers'  monument  now  standing  in  the  city  of  Utica. 
Another  act  of  June  3,  1890,  authorized  the  supervisors  to  raise  by  tax 
such  sum  as  should  be  necessary  to  buy  a  site  for  a  new  State  Armory 
in  Utita,  and  the  old  arsenal  property  was  sold  to  the  State  for  $25,000. 
The  new  armory  erected  in  that  city  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State. 

An  act  of  April  13,  1892,  placed  Oneida  and  Herkimer  counties  in  the 
Twenty  fifth  Congressional  district ;  and  in  the  same  month  another  act 
gave  the  county  two  assemblymen,  and  constituted  this  county  with 
Otsego  and  Lewis  counties  the  Twenty- third  Senatorial  district. 

The  following  table  gives  the  population  of  the  various  towns  of  the 
county  from  1800  to  1892,  as  shown  by  the  census  records: 
26 


202 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


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1866  TO  THE  PRESENT. 


203 


A  State  census,  taken  at  various  periods,  shows  the  following  figures 
for  the  county:  Census  of  1814.45,228;  of  1825,  57,847;  of  1835, 
77,518;   of  1845,  84,776;   of  1855,  107,749;   of  1865,  102,713. 

The  succeeding  table  gives  the  assessed  valuation  in  the  county  in 
1894  and  1895,  which  will  be  found  useful  for  reference,  which  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  record  of  the  tax  and  ratio  for  the  same  years: 


Annsville 

Augusta 

Ava 

BoonviUe 

Bridgewater 

Camden 

Deerfield 

Florence . . 

Floyd 

Forestport 

Kirkland  ....  ..  . . 

Lee 

Marcy 

Marshall 

New  Hartford 

Paris 

Remsen 

Rome,  1st  ward  . . 

2d  ward 

3d  ward 

4th  ward . . 
5th  ward . . 

Sangerfield 

Steuben 

Trenton 

Utica,  1st  ward 

2d  ward 

3d  ward 

4th  ward  . . 

5th  ward  .. 

6th  ward  .  _ 

7th  ward   _ . 

8th  ward  .. 

9th  ward  . . 

10th  ward  .. 

11th  ward  .. 

12th  ward  . . 

Vernon  

Verona  _ . 

Vienna 

Western 

Westmoreland 

Whitestown _  _ 


Real  Estate. — 

1895.  I  1894. 


§359,080 

651,670 

188,350 

881.280 

507,750 

908,353 

688,415 

199,055 

370,770 

163,516 

1,632,635 

463,940 

667,605 

873,950 

1,683,005 

1,062,200 

361,636 

965,811 

854,939 

1,388,556 

662.405 

1,365,800 

1,121,415 

424,647 

888,970 

1,775,000 

1,954.530 

2,332,180 

2,459,856 

349,420 

412,115 

1,629,525 

1,325,765 

1,208,575 

778,990 

1,417,730 

900,710 

962,250 

1,709,309 

403,939 

583,350 

990,850 

2,481,640 


370,330 

657,125 

199,765 

876,980 

509,250 

859,740 

690,018 

201,000 

392,466 

162,839 

1,684,745 

475,040 

677,045 

883,950 

1,681,695 

1,072,000 

366,414 

963,036 

857,854 

1,387,125 

660,115 

1,367,650 

1,333,765 

438,480 

882.420 

1,791,500 

1,974,450 

2,352,380 

2,487,056 

362,720 

417,515 

1,623,150 

1,332,800 

1,211,725 

790,540 

1,429,150 

881,785 

981,725 

1,712,084 

404,619 

590,490 

991,700 

2,535,240 


Personal . 

189.0.  1894. 


§14,330 

47,525 

1,200 

74,360 

51,900 

32,150 

17,400 

2,300 

13,906 

120 

166,000 

9,050 

6,600 

26,200 

129,100 

103,250 

42,080 

14,600 

160,583 

110,210 

11,000 

81,632 

123,000 

12,330 

39,830 

824,785 

291,447 

493,441 

456,000 

2.000 


21,000 
313,500 
117,875 


117,000 


94,100 
32,900 
1,050 
46,700 
32,200 
207,500 


Total $43,021,487  $43,320,476  §4,342.154  $4,380,943  §47,363.641  §47.701,419 


§16,330 

52,590 

1,050 

69,310 

52,100 

62,550 

17,400 

2,300 

6,880 

120 

184,650 

9,750 

9,200 

27,700 

130,900 

122,600 

47,9 

14,600 

155,833 

165,772 

9,000 

102,247 

123.000 

12,500 

40,390 

817,000 

293,095 

494,941 

256,000 

2,000 


21,000 
209,950 
117,875 


109.000 


97,000 
35,800 
1,280 
48.950 
33,400 
206,500 


^-Total 

1895.        1894. 


§373,410 

699,195 

189,550 

955,640 

559,650 

940,503 

705,815 

201  355 

384,676 

163,636 

1,798,635 

472,990 

684,205 

900,150 

1,812,105 

1,165,450 

403,716 

980,411 

1,015,522 

1,498,766 

673,405 

1,447,432 

1,244,415 

436,9 

928,800 

2,579,785 

2,295,977 

2,825,621 

2,915,856 

351,420 

412,115 

1,650,525 

1,639,265 

1,326.450 

778,990 

1,534,730 

900,710 

1,056,350 

1,742,209 

404,989 

630,050 

1,023,050 

2,689,140 


§386,660 

709,715 

200,815 

946,290 

561,350 

922,290 

707,418 

203,300 

399,346 

162,959 

1,869,395 

484,790 

686,245 

911,650 

1,812,595 

1,194,600 

414,394 

976,636 

101,687 

1,552,897 

669,115 

1,469,897 

1,256,765 

450,980 

922,810 

2,608,500 

2,267,545 

2,847,321 

2,943,056 

364,720 

417,515 

1,644,150 

1,512,750 

1,329,600 

790,540 

1,538,150 

881,785 

1,079,125 

1,747,884 

405,899 

639,440 

1,025,100 

2,741,740 


204 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


RATIO    AND    APPORTIONMENT. 


Annsville 

Augusta 

Ava  _ -  - . 

Boonville 

Bridgewater  . . 

Camden 

Deerfield 

Florence .. 

Floyd 

Forestport 

Kirkland 

Lee . .  - 

Marcy. 

Marshall . 

New  Hartford 

Paris 

Remsen 

Rome . 

Sangerfield  . . . 

Steuben  

Trenton 

Utica.- 

Vernon 

Verona 

Vienna 

Western 

Westmoreland 
Whitestown  _. 


Total   Tax- 

1895.  1894. 


16 
9 
3, 

68, 

14, 
4, 

10, 
202, 

11, 


10 


246.63 

682.78 
077.42 
297.17 
,711.70 
,402.07 
,592.85 
,347.22 
,980.18 
,100.44 
,620.89 
,326.30 
,571.18 
,285.79 
,856.25 
,770.75 
,412.97 
276.22 
,518.02 
271.40 
344.98 
,965.81 
585.36 
,368.80 
,727.01 
644.04 
,457.99 
,628.16 


$4,696.43 
6,042.56 
2,792.45 
9,955.58 
4,030.65 
9,916.29 
7,524.19 
3.013.71 
3,661.81 
3,608.09 

11,578.03 
5,864.28 
5,979.00 
8,294.08 

13,443.03 
8,750.11 
3,577.12 

58,655.67 

10,178.03 

4,047.33 

7,596.89 

166,847.32 

9,814.87 

20.147.81 

10.191.12 
6,764.14 
7.896.23 

22,152.99 


$525,070,381  $437,019.81 


—  Ratio  — 
189.5.  1894. 


1405 
0955 
1623 
,1496 
1020 
1318 
1357 
1662 
1034 
1894 
()729 
1337 
1106 
0920 
0930 
0838 
1340 
1215 
1166 
0977 
1113 
1058 
1096 
1283 
2401 
1310 
1022 
1027 


.1214 
.0851 
.1390 
.1052 
.0718 
.1075 
.1063 
.1482 
.0916 
.2214 
.0619 
.1209 
.0872 
.0909 
.0741 
.0732 
.0863 
.  11)32 
.0809 
.0897 
0823 
.0870 
.0909 
.1152 
.2510 
.1057 
.0770 
.0807 


CIVIL  OFFICERS  FROM  ONEIDA  COUNTY. 

Governor. — Horatio  Seymour,  elected  in  1862.  John  F.  Seymour,  appointed  pri- 
vate secretary  to  the  governor.     James  McQuade  aid-de-camp. 

State  Engineers. — John  T.  Clark,  November  8,  1853;  William  B.  Taylor,  Novem- 
ber 5,  1861 ;  J.  Piatt  Goodsell,  November  7,  1865 ;  William  B.  Taylor,  November  7, 
1871;  Horatio  Seymour,  jr.,  November,  1877,  engineer  and  surveyor;  Campbell  W. 
Adams,  November,  1893. 

Canal  Commissioners. — Henry  Seymour,  appointed  from  Onondaga  county, 
March  24,  1819;  removed  to  Oneida  county  the  same  year;  Ephraim  Hart,  1818;  S. 
N.  Dexter,  1840;  Christopher  A.  Walrath,  November,  1875. 

Canal  Appraiser. — Chester  Hayden,  April  18,  1843. 

Bank   Comfnissioner. — Hiram  Denio,  April  10,  1838. 

Itispector  of  State  Prisons. — Wesley  Bailey,  November  4,  1856. 

State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. — Abram  B.  Weaver,  April  7,  1868. 


HORATIO  SEYMOUR. 


1866  TO  THE  PRESENT.  205 

Regents  of  tJie  Univo'sity. — Frederick  William,  Baron  de  Steuben,  April  18, 
1787;  Nathan  Williams,  January  28,  1817;  George  R.  Perkins,  January  30,  1862; 
Francis  Kernan,  February  10,  1870;  Wm.  H.  Watson,  February  2,  1881. 

Principal  of  State  Normal  School. — George  R.  Perkins,  January  12,  1848. 

Commissioner  of  Public  Charities. — John  C.  Devereux,  February  11,  1874. 

Delegates  to  Constitutional  Convejitions. — 1801,  James  Dean,  Bezaleel  Fisk, 
Henry  Huntington;  1821,  Ezekiel  Bacon,  Samuel  Sidney  Breese,  Henry  Huntington, 
Jonas  Piatt,  Nathan  Williams;  1846,  Hervej^  Brayton,  Julius  Candee,  Edward 
Huntington,  Charles  P.  Kirkland;  1867,  Benjamin  N.  Huntington,  Francis  Kernan, 
Richard  U.  Sherman;  1872,  Commission  for  amending  the  Constitution,  Francis 
Kernan. 

United  States  Senators. — Henry  A.  Foster,  Rome,  November  30,  1844;  ap- 
pointed in  place  o^  Silas  Wright  by  the  governor  during  legislative  recess  and  vacated 
by  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature.  Roscoe  Conkling,  Utica,  elected  January  15, 1867, 
and  served  until  1882.     Francis  Kernan,  Utica,  January,  1875,  served  until  1881. 

Representatives  in  Congress. — Following  are  the  Congressional  districts,  with 
their  numbers,  which  have  included  Oneida  county :  Act  of  March  23,  1797,  district 
number  9,  Chenango,  Herkimer,  Montgomery,  Oneida.  Act  of  March  30,  1802,  dis- 
trict number  15,  Herkimer,  Oneida,  St.  Lawrence.  Act  of  March  20,  1804,  district 
number  15,  Herkimer,  Jefferson,  (1805)  Lewis,  (1805)  Oneida,  St.  Lawrence.  Act  of 
March  8,  1808,  district  number  11,  Madison,  Oneida.  Act  of  June  10,  1812,  district 
number  16,  Oneida,  part  of  Oswego,  1816.  Act  of  April  17,  1822,  district  number  14, 
Oneida  county.  Act  of  June  29,  1832,  district  number  17,  Oneida  and  Oswego,  two 
members.  Act  of  September  6,  1812,  district  number  20,  Oneida  county.  Act  of 
July  19.  1851,  the  same.  Act  of  April  23,  1862.  number  changed  to  21.  Act  of  June 
18,  1873,  nnmber  changed  to  23.  Act  of  May  16,  1883,  district  number  23,  Oneida, 
Lewis. 

Jonas  Piatt,  Whitesboro,  1799-1801;  Benjamin  Walker,  Utica.  1801-8;  Nathan 
Williams,  Utica,  1805-7;  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Whitestown,  1809-11,  and  1811-18,  and 
1815-17;  Morris  S.  Miller,  Utica,  1813-15;  Henry  R.  Storrs,  Whitesboro,  1817-19, 
1819-21,  1823-25,  1825-27,  1827-29,  1829-31;  Joseph  Kirkland,  Utica,  1821-23;  Sam- 
uel Beardsley,  Utica,  1831-33,  1833-35,  1885-37,  1843-44;  Henry  A.  Foster,  Rome, 
1837-89;  John  G.  Floyd,  Utica,  1839-41,  1841-43;  Timothy  Jenkins,  Oneida  Castle, 
1845-47,  1847-49,  1851-53;  Orsamus  B.  Matteson,  Utica,  1849-51,  1858-5'"\  1855-57, 
1857-59;  Roscoe  ConkUng,  Utica,  1859-61,  1861-63,  1865-67,  1867-69;  Francis  Ker- 
nan, Utica,  1863-65;  Alexander  H.  Bailey,  Rome,  1867-69,  1869-71;  Ellis  H  Rob- 
erts, Utica,  1871-73,  1873-75;  Scott  Lord,  Utica,  1875-77;  William  J.  Bacon,  Utica, 
1877-79;  Cyrus  D.  Prescott,  1879-81,  1881-88;  J.  Thomas  Spriggs,  Utica,  1883-85, 
1885-87;  James  S.  Sherman,  Utica,  1887-89,  1889-91;  and  to  present  time  by  re- 
election. 

Presidental  Electors. — (Appointed  by  the  Legislature  from  1792  to  1825.)  1804, 
William  Floyd;  1808,  Henry  Huntington;  1812,  Henry  Huntington,  James  S.  Kipp; 
1816,  Montgomery  Hunt;  1820,  William  Floyd,  Henry  Wager;  1824,  Samuel  Hicks. 
(Elected  by  districts),  1828,  Ebenezer  B.  Shearman.  (Elected  on  general  ticket), 
1882,  David  Moulton ;  1886,  Parker  Halleck ;  1840,  John  J.  Knox ;  1844,  Thomas  H. 
Hubbard ;  1848,  William  B.  Welles ;  1852,  Thomas  H.  Hubbard ;  1856,  James  S.  Lynch ; 


206  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1860,  Benjamin  N.  Huntington;  1864,  John  J.  Knox,  1868,  James  McQuade  (did 
not  accept  and  Morven  M  Jones  appointed  to  the  vacancy);  1872,  Samuel  Camp- 
bell; 1876,  James  McQuade;  1880,  Patrick  H.  Costello;  1884,  Fredericks.  Easton; 
1888  John  S.  Koster. 

State  Senators — Under  the  first  State  Constitution  Oneida  county 
was  a  part  of  the  Western  district ;  under  the  second  Constitution,  it 
was  placed  in  the  Fifth  district,  and  under  the  Constitution  of  1846  it 
was  made  the  Nineteenth  district. 

1797-1802,  Thomas  R.  (iold,  Whitesboro;  1797-1804,  Jedediah  Sanger,  New  Hart- 
ford; 1805-7,  Henry  Huntington,  Rome;  1808,  William  Floyd,  Western;  1809-16, 
Francis  A.  Bloodgood,  Utica;  1810-13,  Jonas  Piatt,  Whitesboro;  1817-22,  Ephraim 
Hart,  Utica;  1823,  Samuel  Beardsley,  Utica;  1825-26,  George  Brayton,  Western, 
1827-30,  Truman  Enos,  Westmoreland;  1829-32,  William  H.  Maynard,  Utica;  1831- 
34,  1841-44,  Henry  A.  Foster,  Rome;  1836-40,  David  Wager,  Rome;  1846-47,  Joshua 
A.  Spencer,  Utica;  1848-49,  Thomas  E.  Clark,  Utica;  1850-51,  Charles  A.  Mann, 
Utica;  1851-53,  Benjamin  N.  Huntington,  Rome;  1854-55,  Daniel  G.  Dorrance, 
Florence;  1856-57,  Eaton  J.  Richardson,  Utica;  1858-59,  Alrick  Hubbell,  Utica; 
1860-61,  William  H.  Ferry,  Utica;  1862-65,  Alexander  H.  Bailey,  Rome;  1866-69, 
Samuel  Campbell,  New  York  Mills;  1870-71,  George  H.  Sanford,  Rome;  1872-74, 
Samuel  S.  Lowery,  Utica;  1875-76,  Theodore  S  Sayre,  Utica;  1877-78,  Alexander 
T.  Goodwin.  Utica;  1879-80.  William  W.  Rockwell;  1881-82,  1883  to  1896,  Henry  J. 
Coggeshall. 

Member  of  Assembly.— Yi^^-^^,  Abel  French,  Henry  McNeil.  David  Ostrom; 
1800,  John  Hall,  David  Ostrom,  Nathan  Smith;  1800-1.  Jesse  Curtiss,  Abel  French, 
David  Ostrom  ;  1802,  Joel  Bristol,  Abel  French,  David  Ostrom  ;  1803,  James  Dean,  sr., 
Abel  French,  John  Lay,  Aaron  Morse;  1804,  David  Coffeen,  Jo.'-;eph  Kirkland,  David 
Ostrom,  Abraham  Van  Epps;  1804-5,  Geo.  Brayton,  Jos.  Jennings,  Jos.  Kirkland, 
Benj.  Wright;  1806,  George  Brayton,  Thomas  Hart.  Joseph  Jennings;  1807,  George 
Brayton,  Uri  Doolittle,  Charles  Z.  Pratt;  1808,  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Henry  McNeil, 
Benjamin  Wright;  1809,  Joel  Bristol,  James  Dean,  sr.,  David  Ostrom.  John  Storrs, 
Benjamin  Wright;  1810,  Levi  Carpenter,  jr.,  Samuel  Chandler,  John  Humaston. 
David  Ostrom,  John  Storrs;  1811,  Isaac  Brayton.  George  Doolittle.  George  Hunting- 
ton, Henry  McNeil,  John  Storrs;  1812,  Isaac  Brayton,  Joel  Bristol,  Erastus  Clark, 
George  Huntington,  John  Storrs;  1813,  Jo.siah  Bacon,  Erastus  Clark,  George  Hunt- 
ington, John  Lay,  Nathan  Townsend;  1814,  Isaac  Brayton,  Laurens  Hull,  James 
Lynch,  Henry  McNeil,  Theodore  Sill;  1815,  Theodore  Sil'.  John  Lay,  James  Lynch, 
Rufus  Pettibone,  John  Storrs;  1816,  Isaac  Brayton,  Jesse  Curtiss,  James  Lynch- 
Roderick  Morrison,  Richard  Sanger;  1817.  David  I.  Ambler,  Wheeler  Barnes,  Abram 
Camp,  Martin  Hawley,  Henry  Huntington,  Newton  Marsh;  1818,  George  Brayton, 
Henry  Huntington,  Joseph  Kirkland,  Nathan  Williams,  Theodore  Woodruflfe;  1819, 
(Oneida  and  Oswego)  Ezekiel  Bacon,  Luther  Guiteau,  David  P.  Hoyt,  George  Hunt- 
ington, Theodore  Woodruffe;  1820,  (Oneida  and  Oswego)  James  Dean,  jr.,  George 
Huntington.  Henry  McNeil.  Theophilus  S.  Morgan,  John  Storrs;  1821,  ^Oneida  and 
Oswego)  Josiah  Bacon,  Allen  Eraser,  George  Huntington,  Joseph  Kirkland,  William 


1866  TO  THE  PRESENT.  207 

Root;  1822,  (Oneida  and  Oswego)  Greene  C.  Bronson,  Samuel  Chandler,  George 
Huntington,  Peter  Pratt,  Israel  Stoddard;  1823,  (Oneida)  Uri  Doolittle,  Thomas  H. 
Hamilton,  Jesse  Lynch,  Henry  Wager,  Saml.  Wetmore;  1824,  Joseph  Allen,  Apollos 
Cooper,  Joseph  Grant,  John  Ruger,  Henry  Wager;  1825,  Joseph  Kirkland,  David 
Pierson,  Israel  Stoddard,  Broughton  White,  Samuel  Woodworth;  1826,  Aaron 
Barnes,  Russell  Clark,  Laurens  Hull,  Theodore  Sill,  Israel  Stoddard;  1827,  John 
Billings,  W.  H.  Chandler,  Benj.  P.  Johnson,  John  Parker,  Theodore  Sill;  1828, 
Gardiner  Avery,  S.  Sidney  Breese,  Thomas  E.  Clark,  Benj.  P.  Johnson,  Eli  Savage; 
1829,  Reuben  Bacon,  Benj.  P.  Johnson,  Eli  Savage,  Reuben  Tower.  Fortune  C. 
White;  1830,  Arnon  Comstock,  Linus  Parker,  Elisha  Pettibone,  Eli  Savage,  Ithal 
Thompson;  1831,  Reuben  Bettis,  Arnon  Comstock,  David  Moulton,  Riley  Shepard, 
John  F.  Trowbridge;  1832,  Nathaniel  Fitch,  Lemuel  Hough,  Rutger  B.  Miller, 
David  Moulton,  Daniel  Twitchell;  1833,  Ichabod  C.  Baker,  Levi  Buckingham,  John 
Dewey,  Squire  Utley,  David  Wager;  1834,  Pomroy  Jones,  Israel  S.  Parker,  Hiram 
Shays,  Aaron  Stafford,  Ithal  Thompson ;  1835,  Merit  Brooks,  Dan  P.  Cadwell,  Riley 
Shepard,  David  Wager,  Amos  Woodworth;  1836,  Henry  Graves,  John  W.  Hale, 
William  Knight,  Jared  C.  Pettibone,  John  Stryker;  1837,  Levi  Buckingham,  John  I. 
Cook,  Lester  N.  Fowler,  Andrew  S.  Pond;  1838,  Russell  Fuller,  Henry  Hear- 
sey,  Fortune  C.  White,  James  S.  T.  Stranahan ;  1839,  Jesse  Armstrong,  Ward 
Hunt,  Amasa  S.  Newberry,  Israel  Stoddard;  1840,  Nelson  Dawley,  Anson  Knibloe. 
Charles  A.  Mann,  John  F.  Trowbridge;  1841,  Calvin  Dawley,  Joseph  Halleck, 
Luke  Hitchcock,  Nathaniel  Odell;  1842,  Ichabod  C.  Baker,  Ebenezer  Robbins, 
Horatio  Seymour,  De  Witt  C.  Stevens;  1843,  Dan  P.  Cadwell,  Amos  S.  Fassett, 
David  Murray,  John  H.  Tower;  1844,  Justus  Childs,  James  Douglass,  Richard 
Empey,  Horatio  Seymour ;  1845,  Andrew  BilHngs,  Merit  Brooks,  Calvert  Comstock, 
Horatio  Seymour ;  1846,  Chauncey  C.  Cook,  Benj.  F.  Cooper,  Daniel  G.  Dorrance, 
Russell  Fuller;  1847,  Nathan  Burchard,  Abel  E.  Chandler,  Isaac  Curry,  John  Dean. 
Under  constitution  of  1846:  1848,  Luke  Smith,  Warren  Converse,  B.  S.  Beach, 
Henry  Wager;  1849,  Oliver  Prescott,  N.  N.  Pierce,  J.  M.  Elwood,  C.  Stevens;  1850, 
Wm.  J.  Bacon,  Ralph  Mcintosh,  R.  Frazier,  Luther  Leland;  1851,  Joseph  Benedict, 
Lawrence  Rou.se,  Lewis  Rider,  Geo.  Brayton ;  1852,  G.  D.  Williams.  C.  S.  Butler. 
Henry  Sandford,  John  J.  Castle;  1853,  D.  Gilmore,  Amos  O.  0.sborne,  Julius  C. 
Thorne,  Amos  C.  Hall;  1854,  Jos.  Benedict,  A.  P.  Case,  D.  L.  Boardman,  James 
Mitchell;  1855,  G.  D.  Williams,  Levi  Blakeslee,  H.  H.  Beecher,  Daniel  Walker; 
1856,  G.  F.  Fowler,  J.  J.  Hanchett,  T.  D.  Penfield,  Caleb  Goodrich;  1857,  R.  U. 
Sherman,  P.  B.  Babcock,  John  Halstead,  I.  Townsend;  1858,  Henry  R.  Hart,  Wm. 
J.  McKown,  Thomas  G.  Hailey,  Reuben  Knight;  1859,  C.  M.  Scholefield,  Edward 
Loomis,  P.  C.  Costello,  Didymus  Thomas;  1860,  J.  McQuade,  Benjamin  Allen, 
Thomas  Evans,  George  Williams;  1861,  F.  Kernan,  L.  T.  Marshall,  M.  L.  Kenyon, 
William  Lewis;  1862,  C.  M.  Scholefield,  Eli  Avery,  T.  D.  Penfield,  Jeremiah  Sweet; 
1863,  A.  B.  Weaver,  D.  M.  Prescott,  Asa  S.  Sherman,  Isaac  McDougall ;  1864,  A.  B. 
Weaver,  Levi  Blakeslee,  C.  Brodock,  J.  W.  Douglass;  1865,  A.  B.  Weaver,  Lorenzo 
Rouse,  T.  D.  Penfield,  Geo.  W.  Cole;  1866,  Geo.  Graham,  Alva  Penny,  B.  N.  Hunt- 
ington, Silas  L.  Snyder;  1867,  L.  Blakeslee,  Ellis  H.  Roberts,  Geo.  H.  Sandford,  L. 
W.  Fisk;  1868,  W.  H.  Chapman,  Alanson  B.  Cady,  James  Stevens,  A.  Nicholson; 
1869,  Eli  Avery,  A.   B.  Tuttle,   James  Stevens,    Erastus  Ely;  1870,  S.  S.   Lowery. 


208  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

David  M.  Miner,  St.  Pierre  Jerred,  James  Roberts;  1871,  G.  W.  Chadwick,  Sidney 
A.  Bunce,  Thos.  Mulhall,  Isaac  McDougall;  1872,  M.  L.  Hungerford,  E.  Beckwith, 
Geo.  K.  Carroll,  Albert  L.  Hayes;  1873,  N.  A.  White,  H.  J.  Coggeshall,  P.  H. 
Costello,  Daniel  Walker;  1874,  G.  W.  Chadwick,  Arthur  F.  Brown,  John  J.  Parry, 
G.  O.  Jones;  1875,  R.  U.  Sherman,  Silas  T.  Ives,  Edward  Lewis,  H.  Lillybridge; 
1876,  R.  U.  Sherman,  S.  Gridley,  J.  H.  Flanagan,  Weaker  Ballon;  1877,  Jas.  Corbett, 
Everett  Case,  Benj.  D.  Stone,  J.  Robert  Moore ;  1878,  Wm.  Jones,  A.  De  V.  Townsley. 
Cyrus  D.  Prescott,  Robt.  H.  Roberts;  1879,  Benjamin  Allen,  Frank  Sang,  Thomas  D. 
Penfield,  H.  D.  Grant;  1880,  Henry  J.  Cookinham,  James  A.  Douglass,  David 
Gray;  1881,  James  Armstrong,  David  G.  Evans,  Thomas  D.  Roberts;  1882,  Patrick 
Griffin,  Morris  R.  Jones,  Frank  A.  Edgerton ;  1883,  William  Townsend.  Clarence  E. 
Williams,  Thomas  B.  Allanson ;  1884,  Joseph  Joyce,  Joseph  Ackroyd,  T.  James 
Owen;  1885,  Henry  A.  Steber,  Lewis  B.  Sherman,  T.  James  Owen;  1866,  Benjamin 
Hall,  Robert  W.  Evans,  Israel  J.  White;  1887,  Benjamin  Hall,  Robert  W.  Evans, 
John  C.  Davies;  1888,  J.  Harry  Kent,  George  G.  McAdam,  George  Beatty,  jr.  ;  1889, 
Joseph  J.  Kent,  George  G.  McAdam,  Abisha  B.  Baker;  1890,  James  K.  O'Connor, 
James  L.  Dempsey,  Russell  S.  Johnson ;  1891,  Cornelius  Haley,  James  L.  Dempsey, 
Russell  S.  Johnson;  1892.  Cornelius  Haley,  Harry  S.  Patten,  Chester  W.  Porter; 
1893,  Cornelms  Haley,  Chester  W.  Porter;  1894,  Henry  P.  Hoefler,  Joseph  Porter; 
1895,  Henry  P.  Hoefler,  Wm.  Cary  Sanger. 

County  Treasurers. — Appointed  by  boards  of  supervisors  until  1846,  since  which 
they  have  been  elected  for  terms  of  three  years.  The  records  are  not  accessible  for 
this  office  prior  to  1830.  1830-41,  Jay  Hathaway;  1842^5,  A.  Bennett;  1846,  W. 
Tracy;  1847-48,  E.  B.  Armstrong;  1849-51,  Sanford  Adams;  1852-54,  E.  H.  Shelley; 
1855-57,  J.  Thomas  Spriggs;  1858-66,  John  J.  Parry,  jr. ;  1867-72,  Charles  Northrup; 
1873-78,  William  McPherson ;  1879-90,  John  R.  Edwards;  1890-93,  Charles  F. 
Barnard;  1893-6,  William  E.  Richards. 

County  Clerks. — Appointed  up  to  1846  and  elected  since  for  three  years.  1798, 
Jonas  Piatt;  1802,  Francis  A.  Bloodgood;  1813,  Abraham  Camp;  1815,  Francis  A. 
Bloodgood;  1821-22,  Elisaph  Dorchester;  1825,  John  H.  Ostrom ;  1831,  George 
Brown;  1834,  John  D.  Leland;  1837,  James  Dean;  1840,  P.  Sheldon  Root;  1843, 
Delos  De  Wolf;  1846,  Patrick  Mahon;  1849,  Alexander  Rae;  1852,  Richard  Hulbert; 
1855,  Zenas  M.  Howes;  1858,  J.  Earl  Hulbert;  1861,  Daniel  P.  Buckingham;  1864, 
Orson  Carpenter;  1867,  James  C.  Bronson;  1870,  Linus  R.  Clark;  1873,  James  B. 
Paddon;  1876,  Taliesin  Evans;  1879,  Henry  J.  Coggeshall;  1882,  Arthur  H.  Ballou; 
1885,  M.  Jesse  Brayton ;  1888,  Frederick  D.  Haak;  1891.  Rouse  B.  Maxfield;  1894-6, 
Garry  A.  Williard. 


PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS.  209 


CHAPTER   XX. 

PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS. 

The  location  of  the  State  Hospital  (better  known  as  the  Utica  State 
Insane  Asylum)  makes  it  proper  to  give  in  these  pages  a  brief  sketch  of 
its  history.  The  act  under  which  it  was  established  was  passed  March 
30,  1836,  after  discussion  of  the  subject  during  the  preceding  five  years. 
The  site,  embracing  about  130  acres  of  land,  was  purchased  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1837  at  a  cost  of  $16,300,  of  which  sum  the  citizens  of  Utica 
contributed  $6,300.  The  original  plan  contemplated  four  buildings,  each 
550  feet  long,  to  be  erected  around  four  sides  of  a  quadrangle  and  con- 
nected at  the  angles  by  verandas  of  lattice  work.  At  the  close  of  1838 
$46,881.79  had  been  expended  and  the  foundations  laid  after  the  plans. 
In  the  years  1839,  1840,  and  1841,  appropriations  of  $75,000  in  each 
year  were  made.  On  the  6th  of  January,  1842,  the  commissioners  re- 
ported the  institution  ready  for  occupation,  excepting  furniture.  In 
January,  1 842,  the  trustees,  Messrs.  David  Russell,  W.  H.  Shearman, 
N.  Devereux,  Dr.  C.  B.  Coventry,  and  T.  S.  Faxton,  reported  a  system 
of  government  for  the  institution,  which  was  in  the  main  adopted. 
During  that  year  furniture  and  apparatus  were  purchased  to  the  amount 
of  $25,000,  and  in  the  following  year  $i6,000  were  appropriated  for  con- 
structing a  drain  to  the  river,  a  water  supply,  and  other  improvements. 
The  asylum  was  opened  for  patients  on  the  i6th  of  January,  1843,  ^^^ 
during  that  year  276  were  received.  The  rapid  influx  of  patients  led  to 
the  abandonment  of  the  original  plans,  and  in  1844  the  Legislature  ap- 
propriated $60,000  for  building  two  brick  wings  to  extend  240  feet  from 
the  main  building,  and  $4,000  for  the  purchase  of  additional  land.  In 
1846  $17,000  were  appropriated  for  finishing  the  wings,  $15,000  for 
furniture  and  fixtures,  $5,000  for  the  water  supply,  and  $3,000  for  other 
purposes.  In  i860,  48  acres  of  land  on  the  Mohawk  flats  were  pur- 
chased at  a  cost  of  $10,880.  Various  improvements  and  additions  have 
27 


210  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

been  made  since  that  time.  On  July  14,  1857,  the  main  building  was 
burned,  causing  a  loss  of  nearly  $200,000  ;  there  were  then  470  persons 
in  the  building  and  Dr.  L.  F.  Rose  was  so  badly  burned  that  he  died  ; 
a  fireman  was  also  killed. 

In  1893  the  care  of  the  insane  passed  directly  to  the  State  and  this 
institution  took  the  name  of  the  State  Hospital. 

County  Poor  House  and  Asylum. — In  the  early  years  of  the  history 
of  this  State  the  various  towns  were  required  to  care  for  their  own  poor. 
Subsequently  the  Legislature  made  laws  providing  for  the  erection  of  a 
county  poor  house.  While  the  towns  cared  for  their  own  poor,  it  was 
customary  to  let  out  their  support  to  the  highest  bidder,  a  practice  that 
was  open  to  the  most  flagrant  abuses.  In  Oneida  provision  was  made 
for  the  support  of  the  poor  at  large  by  the  purchase  of  a  farm  of  about 
100  acres  about  the  year  1825.  Subsequently  additions  were  made 
until  now  the  county  owns  nearly  200  acres.  The  first  building  erected 
for  the  purpose  was  a  cheap  two  story  stone  structure,  in  which  the 
paupers  and  the  insane  of  the  county  were  kept  indiscriminately.  In 
1859  measures  were  adopted  to  provide  a  better  building,  in  which 
facilities  should  be  provided  for  separating  the  incurable  insane  from 
the  other  inmates,  A  plan  for  an  asylum  was  made  by  Dr.  John  P. 
Gray,  then  at  the  head  of  the  State  Asylum,  which  was  adopted  by  the 
supervisors,  and  in  the  following  year  (i860) a  new  structure  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $i8,000,  the  funds  being  borrowed  of  the  State  for  the  pur- 
pose. About  $1,200  was  expended  in  furnishing  the  building.  To  pay 
this  indebtedness  the  sum  of  $5,000  was  authorized  to  be  raised  by  the 
county  annually.  In  1862—63  a  lunatic  asylum  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$6,000.  In  1869-70  a  new  asylum  was  built  under  supervision  of  a 
committee  consisting  of  Harvey.  Head  and  E.  B.  Armstrong,  at  a  total 
cost  of  a  little  more  than  $12,000,  and  in  1874  a  further  expenditure 
was  made  on  the  farm  of  about  $7,000.  In  1875  about  $5,000  were 
expended  on  the  farm  buildings.  In  1876-77  extensive  additions  and 
other  improvements  were  made,  including  a  new  asylum,  which  cost 
about  $30,000,  a  new  barn,  etc.;  the  total  expenditure  at  this  time  was 
nearly  $60,000.  In  1893  the  asylum  part  of  the  property  passed  to  the 
State,  for  which  the  comptroller  was  required  to  pay  to  the  county  the 
sum  of  $104,621,  the  care  of  the  insane  being  assumed  by  the  State  au- 


t<^-YC-'^€.  t^ 


C^^^ 


^.,„raniiQ  C9NY 


PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS.  211 

thorities.  Steps  were  at  once  taken  to  erect  what  is  now  the  County- 
Home,  a  short  distance  out  of  Rome  city,  which  cost  over  $  100,000. 
Few  counties,  if  any,  in  the  State  have  now  better  accommodations  for 
their  poor. 

Oneida  County  Historical  Society. — This  society  was  founded  in  1876 
by  the  following  persons : 

Horatio  Seymour,  president;  Charles  W.  Hutchinson,  Alexander  Seward,  and 
Edward  Huntington,  vice-presidents;  S.  N.  Dexter  North,  recording  secretary;  Mor- 
ven  M.  Jones,  corresponding  secretary;  Robert  S.  Williams,  treasurer;  and  William 
J.  Bacon,  John  F.  Seymour,  Daniel  Batchelor,  Richard  U.  Sherman,  and  Simon  G. 
Visscher,  managers,  and  Roscoe  Conkling,  Pomroy  Jones,  Luther  Guiteau,  Philo 
White,  Daniel  B.  Goodwin,  Charlemagne  Tower,  John  Stryker,  Wai-d  Hunt,  Ellis 
H.  Roberts,  De  Witt  C.  Grove,  Francis  Kernan,  John  H.  Edmonds,  Michael  Moore, 
Alexander  S.  Johnson,  Edward  North,  Othniel  S.  Williams,  William  D.  Walcott, 
Daniel  E.  Wager,  John  P.  Gray,  John  G.  Crocker,  and  Theodore  S.  Faxton,  board 
of  councillors. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  first  members : 

Horatio  Seymour,  Deerfield,  N.  Y.  ;  Alexander  Seward,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  Charles  W. 
Hutchinson,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  Pomroy  Jones,  Lairdsville,  N.  Y. ;  Robert  S.  Williams, 
Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  Ellis  H.  Roberts.  Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  M.  M.  Bagg,  Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  John  F. 
Seymour,  Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  E.  D.  Buckingham,  Utica.  N.  Y.  ;  S.  N.  Dexter  North,  Utica, 
N.  Y. ;  Andrew  McMillan,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  Harold  Frederic,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  M.  M.  Jones, 
Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  James  Benton,  Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  Francis  Kernan,  Utica.  N.  Y. ;  Samuel 
G.  Wolcott,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  Joseph  E.  West,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  S.  G.  Visscher,  Rome,  N. 
Y. ;  Richard  U.  Sherman,  New  Hartford,  N.  Y. ;  J.  L.  Earll,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  Edgar 
O.  Wagner,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  P.  G.  Webster,  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y. ;  W.  H.  Christian,  Utica, 
N.  Y. ;  George  Graham,  Oriskany,  N.  Y. ;  Matt  D.  Bagg,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  William  J. 
Bacon,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  De  Witt  C.  Grove,  Utica,  N.  Y 

The  society  has  maintained  an  active  existence  since  its  formation 
and  has  accomplished  a  vast  amount  of  good.  Tiirough  its  instrument- 
ality a  monument  on  the  Oriskany  battle  field  has  been  erected, 
and  steps  taken  towards  providing  another  in  honor  of  Gen.  Herkimer. 
The  society  has  accumulated  a  great  quantity  of  historical  books,  docu- 
ments and  relics.  The  late  Mrs.  James  Watson  Williams  left  a  fund  of 
$50,000  for  the  erection  of  a  building  for  the  society  to  be  called  the 
Munson  Williams  Memorial.  Plans  were  procured  from  Robert  M. 
Hunt,  the  eminent  architect  and  one  of  the  finest  structures  of  the  kind 
in  the  country  has  just  been  finished  (1896).  The  first  president  of  the 
society  was  Horatio  Seymour,  who  was  succeeded  by  Ellis  H.  Roberts, 
and  he  by  the  incumbent,  Charles  W.  Hutchinson. 


212  .  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Present  O^^^rj.— President,  Hon.  Charles  W.  Hutchinson;  vice-presidents, 
George  D.  Dimon,  Thomas  R.  Proctor,  Hon.  Daniel  E.  Wager;'  corresponding  sec- 
retary, Hon.  Chas.  W.  DarHng,  A.M.;  recording  secretary,  W.  Pierrepont  White, 
LL.  B. ;  librarian,  M.  M.  Bagg,  M.D. ;  treasurer,  Warren  C.  Rowley. 

Agricultural  Society. — The  first  agricultural  society  in  Oneida  county 
was  formed  in  1818,  under  the  title  of  the  Oneida  County  Agricultural 
Society.  Col.  Garrett  G.  Lansing  was  its  president  and  Elkanah  Wat- 
son, vice-president.  The  first  fair  was  held  at  Whitesboro  October  18, 
of  that  year,  which  was  largely  attended  ;  addresses  were  made  by  Mr. 
Lansing  and  Mr.  Watson  and  a  grand  ball  was  given  in  the  evening. 
The  premiums  given  were  mostly  in  cash  or  silver  ware.  There  are  no 
accessible  records  as  to  the  after  life  of  this  society. 

The  present  Oneida  County  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  in 
1841,  in  which  year  its  first  annual  fair  was  held.  These  continued 
many  years,  usually  alternating  between  Utica  and  Rome  Grounds 
were  enclosed  in  Rome  and  in  1850  admission  was  charged  to  all  who 
were  not  members.  These  grounds  were  the  property  of  Col.  E.  B. 
Armstrong  and  comprised  ten  acres.  From  a  date  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  war  the  fairs  were  all  held  in  Rome.  In  1872  the  society  became 
joint  owner  of  Riverside  Park  with  the  Rome  Riverside  Park  Driving 
Association,  and  in  1878  the  agricultural  society  purchased  the  entire 
property.  The  park  encloses  about  50  acres  and  has  an  excellent  driv- 
ing track  and  commodious  buildings. 

New  York  State  Cheese  Manufacturers  Association!. — It  may  not  be 
generally  known  that  the  first  cheese  factory  in  the  United  States  was 
put  in  operation  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  during  the  war,  by  Jesse 
Williams.  To  this  man  is  given  much  of  the  credit  of  founding  a  sys- 
tem of  dairying  which  has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  agricultu- 
ral communities,  and  to  none  more  than  the  region  of  which  Oneida 
county  forms  a  part.  Interest  in  the  work  of  Mr.  Williams  increased, 
and  on  January  6,  1864,  a  meeting  of  dairymen  was  held  in  Rome, 
where  a  Dairymen's  Convention  was  organized  with  the  following  of- 
ficers : 

President,  Jesse  Williams,  of  Oneida  County;  vice-presidents,  Lyman  R.  Lj'on, 
Lewis;  L.  Warner,  Ontario;  Daniel  Smith,  Montgomery;  A.  L.  Fish,  Herkimer; 
Alonzo  Peck,  Madison;  D.  W.  Maples,   Cortland;  M.    R.   Stocker,   Otsego;  Geo.    C. 

1  Died  April,  189G. 


PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS.  213 

Morn,  Erie;  D.  H.  Goulding,  Chautauqua;  A.  D.  Stanley,  Jefferson;  Alfred  Buck, 
Oneida;  Dwight  Ellis,  Mass.;  A.  Bartlett,  Ohio;  secretaries,  B.  F.  Stevens,  Lewis; 
Geo.  W.  Pixley,  Oneida. 

Representatives  were  present  from  sixty- nine  cheese  factories,  and 
resolutions  were  adopted  organizing  the  New  York  State  Cheese  Man- 
ufacturers' Association.  At  the  second  annual  meeting  this  association 
was  merged  in  the  American  Dairymen's  Association,  an  organization 
extending  throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  is  an  unqual- 
ified honor  to  Oneida  county  that  this  great  and  useful  association  found 
its  inception  here.  Horatio  Seymour  was  its  president  many  years, 
and  addresses  and  essays  have  been  given  at  the  annual  meetings  by 
men  eminent  in  dairy  work  from  various  parts  of  the  country. 

The  Cejitral  Nezv  York  Farmers  Club. — This  association  of  farmers 
was  organized  in  Utica  January  21,  1870,  at  which  meeting  a  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  prepare  a  constitution  and  by-laws.  The  follow- 
ing persons  were  elected  officers  : 

President,  Hon.  Samuel  Campbell,  of  New  York  Mills;  vice-presidents,  Horatio 
Seymour,  of  Deerfield;  John  Butterfield,  of  Utica;  Henry  Rhodes,  of  Trenton; 
Morgan  Butler,  of  New  Hartford ;  M.  Quinby,  of  St.  Johnsville ;  Harris  Lewis,  of 
Frankfort;  S.  T.  Miller,  of  Constableville;  Josiah  Shull,  of  Ilion;  Stephen  Thomas, 
of  Cassville;  recording  secretary,  T.  D.  Curtis,  of  Utica;  corresponding  secretary, 
W.  H.  Comstock,  of  Utica;  treasurer.  L.  L.  Wight,  of  Whitestown ;  librarian,  Wm. 
Ralph,  of  Utica. 

Besides  these  a  board  of  eight  directors  was  chosen,  to  serve  from 
one  to  four  years  respectively.  Meetings  of  the  club  were  held  twice 
each  month  for  discussions,  reading  of  papers,  etc.  The  organization 
has  accomplished  a  vast  amount  of  good  for  its  members  and  others. 

Oneida  County  Farmers'  Alliance. — This  association,  comprising 
prominent  farmers  of  this  county,  was  organized  at  a  meeting  held  in 
the  Utica  court  house  March  13,  1878,  at  which  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  constitution  and  by-laws.  Meetings  were  to  be  held 
alternately  in  the  various  towns  of  the  county,  for  the  discussion  of  gen- 
eral agricultural  topics  and  particularly  to  promote  legislation  and 
awaken  interest  in  freight  charges,  taxation,  and  kindred  subjects  for 
the  improvement  of  agricultural  interests. 

The  Utica  Board  of  Trade. — The  subject  of  forming  boards  of  trade 
for  the  sale  of  dairy  products  was  discussed  in  the  winter  and  spring  of 
1 87 1,  and  on  March  6  a  meeting  was  held  in  Little  Falls,  where  a  reg- 


214  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ular  market  was  maintained,  at  which  preliminary  action  was  taken.  At 
another  meeting  held  April  14  new  articles  were  prepared  and  added  to 
the  constitution  and  by-laws  and  the  New  York  State  Dairymen's  Asso- 
ciation and  Board  of  Trade  was  organized.  The  first  transactions  under 
this  organization  between  buyers  and  sellers  took  place  on  May  i,  1871, 
when  2,000  boxes  of  cheese  were  offered.  This  was  the  first  interior 
board  of  trade  organized  for  the  sale  of  cheese  and  butter  in  the  United 
States.  In  February,  1871,  a  call  was  issued  for  a  County  Dairymen's 
Association,  which  should  "  frequently  and  practically  discuss  the  sev- 
eral questions  that  naturally  arise  during  the  dairying  season."  The 
first  meeting  was  held  at  Hagg's  Hotel  March  i,  1871,  and  an  organiza- 
tion effected  under  the  title  of  the  National  Dairymen's  Chib ;  T.  D. 
Curtis  was  elected  president.  The  next  meeting  was  held  March  17, 
when  a  constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted  The  first  sale  day  was 
May  29,  although  the  original  plan  of  the  chib  did  not  anticipate  any 
connection  with  establishing  a  market.  The  club  was  governed  by  a 
carefully  prepared  code  of  regulations.  At  the  annnal  meeting  of  1875 
the  name  of  the  organization  was  changed  to  The  Utica  Dairymen's 
Board  of  Trade  and  the  original  purposes  of  the  club  were  largely 
abandoned.  The  marketing  of  dairy  products  in  Utica  soon  became 
very  large,  increasing  from  about  40,000  boxes  in  187 1,  to  1 00,000  in 
1873;  155,000  in  1874,  and  over  200,000  in  1877.  This  board  has 
accomplished  more  for  the  best  interests  of  dair}nien  in  Oneida  county 
than  any  other  influence. 

TJie  Oneida  County  Bible  Society. — The  inception  of  this  society  dates 
back  to  1 8 10,  when,  on  the  15th  of  November,  the  Oneida  Bible 
Society  was  organized  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Utica.  That  was 
six  years  before  the  organization  of  the  American  Bible  Society.  A 
constitution  was  adopted  at  that  meeting,  the  first  article  of  which 
could  not  be  repealed  and  was  as  follows:  "The  object  of  this 
society  shall  be  the  distribution  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  com- 
mon version,  without  note  or  comment."  The  earliest  ofificers  were 
Jonas  Piatt,  president ;  Rev.  Asahel  S.  Norton  (of  Clinton),  vice  pres- 
ident;  Rev.  James  Carnahan  (Utica),  secretary;  Rev.  Amos  G.  Bald- 
win, treasurer.  There  were  also  sixteen  directors.  In  1849  ^he  consti- 
tution   was   revised   and   the   name  of  the   society  changed  to  Oneida 


CANALS  AND  RAILROADS.  215 

County  Bible  Society.  The  county  has  been  several  times  thoroughly 
convassed  by  agents  or  members  of  the  society  with  a  view  to  discover 
and  supply  every  family  not  having  the  Scriptures  with  a  copy. 
Annual  meetings  have  been  held,  with  the  exception  of  the  years  1833 
to  1836  inclusive.  The  good  accomplished  by  the  society  cannot  be 
estimated. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

CANALS  AND  RAILROADS. 

Canals — Nothing  has  contributed  so  much  to  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  New  York  State  as  its  canal  system.  It  greatly  enhanced  the 
value  of  farming  lands,  enriched  the  farmer,  the  merchant,  the  mechanic, 
the  laboring  man,  and  in  fact  all  classes  of  persons,  and  largely  in- 
creased all  kinds  of  business.  It  is  not  easy  to  specify  in  detail  the 
various  and  numerous  methods  by  which  this  State  and  its  citizens  have 
been  benefited  by  our  canals,  or  to  summarize  in  figures  the  untold 
wealth  and  prosperity  which  have  been  thereby  added  to  the  county. 
At  an  early  day  shrewd  observers  and  far-seeing  statesmen  predicted 
an  auspicious  future  to  the  country,  and  particularly  to  New  York,  if 
the  natural  waterways  leading  east  and  west  could  be  connected  by 
short  canals,  and  trade,  travel  and  commerce  thereby  find  a  cheap  and 
expeditious  transportation  between  the  seaboard  and  the  western  lakes; 
but  even  the  most  sanguine,  the  most  earnest  and  enthusiastic  never 
looked  far  enough  ahead  to  believe  that  there  was  in  store  such  a  glori- 
ous future  as  was  actually  realized.  As  early  as  1724  Cadwallader 
Colden.  surveyor-general  of  New  York,  suggested  plans  for  inland 
navigation.  In  1761  General  Schuyler,  while  in  England,  witnessed 
the  construction  of  a  canal,  which  to  him  was  suggestive  of  improve- 
ment of  the  Mohawk,  and  the  construction  of  canals  around  the  rifts, 
shallows  and  rapids,  of  that  stream,  and  across  the  portage  at  Fort 
Stanwix ;  on  his  return  to  America  he  urged  that  scheme.     Taking  the 


216  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

hint  from  General  Schuyler,  Sir  Henry  Moore,  governor  of  the  colony 
of  New  York  in  1768,  presented  the  same  views  to  the  Legislature. 
In  1772  Christopher  Colles  lectured  on  the  subject,  and  in  1784  went 
over  the  same  route  and  presented  to  the  Legislature  an  elaborate  re- 
port in  favor  of  the  plan.  In  1783  George  Washington,  when  he  visited 
Lake  Champlain  and  also  Fort  Stanwix,  as  narrated  in  another  chapter, 
gave  expression  to  his  earnest  views  in  the  same  line  of  thought.  Nex-t 
came  Elkanah  Watson,  an  ardent  supporter  and  earnest  advocate  of  in- 
land lock  navigation.  Extracts  from  his  papers  elsewhere  published  in 
this  volume  show  what  a  rosy  view  he  entertained  of  that  project. 
Governor  George  Clinton  was  also  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  measure, 
and  on  his  recommendation  the  Legislature  passed  an  act,  March  24, 
1 79 1,  authorizing  the  Land  Commissioners  to  cause  to  be  explored  and 
survey  to  be  made,  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  pounds,  of  the 
ground  between  the  Mohawk  River  and  Wood  Creek  at  Fort  Stanwix 
and  also  between  the  Hudson  and  Wood  Creek  in  Washington  county, 
and  to  estimate  the  expense  that  would  attend  making  the  canals  for 
loaded  boats  to  pass,  and  to  report  the  same  to  the  Legislature.  On 
the  30th  of  March,  1792,  the  Legislature  incorporated  two  companies 
for  lock  navigation  purposes,  one  called  the  "  Northern  Inland  Lock 
Navigation  Company,"  to  connect  the  waters  of  Hudson  River  with 
Lake  Champlain;  the  other  the  "Western  Inland  Lock  Navigation 
Company,"  to  connect  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  with  Lake  Ontario 
and  Seneca  Lake ;  the  latter  company  to  improve  Mohawk  River, 
Wood  Creek,  and  cut  canals  where  needed  along  that  route.  August 
14,  1792,  the  directors  of  the  company  appointed  a  committee  consist- 
ing of  General  Schuyler,  Elkanah  Watson  and  Goldsboro  Banyar,  to 
examine  the  state  of  the  Mohawk  River  to  Fort  Stanwix  and  across 
the  portage  to  Wood  Creek.  That  committee  commenced  its  labors 
Monday,  August  20,  accompanied  by  Moses  l)e  Witt,  a  surveyor,  and 
proceeded  in  a  bateau  up  the  river.  In  the  report  made  by  them  in 
September  thereafter  to  the  directors,  a  minute  account  is  given  of  the 
rapids,  rifts,  impediments  and  obstructions  in  the  river  from  Schenec- 
tady to  Little  Falls,  a  distance  of  fifty- three  miles.  At  this  point,  a 
canal  must  be  cut  mostly  through  solid  rock,  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  ; 
the  height  of  the   falls  here  is  reported  at  thirty-nine  feet  two  inches. 


CANALS  AND  RAILROADS.  217 

The  distance  from  thence  to  Fort  Stanwix  is  placed  at  forty-five  miles 
with  no  serious  impediment  to  navigation,  except  at  Orendorf's  and 
Wolf's  Rifts,  east  of  Herkimer,  and  these  not  hard  to  overcome.  Across 
the  portage  at  Fort  Stanwix  to  Wood  Creek  a  canal  must  be  cut  through 
swamp  and  level  ground.  The  water  in  the  Mohawk  about  two  feet 
higher  than  the  water  in  Wood  Creek.  The  length  of  the  canal  at  this 
portage  is  placed  at  5,352  feet.  The  estimate  of  the  cost  of  this  canal 
was  3,000  pounds.  The  estimate  of  the  work  at  Little  Falls,  including 
five  locks,  was  10,500  pounds  ;  and  the  whole  expense  from  Schenec- 
tady to  Wood  Creek  was  estimated  at  39.500  pounds.  It  was  estimated 
that  the  expense  of  removing  the  timber  obstructing  Wood  Creek  from 
Fort  Newport  (late  U.  S.  Arsenal)  to  Oneida  Lake,  would  be  about 
1,000  pounds.  The  committee  reported  that  the  water  in  Wood  Creek 
was  very  low  at  that  time,  and  that  General  Schuyler  descended  that 
stream  in  a  bateau  and  found  the  obstructions  down  to  Fort  Bull  quite 
trifling  ;  but  that  the  creek  was  so  shallow  the  bateau  could  not  have 
passed  without  the  aid  of  the  water  collected  in  Dominick  Lynch's  dam 
on  the  creek  (near  where  Edward  Evans's  brewery  now  stands).  From 
Fort  Bull  to  Canada  Creek  the  rapids  were  reported  as  many  and  sharp, 
with  little  water,  and  the  obstructions  from  timber  trifling.  From  Can- 
ada Creek  was  water  sufficient  for  half  a  mile,  but  after  that  navigation 
was  greatly  impeded  to  Oneida  Lake  by  timber  in  the  creek,  as  well  as 
by  many  short  turns.  Wood  Creek  was  a  very  crooked  stream  and 
many  isthmuses  had  to  be  cut  to  make  navigation  easy  or  practicable. 
Work  was  commenced  at  Little  Falls  in  1793,  upon  the  following 
plan:  A  canal  at  that  place  4,752  feet  long,  of  which  2,550  feet 
was  through  solid  rock  ;  upon  it  were  five  locks  with  a  total  rise  of 
forty- four  and  one-half  feet.  Another  canal  of  one  and  a  quarter  miles 
long  with  a  lock  at  Wolf  Rift,  German  Flats.  A  canal  one  and  three- 
quarter  miles  long  at  Fort  Stanwix  ;  and  four  locks  on  Wood  Creek 
with  a  total  depth  of  twenty  five  feet.  The  work  had  to  be  stopped  in 
1794  for  want  of  funds.  It  was  reported  to  the  Legislature  (and  so 
recited  in  the  act  of  March  31,  1795)  that  only  743  shares  of  the  stock 
of  the  Western  Company  had  been  taken,  and  that  240  shares  had  been 
forfeited.  That  act  authorized  the  State  treasurer  to  subscribe  for  200 
shares  of  the  stock  in  behalf  of  the  State,  and  those  shares  were  so  sub- 

28 


218  OUK  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

scribed  for.  The  work  was  then  resumed  and  pushed  ahead,  so  that 
boats  first  passed  the  canal  and  locks  at  Little  Falls  November  17,  1795, 
and  on  that  day  and  the  next  eight  large  and  200  small  boats  were 
passed,  at  a  total  toll  of  80  pounds,  10  shillings,  exclusive  of  nine  that 
passed  free  the  first  day.  The  chambers  of  the  locks  were  74  by  12 
feet  and  allowed  boats  of  thirty  two  tons  to  pass  ;  but  other  impedi- 
ments limited  boats  to  a  burden  of  ten  or  eleven  tons.  Light  boats 
could  go  from  Schenectady  to  Fort  Stanwix  and  back  in  nine  days,  but 
the  larger  boats  required  fourteen  days  to  make  the  round  trip.  In 
1795  Wood  Creek  was  cleared  of  obstructions  and  thirteen  isthmuses 
were  cut  across,  shortening  the  channel  seven  miles.  April  ii,  1796, 
an  act  was  passed  reciting  that,  as  the  waters  of  the  Mohawk  and  Wood 
Creek  were  about  to  be  connected  by  means  of  a  canal  and  locks  at 
Fort  Stanwix,  the  State  advanced  to  the  Western  Company,  for  naviga- 
tion purposes,  15,000  pounds,  to  be  paid  in  January,  1803,  and  to  be 
secured  by  bond  and  mortgage  of  the  real  estate  of  that  company  at 
Little  Falls ;  and  also  loaned  the  company  a  quantity  of  powder  (one 
and  one-half  tons).  In  1796  boats  passed  through  to  Oneida  Lake  and 
the  work  in  1797  had  cost  $400,000,  of  which  the  State  had  paid  $72,- 
000.  The  great  cost  required  high  tolls,  and  in  181 2  only  300  boats 
passed,  with  1,500  tons,  at  Little  Falls.  In  1808  the  company  gave  up 
its  rights,  west  of  Oneida  Lake,  and  in  1820  sold  out  to  the  State,  when 
the  work  on  the  Erie  Canal  was  in  progress,  for  $152,718.52.  The 
foregoing  facts  as  to  the  cost  and  progress  of  this  work  are  taken  from 
the  report  of  William  Weston,  who  came  from  England  to  superintend, 
as  engineer,  the  construction  of  these  inland  canals. 

'The  canal  through  Rome,  which  connected  the  Mohawk  with  Wood 
Creek,  commenced  at  that  river,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  business  por- 
tion of  the  city  of  Rome,  on  the  northerly  side  of  the  highway  leading 
to  Stanwix  Village  (formerly  Newville),  and  across  that  road  from  and 
opposite  places  known  100  years  ago  as  the  William  Colbraith  (first 
sheriff  of  Oneida  county)  place  ;  later  the  Dr.  Stephen  White  place  ; 
later  the  House  place,  and  still  later  the  Phineas  Abbe  and  Robert  Mc- 
Cutcheon  place.  At  that  point  of  starting  is  yet  standing  a  frame  dwell- 
ing, one  and  a  half  stories  high,  said  to  have  been  erected  before  1800 
by   one    George    House,   and  occupied    by  him  as  the  lock  tender,  and 


CANALS  AND  RAILROADS.  219 

later  by  William  Riley.  The  canal  crossed  that  highway  as  shown  by 
the  indentation  in  the  ground,  to  where  the  present  Erie  Canal  is,  and 
followed  the  present  route  of  the  last  named  canal  until  George  street 
is  reached.  There  it  diverged  from  the  present  course  of  the  Erie 
Canal  and  ran  parallel  with  but  nearer  Dominick  street  than  the  Erie. 
An  indentation  in  the  ground  and  in  the  rear  of  the  tier  of  the  lots 
which  front  on  Dominick  street  westerly  of  George  street,  indicates 
where  the  inland  canal  ran  lOO  years  ago.  It  connected  with  Wood 
Creek  near  where  the  U.  S.  Arsenal  was  erected  in  1815.  There  was 
a  lock  or  gate  at  each  end  of  this  canal,  viz.:  one  at  the  Mohawk  and 
one  at  Wood  Creek.  About  midway  of  the  length  of  this  canal  was 
a  feeder  to  aid  in  supplying  it  with  water.  From  the  Mohawk  nearly 
opposite  Old  Fort  Stanwix,  a  ditch  was  cut  (starting  near  River  street) 
and  followed  a  route  nearly  parallel  with,  but  easterly  of,  the  present 
Black  River  Canal,  and  so  on  near  the  site  of  the  present  brass  and 
copper  mill,  and  on  southerly  to  the  inland  canal.  Old  residents  dis- 
agree as  to  the  exact  route  of  this  feeder.  Some  locate  it  as  above, 
while  others  say,  that  while  it  started  as  above,  it  went  towards  Fort 
Stanwix  until  it  struck  the  channel  of  "  Spring  Brook  "  (now  the  route  of 
the  Black  River  Canal)  and  followed  that  course  until  its  waters  were 
discharged  into  the  inland  canal,  and  that  near  "  Lock  No.  i  "  of 
Black  River  Canal  was  a  bridge  over  that  feeder  (a  little  southerly  of 
the  present  Dominick  street),  and  under  that  bridge  was  a  gate  to  regu- 
late the  flow  of  water  in  the  feeder. 

The  boats  up  the  Mohawk  and  over  this  water  route  to  Oneida 
Lake  were  at  first  from  thirty-five  to  forty  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  and 
were  pushed  forward  by  long  poles,  set  against  the  banks  or  bottom  of 
the  water  ways,  and  the  other  end  against  the  shoulders  of  the  boatmen. 
Four  men  on  each  side  of  a  boat  were  able  to  make  from  eighteen  to 
twenty  miles  a  day  upstream,  and  much  more  down  the  current.  These 
were  flat  bottomed  boats  with  a  plank  around  them  for  boatmen  to  walk 
on  ;  the  usual  weight  was  four  and  a  half  tons.  Later  these  boats  were 
worked  by  oars  and  a  mast  and  sail,  and  could  make  six  miles  an  hour 
against  the  current.  The  journey  from  New  York  to  Albany  as  late 
as  1807,  took  two  to  five  days,  at  a  cost  of  $6  to  $10  for  each  passen- 
ger, including  board.      For  bulky  freight  the  charge  was  forty  cents  a 


220  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

hundred  pounds.  Up  the  Mohawk  freight  was  conveyed  from  Schenec- 
tady to  Utica  for  seventy-five  cents  per  hundred.  From  Utica  to 
Oswego  the  distance  was  113  miles  and  took  nine  days.  This  water 
route  turned  out  to  be  expensive  and  large  tolls  had  to  be  imposed. 
The  result  was  that  land  transportation  was  a  formidable  rival.  In  No- 
vember, 1804,  the  Albany  Gazette  says: 

A  wagon  load  of  wheat  was  brought  by  four  yokes  of  oxen  from  Ontario  county 
to  Albany,  a  distance  of  230  miles.  The  wheat  was  bought  for  63|  cents  a  bushel, 
and  sold  for  $2.15^.     It  took  20  days  to  go  and  return. 

Erie  Canal. — It  is  uncertain  who  first  originated  the  idea  of  construct- 
ing a  waterway  through  Central  New  York  which  subsequently  cul- 
minated in  the  Erie  Canal.  The  early  efforts  were  directed  via 
Mohawk  River,  Wood  Creek,  Oneida  Lake,  and  by  the  rivers  to  Lake 
Ontario.  About  1800  Gouverneur  Morris  suggested  ideas  regarding  a 
plan  of  connecting  Hudson  River  with  Lake  Lrie,  and  in  1803  he  sub- 
mitted the  outlines  of  such  a  project  to  Simeon  De  Witt,  then  surveyor- 
general  of  the  State,  but  the  latter  looked  upon  it  as  visionary.  Mr. 
De  Witt  told  James  Geddes,  a  learned  surveyor  of  Onondaga  county, 
of  the  chimerical  plans  of  Mr.  Morris.  Mr.  Geddes  did  not  so  consider 
it,  and  the  latter  conferred  with  Jesse  Hawley  on  the  subject;  the  result 
was  that  Mr.  Hawley,  between  October,  1807,  and  April,  1808,  wrote  a 
series  of  articles  for  publication  in  an  Ontario  county  newspaper,  in 
favor  of  Mr.  Morris's  scheme.  This  and  other  early  ideas  were  crude 
and  not  well  digested,  and  seemed  to  favor  an  inclined  plane  from  Lake 
Erie  eastward,  by  which  the  water  was  to  be  sent  to  the  Hudson.  As 
the  geography  and  topography  of  the  western  part  of  the  State  became 
better  known,  more  enlarged  and  practical  views  were  developed. 
Judge  Jonas  Pratt,  State  senator  from  Oneida  county  from  18 10  to 
1 8 14,  says  : 

As  to  the  merit  of  the  first  design  of  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson,  it  be- 
longs in  my  opinion  exclusivelj'  to  no  person.  It  was  gradually  developed  to  the  minds 
of  many  who  were  early  acquainted  with  the  geographj'  and  topography  of  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  State. 

Some  twenty-five  years  ago  Benjamin  H.  Wright,  a  Roman,  a  son  of 
the  noted  engineer,  wrote  a  series  of  articles  for  the  New  York  Observer 
as  to  the  "origin  of  the  Erie  Canal,"  in  which  much  valuable  informa- 
tion is  given  and   in  which  the  son  justly  claims  that  his  father  should 


CANALS  AND  RAILROADS.  221 

be  placed,  if  not  in  advance,  in  the  foremost  rank  of  those  to  whom  the 
gratitude  of  the  country  is  due.  Judge  Benjamin  Wright,  the  noted 
engineer,  was  an  assemblyman  in  1807-08  (as  he  had  been  a  number  of 
years  before)  from  Oneida  county.  He  was  a  room  mate  at  Albany 
that  year  with  Joshua  Forman,  a  leading  member  from  Onondaga 
county.  Judge  Wright  was  a  subscriber  to  Rees's  Cyclopedia,  then 
being  published  ;  one  number  was  just  issued,  which  had  the  subject 
*'  Canals,"  and  Judge  Wright  and  Mr.  Forman  one  morning  discussed 
that  subject,  resulting  in  an  agreement  between  them,  that  on  the  mor- 
row Mr.  Forman  should  introduce  a  resolution  in  the  Assembly,  for  the 
survey  of  a  canal  route  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson,  the  resolution  to 
be  seconded  by  Judge  Wright.  The  latter  had  had  great  experience  in 
land  surveying  all  through  this  and  the  northern  parts  of  the  State,  and 
he  had  also  surveyed  before  1800  more  than  one  hundred  miles  of  the 
Erie  Canal  route.  Under  his  supervision  the  locks  on  Wood  Creek  had 
been  constructed,  when  the  Western  Inland  Canal  was  built  in  1794-5. 
The  resolution  for  a  survey  was  passed  in  February,  1808,  and  $600 
appropriated,  to  be  under  the  supervision  of  Simeon  De  Witt.  Mr, 
Wright  and  Mr.  Geddes  in  fact  made  the  surveys  and  the  favorable  re- 
port made  by  them  attracted  universal  attention.  That  resolution  for  a 
survey  was  the  first  legislative  action  taken  in  favor  of  the  Erie  Canal. 
In  1 8 10,  on  motion  in  the  Senate  of  Senator  Jonas  Pratt,  of  Oneida, 
commissioners  were  appointed  to  explore  the  whole  route  for  a  canal. 
In  181 1  an  act  was  passed  to  provide  for  internal  navigation  of  the  State. 
June  19,  18 1 2,  the  commissioners  were  autiiorized  to  borrow  $5,000,- 
000  witii  a  view  to  build  a  canal  through  the  State.  The  war  of  18 12 
suspended  further  operations.  On  the  return  of  peace  the  canal  project 
was  revived  with  great  earnestness  and  yet  met  from  the  beginning  with 
bitter  opposition.  It  was  characterized  by  its  opponents  as  "  Clinton's 
great  folly,"  or  "  Clinton's  big  ditch."  In  181 5  a  large  public  meeting 
was  held  in  New  York  city  in  favor  of  the  canal,  which  was  addressed 
by  Governor  Clinton,  Jonas  Piatt  and  others.  In  18 16  a  board  of  canal 
commissioners  was  created  by  the  Legislature,  and  in  the  spring  of  18 17 
the  law  was  passed  authorizing  the  canal  to  be  constructed.  The  act 
passed  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  eighteen  to  nine,  and  the  Assembly  by 
a  vote  of  sixty-four  to  thirty-six.     It  passed  the  Assembly  April  15, 


222  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1 8 17  (the  last  day  of  the  session),  and  the  contract  for  the  middle  sec- 
tion, from  Seneca  River  to  Utica  was  let  in  June,  181 7,  to  John  Rich- 
ardson, of  Cayuga  county,  and  work  conmienced  at  Rome,  July  4,  as 
elsewhere  stated.  October  22,  18 19.  the  first  boat  passed  from  Utica 
to  Rome,  and  what  is  chronologically  narrated  in  another  chapter  need 
not  here  be  repeated.  Most  of  the  canal  through  Oneida  county  ran 
through  a  boggy  morass.  The  length,  width  and  almost  impassability 
of  the  '•  Rome  swamp"  have  been  described  in  another  chapter. 

Dr.  O.  P.  Hubbard,  now  of  New  York  city,  was  a  resident  of  Rome 
from  1 8 10  to  1828.  He  is  now  in  the  neighborhood  of  ninety  years  of 
age,  yet  he  has  a  retentive  memory  and  a  mind  as  clear  as  spring  water. 
He  writes  to  the  author  as  follows : 

The  swamp  from  east  of  Rome  to  Syracuse  was  so  full  of  water  the  grubbing  could 
only  be  done  when  the  ground  was  frozen.  In  the  winter  of  1817-18  this  was  done 
from  the  House  farm,  near  Stanwix  (formerly  Newville)  to  Wood  creek,  and  the  first 
spadeful  was  taken  out  at  the  crossing  of  Wood  creek  July  4,  1817,  and  which  I  saw, 
and  I  have  the  recollection  that  Joshua  Hathaway  did  it.  Am  I  right?  What  is  the 
record  in  the  newspapers  of  that  date?  Wild  Irish  bog  trotters  from  West  Ireland, 
cutting  out  the  trees  the  width  of  the  canal  track,  were  set  to  work  knee  deep  in  the 
wet  muck;  they  could  wear  no  clothing  but  a  flannel  shirt  and  slouch  cap,  and  there 
were  no  tools  that  could  be  used.  Shovels  and  spades  were  out  of  the  question  and  a 
rectangular  side-board  wheelbarrow  equally  useless.  Jeremiah  Brainard,  a  Roman 
and  a  contractor,  invented  a  wheel  barrow  made  of  ash,  a  smooth,  elliptical  right  and 
left  basin,  from  which  the  muck  slid  out  instantly.  Some  one  (his  name  ought  to  go 
into  history)  invented  a  spade  blade  at  41x14  inches,  sharp  to  cut  roots,  long,  straight 
cross  handle,  that  removed  a  layer  |  to  an  inch  in  thickness  with  great  dispatch.  It 
was  a  weird  sight  to  see  on  a  long  line,  both  sides  of  the  canal,  hundreds  of  these 
wild  Irishmen  at  work.  Saturday  nights  in  their  board  shanties,  "fighting  drunk,"  and 
contractors  had  to  go  in  and  club  them  right  and  left  to  quiet  them.  Whisky  and 
ague  and  fever  did  their  legitimate  work  on  great  numbers.  I  have  seen  teacher 
Mathews,  of  the  old  school  house  on  West  Park,  without  a  hat,  long  hair  flying,  scream- 
ing "  Murder!"  and  running  up  James  street  from  the  old  canal  bridge  to  get  out  of 
the  way  of  a  half  dozen  of  those  fellows,  each  with  a  paving  stone  or  shillelah  in 
hand. 

The  Erie  Canal  was  finished  in  the  fall  of  1825,  having  taken  over 
eight  years  in  its  construction  Its  completion  was  duly  celebrated.  A 
flotilla  of  boats  left  Buffalo  in  the  canal  October  26,  1825,  on  board  of 
which  was  Governor  Clinton  and  other  noted  passengers.  Water  was 
let  in  and  tidings  of  the  start  was  proclaimed  by  the  firing  of  cannon 
placed  at  distances  along  the  route,  and  thus  the  news  was  sent  onward 


CANALS  AND  RAILROADS.  223 

to  New  York  city.  It  took  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes  to  make  the 
communication  from  Buffalo  to  New  York  by  sound.  All  along  the 
route  the  boats  were  greeted  by  ringing  of  bells,  firing  of  guns,  and  the 
acclaim  of  enthusiastic  people. 

The  Erie  Canal  is  a  State  institution,  but  inasmuch  as  Oneida  county 
has  figured  conspicuously  in  its  history  it  did  not  seem  as  if  anything 
less  could  be  said  of  it  than  has  been  incorporated  in  these  pages.  In 
this  county  Jonas  Piatt  and  Benjamin  Wright  lived,  both  active  workers 
for  the  canal.  Here  also  lived  John  B.  Jervis,  who  commenced  his 
career  as  an  axe  man  on  this  canal  and  a  pupil  of  Mr.  Wright,  was  en- 
trusted by  Henry  Seymour,  canal  commissioner,  with  important  duties 
in  the  progress  of  the  work,  and  became  a  noted  engineer.  The  con- 
tract which  embraced  the  larger  part  of  the  route  through  Oneida 
county,  was  the  first  contract  let.  In  Oneida  county  the  first  work  was 
done  and  the  opening  ceremonies  observed.  The  first  section  of  the 
canal  put  in  operation  was  in  Oneida  county,  and  here  the  first  boats 
were  run.  The  first  canal  collector,  George  Huntington,  was  in  this 
county,  and  the  first  canal  tolls  paid  were  in  this  county  by  Capt.  John 
Westcott,  on  a  raft  of  timber. 

Chena7igo  Canal. — The  project  of  connecting  the  Erie  Canal  at  Utica 
with  the  Susquehanna  River  at  Binghamton  was  authorized  February 
23,  1833,  at  a  time  when  the  older  canal  was  proving  itself  to  be  of  the 
greatest  utility,  and  when  canals  were  projected  on  scores  of  routes 
through  this  State.  Work  on  the  Chenango  Canal,  as  it  was  named, 
began  in  July,  1834,  and  was  finished  in  October,  1836,  at  a  cost  of 
$2,782,124.  About  twenty  miles  of  the  ninety- seven  are  in  Oneida 
county,  passing  from  Utica  through  New  Hartford,  Kirkland,  Marshall 
and  a  corner  of  Augusta.  This  canal  was  for  some  years  of  consider- 
able importance  to  this  county,  especially  to  the  city  of  Utica  for  the 
transportation  thither  of  coal  from  Pennsylvania ;  but  the  oncoming 
railroads  eventually  rendered  it  almost  useless  and  it  was  abandoned. 

Black  River  Canal. — This  was  another  of  the  numerous  canal  proj- 
ects of  New  York  State,  only  a  few  of  which  went  farther  than  discus- 
sion. The  first  legislation  upon  the  subject  was  the  passage  of  an  act 
April  22,  1834,  authorizing  a  survey  from  Rome  to  the  foot  of  High 
Falls  in  Lewis  county.      On  April  19,  1836,  an  act  was  passed  providing 


224  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

for  the  construction  of  the  canal  on  this  route,  with  a  feeder  from  the 
Black  River  at  Forestport.  Work  was  soon  afterward  begun  and  after 
many  delays  the  canal  was  opened  to  Port  Leyden  in  185 1.  A  dam 
was  later  constructed  at  the  head  of  the  Long  Falls,  at  Carthage,  on 
Black  River,  by  which  navigation  on  that  stream  was  made  practicable 
forty  two  miles  to  the  High  Falls  where  the  canal  connects.  The 
whole  distance  of  navigation  is  ninety  miles.  The  length  of  navigation 
on  the  canal  and  the  river  is  seventy- eight  miles.  While  this  canal  was 
for  some  years  a  source  of  benefit  to  Oneida  county,  in  the  expansion  of 
its  markets,  its  utility  largely  disappeared  with  the  construction  of  the 
northward  railroads. 

Railroads. — The  first  railroad  in  the  State  of  New  York  extended 
from  Albany  to  Schenectady  and  was  opened  for  business  in  October, 
1 83 1,  under  a  charter  to  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Com- 
pany. This  was  the  first  railroad  in  the  United  States  authorized  to 
carry  on  a  general  transportation  business  in  freight  and  passengers.  In 
1833  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad 
Company,  and  work  was  begun  on  the  road  in  the  fall  of  1834;  it  was 
completed  in  the  summer  of  1836,  at  a  cost  of  $20,000  a  mile.  In  1834 
the  Auburn  and  Syracuse  Railroad  Company  was  organized.  During 
these  and  the  succeeding  five  years  the  Legislature  was  besieged  for 
railroad  charters  in  all  parts  of  the  State ;  the  politics  of  the  State 
turned  largely  upon  the  railroad  question. 

A  spirited  and  prolonged  contest  arose  over  the  route  of  the  Utica 
and  Syracuse  Railroad.  At  that  time  (1836)  the  whole  line  between 
Utica  and  Syracuse,  excepting  about  fifteen  miles,  was  a  swamp  and 
much  of  it  an  unbroken  wilderness.  The  site  of  Oneida  village  was  a 
wilderness,  boasting  only  a  saw  mill  and  one  or  two  dwellings.  The 
village  of  Canastota  was  only  a  small  hamlet.  Of  the  twenty- five  rail- 
road commissioners,  Oneida  county  had  seven,  Madison  county  four, 
Onondaga  county  seven,  and  seven  were  from  the  State  at  large.  The 
two  routes  in  contemplation  ^vere  the  one  finally  adopted,  passing  to 
the  northward  through  Rome,  and  the  other  was  far  to  the  southward, 
following  nearly  a  direct  line  between  the  two  termini.  The  commis- 
sioners were  divided,  naturally  enough,  as  the  interests  of  their  localities 
ditcated.     The  contest  was  finally  ended   by  the  adoption  of  the  Rome 


CANALS  AND  RAILROADS.  225 

route.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was  $800,000  and  the  commis- 
sioners organized  by  the  election  of  Henry  A.  Foster,  president,  and 
I.  S  Spencer  (brother  of  Joshua  A.)  secretary.  Subscription  books 
were  opened  in  Syracuse,  Canastota,  Utica  and  Albany,  on  July  19, 
20  and  21,  1836,  and  nearly  two  and  a  half  millions  were  subscribed 
outside  of  New  York  city.  The  first  election  of  directors  was  held  in 
Syracuse  September  22,  1836,  and  the  following  were  elected  :  Henry 
Seymour,  David  Wager,  Henry  A.  Foster,  David  Moulton,  Samuel 
French,  John  Wilkinson,  Oliver  Teall,  James  Beardslee,  James  Hooker, 
Isaiah  Townsend,  Miles  W.  Bennett,  and  Charles  Stebbins.  Henry 
Seymour  was  elected  president,  and  Henry  A.  Foster,  vice  president ; 
Vivus  W.  Smith,  secretary ;  M.  S.  Marsh,  treasurer ;  Aaron  Burt,  sec- 
retary. Surveys  were  at  once  commenced  and  in  December,  1837,  the 
company  began  advertising  for  proposals  for  various  parts  of  the  work 
and  materials.  Within  fourteen  months  after  the  work  was  placed 
under  contract  the  road  was  finished  ;  it  was  built  most  of  the  way  on 
piles,  which  system  was  the  invention  of  E.  P.  Williams,  of  Utica.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  first  railroad  in  the  State  and 
subsequently  went  South  and  there  perfected  his  system.  The  piles 
were  soaked  in  salt  for  their  better  preservation,  and  provision  was  made 
for  resalting  them  when  necessary.  This  railroad  was  fully  completed 
the  last  of  June,  1839,  and  cost  $700,000.  On  June  27  the  first  train 
of  cars  reached  Rome  from  Utica,  and  was  the  cause  of  great  rejoicing. 
On  July  3d  the  company  began  taking  pay  for  passage  and  freight  and 
the  receipts  for  many  successive  days  were  over  $600  each  day.  On 
the  14th  of  July  a  grand  excursion  was  given.  The  Sentinel  of  July  9 
boasted  that  its  editor,  in  company  with  others,  left  Rome  at  4  P.  M., 
arrived  at  Syracuse,  and  after  staying  there  an  hour  and  a  half,  returned 
and  reached  Rome  at  1 1  r.  M.,  and  that  among  the  number  was  Judge 
Foster,  who  went  west  on  the  first  canal  boat.  On  July  10  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  was  duly  celebrated,  a  train  load  of  passengers  going 
over  the  road  from  Albany  to  Syracuse,  which  was  met  at  various 
points  by  large  crowds  of  spectators.  In  the  same  week  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  its  stock  sold  for  10  per  cent,  advance. 

The  New  York  Central    Railroad    Company  was   chartered   April  2, 

1853,  and  was  formed  by  the  consolidation  of  the  Albany  and  Schenec- 
29 


226  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tady,  the  Schenectady  and  Troy,  Utica  and  Schenectady,  Mohawk 
Valley,  Syracuse  and  Utica,  Rochester  and  Syracuse,  Rochester,  Lock- 
port  and  Niagara  Falls,  Rochester  and  Buffalo,  and  Buffalo  and  Lock- 
part  companies ;  of  these  the  Mohawk  Valley  and  the  Syracuse  and 
Utica  direct  roads  were  not  built.  The  New  York  Central  road  was 
merged  into  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Company  in 
1869. 

The  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad  Company  was  formed  January 
29,  1853,  under  the  name  of  the  Black  River  and  Utica  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  road  was  opened  to  Boonville  December  13,  1854,  and  to 
Trenton  January  i,  1855.  On  May  9,  1861,  a  reorganization  was  ef 
fected,  the  bondholders  exchanging  their  bonds  for  a  new  issue,  and  the 
following  board  of  directors  was  elected :  John  Thorn,  president ; 
James  Sayre,  A.  J.  Williams,  Martin  Hart,  Charles  Millar,  Edmund  A. 
Graham,  John  Butterfield,  Isaac  Maynard,  Thomas  Foster,  Dan  P. 
Cadwell,  Russell  Wheeler.  Plans  for  extensions  were  adopted  and 
promptly  carried  out  under  the  energetic  efforts  of  the  president  and 
his  co-workers.  In  1867  the  road  was  extended  to  Lyons  Falls  ;  in 
1868-9  to  Lowville ;  in  1869-70  to  Carthage,  and  from  there  to  Phil- 
adelphia in  1 87 1-2,  where  it  absorbed  the  Black  River  and  Morris- 
town  road.  In  1872  the  Carthage  and  Watertown  road  was  leased  by 
the  company ;  two  years  later  an  extension  was  made  to  Sackett's 
Harbor;  in  1874  connection  was  made  at  Theresa  Junction  with  the 
Clayton  and  Theresa  road,  which  was  taken  underlease;  in  1878  the 
line  was  extended  to  Ogdensburg.  On  tiie  14th  of  April,  1886,  all  of 
the  roads  of  this  company  were  leased  to  the  Rome,  Watertown  and 
Ogdensburg  company  for  seven  per  cent,  on  its  capital  stock.  On  the 
14th  of  March,  1891,  all  the  lines  of  the  latter  company  passed  under 
control  of  the  New  York  Central. 

The  Rome  Watertown  and  Ogdensburg  Railroad  was  originally  char- 
tered under  the  name  of  the  Watertown  and  Rome  Railroad  in  April, 
1832  ;  it  was  revived  May  10,  1836  and  May  6  1837  ;  extended  May 
17,  1845,  ^"d  again  April  28,  1847.  VVork  on  the  road  was  begun  in 
Rome  in  November,  1848,  and  it  was  opened  to  Pierrepont  Manor  May 
28,  1851  ;  to  Watertown  September  24,  185 1  ;  to  Chatimont  Novem- 
ber 20,  i85i,and   to   Cape   Vincent   in   April,  1852.     The   name   was 


!i^  w^ilik 


"-^^^^^  .<a^ 


Canals  and  railroads.  227 

changed  in  1861.  The  shops  of  the  company  were  long  located  at 
Rome,  but  finally  removed  to  Oswego.  The  final  disposition  of  the 
road  has  been  noted  above. 

Utica,  Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Valley  Railroad. — Agitation  pre- 
ceding the  formation  of  this  company  continued  through  two  or  three 
years,  two  plans  being  under  consideration  for  reaching  Sherburne;  one 
by  way  of  Clinton  and  Hamilton,  and  the  other  following  the  Sauquoit 
to  its  source  and  thence  down  the  Chenango  to  VVaterville  and  thence 
to  the  destination.  Measures  were  finally  adopted  to  open  up  both  of 
these  lines;  a  road  was  built  from  New  Hartford  to  Clinton  and  con- 
nected by  horse  car  with  Utica,  after  which  the  company  waited 
developments.  Meanwhile  the  other  proposition  was  forwarded.  In 
November,  1865,  a  committee  on  survey  reported  in  favor  of  a  road 
along  the  Sauquoit  to  a  point  beyond  Clayville  whence  a  branch  should 
extend  to  Waterville,  thence  passing  near  Hamilton  and  on  to  Sher- 
burne ;  while  another  going  through  Bridgewater,  Winfield  and  Rich- 
field, should  reach  Colliersville  on  the  line  of  the  Susquehanna.  Each 
branch  was  to  be  subsequently  extended.  At  this  time,  in  January, 
1866,  the  company  was  formed  with  the  above  title,  and  subscriptions 
were  made  and  town  bonds  issued  sufficient  to  insure  commencement  of 
work  on  the  road,  which  was  done  in  July  of  that  year.  The  road  was 
finished  in  1870  and  in  that  year  was  leased  to  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna and  Western  corporation. 

Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamtoji  Railroad. — This  company  was 
formed  in  August,  1862,  to  construct  a  horse  or  steam  road  "  from  the 
village  of  Clinton  through  the  town  of  New  Hartford  and  city  of  Utica 
into  the  town  of  Whitestown,  to  the  village  of  Whitesboro,  or  New  York 
Mills,  or  both."  The  capital  stock  was  only  $23,000.  By  the  fall  of 
1863  rails  were  in  place  and  horse  transportation  was  begun  between 
Utica  and  New  Hartford.  By  the  summer  of  1866  a  horse  road  was 
open  to  Whitesboro  and  a  road  for  steam  power  from  New  Hartford  to 
Clinton  was  operated  with  a  dummy.  In  December,  1867,  being  now 
opened  to  Deansville,  the  company  was  reorganized  and  the  capital 
raised  to  $1,000,000  Work  was  energetically  prosecuted  and  the  track 
was  laid  to  Oriskany  Falls  in  1868  and  to  Hamilton  in  1870,  whence  a 
three  mile  extension  connected  it  with  the    Midland  road.      The  line  to 


228  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

New  Hartford  was  still  unfitted  for  steam,  and  a  new  road  was  constructed 
at  a  cost  of  nearly  $400,000  (of  which  Utica  furnished  $200,000)  and 
completed  in  1871.  The  steam  road  was  leased  in  the  year  after  its 
completion  to  the  New  York  and  Oswego  Midland,  which  company 
went  into  a  receiver's  hands  in  September,  1873.  In  1875  the  whole 
passed  into  control  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company, 

Neiv  York  and  Oszvego  Midland  Railroad. — Articles  of  association 
for  this  company  were  filed  January  ii,  1866,  and  the  road  was  opened 
for  traffic  in  1872.  It  has  been  of  little  importance  in  Oneida  county, 
passing  only  through  the  towns  of  Vienna  and  Verona,  and  skirting 
Vernon,  in  the  extreme  western  part.  To  those  towns  it  gives  an  outlet 
and  more  accessible  markets. 

The  Rome  and  Clinton  Railroad  is  a  short  line  of  twelve  miles  ex- 
tending from  Rome  to  Clinton,  where  it  connects  with  the  former  Utica, 
Clinton  and  Binghamton  road.  It  was  opened  in  the  latter  part  of 
1 87 1,  and  was  intended  primarily  as  a  coal  road.  It  went  with  the 
other  lines  to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Coal  Company. 

The  New  York,  West  Shore  and  Buffalo  Railroad. — This  company 
was  chartered  June  14,  1881,  the  original  capital  being  $40,000,000. 
The  road  was  opened  from  Weehawken  to  Syracuse  October  i,  1883, 
and  to  Buffalo  January  i,  1884.  On  October  2,  1885,  judgment  of  fore- 
closure and  sale  was  entered  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State,  and 
the  property  was  sold  to  three  joint  tenants  who  immediately  leased  it 
to  the  New  York  Central.  Passing  across  Oneida  county  as  it  does 
nearly  parallel  to  the  Central,  its  influence  has  not  been  large  in  any 
direction. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  229 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY. 

The  time  was  when  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  Oneida  county  occupied  a 
very  conspicuous  and  honorable  position  among  those  of  the  various 
counties  of  the  Empire  State — more  conspicuous,  more  honorable,  per- 
haps, than  it  does  at  the  present  day.  In  Oneida  county  "  there  were(legal) 
giants  in  those  days,"  the  record  of  whose  lives  is  a  story  of  triumph 
over  pioneer  obstacles,  brilliant  achievements  at  the  bar,  and  frequent 
culmination  in  high  judicial  or  political  station.  Such  records  in  all  their 
fullness  would  fill  a  volume.  Much  of  this  is  already  in  print  from  the 
valuable  writings  of  Hon  William  J.  Bacon,  David  E.  Wager,  Dr.  M.  M. 
Bagg,  and  others.  For  the  purpose  of  this  work  we  can  only  briefly 
note  the  careers  of  a  few  of  the  more  noteworthy  lawyers  and  judges 
who  have  passed  away,  leaving  for  the  future  historian  and  biographer 
the  task  of  recording  the  story  of  the  lives  of  those  who  in  later  years 
and  at  the  present  time  have  made  and  are  making  for  themselves  names 
to  be  remembered  in  this  profession.  The  formation  of  the  early  courts 
of  this  county,  the  erection  of  the  court  buildings,  and  other  kindred 
subjects  have  been  adequately  treated  in  earlier  chapters  of  this  work 
Following  this  page  are  complete  lists  of  the  judicial  officers  of  the 
county  from  its  organization  in  1796,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain 
them. 

Supreme  Court  of  Judicature. — This  court  was  established  by  act  of 
the  Legislature  May  6,  1691,  and  was  recognized  by  the  first  State 
Constitution  ;  the  convention  which  adopted  it  reorganized  the  court 
May  3,  1777.  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  Oneida  county  have 
been  as  follows  : 

Chief  Justices— Greene  C.  Bronson,  March  5,  1845;  Samuel  Beardsley,  June  29, 
1847. 

Puisne  or  Junior  Justices.— Jonas  Piatt,  February  13,  1814;  Samuel  Beardsley, 
February  20,  1844. 


230  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Circuit   Courts. — The   Constitution  of  1821    divided   the   State  into 

eight  circuits  corresponding  with  the  senatorial  districts.      Circuit  judges 

also  held  a  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  at  the  same  time  and  place  with 

the  Circuit,  or  otherwise,  as  they  chose.     This  court  was  abolished  by 

the  Constitution  of  1 846.    The  following  were  circuit  judges  from  Oneida 

county : 

Nathan  Williams,  appointed  April  21,  1823;  Samuel  Beardsley,  April  12,  1834; 
Hiram  Denio,  May  7,  1834;  Philo  Gridley,  July  17,  1838. 

Court  of  Appeals. — This  court  was  established  under  the  Constitution 
of  1846,  to  succeed  the  Court  for  the  Trial  of  Impeachments  and  the 
Correction  of  Errors,  as  far  as  related  to  the  correction  of  errors.  The 
convention  of  1867-8  reorganized  this  court  and  on  account  of  accumu- 
lation of  business  before  it,  a  Commission  of  Appeals  was  created  in 
1870,  which  continued  until  1875,  to  which  was  assigned  a  large  amount 
of  business  and  thus  relieving  the  original  court.  In  1888  the  Constitu- 
tion was  amended  so  that  when  the  Court  of  Appeals  should  certify  to  the 
governor  that  public  interests  were  suffering  from  the  accumulation  of 
causes  on  the  calendar  of  that  court,  then  the  governor  might  designate 
seven  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  to  act  as  associate  judges  for  the 
time  being  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  thus  forming  a  second  division  of 
the  court.  This  amendment  was  submitted  to  the  people  at  the  general 
election  of  that  year  and  was  ratified.  The  following  persons  from 
Oneida  county  have  been  connected  with  this  court: 

Judges — Hiram  Denio,  appointed  November  7,  1857;  Ward  Hunt,  appointed  No- 
vember 7,  1865.  Associate  Judges — Alexander  Johnson,  appointed  December  29, 
1873. 

Commissioners  of  Appeals — Ward  Hunt,  July  5.  1870;  Alexander  S.  Johnson,  Jan- 
uary 7,  1873. 

Supreme  Court. — The  old  Supreme  Court  was  abolished  by  the  Con- 
stitution of  1846,  and  a  new  one  established  having  general  jurisdiction 
in  law  and  equity.  The  State  was  divided  into  eight  judicial  districts 
of  which  the  Fifth  is  composed  of  the  counties  of  Oneida,  Herkimer, 
Jefferson,  Lewis,  Onondaga,  and  Oswego.  By  a  legislative  act  passed 
April  20,  1870,  the  general  terms  of  the  Supreme  Court  then  existing 
were  abolished  and  the  State  was  divided  into  four  departments,  with  a 
presiding  justice  and  two  associates  in  each  department,  appointed   by 


ALFRED  C.  COXE. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  231 

the  governor.      The   following  have  been  Supreme  Court  justices  from 
Oneida  county  : 

Philo  Gridley,  six  years,  appointed  June  7,  1847;  William  J.  Bacon,  November  8, 
1853,  reappointed  November  5,  1861 ;  Charles  H.  Doolittle,  November  2,  1869 ;  Milton 
H.  Mervvin,  appointed  in  place  of  Doolittle,  deceased,  and  elected  November  8,  1874, 
and  re-elected. 

Court  of  Common  Picas. — This  court  was  in  existence  through  the 
colonial  period  and  down  to  1846,  and  consisted  of  judges  and  assistant 
judges,  the  number  varying  in  different  counties.  The  judges  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  and  Senate  for  five  years.  Following  is  the 
list  for  Oneida  county  : 

1798,  March  22,  Jedediah  Sanger,  of  Whitestown,  first  judge;  Hugh  White  and 
David  Ostrom,  of  Whitestown,  James  Dean,  of  Westmoreland,  and  George  Hunting- 
ton, of  Rome,  judges.  1801,  January  28,  Silas  Stone,  of  Lowville,  judge:  August  21, 
Messrs.  Sanger,  White,  Dean,  Ostrom,  and  Huntington,  reappointed,  with  Thomas 
Hart  additional.  1802,  March  13,  Nathan  Sage  and  Henry  Coffeen,  of  Red- 
field.  1803,  March  31,  Needham  Maynard.  1804,  April  3,  Chauncey  Gridley; 
July  3,  Messrs.  Sanger,  Dean,  Ostrom,  Huntington,  Sage,  Coffeen,  Maynard, 
and  Gridley,  reappointed.  1805,  February  15,  Messrs.  Sanger,  Dean,  Sage,  May- 
nard, Ostrom,  Coffeen,  and  Gridley,  reappointed;  and,  March  25,  Samuel  Dill, 
and,  April  8,  Apollos  Cooper,  additional.  1808,  March  22,  Messrs.  Sanger,  Dean, 
Gridley,  Sage,  Dill,  Cooper,  reappointed,  and  Joseph  Jennings  and  Jarvis  Pike,  ad- 
ditional. 1810,  March  5,  Morris  S.  Miller,  first  judge;  Jedediah  Sanger,  Henry  Mc- 
McNeil,  of  Paris;  Abram  Camp,  of  Whitestown,  and  Timothy  Wood.  1813,  Febru- 
ary 23,  Morris  S.  Miller,  James  Dean,  David  Ostrom,  Henry  McNeil,  George  Bray- 
ton,  Richard  Sanger,  Jesse  Curtiss,  Gerrit  G.  Lansing,  Benjamin  Wright,  John 
Storrs,  Peter  Pratt.  1814,  April  5,  Messrs,  Miller,  Dean,  Ostrom,  McNeil,  Curtiss, 
Lansing,  Wright,  Storrs,  and  Pratt,  reappointed;  Levi  Carpenter,  jr.,  and  Frederick 
Stanley,  additional.  1815,  April  15,  M.  S.  Miller,  Joseph  Jennings,  Solomon  Wolcot, 
Prosper  Rudd,  Daniel  Ashley,  Peter  Pratt,  James  S.  Kip,  Sherman  Barnes,  Thomas 
Hamilton,  Asahel  Curtiss,  Charles  Wylie,  Joseph  Grant.  1818,  April  24,  Messrs. 
Miller,  Wylie,  Grant,  and  Hamilton,  with  Ezekiel  Bacon,  additional.  1821,  March 
21,  Messrs.  Miller,  Grant,  and  Hamilton,  with  Truman  Enos  and  Joshua  Hathawav, 
additional.  1823,  February  3,  Messrs.  Miller,  Enos,  Hathaway,  and  Grant ;  Samuel 
Jones,  additional.  1824,  November  22,  Samuel  Beardsley,  first  judge,  in  place  of  M. 
S.  Miller,  deceased.  1825,  March  9,  Henry  R.  Storrs.  1826,  April  5.  James  Dean, 
in  place  of  Truman  Enos,  elected  to  State  Senate.  1828,  February  5,  Messrs.  Hath- 
away, Grant,  and  Jones,  reappointed.  1830,  January  15,  Chester  Hayden,  first 
judge;  Israel  Stoddard.  1831,  April  8,  Reuben  Tower,  of  Sangerfield,  in  place  of 
James  Dean,  term  expired.  1832,  February  10,  Nathan  Kimball,  of  Augusta,  ince 
R.  Tower,  resigned.  1833,  February  6,  John  P.  Sherwood,  of  Vernon,  and  Arnon 
Comstock,  of  estern  vice  Jones  and  Hathaway,  terms  expired.  1835,  January  23, 
Chester  Hayden,  of  Utica,  first  judge,  and  Israel  Stoddard,  reappointed.    1837,  Feb- 


232  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ruary  21,  Nathan  Kimball,  reappointed.  1838,  February  2,  Pomroy  Jones,  of  West- 
moreland, 7n'ce].  P.  Sherwood,  resigned;  March  9,  Arnon  Comstock,  reappointed. 
1840,  February  2,  Fortune  C.  White,  of  Whitestown,  first  judge,  vice  Hayden  ;  April 
14,  Seth  B.  Roberts,  of  Rome,  7Jzce  Stoddard.  1843,  February  10,  Chester  Hayden 
and  Amos  Woodworth,  of  Florence,  vice  Messrs.  Kimball  and  Comstock;  and  Pom- 
roy Jones,  reappointed.  1845,  February  21,  P.  Sheldon  Root,  of  Utica,  first  judge, 
7//ce  White;  April  14,  Ebenezer  Robbins,  of  Lee,  vice  Roberts.  1846,  May  12, 
Othniel  S.  Williams,  of  Kirkland,  Z'ice  Hayden. 

County  Cojirts. — These  courts  were  created  by  the  Constitution  of  1 846. 
Associated  with  the  judge  are  two  justices  of  the  peace  from  among  the 
justices  of  the  county  who  hold  Courts  of  Sessions. 

P.  Sheldon  Root,  elected  June,  1847.  George  W.  Smith,  elected  November,  1859. 
Joel  Willard,  elected  November,  1867.  Ale.\andcr  H.  Bailey,  elected  November, 
1871.  William  B.  Bliss,  elected  November,  1874.  William  B.  Sutton,  November, 
1880.     Isaac  J.  Evans,  November,  1886.     Watson  T.  Lunmore,  November,  1892. 

Special  Judges. — The  Constitution  authorizes  the  Legislature  to 
provide  for  the  election  of  a  county  officer  to  perform  the  duties  of 
county  judge  in  case  of  inability  or  vacancy,  and  to  exercise  such  other 
powers  as  may  be  provided  by  law.  The  following  have  acted  in 
Oneida  county  : 

David  E.  Wager,  elected  November,  1852.  George  Harrison,  elected  November, 
1855.  Kiron  Carroll,  elected  November,  1861.  George  H.  Lynch,  elected  November, 
1867.  William  B.  Bliss,  elected  November,  1870.  Robert  O.  Jones,  appointed  to  fill 
vacancy,  1874.  Robert  O.  Jones,  elected  November,  1875.  Wm.  H.  Bright,  Novem- 
ber 1878.  David  E.  Wager,  November,  1880.  Isaac  J.  Evans,  November,  1883. 
Wat.son  T.  Dunmore,  November,  1889.     Rodolphus  C.  Briggs,  November,  1892-6. 

Surrogates. — This  office  has  met  with  less  change  since  early  times 
than  other  in  the  judiciary.  In  all  counties  having  population  of  less 
than  40.000  the  office  is  combined  with  that  of  county  judge.  The 
surrogates  of  Oneida  county  have  been  : 

Arthur  Breese,  March  19,  1798;  Joshua  Hathaway,  March  23,  1808;  Erastus  Clark, 
February  23,  1813;  Joshua  Hathaway,  March  16,  1815;  Greene  C.  Bronson,  April  13, 
1819;  Joshua  Hathaway,  February  19,  1821;  Henry  A.  Foster,  March  31,  1827; 
Alanson  Bennett,  January  12,  1831  ;  Henry  A.  Foster,  January  27,  1835;  JohnStryker, 
August  22,  1839;  (down  to  this  time  surrogates  were  appointed;  the  constitution  of 
1846  made  the  office  elective.)  Othniel  S.  Williams,  June,  1847;  Henry  M.  Burchard, 
November,  1855;  Joseph  S.  Avery,  November,  1863,  and  re-elected  to  1877;  Stephen 
H.  Van  Dresar,  November,  1877;  William  B.  Bliss,  November,  1883;  WiUiam  H. 
Bright,  November,  1889;  H.  W.  Bently,  (appointed)  June  11,  1894;  Frederick  M. 
Calder,  elected  November,  1894. 

The  following  have  held  the  office  of  Special  Surrogate:  Ralph   Mcintosh,  elected 


^   /  p 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  233 

November,  1852;  Nelson  B.  Stevens,  November,  1855;  Ralph  Mcintosh,  November, 
1858;  David  T.  Jenkins,  November,  1861;  Eugene  Stearns,  November,  1867;  Theo- 
dore Avery,  November,  1870;  Henry  J.  Cookinham,  (elected)  November,  1873; 
Marcus  D.  Raymond,  March,  1874;  Elliott  S.  Williams,  November,  1875;  Emmett  J. 
Ball,  November,  1878;  John  D.  F.  Stone,  November,  1884;  Herbert  C.  Sholes.  No- 
vember, 1887 ;  Elliott  O.  Worden,  November,  1,893-96. 

District  Attorneys — The  original  title  of  this  office  was  assistant 
attorney  general,  and  there  were  seven  districts  in  the  State,  the  office 
being  filled  by  the  Governor  and  Council  during  their  pleasure.  The 
office  of  district  attorney  was  created  April  4,  1801.  In  181 8  each 
county  was  made  a  district.  From  1796  to  1801  Oneida  county 
formed  part  of  the  Ninth  district,  with  Herkimer  and  Otsego  counties. 
From  1 801  to  18 18  it  was  in  the  Sixth  district  with  Chenango,  Herki- 
mer, Lewis,  Otsego,  Madison  (from  1808)  and  Jefferson  (from  1805  to 
1808). 

The  district  attorneys  for  Oneida  county  since  181 8  have  been  as 
follows : 

Nathan  Williams,  1818 ;  Samuel  Beardsley,  1821 ;  Hiram  Denio,  1825 ;  Ichabod  C. 
Baker,  1834;  Timothy  Jenkins,  1840;  Calvert  Comstock,  1845;  Roscoe  Conkling, 
1850,  appointed  vice  Comstock  resigned;  Samuel  B.  Garvin,  1850;  J.  Thomas 
Spriggs,  1853,  appointed  vice  Garvin  resigned;  Henry  T.  Utley,  1853;  Jairus  H. 
Munger,  1856;  Hiram  T.  Jenkins,  1859;  Daniel  Ball,  1868;  Daniel  C.  Stoddard,  1871; 
Milton  D.  Barnett,  1877;  William  A.  Matteson,  1883;  Thomas  S.  Jones,  1886; 
George  S.  Klock,  1892. 

Sheriffs. — Under  the  first  constitution  this  office  was  filled  by  the 
Council  of  Appointment  annually,  but  no  person  could  hold  the  office 
for  more  than  four  successive  years.  Under  the  Constitution  of  1821 
they  were  elected  for  three  years. 

William  Colbrath,!  March  19,  1798;  Elizur  Moseley,  December  31,  1798;  Charles  C. 
Broadhead,  November  5,  1800;  James  S.  Kipp,  November  10,  1804;  Benajah  Merrill, 
February  21,  1807;  James  S.  Kipp,  February  8,  1808;  Benajah  Merrill,  February  26, 
1810;  James  S.  Kipp,  February  5,  1811;  Apollos  Cooper,  March  16,  1815;  John  B. 
Pease,  February  9,  1819;  John  E.  Hinman,  February  13,  1821;  John  E.  Hinman,  No- 
vember, 1822;  David  Pierson,  November,  1825;  John  E.  Hinman,  November,  1828; 
Samuel  M.  Mott,  November,  1831;  Erastus  Willard,  November,  1834;  Lyman  Curtis, 
November,   1837;  David  Moulton,   November,  1840;  Theodore  S.  Faxton,  Decem- 

1  Or  Colbraith. 
30 


234  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ber  19,  1843;  Israel  S.  Parker,  January  11,  1843;  Palmer  V.  Kellogg,  November,  1844; 
Lester  Barker,  November,  1847;  John  R.  Jones,  November,  1850;  Hugh  Crocker, 
November,  1852;  Calvin  Hall,  November,  1855;  William  J.  McKown,  November, 
1858;  Hugh  Crocker,  November,  1861;  David  B.  Danforth,  November,  1864;  George 
F.  Weaver,  November,  1867;  Lewis  Gaylord,  November,  1870;  George  Benedict, 
November,  1873;  Frederick  G.  Weaver,  November,  1876;  Francis  X.  Meyers,  No- 
vember, 1879;  Thomas  D.  Penfield,  November,  1882;  John  Batchelor,  November, 
1885;  Thomas  Wheeler,  November,  1888;  John  C.  Schneider,  1892;  Van  R.  Weaver 
1894. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Jonas  Piatt  settled  in  Oneida  county  in  1791,  the  first  attorney  in  the 
county,  locating  at  Whitesboro,  and  his  name  first  appears  in  the  public 
records  of  1798.  He  undoubtedly  rose  rapidly,  both  in  his  professi(^n 
and  in  the  estimation  of  tlie  people,  for  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  in  1809  by  the  Federalists,  and  in  18 10  was  a  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor. In  1 8 14  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  which  office  he  filled  until  the  new  Constitution  of  1821  threw 
him  out.  After  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he  resumed  his  law 
practice  with  success,  at  first  in  this  county,  later  in  New  York  city,  and 
finally  in  Plattsburg.  Judge  Piatt  has  been  memorialized  as  a  "  finished 
gentleman,  who  dispensed  for  many  years  a  graceful  hospitality"  at  his 
home  in  Whitesboro,  and  a  rtian  of  integrity  and  fair  ability. 

Thomas  R.  Gold  was  an  able  and  very  early  lawyer  to  settle  in 
this  county,  establishing  himself  in  Whitesboro  in  1792.  Judge  Bacon 
wrote  of  him  as  follows  : 

His  habits  of  industry  were  incessant  and  untiring  and  continued  to  the  very  close 
of  his  life;  and  this  he  illustrated  as  well  in  his  public  as  in  his  private  life,  for  there 
was  no  more  diligent  Member  of  Congress  or  of  the  State  Senate,  no  one  more 
capable  of  mastering  a  subject  or  defending  a  measure  on  which  he  had  set  his  heart. 
His  reputation  at  the  bar  was  high.  .  .  He  argued  more  causes  in  the  old  Su- 
preme Court  than  any  lawyer  in  central  New  York. 

Mr.  Gold  was  elected  to  the  Senate  in  1796  and  re-elected  ;  to 
the  Council  of  Appointment  in  1801  ;  to  the  Assembly  in  1808,  and 
to  Congress  in    18 12,  serving  two  terms. 

One  of  the  earliest  lawyers  of  prominence  to  settle  in  Oneida  county 
was  Nathan  Williams.  He  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass.,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1773,  and  came  to  this  county  as  early  probably  as  1797.      In 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  235 

the  following  year  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  and  soon  advanced  to  the  front  rank  of  the  profession.  Locating 
in  Utica,  he  was  conspicuous  in  the  organization  of  Trinity  church,  was 
president  of  the  village  and  of  the  Manhattan  Bank.  He  was  district 
attorney  of  the  Sixth  district  in  1801-03  and  of  Oneida  county  in  18 18- 
21;  was  representative  in  Congress  in  1805-07;  and  member  of  as- 
sembly in  1 8 16,  1818,  and  18 19  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1821.  He  was  appointed  in  April,  1823,  to 
the  responsible  office  of  circuit  judge  and  held  the  position  for  many 
years.  "  As  a  judge,"  says  his  biographer,  "  his  addresses  were  fer- 
vently moral.  Few  men  could  attend  his  court  in  any  capacity  and  not 
obtain  instruction  in  the  duties  of  life  and  encouragement  for  their  culti- 
vation." Every  part  of  his  life  was  filled  up  with  something  to  render 
his  memory  dear  to  his  kindred  and  honored  by  his  country.  At  the 
age  of  sixty  years  he  resigned  his  office  of  circuit  judge  and  a  kw 
months  before  his  death  he  removed  to  Geneva  upon  receiving  the 
appointment  of  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court.  His  death  occurred  Sep- 
tember 25,  1835. 

Erastus  Clark  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  May  11,  1763,  and 
located  in  Utica  in  1797,  having  begun  practice  in  Clinton  in  1791, 
Great  industry,  unflinching  integrity  and  good  ability  soon  gave  him  a 
prominent  position.  He  was  many  years  a  village  trustee  and  presi- 
dent ;  was  twice  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  a  trustee  under  the 
original  charter  of  Hamilton  College.  He  was  especially  active  in 
promoting  charities,  and  died  November  7,  1825,  leaving  a  record  of  a 
useful  life. 

Samuel  Beardsley  was  a  native  of  Hoosick,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y., 
and  was  born  February  6,  1790;  his  parents  removed  to  Otsego  county 
while  he  was  an  infant.  After  attending  the  district  school,  where  he 
was  a  hard  student,  he  taught  for  a  time,  and  then  began  studying 
medicine  in  Cherry  Valley.  After  witnessing  several  court  trials  in 
Cooperstown,  he  became  fascinated  with  the  law,  and  having  there 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Judge  Hathaway,  of  Rome,  was  invited  to 
study  in  the  judge's  office.  No  better  preceptor  could  have  fallen  to  his 
lot.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  due  time  (18 15)  and  began  in 
Watertown,  but  one  year  later  he  settled  in  Rome,  where  he  had  as  a 


236  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

partner  James  Lynch,  and  afterwards  was  alone.  In  February,  1 821,  he 
was  appointed  district  attorney  of  this  county,  which  office  he  held  one 
year.  In  1822  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  but  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  classes  by  lot,  he  served  only  one  year  and  in  1823  located 
in  Utica  as  partner  of  Thomas  S.  Williams.  In  March,  1823,  he  was 
appointed  U.  S.  attorney  for  the  Northern  district  of  New  York,  and 
held  the  office  until  1830,  when  he  was  elected  to  Congress  by  the 
Democrats  ;  to  this  high  office  he  was  given  three  subsequent  elections — 
1832,  1834,  and  1842.  In  1835  upon  the  resignation  of  Nathan  Will- 
iams as  judge  of  the  Fifth  circuit,  Governor  Marcy  nominated  Mr. 
Beardsley  to  the  position,  and  his  nomination  was  confirmed.  But 
when  he  signified  his  intention  of  resigning  his  seat  in  congress.  Presi- 
dent Jackson  personally  urged  him  to  remain  ;  he  finally  consented.  In 
1836  he  was  appointed  attorney-general  of  the  State,  and  when  his  term 
term  expired  in  1838  he  resumed  practice.  Having  been  again  elected 
to  Congress,  he  withdrew  in  1844  to  accept  the  appointment  of  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  On  the  retirement  of  Chief  Justice  Greene  C. 
Bronson,  in  June,  1847,  Ju<^g^  Beardsley  succeeded  him  in  that  high 
station.  After  retiring  from  the  bench  he  practiced  in  the  higher  courts 
a  year  or  two  in  New  York,  though  he  kept  his  residence  in  Utica.  He 
died  May  6,  1830. 

"1  think  it  could  be  safely  said,"  remarks  Judge  Bacon,  "  there  was  not  at  the 
close  of  his  life  a  more  thoroughly  read  and  firmlj'  grounded  lawyer  in  this  State,  nor 
one  whose  opinion  carried  greater  weight  with  the  courts."  "  I  think,"  says  Governor 
Seymour,  "that  he  evinced  his  highest  qualities  in  statesmanship.  In  public  life  he 
was  bold,  invasive,  and  self-reliant,  and  showed  that  he  had  resources  and  inventive 
genius  to  meet  the  varying  exigencies  of  passing  events.  Here  he  sought  no 
authorities,  nor  did  he  lean  upon  the  assertions  or  opinions  of  others.  I  have  known 
many  of  the  prominent  men  of  our  land,  and  none  of  them  excelled  him  in  powers  of 
acting  upon  the  public  mind  or  in  the  high  qualities  demanded  for  leadership.  His 
correct  views  of  life,  business  and  public  morals  kept  him  from  falling  into  question- 
able positions.  His  bearing,  person,  and  mind  fitted  him  to  command  and  he  always 
had  a  strong  power  over  those  with  whom  he  acted  ;  those  who  may  have  differed 
from  him  felt  the  force  and  strength  of  his  antagonism."  As  a  private  citizen  he  was 
exemplary  in  all  the  charities  and  amenities  of  society,  both  civil  and  religious. 
"I  know  of  no  one,"  remarked  Governor  Seymour,  "who  contributed  more,  by 
speech  and  example,  to  form  and  enforce  the  unwritten  laws  of  just  moral  recti- 
tude. No  one  did  more  to  elevate  the  tone  of  morals  in  this  city  or  to  keep  up  the 
standard  of  good  conduct  and  just  dealings." 


HIRAM  DENIO. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  237 

A  man  who  rose  to  prominence  at  the  bar,  and  especially  as  a  judge, 
was  Greene  Carrier  Bronson,  who  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn.,  in 
November,  1789.  His  educational  opportunities  were  limited,  but  he 
richly  endowed  himself  by  reading  and  study  in  after  life.  He  re- 
moved with  the  family  to  Peterboro  N.  Y.,  and  studied  law  in  Vernon 
with  John  P.  Sherwood.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  due  time  and 
soon  became  a  worthy  associate  of  the  great  lawyers  of  his  time  in  this 
county.  In  April,  1819,  he  was  appointed  surrogate  of  Oneida  county 
and  filled  the  office  two  years.  Elected  to  the  Assembly  soon  after- 
ward, he  there  proved  himself  gifted  in  debate.  At  first  a  Clintonian  in 
politics,  he  later  turned  to  the  Bucktails,  and  from  that  time  was  identi- 
fied with  the  "  Hard"  section  of  the  Democratic  party.  In  1824  he 
settled  in  Utica  and  soon  became  partner  with  Samuel  Beardsley,  with 
whom  he  remained  during  his  residence  in  that  place.  In  February, 
1829,  Mr.  Bronson  was  elected  attorney-general  of  this  State  and  filled 
the  office  by  re-election  until  1836,  residing  meanwhile  in  Albany.  In 
January,  1836,  he  was  elevated  to  the  Supreme  Court  bench,  and  in 
March,  1845,  became  presiding  judge  of  that  court.  Two  years  later 
he  was  made  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  continued 
such  until  his  resignation  in  185  i.  ''In  the  department  of  judicial  duty 
he  was  justly  pre-eminent  and  his  opinions  are  models  of  excellence. 
In  conciseness  and  perspicuity  of  expression,  in  terseness  and  directness 
of  style,  in  compactness  and  force  of  logic,  in  sturdy  vigor  of  intellect, 
and  in  the  stern  sense  of  justice,"  Judge  Bronson  has  been  by  com- 
petent judges  declared  unsurpassed.  Removing  to  New  York  after  re- 
tiring from  the  bench,  he  was  appointed  collector  of  the  port  in  1853, 
and  in  1851-59  was  elected  counsel  for  the  city,  which  position  he  held 
until  1863.      Stricken  with  paralysis,  he  died  September  3,  1863. 

Hiram  Denio  was  born  at  Rome  May  21,  1799  He  received  an 
academical  education  and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  ot  Joshua 
Hathaway.  In  1816  he  settled  in  Whitesboro,  studying  in  the  office  of 
Storrs  &  White,  where  he  remained  until  1821.  In  that  year  he  be- 
came a  partner  of  Wheeler  Barnes  in  Rome,  and  in  October,  1825,  was 
appointed  district  attorney  to  succeed  Samuel  Beardsley.  He  held  that 
office  nine  years  and  performed  its  duties  with  credit.  Meanwhile  in 
July,    1826,   he  removed   to   Utica  and  joined   with  E.  A.  Wetmore  to 


238  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

form   the  firm  of  Wetmore   &   Denio.      In   May,    1834,  Mr.  Denio  was 

appointed  a  second  judge  for  the  Fifth   circuit,  thus  beginning  a  long 

and   honorable  judicial  career.      About    1836  he  became  a  member  of 

the  firm  of  Denio  &  Hunt  (Ward  Hunt)  which  occupied  the  front  rank. 

In   1833  he  was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  on  the  bench  of  the  Court 

of  Appeals  and  twice  afterward  was  elected  to  the  same  position,  closing 

his  career  in    1866.      His  death   took  place  October  19,  1868.      It  has 

been  written  of  Judge  Denio  as  follows  : 

With  the  cast  of  mind  eminently  judicial,  with  studious  habits  that  never  wearied, 
with  conversance  with  the  principles  as  well  as  the  letter  of  the  law  seldom  surpassed, 
and  with  integrity  never  questioned,  he  deserves  to  rank  with  the  magnates  of  the 
bar  of  the  county  and  the  State;  as  a  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  his  decisions  are 
accepted  as  standards  and  as  niodels.  He  was  not  a  man  to  startle  observers  by 
brilliance  and  eccentricity.  His  prudence,  his  common  sense,  his  thorough  consci- 
entiousness were  his  marked  characteristics.  In  every  sense  he  was  a  good  judge 
and  in  some  respects  his  associates  have  pronounced  him  among  the  best  and  fore- 
most that  ever  sat  upon  the  bench  of  our  highest  tribunal. 

One  of  the  foremost  lawyers  of  Oneida  county  (though  not  a  native) 
was  Henry  A.  Foster,  who  settled  in  Rome  in  18 19,  coming  from  Os- 
wego where  he  had  already  begun  his  studies.  He  had  also  studied  in 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Onondaga  Hill.  In  Rome  Mr.  Foster  made 
himself  conspicuous  in  many  cases  while  he  was  yet  a  student.  In  1822 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  within  three  hours  after  his  admission 
was  assigned  to  defend  a  person  indicted  for  petit  larceny,  second  of- 
fense. That  trial  was  before  Judges  Joshua  Hathaway,  Truman  Enos 
and  Samuel  Jones.  Samuel  Beardsley  was  district  attorney.  By  a 
new  line  of  argument  on  the  question  of  the  relative  punishment  for  first 
and  second  offenses,  Mr.  Foster  secured  the  acquittal  of  the  prisoner. 
This  case  gave  him  extended  reputation.  He  early  became  active  in 
politics  and  in  1826  was  nominated  for  the  Assembly,  but  was  defeated 
with  the  others  of  the  ticket.  In  1827  he  was  appointed  surrogate  and 
held  the  office  until  1831.  In  1830  he  was  elected  State  senator.  He 
was  trustee  of  Rome  village  several  years  and  supervisor  four  years. 
In  January,  1835,  ^^  was  again  appointed  surrogate,  resigning  in  1837 
to  begin  his  congressional  career  in  Washington,  to  which  body  he  was 
elected  in  1836.  In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  and  re- 
signed near  the  close  of  the  term  to  accept  appointment  as  U.  S.  sen- 
ator to  fill  a  vacancy.      In  April,  1853,  he  was  appointed  U.  S.    district 


HENRY  A.  FOSTER. 


JOSHUA  A.   SPENCER. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  239 

attorney  for  the  Northern  district  of  New  York.     In  1863  he  was  elected 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  a  term  of  eight  years.      In  all  of  these 
highly  honorable  stations  Judge  Foster  sustained  his  reputation  as  leg- 
islator, judge,  and  attorney.      He  was  strong  in  every  branch  of  his  pro 
fession  and  as  a  judge  was  recognized  as  able  and  impartial. 

William  Johnson  Bacon  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass  ,  February 
18,  1803,  received  excellent  early  educational  advantages,  and  came  to 
Utica  with  the  family  in  18 15.  Entering  Hamilton  College  he  gradu- 
ated in  1822.  He  immediately  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Gen.  Joseph  Kirkland.  and  after  three  years  with  him,  studied  one  year 
in  Judge  Gould's  law  school  in  Litchfield,  Conn.  He  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1824,  but  soonj'oined  with  Samuel  D.  Dakin  as  owners  and 
editors  of  the  Sentinel  and  Gazette.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to 
his  practice  and  soon  acquired  a  good  business.  In  the  fall  of  1853  he 
was  elected  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Fifth  district,  and  by  re- 
election he  continued  on  the  bench  sixteen  years.  After  that  he  did 
not  practice  in  the  courts.  Judge  Bacon  is  remembered  as  a  careful 
and  painstaking  lawyer,  and  especially  strong  in  cases  requiring  ac- 
curacy, learning  and  sound  judgment.  On  the  bench  in  decisions 
abounding  in  strong  thought  and  deep  learning,  and  in  language  and 
forms  of  expression  the  most  forcible  and  elegant,  he  attained  high 
repute.  His  integrity  was  unquestioned  and  his  fairness  and  impar- 
tiality unswerving.  Judge  Bacon  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1850, 
and  in  1876  was  sent  to  Congress.  He  also  filled  very  many  stations 
of  trust  in  corporations  and  on  the  boards  of  various  institutions,  in  all 
of  which  he  was  unfailing  in  his  duty.      He  died  July  3,  1889. 

Among  the  foremost  of  the  men  who  have  shed  lustre  upon  the  bar 
of  this  State  was  Joshua  Austin  Spencer.  He  was  born  at  Great  Bar- 
rington,  Mass.,  May  13,  1790,  removed  to  Lenox,  Madison  county, 
when  eighteen  years  old,  and  to  Utica  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years. 
He  soon  rose  to  a  leading  position  in  the  bar  of  Oneida  county,  when 
that  bar  was  celebrated  for  its  ability.  Although  his  early  educational 
opportunities  were  extremely  limited,  his  indomitable  energy  and  the 
strength  of  his  intellect  carried  him  to  a  commanding  position.  After 
serving  a  period  as  clerk  in  a  store,  and  another  term  as  a  carpenter's 
apprentice,  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  with  his  elder  brother.     Soon 


240  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

afterward  he  enlisted  in  the  army  for  the  war  of  1812  and  was  ap- 
pointed orderly  sergeant  of  Horse  Artillery  and  served  his  term  at 
Sackett's  Harbor.  In  18 14  he  married  Clarissa  Phelps  of  Lenox,  who 
died  leaving  two  young  children.  He  married,  second.  Electa  Dean. 
After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  practiced  for  a  time  with  his  brother 
and  in  1829  formed  a  partnership  with  William  H.  Maynard  and  settled 
in  Utica.  Mr.  Maynard  died  in  about  three  years  and  the  burden  of  a 
large  business  fell  upon  Mr.  Spencer  ;  he  was  fully  able  to  carry  it. 
He  rapidly  gained  distinction  as  a  jury  lawyer  and  as  such  met  with 
uniform  success.  In  1841  he  was  appointed  United  States  attorney  for 
the  Northern  district  of  New  York,  which  office  he  held  until  1845.  I" 
that  year  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  two  years  of  his  term 
being  taken  off  by  the  Constitution  of  1846  His  labor  on  the  Judi- 
ciary Committee  was  arduous  and  beneficial.  In  1848  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  Utica.  For  the  duties  of  these  political  stations  he  took  no 
respite  from  his  profession  and  was  identified  with  scores  of  cases  which 
had  a  State  or  National  reputation.  Outside  of  his  profession  he  rep- 
resented sterling  manhood  and  exalted  citizenship  in  the  broadest 
sense.  He  was  a  profound  believer  in  Christian  religion  and  active 
and  generous  supporter  of  the  cause  of  education.  His  death  took 
place  April  25,  1857. 

Joshua  Hathaway,  the  first  lawyer  to  settle  in  Rome,  was  one  of  seven 
sons,  who,  with  their  father,  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bennington  and  other- 
wise shared  in  the  Revolution.  He  had  reached  his  sixteenth  birthday 
only  three  days  before  the  battle.  Ten  years  later  he  graduated  from 
Yale  College,  studied  law,  was  duly  admitted  to  practice  and  in  1795 
settled  at  Fort  Stanwix.  After  the  organization  of  Oneida  county  and 
at  the  first  term  of  the  Common  Pleas  he  was  admitted  at  that  court. 
In  1798  he  was  commissioned  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  for  the 
new  county  and  was  also  appointed  the  first  county  treasurer,  which 
office  he  held  until  1802.  About  18 10  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Madison  as  the  second  postmaster  of  Rome,  which  office  he  held  twenty- 
six  years  and  until  his  death.  In  1808  he  was  appointed  surrogate  of 
the  county,  the  first  Rome  citizen  to  hold  that  office,  and  the  second 
incumbent.  He  held  the  place  until  181 3  when  he  was  displaced  by 
political  changes.      He  was  again  appointed  in  1815,  continuing  in  the 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  241 

office  four  years,  and  in  1821  was  appointed  for  the  third  time  and  held 
the  office  to  1827  ;  at  the  same  time  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  side 
judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  was  reappointed  in  1823  and 
again  in  1828.  It  is  recorded  that  he  filled  all  of  these  positions  with 
dignity,  integrity  aed  fair  ability.  Judge  Hathaway  died  in  December, 
1836. 

William  H.  Maynard  was  a  prominent  early  attorney  of  Oneida  county 
and  a  native  of  Conway,  Mass.  Soon  after  his  graduation  he  located  at 
New  Hartford  to  study  law  in  the  office  of  Gen.  Joseph  Kirkland.  In 
181 1  he  purchased  of  John  H.  Lathrop  his  interest  in  the  Utica  Patriot 
and  at  once  assumed  its  editorship.  This  connection  he  continued  until 
1824.  In  January,  1825,  he  was  made  village  attorney  and  was  also  for 
a  time  law  officer  of  the  Utica  Insurance  Company.  In  1 8 1 8  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court.  His  first  partner  was  Samuel 
A.  Talcott.  He  rose  rapidly  in  his  profession  and  was  soon  employed 
in  most  of  the  heavy  litigation  in  the  courts  of  the  county.  In  1819 
when  Clinton  was  nominated  for  governor,  Mr.  Maynard  left  the  Fed- 
eral party  and  joined  others  in  support  of  Tompkins.  With  the  change 
in  tone  in  the  Patriot  it  lost  subscribers  and  alarmed  its  owners  and  led 
to  the  establishment  of  the  Sentinel.  When  the  Anti- Masonic  party 
came  into  existence,  Mr.  Maynard  joined  its  ranks  and  in  1828  was 
elected  by  it  to  the  State  Senate,  where  he  served  from  1829  to  1832 
inclusive.  He  was  an  able  legislator  and  largely  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing the  construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal.  During  his  term  in  the 
Senate  he  continued  active  in  his  professional  labor.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  the  politics  of  his  time  and  a  lawyer  of  exceptional  ability. 

Samuel  Austin  Talcott  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  December  31, 
1789,  and  graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1809.  At  about  the 
same  time  he  married  and  locating  in  Whitesboro,  he  began  law  study 
with  Thomos  R  Gold.  He  began  practice  in  Lowville,  but  removed  to 
Utica  in  18 16  and  formed  a  partnership  with  William  H.  Maynard. 
When  Gen.  Joseph  Kirkland  soon  afterward  removed  from  New  Hart- 
ford, leaving  a  vacancy,  Mr.  Talcott  settled  there.  In  February,  1821, 
he  was  appointed  attorney- general  of  the  State,  when  only  thirty  two 
years  of  age.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Albany  during  his  term  of 
office  and  thence  removed  to   New   York  where  he  practiced  until  his 

31 


242  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

death,  March  19,  1836,  having  scarcely  reached  middle  life.  By  his 
contemporaries  and  other  later  writers,  Mr.  Talcott  is  recorded  of  one 
of  the  most  eminent  lawyers  that  ever  practiced  in  this  State. 

Acute  of  intellect,  with  a  wonderful  memory,  with  all  the  attributes  that  constitute 
the  great  orator,  he  sprang  into  prominence  like  a  meteor — and,  alas,  vanished  in  a 
similar  manner.  He  was  engaged  in  nearly  every  important  case  tried  at  the  Circuit 
and  later  appeared  frequently  before  the  Supreme  Court.  With  all  his  great  gifts  he 
had  a  foolish  vanity  under  which  he  sought  to  make  it  appear  that  his  talent  was 
merely  inspiration  and  that  his  greatest  efforts  were  spontaneous  for  the  occasion. 
While  this  weakened  respect  for  him,  it  did  not  in  the  least  lower  the  character  of 
his  triumphs  at  the  bar.  The  later  years  of  his  life  were  marred  by  excessive  indul- 
gence in  stimulants  which  undoubtedly  shortened  his  career. 

Roscoe  Conkling,  the  distinguished  lawyer,  politician  and  orator,  was 
born  in  Albany  October  3,  1829,  and  after  receiving  an  academic  edu- 
cation began  law  study  at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  office  of  Spencer 
&  Kernan,  Utica.  He  early  manifested  evidence  of  his  great  natural 
ability  as  a  speaker  and  his  fitness  in  other  respects  for  a  political  leader. 
About  the  time  of  his  admission  to  the  bar  when  about  twenty-one 
years  old,  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the 
office  of  district  attorney  of  Oneida  county.  Here  he  showed  excep- 
tional ability  and  received  the  Whig  nomination  for  the  office  for  the 
succeeding  term  ;  he  was  defeated.  Plunging  with  ardor  into  law  prac- 
tice, he  rose  rapidly  in  his  brilliant  legal  career.  In  the  examination  of 
witnesses  and  in  argument  before  juries  he  exhibited  great  power  and 
genius,  while  his  tenacious  memory  enabled  him  to  store  his  mind  with 
a  wealth  of  legal  lore.  In  1858  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Utica  ;  in  1859 
he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  from  that  date  onward  to  1881  he  was 
chiefly  occupied  with  public  affairs.  In  1867,  while  still  a  member  of 
the  lower  House  he  was  chosen  Senator  from  New  York,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1873  and  1879.  He  was  a  trusted  adviser  of  Grant  and  an 
earnest  supporter  of  Lincoln's  war  policy.  In  the  important  legislation 
of  all  that  period  he  was  conspicuous  and  influential.  The  last  few 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  practice  in  New  York  In  1873  he  was 
offered  by  Grant  the  chief  justiceship  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  and 
the  mission  to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  both  of  which  he  declined.  He 
died  in  New  York  April  18,  1888.  The  following  estimate  is  from  one 
who  knew  Mr.  Conkling  well : 


"f-^^  € 


ROSCOE  CONKLING. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  243 

His  were  not  the  methods  that  seek  a  following  through  familiarity  or  a  sacrifice 
of  dignity.  His  recognized  genius  commanded  confidence  and  admiration  without 
resort  to  the  acts  of  smaller-minded  politicians,  and  he  disdained  victories  that  could 
be  won  only  at  the  sacrifice  of  dignity  and  relf-respect.  There  was  an  imperialism 
about  his  nature  which  forbade  him  to  parley.  He  compelled  obedience  and  swept 
to  his  purpose  with  an  impetuosity  that  brooked  no  restraint.  A  man  was  either 
for  him  or  against  him,  and  it  apparently  made  little  difference  which;  but  there 
was  no  middle  ground.  To  his  friends  he  was  ever  generous  and  loyal;  to  his  en- 
emy he  was  either  indifferent  or  implacable.  More  than  any  other  man  he  possessed 
the  quality  of  leadership. 

Wheeler  Barnes  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  but  when  he  settled 
in  Rome  came  from  Vermont,  which  was  about  the  year  1806;  he  was 
at  that  time  admitted  to  practice.  In  18 15  he  was  elected  supervisor 
of  the  town,  and  re-elected  in  18 16;  in  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  to 
the  Assembly  on  the  Federal  ticket.  In  1822  he  ran  again  for  Assem- 
bly, but  that  was  the  first  year  after  the  new  Constitution  had  gone  into 
efifect,  which  was  instrumental  in  defeating  the  Federal  party.  Mr. 
Barnes  had  a  considerable  law  practice  for  those  days,  and  was  partner 
for  a  time  with  William  Curtis  Noyes.  He  was  trustee  of  Rome  village 
from  1822  to  1825  inclusive,  and  was  active  in  party  politics  many  years. 
During  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life  he  was  lame  from  a  fall  from  a 
horse.      He  died  in  Rome  in  July,  1858. 

Francis  Kernan,  son  of  Gen.  William  Kernan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was 
born  in  Schuyler  county,  N  Y.,  January  14,  1816.  After  receiving  a 
partial  college  education  he  studied  law  in  Watkins,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1839 
settled  in  Utica  and  finished  his  studies  with  Joshua  Spencer  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1840.  These  two  became  partners  and  from 
that  time  until  1857  Mr.  Kernan  enjoyed  a  large  and  successful  practice. 
In  1854  he  was  appointed  reporter  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  which  ofifice 
he  held  for  three  years.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  early  entered  the 
field  and  soon  became  a  leader.  In  i860  he  was  elected  to  the  Assem- 
bly in  a  strong  Republican  district,  and  in  1862  was  elected  to  Congress, 
in  the  mean  time  supporting  the  government  in  its  war  measures  to  the 
utmost  of  his  ability.  Renominated  in  1864,  he  was  defeated  by  Roscoe 
Conkling  and  thereupon  returned  to  the  active  pursuit  of  his  profession. 
In  1867  he  was  chosen  a  delegate-at-large  to  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention. In  1872  he  was  honored  with  the  nomination  for  governor 
of  this   State.     In  1875  he  was  elected  State  senator.      In  all  of  these 


244  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

offices  Mr.  Kernan  showed  high  qualities  as  a  legislator,  while  in  his 
professional  career  he  attained  distinction  as  an  excellent  lawyer  in  all 
branches  of  the  practice, 

Daniel  Elbridge  Wager  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
8th  day  of  November,  1823,  and  was  therefore  in  his  seventy-third  year. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Jefferson  County  Institute  at  Watertovvn,  then  under  con- 
trol and  in  charge  of  Rev.  James  R.  Boyd  as  principal.  Later  on  he 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Joshua  Moore,  district  attorney  of  Jefferson 
county.  In  the  spring  of  1848  he  went  to  Utica  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  William  and  Charles  Tracey.  In  September  of  the  same  year, 
on  invitation  of  the  late  Hon.  Calvert  Comstock,  then  district  attorney 
of  Oneida  county,  Mr.  Wager  became  law  clerk  and  student  in  the 
office  of  Comstock  &  Beach  in  Rome.  He  remained  with  this  noted 
firm  of  lawyers  till  1850,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Soon  after- 
wards he  became  a  partner  of  Lawyer  H.  T.  Utley,  then  of  Rome,  now 
of  Waterville,  who  was  subsequently  elected  district  attorney  of  this 
county.  In  1852  Mr.  Wager  was  elected  special  county  judge  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  In  1854  he  was  employed  by  Calvert  and  Eton 
Comstock  to  assist  in  editing  the  Rome  Sentinel.  In  1855  he  became 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Sentinel,  the  late  De  Witt  C.  Rowley  be- 
ing his  partner,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  Wager  &  Rowley.  In  1857 
Mr.  Wager  was  appointed  by  President  James  Buchanan  to  be  post- 
master of  Rome,  and  he  held  the  office  four  years.  In  i860  Wood  & 
Larwell  purchased  the  Sentinel  and  Mr.  Wager  resumed  tl>e  practice  of 
law. 

During  the  civil  war  Congress,  as  one  method  of  raising  revenue,  im- 
posed a  tax  on  the  property  of  deceased  persons.  An  office  was  estab- 
lished here.  To  manage  this  required  a  person  well  acquainted  with 
the  intestate  law  of  the  State.  Mr.  Wager  being  excellently  qualified 
in  this  respect,  received  the  appointment.  The  government  realized  a 
large  revenue  from  this  branch  of  the  service. 

In  1872  the  late  Alexander  H,  Bailey  of  Rome  was  elected  Oneida 
county  judge,  and  Mr.  Wager  entered  the  office  of  Beach  &  Bailey  and 
became  a  partner  in  the  business.  After  the  death  of  Judge  Bailey,  Mr. 
Wager  formed  a  copartnership  with  the  late  Hon.  B.  J.  Beach,  which 
continued    till    Mr.    Beach's   death.      In    1880  Mr.  Wager    was  elected 


I 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR.  245 

special  county  judge  for  the  second  time.      He  was  for  some  time   a 
trustee  of  the  Rome  Savings  Bank. 

He  was  a  well  equipped  lawyer,  a  man  of  many  excellent  qualities 
and  a  keen  and  critical  observer  of  men  and  events.  He  was  strong  in 
his  likes  and  dislikes  and  was,  when  occasion  required,  blunt  and  out- 
spoken in  his  speech,  quite  as  free  to  criticise  a  man  in  his  presence  as 
in  his  absence.  He  had  a  never-ending  fund  of  good  nature  and  always 
enjoyed  a  good  joke  or  a  story  well  told.  He  had  a  rare  appreciation 
of  the  humorous  side  of  things  and  could  be  keenly  sarcastic  when  oc- 
casio.  seemed  to  him  to  require  it.  This  strong  trait  in  his  character 
he  retained  to  the  end,  and  during  his  last  sickness  often  amused  those 
about  him  with  his  remarks  Although  sometimes  caustic  in  his  obser- 
vations the  arrows  that  he  launched  were  not  tipped  with  venom  ;  he 
was  ever  ready  to  do  a  kind  turn  for  those  who  approached  him.  He 
was  very  affable  and  courteous  in  his  bearing — a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school — and  the  younger  members  of  the  bar  will  bear  witness  that 
there  were  no  kinder  or  more  considerate  lawyer  or  one  who  was  more 
ready  to  assist  them  than  Daniel  E.  Wager.  He  rarely  appeared  be- 
fore a  jury,  but  there  was  in  this  city  no  more  able  office  lawyer  than  he, 
none  who  prepared  a  case  more  carefully  or  more  methodically.  He 
was  particularly  successful  in  matters  pertaining  to  titles  of  real  estate 
and  to  the  settlement  of  estates. 

Aside  from  his  ability  as  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Wager  won  a  wide  and  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  local  historian.  No  man  was  better  acquainted 
with  the  history  of  Rome  and  Oneida  county  than  he.  He  had  a  love 
for  delving  into  history  and  wonderful  patience  in  ferreting  out  histor- 
ical points  and  separating  facts  from  fiction.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  had  nearly  completed  his  work  on  this  publication. 

Mr.  Wager  was  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society 
and  frequently  attended  the  meetings  of  the  organization.  By  request 
of  the  society  he  at  various  times  prepared  and  read  papers  before  the 
members. 

Although  he  did   not  seek   to  make  himself  prominent  in  municipal 
affairs,  Mr.  Wager  took  a  lively  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  city  and  was  always  found  on  the  side  of  progress  and  im- 
provement.     He  was  a  good   citizen.      His  death  took  place  in  April 
1896. 


246 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


In  1854  Mr.  Wager  married  Miss  Helen  M.  Abell,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Lynden  Abell  of  Rome.  Mrs.  Wager  and  one  son,  Fred  L.,  of 
Rome,  survive. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  present  bar  of  Oneida  county  : 


Boonville. 

Ballon,  Walter. 
Bentley,  H.  W. 
Blasier,  R.  O. 
Capron,  B.  A. 
Fiske,  L.  W. 
Hadley,  H.  R. 
Hayes,  A.  L. 
Pease,  Jay  A. 
Sippell,  William  D. 
Sperry,  C.  R. 

Cavtdeft. 

Davis,  John  C, 
Fitzgerald,  P.  H. 
Johnson,  Russel  S. 
Morss,  George  F. 
Skinner,  George  J. 
Woodruff,  Arthur  C. 
Woodruff,  E.  C. 

Clinton. 

Carruth,  Charles  R. 
Cummings,  J.  W. 
Martin,  Louis  M. 
Mills  Andrew  W. 
Reynolds,  Fred  L. 
Shields,  W.  J. 
Williams,  Elliott  S. 

Holland  Patent. 

Dnnlop,  H.  W. 
Williams,  William  J.  B. 

Remsen. 

Pritchard,  G.  E. 


Rome. 

Baker,  John  S. 
Backus,  Oswald  P. 
Backus,  Lincoln  J. 
Bedell,  Harvey  S. 
Bliss,  William  B. 
Briggs,  R.  C. 
Carmichael,  Charles 
Cornish,  George  R. 
Curtin,  Timothy,  Jr. 
Dunning,  Charles  H. 
Davis.  Geo.  T. 
Evans,  \.  J. 
Fowler,  Homer  T. 
Griffith,  R.  M. 
Gubbins,  James  P. 
Hager,  Albert  R. 
Klock,  George  S. 
Kneeland,  A.  Deles 
McMahon,  John  D. 
Olney,  James  P. 
Pavey,  E.  Marshall 
Prescott,  Cyrus  D. 
Porter,  Joseph 
Powers,  M.  H. 
Rowland,  Eugene  A. 
Sayles,  A.  F. 
Soyles,  Joseph  \. 
Scripture,  William  E. 
Schwarz,  John  S. 
Searle,  D.  F. 
Stevens,  Edward  L. 
Stevens,  Stoddard  M. 
Spinning,  S.  E. 
Titus,  Chas.  T.  Jr. 
Wager,  Daniel  E. 
Wager,  Fred  L. 
Weaver,  G.  H. 
Wilson,  John  F. 
Wilson,  H.  S. 


White,  Charles  W. 
Wheeler,  Wm.  H. 
Worden,  E.  O. 
Wiggins,  Howard  C. 
Wilson,  Merritt  N. 

Taberg. 

Snyder,  Silas  L. 

Uiica. 

Adams,  Charles  D. 
Adams,  Seth  C. 
Adams,  George  W. 
Avery,  Theodore 
Aylesworth,  H.  M. 
Bagg,  Grove  W. 
Bagg,  Chas.  M. 
Baker,  R.  C. 
Ball,  Emmett  J. 
Ball.  W.  D. 
Barrows.  Samuel  J. 
Beardsley,  Arthur  M. 
Beard sley,  Samuel  A. 
Benedict,  Joseph 
Bevines.  Daniel  E. 
Bielby,  Isaac  P. 
Biddlecome,  W.  D. 
Boyle,  John  W. 
Bulger,  Patrick  F. 
Bray ton, M.  Jesse 
Brandigee,  John  E. 
Collins,  John  D. 
Collins,  Henry  C. 
Cookinham,  Henry  J. 
Coxe,  Alfred  C. 
Carter,  George  C. 
Comstock,  William  H. 
Coupe,  Henry  F. 
Coupe,  James 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR. 


24j 


Cross,  Theodore  L. 
Calder,  F.  M. 
Darling,  Richard  W. 
Doolittle,  Charles  A. 
Doolittle,  William  S. 
Doolittle,  Henry  A. 
Doolittle,  Julius  T.  A. 
Dunmore,  Watson  T. 
Davis,  Henry  A. 
DeAngelis,'P.  C.  J. 
Dennison,  Charles  M. 
Dennison,  George  E. 
Duross,  James  E. 
Fincke,  Fred.  G. 
Ferris,  T.  H. 
French,  James  G. 
Gaffney,  John  F. 
Gates,  H.  L. 
Goodwin,  Alex  T. 
Griffith,  John  D. 
Giblin,  F.  T. 
Gibson,  John  G. 
Goodier,  Lewis  E. 
Grant,  J.  H. 
Goodier,  Wadsworth  L. 
Humphrey,  G.  H. 
Harter,  William  E. 
Hastings,  E.  B. 
Harvey,  W.  K. 
Hazard,  Frederick  H. 
Howell,  Herbert  A. 
Hurlburt,  Edward 
Irish,  C.  G. 
Jones,  Thos.  O. 
Jones,  Robert  (). 
Jones,  C.  Lansing 
Kernan,  Nicholas  E. 
Kernan,  William 
Kernan,  John  D. 
Kernan,  W.  J. 
Kernan,  Walter  N. 
Kernan,  Leslie  W. 
Kinney,  Thomas  E. 
Kinney,  W.  J. 
Lewis,  William  E. 


Lewis,  Edward 
Lindsley,  Smith  M. 
Lynch,  J.  DeP. 
Love,  Henry  M, 
Lovelace,  F.  L. 
Lee,  E.  D. 

Mathews,  Edward  D. 
Mathews,  E.  W. 
Matteson,  William  A. 
Martin,  R,  R. 
Mann,  James  F. 
Mclncrow,  Richard  W. 
Mcintosh,  Andrew  J. 
Mcintosh,  Ichabod  C. 
McGraw,  M.  V.  B. 
Miller,  Chas.  A. 
Morehouse,  George  C. 
Morehouse,  Richard  H. 
O'Connor,  Jas.  K. 
O'Connor,  Edward  S. 
Patten,  Harry  S. 
Perry,  Josiah 
Philo,  Geo.  E. 
Pitcher,  Herbert  D. 
Ouin,  William  P. 
Reilly,  James  P. 
Risley,  Edwin  H. 
Robinson,  Milton  E. 
Root,  Lynott  B. 
Rayhill,  James  W. 
Rogers,  J.  Frank 
Rogers,  John  F. 
Rudd,  Joseph 
Shumway,  Charles 
Swan,  Joseph  R. 
Snj^der,  Charles  C. 
Seavey,  William  E. 
Stoddard,  David  C. 
Searle,  Charles  H. 
Sherman,  James  S. 
Seward,  Alexander 
Spriggs,  Fred.  B. 
Stearns,  Eugene 
Stone,  John  D.  F. 


Sexton,  Michael  H. 
Sholes,  H.  C. 
Shumway,  Charles 
Southworth,  L.  N. 
Steber,  Benjamin 
Talcott,  Charles  A. 
Thomas,  Rees  E. 
Townsend,  William 
Townsend,  P.  B. 
Tripp,  Isaac 
Van  Auken,  Myron  W. 
Watts,  James  W. 
Wager,  E.  J. 
Watkins,  Thomas  D. 
Waterman,  Daniel 
Weaver,  George  M. 
White,  W.  Pierrepont. 
White,  H.  Lawrence 
White,  N.  Curtis 
Wells,  Edward  H. 
Wilkinson,  Albert  T. 

Vernon. 

Judson,  S.  S. 

Verofta. 

Davis,  E.  W. 

Watervillc 

Coggeshall,  Henry  J. 
Edwards,  L.  D. 
Fuess,  Louis  P. 
Monroe,  C.  W. 
Utley,  Henry  T. 
Wickwire,  Charles  M. 
Weller,  W.  H. 

New  York  Mills . 

Mackie,  William  S. 
Douglass,  William  A. 


248  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  AND  PROFESSION  OF  ONEIDA  COUNTY. 

The  organization  of  the  first  medical  society  in  Oneida  county  fol- 
lowed closely  upon  the  passage  of  the  law  of  February,  1806,  author- 
izing the  formation  of  such  bodies  throughout  the  State.  A  meeting 
of  the  physicians  of  Oneida  county  was  called  at  Rome  July  i,  1806, 
to  which  twenty  nine  responded,  and  then  and  there  the  Oneida 
County  Medical  Society  was  organized,  with  the  following  officers : 
Amos  G.  Hull,  president ;  Sewal  Hopkins,  vice  president ;  David  Has- 
brouck,  secretary  ;  Seth  Hastings,  treasurer  ;  Caleb  Sampson,  delegate 
to  the  State  Society  ;  Francis  Guiteau,  Matthew  Brown,  Welcome 
Sayles,  Elnathan  Judd,  and  Sherman  Bartholomew,  censors.  The  an- 
niversary was  fixed  for  the  first  Tuesday  in  July,  and  Seth  Hastings, 
Sewal  Hopkins,  and  Caleb  Sampson  were  appointed  to  prepare  by-laws 
for  the  society. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  in  Rome  July  i,  and  adjourned  to  meet 
at  Whitesboro  the  2d  of  September,  1806.  The  committee  on  by-laws 
were  not  ready  to  report  and  were  continued  to  the  annual  meeting  in 
July,  1807.  On  that  occasion  the  by-laws  were  adopted  and  a  com- 
mittee appointed  to  prepare  a  fee  bill  consisting  of  the  following :  Drs. 
Hopkins,  Sampson,  Wolcott,  Sayles,  Capron,  Francis  and  Luther  Gui- 
teau. Their  fee  bill  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  in  Utica  January 
12,  1808,  The  meeting  held  July  30,  1810,  closed  the  first  period  of 
the  society's  existence.  Seven  meetings  had  thus  far  been  held  and  ten 
new  members  admitted. 

At  a  meeting  called  July  6,  18 13,  the  profession  was  well  repre- 
sented and  the  society  was  reorganized.  From  this  date  onward  meet- 
ings were  held  with  commendable  regularity,  and  measures  for  the  ele- 
vation and  improvement  of  members  and  the  greater  efficiency  of  the 
society  as  a  whole  were  gradually  adopted.  These  included  the  imposi- 
tion of  fines  for  non-attendance  (first  collected  in    1814),  and  for  failure 


I 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.  249 

to  read  dissertations  when  appointed,  introduced  in  1819;  revision  of 
the  by-laws  in  1822,  and  again  in  1828;  introduction  of  resolutions  by 
Dr.  C.  B.  Coventry  in  1834  asking  the  Legislature  for  a  special  act  for 
building  an  asylum  for  the  insane  poor  of  the  State,  which  led  to  the 
founding  of  what  is  now  the  Utica  State  Hospital.  In  1846  an  affort 
was  made  to  increase  the  usefulness  of  the  society  by  dividing  it  into 
sections  so  as  to  provide  two  dissertations  at  each  meeting.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  new  measure  was  proposed  for  the  holding  of  quarterly 
meetings,  but  the  plan  failed  for  a  time.  From  this  time  down  to 
1853-4  the  society  began  to  decline  and  at  one  period  seemed  doomed 
to  extinction  ;  but  the  State  law  of  1853  giving  the  society  the  same 
number  of  delegates  to  the  State  society  as  there  were  of  members  of 
the  Legislature  in  the  territory  represented,  and  a  «ew  and  more  effi- 
cient method  of  collecting  dues  and  fines  gave  the  organization  new  life 
and  prosperity. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1856,  the  semi  centennial  of  the  society  was  ap- 
propriately celebrated  in  Utica.  At  that  time  only  two  of  the  founders 
were  left.  Continued  prosperity  now  attended  the  society,  and  in  1864 
the  fees  for  medical  services  were  increased  100  per  cent.  At  the 
annual  meeting  of  1868  the  subject  of  holding  quarterly  meetings  was 
again  brought  up  and  a  resolution  offered  to  hold  them  on  the  second 
Tuesdays  of  January,  April,  July  and  October.  In  the  following  year 
this  resolution  became  a  law  of  the  society.  At  the  annual  meeting 
of  July  13,  1869,  a  committee  reported  that  thereafter  "applicants  be 
required  to  file  in  the  county  clerk's  office  their  diplomas  before  pre- 
senting themselves  for  membership."  At  the  quarterly  meeting  of  Oc- 
tober, 1 87 1,  the  society  took  up  the  subject  recommended  by  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  resolved  to  use  its  influence  to  have 
half  free  scholarships  in  the  New  York  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons. 
At  the  semi  annual  meeting  of  1872  delegates  to  the  American  Med- 
ical Association  were  instructed  to  vote  for  the  admission  of  women 
properly  qualified  in  the  profession,  to  membership.  Resolutions  were 
offered  and  discussed  at  the  semi-annual  meeting  in  January,  1873,  ask- 
ing  for  an   amendment   to  the  code  of  medical   ethics,   so   as  to  allow 

medical  men  to  meet  all  practitioners  who  had  been  educated  in  schools 
32 


250  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

recognized  by  the  laws  of  the  State.  The  resolution  was  laid  on  the 
table,  and  again  met  the  same  fate  in  April  of  that  year. 

During  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  or  more  this  society  has  enjoyed 
a  vigorous  existence  and  encouraging  growth  and  has  been  of  incalcu- 
lable benefit  to  both  the  profession  and  the  community.  A  great  num- 
ber of  papers  have  been  read  before  its  members  upon  a  broad  range  of 
medical  topics  having  a  direct  and  important  bearing  upon  the  well- 
being  of  the  public  ;  measures  have  been  introduced  and  promoted 
tending  to  the  belter  sanitary  condition  of  the  people  and  their  surround- 
ings, and  the  high  character  3f  the  membership  of  the  society  has  been 
maintained  at  all  times.  Fitting  eulogies  have  been  prepared  of  most  of 
the  deceased  members,  many  of  which  have  been  published  in  various 
places. 

Following  are  the   names   of  the  physicians  who   attendtd   the  first 

meeting  July  i,  1806  : 

Amos  G.  Hull,  Sewal  Hopkins,  David  Hasbrouck,  Seth  Hastings,  jr.,  Caleb  Samp- 
son, Francis  Guiteau,  Matthew  Brown,  jr..  Welcome  Sayles,  Elnathan  Judd,  Sher- 
man Bartholomew,  Marcus  Hitchcock,  Isaac  Weston.  Thomas  Hartwell,  Laurens 
Hull,  Zenas  Hutchinson,  Alexander  Whaley,  Morris  Shannon,  Paul  Hutchinson,  jr. , 
Eliphaz  Bissell,  Seth  Capron,  Daniel  Avery,  John  Fitch,  Enoch  Alden,  Stephen 
Preston,  Arba  Blair,  Thomas  G.  Hooker,  Nathan  Porter,  Seth  Hastings,  Samuel 
Frisbee. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  and  secretaries  of  the  society 
from  its  organization  to  the  present  time  : 

1806,  Matthew  Brown,  David  Hasbrouck;  1807,  Amos  G.  Hull,  David  Hasbrouck 
1808-9,  Francis  Guiteau,  David  Hasbrouck;  1810-14,  Sewal  Hopkins,  Seth  Hastings 
jr. ;  1815-16,  Elnathan  Judd,  Charles  Babcock  ;  1817,  Amos  G.  Hull,  Charles  Babcock 
1818,  Amos  G.  Hull,  Thomas  Goodsell,  jr. ;  1819,  Thomas  Goodsell,  Ezra  Williams 
1820-21,  Amos  G.  Hull,  Seth  S.  Peck;  1822-24,  Alexander  Coventry,  Seth  S.  Peck 
1825-26,  Luther  Guiteau,  Seth  S.  Peck;  1827,  Alexander  Coventry,  Seth  S.  Peck 
1828-29,  Seth  Hastings,  jr.,  Seth  S.  Peck;  1830,  John  McCall,  Seth  S.  Peck;  18:31, 
Laurens  Hull,  JohnGridley;  1832,  Laurens  Hull,  J.  P.  Batchelder;  1833,  Laurens 
Hull,  Thomas  M.  Foote;  1834,  Charles  Babcock,  Thomas  M.  Foote;  1835,  J.  P. 
Batchelder,  Thomas  M.  Foote;  1836,  A.  Blair,  Daniel  Thomas;  1837,  T.  Pomroy, 
Daniel  Thomas;  1838,  U.  H.  Kellogg,  Daniel  Thomas;  1839,  J.  F.  Trowbridge. 
Daniel  Thomas;  1840,  P.  B.  Peckham,  Daniel  Thomas;  1841^2,  C.  B.  Coventry, 
Daniel  Thomas;  1843,  Luther  Guiteau,  Daniel  Thomas;  1844,  Medina  Preston.  John 
McCall;  1845,  F.  M.  Barrows,  John  McCall;  1846,  G.  H.  Pope,  D.  G.  Thomas;  1847, 
J.  Knight,  D.  G.  Thomas;  1848,  P.  M.  Hastings,  D.  G.  Thomas;  1849,  M.  M.  Bagg, 
D.  G.  Thomas;  1850,   D.  G.  Thomas,  John  McCall,  C.  S. ;  1851,   F.  M.  Barrows,  M. 


M.  M.  BAGG. 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.  251 

M.  Bagg;  1853,  D.  P.  Bissell,  M.  M.  Bagg;  1853,  J.  H.  Champion,  M.  M.  Bagg; 
1854,  S.  G.  VVolcott.  M.  M.  Bagg;  1855,  J.  V.  Cobb,  J.  E.  West;  1856,  N.  H.  Dering, 
J.  E.  West;  1857,  J.  S.  Whale3%  J.  E.  West;  1858,  J.  M.  Sturdevant,  W.  B.  Coventry. 

C.  S.  ;  1859,  A.  Blair,  J.  E.  West;  1860,  W.  Smith,  J.  E.  West;  1861,  D.  Larrabee, 
William  Russell;  1862,  C.  L.  Hogeboom,  William  Russell;  1863,  L.  Guiteau,  William 
Russell;  1861,  C.  B.  Coventry,  William  Russell;  1865,  W.  Booth,  William  Russell ; 
1866,  D.  G.  Thomas,  William  Russell;  1867,  L.  Guiteau,  William  Russell;  1868,  A. 
Churchill,  William  Russell;  1869,  Thomas  M.  Flandrau,  Edwin  Hutchinson;  1870, 
H.  N.  Porter,  Edwin  Hutchinson ;  1871,  William  Russell,  Edwin  Hutchinson ;  1872, 
Robert  Frazier,  Walter  Kempster;  1873,  Walter  Griswold,  P.  H.  Thomas;  1874, 
John  P.  Gray,  P.  H.  Thomas;  1875,  H.  G.  Dubois,  P.  H.  Thomas;  1876,  L.  A.  Tour- 
tellot,  P.  H.  Thomas;  1877,  Norton  Wolcott,  Charles  P.  Russell,  1878,  Edwin  Hutch- 
inson, J.  Hunt;  1879,  G.  W.  Cleveland,  S.  Baker;  1880,  J.  E.  West,  George  Sey- 
mour; 1881,  Edwin  Evans,  George  Seymour;  1882,  Jacob  Hunt,  T.  Flandrau;  1883, 
A.  R.  Simmons,  George  Seymour;  1884,  J.  K.  Chamberlayne,  George  Seymour;  1885, 
Smith  Baker,  George  Seymour ;  1886,  W.  E.  Ford,  H.  Palmer;  1887,  L.  Swarthout, 
A.  R.  Simmons;  1888,  Claude  Wilson,  J.  H.  Glass;  1889,  J.  H.  Glass,  J.  G.  Kil- 
bourne;  1890,  G.  Alder  Blumer,  J.  G.  Kilbourne;  1891,  A.  W.  Marsh,  J.  G.  Kilbourne; 
1892,  William  M.  Gibson,  J.  G.  Kilbourne;  1893,  George  Seymour,  J.  G.  Kilbourne; 
1894,  Hamilton  S.  Quin,  David  Eynon  ;   1895,  Charles  E.  Smith,  David  Eynon ;  1896, 

D.  C.  Dye,  David  Eynon. 

Space  can  be  spared  here  for  the  brief  biographic  sketches  of  only  a 
very  few  of  the  earHer  phyaicians  of  the  old  school  in  this  county,  whose 
arduous  and  unselfish  labors  in  pioneer  medical  work  should  be  appre- 
ciated and  remembered  with  gratitude.  To  these  are  added  in  the  sub- 
sequent histories  of  the  towns  such  mention  as  has  been  found  accessi- 
ble relating  to  other  early  physicians  in  the  several  localities  : 

Dr.  Alexander  Coventry  was  born  in  Scotland  August  27,  1766,  and 
attended  mndical  lectures  in  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh.  In  July,  1785, 
he  sailed  for  America  and  first  settled  in  Hudson,  N.Y.  Thence  he  re- 
moved to  Romulus,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1796  located  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler. 
For  a  short  time  he  was  a  merchant  tailor  with  John  Post,  but  soon 
opened  a  physician's  ofifice.  About  1804  Dr.  David  Hasbrouck  was  his 
partner,  but  Dr.  Coventry  purchased  a  farm  in  Deerfield  and  there  pur- 
sued farming  and  fruit  growing  with  ardor.  From  that  time  forward 
this  occupation  divided  his  time  with  professional  duties.  In  1817  he 
became  a  partner  with  Dr.  John  IVIcCall.  The  latter  removed  to 
Utica  from  Deerfield  the  next  year  and  had  immediate  charge  of  their 
ofifice.  As  a  family  physician  and  obstetrician  Dr.  Coventry  was  dis- 
tinguished throughout  a  large  section.      He   was  several  times  elected 


252  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

president  of  the    County  Medical   Society,  and    twice  president  of  the 
State  society.      He  died  December  9,  1831. 

Dr.  Francis  Guiteau,  descended  from  a  French  Huguenot,  settled  in 
Deerfield  and  began  practice  in  1792,  occupying  a  farm  east  of  the  Cor- 
ners. In  July,  1803,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Samuel  Wol- 
cott,  and  each  built  a  house  on  Whitesboro  street,  Utica.  The  partner- 
ship continued  to  1 807,  after  which  Dr.  Guiteau  practiced  alone.  He 
was  skillful  and  highly  esteemed.  He  died  about  the  year  1823.  Dr. 
Luther  Guiteau,  of  Trenton,  was  brother  of  Francis. 

Dr.  David  Hasbrouck  was  a  native  of  Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  and  at- 
tended medical  lectures  in  New  York.  He  settled  in  Utica  in  1804, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Coventry,  combining  the  sale  of 
drugs  with  his  practice,  which  was  confined  mainly  to  a  few  of  the  lead- 
ing families.  He  was  the  first  secretary  of  the  County  Medical  Society, 
and  about  181  5  removed  to  Kingston;  but  he  died  in  Schenectady  in 
October,  1813. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  best  remembered  surgeons  of  this  county  was 
Dr.  Amos  G.  Hull.  He  was  practicing  in  New  Hartford  as  early  as 
1798,  and  in  18 10  made  the  announcement  that  he  had  opened  a  place 
for  the  sale  of  mineral  waters  in  Utica  ne.xt  to  the  Cofifee  House.  He 
also  manufactured  and  sold  hernial  trusses  in  large  numbers  after  1817. 
He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Medical  Society,  was  an  influential 
Methodtst  and  a  good  citizen.  He  removed  to  New  York  not  long 
after  1821. 

Dr.  Thomas  Goodscll  settled  in  Whitesboro  in  18 10  and  began  prac- 
tice with  Dr.  Seth  Capron,  who  was  already  established  there.  Dr. 
Goodsell  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  'June,  1775,  studied  near 
his  birthplace,  practiced  some  years  in  Woodbridge,  Conn.,  and  from 
there  went  to  Philadelphia  where  he  attended  lectures  at  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  and  was  licensed  in  1809.  Not  long  after  his  settle- 
ment in  Whitesboro  he  removed  to  Utica  and  soon  acquired  a  large 
business.  He  was  thoroughly  educated  in  his  profession  and  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  Yale  and  was  a  permanent  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Medical  Society.  He  lived  until  his  eighty-ninth  year 
and  died  January  11,  1864 

A   long    resident   and  a  very  successful   physician   of  Utica  was  Dr. 


I 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.  253 


John  McCall,  who  was  born  in  Hebron,  N.Y.,  December  25,  1787  He 
was  thoroughly  educated  in  Columbia  College  and  with  private  medical 
instructors,  one  of  whom  was  the  noted  Dr.  Valentine  Mott,  upon  whose 
recommendation  Dr.  McCall  secured  a  position  in  the  army  in  18 12, 
being  assigned  to  the  13th  Regiment.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Queens- 
ton  and  later,  after  receiving  the  rank  of  surgeon,  was  at  the  capture  of 
Fort  George.  In  the  summer  of  1815  he  left  the  army  and  took  up 
practice  at  Deerfield.  After  18  18  he  was  a  partner  with  Dr.  Alexander 
Coventry  and  with  Dr.  Charles  B.  Coventry,  son  of  Alexander.  In 
later  years  he  practiced  alone  until  his  death  October  5,  1867.  Very 
conservative  in  practice  Dr.  McCall  relied  much  upon  careful  nursing  of 
patients  and  the  recuperative  efforts  of  nature.  He  had  a  very  large 
business  and  was  honored  with  various  professional  stations  in  societies 
and  otherwise. 

From  1826  to  1853,  when  he  removed  elsewhere.  Dr.  Peleg  B.  Peck- 
ham  was  a  successful  and  respected  physician  in  Utica.  He  gave  most 
of  his  attention  to  family  practice,  was  little  employed  as  a  surgeon,  and 
attended  strictly  to  his  professional  duties.  He  was  one  of  the  foremost 
in  the  organization  of  Grace  church. 

Dr.  Charles  B.  Coventry  has  already  been  mentioned.  He  practiced 
successfully  in  Utica  for  nearly  fifty  years,  graduating  at  Fairfield  in 
1825.  He  held  a  lectureship  in  Berkshire  Medical  College,  Pittsfield, 
three  years  from  1828,  and  in  1832  was  sent  by  the  Utica  Common 
Council  through  the  eastern  cities  to  study  the  nature  of  cholera  in  an- 
ticipation of  its  appearance  here.  He  was  lecturer  in  the  Geneva  Col- 
lege after  1839,  which  institution  he  aided  in  founding,  and  in  1846  be- 
came similarly  connected  with  the  Buffalo  Medical  College.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  board  of  managers  of  the  local  insane  asylum  ;  president 
of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  and  Home,  a  warden  in  Grace  church,  and  was 
otherwise  honored  by  the  profession  and  his  fellow  citizens.  He  died 
February  23,  1875. 

Dr.  William  Morris,  born  in  Columbia  county  in  1806.  graduated 
with  honor  at  the  Medical  College  in  Massachusetts,  and  settled  in  Utica 
in  1832.  He  soon  made  a  Large  circle  of  friends  and  gained  a  large 
practice.      He  had  two  sons,  one  of  whom  succeeded  him  in  business. 

Dr.   Daniel  P.   Bissell  was  born   in   Randolph,  N.  Y.,  May  27,  1802, 


254  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  graduated  from  Yale  Medical  College  in  1826  He  began  practice 
in  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  and  held  the  office  of  canal  commissioner 
from  1842  to  1848.  In  the  mean  time  he  settled  in  Utica  where  he 
practiced  with  Dr.  Goodsell  and  afterwards  alone.  He  was  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  National  Convention  in  i860,  and  for  a  time  manager 
of  the  State  Hospital  for  Insane.  He  was  an  active  and  public  spirited 
citizen. 

Dr.  Nicoll  H.  Dering,  who  had  long  been  in  successful  practice  in 
New  York  city,  removed  to  Rome  in  1842,  where  he  acquired  a  large 
practice.  In  1847  ^e  settled  in  Utica,  and  by  his  wide  experience,  cour- 
teous manner,  and  upright  character,  gained  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity and  a  large  business 

Dr.  Daniel  G.  Thomas,  a  native  of  Dutchess  county,  gained  his  med- 
ical knowledge  by  study,  and  by  attending  lectures  at  F'airfield  and  in 
Philadelphia,  practiced  in  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  for  a  time  and  went  thence  to 
New  Hartford  and  from  there  to  Whitesboro,  where  he  attained  promi- 
nence. In  1848  he  settled  in  Utica  as  partner  with  Dr.  C.  B.  Coventry  ; 
this  continued  until  i860,  when  he  became  associated  with  his  own  son. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  County  Medical  Society  and  held 
the  various  offices  therein.  He  was  a  skillful  ph\sician  and  much  re- 
spected.     His  death  took  place  March  26,  1880. 

Dr.  John  P.  Gray  was  a  physician  belonging  in  a  certain  sense  to  this 
county,  whose  reputation  in  connection  with  treatment  of  the  insane 
was  unlimited.  He  was  born  August  6,  1825,  in  Center  county,  Pa., 
and  received  his  medical  degree  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1848.  Two  years  later  he  was  chosen  junior  assistant  in  the  Utica  In- 
sane Asylum,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  passed 
through  the  higher  grades  and  in  July,  1854,  was  elected  superintend- 
ent of  the  asylum.  Under  his  able  management  the  institution  became 
a  model  one  in  every  respect.  He  introduced  many  reforms,  some  of 
which  were  radical  and  attracted  widespread  attention.  He  achieved 
great  celebrity  as  an  expert  on  insanity  and  was  called  long  distances 
to  give  evidence  in  court.  As  a  writer  and  lecturer  on  insanity  he  was 
also  widely  known.      His  death  occurred  November  29,  1886. 

Dr.  William  Russell  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  June  25,  182 1, 
and  settled  in   Oneida  county  with  his  family  in  1832.      He  graduated 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.  255 

from  the  Berkshire  Medical  College  in  1848,  and  soon  afterward  began 
practice  in  Utica  where  he  soon  reached  the  front  rank  of  the  profes- 
sion. He  served  as  president  of  the  County  Medical  Society,  was  a  per- 
manent member  of  the  State  society  and  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  ;  he  was  also  on  the  staff  of  both  the  Faxton  and 
St.  Lucy's  Hospitals.  He  had  a  very  large  practice,  especially  in  ob- 
stetrics.     He  died  June  27.   1890. 

Dr.  Isaac  H.  Douglass,  a  successful  physician  in  New  Hartford  and 
Utica  many  years,  was  born  in  New  Vork  city  November  26,  1808, 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Pomeroy  in  Utica  and  at  Fairfield,  and  prac- 
ticed some  years  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  settling  in  Utica  in  1857.  He  was 
admirably  equipped  by  nature  for  the  duties  of  the  sick  room,  while  his 
medical  knowledge  was  broad  and  clear.  He  gained  a  large  practice. 
He  died  March  13,  1884. 

Dr  Jacob  Hunt  was  born  in  Hillsdale,  N.  Y.,  in  18 10,  and  in  18 14 
was  brought  to  Westmoreland  by  his  parents.  He  graduated  at  Fair- 
field in  1836,  practiced  in  Lowell,  N.  Y.,  until  1853,  when  he  settled  in 
Utica.  He  became  remarkably  successful  in  the  treatment  of  fevers, 
was  a  life  long  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  was  in  active  sym- 
pathy with  temperance  and  other  reforms. 

Dr.  Edwin  Hutchinson  was  a  surgeon  of  high  repute,  born  in  Utica 
in  1840.  He  was  a  Yale  graduate  and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  John 
McCall  and  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York.  He 
served  as  surgeon  of  the  137th  Regiment  in  the  war,  receiving  his  de- 
gree after  his  return.  He  enjoyed  a  large  practice  in  surgery  and  eye 
and  ear  treatment  until  near  his  death,  which  took  place  October  19, 
1887. 

The  HoM(T:opathic  Profession. — The  first  physician  who  prac- 
ticed in  this  school  of  medicine  in  Oneida  county  was  Dr.  Erastus 
Humphrey,  who  opened  an  office  in  Utica  in  the  winter  of  1843-44. 
About  a  year  later  he  was  joined  by  his  son,  Frederick  Humphrey. 
The  elder  Dr.  Humphrey  was  a  native  of  Canton,  Conn.,  born  in  1784, 
and  received  his  diploma  from  the  State  society  there  in  1808.  Two 
years  later  he  removed  to  Marcellus,  Onondaga  county,  N  Y.,  where 
he  met  with  success,  but  removed  to  Auburn  in  1823.  There  he  be- 
came  known  as  a  skillful  and   successful   physician  ;  was  several  years 


256  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

president  of  the  Cayuga  County  Society  and  some  years  surgeon  in  the 
State  Prison.  In  1840  Dr.  Horatio  Robinson  came  to  Auburn,  having 
gained  some  knowledge  of  homceopathy  and  having  with  him  a  small 
quantity  of  remedies  He  sought  to  convert  Dr  Humphrey,  but  with- 
out success,  and  was  left  in  temporary  charge  of  the  business  of  the 
latter  while  he  tjiade  a  trip  to  New  York,  but  with  no  idea  that  homoe- 
opathy would  be  tried  on  his  patients.  But  immediately  upon  Dr. 
Humphrey's  departure,  Dr.  Robinson  "  sent  for  more  pills  and  another 
book  (Dr.  (J.  Jeans's  Practice  of  Homoeopathy)  and  opened  fire  on  all 
comers  with  the  little  pills."  And  the  sick  were  cured  or  helped.  As 
a  consequence  Dr.  Humphrey  began  the  investigation  and  study  which 
soon  made  him  a  radical  homoeopathist,  and  ultimately  one  of  the  most 
successful  practitioners.  He  removed  to  Syracuse  in  1842,  and  in  the 
following  year  to  Utica.  He  practiced  there  until  1847,  when  here- 
moved  to  New  York,  leaving  his  business  with  his  son  and  Dr.  Samuel 
Stewart.      He  died  in  1848. 

Dr.  Erastus  A.  Munger  was  born  in  Copenhagen,  Lewis  county,  N. 
Y.,  February  12,  181 3.  He  began  studying  medicine  with  Dr.  S.  G. 
Haven,  in  Waterville,  and  after  attending  lectures  at  Fairfield  obtained 
in  1834  a  license  from  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  (allopathic). 
He  began  practice  in  Sauquoit  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  entered 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  and  graduated  in  March,  1835. 
He  began  practice  immediately  in  Waterviile  and  there  passed  most  of 
his  life.  He  became  an  exponent  of  homcuopathy  in  1843  and  was  emi- 
nently successful  in  its  practice.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the 
Oneida  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  and  in  1844  was  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  State  Homoeopathic  Society. 

Leverett  Bishop  was  born  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  in  1791  and  removed 
to  Paris,  Oneida  county,  in  1808.  He  received  his  diploma  from  the 
Onei'.la  County  Medical  Society  in  181  5,  and  in  the  next  year  settled  in 
Sauquoit,  where  he  practiced  most  of  his  life.  He  joined  the  homoeo- 
pathic ranks  in  1843-4  and  was  ever  after  a  close  adherent  of  that 
school. 

Samuel  W.  Stewart  was  born  in  North  Argyle,  Washington  county, 
N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1800  and  graduated  at  Fairfield.  He  practiced  in 
New  Haven,  Oswego  county,  and  at  Bridgewater  several  years,  and  in 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.  257 

1833  removed  to  Clinton,  N.  Y.  In  1845  ^^  became  a  convert  to  the 
homoeopathic  school,  and  in  1847  removed  to  Utica  where  he  remained 
until  his  death  June  20,  1854.  His  standing  as  a  physician  in  either  of 
the  two  schools  was  high.  He  was  a  partner  with  Dr.  J.  C  Raymond 
from  about  1850.  The  latter  was  born  in  Troy  in  1823  and  studied 
with  Dr.  Munger  and  received  his  diploma  from  the  county  society  in 
1849.  Embracing  homoeopathy  he  received  a  diploma  from  the  Ho- 
moeopathic College  of  Pennsylvania  in  185  i.  He  removed  westward  in 
1877. 

Dr.  L.  B.  Wells,  a  native  of  Pompey,  Onondaga  county,  where  he 
was  born  October  8,  1810,  graduated  at  Fairfield  in  1831.  He  prac- 
ticed one  year  with  Dr.  Batchelder  in  Utica,  from  which  time  he  was  in 
Onondaga  county  until  July,  185  i.  He  was  converted  to  homoeopathy 
in  1846,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Raymond,  Utica,  in  1850. 
He  held  the  positions  of  president  in  both  the  county  and  the  State 
societies,  and  in  1848  was  made  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Homoeopathy. 

It  will  be  correctly  inferred  that  the  new  school  of  practice  met  with 
the  same  opposition  in  Oneida  count}-  that  it  encountered  elsewhere ; 
it  was  bitter  and  long  continued.  But  soon  after  the  formation  of  the 
two  partnerships  above  mentioned,  and  through  the  accession  to  its 
ranks  of  many  theretofore  leading  physicians  of  the  old  school,  a  rapid 
change  in  public  sentiment  began  in  Utica  and  soon  extended  to  sur- 
rounding villages.  The  physicians  of  whom  brief  notices  have  just  been 
given  were  men  of  character  and  their  example  inspired  the  public  with 
confidence  and  their  brethren  with  respect.  These  conditions  led  to  the 
formation  of  the  old  Central  New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society, 
the  first  meeting  of  which  was  held  in  Mechanics  Hall,  Utica,  in  June, 
1849.  There  were  present  Drs.  Samuel  Stewart,  Leverett  Bishop,  J.  L. 
Kellogg,  E.  A.  Munger,  N.  Stebbins,  and  F.  Humphrey.  The  society 
was  formally  organized  and  a  committee  on  by  laws  appointed.  The 
second  meeting  was  held  January  7,  1850,  when  the  constitution  was 
adopted.  Subsequent  meetings  were  held  in  Syracuse  several  years, 
until  the  society  was  reorganized  ;   it  is  still  in  existence. 

The  Oneida  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  was  organized 
October  20,  1857.  The  preliminary  steps  were  taken  at  a  meeting  held 
33 


258  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  Dr.  Wells's  office  in  Utica  on  the  6th  of  that  month.  It  was  then  de- 
cided to  invite  the  homceopathic  physicians  of  Herkimer  county  to  unite 
with  those  of  Oneida  county  in  organizing  the  society.  This  measure 
was  carried  out,  and  the  first  regular  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  in 
the  office  of  the  mayor  in  Utica  October  20,  1857.  The  following  physi- 
cians were  present: 

Drs.  John  A.  Payne,  L.  B.  Wells,  J.  C.  Raymond,  W.  H.  Watson,  Thomas  F.  Pom- 
eroy,  H.  E.  Dykeman,  of  Utica;  E.  A.  Munger,  of  Watervillc;  H.  M.  Paine,  of  Clin- 
ton;  and  W.  B.  Stebbins,  of  Little  Falls.  On  motion  of  Dr.  Watson,  a  temporary 
organization  was  effected  by  the  appointment  of  Dr.  j.  A.  Paine  as  chairman.  Dr. 
J.  C.  Raymond  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting  to  be  the  formation  of  a  county 
homoeopathic  medical  society,  in  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed 
April  13,  1857.  Drs.  Watson,  Raymond,  and  Munger  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  prepare  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  society.  Dr.  E.  A.  Munger  was  the 
first  president.  Dr.  Stebbins  the  first  vice-president,  and  Dr.  Pomeroy  the  first  secre- 
tary and  treasurer. 

The  following  physicians  signed  the  original  constitution  of  the  society, 
giving  the  dates  of  their  admission  : 

Oct.  20,  1857,  E.  A.  Munger,  Waterville ;  L.  B.  Wells.  Utica;  J.  C.  Raymond,  Utica; 
Thomas  F.  Pomeroy,  Utica;  William  H.  Watson,  Utica;  H.  E.  Dykeman,  Utica; 
J.  A.  Paine,  Utica;  H.  M.  Paine,  Clinton;  Wm.  B.  Stebbins.  Little  Falls.  A.  A. 
Mason,  Knox  Corners,  June  22,  1858;  D.  D.  Loomis,  Bridgewater,  Oct.  19,  1858; 
Leverett  Bishop,  Sauquoit,  June  21,  1859;  Silas  Bailey,  Utica,  June  21,  1859;  C. 
Judson  Hill,  Utica,  June'  t?l,  1859;  Woodward  Warren,  Deerfield  Corners,  June  21, 
1859;  S.  O.  Scudder,  Rome,  June  21,  1859;  M.  M.  Gardner,  Holland  Patent,  Oct.  18, 
1859;  Nathan  Spencer,  Winfield,  Jan.  19,  1860;  Hiram  Hadley,  Boonville,  Oct.  16, 
18G0;  J.  W  Moyer,  West  Schuyler,  June  19,  1861  ;  Harrison  Willis,  Clinton,  June  19, 
1865;  Gains  J.  Jones,  Holland  Patent,  Oct.  16,  18()G. 

The  following  roll  embraces  the  names  of  members  subscribed  to  the 
constitution  and  by- laws  adopted  Oct  15,  1861 : 

Nathan  Spencer,  G.  A.  Gilford,  W.  B.  Stebbins,  J.  C.  Raymond,  Leverett  Bishop, 
Silas  Bailey,  L.  B.  Wells,  J.  W.  Mower,  Abram  Guiwits,  J.  Younglove,  Wm.  Landt, 
H.  M.  Paine,  Wm.  H.  Watson,  S.  O.  Scudder,  G.  W.  Bailey,  M.  M.  Gardner,  John 
A.  Paine,  E.  A.  Munger,  Woodward  Warren,  George  B.  Palmer,  L.  B.  Waldo,  D.  D. 
Joslin,  C.  Judson  Hill,  G.  J.  Jones,  A.  B.  Southwick,  Aug.  E.  Zeitler,  C.  H.  Thomp- 
son, David  W.  Vander  Burgh,  Selden  H.  Talcott,  Arthur  M.  Woodruff,  M.  O.  Terry, 
C.  E.  Chase,  L.  L.  Brainard,  H.  J.  Spencer,  C.  A.  Osborne,  Arthur  Beach,  Randall 
Lamont  Spencer,  W.  Estus  Deuel,  Hiram  Hadley. 

Following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have  held  the  offices  of  president  and 
secretary-treasurer  of  the  society  from  its  organization  to  the  present 
time : 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION.  259 

1858,  E.  A.  Hunger,  Thomas  F.  Pomeroy;  1859,  J.  A.  Paine,  H.  M.  Paine;  1860, 
Leverett  Bishoi^,  H.  M.  Paine;  1861,  Wm.  H.  Watson,  H.  M.  Paine;  1862,  Wm.  B. 
Stebbins,  H.  M.  Paine;  1863,  J.  C.  Raymond,  H.  M.  Paine;  1864,  L.  B.  Wells,  H. 
M.  Paine;  1865,  Hiram  Hadley,  M.  M.  Gardner;  1866,  S.  O.  Scudder,  M.  M.  Gard- 
ner; 1867,  C.  J.  Hill,  G.  J.  Jones;  1868,  L.  B.  Wells,  H.  Willis;  1869,  E.  A.  Hunger, 
H.  Willis;  1870,  M.  M.  Gardner,  G.  A.  Gifford;  1871,  N.  Spencer,  G.  A.  Gifford ; 
1872,  L.  B.  Wells,  D.  W.  Vander  Burgh;  1873,  E.  A.  Hunger,  D.  W.  Vander  Burgh; 
1874,  J.  C.  Raymond,  H.  O.  Terry;  1875,  Selden  H.  Talcott,  H.  O.  Terry;  1876, 
Woodward  Warren,  C.  E.  Chase;  1877,  E.  A.  Hunger,  C.  E.  Chase;  1878,  Silas? 
Bailey,  C.  E.  Chase;  1879,  H.  O.  Terry,  C.  E.  Chase;  1880,  A.  B.  Southwick,  C.  E. 
Chase;  1881,  L.  L.  Brainard,  C.  E.  Chase;  1882,  F.  F.  Laird,  C.  E.  Chase;  1883, W.  G. 
Allen  C.  E.  Chase;  1884,  R.  L.  Spencer,  C.  E.  Chase;  1885,  J.  Devillo  Hoore,  C.  E. 
Chase ;  1886,  F.  Leggenhager,  C.  E.  Chase ;  1887,  W.  W.  Dewing,  C.  E.  Chase ;  1888, 
N.  C.  Scudder  C.  E.  Chase;  1889,  S.  A.  White,  C.  E.  Chase;  1890,  C.  E.  Chase' 
Clara  Barrus;  1891,  R.  F.  Tousley,  Clara  Barrus;  1892,  H.  McHaster,  C.  G.  Capron ; 
1893,  C.  G.  Capron,  E.  B.  Guile;  1894,  C.  G.  Capron,  E.  B.  Guile;  1895,  C.  G.  Cap- 
ron, N.  C.  Scudder;  1896,  C.  G.  Capron,  N.  C.  Scudder. 

It  is  proper  that  a  few  other  early  and  prominent  homoeopathic  phy- 
sicians of  the  county  shall  be  briefly  noticed  here. 

Dr.  S.  Z.  Haven  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  September  6,  1794, 
was  licensed  in  1821,  and  practiced  in  Waterville  in  1835.  Three  years 
later  he  settled  in  Utica.  practiced  in  the  old  school  eight  years,  when 
in  1846  he  changed  to  the  new.      In  1849  lie  removed  to  Buffalo. 

Dr.  John  A.  Paine  was  born  in  Whitestown  July  10.  1795,  studied 
medicine  in  Clinton,  and  graduated  from  Yale  in  1825.  His  practice 
was  in  Oswego  county,  in  Paris,  Oneida  county,  Newark,  N.  J.,  Albany, 
and  Utica.  In  1865  he  returned  to  Newark  and  in  1871  removed  to 
Illinois.  He  was  made  a  convert  to  homcKopathy  in  1843,  was  a 
successful  practitioner  and  was  elected  to  various  honorary  positions  in 
the  county  and  State  societies.  He  died  in  1871.  Dr.  H.  M.  Paine 
was  his  son  and  studied  with  his  father  and  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York.  He  practiced  ten  years  in  Clinton,  aside  from 
which  his  work  was  confined  to  Albany. 

Dr.  Hiram  Hadley  was  born  in  Weare.  N.  H.,  May  26,  1800,  and 
studied  at  Fairfield,  graduating  after  a  four  years'  course.  He  prac- 
ticed in  New  Hampshire  and  in  Herkimer  county  until  185  i,  when  he 
settled  in  Boonville,  where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  homce- 
opathy.      He  died  March  13,  1876. 

Dr.  John  L.  Kellogg  was  a  native  of  Manlius,  Onondaga  county, 
where  he  was  born  in  181 1.      He  graduated  from    Middlebury  College, 


260  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Vt.,  in  1837,  practiced  in  Chenango  county  until  1840,  when  he  settled 
in  Bridgewater.  He  continued  there  until  1857,  when  he  removed  to 
Chicago.      He  was  converted  to  homoeopathy  about  1847. 

Dr.  Thomas  F.  Pomeroy  was  born  in  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  May  ii, 
1 8 16,  graduated  from  Union  College  in  1835.  and  from  the  Cleveland, 
Homoeopathic  College  in  1853.  He  practiced  six  years  in  Utica, 
whence  he  removed  to  Detroit. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS. 

The  Regents  of  the  University  of  this  State  were  incorporated  in 
1787,  and  in  their  report  for  1793  they  called  attention  to  the  benefits 
likely  to  accrue  from  the  establishment  of  schools  in  various  parts  of  the 
State.  "The  mode  of  accomplishing  this  desirable  object,"  said  the 
report,  "we  respectfully  submit  to  the  wisdom  of  the  Legislature." 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  of  1795,  Governor  Clinton  thus  alluded 

to  the  subject  in  his  message: 

While  it  is  evident  that  the  general  establishment  and  liberal  endowment  of  acad- 
emies are  highly  to  be  commended,  and  are  attended  with  the  most  beneficial  conse- 
quences, yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  they  are  principally  confined  to  the  children  of 
tht  opulent,  and  that  a  great  portion  of  the  community  is  excluded  from  their  im- 
mediate advantages.  The  establishment  of  common  schools  throughout  the  State,  is 
happily  calculated  to  remedy  this  inconvenience,  and  will  therefore  engage  your 
early  and  decided  consideration. 

These  were  the  first  steps  taken  towards  the  establishment  of  the 
common  school  system  of  the  State.  On  the  iith  of  January,  1795, 
the  Assembly  appointed  a  committee  of  six  to  consider  the  school  sub- 
j.ect,  and  on  February  19  they  reported  "An  act  for  the  encouragement 
of  schools,"  which  became  a  law  on  the  9th  of  April.  This  act  appro- 
priated $50,000  annually  for  five  years,  for  the  general  support  of  com- 
mon schools,  which  sum  was  at  first  apportioned  to  the  several  counties 
according  to  their  representation  in  the  Legislature;  later  it  was  appor- 
tioned according  to  the  number  of  electors  for  member  of  assembly,  and 


I 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  261 


to  the  several  towns  according  to  the  number  of  taxable  inhabitants 
The  act  provided  for  the  election  of  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than 
seven  commissioners  in  each  town,  who  should  have  supervision  of  the 
schools  in  each  town.  The  inhabitants  in  different  sections  of  the  towns 
were  authorized  to  meet  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  "good  and  suffi- 
cient schoolmasters,  and  for  erecting  and  maintaining  schools  in  such 
and  so  many  parts  of  the  town  where  the}^  may  reside,  as  shall  be  most 
convenient,"  and  to  appoint  two  or  more  trustees,  whose  duties  were 
defined  by  the  act.  The  public  money  paid  to  each  district  was  to  be 
apportioned  by  the  commissioners  according  to  the  number  of  days  of 
instruction  given  in  each  of  the  schools.  Provision  was  made  also  for 
annual  returns  from  all  districts,  towns  and  counties. 

Lotteries  were  early  instituted  by  the  State  for  the  support  of  schools, 
first  in  1799,  when  $I0D,000  was  to  be  raised,  $12,500  of  which  was  to 
go  to  academies  and  the  remainder  to  common  schools.  Again  in 
1801  an  equal  amount  was  raised,  one-half  of  which  went  to  common 
schools. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  1805,  an  act  was  passed  providing  that  the  net 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  500,000  acres  of  unappropriated  State  lands 
should  be  made  a  permanent  fund  for  the  support  of  schools,  the  avails 
to  be  invested  until  the  interest  amounted  to  $50,000,  when  an  annual 
distribution  of  that  amount  should  be  made  By  February,  1807,  re- 
ceipts for  the  school  fund  in  the  treasury  had  reached  $151,115.69. 

In  181 1  a  law  was  enacted  authorizing  the  governor  to  appoint  five 
commis'^ioners  to  report  a  system  for  the  organization  of  the  common 
schools.  The  commission  consisted  of  Jedediah  Peck,  John  Murra\ ,  jr., 
Samuel  Russell,  Roger  Skinner,  and  Samuel  Macomb.  Their  report, 
made  February  14,  1812,  was  accompanied  by  the  draft  of  a  bill  em- 
bodying the  main  features  of  the  common  school  system  as  it  existed 
until  1838.  One  feature  of  the  bill  was,  that  each  county  should  raise 
by  tax  an  amount  equal  to  that  apportioned  by  the  State.  Following 
is  a  brief  outline  of  the  system  : 

That  the  several  towns  in  the  State  be  divided  into  school  districts,  by  three  com- 
missioners elected  by  the  citizens  qualified  to  vote  for  town  officers,  that  three  trus- 
tees be  elected  in  each  district,  to  whom  shall  be  confided  the  care  and  superintend- 
ence of  the  school  to  be  established  therein ;  that  the  interest  of  the  school  fund  be 
divided  among  the  different  counties  and  towns,  according  to  their  respective  popu- 


262  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lation,  as  ascertained  b}^  the  successive  censusesof  the  United  States ;  that  the  propor- 
tions received  by  the  respective  towns  be  subdivided  among  the  districts  into  which 
said  towns  shall  be  divided,  according  to  the  number  of  children  m  each,  between 
the  ages  of  five  and  fifteen  years;  that  each  town  raise  by  tax  annually,  as  much 
money  as  it  shall  have  received  from  the  school  fund ;  that  the  gross  amount  of 
moneys  received  from  the  State  and  raised  by  the  towns,  be  appropriated  exclusively 
to  the  payment  of  wages  of  teachers;  and  that  the  whole  system  be  placed  under  the 
superintendence  of  an  officer  appointed  by  the  Council  of  Appointment. 

Gideon  Havvley  was  made  the  first  superintendent  of  common  schools 
and  held  the  office  from  1813  to  1821.  In  his  first  report  (18 14)  he 
called  attention  to  the  fifth  section  of  the  law  under  which  it  was  a 
possibility  that  a  single  town  in  a  county  might  receive  the  whole  of  the 
public  money  for  that  county  ;  and  to  other  provisions  giving  each  town 
the  choice  of  complying  with  the  law  and  receiving  its  benefits  and 
bearing  its  burdens,  or  of  refusing  such  compliance.  Under  these  pro- 
visions many  towns  had  refused  compliance  with  the  act,  to  the 
great  detriment  of  the  system.  The  superintendent  suggested  that  it 
be  made  obligatory  upon  the  towns  to  comply  with  the  act,  and  also 
on  the  Boards  of  Supervisors  to  levy  on  the  respective  towns  a  sum 
equal  to  the  sum  "  which  shall  be  apportioned  to  such  towns  out  of  the 
public  money  to  be  distributed."  These  suggestions  were  promptly 
carried  out  by  amendments  to  the  act. 

The  founding  of  this  school  system  was  an  educational  movement  of 
the  greatest  importance  and  its  benefits  became  at  once  apparent.  In 
his  second  report  (1815)  Mr.  Hawley  said  : 

But  the  great  benefit  of  the  act  does  not  lie  in  any  pecuniary  aid  which  it  may 
afford.  .  .  It  consists  in  securing  the  establishment  of  common  schools  wherever 
they  are  necessary;  in  organizing  them  on  a  suitable  and  permanent  foundation  ; 
and  in  guarding  them  against  the  admission  of  unqualified  teachers. 

In  his  sixth  annual  report  the  superintendent  renewed  his  recom- 
mendation before  made,  for  a  revision  and  consolidation  of  the  existing 
school  laws.  On  the  19th  of  April,  18 19,  accordingly,  the  Legislature 
re-enacted  the  "act  for  the  support  of  Common  Schools,"  making  the 
various  amendments  suggested  by  Mr.  Hawley.  To  him  is  given  the 
honor  and  credit  of  having  done  more  than  any  one  person  in  the 
founding  of  the  common  school  system  in  this  State.  John  Van  Ness 
Yates  was  secretary  of  state  and  superintendent  ex  officio  of  common 
schools   from    1821    to    1826,    the    separate    office    of  superintendent  of 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  263 

schools  having  been  abolished  by  the  Constitution  of  1821.  The  Con- 
stitution, provided,  also,  "  the  proceeds  of  all  lands  thereafter  to  be  sold, 
belonging  to  the  State,  with  the  exception  of  such  as  might  be  reserved 
for  public  use  or  ceded  to  the  United  States,  together  with  the  existing 
school  fund,  were  declared  to  constitute  a  perpetual  fund,  the  interest  of 
which  should  be  inviolably  appropriated  and  applied  to  the  support  of 
the  common  schools." 

Azariah  C.  Flagg  held  the  office  of  secretary  of  state  and  superin- 
tendent of  schools  from  1826  to  1833,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  A. 
Dix  (1833  39).  during  which  period  great  improvements  were  made  in 
the  details  of  the  school  system.  In  1827  the  sum  annually  distributed 
to  the  various  districts  was  increased  to  $100,000;  in  1837  't  was 
$110,000.  On  the  13th  of  April,  1835,  an  act  was  passed  which  laid 
the  foundation  of  district  school  libraries;  it  authorized  the  taxable  in- 
habitants'of  each  district  to  impose  a  tax  oi  not  more  than  $20  the  first 
year,  and  $10  each  succeeding  year  for  the  purchase  of  a  district 
library.  Under  this  act  libraries  were  established  in  very  many  dis- 
tricts of  the  State  and  the  resultant  benefit  is  beyond  estimate. 

In  1838  $160,000  were  added  from  the  annual  revenue  of  the  United 
States  deposit  fund  to  the  amount  to  be  apportioned  among  the  various 
school  districts.  In  the  following  year  the  number  of  districts  in  the 
State  was  10,583.  The  increase  in  the  number  of  districts  from  time  to 
time  is  shown  as  follows:  1798,  1,352  districts;  1816,  about  5,000 ; 
1820,5,763;    1825,7,642;     1830,8,872;    1835,9,865. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1839,  John  C.  Spencer  was  appointed  sec- 
retary of  state  and  superintendent  of  common  schools,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  the  office  until  1842.  He  advocated  several  changes  in  the 
system,  the  most  important  being,  perhaps,  the  county  supervision  of 
schools  by  regular  visitors.  These  visitors  reported  to  the  superin- 
tendent, and  one  of  the  results  of  their  early  reports  was  the  plan  of 
appointing  county  superintendents,  which  went  into  effect  in  April, 
1843,  ^"^  resulted  in  a  great  improvement  in  the  general  character  of 
the  schools.  The  office  was  abolished  March  13,  1847,  during  which 
period  the  following  held  the  office  in  Oneida  county  :  Elon  Comstock, 
Julius  C.  Thorn,    Hosea  Clark,  Stephen  Moulton,  William  S.  Wetmore. 

In  his  annual  message  of  1844  Governor  Bouck  treated  largely  the 
school  question,  stating  among  other  things  the  following : 


264  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  substitution  of  a  single  officer,  charged  with  the  supervision  of  the  schools  of 
each  town,  for  the  board  of  commissioners  and  inspectors  formerly  existing,  in  con- 
nection with  the  supervisory  and  appellate  powers  of  the  several  county  superintend- 
ents, as  defined  by  the  law  of  the  last  session,  seems  to  have  met  with  the  general 
approbation  and  concurrence  of  the  people. 

Samuel  S  Young  was  secretary  of  state  and  superintendent  of  schools 
from  February,  1842,  to  February,  1845.  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Nathaniel  S.  Benton,  who  continued  until  1847,  when  the  new  Consti- 
tution was  in  effect. 

The  subject  of  Teachers's  Institutes  was  first  brought  forward  in  the 
Tompkins  County  Teachers'  Association  in  the  fall  of  1842,  and  the 
first  institute  was  held  in  Ithaca  April  4,  1843  J  they  soon  became  a 
powerful  auxiliary  in  elevating  the  teacher's  profession. 

A  persistent  and  nearly  successful  attempt  was  made  t©  engraft  upon 
the  new  Constitution  of  1846  a  free  school  system  for  the  State.  The 
section  under  which  it  was  to  be  accomplished  was  the  following: 

The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  the  free  education  and  instruction  of  every  child 
of  the  State  in  the  common  schools,  now  established  ,  or  which  shall  hereafter  be 
established  therein. 

This  section  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  57  to  53,  and  a  provision  was 
tiien  added  directing  the  Legislature  to  provide  for  raising  the  necessary 
taxes  in  the  districts  to  carry  out  the  plan.  The  convention  then  ad- 
journed for  dinner.  After  reassembling  the  school  article  was  referred, 
on  resolution,  to  a  committee  of  one  with  instructions  to  strike  out  the 
the  last  two  sections  relating  to  free  schools.  This  was  done  and  the 
provision  for  the  establishment  of  free  schools  was  defeated. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1847,  ^^^  Legislature  passed  an  act  abol- 
ishing the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  common  schools,  direct- 
ing appeals  authorized  to  be  made  by  law  to  be  made  to  the  state 
superintendent,  and  the  annual  reports  of  the  town  superintendents  to 
be  made  to  the  county  clerk.  This  measure  was  adopted  largely  in 
response  to  populor  clamor,  and  was  in  many  respects  temporarily 
disastrous  to  the  welfare  of  the  schools.  Reports  of  town  superintend- 
ents were  often  superficial  and  incomplete,  while  they  were  "  wholly  in- 
capable of  supplying  the  place  in  the  system  which  had  been  assigned 
to  the  higher  class  of  officers." 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1847,  the  various  statutes  relating  to  com- 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  265 

mon  schools  were  consolidated  into  one  act,  with  such  amendments  as 
seemed  expedient;  town  superintendents  were  to  hold  their  office  two 
years ;  the  library  law  was  modified  so  that  library  money  in  any  dis- 
trict might  be  used  for  teachers'  wages,  with  the  consent  of  the  state 
superintendent,  provided  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  had 
reached  a  certain  proportion  to  the  number  of  children,  etc. 

Christopher  Morgan  was  state  superintendent  of  schools  and  secretary 
of  state  from  1847  ^o  185 1,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Henry  S. 
Randall,  who  held  the  office  until  1853.  In  the  message  to  the  Legis 
lature  of  1849  Governor  Fish  expressed  his  belief  "  that  the  restoration 
of  the  office  of  county  superintendent  would  be  productive  of  good  to 
the  school  system."  He  recommended  two  measures,  either  of  which 
would  improve  the  situation  : 

First.  The  repeal  of  chap.  358,  laws  of  1847,  restoring  the  office  of  countj'  superin- 
tendent, and  making  it  elective  by  the  people. 

Second.  The  election  of  a  superintendent  in  every  Assembly  district,  except  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  the  cities  which  now  have,  or  shall  hereafter  have,  a  city 
superintendent,  or  board  of  education,  to  manage  their  school  affairs. 

The  superintendent  then  reviewed  the  situation  as  to  the  problem  of 
free  schools  which  was  before  the  people.  On  the  26th  of  March,  1849, 
the  Legislature  passed  the  "  Act  establishing  Free  Schools  throughout 
the  State."  For  its  provisions  in  detail  the  reader  must  be  referred  to 
the  statutes.  Oneida  county  gave  a  majority  in  favor  of  the  act  of  4,595, 
with  2,91  I  against  it.  The  practical  application  of  this  system  met  with 
wide  spread  and  intense  opposition  from  the  first,  and  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  a  demand  for  its  repeal  would  have  to  be  met.  At  the 
annual  election  in  the  fall  of  1850,  therefore,  the  people  voted  upon  the 
question  of  its  repeal,  and  the  majority  in  favor  of  repeal  was  46,874, 
in  forty-two  of  the  fifty-nine  counties  of  the  State  ;  in  the  remaining 
seventeen  counties  the  majority  against  repeal  was  71,912,  leaving 
a  majority  of  25,088  against  repeal.  Thus  the  beneficent  free  school 
system  was  permanently  established.  The  majority  in  favor  of  repeal 
in  Oneida  county  was  897. 

The  number  of  districts  in  the  State   reported   in    1850   was    11,397, 
and  the  number  of  children  taught  was    735,188.     The  number  of  dis- 
tricts in  1895  was  11,121. 
34 


266  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  i860  there  were  in  Oneida  county  412  districts.  There  are  now 
(1895-6)  371  districts. 

In  1856  the  provision  of  the  law  of  185 1  appropriating  annually 
$800,000  was  repealed  and  a  tax  of  three  quarters  of  a  mill  on  the 
dollar  of  real  and  personal  property  substituted  for  payment  of  teachers' 
wages,  and  the  rate  bill  was  continued  ;  the  school  commissioners  to  be 
elected  by  the  Boards  of  Supervisors. 

A  law  was  passed  in  1853  providing  for  union  free  schools,  authoriz- 
ing the  inhabitants  of  two  or  more  districts  to  elect  trustees  and  levy  a 
tax  on  the  property  in  the  united  districts  for  the  payment  of  teachers' 
wages  and  other  expenses. 

The  general  school  law  was  revised  in  1864,  and  in  1867  ^'^^  '"'^^e  bill 
was  abolished  and  a  tax  of  one  and  a  quarter  mills  on  the  dollar  of  valua- 
tion substituted. 

The  earliest  attempt  at  establishing  schools  after  the  settlers  began  to 
locate  was  made  in  Whitestown,  as  early  as  1785-86,  on  the  east  side  of 
Sauquoit  Creek,  in  the  neighborhood  occupied  by  the  Wetmore  and 
Leavenworth  families.  Schools  were  opened  in  Westmoreland  about 
1793,  and  in  Rome  at  least  as  early  as  1800.  They  were  also  in  ex- 
istence in  Utica  some  time  before  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century,  probably  1790.  The  earliest  buildings  were  of  logs,  with  an 
immense  fireplace  and  stone  chimney  at  one  side  or  end,  and  the  seats 
were  made  of  slabs,  into  the  rounded  sides  of  which  legs  were  inserted, 
two  at  one  end  and  one  at  the  other,  in  holes  bored  with  a  two-inch 
augur.  Unfortunately  the  records  of  these  primitive  schools  are  almost 
totally  lost,  but  such  as  are  preserved  are  set  forth  in  the  several  town 
histories  herein. 

Hamilton  Oneida  Academy. — This  was  the  earliest  important  educa- 
tional movement  in  Oneida  county  and  one  of  the  earliest  in  the  State 
west  of  Albany.  Samuel  Kirkland  was  the  founder,  and  it  was  the  out- 
growth of  his  desire  to  educate  the  Indians  under  his  missionary  care. 
He  conceived  his  educational  plan  as  early  as  1790  and  in  1792  had 
matured  it  so  far  as  to  include  in  his  project  a  system  of  primary  schools 
for  native  children  and  an  academy  for  English  youth  and  a  selected 
number  of  older  Indian  boys.  Three  of  the  primary  schools  were 
established  and  continued  several  years.      It  was  his  intention    to   place 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  267 

his  academy  near  what  was  then  the  boundary  between  the  white  set- 
tlement and  the  Indian  lands,  and  his  plans  received  general  approval. 
The  charter  for  the  academy  was  obtained  in  1793,  and  having  received 
valuable  aid  from  Alexander  Hamilton,  the  name  "  Hamilton  Oneida 
Academy,"  was  adopted  for  the  institution.  P'ollowing  is  the  preamble 
to  the  charter : 

Whereas,  Samuel  Kirkland,  Jonas  Piatt,  Eli  Bristoll,  Erastus  Clark,  Joel 
Bristoll.  Sewall  Hopkins,  James  Dean,  and  Michael  Meyers,  by  an  instrument  in 
writing,  under  their  hands  and  seals,  bearing  date  the  12th  day  of  November,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1792,  after  stating,  among  other  things,  that  they  are  founders  and 
benefactors  of  a  certain  Academy  in  Whitestown,  contiguous  to  the  Oneida  Nation 
of  Indians,  in  the  county  of  Herkimer,  in  the  State  aforesaid,  who  have  contributed 
more  than  one-half  in  the  value  of  the  real  and  personal  property  and  estate  collected 
and  appointed  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said  Academy,  did  make  application  to  us, 
the  said  Regents,  that  the  said  Academy  might  be  mcorporated,  and  become  subject 
to  the  visitation  of  us  and  our  successors,  and  that  we  would  signify  our  approbation 
that  Alexander  Hamilton,  John  Lansing,  Egbert  Benson,  Dan  Bradley,  Eli  Bristoll, 
Erastus  Clark,  James  Dean,  Moses  Foot,  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Sewall  Hopkins,  Michael 
Myers,  Jonas  Piatt,  Jedediah  Sanger,  John  Sargeant,  Timothy  Tuttle,  and  Samuel 
Wells,  named  in  the  said  application,  and  their  successors,  might  be  a  body 
corporate  and  politic,  by  the  name  and  style  of  the  Trustees  of  Hamilton  Oneida 
Academy. 

In  April,  1793,  a  subscription  paper  was  put  in  circulation,  headed 
by  gifts  from  Mr.  Kirkland  of  300  acres  of  land  on  lease  "  the  product 
to  be  applied  towards  the  support  of  an  able  instructor,"  ten  pounds  in 
money  and  fifteen  days'  work.  Other  contributions,  very  liberal  for  the 
times,  were  made,  the  money  amounting  to  nearly  170  pounds.  The 
site  chosen  for  the  academy  was  about  midway  between  the  present 
"  South  College  "  on  the  campus  and  the  chapel.  The  corner  stone 
was  laid  by  Baron  Steuben  in  July,  1794,  and  the  frame  raised  indue 
time.  Failure  to  collect  the  necessary  means  caused  a  cessation  of  the 
work  for  nearly  two  years,  and  it  was  feared  the  project  would  have  to 
be  abandoned.  But  the  zealous  missionary  never  lost  faith,  and  by 
unremitting  efforts  and  the  aid  of  others  in  collecting  funds,  enough 
was  secured  to  inclose  the  building.  Early  in  1798  a  large  room  in  the 
south  end  of  the  second  story  and  two  smaller  rooms  on  the  first  floor 
were  finished  and  the  two  chimneys  in  front  were  built.  After  further 
reverses  and  delays,  the  building  was  finally  completed.  It  was  three 
stories  high  and  90  by  38  feet  in  size.      Mr.  Kirkland  had  the  privilege 


268  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  seeing  the  institution  opened  and  work  in  progress,  under  able  in- 
structors. 

In  the  year  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  school  Mr.  Kirkland 
brought  from  Oneida  several  of  the  most  promising  Indian  boys,  clothed 
them  like  the  white  boys,  committed  part  of  them  to  the  care  of  Eli 
Bristol  and  provided  for  the  rest  of  them  in  his  own  family.  They  did 
not  take  readily  to  the  restraints  of  civilized  life  and  by  the  end  of  the 
year  it  was  necessary  to  let  them  go  back  to  their  former  haunts 

In  1797  Rev.  John  Niles,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  took  charge  of  the 
academy  as  the  first  principal.  After  three  years  ill  health  forced  him 
to  retire  from  the  position.  Rev.  James  Murdock,  afterwards  an  emi- 
inent  professor  in  several  colleges,  was  associated  with  Mr.  Niles  one 
year.  Rev.  Robert  Porter,  also  a  Yale  graduate,  became  principal  of 
the  academy  in  September,  i8oi,and  retained  four  years.  Seth  Nor- 
ton, brother  of  Rev.  Dr.  Norton,  assumed  the  position  in  the  fall  of 
1805,  and  excepting  one  year,  held  the  place  until  1812,  when  the  in- 
stitution was  raised  to  the  rank  of  college  and  he  was  appointed  pro- 
fessor of  languages. 


In  order  to  obtain  a  charter  for  Hamilton  College,  as  the  successor  of 
the  academy  just  described,  and  to  obtain  a  grant  from  the  Legislature 
of  $50,000  for  its  endowment,  it  was  necessary  to  raise  by  subscription 
another  $50,000.  This  task  was  undertaken  by  Rev.  Caleb  Alexander, 
and  through  his  energetic  labor  a  sum  was  raised  which,  with  the  value 
of  the  academy  property,  was  equal  to  $52,844.64.  The  charter  was 
granted  May  22,  1812.  The  trustees  immediately  completed  the  un 
finished  portion  of  the  academy  and  put  the  property  in  good  condition. 
The  first  faculty  chosen  were  as  follows  : 

Rev.  Azel  Backus,  D.  D.,  of  Bethlehem,  Conn.,  as  president;  Rev. 
Seth  Norton,  professor  of  languages  ;  Josiah  Noyes,  M.  D.,  professor  of 
chemistry  ;  and  Theodore  Strong,  tutor.  The  doors  of  the  college  were 
opened  for  students  October  24,  1812,  and  regular  recitations  commenced 
on  the  1st  of  November  following.  Dr.  Backus  was  inaugurated  pres- 
ident December  3,  18 12,  in  the  Congregational  church  at  Clinton.  He 
died  after  four  years  of  service,  December  28,  1816     His  successor  was 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  269 

Rev.  Henry  Davis,  D.  D.,  an  alumnus  of  Yale  College.  He  had  been 
professor  of  languages  in  Union  College,  and  at  the  time  of  his  election 
here  was  president  of  Middlebury  College,  and  had  also  been  recently 
elected  president  of  Yale,  to  succeed  the  eminent  Timothy  Dvvight.  He 
deliberately  preferred  Hamilton  and  was  installed  as  president  in  the  fall 
of  1817  and  continued  in  his  office  sixteen  years.  He  died  at  Clinton 
March  7,  1852,  at  the  age  of  eighty- two  years.  He  was  succeeded  in 
the  presidency  of  the  college  by  Rev.  Sereno  E.  Dwight,  D.  D.,  a  son 
of  Timothy  Dwight,  who,  owing  to  ill  health,  resigned  after  two  years' 
service.  Rev.  Joseph  Penney,  D.  D.,  a  graduate  of  Dublin  University, 
was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1835  and  resigned  in  1839,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Simeon  North,  D.  D.,  then  professor  of  languages  in  the 
college.  During  Dr.  North's  term  of  office  of  eighteen  years,  the  affairs 
of  the  institution  prospered  greatly  At  the  time  of  his  inauguration 
the  treasury  was  almost  empty,  but  it  was  soon  replenished,  the  number 
of  students  increased,  new  buildings  were  erected  and  new  professor- 
ships created. 

President  North  was  succeeded  in  1858  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Ware 
Fisher,  D.  D.,  then  of  Cincinnati,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale.  He  was 
distinguished  as  an  eloquent  preacher,  and  he  continued  in  office  to  July, 
1866.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Oilman  Brown,  D.  D., 
LL.  D  ,  a  graduate  and  professor  of  Dartmouth  This  urbane  and 
scholarly  man  served  the  college  until  1881,  when  he  retired  to  a  res- 
idence in  Utica,  where  he  died  in  November,  1885.  During  his  admin- 
istration were  erected  the  president's  house,  and  the  new  Library  Hall. 
The  Rev.  Henry  Darling,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  became  president  in  1881  and 
died  in  office  in  April,  i89[.  Under  his  term  the  numbers  of  the  classes 
largely  increased.  North  College  and  the  Cabinet  were  rebuilt  and  en- 
larged, and  under  the  generosity  of  Horace  B.  Silliman,  LL  D.,  of 
Cohoes,  the  college  received  its  beautiful  and  complete  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
building. 

"Old  Middle"  was  remodeled  in  1891  into  a  noble  modern  gym- 
nasium. This  work  was  liberally  provided  for  by  Messrs.  Arthur  W. 
Soper,  M.  S.,  of  New  York,  and  Alexander  C.  Soper  ('6"/)  and  James 
P.  Soper,  of  Chicago,  as  a  memorial  of  their  father,  the  late  Albert 
Soper,  of  Chicago. 


270  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  second  story  of  the  building,  in  one  hall,  is  used  for  a  track- 
room  and  for  the  practice  cage  of  the  baseball  battery.  The  third  story, 
which  includes  under  its  truss  roof  the  former  fourth  story,  is  the  Gym- 
nasium proper.  The  building  is  lighted  with  gas,  well  warmed,  and 
thoroughly  equipped.  There  is  a  physical  director,  who  is  also  a  phy- 
sician, and  is  competent  to  prescribe  proper  exercises  for  each    student. 

As  a  memorial  of  the  late  John  Newton  Beach,  jr.,  sometime  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Class  of  '94,  a  beautiful  arbor  was  last  year  built  by  his 
father,  John  Newton  Beach  ('62)  of  Brooklyn.  It  is  a  most  attractive 
structure,  of  native  rough- hewn  limestone,  ceiled  with  Georgia  pine  in 
natural  finish,  and  cedar  shingled.  The  interior  walls,  window  seats, 
and  walls,  are  all  of  stone.  The  seats  are  of  oak  timber.  The  structure 
measures  20  by  18  feet  and  spans  the  walk,  at  the  head  of  "Sophomore 
Hill,"  and  about  five  rods  above  the  site  of  the  old  arbor,  commanding 
picturesque  glimpses  of  valley  and  hill. 

At  considerable  expense  the  Hamilton  College  waterworks  system 
has  just  been  installed,  providing  in  the  main  buildings  suitable  con- 
veniences and  with  the  utmost  sanitary  care.  The  Gymnasium  is  now 
furnished  with  adequate  bathing  facilities.  Help  against  fire  is  assured 
by  an  ample  two  and  a  half  inch  stream  of  eighty- five  pounds  pressure. 
Excellent  fire  apparatus  has  just  been  presented  by  John  M.  Butler, 
A.  M.  ('48)  of  Utica. 

The  site  of  the  college  is  exceptionally  fine  The  air  is  pure  and  dry, 
and  the  prespect  is  one  of  great  natural  charm. 

The  college  stands  upon  a  broad  plateau,  three  hundred  feet  above 
the  valley  and  nine  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  the  hills  rising  high  in 
the  background  to  still  wider  prospects.  It  faces  the  sunrise  and  over- 
looks the  beautiful  valleys  of  the  Oriskany  and  the  Mohawk,  and  the 
noble  ranges  of  hills  beyond. 

The  harmonious  landscape,  the  retired  elevation,  and  the  historic 
scene,  furnish  an  environment  of  ideal  fitness  for  the  training  of  large 
thought  and  high  purpose. 

The  campus  occupies  a  portion  of  the  original  government  grant  to 
Samuel  Kirkland,  which  lay  a  little  west  of  the  Line  of  Property,  fixed 
November  5,  1768,  by  treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix  between  Sir  William  John- 
son and  the  Six  Nations.     The  intersection  of  the  highway  (at  the  mid- 


iv  N^ 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  271 

die  of  "Freshmen  Hill  ")  by  this  treaty  line  is  marked  by  an  enchiseled 
stone  erected  by  the  Class  of  '87. 

An  examination  of  the  catalogue  of  1895  shows  the  names  of  seven- 
teen professors  in  actual  service.  The  departments  are  various  and 
thoroughly  equipped. 

The  new  Latin  scientific  course  allows  large  expansion  in  the  study 
of  the  laboratory  sciences.  The  Library  is  steadily  growing  under  an- 
nual appropriations  and  friendly  gifts  and  already  includes  34.000  vol- 
umes and  13,000  pamphlets  The  Litchfield  Observatory,  so  long 
under  the  directorship  of  the  late  Dr.  C.  H.  F.  Peters,  has  won  world- 
wide celebrity  for  the  college.  Forty- eight  asteroids  were  discovered 
here,  and  other  original  and  still  more  important  work  has  been  done. 

A  consultation  of  the  triennial  catalogue  will  show  the  line  of  distin- 
guished and  able  men  who  have  been  graduated  at  Mamilton,  or  who 
have  seived  in  its  faculty,  and  upon  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Its  classi- 
cal graduates  number  2,180.  Of  these  845  have  entered  the  ministry; 
530  the  law;  350  teaching,  113  medicine,  75  journalism.  The  gradu- 
ates have  always  been  in  demand  as  keen,  practical,  and  honorable 
men. 

The  present  freshman  class  ('99)  numbers  fifty-nine  men. 

The  president  is  Melancthon  Woolsey  Stryker,^  who  was  elected  in 
August,  1892,  succeeding  Professor  Edvyard  North,  who  was  appointed 
acting  president  April  20,  1891.  after  the  death  of  President  Darling. 
Professor  North,  since  his  election  in  1843,  ^^^s  given  instruction  in  the 
Greek  language  and  literature  to  fifty-two  successive  classes.  He  is 
widely  known  in  the  educational  world  and  is  a  member  of  a  large 
number  of  prominent  historical  and  scientific  societies. 

'  Melancthon  Woolsey  Stryker  was  born  at  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  Januarj'  7,  1851.  His 
father  was  Isaac  I'ierson  Stryker,  then  pastor  of  the  Vernon  Presbyterian  church;  his  mother, 
Alida  Livingston  Woolsey,  daughter  of  Com.  Mel.  T.  Woolsey,  U.  S.  N.,  and  granddaughter  of 
Mel.  Lloyd  Woolsey,  an  officer  in  the  Continental  army.  He  was  the  second  child  of  seven  and 
the  eldest  son.  He  prepared  for  college  at  the  Rome  Academy,  and  entered  Hamilton  with  the 
Class  of  'TO  in  July,  1800.  He  graduated  in  187:2,  and  from  Auburn  Theological  Seminary  in  1876. 
Ordained  by  Presbytery  of  Cayuga  May,  1870,  as  pastor  of  Calvary  church.  Auburn  ('70-'78),  pas- 
tor at  Ithaca  1878-1883;  at  Holyoke,  Mass.,  1883-8.5;  and  of  Fourth  church,  Chicago,  Ills.,  188.5-1892. 
Called  to  be  the  ninth  president  of  Hamilton  College,  August,  1892,  entering  upon  his  duties  in 
November,  and  inaugurated  January,  1893.  He  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  from  both  Hamilton 
and  Lafayette  in  1889,  and  LL.  D.  from  Lafayette  in  1892.  He  is  the  editor  of  various  hymn  books 
— chiefly  of  Church   Song  (189(0.     He  has  published   two   volumes  of  verse,  Miriam   (1888),  and 


272  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hamilton  has  never  been  wealthy  and  is  not  now,  but  it  may  well 
be  questioned  whether  for  the  size  of  the  investment — the  "  plant  " — 
any  other  college  has  rivaled  the  quality  of  its  product.  Its  roots 
strike  deep  into  the  history  of  Oneida  county  and  the  State  of  New 
York.  The  whole  central  region  of  the  State  is  rightly  proud  of  this 
venerable,  persistent  and  thorough  school.  The  roll  of  its  statesmen, 
publicists,  orators,  financiers,  editors,  authors,  pastors  and  professors  is 
long  and  lengthening. 

Clinton  Graunnar  School.— In  1813.  one  year  after  the  Hamilton 
Oneida  Academy  had  been  made  a  college,  the  friends  of  education  in 
Clinton  made  an  effort  to  raise  $3,000  with  which  to  erect  a  new  acad- 
emy. This  effort  failed,  but  in  18 1 5  a  stock  company  was  organized, 
the  members  of  which  were  to  own  the  proposed  academy  property  and 
receive  whatever  dividends  might  accrue  from  the  rent  of  buildings  and 
^rounds.  When  the  necessary  amount  had  been  subscribed  the  build- 
ing was  erected,  40  by  26  feet  in  size  and  two  stories  high,  on  a  site 
given  by  David  Comstock  in  exchange  for  four  shares  of  stock.  The 
building  was  of  brick  and  in  later  years  was  considerably  improved. 

In  1858  Prof.  Benjamin  W.  Dwight  opened  Dwight's  Rural  High 
School,  and  which  was  conducted  by  him  with  great  success  until  1863. 
when  he  retired  from  its  management  to  devote  himself  to  literary  work. 
Under  his  charge  the  Rural  High  school  enjoyed  a  reputation  second  to 
none  in  the  State.  His  father,  Dr.  Benjamin  \Voolse\-  Dwight,  was 
treasurer  of  Hamilton   College  for  nineteen   years   until   his  death.  May 

18,  1850. 

After  Hamilton  Oneida  Academy  was  closed,  and  before  Hamilton 
CoUecfe  was  opened,  a  classical  school  was  taught  b)'  Rev.  Comfort 
Williams,  assisted  by  Moses  Bristol,  in  the  second  story  of  the  building 
since  occupied  by  Judge  Williams  as  a  law  office,  and  was  moved  the 
following  year  to  a  building  on  College  street,  and  taught  by  William 
Groves.  The  next  year  it  was  reopened  in  its  original  place,  and  taught 
by  George  Bristol.      Among  the  pupils  of  this  year  were  Mark  Hopkins 

Lattermath  (lS!t,5);  also  Essay  on  the  Dies  Ir,.c,  with  versions  (1892);  the  Letter  of  James  the  Just 
(181)5),  Hamilton,  Lincoln  and  other  Addresses  (ISlMi),  and  numerous  articles,  and  sermons.  He 
married,  September,  187(5.  li^li/.abeth,  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Simon  S.  Goss,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  are  Goss  Livingston,  .Mida.  Kdlierl  MiHurney  (burn  and  died  IHNi), 
Lloyd  Paul,  and  Evelyn. 


BENJAMIN  W.  DWIGHT. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  273 

(since  president  of  Williams  College),  Charles  Avery  and  Horace  Bogue. 
In  the  fall  of  i8i6  Rev.  Joel  Bradley  assumed  charge  of  the  school,  in 
the  new  brick  building  on  the  "  Flats."  He  was  succeeded  in  a  year  or 
two  by  Rev.  William  R.  Weeks, 

The  female  department  of  this  school  was  probably  organized  in  1817, 
with  Mary  Hayes  as  the  first  teacher.  In  the  fall  of  1820  Mr.  Weeks 
resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Clark  Avery,  who  in  September,  1822, 
was  followed  by  Orlando  Kirtland.  In  1825  Isaac  Wilmarth  accepted 
the  post  and  was  succeeded  about  a  year  later  by  Joseph  S.  Bosworth, 
who  continued  two  years.  In  1828  the  school  was  placed  under  the 
care  of  the  Board  of  Regents.  The  principals  succeeding  Mr.  Bosworth 
have  been : 

Noah  Cushman,  Leicester  A.  Sawyer,  Salmon  Strong,  John  C.  Underwood  (late 
United  States  district  judge  for  Eastern  Virginia),  Mr.  Hickok,  Joseph  W.  Hubbard, 
Henry  Kendall  (since  a  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
church),  Erastus  C.  Williams,  Edward  S.  Lacey,  Edward  North  (now  of  Hamilton 
College),  Edward  P.  Powell,  Henry  P.  Bristol,  Gilbert  Wilcoxen,  Ambrose  P.  Kelsey, 
and  Rev.  Isaac  O.  Best. 

In  1866  the  grammar  school  and  the  high  school  were  incorporated 
together,  the  high  school  building  having  been  burned.  This  school 
had  formerly  been  known  as  the  Rural  High  School,  and  later  it  be- 
came the  Clinton  Military  Academy. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  1875,  the  institution  was  opened  as  a 
boarding  and  day  school  for  boys  under  the  old  charter  name  of  Clin- 
ton Grammar  School,  and  continued  its  prosperous  existence.  It 
was  conducted  from  1878  to  1890  by  I.  P.  Best  and  then  closed.  The 
building  is  now  occupied  for  business  purposes. 

Whitcstozvn  Seminary. — In  1827  an  educational  institution  was 
founded  at  Whitestown  which  was  at  the  first  called  the  Oneida  Acad- 
emy, and  afterwards  the  Oneida  Institute  ;  it  was  established  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Oneida  Presbytery.  A  farm  was  connected  with  it  on 
which  the  students  were  required  to  do  manual  labor.  Among  the 
stockholders  in  this  school,  and  the  donors  for  its  benefit,  are  found  the 
names  of  many  of  the  prominent  early  citizens  of  this  vicinity.  The 
first  instructors  were  George  W.  Gale  and  Pelatiah  Rawson.  Twenty- 
seven  students  were  instructed  the  first  year,  and  forty  acres  of  land 
were  cultivated  and   good  crops  produced.     The  institution  prospered 

35 


274  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  in  1834  had  about  140  students.  At  this  time  Rev.  Beriah  Green 
was  called  to  the  presidency  of  the  institute  and  was  an  enthusiastic 
worker  ;  but  ere  long  during  the  anti-slavery  agitation  which  prevailed 
here,  he  denounced  the  Oneida  Presbytery  as  guilty  of  the  crime  of 
slave-holding  and  with  three  others  withdrew  from  that  body  and 
formed  the  Whitesboro  Association;  a  new  Congregational  church  was 
organized  under  a  creed  to  suit  Green,  and  a  wide  gulf  of  alienation 
opened  between  the  Oneida  Institute  and  its  original  patrons.  A 
remedy  for  this  state  of  affairs  was  at  hand.  In  1841  the  Free  Will 
Baptists  opened  a  denominational  school  in  Clinton,  called  the  Clinton 
Seminary.  It  was  a  prosperous  institution  and  when  it  finally  needed 
more  commodious  quarters  it  removed  to  the  buildings  of  the  Oneida 
Institute  and  placed  itself  under  the  care  of  the  Regents  ofthe  University. 
The  change  was  made  in  1844,  and  in  1845  a  new  charter  was  issued  to 
the  school  under  the  name  of  the  Whitestown  Seminary.  Prosperity 
followed,  the  attendance  rising  from  173  in  1844  to  317  in  1854,  and 
during  the  second  decade  increased  to  522. 

In  addition  to  the  amount  paid  at  the  original  purchase,  a  subscrip- 
tion of  $25,000  was  raised  in  i860  and  the  subsequent  years  for  mate- 
rial improvement,  and  it  is  estimated  that  the  entire  amount  expended 
for  such  purchases,  including  the  generous  gift  of  William  D.  Walcott, 
esq.,  for  the  erection  of  Walcott  Hall,  is  more  than  $50,000 

Among  the  principals  of  the  seminary  appears  the  name  of  Rev. 
Daniel  S.  Heffron,  A.  M.,  who  was  in  charge  in  1845  ^"<^  '846,  and  a 
member  of  the  Faculty  from  1841  to  1848.  He  was  also  a  niember  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  from  1843  to  1869;  eight  years  the  clerk  and 
fifteen  years  the  presiding  officer  of  the  board.  He  was  for  several 
years  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  the  city  of  Utica. 

Samuel  Farnham,  A.  M.,  was  principal  from  1846  to  1853.  Pro- 
fessor James  S.  Gardner  was  in  1848  a  senior  in  college,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  teacher  in  Whitestown  Seminary.  His  connection  with 
the  institution  extended  through  a  long  term  of  years,  and  his  name  has 
become  an  honored  one,  both  as  a  teacher  and  socially. 

This  seminary  continued  prosperous  until  recent  years,  when  the 
establishment  of  a  higher  class  of  union  and  graded  schools  caused  its 
decline. 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  '275 

Clinton  Liberal  Institnte. — A  careful  history  of  this  institution  was 
prepared  by  Rev.  S.  P.  Landers  for  Gridley's  History  of  CHnton,  from 
which  the  following  is  condensed  : 

The  ministers  and  delegates  from  the  several  associations  comprising 
the  Universalist  Convention  of  the  State  of  New  York  met  at  Clinton 
May  II,  183 1.  There  a  committee  consisting  of  Rev.  Stephen  R. 
Smith,  D.  Skinner  and  A.  B.  Grosh,  was  appointed  to  fully  consider 
and  report  on  the  subject  of  "  establishing  a  literary  institution  in  this 
State  not  only  for  the  purposes  of  science  and  literature,  but  with  a 
particular  view  of  furnishing  with  an  education  young  men  designing 
to  study  for  the  ministry  of  universal  reconciliation." 

On  the  1st  of  June  following  the  central  association  met  at  Cedar- 
ville,  Herkimer  county,  when  the  subject  was  brought  forward  and 
resolutions  adopted  : 

1.  Approving  the  recommendation  of  the  State  Convention  respecting  a  literary 
institution. 

2.  That  it  be  located  at  Clinton. 

3.  That  a  Board  of  Trust  be  appointed. 

4.  Contains  the  number  and  names  of  said  board. 

5.  That  Joseph  Stebbins  and  John  W.  Hale,  of  Clinton,  David  Pixley,  of  Man- 
chester, Timothy  Smith,  of  Augusta,  and  Ezra  S.  Barnum,  of  Utica,  constitute  an 
executive  committe  with  usual  powers. 

G.  That  Joseph  Stebbins  be  treasurer. 

7.  That  sister  associations  be  solicited  to  unite  with  us  in  promoting  the  objects 
herein  contemplated. 

Numerous  associations  throughout  the  State  responded  to  the  acts 
of  the  State  convention,  pledging  themselves  to  aid  in  every  practicable 
way  the  project  of  establishing  such  a  school  at  Clinton.  One  of  the 
principal  causes  of  this  effort  to  found  a  school  on  liberal  principles  in 
theology  was  (what  seemed  to  be)  the  sectarian  character  and  the  prose- 
lyting influences  on  students  made  in  the  various  academies  and  col- 
leges of  our  country. 

The  first  report  of  the  executive  committee,  dated  Clinton,  Aug.  20, 
1 83  I,  in  explaining  to  the  public  the  object  of  the  contemplated  sem- 
inary, says,  among  other  things,  that  "  it  is  not  to  be  sectarian.  On 
the  contrary,  while  it  is  deemed  all  important  that  the  young  mind 
should  be  strongly  impressed  with  the  pure  morality  of  the  gospel,  we 
wish  to  leave  the  responsibility  of  indoctrination  to  the  natural  guard- 
ians of  youth." 


276  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  preliminary  school  for  males  was  opened  November  7,  183 1,  on 
College  street,  which  was  taught  by  George  R.  Perkins,  afterwards  of 
Utica.  The  female  department  was  commenced  November  21,  1831, 
in  a  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  Green,  and  was  taught  by  Miss  Burr; 
in  the  following  May  it  was  opened  in  the  new  building  erected  for  it 
by  Miss  Philena  Dean.  The  stone  structure  for  the  male  department 
was  built  in  1832. 

The  honor  of  founding  this  institution  is  given  largely  to  Rev. 
Stephen  R.  Smith,  who  was  many  years  a  preacher  in  Clinton.  Joseph 
Stebbins  made  the  largest  of  the  first  subscriptions  and  otherwise  aided 
Mr.  Smith.  At  the  opening  of  the  school  in  the  stone  building,  De- 
cember 10,  1832,  the  faculty  were  Rev.  C.  B.  Thummel,  principal  and 
professor  of  languages  ;  George  R.  Perkins,  professor  of  mathematics  ; 
E.  W.  Manley,  assistant.  In  the  first  year  108  pupils  attended.  The 
institution  was  chartered  in  1834  and  in  1836  passed  under  care  of  the 
Regents  of  the  University.  Mr.  Thummel  was  succeeded  in  1838  by 
Rev.  Timothy  Clowes,  LL.D.,  and  Miss  Meech,  then  preceptress,  by 
Miss  L.  M.  Barker.  Rev.  J.  T.  Sawyer  was  made  principal  of  the  female 
department  in  1845,  ^"d  held  the  position  about  fifteen  }'ears.  The 
building  erected  for  the  female  department  was  made  possible  largely 
by  his  efforts. 

Owing  to  the  belief  that  the  school  could  be  more  economically  con- 
ducted, and  other  causes,  the  institute  was  removed  to  Fort  Plain,  N. 
Y.,  in  1879.  The  buildings  were  occupied  several  years  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Owens,  rector  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  a  school  called  "  Richland 
Hall."     Since  then  they  have  been  given  up  to  other  purposes. 

Houghton  Seminary  (Clinton). — In  the  year  1854  Miss  Louisa  M. 
Barker  (before  mentioned  as  at  the  head  of  the  female  department  of 
the  Liberal  Institute)  established  the  Home  Cottage  Seminary,  in  a 
building  standing  on  an  eminence  south  of  Clinton  village.  She  effi- 
ciently conducted  the  institution  until  1861,  when  she  sold  it  to  Dr.  J. 
C.  Gallup.  He  changed  the  name  of  the  school  to  Houghton  Seminary, 
in  honor  of  his  wife,  Mrs.  Marilla  Houghton  Gallup,  the  associate  princi- 
pal. The  grounds,  originally  comprising  eight  acres,  were  later  en- 
larged to  twenty  and  the  school  buildings  and  other  facilities  improved- 
In  1880  the  seminary  passed  into  the  hands   of  A.  G.  Benedict,  A.  M., 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  277 

a  man  who  is  thoroughly  equipped  for  his  position.  The  school  is  pros- 
perous and  worthy  of  support. 

Cottage  Seminary  (Clinton). — After  retiring  from  the  Home  Cottage 
Seminary,  Miss  Barker  opened  this  institution  as  a  family  or  boarding 
school  in  1861  with  accommodations  for  fourteen  boarders.  She  died 
while  conducting  this  school  and  it  passed  to  Miss  Annie  Chipman,  who 
had  long  been  the  associate  of  Miss  Barker.  This  school  has  always 
maintained  a  standard  of  excellence  that  places  it  among  the  best  of  the 
kind  in  the  State.  It  is  beautifully  situated,  splendidly  equipped,  and 
conducted  on  a  plan  that  renders  it  an  ideal  home,  morally  and  relig- 
iously, for  young  girls  seeking  an  education.  Subjects  for  study  have 
been  so  chosen  and  arranged  that  those  whose  school  days  are  com- 
paratively limited,  will  secure  most  valuable  helps  for  the  demands  of 
practical  life  without  further  study,  while  others,  who  are  to  go  to  the 
college  or  the  university,  will  find  here  exactly  what  they  need  in  prep- 
aration, the  certificate  of  this  seminary  securing  admission  to  Wellesley, 
Smith  and  other  similar  institutions  without  examinations.  For  the  past 
ten  years  or  more  the  seminary  has  been  conducted  by  Rev.  Chester 
W.  Hawley,  assisted  by  a  competent  corps  of  instructors  in  each  de- 
partment. Its  principal  is  himself  a  man  of  thorough  education  and 
experience  and  well  qualified  for  his  responsible  position. 

Young  Ladies'  Domestic  Seminary  (Clinton). — In  1832  Rev.  Hiram 
H.  Kellogg  founded  an  institution  with  this  name,  in  which  he  proposed 
giving  young  ladies  who  desired  it,  certain  kinds  of  labor  to  perform, 
by  which  the  cost  of  their  education  might  be  reduced.  He  erected  and 
furnished  a  building  and  opened  his  school  in  the  spring  of  1833.  The 
school  was  full  from  the  first  and  the  building  had  to  be  materially  en- 
larged in  the  first  year  to  accommodate  the  demand  upon  it.  The  full 
amount  charged  for  board  and  tuition  never  exceeded  $120  a  year,  and 
the  school  was  patronized  by  many  wealthy  families,  as  well  as  by  those 
who  gladly  availed  themselves  of  its  economical  features.  In  1841,  Mr. 
Kellogg  having  been  elected  president  of  Knox  College,  in  Illinois,  sold 
his  seminary  to  an  association  of  Free  Will  Baptists  (see  foregoing  his- 
tory of  Whitestown  Seminary).  The  Baptists  continued  the  school  for 
three  years  on  a  different  plan,  after  which  it  was  conducted  for  a  time 
by  Pelatiah  Rawson  as  a  private  school,  and  then  closed.      Mr.  Kellogg 


278  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

returned  to  Clinton,  when   the  property  came  back   in    his   hands,  and 
made  some  effort  to  revive  the  school,  but  in    1850   permanently  aban 
doned  it. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  CITY  OF  UTICA. 

The  site  of  the  city  of  Utica  is  a  part  of  Cosby's  Manor  which  is  fully 
described  in  Chapter  X.  The  original  settlement  on  the  site  took  the 
name  of  Old  Fort  Schuyler  from  the  militar}'  work  which  was  con- 
structed there  during  the  French  and  Indian  war.  It  was  designed  to 
guard  the  fording  place  of  the  Mohawk  and  was  situated  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  stream  a  short  distance  southeast  of  the  present  intersection 
of  Second  street  and  the  Central  railroad  ;  it  was  an  earth  embankment 
surrounded  with  palisades.  The  topography  of  the  region  around  the 
site  of  Utica  ;  the  intersection  there  of  the  old  Indian  path  from  Oneida 
Castle  with  the  path  along  the  river  side  leading  to  the  portage  at 
Rome  ;  the  fording  place  of  the  Mohawk,  and  its  convenience  of  access 
from  the  outlying  settlements  in  the  region,  all  contributed  to  make  the 
locality  an  attractive  one  to  pioneers.  Hence,  in  spite  of  the  absence 
of  water  power,  of  valuable  stone  to  quarry,  of  rich  minerals,  and  with 
a  wet  marshy  soil  along  the  river,  settlers  early  chose  the  vicinity  of 
the  old  fort  as  a  site  for  a  village  They  could  not  then  foresee  its  later 
importance.  Fort  Stanwix  (Rome),  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Mohawk,  and  also  Whitesboro,  for  some  years  had  brighter  prospects 
than  Utica,  and  carried  on  a  larger  business  in  river  transportation  ;  and 
probably  the  settlers  expected,  at  the  most,  to  only  make  it  a  good 
landing  place  whence  goods  could  be  easily  transported  to  other  near- 
by points. 

In  the  year  1786  Cosby's  Manor  was  surveyed  by  John  R.,  son  of 
Rutger  Bleecker,  and  a  map  was  made  on  which  appear  two  houses 
near  the  ford,  on  what  is  now  the  east  side  of  Genesee  street,  and  one 
on  the  west  side.      Some  improvement  had  been   made  a  little  farther 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  279 

westward  and  also  near  the  present  eastern  limits  of  the  city ;  otherwise 
the  region  was  covered  with  an  unbroken  forest.  The  occupants  of  the 
two  houses  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  were  John  Cunningham  and 
George  Damuth,  and  on  the  west  side  lived  Jacob  Christian.  To  these 
was  added,  by  1788,  Hendrich  Salyea.  The  settler  towards  the  west 
was  named  McNamee  (of  whom  very  little  is  known),  and  the  clearings 
to  the  eastward  were  designated  as  those  of  McNamee  and  Abraham 
Boom.  Damuth  had  leased  from  Rutger  Bleecker  273^  acres  on  lot 
94,  for  twenty-one  years,  at  one  shilling  an  acre  yearly,  the  first  pay- 
ment to  be  made  July  28,  1793.  Damuth  assigned  his  lease  and  prob- 
ably died  before  1790,  and  Cunningham  sold  his  lease  and  improve- 
ments to  John  Post  before  1793.  Abraham  Boom  in  1790  obtained 
from  Gen  Philip  Schuyler  a  life  lease  of  the  land  on  which  he  had  set- 
tled, and  after  the  death  of  his  son  William  disposed  of  it  to  the  Christ- 
mans.  Hendrich  Salyea,  who  had  a  lease  from  Bleecker  on  lot  93,  of 
the  same  date  as  Damuth's,  sold  to  John  Post  September  18,  1789,  and 
improvements  made  by  him  on  a  strip  adjacent  to  the  other  tract  he 
sold  to  Peter  Smith  for  five  pounds  on  March  15,  1790.  He  then 
"  squatted  "  on  lot  90  in  a  log  house  on  the  north  side  of  the  present 
Broad  street,  and  in  the  same  year  sold  out  to  Matthew  Hubbell. 

Settlers  who  arrived  in  1788  were  Maj.  John  Bellinger  who  came  in 
March  through  four  feet  of  snow.  He  and  two  others  of  his  family 
were  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany.  He  built  a  temporary  hut  at  what  is 
now  the  corner  of  VVhitesboro  and  Washington  streets  and  lived  in  it 
four  months.  This  was  succeeded  by  a  small  frame  house,  and  later  he 
built  a  large  one  nearly  opposite  in  which  he  entertained  travelers  until 
his  death  in  181  5.  According  to  Jones's  Annals  there  were  at  this  time 
living  there  Philip  Morey  and  his  sons,  Solomon,  Richard  and  Sylvanus, 
as  squatters  on  lot  97,  and  Francis  Foster  on  lot  96. 

In  1788  Uriah  Alverson  settled  at  what  is  now  West  Utica,  with  his 
son  William,  then  nineteen  years  old  ;  and  probably  in  the  same  year 
came  that  remarkable  man,  Peter  Smith,  father  of  Gerrit  Smith.  He 
had  been  in  mercantile  trade  below  Little  Falls  and  was  still  a  minor 
when  he  settled  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  There  he  built  a  log  store 
which  stood  on  or  near  the  site  of  Bagg's  Hotel.  He  soon  built  another 
near  the  lower  end  of  Main  street,  and  later  erected  a  two-story  dwell- 


280  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ing,  corner  of  Main  and  Third  streets.  His  later  residence  was  on 
Broad  street,  beyond  the  gulf,  attached  to  which  was  a  large  farm,  and 
there  his  son  Gerrit  was  born.  Peter  Smith  removed  to  Peterboro  in 
1806. 

In  the  spring  of  1790  John  Post  and  his  family  came  up  the  river  by 
boat  from  Schenectady  and  made  the  purchases  before  mentioned.  A 
traveler  passing  through  in  the  previous  summer  noted  that  Post  was 
then  finishing  his  house.  This  was  probably  the  first  frame  house  built 
in  Oneida  county.  It  stood  on  the  west  side  of  what  is  now  Genesee 
street,  near  Whitesboro  street.  When  his  house  was  finished  he  opened 
a  store  in  it,  entertaining  travelers  at  the  same  time.  In  179 1  he  built 
a  separate  store  near  his  house.  As  his  trade  extended  he  abandoned 
tavern  keeping  and  became  a  prominent  merchant  and  shipper,  running 
several  of  the  flat  boats  so  largely  used  on  the  river.  He  also  ran  three 
"  stage  boats,"  chiefly  for  passengers,  having  oil-cloth  covers  and  seats. 
On  July  13,  1792,  he  purchased  89^  acres  which  included  what  is  now 
the  heart  of  the  city. 

In  1790  there  came  to  the  settlement  Capt.  Stephen  Potter,  a  veteran 
officer  of  the  Revolution,  and  his  son-in  law,  Benjamin  Plant.  Matthew 
Hubbell  also  came  in  1790  and  bought  out  Salyea,  as  before  stated,  for 
which  he  paid  at  the  rate  of  $2.50  an  acre.  Benjamin  Ballou  settled 
here  in  1790,  with  his  family  of  grown  children  ;  he  had  a  lease  in  1797 
of  126  acres  on  lot  92. 

In  July,  1 79 1,  Thomas  and  Augustus  Corey  purchased  200  acres  on 
lot  95  and  resided  early  on  the  site  of  the  brick  house  now  standing  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Whitesboro  and  Hotel  streets.  In  1795  they 
sold  out  and  left  the  place.  Peter  Bellinger  purchased  in  that  year  150 
acres  on  lot  89  in  the  gulf  and  there  lived  until  his  death. 

In  1792  Joseph  Ballou,  brother  of  Benjamin,  from  E.xeter,  R.  I., 
came  with  his  wife,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  via  the  Sound  and  the 
Hudson  and  up  the  Mohawk.  He  settled  on  lot  94  (the  George 
Damuth  lot  before  mentioned).  In  the  summer  of  that  year  (1792) 
steps  were  taken  to  build  a  build  a  bridge  across  the  Mohawk,  through 
a  petition  to  the  Legislature  dated  October  24,  and  signed  by  eighty- 
three  persons.  Of  these  twenty-one  are  known  to  have  been  residents 
of  Old   Fort  Schuyler,  or  near  by.      The  bridge  was  raised  the  sum- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  281 

mer  preceding  on  a  Sunday,  so  the  settlers  would  be  at  leisure  to  assist. 

In  1793  Gurdon  Burchard,  a  harnessmaker,  came  with  his  wife  from 
Norwich,  Conn.,  and  occupied  a  lot  on  Whitesboro  street.  In  18 10  he 
gave  up  his  trade  and  opened  a  tavern  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  Dudley 
House. 

The  year  1794  saw  considerable  increase  in  the  settlement.  Prom- 
inent among  the  newcomers  was  James  S.  Kip,  long  a  conspicuous 
member  of  society,  who  bought  of  the  Bradstreet  executors  lot  96, 
of  about  400  acres,  embracing  what  is  now  a  very  valuable  part  of  the 
the  city.  He  settled,  however,  on  a  leased  farm  on  lot  93,  including  the 
site  of  the  fort,  where  he  built  a  store  near  the  eastern  end  of  Main 
street,  made  a  landing  near  the  mouth  of  Ballou's  Creek,  built  a  pot- 
ashery,  etc. 

Joseph  Pierce,  father  of  Joseph,  jr.,  John  and  Parley,  lived  in  1794 
on  a  part  of  Mr.  Kip's  first  purchase ;  he  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
and  in  18 10  built  the  covered  bridge  over  the  river  which  succeeded  the 
two  earlier  ones.  He  afterward  lived  in  Deerfield.  Other  settlers  of 
that  year  were  Thomas  Norton,  who  had  been  a  sea  captain ;  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Carrington,  who  carried  on  a  drug  business  and  was  made  postmas- 
ter in  1799  ;  Stephen  Ford,  a  merchant  who  failed  and  left  the  place  ; 
Aaron  Eggleston,  a  cooper ;  John  Hobby,  a  blacksmith,  brother  of 
Epenetus  and  Elkanah ;  Thomas  Jones,  another  blacksmith,  and  Simon 
Jones,  still  another.  Moses  Bagg,  of  Westfield,  Mass.,  who  obtained 
four  acres  of  Joseph  Ballou,  and  began  blacksmithing  on  Main  street  a 
little  east  of  the  corner  of  the  square ;  his  house,  or  shanty,  stood  on 
the  corner  and  small  as  it  was,  he  opened  it  to  entertain  travelers. 
Soon  afterward  he  erected  a  two- story  frame  building  on  the  same  site. 
John  House  came  and  opened  a  public  house  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Genesee  street  and  the  public  square.  Jason  Parker  came  in  1794 
and  began  his  long  career  by  serving  as  postrider  from  Whitestown  to 
Canajoharie  ;  in  the  following  year  he  began  running  a  stage  from 
Albany  to  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  During  the  remainder  of  his  long  life 
Mr.  Parker,  alone  or  with  others,  carried  on  a  very  extensive  trans- 
portation business,  as  recorded  in  another  chapter.  Apollos  Cooper, 
who    in    1794  built   the    rear   part    of  the   house   on  Whitesboro  street 

where  he  passed  his  life,  bought,  April  11,  1795,  1 17  acres  of  great   lot 
36 


282  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

96.  William  Inman,  an  Englishman,  obtained  in  1793  of  Rutger 
Bleecker  two  leases  of  lands  on  lot  104.  in  all  103  acres,  and  soon 
after  made  his  home  on  the  north  side  of  Whitesboro  road.  He  was 
foremost  in  founding  Trinity  church  and  was  father  of  Henry  Inman, 
the  distinguished  painter,  and  of  William  and  John. 

Watts  Sherman  is  recorded  as  a  carpenter  in  1795,  but  later  he  be- 
came a  leading  merchant.  Dr.  Alexander  Coventry,  a  Scotchman 
who  came  to  America  in  1785,  settled  first  as  a  farmer  and  physi- 
cian at  Hudson,  N.Y  ,  and  later  lived  in  Romulus,  Seneca  county,  came 
to  Old  Fort  Schuyler  in  1796.  He  engaged  with  John  Post  in  mer- 
cantile business,  but  soon  gave  it  up  for  his  profession,  at  the  same 
time  following  farming  and  fruit-growing.  He  was  a  good  physician 
and  a  prominent  citizen  ;  he  died  December  9,  1831.  Talcott  Camp, 
a  merchant,  came  in  the  fall  of  1796.  bringing  goods;  returned  east, 
and  in  the  next  spring  brought  his  family.  At  this  time  F'ellows  & 
Clark  (William  Fellows,  Silas  Clark)  were  extensive  merchants  for  that 
time,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Whitesboro  road ;  Nathan  Williams 
and  Erastus  Clark,  the  earliest  lawyers,  were  established  in  their  busi- 
ness, and  Francis  A.  Bloodgood  delivered  the  4th  of  July  address  in 
1797,  and  afterwards  became  distinguished. 

Col.  Benjamin  Walker,  born  in  England  in  1753,  came  to  New  York 
while  young  and  warmly  espoused  the  American  cause  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  became  an  intimate  friend  and  sort  of  secretary  for  Baron 
Steuben,  and  was  prominent  in  the  founding  of  Trinity  church,  and 
built  for  himself  a  mansion  at  the  eastern  end  of  Broad  street.  He 
died  January  13,  181 8. 

Bryan  Johnson,  another  Englishman,  settled  here  in  1797,  beginning 
as  a  merchant  on  the  Whitesboro  road.  He  soon  commanded  a  large 
trade  and  later  his  son,  A.  B.  Johnson,  came  over  and  joined  him  in 
business.  The  father  retired  in  1809,  soon  after  his  son  attained  his 
majority. 

Maj.  Benjamin  Hinman,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  a  Revolutionary 
soldier  and  officer,  settled  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler  in  1797  or  1798,  kept 
a  public  house  a  few  years  in  Deerfield  and  finally  resided  on  Main 
street.  Rev.  John  Hammond  was  living  here  in  1797  on  the  square  a 
little  below  Bagg's  tavern.     He  preached  at  various  places  in  the  vicinity. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  283 

Samuel  Hinman  was  a  carpenter  from  Barre,  Mass.,  and  later  from 
Albany,  settled  here  with  his  son  John,  built  a  brick  hotel  on  Whites- 
boro  street  for  the  Holland  Land  Company,  which  was  finished  in  1799, 
and  made  plans  for  and  built  Trinity  church.  Richard  Kimball  bought, 
January  2,  1797,  seventy  acres  on  lot  96,  of  Jedediah  Sanger.  It  lay 
on  the  eastern  side  of  Genesee  hill  and  was  occupied  as  a  farm  by  Mr. 
Kimball  until  1804. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  when  the  settlement  was  to  have  a  regular 
village  organization  and  the  name  that  it  has  since  borne.  It  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  the  inhabitants  gathered  at  Bagg's  tavern  where  the  subject  of 
a  name  was  discussed,  and  after  a  number  had  been  proposed  it  was 
agreed  to  write  several  on  slips  of  paper  from  which  the  first  one  drawn 
should  be  adopted.  Thirteen  were  according  written  and  the  first  slip 
drawn  bore  the  name  of  Utica,  which  was  the  choice  of  Erastus  Clark. 
The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  April  3,  1798.  The  records  of  the 
corporation  for  the  first  seven  years  are  lost,  having  been  burned  in  the 
fire  of  December  7,  1848  ;  a  like  fate  also  befel  the  early  records  of 
Whitestown.  It  is  known  that  Francis  A.  Bloodgood  was  treasurer  in 
1800  and  1 80 1,  and  Talcott  Camp  in  1802  ;  also  that  the  first  free- 
holders' meeting  under  the  charter  of  1805,  the  trustees  were  present, 
but  who  they  were  cannot  be  told.  There  was  a  fire  company  in  1804, 
who  were  thanked  by  the  trustees  for  their  efforts  at  the  fire  in  February 
which  burned  Post  &  Hamlin's  store. 

The  founding  of  the  first  newspaper  in  the  village  took  place  in  1798, 
when  the  Whitestown  Gazette,  established  four  years  earlier  at  New 
Hartford  by  William  McLean,  was  removed  by  him  and  the  name 
changed  to  the  Whitestown  Gazette  and  Cato's  Patrol.  In  1803  he  sold 
out  to  two  of  his  apprentices,  Messrs.  Seward  and  W^illiams  and  went 
back  to  New  Hartford.  In  this  paper  John  C.  Hoyt  announced  in 
November,  1798,  that  he  had  begun  business  as  a  "  taylor,  opposite 
Bagg's  Inn.  Utica."  In  1798,  also,  Thomas  Skinner  and  Nathan  Will- 
iams were  in  the  village  and  soon  afterward  were  partners  as  attorneys. 

In  relation  to  the  holding  of  large  tracts  of  land  on  the  site  of  the 
village  by  non-residents,  who  would  lease  but  would  not  sell,  and  the 
obstacle  to  rapid  settlement  thus  presented,  Dr.  Bagg  in  his  history  of 
Utica,  quotes  an  early  resident  as  follows  : 


284  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  inhabitants  always  entertained  a  very  hopeful  opinion  of  their  village,  and 
real  estate  was  in  more  request  and  at  higher  prices  than  in  the  surrounding  villages. 
This  was  much  induced  by  the  withholding  from  sale  of  the  Bleecker  estate,  which 
covered  a  large  part  of  Utica. 

On  November  2,  1795,  Thomas  and  Augustus  Corey  sold  to  the 
Holland  Land  Company  200  acres  on  lot  95,  a  part  of  which  was  after- 
wards commonly  known  as  the  hotel  lot.  Within  the  next  two  or  three 
years  the  company  built  thereon  a  large  brick  hotel,  to  which  allusion 
has  been  made.  It  was  not  only  the  first  brick  house  in  the  village, 
but  the  first  of  its  size  in  the  county  and  probably  in  the  State  west  of 
Albany.  Its  site  was  on  Whitesboro  street,  in  a  swampy  place.  The 
building  was  a  square  three- story  structure,  with  a  four-sided  roof,  and 
is  still  standing.  It  was  opened  December  2,  1799,  by  Philip  J. 
Schwartze.  Soon  afterward  Hotel  street  was  opened  southward  from 
the  hotel. 

By  this  time  the  rapid  settlement  of  the  "  Genesee  country"  and  the 
Military  Tract  was  attracting  westward  throngs  of  pioneers,  most  of 
whom  passed  through  Utica.     In  the  Annals  of  Albany  it  is  stated  : 

In  the  winter  of  1795  1,200  sleighs  loaded  with  furniture  and  with  men,  women, 
and  children  passed  through  Albany  in  three  days,  and  500  were  counted  between 
sunrise  and  sunset  of  February  28th  of  that  year.  All  of  them  were  moving  west- 
ward. 

The  taverns  in  the  village  were  numerous  in  proportion  to  the  num- 
ber of  inhabitants,  and  they  were  well  patronized.  The  settlement  was 
still  chiefly  confined  to  a  single  street  (Main),  the  western  end  of  which 
was  called  the  Whitesboro  road.  A  few  settlers  were  located  on  the 
lower  end  of  Genesee  street,  with  others  scattered  about  the  vicinity. 

Among  the  arrivals  in  the  village  in  1800  may  be  mentioned  the 
following:  Charles  C.  Brodhead,  a  prominent  early  surveyor,  who  was 
sheriff  in  1800  and  surveyed  the  eastern  section  of  the  canal,  Albany  to 
Rome,  in  18 16. 

In  July  the  firm  of  Kane  &  Van  Rensselaer  (Archibald  Kane,  Jere- 
miah Van  Rensselaer)  advertised  that  they  had  "  opened  a  house  in 
Utica,  where  may  be  had  a  general  assortment  of  dry  goods  and  gro- 
ceries on  moderate  terms."  This  firm  already  had  a  large  establishment 
at  Canajoharie,  where  Mr.  Kane  remained,  his  partner  settling  in  Utica, 
where  he  became  prominent  in  business,  religious  and  social  affairs. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  285 

Jesse  Newell  began  business  in  i8oo  with  George  Macomber  as 
painters  and  glaziers,  in  which  they  were  followed  by  Mr.  Newell's  son, 
and  in  recent  years  by  his  grandson. 

In  i8oi  the  names  of  Aylmer  Johnson,  brewer;  Martin  Dakin,  clerk; 
James  Ure,  brewer;  Bela  Hubbard,  tanner;  Dr.  Francis  J.  Guiteau,  jr., 
Abraham  Walton,  Capt.  James  Hopper,  Ebenezer  B.  Shearman,  and 
Daniel  Thomas,  a  merchant,  appear  for  the  first.  Dr.  Guiteau  was 
descended  from  the  Huguenots,  was  a  son  of  a  physician  of  Lanesboro, 
Mass.,  settled  in  Deerfield  in  1792  and  in  1803  formed  a  partnership 
with  Dr.  Solomon  Wolcott,  as  druggists  and  practitioners.  Each  built 
a  house  on  Whitesboro  street.  Calvin  Guiteau,  the  early  surveyor,  and 
Dr.  Luther  Guiteau,  both  of  whom  lived  in  Oneida  county,  were  brothers 
of  Dr.  Francis  J.  Dr.  Wolcott  came  from  Williamstown,  Mass.,  where 
he  had  acquired  some  property  and   married. 

Capt.  James  Hopper  had  commanded  vessels  in  the  English  merchant 
service,  and  when  he  settled  in  Utica  he  bought  land  on  the  southern 
borders  of  the  village  which  ultimately  made  him  wealthy.  He  was 
father  of  Thomas  Hopper. 

Ebenezer  B.  Shearman  early  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  goods  and  glass,  for  the  sale  of  which  his  store  was  the  agency. 
He  aided  in  founding  a  cotton  factory  in  New  Hartford,  the  first  one  in 
the  county,  and  with  his  brother,  Willet  H.,  were  leading  members  of 
the  Oneida  Glass  Factory  Company  at  Vernon. 

A  few  persons  of  the  Welsh  race  were  settled  in  Utica  in  or  before 
1 801,  and  ere  long  they  began  to  come  in  large  numbers,  ultimately 
forming  a  large  and  eminently  respectable  part  of  thecommunity.  The 
farmers  among  the  early  comers  settled  on  the  rich  hillsides  of  Remsen, 
Trenton  and  Steuben,  while  mechanics  stopped  in  the  villages.  Among 
them  were  several  excellent  builders.  Of  the  early  Welsh  arrivals  in 
Utica  may  be  mentioned  Elder  Abraham  Williams,  Joseph  Harris, 
Daniel  Morris,  David  Reed  and  sons,  the  James  family,  Watkin  Powell, 
Samuel  George,  and  others. 

In  1802  John  C.  Devereux,  a  native  of  Ireland,  settled  in  Utica  and 
the  family  became  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular  in  the  county. 
His  first  business  advertisement  under  date  of  November  8,  1802,  states 
that  he  had  "opened  an  assortment  of  dry  goods  and    groceries  at   the 


286  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

store  lately  occupied  by  John  Smith."  Associated  with  him  as  clerks 
or  partners  were  his  brothers,  Luke.  Nicholas  and  Thomas.  In  1821 
John  C.  and  Nicholas  built  the  well  known  Devereux  block  where  they 
had  a  large  warehouse  and  store. 

In  briefly  noting  the  arrival  of  prominent  persons  in  Utica  from  1802 
to  the  introduction  of  the  second  charter  in  1805  we  find  that  John  H. 
Lothrop,  lawyer,  farmer,  editor,  merchant,  and  banker,  assumed  the 
editorship  of  the  Whitestown  Gazette  and  Cato's  Patrol  (before  men 
tioned)  in  1803,  changed  its  name  to  the  Utica  Patriot  and  settled  in  the 
village  to  conduct  the  journal  ;  he  also  served  as  deputy  in  the  office  of 
the  Supreme  Court  clerk.  Having  later  sold  his  paper  he  removed  to 
New  Hartford  in  181 1,  where  he  practiced  law  five  years,  when  he  was 
appointed  cashier  of  the  Ontario  Branch  Bank  in  Utica.  Ira  Merrell, 
who  learned  the  printer's  trade  with  William  McLean  and  published 
Lothrop's  paper  for  a  time  in  company  with  his  fellow  apprentice,  Asa- 
hel  Seward,  became  well  known  as  a  printer  and  publisher.  Thomas 
Walker  was  another  printer  who  came  into  Oneida  county  and  with 
Ebenezer  Eaton  founded  the  Columbian  Patriotic  Gazette  in  Rome, 
August  17,  1799.  In  March,  1803,  he  removed  it  to  Utica,  called  it 
the  Columbian  Gazette  and  supported  Jefiferson  for  president.  The  first 
Utica  number  was  dated  March  21.  In  1825  he  sold  the  Gazette  to 
Samuel  D.  Dakin  and  William  J.  Bacon,  by  whom  it  was  consolidated 
with  the  Sentinel  under  title  of  the  Sentinel  and  Gazette.  They  had 
already  bought  the  Patriot,  thus  uniting  the  first  three  newspapers  pub- 
lished in  the  county.  The  Patriot,  mentioned  as  having  been  published 
by  John  H.  Lothrop,  was  purchased  of  McLean  in  1803,  by  Asahel 
Seward  and  Ira  Merrell,  and  conducted  under  the  names  of  Patriot, 
Patriot  and  Patrol,  and  Utica  Sentinel.  Mr.  Seward  retained  an  interest 
in  its  publication  until  1824,  in  connection  at  different  times  with  Mer- 
rell, William  Williams,  and  William  H.  Maynard,  when  it  passed  to 
Dakin  and  Bacon,  as  stated.  In  1806  Mr.  Seward  established  a  book 
printing  plant  and  bindery  and  later  a  bookstore. 

Within  a  year  after  his  arrival  Samuel  Stocking  erected  a  building  on 
the  east  side  of  Genesee  street  which  was  known  as  Mechanics  Hall,  and 
there  established  his  hat  shop.  In  18 16  he  removed  to  the  brick  store 
on  Broad  street  where  he  remained  permanently. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  287 

Abraham  Varick,  jr.,  settled  in  Utica  in  1804.  He  was  a  lawyer,  but 
was  better  known  as  agent  of  the  Holland  Land  Company,  a  manager  of 
manufactories  and  a  dealer  in  real  estate.  In  September,  1804,  he 
bought  the  Kimball  farm  at  the  head  of  Genesee  street  for  $5,000, 
mapped  it  and  sold  it  in  lots. 

Other  settlers  of  this  period  to  whom  only  very  brief  reference  can 
be  made  were  David  Ostrom  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  became 
county  judge  and  also  was  landlord  of  the  Coffee  House,  a  well  known 
hostelry  on  the  site  of  the  Devereux  block.  Dr.  Marcus  Hitchcock, 
who  studied  medicine  at  New  Hartford  with  Dr.  Amos  G.  Hull  and 
practiced  in  Utica,  carrying  on  also  a  drug  store  with  Dr.  John  Carring- 
ton.  Hugh  Cunningham,  who,  with  a  partner,  opened  a  store  in  1804 
and  in  18 10  built  a  store  for  himself  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  street  and 
the  square.  Isaac  Coe,  the  first  village  treasurer  under  the  charter  of 
1805,  ^^^  ^"  enterprising  citizen  until  18 10.  Abijah  and  Anson 
Thomas,  who  came  in  1804  and  were  many  years  prominent  in  business 
affairs.  Dr.  David  Hasbrouck,  who  came  in  the  same  year  and  prac- 
ticed to  about  181 5.  Enos  Brown  and  Daniel  Stafford,  hardware 
dealers  in  1804;  William  Tillman,  a  cabinetmaker;  Ara  Broad  well,  a 
mason  and  contractor  ;  Alfred  and  Solomon  Wells,  carpenters,  and 
Elisha  Rose,  blacksmith.  In  August,  1804,  Walton,  Turner  &  Co. 
took  a  store  below  Bagg's  and   also  beg-an  a   large  forwarding  business. 

Up  to  1 801  the  only  existing  and  continuous  religious  society  was 
that  which  was  organized  at  Whitesboro  in  1793  under  the  title  of  the 
United  Society  of  Whitestown  and  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  over  which  Rev. 
Bethuel  Dodd  was  settled  August  21,  1794.  The  services  were  held 
about  two  thirds  of  the  time  at  Whitesboro  and  the  other  third  at  Fort 
Schuyler,  but  after  a  few  months  they  were  discontinued  at  the  latter 
place,  chiefly  because  there  was  no  public  place  of  worship.  This  difficulty 
was  removed  in  1797  by  the  enlargement  of  the  school  house  on  Main 
street.  In  1804,  and  possibly  a  little  earlier,  Mr.  Dodd  preached  in 
Utica  half  of  the  time,  and  when  he  was  elsewhere  sermons  were  usually 
read  by  Talcott  Camp,  Hiel  Hollister,  Solomon  P.  Goodrich,  and  others. 
As  the  years  passed,  other  churches  and  schools  were  added,  as  de- 
scribed further  on. 

The  early  growth  of  the  village  is  shown  in  the  fact  recorded  by  Judge 


288 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Jones  in  his  Annals,  that  in  1794  there  were  about  ten  resident  families 
in  the  place,  while  in  1796,  according  to  Morse,  the  number  of  houses 
was  thirty  seven,  which  in  1798  had  increased  to  fifty.  Two  years  later 
Maude  made  the  number  sixty,  and  the  population  in  1801  is  given  by 
another  as  200.  In  1802  Rev.  Mr.  Taylor  found  here  nearly  ninety 
houses,   and  Dr.  Dwight  gives  the  number  as  120  in  1804,  with  many 


stores  and  other  buildings.  All  these  were  situated  on  Genesee,  Whites- 
boro,  Hotel,  and  a  portion  of  Seneca  streets.  In  1805  not  more  than 
two  brick  stores  had  been  erected.  The  corduroy  road  which  had  ex- 
tended from  between  what  are  now  Broadway  and  Washington  streets, 
in  a  winding  way  to  New  Hartford,  had  ere  this  been  abandoned  for  the 
more  direct  turnpike  continuous  with  Genesee  street.  While  the  in- 
habitants were  more  or  less  transient,  there  was  on  the  whole  an  unusual 
amount  of  intelligence  and  good  morals.  Many  of  the  settlers  were  far 
above  the  average  in  this  respect  and  some  of  them  were  college  bred. 


'%JijUJ9jSj€uJLh/u^lA^ 


I 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  289 

Whitesboro  and  New  Hartford  still  surpassed  Utica,  and  Rome  at  least 
equaled  it.  The  courts  were  held  in  Whitesboro,  drawing  thither  a 
coterie  of  lawyers  and  attracted  business  generally.  The  soil  of  much 
of  the  present  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  city  was  still  being  tilled  by 
farmers ;  what  is  now  the  Second  ward  was  famous  for  large  crops  of 
wheat.  Almost  no  manufactories  existed  ;  William  Smith  was  making 
wrought  nails  on  the  east  bank  of  Nail  Creek,  and  there  was  a  small  cut- 
nail  shop  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street  a  little  east  of  the  square, 
which  was  succeeded  by  another  on  Genesee  street  operated  by  Mr. 
Devlin.  Ure's  and  Inman's  breweries  were  in  operation,  and  there  were 
four  tanneries.  Abijah  Thomas  had  his  wagon  shop  and  Samuel  Stock- 
ing his  hat  factory.  A  few  other  small  shops  comprised  all  the  manu- 
factures of  that  day.  As  a  center  for  mercantile  trade  the  village  was 
active  and  was  beginning  to  draw  custom  from  a  wide  extent  of  terri- 
tory. The  Welsh  settlers  had  the  only  church  edifice,  but  Trinity  was  in 
process  of  erection.  The  village  had  its  burial  place  and  in  i8o6  a  deed 
of  the  premises  was  obtained  from  Stephen  Potter. 

The  improvements  thus  far  made  and  the  growth  of  the  village  in 
population  finally  prompted  the  citizens  to  procure  a  new  charter,  which 
was  done  under  date  of  April  9,  1805.  Under  this  the  bounds  of  the 
village  on  the  east  were  fixed  as  the  limits  of  the  city  now  exist,  while 
those  on  the  west  were  extended  to  the  west  line  of  lot  99.  The  charter 
made  the  freeholders  a  body  corporate,  with  power  to  raise  by  tax  not 
to  exceed  $1,000  in  one  year  for  public  buildings,  fire  expenses  and 
necessary  improvements.  Five  trustees  were  to  be  elected  annually  in 
May,  and  they  were  given  authority  to  fix  the  price  of  bread,  assess 
taxes,  appoint  twenty- five  firemen  and  make  laws  for  the  government 
of  the  corporation.  A  treasurer  and  a  collector  were  to  be  appointed, 
who  were  to  receive  pay  for  their  services.  At  the  first  annual  meeting 
the  following  trustees  were  chosen  :  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  jr.,  Na- 
than Williams,  Francis  A.  Bloodgood,  Jerathmel  Ballou,^  and  Erastus 
Clark.  Isaac  Coe  was  chosen  treasurer,  and  Worden  Hammond,  col- 
lector.     It  was  resolved  to  raise  $300  by  assessment  for  various  public 

'  Theodore  P.  Ballou,  born  March  18,  1808,  was  a  son  of  Jerathmel  Ballou,  the  pioneer.    After 
some  years  of  service  as  a  clerk  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  owned  large  mills  at  Pros- 
pect, and  erected  the  Ballou  block  on  the  site  of  his  father's  store.    He  died  February  28,  1887. 
37.  ' 


290  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

expenses.  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  jr.,  was  appointed  president  and 
D.  W.  Childs,  clerk.  A  fire  company  was  organized,  of  which  Benja- 
min Paine,  a  fashionable  tailor,  was  an  early  captain,  and  in  which  Moses 
Bagg  was  an  early  officer.  The  owner  of  every  dwelling,  store  or  work- 
shop was  required  to  keep  hung  therein  one  or  more  leather  fire  buckets, 
to  be  used  for  no  other  purpose  than  the  extinguishment  of  fires.  In 
July  it  was  determined  to  dig  three  public  wells  to  supply  the  village 
with  water  ;  the  lower  one  of  these  on  Genesee  street  gave  excellent 
water  and  was  kept  open  a  number  of  years.  The  firemen  held  monthly 
meetings,  and  a  night  watch  was  established  as  indicated  in  the  follow- 
ing document  dated  December  lO,  1805  : 

We,  the  subscribers,  esteeming  a  Night  Watch  in  the  village  of  Utica  as  necessary 
to  guard  us  against  the  dangers  of  fire,  do  hereby  associate  ourselves  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  mutually  pledge  our  honor  to  each  other  to  act  during  the  winter  ensuing 
as  good  and  faithful  watchmen,  under  the  direction  and  superintendence  of  the 
Trustees  of  said  village. 

This  paper  was  signed  by  ninety-eight  persons,  who  were  organized 
in  squads  of  five  or  six  and  took  turns  in  patrolling  the  village  streets. 
This  system  continued  until  18 10,  when  paid  watchmen  were  provided. 

Of  the  village  in  1807,  a  traveler  named    Christian   Schultz,  jr.,  wrote 

as  follows  : 

It  contains  at  present  about  160  houses,  the  greatest  part  of  which  are  painted 
white,  which  gives  it  a  neat  and  lively  appearance.  Foreign  goods  are  nearly  as 
cheap  here  as  in  New  York,  which,  I  presume,  is  owing  to  the  merchants  undersell- 
ing each  other;  for  this,  like  all  other  country  towns,  is  overstocked  with  shopkeep- 
ers. Most  of  the  goods  intended  for  the  salt  works  are  loaded  here  in  wagons  and 
sent  on  overland,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles.  The  carriage  over  this  portage  is  fifty 
cents  a  hundred  weight. 

About  this  time  Moses  Bagg,  jr.,  relinquished  mercantile  business  and 
took  charge  of  the  tavern  that  had  been  conducted  by  his  father.  It 
was  a  two-story  building  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  street  and  the  square. 
In  18 1 2-1 5  he  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  tavern  the  central  part  of  the 
brick  hotel  which  bears  his  name,  and  later  added  to  it  on  each  side. 
This  he  conducted  with  brief  intermissions  until  1836,  when  it  was  sold 
to  a  company. 

During  the  summer  of  1808  Broad  street  was  opened,  and  in  the  next 
year  a  lot  for  an  engine  house  in  the  rear  of  Trinity  church  was  donated 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA. 


291 


by  the  agent  of  the  Bleecker  family.  In  the  same  year  the  following  were 
adopted  as  public  streets:  First  and  Second  streets  from  Broad  to  the 
river ;  Third  street  from  Main  to  Broad  and  thence  to  be  continued  to 
the  intersection  of  the  road  to  Slayton's  Settlement ;  and  Water  street 
from  First  across  Genesee  to  Hotel  street. 


Baggs  Hotel  in  1815. 


Progressive  men  now  began  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  establish 
ment  of  manufactures,  and  in  February,  1809,  the  Oneida  Glass  Fac 
tory  Company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  which 
continued  in  successful  operation  until  1836.  The  need  of  banking 
facilities  soon  began  to  be  felt,  and  a  branch  of  the  Manhattan  Bank  of 
New  York  was  established  here  in  1809,  and  the  Utica  Bank  in  18 12. 
The  first  was  organized  by  Montgomery  Hunt,  with  Henry  B.  Gibson, 
teller  and  bookkeeper.  The  directors  for  18 10  were  William  Floyd  of 
Westernville  ;  James  S.  Kipp,  Francis  A.  Bloodgood,  Solomon  Wolcott, 
John  Bellinger,  Thomas  Walker,  Apollos  Cooper,  Marcus  Hitchcock, 
Henry  Huntington,  of  Rome  ;  Nathan  Smith,  Ephraim  Hart,  then  of 
Clinton,  and  Nathan  Williams,  who  was  president.  With  one  exception 
these  men  left  this  bank  in  1812  to  take  an  interest  in  the  Utica  Bank. 
The   Manhattan  existed   until  18 18.     The  bank  of  Utica  was  incorpo- 


292  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

rated  June  i,  1812,  and  began  business  on  the  8th  of  the  following  De- 
cember. The  capital  stock  was  placed  at  $  1, 000,000,  but  it  did  not  in 
reality  exceed  $600,000.  Its  first  president  was  James  S.  Kipp  ;  Mont- 
gomery Hunt,  cashier ;  Henry  B.  Gibson,  teller.  At  the  first  annual 
election  Abraham  Van  Santvoord  succeeded  President  Kip  as  director 
and  Henry  Huntington  as  president.  Thomas  Walker  succeeded  Mr. 
Huntington  in  1845,  and  he  was  followed  in  1863  by  Benjamin  N.  Hunt- 
ington. In  1876  Publius  V.  Rogers,  then  cashier,  was  chosen  presi- 
dent and  held  the  office  until  his  death,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Charles  B.  Rogers,  then  vice-president. 

In  1 8 10,  a  subscription  was  started  to  provide  a  watch  for  the  year, 
and  another  for  the  purchase  of  a  new  fire  engine.  Several  new  streets 
were  adopted,  and  a  map  made  by  Mr.  Broadhead  for  the  Bleecker 
heirs,  shows  all  the  streets  parallel  to  Broad  as  far  up  as  South  as  they 
now  exist.  The  village  was  prospering,  and  the  local  paper  of  October 
9  said  that  "  a  small  triangular  lot  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  and 
Whitesboro  streets  has  been  sold  at  the  rate  of  $300,000  an  acre,  which 
same  land  twenty- five  years  ago  might  have  been  purchased  for  $i 
an  acre."  The  village  now  contained  1,650  inhabitants  and  300 
houses. 

The  freeholders'  meetings  were  now,  and  had   been  for  a  few  years, 

held  in  Mr.  Dixon's   school  house.     The  only  event  of  importance  was 

the  arrival  of  the  new  engine,  and  the  appointment  of  a   committee  to 

select  a  site  for  an  engine  house  near  the  store  of  Hugh  Cunningham. 

The   firemen    were   cautioned   to    test   the   new  engine  weekly  and  to 

keep   the    old   one    in    repair.      An   English   traveler,  J.  Mellish,  passed 

through  the   village  at  this  time  and  made  notes  of   what  he   saw,  from 

which  we  quote  as  follows  : 

The  village  lots  are  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  front  and  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  thirty  deep  and  sell  for  from  $200  to  $1,000.  The  out-lots  contain  twelve  acres 
and  $500  is  asked  for  them.  House  rent  for  mechanics  is  about  $60  to  $100;  wood 
$1.25  per  cord,  flour  $8  per  barrel,  potatoes  two  shillings  per  bushel,  turnips  thirty- 
one  cents,  cabbages  four  cents  each,  beans  sixty-two  cents  per  bushel,  onions 
seventy-five  cents,  beef,  mutton,  and  veal  five  cents  per  pound,  venison  four  cents, 
fowls  nine  cents  each,  ducks  two  shillings,  geese  four  shillings,  turkeys  five  shillings, 
butter  one  shilling,  cheese  seven  cents,  hog's  lard  six  cents,  beer  $5  per  barrel, 
whisky  twenty-five  cents  per  gallon,  boarding  $2.50  per  week. 

In  18 1 2  it  was  voted  to  build  a    market  house   on  the    public  square 


SAMUEL  FARWELL. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  293 

between  Bagg's  tavern  and  the  store  of  John  C.  Devereux,  at  a  cost 
of  $300.  This  location  did  not  please  everybody  and  within  a  few 
weeks  efforts  were  made  to  find  a  more  satisfactory  site.  In  July  a 
meeting  of  the  people  was  held  to  reconsider  the  action  of  the  annual 
meeting  on  this  subject  ;  the  vote  to  repeal  such  action  was  lost.  The 
market  was  built  and  in  November  ordinances  for  its  government 
were  adopted. 

The  war  with  England  was  now  precipitated  and  no  village  in  the 
interior  of  the  State,  perhaps,  saw  more  of  the  activity  resulting  from 
it  than  Utica.  Thousands  of  soldiers  from  all  quarters  passed  through 
the  place,  many  of  them  stopping  for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  as 
fully  described  in  Chapter  XV.  The  local  company  under  command 
of  Capt.  William  Williams,  which  had  been  the  pride  of  the  village,  en- 
tered the  service,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  February,  18  13,  about  sixty 
volunteers  were  enrolled  at  Utica,  forming  a  company  which  was  at 
tached  to  the  134th  Regiment.  Among  the  prominent  names  of  men 
who  had  some  share  in  that  war  are  those  of  Nathan  Seward,  Thurlow 
Weed,  Nathan  Williams,  John  E.  Hinman,  Nicholas  Smith,  Thomas 
Skinner,  in  the  land  service  and  Samuel  Breese  and  William  Inman, 
of  Utica;  John  G.Young,  of  Whitesboro;  Antill  Lansing,  of  Oriskany  ; 
and  Edward  and  Benjamin  Carpenter,  of  Whitesboro,  in  the  navy. 

The  first  provision  for  sidewalks  in  the  public  proceedings  is  found  in 
the  records  of  18 14,  though  possibly  temporary  walks  had  been  laid 
before  that.  It  was  in  18  14  also  that  the  village  authorities  issued  cor- 
poration bills  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  currency.  These  bills  were 
made  payable  at  the  Manhattan  Branch  Bank,  which  had  agreed  to  ac- 
cept them,  and  were  all  in  fractional  currency. 

The  first  Utica  directory  was  published  in  18 17,  containing  a  list  of 
the  inhabitants,  occupying  eighteen  small  pages,  and  a  census.  No 
other  directory  was  issued  until  1828. 

Utica  now  contained  420  dwellings  and  a  population  of  2,861.  For 
various  reasons  a  new  and  broader  charter  was  demanded  and  it  became 
a  law  on  the  7th  of  April,  1817  ;  but  before  considering  its  features  let 
us  quote  from  Dr.  Bagg's  history  a  description  of  the  Utica  of  18 16, 
and  note  further  some  of  the  arrivals  of  leading  citizens  before  that 
date.      Dr.  Bagg  wrote  as  follows  : 


294  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Standing  on  Deerfield  Hill  four  or  five  miles  away,  the  countrj-  below  you  seems 
like  a  level  swamp  covered  with  forest,  the  clearings  being  scarcely  discernible.  Be- 
yond the  river  you  perceive  the  houses  on  the  hill  at  Utica  and  an  extensive  opening 
in  the  vicinity.  Directly  south  and  west  nearly  one-third  of  the  country  is  denuded 
of  wood.  To  the  southeast  there  are  only  small  patches  of  clearing.  Coming  down 
toward  the  plain  you  discern  the  more  conspicuous  features  of  the  village.  Two 
church  steeples  enliven  the  scene,  the  Presbyterian  and  the  Episcopal,  which  stand 
like  sentinels  guarding  the  approaches  on  the  west  and  the  east,  the  latter  rejoicing 
in  a  pointed  spire,  the  former  equally  happy  in  its  rounded  cupola.  As  you  cross 
the  dyke  you  see  plainly  before  you  and  towering  above  their  fellows  the  imposing 
York  House  on  the  right  and  its  closely  contesting  rival.  Bagg's  Hotel,  directly  in 
front.  Having  passed  over  the  bridge  j^ou  are  at  once  within  the  heart  of  the  settle- 
ment, the  very  focus  of  the  town.  For  the  limits  of  Utica  at  the  time  I  treat  of  were 
mostly  confined  between  the  river  and  the  Liberty  street  road  to  Whitesboro;  from 
the  square  as  a  cancer  they  spread  westward  along  Whitesboro  street  to  Potter's 
bridge  and  eastward  along  Main  and  Broad  to  Third  street.  The  course  of  Genesee 
street  was  pretty  thickly  lined  with  stores — a  few  residences  only  being  here  and 
there  interspersed — as  far  upward  as  Catherine  street,  beyond  which  private  houses 
predominated  over  business  places,  and  these  were  scattered  in  a  straggling  way 
even  to  Cottage  street.  The  roadway  was  guiltless  of  pavement  and  the  rinid  at 
times  profound.  The  sidewalks  were  paved,  if  such  it  might  be  called,  but  the  pave- 
ment— of  flagging,  of  cobble,  of  gravel,  or  of  tan  bark,  as  suited  the  convenience  or 
the  taste  of  the  householder — bore  little  resemblance  to  the  modern  conventional 
sandstone.  '•  Stately  but  graceless  poplars  stood  in  unbroken  row  from  Bleecker 
street  to  the  hill-top."  On  the  west  Genesee  had  no  outlet  higher  than  Liberty  street, 
and  on  the  east  none  above  Catharine,  for  through  Bleecker  was  known  by  authority 
it  was  neither  fenced  nor  housed  and  was  only  a  path  to  pastures  beyond.  The 
buildings  on  its  business  part  were  mostly  wooden  and  of  moderate  size  and  preten- 
sion. A  few  were  of  brick.  On  the  hill  were  the  spacious  grounds  and  beautiful 
houses  of  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  Arthur  Breese,  and  Alexander  B.. Johnson.  In 
Whitesboro  street  were  the  Bank  of  Utica,  the  Manhattan  Branch  Bank,  and  the 
York  House  as  well  as  the  inns  of  Burchard  and  Bellinger.  This  was  the  Wall  street 
of  the  village;  it  harbored  .several  stores  and  was  more  populous  than  any  other 
except  Main,  containing  prpbably  nearlj^  as  many  inhabitants  as  it  now  does.  Hotel, 
in  proportion  to  its  length,  was  quite  as  thickly  peopled.  Seneca,  Washington,  and 
Broadway  reached  only  to  the  Liberty  street  road,  Broadway  bringing  up  at  the 
elegant  stone  mansion  of  James  S.  Kip,  while  Washington  conducted  passengers  no 
farther  than  the  Presbyterian  meeting-house. 

The  public  square  contained  the  town  pump  and  the  market-house.  Main  street 
was  lined  with  the  comely  residences  of  prosperous  citizens,  and  was  terminated  by 
the  Methodist  chapel  and  the  pleasant  home  and  grounds  of  Judge  Miller.  Broad 
street  was  occupied  as  far  as  the  line  of  Third  street,  but  contained  only  a  small 
fraction  of  its  present  number  of  buildings.  Between  it  Whitesboro  and  upper  Gen- 
esee the  best  dwelling-houses  of  the  village  were  unequally  distributed.  John  street 
had  here  and  there  a  residence,  which  in  all  reached  a  little  higher  than  Jay,  while 
beyond  were  the  rising  walls  of  the  academy  and  in  the  rear  of  this  two  tenements 
on  Chancellor  Square.     The  faint  attempts  of  Catliarine  to  rival   its  fellow  below 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  295 

were  effectually  crushed  when  stakes  were  planted  along  side  of  it  to  mark  the  course 
of  the  future  canal.  This  settled  its  fate  and  consigned  it  the  rank  it  has  held  ever 
since.  Water  street,  now  robbed  of  its  importance,  was  nearest  of  all  to  the  then 
channel  of  commerce,  and  besides  its  houses  for  storage  aad  forwarding  was  also  the 
home  of  a  few  well-to-do  folks. 

Thus,  as  it  appears  from  the  directory,  while  the  buildings  of  Genesee  were  in  num- 
ber 157,  of  Whitesboro  84,  of  Main  67,  of  Broad  59,  of  Hotel  34,  of  Catharine  20,  and 
Water  as  many,  Seneca  had  15,  no  other  street  more  than  10,  and  the  rest  but  half 
or  less  than  half  of  that  number.  Of  those  running  eastward  not  one  is  named  above 
Catharine.  "  Cornhill  was  a  forest  from  South  street  to  the  New  Hartford  line. 
Another  forest  skirted  the  gardens  on  the  west  side  of  Genesee,  came  down  the  slope 
to  the  present  Fayette,  and  extended  west  to  the  Asylum  Hill."  When  the  commis- 
sioners in  the  following  year  ran  the  line  between  Whitesboro  and  Utica,  from 
Jewett's  farm  to  the  county  line  on  the  east,  and  to  the  river  on  the  north  they  were 
obliged  to  fell  trees  so  as  to  see  their  flag. 

Going  back  to  1805  to  continue  personal  notes  of  early  citizens,  we 
find  that  Rudolph  Snyder,  a  prosperous  cabinetmaker  was  established 
in  the  village  ;  and  others  of  that  date  were  James  A.  and  Lynott  Blood- 
good,  ironmongers;  Seth  Dwight,  merchant  and  hotel  keeper;  John 
Barton,  watchmaker;  Benjamin  Payne,  tailor ;  William  Hayes,  earthen- 
ware maker ;  William  Baxter,  gardener  and  baker,  and  progenitor  of 
numerous  later  Uticans  ;  Samuel  Hickox,  builder  of  the  Cayuga  bridge, 
and  B.  B.  Rathbun,  who  achieved  an  unenviable  notoriety  in  Buffalo 

In  1798  John  Post  had  received  into  his  household  his  nephew, 
Abraham  Van  Santvoort,  who  eventually  became  his  successor  in  the 
Mohawk  River  transportation  business.  He  announced  in  1806  that  he 
had  commenced  the  storage  and  forwarding  business  to  and  from 
Schenectady,  Albany  and  New  York  and  any  part  of  the  western 
country.  He  was  associated  with  Eri  Lusher  between  Utica  and 
Schenectady  and  with  David  Boyd  from  there  to  Albany.  Other  resi- 
dents of  1806  were  Jonathan  Child,  teacher,  and  afterwards  first  mayor 
of  Rochester  ;  Bennett  Bicknell,  cabinetmaker  and  later  a  prominent 
politician  of  Madison  county  ;  Henry  Kip,  brother  of  James,  ropemaker  ; 
two  brothers  Oudenarde  ;  John  Culver,  carpenter ;  Thomas  James, 
wagonmaker,  and  John  Queal,  shoemaker. 

Several  men  of  considerable  prominence  came  in  1807.  Peter  Bours, 
at  first  a  hardware  merchant,  was  active  in  organizing  the  Utica  glass 
factory,  started  at  Glassville  (so-called)  in  the  present  town  of  Marcy. 
Stalham  Williams,  who  had  been  a  clerk  and  a  merchant  in  the  village, 


296  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  appointed  collector  on  the  middle  section  of  the  new  canal.  He 
was  employed  by  the  Messrs.  Devereux,  and  when  they  opened  a  sort 
of  unchartered  savings  bank  on  Bleecker  street,  Mr.  Williams  had  charge 
of  it,  and  when  the  Savings  Bank  was  organized  he  was  appointed  its 
secretary  and  treasurer.  The  establishment  of  Bagg  &  Camp  started 
in  1807.  John  Camp,  son  of  Talcott  Camp,  had  been  a  clerk  for 
Williams,  and  two  years  after  the  latter  had  associated  himself  with 
Moses  Bagg,  he  bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Fellows  and  the  new  firm 
was  formed.      Later  the  firm  was  John  Camp  &  Brothers. 

A  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  hotel  on  the  3d  of  September,  1808, 
to  take  into  consideration  the  policy  of  petitioning  the  president  to  sus- 
pend the  operation  of  the  embargo.  The  petition  was  proposed  by 
Jonas  Piatt  and  was  forwarded,  but  the  reply,  received  six  weeks  later, 
was  not  encouraging. 

Arthur  Breese,  who  had  settled  at  VVhitesboro  in  1794  and  was 
partner  of  Jonas  Piatt  in  law  business,  removed  to  Utica  in  1808  to  take 
the  position  of  Supreme  Court  clerk.  On  the  death  of  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Ontario  Branch  Bank  he  held  that  office  for  a  time  ;  he  left 
numerous  descendants. 

Others  who  became  residents  in  the  period  we  are  considering,   and 
who  can   only  be  mentioned,   were   Eliasaph   Dorchester,  teacher,   bank 
clerk,  assistant  on  the  Columbian  Gazette,  founder  of  the  Utica  Observer, 
and  again  a  teacher;  Henry  B.  Gibson  and  Montgomery  Hunt,  already 
mentioned  as  prominent  in  banking  affairs;   Seymour  Tracy,  attorney 
James  Van  Rensselaer,   merchant,   for  whom  was  erected  the  brick  row- 
on   the   southerly  side  of  Liberty  street   between  Hotel    and    Seneca 
Thaddeus  Wakeman,  capitalist ;   Daniel  Stafford,  packet  boat  captain 
Joshua   Ostram,    who    ran    stages  in    competition  with   Jason    Parker 
WiUiam    Whiteley,    who    made    musical    instruments    down    to    1850 
Shubael    Storrs,    watchmaker ;    Robert   McBride,   mason    and    builder 
William   Penniman,   tanner ;   Thomas  Thomas,    mason  ;  Joseph   Simon 
furrier  ;  John  Robinson,  blacksmith  ;  Joseph  S.  Porter,  a  popular  jeweler 
Alfred    Hitchcock,    druggist;    Erastus    Cross,  a   marble  cutter;    Riley 
Rogers,    gunsmith;   John   Bradish,    connected  with  the  clerk's  office  of 
the   Supreme  Court;  Ezra  S.  Cozier,   a  hatter  of   181 2,  who  was  seven 
years  village  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  city,  died  of  cholera  in  1832  ; 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  297 

Barent  Bleecker  Lansing,  second  son  of  Col.  Garret  G.  Lansing,  who 
was  cashier  in  the  United  States  Bank  and  the  Oneida  Bank  ;  Thomas 
Rockwell,  teacher  and  thirty- four  years  bookkeeper  in  the  Ontario 
Branch  Bank ;  Ezra  S.  Barnum,  long  connected  with  various  local 
public  offices;  John  E,  Hinman,  served  honorably  in  the  war  of  1812, 
was  deputy  sheriff  under  James  S.  Kip,  and  afterwards  sheriff,  mayor  of 
the  city  three  years  and  otherwise  prominent ;  John  Welles,  keeper  of 
the  Coffee  House  at  one  period  ;  Amos  Gay,  landlord  ;  Comfort  Butler, 
saddler  and  long  in  charge  of  the  Utica  Museum  ;  William  Jones,  long 
the  official  surveyor;  John  H.  Ostrom,  village  attorney,  and  further 
noticed  in  a  later  chapter  ;  Briggs  W.  Thomas,  merchant  and  clerk  in 
the  Oneida  Bank;  Ezekiel  Bacon,  a  man  of  political  and  judicial  prom- 
inence in  Massachusetts,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Alexander  Seymour 
&  Co.,  associate  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  nominee  for  Con- 
gress, etc.  ;  William  Clarke,  lieutenant  in  the  army  in  18 12,  and  long 
manager  of  lotteries  in  Utica  while  they  were  countenanced  by  the  law; 
Ephraim  Hart,  a  successful  merchant,  manufacturer,  and  State  senator; 
John  H.  Handy,  merchant ;  Robert  Shearman  and  Edward  Vernon,  mer- 
chants;  Andrew  Merrell,  publisher  of  the  Western  Recorder  and  of 
various  books;  Zenas  Wright  William  Geere,  and  Collings  Locke,  leather 
dealers  ;  Flavel  Gaylord  and  his  brother,  Edwin,  looking-glass  makers  ; 
William  Blackwood,  brass  founder;  Nathan  Stevens,  carpenter;  Elisha 
Lovett,  grocer. 

In  the  years  18 15-16  the  sum  of  $1,000  was  voted  for  village  ex- 
penses, the  limit  then  authorized  by  the  charter.  When  the  second 
charter  went  into  effect  in  1805,  the  annual  expenses  were  about  $200, 
which  sum  was  gradually  increased  to  $1,000.  During  these  twelve 
years  many  improvements  were  made,  particularly  in  streets  and  side- 
walks. One  or  two  additional  churches  were  established,  the  First  Pres- 
byterian in  18 1 3,  and  the  Methodist  in  1815.  School  facilities  were  ex- 
tended in  various  directions,  as  described  further  on,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  material  interests  of  the  village  made  satisfactory  progress. 

The  third  charter,  adopted  April  7,  1817,  erected  Utica  into  a  town, 
its  boundaries  remaining  the  same  as  before.  The  village  was  divided 
into  three  wards. 

The  president  of  the  village  was  to  be  appointed  annually  by  the 

38 


298  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Governor  and  Council  of  the  State,  and  received  compensation  in  fees 
for  permits  to  tavern  keepers,  butchers  and  others  to  the  amount  of 
$250,  or  a  salary  of  that  amount.  Two  trustees  were  chosen  from  each 
ward,  a  supervisor,  three  assessors,  and  two  constables;  other  subordi- 
nate officers  were  appointed  by  the  trustees.  The  trustees  were  em- 
powered to  raise  not  exceeding  $1,500  for  annual  expenses,  and  as 
commissioners  of  highways,  had  control  of  street  and  sewer  improve- 
ments. The  first  president  under  the  new  charter  was  Nathan  Will- 
iams. Among  the  ordinances  and  regulations  put  in  force  by  the  trus- 
tees were  those  for  the  regulation  of  groceries  and  victualing  houses  ; 
for  the  prevention  of  nuisances ;  establishing  the  assize  and  inspection 
of  bread  ;  in  relation  to  preventing  and  extinguishing  fires  ;  and  in  re- 
lation to  a  night  watch.  A  fire  warden  and  a  fire  engineer  were  to  be 
appointed  for  each  ward,  and  the  wardens  were  to  examine  buildings  at 
least  once  a  month  to  learn  if  chimneys,  fireplaces  and  stoves  were  in 
safe  condition.  From  the  two  fire  companies  then  in  existence  were 
detailed  ten  men  to  act  as  a  hook  and  ladder  company.  Four  watch- 
men were  to  be  appointed  by  the  trustees,  two  of  whom  were  to  patrol 
the  streets  in  the  thickly  settled  parts,  while  the  other  two  remained  in 
the  watch  house. 

While  during  the  existence  of  the  third  village  charter,  a  period  of 
fifteen  years,  the  growth  of  Utica  in  population  was  steady  and  health- 
ful, it  was  not  at  all  remarkable  ;  from  nearly  3,000  it  increased  to  some- 
what less  than  10,000,  with  a  commensurate  growth  in  its  various  in- 
dustries and  institutions.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  18 19  the  Erie  Canal, 
begun  in  July,  1817,  was  so  far  advanced  between  Utica  and  Rome  as 
to  be  navigable,  and  on  the  22d  of  October  the  first  boat  made  a  pass- 
age between  these  two  places  ;  it  was  a  packet  boat  called  the  "  Chief 
Engineer."  On  the  following  day  the  boat  returned  to  Rome  having 
among  her  passengers  the  governor  of  the  State,  the  canal  commis- 
sioners, and  about  seventy  men  and  women  from  Utica  and  its  vicinity. 
The  embarkation  was  celebrated  with  ringing  of  bells,  firing  of  cannon 
and  was  witnessed  by  a  large  crowd. 

In  1820  steps  were  taken  to  open  a  new  road  above  the  canal  and 
extending  westward  from  Genesee  street  in  continuation  of  Bleecker 
street.  After  overcoming  much  vexatious  opposition  the  object  was 
accomplished  in  1823  in  the  opening  of  Liberty  street. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  299 

In  1 82 1  the  market,  which  had  long  been  a  source  of  contention  and 
which  had  been  banished  to  Water  street,  was  sold  to  Daniel  Thomas 
for  $50. 

In  1822  the  first  paving  was  done  on  Genesee  street  from  the  canal 
to  the  south  line  of  Whitesboro  and  Main  streets,  and  in  October  Frank- 
lin street  was  opened. 

In  1823—4  many  street  improvements  were  made,  among  them  the 
paving  of  parts  of  Libert)^  Catharine,  Broad  and  Genesee  streets;  Pine 
street  was  opened  and  in  the  latter  year  John  street  was  paved.  Water 
street  was  extended,  and  a  sewer  was  built  on  the  east  side  of  Genesee 
street  from  opposite  the  clerk's  office  to  Hotel  street,  from  John  street 
to  a  connection  at  Main  street  with  the  one  before  opened  down  Gene- 
see street,  on  Burnet  street,  on  Charlotte  from  Elizabeth  to  Bleecker 
and  on  Bleecker  from  Burnet  to  Genesee.  In  1824  a  new  engine  house 
was  leased  from  the  president  (William  Clarke),  and  the  lot  in  rear  of 
Trinity  church,  which  had  been  in  use  for  the  purpose,  was  sold  to  the 
church.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  Apollos  Cooper 
for  six  acres  of  land  for  a  burial  ground.  Eight  watchmen  were  now 
needed  to  guard  the  village  nights  and  Ara  Broadwell  was  armed  with 
full  power  as  a  fire  inspector.  The  tax  for  general  expenses  was  fixed 
at  $1,137.25. 

General  La  Fayette  made  a  tour  of  the  State,  in  1825  and  visited 
Utica,  and  was  accorded  a  grand  reception.  At  Shepard's  Hotel  the 
general  was  received  by  President  Clarke,  who  made  a  speech  to  which 
La  Fayette  responded.  A  military  review  followed,  with  a  reception  to 
citizens  and  ladies. 

The  building  and  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  has  been  described  in 
an  earlier  chapter.  It  was  opened  to  admit  water  at  Black  Rock  on 
the  26th  of  October,  1825,  which  was  Wednesday.  Early  on  the  fol- 
lowing Monday  the  distinguished  officials  and  citizens  who  arrived  on 
the  boats  were  received  at  the  court  house,  where  an  address  was  de- 
livered by  Judge  Ezekiel  Bacon.  Governer  Clinton  made  a  happy  re- 
sponse But  the  canal  had  been  navigable  through  a  section  including 
Oneida  county  four  or  five  years  earlier,  and  exerted  a  wholesome  in- 
fluence before  the  entire  waterway  was  opened.  As  an  evidence  of  the 
rapidity  with  which   the  canal  was  brought  into  use  and  of  the  great 


;500  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

change  made  by  it  in  the  mode  of  transportation  from  those  before 
employed,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  number  of  canal  boats  arriving  in 
Albany  during  the  season  of  1823  (before  the  whole  canal  was  open) 
was  1,329;  in  1824  it  was  2,687;  •"  1825,  3,336;  and  up  to  Septem- 
ber 6th  of  1826,  it  was  4,380,  which  number  it  was  estimated  would  be 
increased  to  7,000  before  the  close  of  navigation. 

The  history  of  Utica  during  several  years  succeeding  the  opening  of 
the  canal  shows  that  a  spirit  of  enterprise  and  hopefulness  had  grown 
strong  in  the  commimity,  and  progress  and  improvement  were  rapid 
until  the  panic  of  1837.  It  seems  to  have  been  more  difficult,  however, 
to  preserve  order  than  it  is  now,  according  to  the  size  of  the  place. 
From  six  to  eighteen  watchmen  were  employed  a  number  of  years. 
Early  in  1826  it  was  resolved  by  the  board  that  the  watch  should  be 
continued  "  provided  they  would  receive  orders  on  the  treasurer  pay- 
able when  there  were  funds."  It  is  little  wonder  that  they  objected, 
and  they  were  discharged,  at  least  temporarily,  at  the  next  meeting. 
In  this  year  the  clerk  for  the  first  time  was  voted  a  salary  of  $50.  Pav- 
ing was  considerably  extended.  Chancellor  Square  was  improved,  and 
a  hook  and  ladder  company  and  eighteen  fire  wardens  were  appointed. 

In  1827  a  village  attorney  was  for  the  first  time  appointed  in  the  per- 
son of  Robert  Van  Rensselaer.  In  April  action  was  taken  which  re- 
sulted in  the  division  of  the  village  into  four  wards,  the  regulation  of 
elections,  and  empowering  the  trustees  to  raise  $3,000  and  $1,000  in 
each  of  the  succeeding  five  years  for  a  market.  This  action  followed 
upon  the  circulation  of  a  petition  which  was  signed  by  about  two- thirds 
of  the  freeholders.  A  committee  was  appointed  who  selected  a  lot  on 
the  corner  of  Bleecker  and  Back  streets  ?,nd  purchased  it  for  $1,000. 
In  January  of  the  next  year  the  market  committee  were  instructed  to 
receive  proposals  for  the  erection  of  a  market  building.  At  a  special 
meeting  in  February  it  was  resolved  to  accept  the  plans  of  Mr.  Colling 
and  the  committee  was  authorized  to  build  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  A 
public  meeting  was  held  in  February  at  which  a  committee  of  five  was 
appointed  to  co-operate  with  the  authorities  in  raising  $2,000  for  the 
purchase  of  a  fire  engine  and  hose.  This  action  was  prompted  in  part 
by  the  occurrence  of  two  destructive  fires.  Ordinances  were  adopted 
defining  the  fire  limits  of  the  village  and  making  more  stringent   regu- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  301 

lations  for  caring  for  streets,  the  suppression  of  gambling,  and  keeping 
cattle  out  of  the  streets.  Steuben  Square  was  laid  out  and  improved, 
Rutger  street  was  opened  to  First  street.  South  street  was  extended 
from  West  to   Steuben,  and  many  ether  streets  were  improved. 

In  1828  the  market  had  been  completed  and  in  June  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  establish  a  code  of  regulations  for  its  government. 
Annual  rent  of  stalls  was  fixed  at  $45  for  eight  feet  stalls,  $40  for  seven- 
feet  stalls,  and  $35  for  six-feet  stalls.  No  meat  was  to  be  sold  else- 
where in  the  village.  The  basement  was  devoted  to  a  vegetable  market, 
meats  on  the  first  floor,  while  in  the  second  story  was  the  council  room 
of  the  trustees.  The  market  continued  in  existence  until  about  1845. 
The  fire  department  was  reorganized  and  William  Williams  appointed 
chief  engineer;  E.  Z.  Cozier,  first  assistant;  Abraham  Culver,  second 
assistant;  Moses  Bagg,  T.  S.  Faxton,  B.  B.  Lansing,  John  E.  Hinman, 
James  Piatt,  Spencer  Kellogg,  R.  R.  Lansing,  and  Kellogg  Hurlburt, 
five  wardens. 

The  gulf  of  Ballou's  Creek  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  village  was  con- 
verted into  a  canal  basin  in  1828-29.  This  was  called  by  its  builders, 
the  Public  Basin.  In  1829,  on  the  22d  of  July,  a  resolution  was  adopted 
that  a  sum  adequate  to  the  expense  be  "appropriated  for  the  construc- 
tion oftwo  engine  houses  and  one  hook  and  ladder  house,  the  same  to  be 
constructed  so  as  to  be  capable  of  being  removed  from  one  extremity  of 
the  village  to  the  other  without  injury  to  the  buildings."  It  is  probable 
that  this  measure  was  not  carried  out,  as  in  November  of  1831  a  com- 
mittee was  authorized  to  buy  the  lot  on  the  corner  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine streets  for  $1,500  and  procure  plans  for  an  engine  house  and  a 
school  house  and  contract  for  their  erection  by  June  i,  1832.  Street 
improvements  were  extensive  between  1829  and  the  adoption  of  the 
city  charter  in  1832.  An  act  of  Legislature  dated  February  3,  1831, 
reorganized  the  fire  department,  making  it  consist  of  a  chief,  two  assist- 
ants, eight  fire  wardens,  and  four  companies  numbered  consecutively 
from  one,  and  a  hook  and  ladder  and  a  hose  company. 

Already  there  was  discussion  of  the  project  of  incorporation  as  a 
city.  On  November  1 1  a  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  board  that  a 
public  meeting  be  called  on  the  following  Monday  evening  at  the  court 
house,  to  consider  this  and  other  matters  of  importance. 


302  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Utica  was  not  yet  a  very  large  community,  but  the  inhabitants  were 
progressive  and  had  abundant  faith  in  the  future  of  the  place.  The 
population  was  nearly  lO.OOO  (it  was  10,183  in  1835);  ten  churches  had 
been  organized  and  most  of  them  were  in  existence  ;  the  schools  were 
far  advanced  ;  measures  were  about  to  be  adopted  for  beginning  the 
construction  of  the  Chenango  Canal  ;  the  first  railroad  was  about  to  be 
incorporated,  and  leading  citizens  felt  that  they  were  justified  in  seeking 
the  benefits  of  a  city  government.  But  before  taking  up  this  important 
change  it  is  incumbent  to  notice  further  some  of  the  more  prominent 
additions  to  the  population  under  the  last  village  charter. 

In  1 817  James  and  Walter  L.  Cochrane,  sons  of  John  Cochrane,  who 
was  director-general  of  hospitals  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  came  to 
Utica  and  were  prominent  in  social  affairs.  Charles  Hastings  and  An- 
drew Merrill  opened  a  new  bookstore  at  40  Genesee  street  in  18 17, 
added  a  circulating  library  and  from  1824  published  the  Western  Re- 
corder. Jared  E,  Warner  began  in  the  drug  business  in  181 2  and 
his  store  was  long  and  honorably  known.  Theodore  Sedgwick  Gold 
was  a  merchant  of  this  period  and  a  literary  character  of  ability.  He 
edited  the  Oneida  Whig  a  few  years  and  in  1837  was  mayor  of  the  city. 

Henry  Seymour,  a  native  of  Onondaga  county,  where  he  was  a  suc- 
cessful merchant,  came  to  Utica  soon  after  his  appointment  as  canal 
commissioner  in  March,  1819,  and  lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
From  1816  to  18 19  he  was  State  senator;  in  1820  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  and  in  1822  was  again  sent  to  the  Senate.  In  1833  he  was 
appointed  mayor  of  Utica.      He  died  August  26,  1837. 

James  Sayer  was  many  years  a  successful  hardware  merchant,  served 
as  director  in  the  United  States  Branch  Bank,  the  Ontario  Branch 
Bank  and  the  Oneida  National  Bank,  and  was  president  of  the  latter  at 
his  death.  Others  of  182 1  were  Levi  Cozzens,  inn  keeper  and  lumber 
dealer  ;  the  four  Thurber  brothers,  for  the  most  part  bakers,  of  whom 
Philip  was  also  a  hardware  dealer;  Jabez  Miller,  baker  ;  Edward  Bright, 
brewer  ;  EUsha  Wells,  shoe  dealer  ;  Robert  Jones,  grocer  ;  Otis  Whip- 
ple, Cyrus  Grannis,  and  Elisha  Backus. 

At  a  little  later  date  Alfred  Munson  became  a  resident  and  was  long 
a  foremost  citizen,  largely  connected  with  public  works  and  later  in 
developing  manufactures  in  the  village,  promoter  of  the  Mechanics'  As- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  303 

sociation  and  the  water  works,  and  the  largest  benefactor  of  Grace 
church. 

Among  the  early  employees  of  Jason  Parker  &  Co  ,  the  great  stage 
proprietors,  was  John  Butterfield.  Later  he  engaged  in  transportation 
business  by  himself  and  long  kept  the  leading  livery  in  the  city.  He 
was  connected  with  boating  on  the  canal  and  Lake  Ontario,  was  prom- 
inent in  establishing  plank  roads  and  took  a  large  interest  in  the  early 
express  business.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  foresee  the  future  useful- 
ness of  the  telegraph  and  with  others  organized  the  first  company  to 
construct  lines  across  this  State.  He  built  the  Butterfield  House  and 
the  Gardner  block  and  in  1865  was  mayor  of  the  city.  He  died  No- 
vember 14,  1869. 

Holmes  Hutchinson  was  village  surveyor  in  1824,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  until  1835,  when  he  was  made  chief  engineer  on  the  Erie 
Canal,  performing  the  duties  of  the  office  until  1841  and  during  the  en- 
largement. 

Michael  McQuade^  was  conspicuous  in  local  politics,  held  many  offices 
from  collector  to  mayor  and  was  alderman  of  the  First  ward,  where  he 
was  practically  supreme.  Others  of  this  period  were  Horace  Butler, 
merchant  and  forwarder  ;  Jonathan  R.  Warner,  hatter  ;  Chester  Gris- 
wold,  canal  weighmaster,  and  Henry  White,  grandson  of  the  founder 
of  Whitestown.  Milton  Boynton  and  Truman  Parmalee  were  partners 
at  this  time  in  dry  goods  trade,  and  Mr.  Parmalee  became  a  leader 
in  the  promotion  of  Sunday  school  work.  About  1829  Alrick  Hub- 
bell  was  deputy  sheriff"  under  John  E  Hinman.  He  acted  several 
years  as  the  efficient  chief  engineer  of  the  fire  department,  was  alder- 
man in  1841  and  mayor  in  1856-7;  in  1858-9  he  was  State  senator 
and  was  director  of  the  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad.  Others 
who  should    be  mentioned  of    about    1824  were  Israel    Tiffany,    clerk 

'  The  name  of  ilichael  McQuade  has  been  often  met  with  in  the  History  of  Utica.  His  eldest 
son  was  James  McQuade,  born  April  27,  1829.  He  was  a  clerk  and  afterwards  an  officer  in  the 
Bank  of  Utica  and  in  1851  was  made  assistant  clerk  of  the  Assembly.  He  was  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  in  1855  and  1856  and  was  conspicuous  in  the  Fire  Department.  In  1806  and  again  in 
1870  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city.  In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  on  the  day 
following  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  offered  himself  and  the  Citizens'  Corps,  of  which  he  was  then 
captain,  to  the  government  for  two  years.  They  were  assigned  to  the  14th  Regiment,  of  which  he 
was  elected  colonel.  Serving  honorably  in  the  field  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier-gen- 
eral. He  was  presidential  elector  in  1856  and  was  prominent  in  1882  as  a  candidate  for  lieutenant- 
governor.     He  died  March  25,  1885. 


304  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

for  H.  &  E.  Phinney  in  Cooperstown,  who  came  to  Utica  to  super- 
intend their  establishment  opened  here.  As  bookseller  he  remained  to 
1868.  Harvey  Barnard,  dealer  in  wall  paper,  succeeded  by  his  sons.^ 
Abraham  Shepard,  landlord  of  Bagg's,  the  United  States  and  the 
Coffee  House ;  Richard  Sanger,  landlord  of  the  Clinton,  National, 
Franklin  and  the  Coffee  House  ;  Thomas  Midlam,  landlord  and  grocer  ; 
George  S.Wilson,  prominent  in  Sunday  school  work;  Henry  Ivison, 
who  came  to  Utica  with  his  father  and  learned  bookbinding,  with 
Seward  &  Williams,  and  became  later  a  large  publisher  in  New  York  ; 
Thomas  Davis,  watchmaker ;  Stafford  Palmer,  Charles  Churchill,  An- 
drew O.  and  Norman  Downer,  all  connected  with  the  lumber  trade  or 
its  manufacture;  John  F.  Vedder,  dealer  in  leather;  Elisha  Cadwell 
and  Samuel  L.  Perkins,  grocers  ;  William  G.  Allyn  and  John  S.  Joslin, 
marble  workers;  Vistus  Balch,  copper-plate  engraver,  and  the  follow- 
ing printers  who  were  apprenticed  in  Utica  at  about  this  time  :  Henry 
Day,  brother-in-law  of  George  Dutton  ;  William  Swain,  who  founded 
the  Philadelphia  Ledger  and  the  Baltimore  Sun  ;  James  O.  Rockwell,  a 
gifted  poet  and  editor  of  the  Providence  Journal  ;  Francis  M.  Hill,  an- 
other poet,  who  edited  the  Kingston  (Ca.)  Chronicle  and  was  mayor  of 
Kingston  ;  O.  N.  Worden,  editor  of  the  Louisberg  Chronicle,  Penn- 
sylvania ;  Edward  P.  Wetmore,  brother  of  Edmund  A.  Wetmore,  a 
publisher  of  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati  ;  William  Schram,  for  thirty- 
one  years  with  the  Poughkeepsie  Eagle  ;  Edward  Bright,  editor  of  the 
Baptist  Register  ;   and  others. 

Spencer  Kellogg,  long  a  leading  merchant,  was  a  native  of  Williams- 
town,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  Utica  in  1824,  first  with  S.  H.  Reynolds, 
then  with  his  son.  Palmer  V.,- and  later  with  other  persons.      Andrew  S. 

1  Charles  E.,  Horace  and  Harvey  Barnard  were  sons  of  Harvey  and  succeeded  to  his  business 
in  the  wall  paper  trade.  The  first  named  was  alderman  two  terms  and  in  187G  was  mayor  of  the 
city.  He  was  also  prominent  in  the  volunteer  Fire  Department,  a  member  of  the  Citizens  Corps 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Cemetery  Association.  He  died  May  4,  1888.  Harvey  Barnard  was  an  active 
member  of  several  civic  associations  and  evinced  a  keen  interest  in  municipal  affairs.  The  only 
public  office  he  held  was  supervisor,  declining  many  other  proffers  of  public  station.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  old  Columbian  Artillery  and  of  the  Citizens  Corps.  His  death  took  place  Novem- 
ber -2,  1873. 

''Palmer  V.  Kellogg  was  a  son  of  Spencer  Kellogg,  the  merchant  of  182.5,  and  in  18:^2  became  a 
partner  of  his  father.  Ten  years  later  he  was  associated  with  James  Rockwell  and  still  later  with 
his  son  Charles  C.  About  IS.'iS  he  began  the  extensive  manufacture  of  clothing,  which  was  mostly 
sold  in  Chicago,  in  which  business  he  had  as  partners  John  H.  Prentiss  and  James  K.  Hitchcock. 
Mr.  Kellogg  and  Prentiss  went  to  Chicago  in  18G9.  While  in  Utica  Mr.  Kellogg  was  somewhat 
prominent  in  Whig  politics  and  held  the  offices  of  supervisor,  sheriff  and  United  States  marshal. 


-c^9 


4^99* 


i:  M 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  305 

Pond  at  about  this  time  became  associated  with  Ephraim  Hart  in  the 
foundry  business  and  later  with  Robert  Higham  in  the  Vulcan  Works 
at  West  Utica.  Others  first  noticed  in  1825  are  A.  &  S.  Lightbody, 
leather  dealers;  Hastings  &  Co.,  grocers  ;  Matthew  Codd,  brewer;  S.  A. 
Sibley,  tinsmith ;  N.  F.  &  J.  Vedder,  and  Peter  McDougal,  leather 
dealers. 

Alfred  Churchill  was  a  new- coming  hotel  keeper  of  1827.  He  was 
at  first  an  assistant  and  soon  a  partner  of  Moses  Bagg,  where  he  re- 
mained to  1836,  at  which  time  the  hotel  passed  to  a  stock  company  of 
which  Mr.  Churchill  was  a  member,  and  he  continued  to  conduct  it  until 
his  death,  January  10,  1865. 

Thorn  &  Curtis  now  bought  out  Charles  Morris  in  the  forwarding 
business  on  Jay  street,  which  continued  to  recent  years.  Other  names 
of  1827  are  Simon  V.  Oley,  shoemaker;  Abram  Williams  and  Robert 
Latimore,  merchant  tailors;  William  B.  Gray,  saddler ;  J.  McElwaine, 
livery  ;  Ransom  Curtis,  general  merchant, 

Gardner  Tracy  came  to  Utica  from  Lansingburg,  where  he  had  been 
prominent  in  politics  and  conducted  a  paper.  Here  he  began  printing  and 
bookselling.  He  was  a  man  of  high  character  and  widely  respected;  he 
died  May  25,  1849,  ^"^  was  succeeded  by  his  son  George.  Ehsha  A. 
Maynard  was  a  printer  of  1828,  who  was  a  partner  with  Mr.  Dauby  in 
the  Observer,  and  the  merchants  of  these  closing  years  of  the  village 
existence  were  Cooper  &  Ellis,  Cornelius  Swartout,  William  W,  Backus, 
John  R.  Ludlow,  F.  K  Boughton  &  Co  ,  John  Latimore,  Alfred  Hunt 
(Stocking  &  Hunt),  Benedict  &  Roby,  Chauncey  Rowe,  William  J. 
Buck  (Dana  &  Buck),  E.  S.  Comstock,  Jonas  Fay  ;  while  among 
mechanics  who  were  new-comers  were  Philo  Curtis,  Joseph  D.  Daniels, 
Ebenezer  Leach,  H.  S.  Bradley,  Benjamin  F.  Brooks ;  Richard  Hunt- 
ington, silversmith;  Noah  White, ^  potter ;  S.  H.  Addington,  stoneware 
manufacturer;  C.  O.  Nye,  carpenter;  Sylvester  Doolittle,  boat  builder; 
Walton  &  Hardaway,  saddlers;  Morgan  James,  lastmaker ;  J.  D.  Ed- 
wards,   painter;   Z.   &  P.    Lyon,  E.   W.    Blake,    merchant  tailors ;    John 

'  Noah  White  and  familj'  settled  in  Utica  in  1828.  He  was  a  potter  by  trade  and  with  his  son, 
Nicholas  A.,  formed  a  business  connection  with  Samuel  H.  Addington,  who  owned  a  pottery 
where  the  present  West  Utica  Pottery  now  stands.  Mr.  White  and  his  son  soon  bought  out  Mr. 
Addington  and  for  nearly  fifty  years  N.  A.  White  was  prominently  connected  with  the  works. 
In  1851  he  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council,  in  1858  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  in  1873 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly.  He  died  August  9,  1886. 
39 


306  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hale,  Isaac  Bond,  masons;  John  Mairs,  tinner;  Mulford  R.  Bond,  shoe- 
maker and  afterward  grocer  and  hosemaker  ;  Benjamin  Arnott,  shoe- 
maker ;  John  B.  Harrington. 

EHsha  M.  Gilbert  began  about  this  time  as  a  dry  goods  dealer  and  in 
1832  took  up  the  leather  business,  at  first  with  John  Williams.  He  was 
prosperous  and  acquired  wealth  ;  was  a  director  in  the  Bank  of  Utica, 
and  donated  the  chapel  to  the  Westminster  church.  He  died  March  16, 
1868.  Another  leather  dealer  who  now  embarked  in  long  continued 
business  was  Edward  Curran,  who  was  successful  until  his  death,  June 
27,  1858. 

Chauncey  Palmer,  a  carpenter,  settled  in  Utica  in  1825,  and  was  en- 
gaged as  a  builder  for  fifty- five  years.  He  erected  a  part  of  Bagg's 
Hotel,  the  Herald  building,  the  Dudley  Triangle,  the  Globe  Mills,  and 
many  important  structures.  With  Lewis  Lawrence  he  operated  the 
planing  mill  put  in  motion  by  Philo  C.  Curtis  and  for  thirty-five  years 
had  a  foundry  in  connection  with  his  carpenter  shop.  He  died  June  10, 
1884.  Another  prominent  and  esteemed  carpenter  was  John  J.  Francis, 
whose  parents  were  children  of  early  Welsh  settlers  in  Utica. 

William  D.  Hamlin,  who  probably  first  came  to  Utica  in  1822,  was  a 
successful  wagonmaker,  a  director  and  second  vice-president  of  the 
Second  National  Bank  and  president  of  the  water  company.  Moses  T. 
Meeker  was  another  coachmaker  who  afterwards  dealt  largely  in  iron 
and  coal  and  acquired  wealth.      He  died  September  19,  1874. 

Joseph  Shearman,  nephew  of  Ebenezer  Shearman,  came  to  live  with 
his  uncle  when  fourteen  years  old,  and  about  1830  engaged  in  dry 
goods  trade ;  later  he  was  a  partner  with  his  uncle  and  they  remained 
together  till  1840,  when  both  sold  out  and  engaged  in  cotton  manufac- 
ture at  New  Hartford,  which  the  nephew  continued  until  1865  retaining 
his  Utica  residence. 

As  merchants  should  be  mentioned  Sylvester  Aylsworth,  Haynes, 
Lord,  C.  Holgate,  Ezra  Dean,  Oliver  Obear,  Herring  &  Whiting, 
Thomas  Perkins,  John  Baxter,  Leonard  &  White,  and  perhaps  a  few 
others  who  were  in  business  when  the  village  became  a  city.' 

1  Daniel  Grouse,  long  a  leading  Utica  merchant,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county  April  :2fl,  1805. 
With  his  brother  John  he  was  in  business  in  Canastota  until  185.3  and  afterwards  alone  until  18(10, 
when  he  established  a  wholesale  grocery  in  Utica,  of  which  his  son,  D.  N.  Grouse,  for  a  time  had 
the  management;  this  became  one  of  the  foremost  houses  of  the  kind  in  the  city.     He  was  a  pro- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  307 

The  reader  who  has  learned  in  the  foregoing  pages  something  of  the 
personal  characteristics  and  material  achievements  of  so  many  of  the 
fathers  of  Utica,  will  find  in  the  two  preceding  chapters  devoted  to  the 
legal  and  medical  professions  (as  well  as  in  Parts  II  and  III)  still  further 
biographical  notes  of  men  who  were  conspicuous  in  Utica  prior  to  1832. 
It  has  been  considered  important  to  give  liberally  of  space  to  these  per- 
sonal records  of  early  settlers,  who  with  their  descendants  have  made 
the  city  what  it  is,  for  it  will  be  impracticable  to  follow  in  detail  the 
records  of  later  generations,  except  as  they  will  necessarily  appear  in 
the  further  history  of  the  city  at  large  and  its  various  institutions  and 
industries. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  village  under  the  last  two  charters  have 
been  as  follows;  those  under  the  first  charter  (1798-1805)  having  been 
lost  with  the  records: 

1805 — Trustees,  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  jr.,  Nathan  Williams,  Francis  A.  Blood- 
good,  Jerathmel  Ballou,  and  Erastus  Clark.  Isaac  Coe  was  chosen  treasurer  and 
Worden  Hammond  collector.  Of  these  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  jr.,  was  elected 
president,  and  D.  W.  Childs,  clerk.     Talcott  Camp  was  the  retiring  clerk. 

1806 — The  foregoing  officers  all  re-elected. 

1807 — The  same,  excepting  the  substitution  of  John  Hooker  for  Francis  A.  Blood- 
good.     Erastus  Clark,  jM-esident. 

1808 — Morris  S.  Miller,  Jerathmel  Ballou,  John  Hooker,  Nathaniel  Butler,  and  John 
Bellinger.     Morris  S.  Miller,  president. 

1809 — Talcott  Camp,  president ;  Solomon  Wolcott,  John  Hooker,  Jerathmel  Ballou, 
John  Bellinger. 

1810 — Talcott  Camp,  president ;  John  C.  Hoyt,  John  C.  Devereux,  Rudolph  Snyder,  . 
and  Abraham  M.  Walton. 

1811 — Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  Talcott  Camp,  Frederick  White,  John  C.   Dever- 

grcssive  citizen,  active  in  municipal  affairs  and  director  in  the  Second  National  Bank.  He  died 
September  38,  187". 

James  Dutton,  a  native  of  Lebanon,  Conn.,  established  a  dry  goods  store  in  1832,  one  year 
after  his  arrival  in  Utica.  He  was  long  in  trade  and  was  successful.  He  lived  many  years  in 
New  Hartford,  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  respected  citizen. 

Edward  T.  Manning,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  Utica  in  1850  and  eventually  became  one  of 
the  largest  dry  goods  dealers  in  the  city.  Hugh  Glenn  became  his  partner  April  1,  18T9,  and 
about  a  year  later  Mr.  Manning  retired  to  engage  in  real  estate  and  insurance  with  Henry  Hop- 
son.    He  died  February  'Zi,  1883. 

Thomas  Hosmer  Wood  settled  in  Utica  prior  to  18.37  and  in  that  year  was  followed  by  his 
brother,  George  W.  Wood.  They  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade  and  later  were  together  in  the 
operation  of  the  City  Furnace.  George  W.  Wood  was  especially  active  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
church.  Thomas  H.,  after  the  death  of  his  brother,  became  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Wood,  Roberts 
&  Co.,  but  after  some  years  of  business  prosperity  he  retired  and  gave  his  time  to  the  indulgence 
of  his  taste  in  cultivating  and  adorning  his  grounds,  the  promotion  of  the  Art  Association,  the 
stud)'  of  architecture  and  kindred  occupations.     He  died  in  Paris,  France,  January  14,  1874. 


308  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

eux,  and  E.  B.  Shearman  ;  as  treasurer  John  C.  Hoyt  in  place  of  Mr.  Shearman,  thus 
exalted  to  a  trusteeship. 

1812— At  the  charter  election  held  on  the  15th  of  May,  1812,  there  were  but  four 
trustees  elected  on  the  first  ballot,  viz. :  Talcott  Camp,  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  E. 
B.  Shearman,  and  Morris  S.  Miller.  Frederick  White,  of  the  former  board,  had  left 
the  village  and  Mr.  Devereux  was  dropped  for  reason  which  we  may  surmise.  Mr. 
Miller  was,  however,  excused  from  serving  and,  on  a  fresh  ballot  for  two,  Bryan 
Johnson  and  Thomas  Skinner  were  elected.  Mr.  Johnson  also  asked  to  be  excused, 
when  Arthur  Breese  was  elected  to  the  vacant  place. 

1813 — Trustees,  Talcott  Camp,  president;  Moses  Bagg,  Montgomery  Hunt,  Seth 
Dwight,  and  Ebenezer  B.  Shearman.     John  C.  Hoyt  was  the  treasurer. 

1814 — Trustees,  Talcott  Camp,  president;  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  Nathan  Will- 
iams, Killian  Winne,  and  Samuel  Stocking.  J.  C.  Hoyt  was  continued  treasurer  and 
John  H.  Ostrom,  clerk. 

1815 — Trustees,  Abraham  Van  Santvoort,  Augustus  Hickox,  Gurdon  Burchard, 
Jason  Parker,  and  William  Geere.  Mr.  Van  Santvoort  was  subsequently  chosen 
president. 

1816 — Trustees,  Rudolph  Snyder,  president;  Ezra  S.  Cozier,  Augustus  Hickox, 
Gurdon  Burchard,  and  William  Geere. 

1817 — Under  new  charter.  The  first  president  appointed  under  this  charter  was 
Nathan  Williams,  and  at  the  first  election  held  under  it  there  were  chosen  as  trustees 
Ezra  S.  Cozier  and  William  Williams  from  the  First  ward,  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer 
and  Abraham  Van  Santvoort  from  the  Second  ward,  and  Erastus  Clark  and  John  C. 
Hoyt  from  the  Third  ward.  The  assessors  elected  were  Moses  Bagg,  David  P. 
Hoyt,  and  Thomas  Walker.  Benjamin  Walker  was  chosen  supervisor  and  Ezra  S. 
Barnum  and  Joshua  Ostrom  constables;  John  H.  Ostrom,  clerk;  E.  S.  Barnum  and 
Benjamin  Ballou,  collectors;  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  overseer  of  the  poor;  Judah 
Williams,  treasurer;  Frederick  W.  Potter,  poundmaster;  Benjamin  Hinman,  Aaron 
Eggleston,  and  Jason  Parker  fence  viewers;  James  Hooker,  gauger;  Benjamin 
Ballou,  superintendent  of  highways. 

1818 — Trustees,  First  ward,  Ezra  S.  Cozier  and  John  E.  Hinman;  Second,  Abra- 
ham Van  Santvoort  and  Enos  Brown ;  Third,  Rudolph  Snyder  and  Marcus  Hitch- 
cock. 

1819 — Ezra  S.  Cozier,  William  Williams,  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  jr.,  David  P. 
Hoyt,  Gurdon  Burchard,  Rudolph  Snyder,  Wm.  Alverson. 

1820 — Trustees,  E.  S.  Cozier,  John  E.  Hinman,  James  Hooker,  Abraham  Culver, 
Ezekiel  Bacon,  and  Thomas  Walker.  Rudolph  Snyder  was  appointed  president  by 
the  State  council  on  the  resignation  of  Judge  Williams. 

1821 — Ezra  S.  Cozier,  president;  Benjamin  Ballou,  jr.,  John  Baxter  (1st  ward), 
James  Hooker,  John  Handy  ("2d  ward),  Thomas  Walker,  David  P.  Hoyt  (3d  ward). 

1822 — Trustees,  Benjamin  Ballou,  John  Baxter,  Ezekiel  Bacon,  Richard  R.  Lan- 
sing, Thomas  Walker,  and  David  P.  Hoyt.     Ezra  S.  Cozier  was  the  president. 

1823 — Benjamin  Ballou,  James  Hooker,  Ezekiel  Bacon,  Daniel  Stafford,  Thomas 
Walker,  Jesse  W.  Doolittle.     John  H.  Ostrom,  clerk. 

1824 — William  Clarke,  president;  Benjamin  Ballou,  James  Hooker,  Ezekiel  Bacon, 
James  Lynch,  Thomas  Walker,  Nicholas  Smith. 


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THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  309 

1825 — Trustees,  Benjamin  Ballon,  Riley  Rogers,  William  H.  Maynard,  Charles 
Morris,  Nicholas  Smith,  and  John  R.  Ludlow.  Capt.  William  Clarke  remained  the 
president.     John  H.  Ostrom  was  still  clerk. 

1826 — President,  Ezra  S.  Cozier;  trustees,  John  E.  Hinman,  Riley  Rogers,  Abra- 
ham Culver,  Amos  Gay,  Nicholas  Smith,  John  R.  Ludlow:  assessors,  Benjamin 
Ballou,  John  Bradish,  David  P.  Hoyt;  treasurer,  Thomas  Walker. 

1827 — E.  S.  Cozier,  president;  trustees,  John  H.  Ostrom,  Augustine  G.  Dauby, 
Abraham  Culver,  Thomas  Colling,  Amos  Gay,  Chester  Griswold,  Augustus  Hurl- 
burt,  Nicholas  Devereux. 

1828 — President,  William  Clarke;  trustees,  John  H.  Ostrom,  James  Piatt,  Abra- 
ham Culver,  Thomas  Colling,  Chester  Griswold,  Augustus  Hurlburt,  Nicholas  Dev- 
ereux, R.  R.  Lansing. 

1829— President,  Capt.  William  Clarke;  trustees,  John  Williams,  R.  B.  Miller, 
Abraham  Culver,  Thomas  Colling,  Andrew  S.  Pond,  Sylvester  Doolittle,  Robert 
McBride,  Asahel  Seward. 

1830 — President,  Ezra  S.  Cozier;  trustees,  John  Williams,  Chester  Griswold, 
Thomas  Colling,  Rudolph  Snyder,  Sylvester  Doolittle,  A.  S.  Pond,  Robert  McBride, 
R.  B.  Miller.     John  G.  Floyd  was  clerk  and  attorney. 

1831 — The  last  election  as  a  village  were  as  follows:  President,  Ezra  S.  Cozier; 
trustees,  John  Williams,  E.  S.  Comstock,  Thomas  Colling,  T.  S.  Faxton,  A.  S.  Pond, 
Sylvester  Doolittle,  Rober  McBride,  R.  B.  Miller;  assessors,  Benjamin  Ballou,  Zenas 
Wright,  Augustus  Hulburt,  Adam  Bow-man;  treasurer,  Thomas  Walker;  clerk  and 
attorney,  John  G.  Floyd ;  surveyor,  John  Fish. 

The  act  to  incorporate  the  city  of  Utica  was  passed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture February  13,  1832.  The  first  section  prescribes  the  bounds  of  what 
shall  hereafter  be  known  as  the  city  of  Utica.  These  bounds  are  as 
follows : 

Beginning  at  a  point  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mohawk  River  where  the  division 
line  between  lots  number  90  and  100  in  Cosby's  Manor  strikes  the  said  river;  thence 
running  southerly  in  the  said  division  line  to  a  point  fifty  chains  southerly  of  the 
great  road  leading  to  Fort  Stanwix;  thence  south  53°  east  to  the  easterly  line  of  the 
county  of  Oneida;  thence  northerly  in  the  said  county  line  to  the  Mohawk  River; 
thence  westerly  up  the  middle  of  the  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

Subsequent  sections  of  the  act  incorporate  this  district  as  a  city  ;  divide 
it  into  four  wards  corresponding  to  the  heart  of  the  first  four  of  the  pres- 
ent time  ;  declare  that  its  officers  shall  be  a  mayor,  twelve  aldermen 
(three  for  each  ward),  four  justices  of  the  peace,  a  clerk,  a  supervisor,  a 
treasurer,  an  attorney,  one  or  more  collectors,  four  assessors,  three  con- 
stables, and  authorize  the  appointment  by  the  council  of  certain  other 
officers;  name  the  first  Tuesday  in  March  as  the  date  of  the  annual 
election  ;  declare  that  the  aldermen  shall  be  elected  by  the  people  and 
prescribe  the  mode  of  election  and  the  qualification  of  the  electors,  one 


310  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  which  was  the  possession  of  a  freehold  estate  of  the  value  of  $250 
over  and  above  all  incumbrances;  that  the  mayor  and  other  ofificers 
were  to  be  elected  by  a  vote  of  the  council,  who  were  to  fix  their  com- 
pensation, excepting  only  that  of  the  mayor,  which  was  to  be  $250. 
Other  acts  related  to  the  levying  of  taxes  for  the  expenses  of  the  city, 
wiiich  were  placed  at  $8,000,  but  if  this  sum  was  found  insufficient  it 
was  subject  to  increase  on  the  consent  or  petition  in  writing  of  a  ma- 
jority of  the  taxpayers;  to  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  council  and 
the  various  officers,  etc 

The  new  Common  Council  met  March  12,  1832.  The  names  of  the 
aldermen  were  as  follows:  Ephraim  Hart,  Rudolph  Snyder,  John  Will- 
iams, Charles  A.  Mann,  Ezra  S.  Barnum,  Augustus  Hurlburt,  Robert 
McBride,  Harvey  Barnard,  Chauncey  Rowe,  John  A.  Russ,  John  H. 
Ostrom,  and  Rutger  B.  Miller.  The  oath  of  office  was  taken  and  John 
H.  Ostrom  appointed  clerk  pro  tern.  A  mayor  was  then  elected  by  bal- 
lot, Joseph  Kirkland  being  chosen  the  first  mayor  of  Utica.  Aldermen 
Hurlburt  and  Rowe  were  appointed  a  committee  to  wait  on  the  mayor, 
who  came  in  and  took  the  official  oath.  Other  officers  were  then  bal- 
loted for  with  the  following  result:  Clerk,  Thomas  Colling;  treasurer, 
Ezra  S.  Cozier;  attorney,  David  Wager;  street  commissioner,  John 
McElwaine ;  police  constables,  Samuel  Hall,  Thomas  Parmelee ;  sur- 
veyors, John  Fish  and  E.  O.  Baily.  Aldermen  Hart  and  Mann  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  procure  a  seal.  Aldermen  Mann,  Snyder,  and 
Ostrom  and  the  mayor  were  made  a  committee  to  report  a  code  of  by- 
laws, police  regulations,  and  rules  for  the  government  of  the  council. 
This  committee  reported  accordingly  and  the  report  was  accepted  ;  the 
new  ordinances  were  read  before  the  board  at  intervals  during  the  en- 
suing few  weeks  and  were  finally  adopted  in  April.  Five  watchmen 
were  appointed,  and  in  March  Levi  Ballou  was  chosen  as  beadle  and  a 
scavenger  was  appointed  for  each  ward. 

On  the  9th  of  April  a  committee  was  appointed  to  sell  the  free  school 
lot  on  Catherine  street  and  buy  another  suitable  for  common  school  and 
fire  purposes;  the  lot  was  sold  to  John  R.  Bleecker  for  $300.  On  the 
15th  of  May  it  was  resolved  that  the  street  commissioner  be  authorized 
to  expend  not  to  exceed  $300  on  repairing  roads*  Aldermen  Miller, 
Hart,  and  Hurlburt  were  made  a  committee  on  the  expediency  of  buy- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  311 

ing  a  town  clock.      June  1st  it  was  ordered  that  "two  bells  be  rung  for 
the  accommodation  of  citizens  " — Presbyterian  and  Episcopal. 

In  the  first  year  of  the  city's  history  a  demon  of  disease,  the  Asiatic 
cholera,  swept  over  the  country,  ravaging  cities  especially  and  gen- 
erally following  lines  of  navigation.  Utica  suffered  in  common  with 
other  large  communities,  but  not  with  the  severity  of  many  sea  and 
lake  ports.  At  a  meeting  of  the  council  June  i8,  1832,  the  follow- 
ing was  adopted : 

Whereas,  The  council  has  received  information  that  the  Asiatic  cholera  has 
recently  appeared  in  Canada,  and  there  being  just  grounds  to  fear  that  in  a  short 
time  it  may  reach  this  city,  and  the  common  council  deeming  it  incumbent  on  them 
to  adopt  such  measures  as  may  be  best  adapted  to  prevent  the  introduction  and 
spread  of  such  disease,  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  Drs.  Goodsell,  McCall,  Coventry,  Peckham,  and  McCiaith,  be  and 
they  are  appointed  (with  the  council)  as  a  Board  of  Health.  That  said  Board  are 
hereby  authorized  to  make  such  regulations  as  they  may  deem  expedient  to  prevent 
the  introduction  and  spread  of  disease  and  to  preserve  the  health  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city. 

Dr.  Goodsell  was  made  president  of  the  board  and  through  its  effi- 
cient and  timely  action  the  mortality  was  materially  reduced  and  suf- 
fering was  greatly  relieved  A  temporary  hospital  was  erected  in 
August  near  the  old  weigh  lock  east  of  the  city,  fifty  bushels  of  lime 
were  purchased  for  the  use  of  the  poor,  and  early  in  July  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer  was  appointed.  The  quarantine  limits  on  the  west 
were  fixed  at  Johnson's  Basin,  and  on  the  east  at  Miller's  basin.  A 
nuisance  committee  of  two  in  each  ward  was  appointed  and  Joseph 
Kirkland  and  Dr.  Coventry  were  made  a  committee  to  publish  daily 
the  condition  of  the  health  of  the  city.  About  the  15th  of  August 
Samuel  Hall,  John  Dickey,  Chauncey  Phelps,  John  Y.  Pierce,  John 
Cooper,  and  William  Fay  were  designated  to  aid  the  Board  of  Health, 
their  duty  being  to  care  for  the  removal  of  the  sick  and  the  burial  of 
the  dead.  The  last  record  of  the  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Health  is 
under  date  of  August  13,  but  their  labors  did  not  cease  at  that  time. 
On  September  14  Dr.  F.  B.  Wales,  physician  in  the  hospital,  resigned 
and  received  resolutions  of  thanks  for  his  labors.  At  one  period  during 
the  height  of  the  epidemic  the  academy  was  used  as  a  temporary  hos 
pital.  Great  alarm  existed  and  large  numbers  fled  from  the  city,  some 
3,000  persons  leaving  for  various  points  in  the  country.      The  number 


312  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  deaths  from  August  I2  to  August  28  was  51  ;  cases,  172.  By  Sep- 
tember 10  the  deaths  numbered  75  ;  cases,  206.  On  September  ii  the 
Board  of  Health  announced  that  no  further  danger  existed  and  people 
could  safely  return  to  the  city  if  reasonable  precautions  were  taken. 
September  25  the  local  papers  published  that  "  the  city  was  never 
more  healthy  and  not  a  case  of  cholera  had  occurred  since  its  last 
issue." 

The  following  resolutions  are   both  self  explanatory  and  significant: 

Whereas,  Certain  individuals  now  in  our  city  are  disturbing  the  peace  of  the 
good  citizens  thereof,  by  circulating  sentiments  which  we  deem  demoralizing  in 
themselves  and  little  short  of  treason  toward  the  government  of  our  country. 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  common  council  of  the  city  of  Utica,.  regard  the  agitation 
of  the  question  of  Negro  Slavery  as  it  exists  in  the  Southern  States  of  this  Republic 
to  be  highly  inexpedient  at  the  present  juncture  of  our  National  affairs;  and  that  it 
can  only  tend  to  keep  alive  the  dying  embers  of  internal  discord,  which  we  fondly 
hope  and  believe  will  soon  be  entirely  extinguished  if  not  disturbed  by  the  zeal  of 
misguided  philanthropists. 

This  is  the  first  public  expression  in  opposition  to  the  work  of 
Abolitionists  in  the  city  which  we  find,  and  will  be  further  alluded  to  a 
little  later  on. 

The  Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad  was  now  before  the  public  and 
subscription  books  were  opened  in  Utica  on  June  17,  18,  and  19,  1834, 
and  the  citizens  took  about  $4,300,000  of  the  stock.  On  the  last  named 
day  a  committee  was  appointed  to  designate  the  city  terminus  of  the 
road.  The  report  stated  that  "  it  shall  terminate  on  the  square  (so- 
called)  " 

General  prosperity  had  reigned  since  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal, 
but  the  first  influences  of  the  approaching  financial  crisis  of  1836-7  were 
now  beginning  to  be  felt.  There  was  a  need  of  more  extensive  banking 
facilities  in  the  city  and  as  early  as  1834  it  was  stated  in  a  local  journal 
that  "  money  was  never  more  scarce  and  local  banks  were  discounting 
no  paper." 

The  Young  Men's  Association  of  the  City  of  Utica  was  founded  in 
February,  1834,  its  chief  objects  being  the  mutual  improvement  of  its 
members  by  establishing  a  reading-room,  library,  a  society  for  debating, 
and  courses  of  lectures  James  Watson  Williams  was  the  first  presi- 
dent;  Milton  D.  Parker  and  Henry  R  Hart,  vice-presidents;  William 
Tracy,   corresponding   secretary ;     James    Knox,    recording   secretary ; 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  313 

Ward  Hunt,  treasurer.  For  several  years  it  had  a  vigorous  life,  but 
internal  discord  and  partisanship  destroyed  it,  a  result  that  was  perhaps 
hastened  by  the  founding  of  the  Utica  Mechanics'  Association. 

September  i  ith  a  committee  reported  that  a  different  method  of  pay- 
ing for  pavements  should  be  adopted  and  recommended  heavier  assess- 
ments on  real  estate.  About  this  time  the  practice  of  borrowing  money 
to  meet  current  expenses,  a  practice  that  sooner  or  later  seems  to  over- 
take all  cities,  began  in  Utica,  when  $3,000  were  borrowed  for  that 
purpose.  November  27  it  was  resolved  that  the  city  will  furnish  a  jail 
lot  if  the  supervisors  of  the  county  will  erect  a  building. 

In  the  year  1833  Rev.  J.  N.  Danforth,  agent  of  the  American  Coloni- 
zation Society  came  to  Utica  and  invited  the  public  to  meet  him  in  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church  on  Broad  street  on  the  evening  of  December  21. 
Several  meetings  were  held  between  this  date  and  January  10,  1834,  and 
speeches  were  made  to  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  the  meeting  deeply  deplores  the  unfortunate  condition  of  the  colored 
population  of  this  country  and  commends  to  the  zealous  support  of  the  philanthropist 
and  the  Christian  the  American  Colonization  Society,  as  the  instrument  under  Provi- 
dence which  is  best  calculated  to  alleviate  the  condition  of  the  free  negro  and  secure 
the  ultimate  emancipation  of  the  slave. 

The  burden  of  the  discussion  fell  chiefly  upon  Mr.  Danforth  and  Rev. 
Beriah  Green,  then  president  of  the  Oneida  Institute  at  Whitesboro, 
though  several  others  participated.  It  continued  two  weeks,  most  of 
the  meetings  being  held  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  which  was 
regularly  crowded.  Much  of  the  speaking  was  radical  in  the  extreme 
and  intense  feeling  was  generated  in  the  community.  It  was  a  period 
when  abolition  was  agitated  by  only  comparatively  few,  but  those  few 
were  persistent  in  advocating  their  cause  and  unlicensed  in  their  de- 
nunciation of  slavery.  The  excitement  caused  by  the  subject  in  other 
communities  had  led  to  the  introduction  in  the  Utica  council  of  the  res- 
olution before  quoted.  On  September  3,  1835,  a  public  meeting  was 
held  in  the  court  room  of  "the  citizens  of  Utica  who  are  opposed  to  the 
proceedings  of  the  abolitionists,"  at  which  resolutions  denunciatory  of 
the  agitators  were  adopted.  Soon  afterward  the  Utica  Anti-slavery 
Society  issued  a  call  for  a  State  convention  to  be  held  in  the  city  Octo- 
ber  21,  for   the   purpose   of  forming  a  State  SQciety.     This  proceeding 

40 


314  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  opposed  at  another  public  meeting  held  September  3.  The  Com  • 
mon  Council  did,  however,  grant  by  a  vote  of  seven  to  four  the  request 
of  the  society  to  hold  the  convention  in  the  court  room.  This  was  done 
October  16,  and  on  the  next  day  this  action  was  denounced  in  a  large 
public  meeting,  which  adjourned  to  the  21st.  On  the  20th  another 
meeting  was  held  in  the  court  room  in  behalf  of  free  speech  and  the 
right  of  the  people  to  peacefully  assemble,  while  disavowing  all  sym- 
pathy with  the  Abolitionists.  This  meeting  was  considerably  disturbed 
by  intruders  and  was  prematurely  adjourned.  Prominent  among  the 
opponents  of  the  Abolitionists  were  many  leading  citizens  without  party 
distinction  ;  they  sought  only  peace  in  the  city  and  the  preservation  of 
the  laws,  fearing  the  city  would  become  the  theatre  of  violence  and  law- 
lessness which  had  already  been  witnessed  in  other  places.  The  meet 
ing  of  the  21st  was  held  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  preventing  the 
assembling  of  the  convention  in  a  building  "  erected  by  the  voluntary 
contributions  of  the  citizens  for  better  and  different  purposes,"  as  the 
resolution  expressed  it.  Resolutions  were  adopted  to  the  effect  that 
agitation  of  the  slavery  question  was  mischievous  and  wrong;  that  the 
delegates  to  the  proposed  convention  would  be  regarded  only  as  in- 
truders, after  they  had  been  requested  to  stay  away,  and  that  if  disorder 
and  violence  followed  their  coming,  "  upon  them  would  rest  the  whole 
blame  and  responsibility."  A  committee  was  appointed  of  twenty -five 
members  to  go  before  the  convention,  report  the  proceedings  of  this 
meeting  and  respectfully  urge  the  dissolution  and  departure  of  the  con- 
vention. This  was  done  and  the  committee  returned  and  reported  that 
they  had  found  the  convention  assembled  in  the  Bleecker  street  church, 
had  read  the  resolutions  before  it,  and  that  after  a  short  delay  the  con- 
vention had  adjourned.  Following  is  the  dispassionate  account  of  what 
followed,  from  Dr.  Bagg's  history  : 

The  appearance  of  the  committee  was  an  incentive  to  whatever  rowdj^  element  was 
present  in  the  church,  as  well  as  on  the  outside,  to  ci"eate  a  disturbance ;  there  was 
much  noise,  some  threats  of  violence,  hymn  books  and  other  missiles  were  tossed 
about,  and  some  personal  assaults,  in  one  of  which  Spencer  Kellogg's  coat  was  torn 
from  his  back.  Meanwhile  an  immense  crowd  gathered  in  the  streets.  While  the 
committee  were  still  in  the  church  a  sudden  disturbance  occurred  on  the  borders 
of  this  crowd,  and  there  was  a  swaying  of  the  multitude  toward  Genesee 
street.  This  was  caused  by  a  lot  of  roughs  who  broke  through  the  crowd  with 
the  ladder  of  one  of  the  hook  and  ladder  companies.     The  ladder  was  raised  against 


THE  CITY  OF  UTIGA.  315 

the  church  and  two  men  sprang  uji  it.  Then  some  one  started  hurriedly  into  the 
church,  crowding  his  way  as  best  he  could,  and  informed  the  assemblage  of  the  im- 
pending danger,  and  soon  Charles  A.  Mann,  then  agent  of  Charles  E.  Dudley,  of  Al- 
bany, the  owner  of  the  building,  came  upon  the  porch  of  the  church  and  asked  the 
crowd  to  disperse,  telling  them  that  the  building  was  private  property.  He  begged 
of  them  to  respect  it  and  protect  it  from  violence.  The  men  on  the  ladder  then  came 
down.  The  excitement  was  intense  and  it  was  remarkable  that  a  destructive  riot 
did  not  follow.  Strangers  were  denied  admittance  to  all  the  taverns  on  the  street 
and  to  many  of  the  stores,  or  were  indiscriminately  hustled  out  into  the  rain,  which 
had  begun  to  fall.  A  cannon  was  brought  out  and  fired  as  a  signal  of  triumph, 
the  abolition  convention  having  adjourned.  In  the  assemblage  within  the  church 
was  Gerrit  Smith  as  a  spectator.  When  the  necessity  of  breaking  up  the  convention 
became  apparent  he  invited  the  people  to  go  home  with  him,  where  they  would  find 
a  warm  welcome.  About  400  accepted  the  invitation  and  the  work  of  the  convention 
was  finished  at  Peterboro, 

The  foregoing  is  a  cool  and  dispassionate  account  of  that  event  and  is  based  upon 
what  was  given  in  a  lecture  on  the  history  of  the  Bleecker  street  church,  by  Thomas 
W.  Seward,  an  eye-witness  of  the  proceedings  at  the  church. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1836,  the  fire  department  was  asked  to  recom- 
mend a  suitable  person  for  chief,  and  R.  B,  Miller  was  appointed,  July  i. 
In  the  same  month  the  engine  on  Division  street  was  removed  to  Hotel 
street.  On  the  23d  of  September  a  committee  was  appointed  to  report 
"  upon  the  expediency  of  paving  Genesee  street   with   wooden  blocks." 

Cars  now  began  running  on  the  new  railroad  and  were  liberally 
patronized.  In  August  the  Clinton  House  was  demolished  to  clear  the 
site  for  the  Mechanics'  Hall,  and  a  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  new 
building  was  let  to  James  McGregor. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  an  unusual  number  of  new  streets  were  opened 
in  1836,  which  was,  doubtless,  one  of  the  features  of  the  speculative  and 
inflated  condition  that  had  for  some  time  been  gaining  ground  through- 
out the  country.  Landowners  laid  out  their  property  into  lots  and  sales 
were  active.  On  the  1 3th  of  January,  1837,  a  committee  of  five  was  ap- 
pointed to  confer  with  a  Deerfield  committee  upon  the  expediency  of 
annexing  a  part  of  that  town  to  the  city.  The  report  was  favorable  and 
was  considered  in  a  public  meeting  held  in  February.  The  annexation 
of  a  part  of  New  York  Mills  was  also  agitated,  both  measures  indicating 
the  prevailing  desire  for  extension.  The  tide  was  rising  ;  banks  multi- 
plied in  various  parts  of  the  country  and  their  managers,  with  large  re- 
sources within  their  reach,  engaged  heavily  in  real  estate  and  other 
speculations,  indulged  extravagantly  in  luxuries,  thus  aiding  in  turning 


316  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  heads  of  the  more  conservative.  Prices  of  land  and  goods  were 
greatly  inflated,  money  was  plenty,  easily  obtained  and  as  readily  spent. 
Usurious  rates  of  interest  prevailed,  as  high  as  three  to  five  per  cent,  a 
month  being  frequently  paid,  the  apparent  anomaly  being  caused  by 
the  fact  that  many  were  led  into  borrowing  at  enormous  rates  of  interest 
in  the  hope  that  the  use  of  the  money  thus  obtained  would  yield  them 
great  profits.  In  this  manner  almost  the  entire  community  was  drawn 
into  the  whirlpool  of  speculation  and  an  era  of  financial  frenzy  followed. 
Tracts  of  land  which  even  at  this  late  day  are  not  considered  very  de- 
sirable residence  or  business  property,  were  mapped  and  sold  over  and 
over  at  constantly  advancing  figures,  until  the  crash  came.  The  mort- 
gage record  in  the  county  clerk's  office  reveals  a  long  list  given  by  one 
man  as  securities  for  the  purchase  of  "  lots"  which  in  fact  lie  within  the 
bounds  of  New  Hartford  or  beyond  the  limits  of  Utica  on  the  east. 
Some  persons  saw  the  oncoming  storm  and  protected  their  holdings  or 
sold  them  in  time;  but  many  were  wholly  bereft  of  judgment  and  clung 
to  the  impossible  theory  that  money  could  be  actually  created  by  such 
operations,  and  were  overwhelmed.  The  general  crash  was  finally  pre- 
cipitated by  President  Jackson's  "specie  circular,"  requiring  all  pay- 
ments for  public  lands  that  had  been  easily  absorbed  in  the  West,  to  be 
made  in  specie,  and  the  withdrawal  of  deposits  from  the  United  States 
Bank.  In  Utica  the  general  demand  for  a  greater  volume  of  circulating 
medium  and  larger  banking  facilities  began  several  years  before  the 
speculative  era,  as  before  intimated,,  and  manifested  itself  in  repeated 
efforts  to  organize  the  Oneida  Bank.  When  the  day  of  general  disaster 
arrived  a  meeting  was  called  in  Utica  at  which  a  resolution  was  adopted 
that  a  public  meeting  should  be  called  at  once  to  consider  the  question 
of  the  suspension  of  specie  payments  by  the  local  banks.  The  meeting 
was  held  on  the  i6th  of  May,  1837.  A  resolution  was  adopted  ex- 
pressing confidence  in  the  banks  and  the  belief  that  their  notes  would  be 
paid.  The  suspension  followed,  as  it  had  generally  throughout  the  State. 
There  was  much  ruin  and  distress,  and  many,  especially  among  the 
young  business  men,  were  financially  stranded.  Flour  sold  in  Utica  at 
one  time  for  $10.50  a  barrel,  higher  by  one  dollar  than  the  New  York 
quotation,  and  for  a  few  days  there  was  not  a  barrel  of  it  in  the  city. 
The  force  of  the  panic  finally  passed  and  early  in  1838  the  banks  be- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  317 

gan  resumption.  A  local  paper  said  on  the  8th  of  May  :  "  The  banks 
of  the  city  have  for  some  time  paid  specie  on  all  demands,  and  they 
issue  their  own  notes  without  reserve."  In  that  year  the  general  bank- 
ing law  was  passed  which  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  restoring 
public  confidence.  Utica  did  not  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  panic 
as  rapidly  as  many  places,  but  the  reaction  in  the  country  at  large  in- 
augurated an  era  of  prosperity  in  which  the  city  shared.  Mercantile 
operations  improved,  building  progressed,  and  some  new  manufactures 
were  projected. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1837,  the  city  suffered  from  the  most  destruc- 
tive fire  it  had  yet  experienced.  It  broke  out  at  2  o'clock  A.  M.  over 
the  jewelry  store  of  C.  V.  Brooks,  on  the  east  side  of  Genesee  street 
north  of  Broad  street,  destroyed  the  whole  block  on  Genesee  street 
down  to  the  square,  every  building  on  Broad  street  as  far  east  as  John, 
and  all  the  buildings  on  the  west  side  of  John  to  the  square,  excepting 
the  brick  store  of  Thomas  E.  Clark,  corner  of  Main  and  John,  John  E. 
Hinman's  store  on  John,  and  the  fire  proof  building  of  E.  B.  Shearman 
&  Co.,  in  rear  of  their  Genesee  street  store.  On  the  west  side  of  Gen- 
essee  street,  every  building  was  burned  from  the  store  of  Stocking  & 
Hunt  down  to  Whitesboro  street.  The  flames  were  finally  checked  a 
short  distance  up  Whitesboro  street. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1839,  ^  company  was  organized  called  the,Utica 
Fire  Bucket  Company  No.  i,  with  sixty  members,  each  of  whom  was 
required  to  furnish  himself  with  two  buckets  to  be  kept  at  his  residence. 
On  the  26th  of  June  of  this  year  the  committee  on  fire  department  was 
authorized  to  sell  engine  No.  7  and  on  the  12th  of  July  were  authorized 
to  buy  a  new  engine  at  not  to  exceed  $800.  In  the  following  year  the 
records  show  that  the  following  fire  companies  were  in  existence:  Clin- 
ton, Hardenbrocke,  Fulton,  Lafayette,  Neptune,  Mechanics,  Mohawk, 
Eagle,  Osceola,  a  hook  and  ladder  company,  and  the  bucket  company. 
Alrick  Hubbell  was  chief.  Osceola  company  was  organized  in  1840. 
and  was  No.  9.  and  No.  7  was  removed  to  the  engine  house  in  West 
Utica. 

From  the  treasurer's  report  for  1841-42,  published  in  the  spring  of 
the  latter  year,  it  would  appear  that  the  expenses  of  the  city  were 
$11,734.96. 


318  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  close  of  the  first  decade  of  the  history  of  Utica  as  a  city  found 
the  place  with  a  population  of  about  13,000  (it  had  12,782  in  1840)  and 
with  evidences  of  general  prosperity  visible  in  all  directions.  But  it 
was  in  debt,  as  most  cities  are,  whether  large  or  small.  In  February, 
1842,  the  Gazette  said: 

Our  city  affairs  are  now  in  peculiar  condition.  Deeply  in  debt,  with  a  revenue  en- 
tirely inadequate  to  allow  of  a  hope  that  it  can  ever  be  met  from  ordinary  mean.s, 
we  need  all  the  ingenuity  and  financial  knowledge  that  can  be  possessed  by  one 
Board  of  Aldermen  to  devise  some  means  of  relief. 

The  creation  of  political  capital  was  perhaps  the  object  of  this  para- 
graph, at  least  partially,  for  the  debt  was  then  less  than  $5,000,  outside 
of  bonds.  The  folMwing  statement  shows  the  city  indebtedness  for  the 
ten  years  succeeding  its  incorporation  : 

1833,  §1,366.17;  1834,  $2,316.54;  1835,  $2,500;  1836,  $2,292.05;  1837,  $3,492.86,  1838, 
$3,500;  1839,  $3,600;  1840,  $3,590;  1841,  $1,592.64;  1842,  §3,246.87;  1843,  §4,458.24. 

In  February,  1843,  the  council  resolved  that  application  should  be 
made  to  the  Legislature  for  a  charter  amendment  authorizing  the  coun- 
cil to  raise  the  annual  sum  of  $I0,000  for  city  expenses,  or  else  for  a 
special  act  under  which  a  tax  could  be  laid  with  which  to  pay  off  the 
city  debt.  On  the  23d  a  public  meeting  was  held  at  which  it  was  re- 
solved to  submit  the  whole  question  to  a  citizens'  committee,  who  would 
report  at  a  subsequent  meeting;  the  committee  appointed  were  E.  A. 
Wetmore,  Spencer  Kellogg,  Hiram  Denio,  Robert  T.  Hallock,  Thomas 
Colling,  Martin  Hart,  and  Horatio  Seymour.  The  result  of  this  action 
was  the  recommendation  that  application  be  made  to  the  Legislature 
for  authority  to  borrow  on  bonds  for  three  years  $3,500  for  the  payment 
of  liabilities  exclusively.  The  same  committee  also  recommended  that 
future  work  on  streets,  bridges  and  roads  and  the  street  lighting  be  let 
on  contract  to  the  lowest  bidder  ;  that  the  city  watch  be  reduced  in 
numbers,  and  that  in  future  no  appropriation  be  made  except  as  au- 
thorized by  the  charter.  Steps  were  taken  in  November  of  that  year 
for  the  division  of  the  Third  and  Fourth  wards,  the  establishment  of  a 
recorder's  court,  and  the  election  of  a  supervisor  from  each  ward.  These 
changes  were  made  in  the  following  year.  An  era  of  retrenchment  and 
economy  began. 

The  history  of  the  city  from  this  time  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  last 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  319 

war  may  be  briefly  told.  The  population  in  1850  was  17,565  ;  in  1855 
it  reached  22,169,  a  period  of  unexampled  growth  ;  and  in  i860  it  was 
22,529.  Institutions  and  industries  had  multiplied  and  the  city  had  the 
reputation  of  being  not  only  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  interior 
cities  of  this  State,  but  also  one  whose  future  was  among  the  brightest. 
In  1845  t^i^  place  contained  the  following  manufactories:  Two  grist 
mills,  five  iron  works,  one  oil  cloth  factory,  three  tanneries,  two  brew- 
eries, one  ashery,  two  saw  mills,  and  had  a  total  manufactured  output 
of  $236,811  in  value.  The  plank  road  era  was  now  inaugurated,  as 
described  in  Chapter  XVIII  and  added  another  element  of  prosperity 
to  the  city. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  council  held  January  21,  1844,  a  com- 
munication was  received  from  E.  H.  Broadhead  asking  permission  to 
procure  legislation  incorporating  a  water  supply  company  for  the  city. 
This  was  granted  and  on  March  21  a  resolution  was  adopted  urging  the 
passage  of  the  water  bill.  On  March  31,  1848,  the  Utica  Water  Works 
were  incorporated,  with  capital  stock  of  not  less  than  $30,000  nor  more 
than  $100,000.  James  Watson  Williams,  Nicholas  Devereux,  Alfred 
Munson,  Andrew  S.  Pond,  Charles  A.  Mann,  Horatio  Seymour,  Silas 
U.  Childs,  Willard  Crafts,  and  Thomas  Hopper  were  the  trustees.  A 
gas  company  was  also  incorporated  in  that  year. 

A  local  paper  of  June  30,  1847,  said: 

Our  city  is  beginning  to  feel  sensibly  the  influence  of  the  newly  awakened  spirit  of 
enterprise  which  has  induced  the  investment  of  a  portion  of  the  capital  of  her  citi- 
zens in  manufactures,  in  her  present  prosperity,  and  the  prospect  which  is  opening 
for  her  future  advancement  in  wealth  and  population. 

In  1849  the  project  of  erecting  a  city  hall  was  before  the  public,  but 
was  postponed  temporarily.  An  arrangement  was  finally  agreed  upon 
under  which  the  city  should  pay  $24,000  and  the  county  $12,000  and 
the  supervisors  took  action  accordingly.  A  bill  passed  Congress  pro- 
viding that  the  United  States  should  pay  $12,000  for  a  perpetual  lease 
of  one  third  of  the  building,  the  former  action  of  the  supervisors  having 
been  found  to  be  illegal.  The  question  of  site  was  settled  in  185  i,  417 
votes  being  cast  in  favor  of  the  one  on  the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Genesee 
streets,  against  173  for  "the  Thorn  and  Maynard  lot"  on  Genesee 
street.     The  court  house  and  jail  were  also  erected  in  185  i.      Complaint 


I 


320  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

having  been  made  of  a  lack  of  school  accommodations,  a  vote  was  taken 
in  the  charter  election  for  and  against  new  school  houses,  resulting  in  a 
very  large  majority  in  favor  of  six  new  school  houses,  costing  nearly 
$20,000. 

It  was  detetmined  early  in  1852  that  $10,000,  the  sum  at  that  time 
being  raised  annually  for  city  expenses,  was  wholly  inadequate,  and  it 
was  resolved  to  procure  a  change  in  the  charter  raising  the  amount  to 
$15,000.  Nothing  was  accomplished,  however,  in  this  direction  until 
1853,  when  the  amount  was  raised  to  $1 2,000.  Agitation  began  in 
1853  of  the  project  of  building  what  became  the  Utica  and  Black  River 
Railroad.'  The  first  organization  of  the  company  was  effected  at  a 
meeting  at  Bagg's  Hotel  on  the  25th  of  January. 

In  March  of  this  year  there  were  two  incendiary  fires,  and  two  men 
were  arrested  for  the  crime.  F^vidence  developed  the  fact  that  there 
was  in  the  city  a  regularly  organized  gang  of  conspirators  who  had 
habitually  started  fires  in  such  places  as  they  fancied  would  enable  them 
to  escape  detection.  They  met  in  saloons  and  on  street  corners  and 
coolly  discussed  where  and  when  they  should  next  burn  a  building. 
This  remarkable  state  of  affairs  attracted  attention  throughout  the  State, 
and  led  to  a  more  liberal  equipment  and  rigid  discipline  of  the  fire  de- 
partment which  had  then  recently  been  placed  on  a  paid  basis. 

The  year  1854  witnessed  a  special  election  on  August  17  at  which 
135  votes  in  favor  and  lOO  against  the  project  of  erecting  a  city  hospital 
and  workhouse  near  the  corner  of  Mohawk  and  South  streets  were  cast, 
and  the  extension  of  the  city  limits  on  the  west  by  the  width  of  one 
great  lot  and  on  the  south  by  upwards  of  a  mile.  The  city  was  then  to 
be  divided"  into  six  wards  with  two  aldermen  from  each. 

The  city  was  now  growing  fast  and  also  getting  deeper  in  debt.  On 
the  9th  of  November  the  mayor  invited  the  taxpayers  to  meet  him  at 
the  court  house  on  the  13th  to  consider  the  condition  of  the  city  treas- 
ury and  the  propriety  of  disbanding  the  existing  fire  department.  At 
the  meeting  the  mayor  stated  the  purpose  of  the  meeting  and  said  that 

'  James  S.  Lynch  was  born  in  New  York  April  3,  1823,  and  came  to  Utica  in  1039.  He  resided 
here  with  the  exception  of  about  nine  years  until  his  death,  April  3,  1889.  Employed  most  of  the 
time  in  the  Ontario  Bank  as  clerk,  teller,  and  cashier.  He  was  also  made  treasurer  of  the 
Black  River  Railroad.  In  1850  and  1853  he  was  a  member  of  the  council  and  in  1856  a  presidential 
elector. 


'^ 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  321 

"  the  seeming  conclusion  has  been  reached  that  the  whole  burden  [of 
taxation]  had  been  induced  by  the  weakness  or  wickedness  of  your  pub- 
lic servants."  After  presenting  several  items  of  expense  that  must  be 
met  and  long  discussion,  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  take  the 
whole  subject  in  hand  and  report  at  a  future  meeting.  The  report, 
made  January  i6,  1856,  showed  the  total  indebtedness  including  the 
Black  River  Railroad  bonds,  to  be  $304,047.60,  and  it  was  estimated 
that  $6,328  would  be  needed  to  take  the  city  through  the  fiscal  year. 
The  report  continued  that  if  the  suggestions  of  the  committee  were  fol- 
lowed they  believed  that  the  ordinary  annual  expenses  would  not  ex- 
ceed $16,000.  The  tax  levy  of  1855  was  almost  $50,000,  the  great 
increase  of  the  few  preceding  years  having  been  caused  by  the  exten- 
sion of  school  facilities,  and  building  the  city  hall  and  the  hospital. 
After  making  various  recommendations  for  charter  amendments  the 
committee  and  meeting  adjourned  to  January  21,  when  a  public  meet- 
ing was  held  and  the  proposed  amendments  were  voted  upon,  nearly 
all  of  them  favorably.  The  principal  changes  were,  the  raising  of  $6,300 
and  $1,000  for  a  hose  depot  at  once;  the  mayor  to  have  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  commissioner,  surveyor,  watch,  and  police  constables ;  to 
abolish  the  office  of  marshal;  to  have  only  one  official  paper;  making 
the  treasurer's  salary  $600  ;  appropriating  $4,000  for  the  City  Hospital ; 
granting  more  power  in  the  opening  of  streets;  and  dividing  the  city 
into  school  districts  of  100  scholars  each.  All  of  these  changes  and 
other  minor  ones  were  soon  embodied  in  charter  amendments. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  new  council  of  1857,  when  the  resolution 
was  offered  to  determine  which  bank  should  receive  the  treasurer's  de- 
posits, under  the  charter  amendment,  the  resolution  was  laid  on  the 
table.  At  the  next  meeting  it  was  called  up,  but  the  announcement 
was  made  that  this  particular  amendment  was  no  longer  in  force,  a  bill 
repealing  it  and  restoring  the  treasurer's  former  salary  of  $800  having 
been  passed  and  signed  that  day.  When  these  proceedings  became 
known  there  was  intense  excitement.  A  citizens'  meeting  was  called, 
but  before  the  hour  set  for  it,  the  cheap  political  device  of  filling  the 
room  with  partisans  was  resorted  to  and  the  organization  of  the  meet- 
ing was  captured.  A  gathering  of  the  indignant  citizens  was  then 
held  at  Mechanics  Hall,  where  a  police  guard  was  established.      At  this 

41 


322  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

meeting  the  mayor  presided,  assisted  by  every  living  ex- mayor  as 
vice-presidents.  Speeches  were  made  by  many  prominent  citizens,  a 
resolution  was  adopted  for  the  restoration  of  the  repealed  amendment, 
and  a  committee  appointed  to  attend  to  it.  The  section  was  restored 
to  the  charter  in  1858. 

In  1857  ^^^  memorable  financial  panic  overwhelmed  the  country. 
Utica  was  then  a  thriving  and  prosperous  city  and  her  citizens  shared 
in  the  general  feeling  of  independence  and  over- confidence  in  the 
future  which  was  universal.  The  surrounding  country  had  reached 
an  advanced  condition  ;  the  farmers  had  largely  paid  for  their  lands  ; 
plank  roads  had  been  built  in  many  directions  to  the  doors  of  farm 
houses  and  over  them  were  easily  drawn  the  products  that  were  ex- 
changed for  cash  in  the  city.  The  tide  of  prosperity  brought  its  own 
destruction  ;  business  of  all  kinds  was  excessively  overdone  ;  railroads 
and  other  large  undertakings  were  projected  in  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try ;  the  banks  in  many  of  the  States  inflated  the  currency  beyond 
necessity  or  prudence,  and  a  crash  followed.  In  the  fall  of  this  year 
specie  payment  was  suspended  in  New  York  city,  which  was  followed  by 
similar  action  by  local  banks.  Money  had  never  before  been  so  scarce, 
and  no  paper  was  so  good  as  to  secure  discount.  The  Ontario  Bank 
and  the  Bank  of  Central  New  York  failed,  causing  much  ruin  and 
distress.  The  hard  times  continued  through  1858-9,  and  the  Common 
Council  appointed  a  committee  to  take  action  for  the  relief  of  the  poor. 

The  year  i860  found  the  city  again  with  a  large  current  indebted- 
ness. In  his  inaugural  of  1861  Mayor  Grove  expressed  himself  very 
forcibly  upon  the  importance  of  keeping  expenses  within  the  amount 
authorized.  The  debt  was  $12,000,  for  which  there  were  no  resources, 
and  something  had  to  be  done.  To  prevent  a  recurrence  of  such  a 
state  of  affairs  in  future  the  following  iron  clad  proviso  was  incorporated 
in  the  charter,  and  so  remains  to  the  present  time : 

Sec.  3  of  Chapter  24,  Laws  of  1861  In  case  any  alderman  of  the  said  city  shall 
vote  for  any  appropriation  or  for  the  expenditure  of  any  moneys  not  authorized  by 
the  charter  of  said  city  or  by  some  law,  or  in  violation  of  any  of  the  provisions  of 
law,  every  such  alderman  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  $100,  to  be  sued  for  and  re- 
covered in  any  court  with  costs,  by  and  in  the  name  of  any  citizen  of  said  city.  And 
in  case  the  common  council  of  said  city  shall  contract  any  debts  after  the  first  Tues- 
day of  March  in  any  year  and  before  the  first  Tuesday  of  March  thereafter,  which 
shall  remain  unpaid  for  one  month  after  the  last  mentioned  day  for  want  of  sufficient 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  323 

funds  in  the  treasury  to  pay  the  same,  or  in  case  the  common  council  shall  authorize 
any  expenditure  for  any  purpose  in  such  year,  exceeding  the  amount  which  the  said 
council  are  authorized  by  law  to  raise  for  such  purpose,  the  aldermen  voting  for  the 
contracting  any  such  debt  or  to  authorize  any  such  expenditure  shall  be  personally 
liable  to  each  and  every  party  entitled  to  payment;  the  city  of  Utica  shall  not  be 
liable  to  pay  the  same,  nor  shall  the  common  council  credit  or  pay  any  debt  so  con- 
tracted or  expenditure  so  made. 

And  now  the  cloud  which  was  to  envelop  the  country  in  civil  war 
could  be  seen  upon  the  horizon,  "  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand."  The 
events  which  took  place  in  Oneida  county  during  the  great  struggle  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  Union  have  been  given  in  detail  in  their  proper 
place  in  the  chapters  of  county  history  earlier  in  this  volume.  As  far 
as  relates  to  the  city,  it  responded  ardently  and  promptly  in  every  in- 
stance to  the  calls  of  the  government  for  men  and  means  for  the 
prosecution  of  the  war,  and  the  streets  were  constant  scenes  of  military 
activity.  A  meeting  was  called  for  February  i,  i86l,  of  all  "  who  be- 
lieve a  real  and  substantial  difficulty  exists  in  the  administration  of  the 
Federal  government."  The  meeting  was  held  with  Ward  Hunt  in  the 
chair,  and  speeches  were  made  by  John  F.  Seymour,  C.  H.  Doolittle, 
Hiram  Denio,  Ward  Hunt,  Roscoe  Conkling,  E.  H.  Roberts  and  others, 
and  a  series  of  resolutions  was  adopted  pledging  support  to  the  gov- 
ernment. President  Lincoln  passed  through  the  city  on  the  1 8th  of 
February,  and  made  a  brief  address  from  the  car  platform,  to  which 
Mr.  Hunt  responded. 

During  the  war  public  improvement  was  largely  abandoned.  Every 
energy  of  the  people  was  turned  into  military  channels  to  promote  the 
enlistments  necessary  to  fill  the  quotas  under  the  various  calls  for 
troops.  Changes  were  made  in  the  police  force  through  charter  amend- 
ments in  1 860-6 1,  and  provision  made  for  wiping  out  the  floating  debt. 
In  March,  1862,  the  salaries  of  the  new  police  force  were  fixed  at  $40 
per  month  for  the  chief  and  his  assistants,  and  $35  for  the  members. 

In  1862  the  former  State  Armory  was  completed  on  the  old  market  lot, 
which  had  previously  been  deeded  to  the  State  for  the  purpose.  The 
corner  stone  of  the  present  new  armory  was  laid  in  1893  and  the  build- 
ing was  finished  in  December,  1895.  The  site  cost  $28,000,  the  build- 
ing $50,000,  and  the  county  expended  about  $io,000  more  in  furnish- 
ing, etc.      In  May,  1864,  the  first  steam  fire  engine  was  introduced,  and 


324  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  act  creating  the  Utica  Police  Commission  was  passed  April  17,  1866; 
the  first  police  commissioners  were  Hawley  E.  Heath,  Joseph  Shearman, 
William  N.  Weaver,  and  William  W.  Long.  In  the  same  year  the 
amount  authorized  to  be  raised  annually  for  city  expenses  was  raised  to 
$25,000,  and  $15,000  was  raised  for  the  fire  department,  of  which  $7,250 
was  for  two  new  steamers,  and  $6,000  for  3,000  feet  of  hose  At  about 
the  same  time  the  city  was  bonded  $500,000  in  aid  of  the  Utica,  Che- 
nango and  Susquehanna  Valley  Railroad. 

It  was  a  period  of  great  prosperity.  The  war  was  over,  money  was 
plenty,  and  public  improvements  and  extensions,  as  we  have  seen,  were 
prodigally  inaugurated.  A  local  paper  gave  the  following  sums  that 
were  expended  in  the  several  wards  for  buildings  in  1867*  First  ward, 
$134,500;  Second,  $52,300;  Third,  $795,600;  Fourth,  $538,300; 
Fifih,  $147,500;  Sixth,  $65,400;  Seventh,  $222,450.  Building  opera- 
tions continued  several  years  with  great  activity  and  it  was  believed 
that  the  future  of  the  city  was  brighter  than  ever  before.  In  the  Her- 
ald of  January,  1869,  was  published  a  list  of  buildings  just  finished  or  in 
course  of  erection  to  the  value  of  more  than  $750,000.  The  population 
was  nearly  30,000.  To  improve  the  water  supply,  the  company  agreed 
to  lay  twelve  miles  of  mains  in  1868  and  build  a  new  reservoir  of  50,- 
000,000  gallons  capacity,  and  the  city  agreed  to  pay  $  10,000  annually 
for  its  supply. 

The  year  1870  was  marked  by  various  important  amendments  to  the 
charter,  changes  in  the  fire  department,  and  the  creation  of  additional 
wards  in  the  city.  The  Eighth  ward  was  taken  from  the  Fifth  and  the 
Seventh  and  the  Sixth  was  divided,  creating  the  Ninth.  The  proposed 
charter  amendments  were  placed  before  a  committee  in  January  com- 
posed of  one  from  each  ward,  consisting  of  Francis  Kernan,  A.  S.  John- 
son, P.  V.  Kellogg,  De  Witt  C.  Grove,  E.  H.  Roberts,  T.  J.  Spriggs, 
W.  J.  Bacon,  and  D.  P.  White.  The  amendments  may  thus  be  sum- 
marized : 

To  give  the  recorder  power  to  try  violations  of  the  city  ordinances;  providing  that 
only  a  synopsis  of  the  reports  of  city  treasurers  be  published  in  the  newspapers; 
giving  the  council  power  to  appoint  the  city  attorney  and  the  overseer  of  the  poor, 
and  making  the  term  of  the  city  clerk  three  years;  (only  the  last  of  these  provisions 
was  adopted ;)  organizing  a  new  Board  of  Health  with  the  mayor  as  president ;  rais- 
ing the  amount  of  the  city  fund  to  $40,000;  providing  for  more  prompt  payments  of 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  325 

funds  by  the  collectors  to  the  treasurer;  giving  the  council  power  to  appoint  police- 
men, making  the  strength  of  the  force  twenty,  and  giving  the  mayor  power  to  dis- 
miss members  for  cause ;  compelling  the  street  railroad  companies  to  do  certain  pav- 
ing along  their  lines;  giving  the  council  power  to  open  new  streets  without  reference 
to  the  location  of  buildings  on  the  line ;  giving  the  council  power  to  enforce  the 
proper  connection  to  be  made  with  sewers  and  gas  and  water  pipes;  divesting  the 
council  of  power  to  order  a  pavement  to  which  two-thirds  of  the  poperty  owners 
along  its  line  object  (which  is  still  the  law);  ordering  the  council  to  raise  annually 
not  less  than  $15,000  nor  more  than  $25,000  with  which  to  redeem  the  bonds  in  aid 
of  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad  Company;  and  a  few  other  minor  changes. 
These  were,  in  many  respects,  radical  alterations,  and  generally  served  a  good  pur- 
pose in  the  government  of  the  city. 

There  had  been  opposition  to  the  poHce  commission  ever  since  its 
organization  and  efforts  were  made  to  abolish  it.  A  resolution  to  this 
end  was  offered  in  the  council  this  year  which  raised  a  storm  in  the 
board,  and  at  the  next  meeting,  March  23,  "  a  special  meeting,"  twenty 
policemen  were  appointed  with  John  Baxter  chief  and  John  R.  Healy, 
assistant.  This  proceeding  was  decided  illegal  by  the  mayor  and  city 
attorney,  requisite  notice  not  having  been  given  to  the  members  of  the 
board.  The  majority  of  the  aldermen  met  in  the  Mansion  House,  while 
the  mayor  and  the  minority  gathered  at  the  regular  place  and  sent  first 
messages  and  then  officers  commanding  the  aldermen  to  attend  the 
meeting.  This  was  not  heeded.  The  chief  of  police  was  then  directed 
to  place  the  room  in  the  Mansion  House  in  a  state  of  siege.  At  eleven 
o'clock  the  landlord  sent  for  the  sheriff  to  protect  his  guests.  The  re- 
corder soon  appeared  and  ordered  the  besiegers  to  disperse.  By  this 
time  the  mayor  and  others  had  reached  the  hotel  and  they  refused 
to  obey  the  recorder,  who  departed  to  obtain  a  warrant  for  their  ar- 
rest. At  12:30  the  sheriff  arrested  the  chief  of  police  and  officers  G. 
W.  Miller,  G.  W.  Keating,  and  Thomas  Higginson  and  took  them  to 
the  recorder's  office.  The  ground  was  taken  by  the  mayor  and  his  ad- 
herents that,  although  they  were  in  the  minority,  they  could  compel  the 
majority  to  act ;  the  recorder  shared  in  this  opinion.  The  majority 
finally  went  to  the  council  room  where  they  promptly  carried  a  motion 
to  adjourn.  The  record  of  these  proceedings  was  expunged  at  the 
next  meeting,  April  i,  and  the  former  action  making  police  appoint- 
ments was  reaffirmed  and  the  number  of  the  force  raised  to  twenty- 
four. 


326  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  similar  struggle  was  soon  enacted  over  the  fire  department,  grow- 
ing out  of  an  effort  on  the  part  of  Mayor  McQuade  and  his  friends  to 
place  the  department  on  a  paid  basis.  Early  in  May  the  department 
disbanded  and  made  a  farewell  parade.  On  the  20th  a  commission  was 
appointed  to  report  on  a  new  organization.  Nothing  was  accomplished 
and  during  the  entire  summer  various  committees  attempted  to  reor- 
ganize the  department  on  an  acceptable  basis,  but  failed,  and  in  Octo- 
ber companies  were  formed  substantially  on  the  volunteer  plan. 

In  February,  1872,  measures  were  adopted  for  a  better  water  supply. 
Three  propositions  were  submitted  by  the  company,  under  one  of  which 
the  city  was  to  pay  the  company  $100,000  as  it  might  be  needed  by 
them,  and  the  company  would  then  build  a  new  and  ample  reservoir 
and  at  the  same  time  reduce  the  annual  charge  to  the  city  to  $5,000. 
This  proposal  was  accepted,  and  Francis  Kernan,  Ward  Hunt,  and 
Ephraim  Chamberlain  were  appointed  to  procure  the  necessary  legisla- 
tion. 

In  1873  the  site  of  the  U.  S.  Government  Building  was  selected  on 
Broad  street,  where  it  was  afterwards  erected,  and  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  year  measures  were  adopted  under  wliich  the  new  jail  was  built  on 
Bleecker  street.  In  February,  1874,  Chief  Engineer  Wesley  Dimbleby 
was  removed  from  office,  whereupon  four  of  the  five  fire  companies  re- 
fused to  serve  longer.  This  resulted  in  March  in  the  disbandment  of 
Rescue,  Tiger,  Friendship,  Neptune,  Washington,  Franklin,  and  Rough 
and  Ready  companies,  which  joined  in  another  farewell  parade.  On 
March  28  their  resignations  were  accepted  by  the  council  and  a  tem- 
porary new  organization  was  made.  May  7  the  Board  of  Fire  and 
Police  Commissioners  met  and  reappointed  Mr.  Dimbleby  chief  and  on 
the  28th  the  department  was  placed  on  a  paid  basis  and  has  so  remained. 
In  June  the  new  police  force  was  organized. 

An  ineffectual  attempt  was  made  in  January,  1875,  to  secure  a  repeal 
of  the  act  establishing  the  Board  of  Fire  and  Police  Commissioners  and 
soon  afterwards  a  bill  was  drawn  and  submitted  to  popular  vote  placing 
the  control  of  these  departments  in  the  council.  The  mayor  and  clerk 
failed  to  give  proper  notice  of  this  meeting,  and  it  was  meagrely  at- 
tended by  a  few  leading  citizens  and  non-tax  pa}'ers,  who  voted  to  ap- 
prove the    measure.      In    November   charges    were   brought  before  the 


'/iL-/AC^lM^ 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  327 

mayor  against  the  Fire  and  Police  Commissioners  relating  to  misappro- 
priating of  funds,  selling  city  property  and  general  unfitness  for  office. 
The  result  passed  into  history  as  "  The  Famous  Investigation."  In 
October,  1876,  the  mayor  called  attention  to  the  condition  of  the  station- 
house  and  recommended  the  building  of  a  new  one  on  land  owned  by 
the  city,  corner  of  Pearl  and  Washington  streets.  The  building  was 
erected  in  the  following  year. 

The  last  twenty  years  of  the  city's  history  needs  only  a  summary  in 
this  place,  as  the  details  of  its  progress  are  largely  embodied  in  subse- 
quent pages.  Some  of  the  more  important  charter  amendments  of  this 
period  were  one  of  1883,  authorizing  the  Police  Board  to  appoint 
twenty-five  policemen  ;  in  lieu  of  a  Recorder's  Court  there  was  estab- 
lished in  1882  a  City  Court  having  civil  and  criminal  jurisidiction,  and 
the  number  of  justices  of  the  peace  was  reduced  to  two  ;  the  term  of  the 
treasurer  was  made  two  years  and  he  was  required  to  have  an  office  in 
the  City  Hall.  In  1886  the  fund  for  Police  and  Fire  Departments  was 
increased  to  not  exceeding  $60,000.  In  1889  the  paving  fund,  which 
at  first  was  placed  at  $20,000  and  afterwards  increased  to  $35,000  was 
raised  to  $50,000.  From  this  fund  was  to  be  paid  one- third  of  the  cost 
of  paving,  the  remaining  two-thirds  to  be  paid  by  property  owners  on 
the  streets  improved. 

In  1890  a  change  in  the  charter  made  the  mayor's  term  of  office  two 
years  instead  of  one,  required  him  to  keep  his  office  in  the  City  Hall 
and  provide  a  clerk,  and  largely  increased  his  powers  and  responsibili- 
ties in  various  minor  matters.  A  later  act  gave  the  aldermen  $300  each, 
annually.  Other  important  legislation  of  the  period  authorized  the 
building  of  an  engine  house  on  Washington  street  for  a  chemical,  the 
borrowing  of  $36,000  for  constructing  an  iron  viaduct  over  Ballou's 
Creek  on  Rutger  street,  and  granting  permission  to  the  Baxter  Tele- 
graph &  Telephone  Company  to  erect  poles  and  wires  in  the  city.  This 
company  was  soon  superseded  by  the  Central  New  York  Telephone 
Company  Another  charter  amendment  extended  the  northern  bounds 
of  the  city  by  taking  in  a  strip  of  land  from  Deerfield  of  nearly  half  a 
mile  in  width,  reaching  from  opposite  the  western  point  of  the  original 
city  line  to  a  point  some  distance  north  of  the  northern  point  of  Hub- 
bell's  bend  in  the  river, 


328  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  past  decade  has  seen  the  development  of  an  extended  street 
railroad  system.  In  1886  the  Utica  Belt  Line  Railroad  Company  was 
organized  and  immediately  began  the  construction  of  a  new  system 
extending  to  all  important  parts  of  the  city.  In  December  of  the  same 
year  the  company  leased  from  the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  Rail- 
road Company  its  line  to  Hartford  and  the  New  Hartford  and  Whites- 
boro  line  to  the  latter  village.  This  was  followed  by  the  extension  of 
the  latter  line  to  New  York  Mills.  In  the  same  year  the  company  ob- 
tained a  franchise  to  lay  the  South  street  and  Blandina  and  the  West 
Belt  lines.  This  system  embraced  twenty-three  miles  of  track.  In 
August,  1889,  steps  were  taken  resulting  in  the  introduction  of  electric- 
ity as  a  motive  power. 

In  1883  the  Government  Building  was  finished,  which  cost  $484,000 
and  about  the  same  time  the  handsome  and  costly  structure  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  was  erected. 

The  observant  reader  of  the  foregoing  pages  will  not  fail  to  notice  that 
the  city  of  Utica  is  now  passing  through  an  era  of  advancement  and 
progress  in  various  directions  never  before  experienced.  Manufactur- 
ing operations,  which  supply  much  of  the  business  life-blood  of  commu- 
nities, have  been  considerably  extended  ;  large  tracts  of  beautifully  situ- 
ated land  in  the  suburbs  have  been  opened  up  and  improved  for  resident 
districts  of  the  better  class;  electric  lighting  throughout  the  city,  the 
construction  of  ample  sewers  and  the  many  other  improvements,  which 
contribute  to  the  modern  tliriving  community,  have  all  received  the  active 
attention  of  the  various  administrations  and  of  leading  citizens  gen- 
erally. 

PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS. 

Churches  — The  existence  of  what  was  known  as  the  "  United  Society 
of  Whitestown  and  Old  Fort  Schuyler"  down  to  the  year  1801  has  al- 
ready been  described.  The  next  church  to  which  attention  must  be 
given  is  Trinity,  which  dates  from  1798.  This  parish  was  named  "  The 
Rector,  Wardens,  and  Vestrymen  of  Trinity  Church,  Utica,"  and  for  a 
time  was  under  charge  of  Rev.  Philander  Chase,  its  founder.  After  a 
brief  period  and  when  the  Presbyterian  minister  of  Whitesboro  had  been 
engaged  to  hold  regular  church  services,   the  meetings  of  the  Episco- 


THE  CITY  OF  TJTICA.  329 

palians  were  discontinued  and  the  society  seemed  to  have  shimbered 
until  1803,  when  a  reorganization  was  effected  as  described  further  on. 
By  this  date  the  membership  of  the  United  Society,  before  mentioned, 
had  increased  to  twenty,  and  the  congregation  was  incorporated  Novem- 
ber 15,  1805,  with  the  following  trustees:  Jeremiah  Van  Renssaleer, 
Erastus  Clark,  Talcott  Camp,  Apollos  Cooper,  Benjamin  Ballou,  jr., 
Benjamin  Plant,  John  C.  Hoyt,  Nathaniel  Butler  and  Solomon  P.  Good- 
rich. On  the  5th  of  January,  1805,  Rev.  James  Carnahan  was  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  United  churches.  His  place  of  worship  in  Utica 
was  at  first  in  the  school  house  on  Main  street  and  then  in  the  new 
Trinity  edifice  until  the  society  built  its  own  church.  On  February  3, 
1 8 13,  the  United  church  was  divided,  fifty-seven  of  its  members  with 
two  elders,  being  constituted  a  new  church  with  the  title  of  the  First 
Utica  Presbyterian  Society.  On  the  following  day  Rev.  Henry  Dwight, 
who  had  temporarily  supplied  the  pulpits  in  both  Utica  and  Whitesboro, 
was  installed  pastor  of  the  Utica  society.  About  six  weeks  later  Rev. 
John  Frost  was  installed  over  the  Whitesboro  church,  thus  establishing 
the  independence  of  the  two  societies.  The  first  church  building  was 
erected  on  a  lot  donated  by  John  Bellinger,  corner  Washington  and 
Liberty  streets,  and  was  finished  in  the  summer  of  1807.  To  accom- 
modate the  growing  membership  the  building  was  elongated  in  181 5. 
In  1 82 1  a  session  room  was  built  on  Hotel  street,  which  was  also  used 
for  the  Sunday  school ;  a  second  story  was  added  to  this  building  four 
years  later.  Rev.  Samuel  C.  Aiken  who  was  installed  pastor  February 
4,  1818,  in  1824  was  given  an  assistant  in  the  person  of  Rev.  S  W. 
Brace.  For  a  time  he  preached  alternately  with  the  regular  pastor  and 
then  in  the  session  room,  where  a  new  society  was  formed  May  6,  1824, 
as  described  further  on.  A  (ew  months  later  it  was  determined  by  the 
mother  church  to  erect  a  new  edifice.  For  this  purpose  liberal  subscrip- 
scriptions  were  obtained  and  in  the  summer  of  1826  the  foundations 
were  laid  twelve  feet  north  of  the  old  one  for  a  brick  building  72  by  106 
feet  with  a  steeple  208  feet  high  ;  session  and  Sunday  school  rooms  were 
provided  in  the  basement.  This  beautiful  church  stood  until  January 
13,  1 85  I,  when  it  was  burned  in  an  incendiary  fire.  A  new  and  a  still 
more  beautiful  structure  was-  promptly  erected  on  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Columbia  streets,  and  dedicated   October  19,  1852.     With 

42 


330  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

extensions  made  to  the  chapel  and  the  Sunday  school  room  and  addi- 
tions of  a  church  parlor,  kitchen  and  pastor's  study,  the  edifice  is  still  in 
use.  Three  of  the  Utica  churches  are  offshoots  from  this  one,  and  four 
others  now  extinct  also  sprang  from  it.  The  first  Sunday  school  west  of 
Albany  was  organized  by  five  young  ladies  of  this  society.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1890,  the  session  established  a  mission  Sabbath  school  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  city,  known  as  the  Highlands  Mission,  since  organized 
into  the  Highlands  Presbyterian  church. 

The  Second  Presbyterian  church,  before  mentioned,  was  organized 
with  twenty-seven  members  on  May  6,  1824.  Near  the  close  of  that 
year  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Brace  was  established  pastor.  In  the  spring  of 
1825  steps  were  taken  for  the  erection  of  the  building,  the  contract  for 
which  was  given  to  Samuel  P'arwell.  The  building  was  completed  in 
the  summer  of  1826,  was  dedicated  August  24,  and  was  first  known  as 
the  Bleecker  Street  Presbyterian.  After  a  number  of  years  of  financial 
struggle  a  memorable  revival  took  place  in  1838.  The  society  was  dis- 
solved as  a  Presbyterian  organization  in  1840  After  the  abandonment 
of  the  church  edifice,  it  was  used  for  a  short  time  by  a  Congregational 
society.  It  became  the  property  of  Charles  E.  Dudley  of  Albany  and 
was  then  vacant  until  September,  1843,  when  it  was  hired  by  Rev. 
Joshua  H.  Mcllvane.  He  soon  gathered  about  him  a  congregation, 
started  a  Sunday  school,  and  within  three  months  after  its  organization 
the  church  was  self-sustaining.  On  July  23,  1844,  sixty-one  persons 
organized  the  Westminster  society  and  Mr.  Mcllvane  was  installed  as 
pastor.  Soon  after  this  the  church  owned  by  the  Universalist  society  on 
Devereux  street  was  purchased  and  occupied.  After  being  consider- 
ably improved  it  was  a  few  years  later  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1855  the 
present  beautiful  edifice  at  the  head  of  Washington  street  was  finished 
and  occupied.  Westminster  is  the  parent  of  two  other  societies  in  Utica, 
Bethany  and  Olivet.  The  former  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  first  Sunday 
school  organized  in  East  Utica,  where  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Albany  and 
Lansing  streets  was  donated  by  Mrs.  Harriet  C.  Wood  ;  there  a  frame 
church  was  built  in  1869  by  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Gilbert  and  her  three  daugh- 
ters. The  Olivet  Sunday  school  was  established  February  27,  1876,  by 
workers  in  the  Westminster  society,  and  a  chapel  was  built  near  the 
corner  of  Square  and    Miller  streets,  which  was  opened  on  June  11   of 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  331 

that  year.  On  April  26,  1887,  Rev.  F.  W.  Townsend  was  installed 
pastor.  In  August  of  that  year  a  lot  was  bought  on  Howard  avenue 
and  on  September  15,  1889,  the  corner  stone  of  the  present  stone 
structure  was  laid.     The  building  was  dedicated  April  12,  1891. 

The  Memorial  Presbyterian  church  at  West  Utica  was  organized 
February  10,  1868,  and  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  Sabbath  school  which 
had  been  maintained  there  since  1848.  A  chapel  was  erected  on  Court 
street  and  dedicated  December  15,  1867.  Rev.  J.  W.  Whitfield,  who 
had  acted  as  missionary  of  the  school,  was  installed  pastor.  In  1883  a 
lot  adjoining  the  chapel  was  purchased  and  there  Theodore  S.  Sayre 
erected  the  present  beautiful  church  as  a  memorial  to  his  father.  It 
was  dedicated  January  25,  1884. 

The  Elizabeth  Street  Presbyterian  mission  (colored)  was  organized 
under  the  auspices  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church.  In  1869  ^  chapel 
was  built  at  23  Elizabeth  street,  which  was  called  Hope  chapel.  Ser- 
vices were  regularly  held  by  the  colored  people  and  the  general  direction 
of  the  church  affairs  remains  with  the  First  church. 

The  Bethesda  Congregational  church  was  organized  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1802,  as  a  Congregational  or  independent  church  by  the  Welsh 
families  of  the  vicinity.  It  has  ever  since  had  an  uninterrupted  exist- 
ence. The  first  minister  was  Rev.  Daniel  Morris,  who  came  from  Phil- 
adelphia early  in  1803  In  1804  a  small  frame  house  was  built  on  the 
corner  of  Washington  and  Whitesboro  streets.  In  1865  a  portion  of 
the  congregation  withdrew  and  established  a  church  of  their  own,  which 
was  called  the  Second  Congregational.  They  purchased  the  old  Grace 
church  on  Columbia  street,  and  called  Rev.  James  Griffiths  to  the  pas- 
torate. In  1 87 1  the  two  societies  reunited  and  built  a  new  brick  edifice 
at  108  Washington  street  at  the  some  time   taking  the  name  Bethesda. 

Plymouth  Congregational  church  was  organized  September  18,  1883, 
as  a  result  of  the  previous  labors  of  Rev.  Edward  Taylor,  D.  D.,  of 
Binghamton.  Services  were  temporarily  held  in  the  Council  chamber 
and  in  Dobson's  Hall,  Oneida  Square,  until  1884,  when  the  society  pur- 
chased a  residence  property,  on  Plant  street,  near  State,  which  included 
a  frame  cottage  and  a  brick  dwelling.  On' that  lot  a  wood  chapel  was 
erected  and  first  occupied  in  January,  1885. 

The   Reformed   Protestant    (Dutch)    church    in    Utica   resulted    from 


332  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

evangelical  labors  of  John  P.  Spinner,  of  Fort  Herkimer,  in  i8oi,  and 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Labagh  who  visited  the  field  about  1820.  Services  were 
held  by  these  men  in  private  rooms,  in  the  Baptist  church,  in  the  old 
Methodist  church  and  in  Washington  Hall  until  about  1828,  when  Rev. 
John  F.  Schermerhorn  came  to  the  field  and  in  June,  1830,  the  Broad 
Street  church  was  finished.  On  October  26,  1830,  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Protestant  church  was  organized.  In  1863-1 871,  a  new  church  was 
erected  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  and  Cornelia  streets.  Rev.  Isaac  S. 
Hartlee,  D.  D.,  was  pastor  from  November,  1871,  to  September,  1889, 
and  during  that  time  the  church  was  burned  and  rebuilt. 

Trinity  church  (Episcopal),  organized  as  already  mentioned  in  1798, 
was  imperfectly  maintained  by  lay  reading  for  about  five  years,  and  it 
was  not  until  1803  that  steps  were  taken  toward  building  a  church  edi- 
fice. In  that  year  John  R.  Bleecker,  of  Albany,  in  fulfillment  of  a 
promise  to  the  religious  society  who  should  first  undertake  the  erection 
of  a  church,  gave  the  society  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and  First 
streets.  When  about  $2,000  had  been  subscribed  the  building  was 
commenced,  but  it  was  1806  before  it  was  so  far  completed  as  to  be 
consecrated.  It  was  finished  in  December,  18 10.  The  first  officers  of 
the  church  were  Abraham  Walton  and  Nathan  WilHams,  wardens ; 
William  Inman,  Charles  Walton,  John  Smith,  Benjamin  Walker,  Samuel 
Hooker,  Aylmer  Johnson,  James  Hopper  and  P^dward  Smith,  vestry- 
men. The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Jonathan  Judd,  who  preached  from 
1804  to  1806  alternately  here  and  at  Paris  Hill.  The  first  regular  rec- 
tor was  Rev.  Amos  G.  Baldwin,  1806  to  1818.  Through  the  influence 
of  Col.  Benjamin  Walker  the  Countess  of  Bath,  England,  in  1808  gave 
the  church  265  acres  of  land  in  Eaton,  Madison  county.  It  was  not  of 
much  benefit  to  the  church  and  was  sold  for  a  small  sum  in  1815;  at 
about  the  same  time  Trinity  Church,  N.  Y.,  gave  the  society  four  lots 
in  New  York  city,  the  income  of  which  has  been  of  great  benefit.  In 
1833  the  edifice  was  lengthened  twenty  feet  by  extending  the  front  and 
rebuilding  the  tower. 

Grace  church  (Episcopal),  incorporated  May  21,  1838,  was  originally 
a  portion  of  Trinity  parish.  Rev.  Albert  C.  Patterson  was  chosen  rec- 
tor in  April,  1839.  A  lot  was  leased  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Columbia  streets  for  ten  years  and  there  a  church  was  built,  which  was 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  333 

opened  in  August,  1839.  Between  1850  and  i860  the  present  church 
site  was  purchased  and  a  new  church  erected  ;  the  tower  was  not  com- 
pleted until  1870  and  the  spire  in  1875.  The  latter  was  erected  by  the 
late  Mrs.  James  Watson  Williams  as  a  memorial  to  her  father  and  her 
husband.  The  late  Alfred  Munson  gave  $10,000  toward  the  purchase 
of  the  lot  and  $5,000  toward  building  the  church.  The  entire  cost  of 
the  edifice  was  $120,000.  Between  1884  and  1888  a  vestry,  choir  and 
Bible  class  room  and  a  study  were  erected  adjoining  the  church,  and 
in  1890  a  new  and  beautiful  chancel  was  substituted  for  the  old  one  ;  all 
these  were  gifts  of  the  late  Mrs.  Williams. 

Calvary  Episcopal  church  began  its  corporate  existence  December 
15,  1850,  as  a  result  of  the  services  of  Rev.  Beardsley  Northrup,  in  a 
small  school  house  corner  West  and  Eagle  streets.  The  lot  on  which 
the  old  church  now  stands  was  secured  and  there  the  first  church  was 
erected  and  twice  enlarged.  At  a  later  date  the  lot  on  South  street  op- 
posite the  old  church  was  purchased  as  a  proposed  site  for  a  new 
church.  This  plan  was  abandoned  and  the  property  was  sold  in  1869 
and  a  site  on  the  corner  of  Howard  avenue  and  South  street  was  pur- 
chased. There  the  new  church  was  built  and  finished  in  tjie  fall  of 
1872.      The  church  was  consecrated  January  18,  1884. 

St.  George's  church  (Episcopal)  was  authorized  by  Bishop  De 
Lancey  and  the  diocese  in  1862  to  replace  the  former  parish  of  St. 
Paul's,  organized  in  1849  ^^^  allowed  to  die  out.  The  corner  stone 
of  the  church  was  laid  May  5,  1862,  on  State  street  near  Cottage.  The 
church  was  consecrated  June  7,  1864. 

St.  Luke's  Memorial  church  (Episcopal)  began  as  a  mission  of  Grace 
church  in  1869  in  a  roam  of  St.  Luke's  Home  for  Aged  Women.  In 
the  following  year  a  lot  adjoining  the  Home  was  donated  by  Truman 
K.  Butler  and  there  a  handsome  stone  church  was  erected  and  con- 
secrated October  18,  1876.  The  church  rectory,  192  Columbia  street, 
was  purchased  in   1886. 

In  1 87 1  the  late  Evan  R.  Goodwin  and  the  late  Philip  Herbert  in- 
augurated a  movement  for  the  establishment  of  Episcopal  services  in 
East  Utica.  Services  were  held  in  a  private  room,  the  worshipers 
taking  the  name  of  The  Mission  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  later  the 
Memorial  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross.      Rev.  Edward  Z.  Lewis  was  the 


334  OUR  COUNTT  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

first  pastor,  continuing  until  his  death  in  1874.  A  frame  building  was 
erected  on  Mohawk  street,  which  was  afterwards  moved  to  the  lot  pur- 
chased on  Bleecker  street  and  enlarged.  On  October  g,  1890,  the 
corner  stone  of  the  new  stone  church  on  Bleecker  street  was  laid  by 
the  Rt.  Rev.  F.  D.  Huntington. 

Methodist  services  were  held  in  the  little  village  of  Utica  from  the 
time  the  first  sermon  was  preached  by  Freeborn  Garrettson  in  1792. 
At  first  the  members  of  this  faith  were  attached  to  a  class  which  met 
in  a  small  church  on  the  road  to  New  Hartford.  In  1808  Solomon 
Bronson,  a  man  of  influence  living  near  that  church,  was  converted 
and  began  holding  meetings  in  Utica  in  a  building  back  of  the  line 
of  Genesee  street,  which  was  used  as  a  school  house.  About  the 
same  time,  1808,  Rudolph  Snyder  built  for  the  society  a  small  one- 
story  house  of  worship  beside  the  shop  of  his  brother  Jacob,  which 
stood  on  the  corner  of  Elizabeth  street.  This  was  occupied  about  six 
years.  In  18 15  Utica  was  made  a  station  in  the  recently  formed 
Oneida  district  of  the  Genesee  Conference.  Rev.  Benjamin  G.  Pad- 
dock was  appointed  preacher  and  a  powerful  revival  followed.  The 
society  was  now  incorporated  under  the  title  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  in  Utica.  A  brick  church  was  built  on  the  north  side 
of  Main  street,  a  little  west  of  Ballou's  Creek,  which  was  dedicated 
August  16,  1 8 16.  In  1825  the  chapel  on  Bleecker  street  was  built  and 
dedicated  February  22,  1827.  In  1832,  a  class  having  existed  in  West 
Utica  for  some  time,  a  church  was  erected.  The  class  was  considered 
as  a  part  of  the  Bleecker  street  society,  and  owing  to  embarrassments 
the  property  was  eventually  sold.  In  1847  ^  "^w  society  was  formed 
in  West  Utica  under  the  name  of  the  State  Street  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  By  the  burning  of  the  State  Street  church,  F'ebruary  3,  1867, 
a  consolidation  of  the  Bleecker  Street  and  State  Street  societies  was 
effected  under  the  name  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Utica.  The  first  pastor  was  William  Reddy,  under  whose  pastorate  the 
present  edifice  on  the  corner  of  Court  street  and  Broadway  was  built. 
The  chapel  was  finished  and  dedicated  February  28,  1869,  and  the 
church  was  dedicated  February  2,  1871. 

In  September,  1852,  the  South  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
was  organized  and  a  church  erected   on   South   street,  which  was  dedi- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  335 

cated  in  the  spring  of  1853.  In  1869  a  parsonage  was  built  on  a  lot 
adjoining  the  church.  The  church  itself  has  since  been  extensively 
improved. 

The  First  Free  Methodist  church  was  organized  August  7,  1863, 
by  Rev.  D.  W.  Thurston  with  forty-eight  members  from  the  South 
Street  church.  Services  were  held  in  Morgan  Hall,  corner  South  and 
West  streets  until  1865  and  a  wooden  church  was  erected  on  the  corner 
of  South  and  Miller  streets.  When  the  growing  congregation  needed 
larger  accommodations  the  present  brick  church  was  erected  in  1880  81 
at  30  Chatham  street. 

For  some  time  previous  to  1867  members  from  the  First  M.  E. 
church  conducted  a  Sunday  school  in  West  Utica.  Immediately  after 
the  burning  of  the  State  Street  church  a  chapel  was  built  corner  of 
Court  and  Stark  streets  and  in  May,  1886,  the  Dryer  Memorial  M.  E. 
church  was  organized.  In  1890  an  addition  was  built  on  the  west 
side  of  the  church  for  Sunday  school  and  evening  services. 

In  1880  Rev.  W.  F".  Hemenway  organized  a  class  on  Kossuth  ave- 
nue, and  meetings  were  held  in  private  rooms  until  1882  when  a  hall 
was  hired  corner  of  South  and  Albany  streets.  In  1883  a  frame 
church  was  erected  on  a  lot  donated  by  Francis  Kerran,  corner 
Nichols  and  Lansing  streets.  In  1884  the  society  became  a  regular 
charge  and  on  March  31  was  organized  as  the  Centenary  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.      A  parsonage  was  built  near  the  church  in  1891. 

In  February,  1830,  a  few  Calvanistic  Methodists  took  letters  of  dis- 
missal from  a  churcii  in  Remsen,  and  David  Stephens  was  authorized 
to  organize  them  into  a  Welsh  Calvanistic  church  in  Utica.  This  was 
done  in  March,  183  i,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Moriah  Welsh  Calvan- 
istic Church."  In  1831  a  church  was  built  on  Seneca  street,  which 
was  replaced  by  a  larger  one  in  1847.  This  property  was  sold  in 
1882  and  the  present  church  was  built  on  Park  avenue  corner  of 
Dakin  street.  The  church  has  a  mission  Sunday  school  and  is  liberally 
supported  by  Welsh  citizens. 

The  Coke  Memorial  (Welsh  Methodist  Episcopal)  church  was  formed 
about  July  i,  1849,  with  twenty-seven  members.  The  old  Cambrian 
Hall  was  used  for  services  several  months  and  on  May  i,  1850,  the  so- 
ciety purchased  a  building  on  Washington  street  known  as  the  Com- 


336  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

mercial  Lyceum,  and  fitted  it  up  for  worship.  This  property  was  sold 
in  May,  1885,  and  the  lot  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Hopper  and 
Union  streets.  There  the  corner  stone  of  the  new  building  was  laid  in 
August.   1886,  and  the  edifice  was  dedicated  in  the  same  month  of  1887, 

From  1849  to  1854  the  First  Church  of  the  Evangelical  Association 
(German  Methodist)  belonged  to  the  Mohawk  Circuit.  In  185 1  Rev. 
F.  Herlan,  then  preaching  in  Deerfield,  desired  a  transfer  to  Utica,  and 
in  the  same  year  an  old  school  house  on  Garden  street  was  bought  and 
used  for  services  down  to  1858,  when  the  present  church  edifice  was 
erected. 

The  Welsh  Baptist  church  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Central  New  York, 
and  had  its  origin  September  12,  1801,  when  twenty-two  persons  of 
Welsh  descent  met  at  the  log  house  of  John  Williams  on  the  road  oppo- 
site State  Hospital  and  formed  a  church.  It  is  known  as  the  First 
(Welsh)  Baptist  and  is  the  parent  of  the  Broad  street  (now  Tabernacle) 
church.  In  1 806  the  congregation  built  the  church  near  where  the 
canal  now  intersects  Hotel  street.  This  building  was  moved  when  the 
canal  was  opened  to  the  site  of  the  present  church  on  Broadway.  This 
society  was  long  prosperous  but  in  late  years  has  decreased  in  numbers 
on  account  of  the  services  being  held  in  the  Welsh  language. 

In  18 19  seventeen  members  of  the  Welsh  Baptist  church  were  dis- 
missed at  their  own  request  to  form  an  English  church,  calling  it  the 
Second  Baptist.  Rev.  Elijah  F.  Willey  was  called  and  assumed  the 
pastorate  in  November  of  that  year.  A  frame  church  was  soon  erected 
on  Broad  street ;  this  was  superseded  by  a  brick  edifice,  which  was 
dedicated  September  28,  1848.  In  June,  1864,  the  society  voted  to 
vacate  this  house  and  remove  to  a  more  central  location.  In  October, 
1864,  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Hopper  and  King  streets  was  purchased 
and  a  fine  stone  edifice  erected.  It  was  dedicated  in  September,  1866. 
The  name  "  Tabernacle  Baptist  church  "  was  adopted  October  1 1,  1864. 
A  new  chapel  was  built  on  the  property  adjoining  the  church  and  ded- 
icated October  4,  1889. 

In  December,  1837,  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  conduct  religious  worship  in  West  Utica  until  the  following 
May.  March  21,  1838,  eleven  persons  met  at  the  home  of  Edward 
Wright  and  organized  the  Bethel  Baptist  church  of  Utica.     During  the 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  337 

first  year  of  their  existence  they  built  a  church  on  State  street,  which 
was  dedicated  August  7,  1839.  O"  January  i,  1845,  it  was  determined 
to  rent  the  Bleecker  street  church,  built  by  the  Second  Presbyterian 
society.  This  was  purchased  in  February,  1847.  In  April,  1862,  steps 
were  taken  for  the  enlargment  of  the  church  and  property  was  purchased 
in  the  rear  for  Sunday  school  purposes.  This  property  was  all  sold  in 
the  fall  of  1886  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  a  lot  was  purchased  on  the 
corner  of  Rutger  and  West  streets,  where,  on  June  29,  1887,  the  corner 
stone  of  the  new  brick  church  was  laid.  On  the  fiftieth  anniversary, 
March  22,  1888,  the  name  Park  Baptist  church  was  assumed. 

The  Ebenezer  Baptist  church  was  incorporated  in  August,  1836,  in 
which  year  a  lot  was  purchased  on  Columbia  street  and  a  frame  build- 
ing erected. 

The  Emanuel  Baptist  church  was  organized  January  29,  1890,  with 
forty- two  members.  A  house  of  worship  was  soon  erected  on  the  corner 
of  Eagle  and  Dudley  streets.  It  was  dedicated  free  from  debt  March 
12,  1890. 

The  Zion  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  (German)  was  organized  May 
15,  1842,  at  its  place  of  meeting,  the  "  Old  Bethel"  on  Fayette  street, 
West  Utica.  There  were  forty-six  charter  members  and  the  services 
were  held  in  the  German  language.  A  church  was  built  on  Columbia 
street,  and  dedicated  September  28,  1844.  This  was  burned  Feb- 
ruary 28,  185 1.  This  site  was  sold  to  the  Catholics  and  the  present 
church  built  on  the  corner  of  Cooper  and  Fayette  streets.  A  day 
school  building  was  erected  in  1870  on  Columbia  street. 

On  March  25,  i860,  the  church  just  described  resolved  to  establish  a 
German  mission  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  city.  A  lot  was  do- 
nated and  a  small  building  thereon  was  consecrated  in  August  of  that 
year  as  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  church  (German).  Under  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  O.  Kaselitz,  beginning  in  1880,  the  church  building  was  nearly 
destroyed  by  a  storm  and  the  present  edifice  was  erected  on  the  site. 
This  calamity  placed  the  society  under  a  burdensome  debt  which  was 
finally  paid  off  by  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  members. 

The  Evangelical   Lutheran  church  of  the   Redeemer  was  organized 

December  27,    1878.      Services  were  first  held   in  the    M.   E.    chapel, 

corner  Court  and  Stark  streets,  and  in  the  summer  of  1881  an  old  malt 
43 


338  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

house  lot  on  Columbia  street  was  purchased  and  a  stone  chapel  erected. 
This  was  followed  by  the  building  of  the  present  church,  which  was 
occupied  May  17,  1885. 

Trinity  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  (German)  was  organized  August 
21,  1881,  at  a  meeting  m  a  private  house,  where  it  was  determined  also 
to  form  a  day  school  and  a  Sunday  school.  The  day  school  was  com- 
menced in  St.  Patrick's  school  building  on  Columbia  street,  and  on 
March  12,  1882,  property  was  purchased  on  Hamilton  street  and  the 
house  there  standing  was  remodeled  for  church  purposes.  The  present 
brick  church  was  built  in  1886  and  dedicated  December  12. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  the  Holy  Communion  was  or- 
ganized as  a  result  of  the  missionary  labors  of  Rev.  Gustavus  A.  Bierde- 
mann  in  Southwest  Utica,  begun  in  the  fall  of  1887.  The  frame  church 
on  the  corner  of  Sunset  avenue  and  Mulberry  street  was  built  in  the 
winter  of  1887-88. 

In  1854  Rev.  Valentine  Miller,  of  the  Moravian  church,  came  to 
Utica  by  request  and  began  holding  services  in  private  houses.  A 
small  frame  church  corner  Cornelia  and  Cooper  streets  (formerly  Luth- 
eran) was  purchased  and  on  July  2,  1856,  the  Moravian  church  was  or- 
ganized. A  new  brick  church  and  parsonage  was  built  on  the  old  site 
in  the  summer  of  1891.  The  Moravian  mission  on  South  street  is  a 
branch  of  this  church  and  was  organized  in  April,  1882.  In  February 
of  the  following  year  a  chapel  for  the  mission  was  built  on  South  street. 

A  Utica  newspaper  of  November,  1825,  announced  that  Mr.  Thomp- 
son would  preach  in  the  Court  House  on  Sunday,  November  20,  and 
the  UniversaHsts  of  the  village  were  requested  to  meet  at  the  same 
place  on  the  following  evening  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  society. 
Accordingly,  "a  number  of  persons,  believing  in  the  doctrine  of  God's 
impartial  and  universal  love,"  met  and  organized  the  first  Universalist 
society  of  Utica.  Forty-two  persons  signed  the  constitution.  In  1828- 
30  a  church  was  erected  on  Devereux  street,  but  the  society  became 
financially  involved,  and  the  property  was  sold.  In  1848  services  were 
recommenced  in  Mechanics'  Hall  and  a  new  society  was  organized 
named  the  Central  Universalist  society,  commonly  known  as  the  Church 
of  Reconciliation.  A  brick  church  was  erected  on  Seneca  street  near 
Genesee  and  completed  in  185  i.  In  1877  this  building  was  extensively 
repaired  and  a  new  chapel  was  erected. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  339 

The  services  of  the  Second  Universalist,  or  the  Church  of  our  Father, 
begun  in  May,  1888,  in  the  Mary  street  school  house.  In  October  of 
that  year  a  chapel  was  built  on  Bacon  street,  where  services  where  held 
in  the  afternoon  by  Rev.  C.  E.  Rice  until  July,  1889.  In  1890-91  a 
lot  was  purchased  on  Bleecker  street  and  the  present  brick  church  was 
erected   thereon. 

The  first  priest  whose  name  is  found  connected  with  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  Utica  was  Rev.  M.  McQuade,  then  pastor  of  St.  Mary's 
church,  Albany.  Between  1813  and  1816,  when  the  diocese  of  New 
York,  to  which  Utica  belonged,  was  without  a  bishop,  he  came  occa- 
sionally to  this  district  and  said  mass.  The  first  notice  found  of  church 
services  in  Utica  was  in  18 19  when  Rev.  Michael  O'Gorman,  who  had 
been  assigned  to  Northern  New  York,  met  the  adherents  of  this  faith  in 
the  academy  on  the  lOth  of  January.  Mass  was  celebrated  and  a  ser- 
mon was  preached  in  the  evening.  On  the  15th  of  March  the  Catho- 
lics were  invited  to  attend  service  conducted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Farnon  on 
the  following  Sunday.  On  May  24  it  was  announced  that  "  Rev.  Mr. 
Farnon,  who  is  now  established  rector  of  the  western  district,  has  re- 
turned from  a  circuit  through  said  district  and  will  perform  divine  ser- 
vice at  the  academy  on  the  30th  inst."  These  were  the  initial  steps 
which  led  to  the  formation  of  St.  John's  church,  the  early  membership 
of  which  was  scattered  over  a  large  territory.  The  first  trustees  of  the 
church  were  John  C.  and  Nicholas  Devereux  ;  James  Lynch  of  Rome 
and  later  of  Utica  ;  Francis  O'Toole,  of  Augusta,  and  another  person 
from  Johnstown.  The  resident  congregation  did  not  exceed  thirty,  but 
they  as  well  as  many  Protestants  contributed  liberally  toward  building 
a  church  on  a  lot  corner  of  John  and  Bleecker  streets  donated  by  Judge 
Morris  S.  Miller  and  wife.  The  building  was  promptly  begun  and  was 
dedicated  August  19,  1821,  by  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Connolly.  It  was  not 
entirely  completed  until  two  years  later.  The  first  rectory,  which  was 
superseded  by  the  present  one,  was  built  in  1824.  In  1825,  when  Rev. 
John  Shannahan  was  pastor,  there  were  only  sixteen  Catholic  families 
in  Utica.  Through  the  generosity  of  John  C.  Devereux,  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  were  brought  to  Utica  about  1832  and  have  performed  their 
unselfish  labors  in  the  city  ever  since.  In  June,  1836,  the  corner  stone 
of  a  larger  church  edifice  was  laid  and  the  building  was  finished  during 


340  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

that  year.  This  edifice  sufficed  for  the  congregation  for  about  thirty- 
years,  when,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Thomas  Daly  (185 8- 1878),  it 
became  apparent  that  larger  accommodations  were  needed.  The  St. 
John's  Building  Association  was  thereupon  organized  to  aid  the  pastor 
in  raising  funds,  and  the  corner  stone  of  the  present  handsome  church 
was  laid  June  27,  1869;  the  building  was  finished  in  1871.  Under 
Father  Daly's  administration  the  Christian  Brothers  opened  an  orphan 
asylum  in  a  part  of  the  school  building  of  the  Assumption  Academy 
March  25,  1862.  These  accommodations  becoming  inadequate,  a 
large  building  was  erected  in  1869,  corner  Rutger  street  and  Taylor 
avenue,  now  known  as  St.  Vincent's  Male  Orphan  Asylum.  This  insti- 
tution is  described  in  later  pages. 

St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  church  (German)  was  organized  in  1842 
by  Rev.  Joseph  Prost.  They  first  worshiped  in  a  frame  building  on 
Fayette  street,  purchased  by  the  congregation.  The  society  prospered 
and  in  1855  a  two  story  brick  school  building  was  erected.  In 
1890-91  a  convent  was  built  on  Fayette  street  for  the  use  of  the  school 
sisters. 

St.  Patrick's  Catholic  church  was  organized  March  17,  1850,  the  natal 
day  of  the  patron  saint.  Services  were  first  held  in  the  building  on 
Columbia  street,  which  is  now  a  part  of  the  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital. 
Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  first  pastor,  Rev.  Patrick  Carraher,  a  lot 
wat  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Columbia  and  Huntington  streets,  and 
on  July  30,  185 1,  the  corner  stone  of  a  brick  church  was  laid.  This 
building  was  burned  November  9,  1889,  ^^id  services  were  held  in  an 
old  school  house  near  the  church  site.  In  March,  1886,  the  church 
property  was  sold  on  a  mortgage  to  Father  Carraher  and  its  affairs  went 
into  litigation.  Later  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  parish,  and  in 
1895  a  new  biick  church,  costing  about  $54,000,  was  built  on  the  old 
site.      It  was  consecrated  December  8th  of  that  year. 

The  present  edifice  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church  (German),  corner 
South  street  and  Taylor  avenue,  was  purchased  from  the  German  Luth- 
eran church  in  1870  by  the  first  pastor.  Rev.  G  Veith.  The  building 
has  since  been  greatly  extended,  a  rectory  added,  and  connected  with 
it  are  a  parochial  school  and  three  benevolent  societies,  the  Society  of 
St.  Boniface,  the  Society  of  St.  Aloysius,  and  the  Society  of  St.  Stanis- 
laus. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  341 

In  April,  1877,  the  bishop  of  the  Diocese  authorized  Rev.  Luke  G. 
O'Reilly,  then  assistant  in  St.  John's  parish,  to  organize  a  new  parish  of 
that  section  east  of  Genesee  street  and  south  of  South  street,  to  be 
known  as  the  Church  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales.  Meetings  were  first  held 
in  a  school  house  and  within  a  year  the  building  on  Steuben  street,  near 
South,  was  purchased  and  remodeled  for  the  use  of  the  parish  A 
suitable  site  was  finally  obtained  for  a  church  on  the  corner  of  Eagle 
street  and  Summit  avenue,  and  ten  years  from  its  organization  the 
society  had  completed  a  beautiful  brick  building  and  parochial  resi- 
dence. 

In  1886  a  Sunday  school  was  established  in  the  old  school  building 
on  Mary  street,  which  was  soon  changed  to  a  Catholic  school.  In  May, 
1887,  a  new  Catholic  parish  was  formed  of  the  section  east  of  Mohawk 
street,  and  called  St.  Agnes.  Rev.  John  J.  Toomey,  former  assistant  at 
St.  John's,  was  appointed  pastor,  and  steps  were  taken  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church.  A  lot  was  secured  at  the  corner  of  Blandina  street 
and  Kossuth  avenue,  and  the  corner  stone  of  the  building  was  laid  in 
July,  1887. 

The  first  Hebrew  congregation  in  Utica  was  organized  in  1848,  Rabbi 
Ellsner  leader,  and  worshiped  for  a  time  in  rooms  on  Hotel  street.  In 
1852-53  the  congregation  was  reorganized  with  Rabbi  Rosenthal,  pas- 
tor, and  built  a  small  synagogue  on  Bleecker  street.  In  1870  a  syna- 
gogue was  built  on  Whitesboro  street  and  chartered  under  the  name  of 
the  House  of  Jacob.  In  1882  this  was  sold  to  Solomon  Griffiths  and 
July  22  the  church  on  Seneca  street  was  bought  from  the  Moriah  Welsh 
church  and  has  since  been  used. 

On  December  7,  1888,  Levi  Lyons,  Elias  Marulsky  and  David  Roth- 
stein  purchased  from  the  city  a  school  house,  corner  of  Whitesboro  and 
Washington  streets.  A  congregation  was  soon  gathered  and  January 
5,  1889,  an  organization  was  effected  under  the  name  of  the  House  of 
Israel.      Extensive  repairs  were  made  to  the  building  in  the  year  1889 

CHARITABLE  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTIUTIONS. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the  benevolent  institutions  of  Utica  is 
the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum,  the  history  of  which  begins  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Female  Society  of  Industry  in  October,  1826.      It  was 


342  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

composed  of  seventy  members,  who  paid  six  dollars  each,  annually  in 
either  cash  or  needle  work,  and  in  January,  1828,  they  began  to  raise  a 
fund  for  founding  an  orphan  asylum.  The  officers  were  Mrs.  Sophia 
Bagg,  president  and  treasurer,  and  Mrs.  Ann  Breese,  secretary.  By  the 
fall  of  1833  a  fund  of  $3,000  was  accumulated.  A  charter  was  drawn 
and  a  public  meeting  held  January,  7,  1830,  at  which  a  constitution  was 
adopted  and  women  officers  chosen,  with  the  exception  of  three  men,  to 
act  as  an  advisory  committee.  Further  subscriptions  were  solicited  and 
housekeeping  was  begun  in  November,  1830,  in  a  building  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  John  and  Catherine  streets.  In  May,  1833,  the  family 
removed  to  a  house  near  the  southeast  corner  of  Chancellor  Square.  The 
financial  panic  of  1837  almost  caused  the  abandonment  of  the  institu- 
tion, but  in  December,  1842,  a  general  meeting  was  held,  the  old  con- 
stitution was  approved,  and  it  was  determined  to  apply  for  an  extension 
of  charter  containing  provisions  for  the  admission  of  half-orphans.  The 
asylum  was  reopened  on  Broadway,  east  side,  in  May,  1845.  I"  1846 
the  lot  No.  312  Genesee  street  was  purchased  with  the  proceeds  of  two 
fairs  and  in  June,  1847,  ^  building  was  begun,  which  was  finished  in 
May,  1848.  A  large  number  of  gifts  and  legacies  were  soon  received 
by  the  institution,  culminating  with  the  legacy  of  $34,000  left  by  Alfred 
Munson  conditioned  upon  the  raising  of  $10,000  within  five  years  of 
his  death,  for  the  purchasing  of  suitable  grounds  of  not  less  than  three 
acres,  the  balance  remaining  to  be  expended  towards  the  erection  of  a 
new  building.  This  condition  was  fulfilled  in  1855  and  the  legacy  was 
made  available  in  i860.  Meanwhile  Benjamin  F.  Jewett  donated  to  the 
society  three  acres  of  land  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  and  Pleasant  streets. 
On  the  30th  of  May,  i860,  the  corner  stone  of  the  new  building  was 
laid  and  it  was  finished  in  the  summer  of  1861.  Since  that  time  the 
asylum  has  done  incalculable  good  in  the  city.  Among  the  larger  gifts 
to  the  institutions  were  $9,000  by  Augustus  White  ;  $25,000  from  Silas 
D.  Childs  and  a  similar  gift  from  his  widow;  $17,000  from  Francis 
Ramsdell;  $4,850  from  B.  F.  Shaw;  $5,000  from  Mrs.  Alfred 
Churchill;  $10,000  from  Jonathan  R.  Warner;  and  $5,000  from  Nich- 
olas F.  Vedder. 

St.  John's  Female  Orphan  Asylum  was  incorporated  March  18,  1848, 
and  was  the  ultimate  result  of  an  application   made  in  1834  by  John  C. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  343 

and  Nicholas  Devereux  to  the  Sisters  of  Charity  to  conduct  a  Catholic 
asylum  and  day  school  in  Utica.  The  support  of  the  institution  was 
largely  contributed  by  the  Messrs.  Devereux  until  its  incorporation, 
since  which  time  the  work  of  the  Sisters  and  their  friends  has  made  the 
building  what  it  now  is.  The  structure  fronts  140  feet  on  John  street, 
200  feet  deep  and  is  four  stories  high.  The  school  is  supported  by  St. 
John's  parish. 

The  St.  Vincent  Male  Orphan  Asylum,  incorporated  April  21,  1862, 
and  connected  with  St.  John's  church,  has  already  been  mentioned.  Its 
afifairs  were  at  first  directed  by  the  Brothers  of  the  Christian  schools, 
while  its  finances  were  controlled  by  a  board  of  managers.  The  Broth- 
ers resigned  in  April,  1876,  when  the  board  assumed  entire  charge,  and 
the  institution  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of  "  St.  Vincent  Protect- 
orate and  Reformatory  for  Destitute  Children  in  Oneida  and  Adjacent 
Counties."  About  the  end  of  the  year  the  property  was  sold  at  auction 
and  was  purchased  by  Right  Rev.  Bishop  McNierny,  who  recalled  the 
Christian  Brothers  in  January,  1877.  In  August,  1885,  the  Christian 
Brothers  purchased  the  property  and  reincorporated  it  under  the  name 
of  St.  Vincent  Industrial  School.  The  building  was  at  once  largely  im- 
proved and  equipped  with  various  machines  for  practical  instruction. 

In  the  winter  of  1872-73  a  meeting  was  held  in  Trinity  rectory  where 
steps  were  taken  toward  founding  an  institution  for  infirm  and  destitute 
children,  under  the  direction  of  the  Episcopal  denomination.  In  May, 
1873,  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd  went  into  operation  in  a  tene- 
ment on  Blandina  street.  It  was  controlled  by  eleven  trustees  and  six 
managers.  Subscriptions  were  solicited  through  the  use  of  which,  on 
the  8th  of  June,  1875,  a  commodious  house  corner  Bleecker  and  East 
streets  was  formally  opened.  The  building  has  since  been  greatly  en- 
larged and  improved  and  several  lots  added  to  the  grounds.  It  is  sup- 
ported chiefly  by  gifts  from  its  friends 

On  November  19,  1866,  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  "  Home  for  the 
Homeless  in  the  City  of  Utica,"  the  object  of  which  was  the  support  of 
aged,  indigent  or  infirm  women.  The  Home  was  opened  in  May,  1867, 
in  a  building  on  Whitesboro  street,  opposite  the  State  Asylum.  About 
this  time  Theodore  S.  Faxton  offered  to  give  $20,000  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Home,  provided  a  like  sum  should  be  subscribed  by  January 


344  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

I,  1869  The  sum  of  $26,000  was  raised  by  that  time  and  the  founda- 
tion for  the  building  laid  on  two  acres  of  land  donated  by  Mr.  Faxton 
on  Faxton  street.  In  December,  1870,  B.  F.  Jewett  and  his  sisters 
donated  four  lots  to  the  Home  adjoining  the  original  site.  The  build- 
ing cost  $30,000  and  was  opened  December  6,  1870.  In  1879  a  new 
building  was  added  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  The  institution  is  under  the 
management  of  thirty- seven  women,  from  whom  its  officers  are  chosen. 
In  1880  Jason  G.  Coye  made  a  bequest  to  the  Home  of  $55,000,  and 
in  1891  a  second  addition  was  made  to  the  institution. 

The  Faxton  Hospital  was  erected  in  1874—75,  wholly  at  the  expense 
of  Theodore  S.  Faxton,  its  founder.  In  June,  1875,  he  placed  the  in- 
stitution under  the  management  of  a  board  of  trustees  created  a  few 
years  earlier,  who  retained  it  until  1878.  A  medical  and  surgical  staff 
was  appointed,  nurses  engaged  and  the  sick  were  received.  The  de- 
mands upon  the  Hospital  not  meeting  the  anticipations  of  its  founder, 
the  trustees  in  1878  placed  the  institution  under  a  board  of  forty  women 
managers.  By  them  the  second  and  third  floors  of  the  building  were 
devoted  to  the  reception  of  aged  men,  the  lower  one  being  used  for  the 
sick.  The  institution  was  thus  made  not  only  a  hospital  but  a  shelter 
for  those  who  are  left  helpless  in  their  declining  years. 

In  February,  1882,  was  incorporated  the  Home  for  Aged  Men,  gifts 
having  already  been  received  of  $1,000  from  the  late  A.  J.  Williams, 
$500  from  Miss  Jane  E.  Kelly  and  $1,000  from  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Geo. 
S.  Green.  Later  it  was  decided  to  admit  aged  men  and  their  wives, 
and  in  the  early  part  of  1890  a  lot  on  Sunset  avenue  was  secured  on 
which  was  erected  a  commodious  structure  at  a  cost  of  $35,000.  It  was 
opened  July   15,  1891. 

St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital  and  Home  was  organized  December  12,  1866, 
by  Mother  Bernardine  of  the  charitable  order  of  St.  Francis.  The  first 
patient  was  received  in  a  small  building  on  Columbia  street,  owned  by  the 
Franciscan  Fathers,  to  which  was  added  two  other  buildings  within  two 
years  through  the  generosity  of  Thomas  B.  Devereux.  In  1868  the  old 
buildings  were  removed  to  make  room  for  St.  Joseph's  church  and  the 
Hospital  was  transferred  to  a  large  house  a  few  doors  west.  A  dispensary 
for  the  outdoor  poor  was  opened  in  1871.  The  Hospital  is  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Sisters  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis,  and  is  not  con- 
nected with  any  church. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  344a 

While  not  a  county  institution,  the  Masonic  Home  at  Utica  may 
properly  be  noticed  here.  The  nucleus  of  the  great  fund  with  which 
the  Masonic  Temple  in  New  York  city  was  built,  was  a  subscription  of 
one  dollar  made  in  1842  This  was  followed  by  others  until  a  little 
more  than  $300  was  subscribed,  when  a  memorial  signed  by  lOO  breth- 
ren was  presented  to  the  Grand  Lodge.  An  act  of  incorporation  was 
passed  April  21,  1864,  the  object  of  the  corporation  being  stated  as  the 
building  and  maintaining  of  a  Masonic  Hall  in  New  York  city,  out  of 
the  income  of  which  asylums  and  schools  should  be  built  for  the  relief 
of  worthy  indigent  Masons,  their  widows  and  orphans.  The  act  and 
its  amendments  gave  the  corporation  power  to  hold  property  to  the 
amount  of  $5,000,000.  In  1870  the  fund  had  grown  to  $340,000,  and 
within  the  next  five  years  the  finest  Masonic  structure  in  the  world  was 
built  in  New  York  city.  A  heavy  debt  was  incurred  under  which  the 
fraternity  of  the  State  struggled  for  fourteen  years.  In  1885  Frank  R. 
Lawrence  was  elected  Grand  Master  and  through  liis  systematic,  ear- 
nest and  business  like  methods,  the  debt  of  nearly  a  million  dollars  was 
extinguished  in  1889.  The  fraternity  now  saw  a  prospect  of  the 
early  erection  of  the  Home.  The  question  of  location  was  a  perplexing 
one,  the  competition  among  various  cities  being  very  active.  After 
much  discussion  and  various  generous  offers  of  land,  the  Grand  Lodge 
resolved  to  limit  the  time  for  receiving  proposals  for  the  location  to 
September  15,  1888,  and  a  committee  was  empowered  to  immediately 
thereafter  visit  the  various  localities  and  make  a  selection.  The  result 
of  it  all  was  the  purchase  of  v/hat  had  been  the  Utica  driving  park,  near 
the  city  of  Utica,  containing  160  acres  of  land,  beautifully  situated. 
The  property  was  valued  at  $75,000;  of  this  the  owner,  Charles  W. 
Hutchinson,  donated  $25,000,  the  city  of  Utica  $30,000,  and  the  Grand 
Lodge  paid  $20,000.  The  West  Shore  railroad  donated  a  quarter  of 
an  acre  of  ground  and  five  additional  acres  were  purchased  for  $750. 
In  1889  the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  from  asylum  to 
"  Masonic  Home  and  School."  The  plans  originally  contemplated  a 
building  to  cost  not  more  than  $100,000,  but  in  1890  this  sum  was  in- 
creased to  $150,000.  On  August  27  of  that  year  the  plans  of  archi- 
tect William  H.  Hume,  of  New  York,  were  adopted,  and  on  October 
27  eighteen  bids  were  opened  for  the  erection  of  the  building.  The 
contract  was  let  to  Dickinson  &  Allen  of  Syracuse,  at  $134,000  About 
$5000  was  subsequently  added.      Dockage  property,  furniture  and   fix- 


3Uh  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  FEOPLE. 

tures  and  all  expenses  finally  made  the  cost  of  the  Home,  $175,000. 
More  than  this  sum  was  in  bank  to  the  credit  of  the  trustees. 

The  ceremonies  of  laying  the  corner  stone  were  conducted  by  John 
W.  Vrooman,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Lawrence  as  Grand  Master  on  May 
21,  1 89 1.  The  number  of  eminent  craftsmen  present,  the  military 
escort,  and  the  general  magnificence  of  the  pageant  made  this  one  of  the 
memorable  Masonic  gatherings  of  the  century.  Work  progressed  on 
the  building  through  that  and  the  following  years,  and  considerable 
delay  was  caused  by  the  failure  of  the  contractors,  compelling  the 
trustees  to  finish  the  work  themselves.  It  had  been  the  intention  to 
dedicate  the  Home  on  July  i,  1892,  but  the  delay  made  it  necessary  to 
change  the  plans  and  October  5  was  selected.  Again  there  was  a  great 
gathering  of  the  fraternity  to  participate  in  the  inspiring  ceremonies. 
Irrespective  of  the  departments  of  Masonry,  8,524  Master  Masons  took 
part  in  the  proceedings.  Thirteen  Commanderies,  and  seventy-three 
Chapters  of  Royal  Arch  Masons,  with  their  officers,  preceded  the  Master 
Masons.  In  the  words  of  the  historian  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  "  The 
enthusiasm  of  the  occasion  marked  a  notable  event  in  the  history  of  Free- 
masonry in  the  State  of  New  York.  The  Utica  Home  is  the  monument 
of  Masonic  charity." 

in  June,  1893,  the  trustees  reported  that  the  total  cost  of  the  Home 
and  appurtenances  to  that  date  was  $230,685.18.  The  balance  in  bank 
was  $155,572.55.  The  Grand  Lodge  instructed  the  trustees  to  set  aside 
each  year  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  net  receipts  of  the  fund  as  a  revenue 
fund,  until  such  revenue  fund  reached  $300,000. 

Past  Grand  Master  Jesse  B.  Anthony  took  charge  of  the  Home  as 
superintendent  in  February,  1893,  with  Mrs.  Anthony  as  his  assistant. 
No  better  selection  for  this  important  position  could  have  been  made. 
The  first  inmates  were  received  on  May  i,  1893. 

In  the  hallway  of  the  building  are  three  tablets,  one  of  which  was 
erected  in  honor  of  M.  W.  Frank  R  Lawrence,  for  his  unselfish  labors; 
a  second  one  commemorates  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  and  the 
dedication  of  the  building,  while  the  third  bears  the  following  inscription  : 
This  Asylum  for  the  Aged  and  Infirm  Brother,  the  Destitute  Widow,  and  Helpless 
Orphan,  was  Erected  A.  D.  1891-1892,  by  the  Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  of  the  State  ol  New  York,  under  the  Supervision  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Masonic  Hall  and  Asylum  Fund.  Edward  B.  Harper,  John  Stewart,  Jerome  E. 
Morse,  Horace  L.  Green,  Alexander  T.  Goodwin,  George  Hayes,  George  H.  Wiley, 
Herman  H.  Russ,  Trustees.     William  H.  Hume,  Architect. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  345 

St.  Luke's  Home  was  incorporated  December  23,  1869,  ^s  the  re- 
sult of  a  suggestion  made  two  years  earlier  by  Rev.  E.  M.  Van  Deusen, 
D.  D.  Truman  K  Butler  in  the  fall  of  1869  offered  the  use  of  an  un- 
furnished building  then  in  course  of  erection,  rent  free  for  eighteen 
months,  with  the  condition  that  if  the  project  proved  practicable  he 
would  then  give  a  deed  of  the  property.  The  object  of  the  institution 
was  stated  as  "The  establishing  and  maintaining  in  the  city  of  Utica  of 
a  refuge  for  the  poor  and  friendless  members  of  Grace  Church  parish  in 
Utica  and  such  others  as  the  Board  of  Managers  may  think  entitled  to 
its  benefits."  The  Home  was  opened  and  it  was  soon  found  that  a 
hospital  was  necessary,  and  September  i,  1 870,  a  double  two-story 
brick  dwelling  adjoining  the  Home  was  purchased  of  Mr.  Butler.  The 
Hospital  was  opened  July  9,  1872.  In  1875  a  lot  owned  by  the  city, 
west  of  the  Hospital,  was  purchased  and  in  February,  1883,  Mr.  Butler 
conveyed  to  the  corporation  the  lot  used  as  a  lawn.  In  1886  a  new 
brick  building  was  erected,  costing  nearly  $14,000,  and  in  June,  1887, 
the  dwelling  No.  305  Whitesboro  street  was  also  purchased.  The  prop- 
erty is  clear  of  indebtedness.  In  January,  1888,  the  name  St.  Luke's 
Home  and  Hospital  was  adopted,  and  in  the  same  year  "  The  Lancas- 
ter House  "  was  fitted  up  for  the  use  of  nurses.  A  school  for  nurses 
was  established  in  1878.      The  first  medical  director  was  chosen  in  t88o. 

The  City  Hospital  was  erected  by  commission  in  1856  at  the  expense 
of  the  city  and  it  was  intended  for  a  workhouse.  Two  years  later  it  was 
made  a  hospital,  under  the  superintendence  of  the  poormaster,  who  was 
superseded  by  the  Board  of  Charities  upon  its  creation  in  1873.  The 
building  is  of  brick,  three  stories  high,  on  the  corner  of  South  and  Mo- 
hawk streets,  and  surrounded  by  extensive  grounds.  A  physician  ap- 
pointed by  the  Board  of  Charities  is  in  daily  attendance. 

The  Board  of  Charities  just  mentioned  consists  of  six  commissioners, 
one  half  of  whom  are  elected  by  popular  vote  and  one-half  appointed 
by  the  town  auditors.  To  this  board  in  Utica  are  intrusted  all  the  ordi- 
nary powers  and  duties  of  the  poormaster  and  they  serve  without  com- 
pensation. The  board  appoints  a  clerk  who  acts  as  the  paid  and  author- 
ized agent  in  administering  the  city  charities.  The  clerk  is  aided  by  a 
secretary.  This  system  has  been  found  to  be  far  superior  in  every  way 
to  the  former  administration  of  poormastsrs. 

44 


346  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  benevolent  organizations,  Utica  has  a 
Woman's  Christian  Association,  organized  in  1870,  which  owns  the 
"Georgia  Porter  Memorial"  building,  costing  $10,000.  The  associa- 
tion was  incorporated  April  15,  1886,  and  accomplishes  a  vast  amount 
of  good.  There  is  also  in  the  city  St.  Joseph's  Infant  Home,  the  Indus- 
trial Home,  the  Homoeopathic  Hospital,  and  the  Utica  Dispensary  or- 
ganizations. 

Schools  and  Libraries. — The  first  school  in  Utica  of  which  any  thing 
is  now  known  was  kept  in  a  building  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street, 
between  First  and  Second  streets.  The  reader  has  already  learned 
something  of  the  various  secular  and  religious  meetings  that  were  held 
in  that  old  building  in  the  earlier  years.  The  teacher  in  1797  was 
Joseph  Dana,  who  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr.  Clark  and  he  by  Roswell 
Holcomb  about  1804.  Gideon  Wilcoxson  taught  in  1805.  In  1807 
Jonathan  Child  kept  a  school  for  a  short  time  in  the  Welsh  church  cor- 
of  Washington  and  Whitesboro  streets.  In  1808  Eliasaph  Dorchester 
was  teaching  there,  while  David  R.  Dixon  occupied  the  building  on  the 
site  of  Grace  church,  which  served  as  a  school  house  and  also  for  the 
meetings  of  the  village  trustees.  During  the  years  1810  and  181 1 
Thomas  Colling  taught  in  that  school,  and  in  the  year  18 13  a  private 
school,  called  the  Juvenile  Academy,  was  kept  in  the  third  story  of  a 
building  on  the  north  corner  of  Broad  and  Genesee  streets.  The  first 
teacher  was  Henry  White,  who  was  succeeded  by  S.  W.  Brace  and  he 
by  Obed  Eddy  in  the  year   18 16. 

In  181 3  nineteen  citizens  of  Utica  asked  the  Regents  of  the  Uni- 
versity to  incorporate  an  academy  in  their  village.  A  charter  was 
granted  March  28,  18 14,  naming  the  following  trustees:  Jeremiah 
Van  Rensselaer,  Arthur  Breese,  Talcott  Camp,  David  W.  Childs,  Fran- 
cis A.  Bloodgood,  Bryan  Johnson,  A.  B.  Johnson,  Thomas  Skinner, 
Thomas  Walker,  Apollos  Cooper,  Solomon  Wolcott,  Anson  Thomas 
and  Ebenezer  B.  Shearman.  Mr.  Van  Rensselaer  was  chosen  president, 
Mr.  Walker,  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Shearman,  secretary.  A  fund  was 
raised  by  subscription  and  when  $1,600  were  obtained  the  trustees 
accepted  their  charge,  and  in  June,  18 15,  requested  Rev.  Jesse  Towns- 
end  to  take  charge  of  the  institution;  he  was  then  teaching  a  gram- 
mar school  in   the  village  and   remained   with   the  academy  about  two 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  347 

years.      In  1816  a  committee  of  citizens  proposed  to  the  trustees  to  aid 
them   in   erecting  a  building,    which    would   serve  as  "  An   Academy, 
Townhouse   and    Court    House,"   and  a  new  subscription  was  started. 
The  usual  contest  as  to  the  site  followed   and    it  was  finally  decided 
that  every  subscriber  of  $5    or  more  should  have  a  vote  for  either  of 
the  two  proposed  sites,  one  of  which  was  the  one  finally  adopted  and 
the  other  on   Genesee  street.      The  vote  polled  showed  a  majority  of 
222  in  favor  of  the  site  adopted.      The  subscription    amounted  to  $5,- 
000,  to  which  was  added  other  minor  pledges,  and   the  building  was 
erected   and  completed    in   the  summer  of  18 18.      It  was  a  two- story 
brick  edifice  50  by  60  feet  in  size.      In  August  of  that  year  Rev.  Sam- 
uel T.  Mills,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  was  appointed  the  first  precep- 
tor at   a   salary   of  $800,  and   in  October  a  Mr.  Whiteside  was  chosen 
assistant  for  six    months,  with    compensation  at  the   rate  of  $300.      In 
January,    18 19,    William    Hayes    was   employed    to    teach   writing  and 
arithmetic  at  $50  a  quarter  of  eleven  and  one-half  weeks.     There  were 
three  classes  of  pupils,  one   of  whom    paid    $5,    one    $4  and  one  $3   a 
quarter.     In  1851    the  trustees   determined  to  sell  to  the  county  for  a 
court  house  the  John  street  front  of  the  academy,  on   condition,   in  ad- 
dition to  a  pecuniary  consideration,  that  the    release    of  the    remainder 
should    be  obtained    from     the   original   grantors  and   from   the    city. 
This  was  finally  consummated.       Mr.  Roberts's  place  was  for  a  short 
time   occupied   by  a  Mr.   Newcomb   and   next   by   a  Mr.  Kenget.     In 
April,  1852,  a  committee  of  the  trustees  was  appointed  to  confer  with 
the   school   commissioners   to   effect  an   arrangement  under  which  the 
offices  of  superintendent  of  schools  and  principal  of  the  academy  might 
be  united  ;   such  arrangement  was   carried  out  and    was   the   last  act  of 
the  trustees  under  the  old  charter.      In  May,  1853,  by  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, the   school    commissioners    became   the  trustees  of  the   academy, 
thus  preserving  the  venerable  charter.     The   new  organization  was  ef- 
fected   in    February,    1854,   when    Edmund   A.  Wetmore,  chairman    of 
the  school  commissioners,  was  chosen  president  and  Daniel  S.  Heffron, 
superintendent  of  the  schools,  was  made  secretary.      Since  that  date  the 
academy  has  remained  a  part,  and   the  head,  of  the  public  school  sys- 
tem.     Under  that  arrangement  Mr.  Weld,  a  graduate  of  the  university, 
was  appointed  principal,  with  three  women  teachers  as  assistants.      He 


348  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

resigned  in  the  winter  of  1857  and  was  succeeded  by  George  C.  Saw- 
yer, A.B.,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  who  for  nearly  forty  years  has  re- 
mained the  efficient  head  of  the  institution. 

The  first  act  of  the  Legislature  in  relation  to  a  free  school  in  Utica 
was  passed  April  27,  18 17.  Section  28  of  that  act  vested  in  the  trus- 
tees of  the  village  "  All  the  property  of  the  Twelfth  district  of  Whites- 
town,"  which  then  included  Utica,  for  the  use  of  a  free  school.  In  the 
same  year  the  trustees  erected  a  building  and  employed  Ignatius  Thomp- 
son to  teach  for  three  months  from  the  first  Monday  in  December,  at 
$40  a  month.  This  building  was  of  two  stories,  stood  on  the  south  side 
of  Catherine  street,  nearly  opposite  Franklin,  and  was  afterwards  known 
as  the  Lancaster  School.  The  Lancaster  system  was  introduced  in  18 19 
when  Andrew  L'Amoureux  was  the  teacher.  He  remained  until  1824, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Roswell  Holcomb.  Rev.  Joseph  Carter  be- 
came principal  in  1828  and  the  school  was  reorganized.  About  150 
pupils  were  in  attendance  and  the  school  was  flourishing.  Mr.  Carter 
was  succeeded  by  Eliasaph  Dorchester,  who  remained  some  years  and 
was  assisted  by  Susan  Wright.  An  act  of  Legislature  passed  in  1830 
gave  the  trustees  of  the  village  power  to  establish  schools  at  their  pleas- 
ure and  distribute  the  public  money  as  they  thought  best.  In  April  of 
the  following  year  a  committee  of  the  trustees  was  appointed  to  sell  the 
free  school  lot  on  Catherine  street  and  to  buy  another  suitable  for  school 
and  fire  purposes.  The  school  was  next  kept  in  the  session  room  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  church,  corner  of  Charlotte  and  Elizabeth  streets. 
In  1 83 1  the  school  district  was  established  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  vil- 
lage and  a  school  located  on  the  corner  of  East  and  Linden  streets.  A 
third  public  school  was  added  in  1834,   with  Abraham  Yates,  principal. 

In  April,  1828,  an  infant  society  was  organized,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  give  care  and  instruction  to  the  infant  poor,  thus  relieving  their 
parents  during  the  day.  Mrs.  Moses  Bagg  was  the  first  directress  and 
Mrs.  R.  M.  Crowley  the  preceptress.  In  1829  a  similar  institution, 
called  the  Pattern  Infant  School,  was  started  under  the  patronage  of 
Jesse  W.  Doolittle.  Each  of  these  received  in  1832  an  appropriation  of 
$92  from  the  council. 

During  the  period  thus  far  considered  private  schools  in  the  village 
were  numerous.      Among  them  was  one  established  about  18 19  by  Am- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  349 

brose  Kasson  on  the  corner  of  Whitesboro  and  Division  streets.  Will- 
iam Sparrow  opened  a  classical  school,  but  soon  left  it  for  the  principal- 
ship  of  the  academy.  In  1824  Elisha  Harrington  taught  a  school  and 
was  aided  by  his  sister.  The  Utica  High  School,  afterwards  known  as 
the  Utica  Gymnasium,  was  founded  as  a  boarding  school  for  boys  in 
1827  by  Charles  Bartlett  and  flourished  successfully  for  about  eight 
years.  He  had  previously  conducted  a  select  school  on  Washington 
street,  which  he  turned  over  to  Isaac  Wilmarth.  For  the  High  School 
he  leased  a  house  and  farm  at  the  lower  end  of  Broad  street  which  had 
formerly  belonged  to  Dr.  Solomon  Wolcott.  The  farm  was  placed 
under  charge  of  the  brother  of  Charles.  There  was  an  annual  attendance 
at  this  school  of  over  forty,  the  expense  to  each  being  at  first  $200  an- 
nually, afterwards  reduced  to  $150.  Mr.  Bartlett  had  the  assistance  of 
a  number  of  eminent  men  as  teachers,  a".d  among  the  students  were 
many  who  became  conspicuous  in  later  years. 

Another  successful  educational  institution  established  a  few  years  later 
than  Mr.  Bartlett's  was  the  Classical  and  Commercial  Lyceum  of 
Messrs.  Phillips  and  Kingsley.  Mr.  Phillips  was  soon  succeeded  by 
Mr  Bailey.  The  school  was  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Washington 
street,  between  Whitesboro  and  Liberty,  and  continued  to  about  1840. 
Another  classical  and  commercial  school  was  begun  in  1832  on  what  is 
now  Blandina  street  by  John  Williams,  who  conducted  it  for  forty  one 
years  and  until  his  death  in  1873.  A  little  later,  about  1835  to  1838, 
William  Barrett  presided  over  the  school  on  Genesee  street,  a  little 
below  Blandina.  Two  other  schools  of  that  period  for  ladies  were  con- 
ducted, one  by  Miss  Dickens  and  the  other  by  Miss  Bowen.  The 
earliest  school  for  ladies  exclusively  was  in  existence  in  1806  by  Solo- 
mon P.  Goodrich,  a  bookseller,  but  little  is  known  of  it.  About  1818  a 
young  ladies'  school  was  opened  by  Montgomery  R.  Bartlett,  which 
met  with  success,  but  was  not  long  lived.  A  school  of  the  year  1822 
was  taught  by  Madame  Despard  on  Broad  street ;  she  gave  more  atten- 
tion to  French,  music  and  deportment  than  to  English  branches.  Rev. 
William  Woodbridge,  a  veteran  teacher,  conducted  a  young  ladies' 
school  in  1824  and  later,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  John  and  Catherine 
streets,  which  was  patronized  by  many  of  the  best  families  of  the  place. 
Charles  C.  Everts,  aided  by  his  wife  and  three  assistants,  opened  a  school 


350  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

on  Whitesboro  street  in  1826,  which  was  successfully  conducted  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  the  York  House,  nearly  opposite,  Rev.  Samuel  Whit- 
tlesee  and  wife  established  a  boarding  school  in  1828.  In  1833  their 
school  was  situated  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  and  Pearl  streets,  while 
Samuel  McLauren  succeeded  them  in  the  York  House. 

While  many  of  these  schools  for  girls  were  in  a  high  degree  credit- 
able, the  people  of  Utica  eventually  felt  that  an  institution  was  needed 
which  would  give  to  their  daughters  as  good  educational  facilities  as 
was  enjoyed  by  their  sons  in  the  academy.  Public  interest  was  aroused 
on  the  subject,  a  stock  company  was  formed  and  the  Utica  Female 
Academy  was  chartered  April  28,  1837,  with  a  board  of  trustees  com- 
prising twenty-one  leading  citizens.  In  the  same  year  four  lots  lying 
between  Washington  street  and  Broadway  with  the  buildings  thereon 
were  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $6,300.  The  school  was  first  opened  in 
what  was  known  as  the  United  States  Hotel,  corner  Genesee  and  Pearl 
streets.  In  December,  1838,  the  number  of  students  was  168  and  dur- 
ing that  and  the  following  years  a  three-story  brick  academy  building, 
50  by  100  feet  in  size,  was  erected.  The  first  principal  was  Miss  Urania 
E.  Sheldon;  she  was  succeeded  August,  1842,  by  Rev.  James  Nichols 
and  wife,  who  were  followed  in  June,  1844,  by  Miss  Jane  E.  Kelley, 
who  continued  until  1865.  The  academy  building  was  burned  March 
27,  1865,  and  the  present  handsome  structure  was  erected  on  the  site 
in  1869-90  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  In  1871  Mrs.  E.  S.  Hammill  leased 
the  building  and  conducted  the  school  until  the  summer  of  1875,  when 
she  was  succeeded  by  the  present  principal,  Mrs  J.  C.  Piatt.  As  "  Mrs. 
Piatt  School  "  the  institution  has  an  extended  reputation  for  thorough 
and  careful  training  of  pupils. 

Returning  to  the  history  of  the  public  schools,  it  is  found  that  in  1843 
they  were  in  a  deplorable  condition  ;  the  city  owned  only  three  indiffer- 
ent school  buildings  and  hired  three  or  four,  in  all  of  which  about  i,lOO 
children  sought  instruction.  The  Board  of  Commissioners  of  that  year, 
consisting  of  Rudolph  Snyder,  Hiram  Denio,  Spencer  Kellogg,  Robert 
T.  Hallock,  Francis  Kernan,  and  James  Watson  Williams,  immediately 
inaugurated  a  thorough  reorganization  ;  they  greatly  improved  the  old 
school  buildings,  soon  began  the  erection  of  new  and  better  ones,  and 
adopted  a  graded  system,  extending  upward  from  the  primary  depart- 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  351 

ment  through  tlie  ward  schools  and  the  advanced  school  to  the  academy. 
In  1850  Daniel  S.  Heffron,  a  man  well  fitted  for  the  position,  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  schools.  From  the  meagre  accommodations 
in  existence  at  that  time  the  school  facilities  increased  before  1868  (the 
date  of  the  first  published  report  of  the  commissioners)  to  twelve  school 
houses  of  various  grades,  besides  the  academy.  The  list  embraced  the 
following:  the  Advanced  school  building,  corner  Elizabeth  and  Char- 
lotte streets,  completed  in  1847  o"  ^  ^^^  donated  by  John  R.  Bleecker  ; 
this  building  has  been  considerably  enlarged  and  improved  ;  the  Hamil- 
ton street  and  Steuben  street  schools,  built  in  1851  ;  the  Blandina  street 
and  Aikin  street  schools,  begun  in  1852  ;  the  Catherine  street  school, 
built  in  1855;  the  Whitesboro  street  school,  erected  in  1853;  the  Al- 
bany street  and  Lansing  street  schools,  built  in  1858  ;  the  Court  street 
school,  built  in  i860,  and  the  South  street  and  Francis  street  schools,  in 
1867.  These  were  all  good  brick  buildings,  two  stories  in  height,  and 
similar  in  design.  The  Albany  Street  school  was  burned  in  1893  and 
rebuilt  in  1896. 

On  the  morning  of  May  13,  1865,  the  Utica  Academy  and  its  con- 
tents were  destroyed  by  fire  ;  the  school  was  temporarily  continued  in 
the  Court  House.  The  commissioners  took  immediate  steps  toward  re- 
building and  enlarging  the  grounds  and  obtained  possession  of  a  lot 
corner  Academy  and  Bleecker  streets.  There  in  the  autumn  of  1867 
was  completed  the  present  handsome  and  commodious  structure. 

On  the  13th  of  July,  1867,  Mr.  Heffron  resigned  his  position  as  sup- 
erintendent of  schools,  after  a  period  of  seventeen  years  of  faithful  ser- 
vice, and  was  succeeded  by  Andrew  McMillan.  The  latter  was  a  man 
whose  natural  and  acquired  qualifications  made  him  pre  eminent  for 
the  position,  and  under  his  watciiful  care  and  unremitting  labor  the 
schools  of  Utica  rapidly  advanced  to  their  present  high  standing.  His 
annual  reports  published  since  1868  are  at  the  service  of  all  interested 
persons  and  are  model  works  of  their  kind. 

In  May,  1869,  St.  Patrick's  Parochial  school,  occupying  a  brick  build- 
ing on  Columbia  street,  was  organized  as  one  of  the  city  public  schools. 
In  1870  the  commissioners  purchased  the  Welsh  Congregational  church 
and  remodeled  it  for  school  purposes,  and  in  1870  and  '71  the  large 
brick  school  building,  corner  of  Miller  and    Leah  streets,    was   erected. 


352  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Union  Street  school  was  erected  in  1874.  The  Court  Street  school 
house  was  enlarged  in  1878  to  double  its  former  capacity  and  otherwise 
improved.  The  following  year  the  Lansing  Street  school  house  was 
similarly  enlarged  and  improved.  In  1880  a  new  and  commodious 
school  building  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  James  and  Kemble  streets. 
To  accommodate  the  increasing  population  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
city  a  school  site  extending  from  Blandina  street  to  Mary  street,  near 
Jefferson  avenue,  was  purchased  in  1879.  Thereon  was  erected  in  1881 
one  of  the  finest  brick  school  structures  in  Central  New  York.  In  1888 
tho  old  landmark  known  as  the  Washington  Street  school  was  sold  and 
the  proceeds  devoted  to  building  the  spacious  brick  and  stone  structure 
on  Whitesboro  street,  known  as  school  No.  18.  Faxton  Hall,  in  which 
Faxton  school  is  located,  was  built  in  1868.  Mary  street  school  was 
erected  in  1882-83;  school  No.  19  in  1892;  school  No.  20  in  1893; 
and  school  No.  21  in  1896. 

Prof  Andrew  McMillan  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  school  year  1892 
and  George  Griffith,  Ph.  D.,  the  present  efficient  superintendent,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  position.  The  present  (1896)  Board  of  School  Commis- 
sioners consists  of  Horatio  S.  Moore,  chairman  ;  John  E.  Carberry, 
John  B.  Jones,  John  E.  Brandegee,  John  C.  Schreiber,  and  John  H. 
Siemers.  George  C.  Sawyer,  A.  B.,  is  principal  of  the  academy  and 
Herbert  J.  Pease  is  principal  of  the  Advanced  school.  About  190 
teachers  are  employed  in  all  the  schools  of  the  city. 

Libraries. — The  first  public  library  in  the  village  was  incorporated 
March  5,  1825,  undor  the  title  of  the  Utica  Library,  and  was  opened  in 
the  following  July  with  1. 100  books.  It  was  owned  by  shareholders  and 
controlled  by  a  board  of  twelve  trustees.  There  were  400  shares,  of 
three  dollars  each.  The  librarian  was  Justus  Rathbone,  who  attended 
for  the  drawing  of  books  once  in  each  week.  Within  a  few  years  the 
number  of  volumes  increased  to  2,500,  and  the  library  was  removed  from 
Mr.  Rathbone's  office  on  Broad  street  to  the  Mechanics'  Association 
Building.      No  record  of  this  library  exists  after  1837, 

When  in  the  year  1838  $55,000  of  the  income  of  the  U.  S.  Deposit 
Fund  was  directed  to  be  distributed  to  the  school  districts  of  this  State 
for  the  purchase  of  library  books,  Utica  received  her  share,  and  a  free 
library  was  established.    By  legislative  act  of  1842  this  library  was  placed 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  353 

under  the  control  of  the  school  commissioners.  Their  first  report  showed 
1,700  volumes  on  hand.  The  library  was  located  over  the  Central  N.Y. 
Bank  on  Franklin  Square,  and  Francis  Grosvenor  was  the  first  librarian 
and  continued  to  act  until  1851.  In  1865  the  library  had  4,000  vol- 
umes; in  1868,  5,000;  in  1873,  about  6,000.  In  1856  the  library  was 
removed  with  the  Superintendent's  office  to  the  City  Hall  building 
where  it  remained  until  the  completion  of  the  present  library  building  in 
1878.  This  building  stands  on  Elizabeth  street,  and  is  admirably 
adapted  to  its  purposes.  By  a  bequest  by  Theodore  S.  Faxton  made  in 
1 88 1  the  library  came  into  possession  of  $2,500  for  the  purchase  of 
additional  books.  In  1885  the  librarian's  report  showed  that  there  were 
on  the  shelves  a  little  over  10,000  volumes  In  the  present  year  (1896) 
this  number  has  increased  to  over  21,500. 

The  Press  of  Utica. — The  first  newspaper  printed  west  of  Albany  in 
this  State  or  in  Oneida  county  was  the  Whitestown  Gazette,  which  be- 
gan July  II,  1793,  in  New  Hartford  The  publication  was  suspended 
in  the  following  winter  but  was  resumed  in  May,  1796,  William  McLean 
being  its  printer  and  shortly  afterward  its  proprietor.  In  July,  1798, 
he  moved  his  office  to  Utica  and  changed  the  title  of  the  paper  to  the 
Whitestown  Gazette  &  Cato's  Patrol,  The  second  paper  in  the  county 
was  the  Western  Centinel,  first  issued  in  January,  1794,  in  Whitesboro ; 
it  was  discontinued  a  few  years  later.  In  February,  1804,  M''-  McLean 
sold  his  paper  to  John  H.  Lothrop,  who  changed  its  name  to  the  Patriot, 
and  one  year  later  to  the  Utica  Patriot,  which  title  it  retained  until 
1 8 16.  William  H.  Maynard  succeeded  Mr.  Lothrop  as  editor  and  pro- 
prietor in  181 1.  On  January  i,  1815,  Seward  &  Williams  began  the 
publication  at  Utica  of  the  Patrol,  which  was  united  with  the  Patriot 
January  2,  18 16,  under  the  name  of  the  Utica  Patriot  and  Patrol.  It 
was  issued  semi- weekly  for  about  a  year,  and  then  weekly  until  1821. 
The  prospectus  gives  the  proprietors  as  Asahel  Seward,  William  H. 
Maynard,  and  William  Williams.  The  Utica  Sentinel  appeared  in  place 
of  the  Patriot  and  Patrol  on  March  31,  182  i.  This  change  in  the  name 
was  brought  about  through  an  alteration  in  the  politics  of  the  editor 
who  abandoned  the  Clintonian  party.  The  Sentinel  announced  that  it 
was  "  printed  by  Ira  Merrill  for  William  Williams  editor  and  proprie- 
tor." The  establishment  was  sold  to  Samuel  D.  Dakin  and  William  G. 
45 


354  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Bacon  and  by  them  united  with  the  Columbian  Gazette,  May  6,  1825, 
under  the  title  of  the  Utica  Sentinel  &  Gazette.  In  1828  S.  D.  Dakin 
became  sole  editor  and  owner,  and  in  1829  sold  out  to  his  printers, 
Northway  &  Porter.  The  paper  was  published  semi- weekly  until  Jan- 
uary, 1829.  In  1 83 1  Rufus  Northway  became  sole  proprietor  and  The- 
odore S.  Gold  succeeded  Mr.  Dakin  as  editor,  continuing  until  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  daily  paper  in  1842.  The  Columbian  Gazette,  which 
was  united  with  the  Sentinel,  was  first  issued  in  Rome,  August  17,  1799, 
by  Thomas  Walker  and  Ebenezer  Eton,  under  the  title  of  the  Colum- 
bian Patriotic  Gazette.  It  was  removed  to  Utica  March  21,  1803.  In 
January,  1830,  the  American  Citizen  was  united  with  the  Sentinel  and 
Gazette.  On  August  7,  1832,  the  Utica  Intelligencer,  started  Febru- 
ary 2,  1826,  by  William  Tracy,  also  joined  the  Sentinel  and  Gazette. 
E.  S.  Ely  and  Joseph  H.  Buckingham  were  at  different  times  editors  of 
this  paper.  The  American  Citizen,  just  mentioned,  first  appeared  June 
8,  1830,  with  George  S.  Wilson,  editor  and  proprietor.  The  Elucidator, 
Organ  of  the  Anti-Masonic  party,  was  started  August  7,  1829,  by  Be- 
riah  B.  Hotchkin,  who  edited  the  paper  until  January  i,  1833,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Samuel  P.  Lyman.  William  Williams  became  pro- 
prietor of  the  paper  January  i,  1830.  It  was  consolidated  with  the  Sen- 
tinel and  Gazette  May  20,  1834,  under  the  name  of  the  Oneida  Whig, 
"  R.  Northway,  printer  and  publisher."  The  Whig  was  published  by 
Mr.  Northway  and  his  associates  until  October  12,  1853,  when  it  was 
sold  to  Lyon  &  Arthur,  J.  M.  Lyon,  editor,  and  the  name  changed  to  the 
Weekly  Gazette.  On  July  25,  1856,  it  was  transferred  to  N.  D.  Jewell, 
C.  J.  Radford,  editor,  and  called  the  Weekly  Gazette  and  Courier,  con- 
tinuing thus  to  January,  29,  1867,  when  its  subscription  list  passed  into 
possession  of  Ellis  H.  Roberts,  purchaser  of  the  Utica  Daily  Gazette, 
with  which  it  had  been  associated  since  1842. 

The  Utica  Daily  Gazette  was  the  first  daily  paper  published  in  Utica, 
excepting  the  Morning  News,  which  lived  about  three  months  in  1842 
under  management  of  Lyon  &  Arthur.  The  Daily  Gazette  was  started 
by  Rufus  Northway,  proprietor  of  the  Oneida  Whig,  P'ebruary  4,  1842. 
Richard  U.  Shearman  was  editor  the  first  year  and  was  succeeded  by 
Ezekiel  Bacon  for  about  two  months.  Alexander  Seward  became  editor 
and  joint  proprietor  May  i,  1843,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  R.  North- 


E.   PRENTISS  BAILEY. 


I 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  355' 

way  &  Co.  it  was  published  until  the  fall  of  1853.  Dr.  H.  C.  Potter, 
who  was  associate  editor  from  November  i,  1847,  ^"^  sole  editor  from 
May  I,  to  September  23,  1850.  became  part  proprietor  with  Northway 
&  Seward  on  the  latter  date.  The  establishment  was  sold  to  Lyon  & 
Arthur  October  12,  1853,  and  J.  M.  Lyon  became  editor.  N.  D.  Jewell 
bought  them  out  July  25,  1856,  and  continued  the  publication  with  C.J. 
Radford,  editor,  until  January  29,  1857,  when  the  name  and  good  will 
was  purchased  by  Ellis  H.  Roberts  and  united  with  the  Morning  Herald. 

Meanwhile  in  November,  1847,  the  publication  of  the  Oneida  Morn- 
ing Herald  had  been  begun  by  Robert  W.  Roberts,  Richard  U.  Shear- 
man and  Edwin  R.  Colston.  The  last  named  withdrew  in  1848  and  Mr. 
Shearman  in  185  i,  when  Ellis  H.  Roberts  became  editor  and  proprietor, 
a  position  which  he  capably  filled  until  1872.  In  that  year  he  associ- 
ated with  himself  his  nephew,  H.  L,  Roberts,  and  S.  N.  D.  North,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Ellis  H.  Roberts  &  Co.  Mr.  North  withdrew  from  the 
firm  in  1885.  Financial  difficulties  accumulating  through  a  series  of 
years  culminated  in  1890,  in  the  appointment  of  a  receiver  for  the  pub- 
lishers of  the  Herald,  Mr.  Roberts,  then  assistant  U.  S.  treasurer  of  New 
York,  being  agreed  upon  for  that  position.  The  affairs  of  the  old  firm 
were  soon  adjusted  and  in  October,  1890,  the  plant  was  sold  to  the  Utica 
Herald  Publishing  Co.,  which  was  organized  with  Joseph  R.  Swan,  pres- 
ident ;  Titus  Sheard,  of  Little  Falls,  vice-president,  and  Fred  H.  Wienke, 
secretary.  The  latter  was  made  business  manager,  and  John  H.  Cun- 
ningham, editor.  Throughout  all  its  changes  and  embarrassments  the 
Herald  has  retained  its  distinction  as  one  of  the  leading  Republican  or- 
gans of  this  State  and  has  given  entire  satisfaction  to  its  large  Central 
New  York  constituency. 

The  first  number  of  the  Utica  Observer,  long  one  of  the  strongest 
and  most  popular  Democratic  daily  journals  in  the  State,  was  first 
issued  by  Eliasaph  Dorchester  January  27,  18 17.  Within  two  years 
thereafter  the  paper  was  transferred  to  Rome  and  its  name  changed  to 
the  Oneida  Observer  ;  but  it  soon  returned  to  Utica  and  resumed  its 
former  title.  The  burning  of  the  Observer  files  renders  it  impossible 
to  give  a  detailed  history  of  the  early  life  of  the  paper.  Between  1820 
and  i860  such  men  as  Augustine  G.  Dauby,  C.  C.  Griffiths,  E.  A. 
Maynard,  John  P.  Bush,  John   F.  Kittle,  Arthur  M.  Beardsley,    Joseph 


356  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

M.  Lyon  and  Dewitt  C.  Grove  were  successfully  connected  with  its 
management.  Mr.  Grove  was  sole  owner  of  the  Observer  from  1853 
to  1867,  was  mayor  of  Utica  at  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Rebellion  and  was  a  prominent  factor  in  city  affairs.  He  came  to  the 
Observer  through  its  consolidation  with  the  Utica  Democrat  in  1852. 
The  Democrat  was  started  by  John  G.  Floyd  in  1836  and  was  success- 
fully edited  and  published  by  Edward  Morrin,  Jarvis  M.  Hatch,  Ben- 
jamin Welch,  jr.,  Welch  &  Grove  and  Dewitt  C.  Grove.  The  new  firm 
of  Lyon  &  Grove  came  to  an  early  end  in  1853,  Mr.  Lyon  retiring,  and 
John  B.  Miller  was  employed  as  editor  for  several  years.  Mr,  Grove 
then  became  editor  and  so  remained  until  1883,  his  connection  with  the 
paper  covering  a  period  of  thirty  years.  During  all  that  period  saving 
a  part  of  the  first  year,  E.  Prentiss  Bailey  was  associated  with  him  edi- 
torially and  became  his  business  partner  in  1867.  Several  years  later  • 
the  firm  of  Grove  &  Bailey  was  succeeded  by  a  corporation  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $84,000.  The  ownership  remained  the  same  except 
that  Theodore  P.  Cook  was  admitted  as  stockholder  and  trustee.  So  it 
remained  until  ill  health  compelled  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Grove,  whose 
shares  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Bailey  and  the  corporation  title  changed 
to  E.  P.  Bailey  &  Co.;  at  the  same  time  Thomas  E.  Clarke  was  ad- 
mitte  as  part  owner.  The  entire  Observer  plant,  with  about  $  1,000,- 
000  worth  of  surrounding  property,  was  destroyed  by  fire  March  2, 
1884.  The  loss  to  the  corporation  was  a  heavy  one,  but  it  resulted  in 
their  building  on  Franklin  street  their  present  handsome  and  commo- 
dious structure,  which  contains  a  modern  newspaper  plant,  perfect  in 
all  its  features  and  equipped  to  produce  the  large  edition  which  goes 
daily  out  to  the  Observer's  constituents. 

The  first  number  of  the  Utica  Daily  Press  was  issued  March  13,  1872, 
by  a  combination  of  practical  printers,  who  had  joined  in  a  strike  in  the 
Herald  office.  It  was  first  published  in  a  job  printing  office  on  Colum- 
bia street,  but  a  few  days  later  removed  to  an  office  of  its  own  on 
Seneca  street.  In  the  following  May  another  removal  was  made  to  No. 
7  Broad  street,  whence  it  went  into  its  new  building,  No.  7  Main  street, 
in  November,  1891.  After  various  changes  in  the  stockholders  a  new 
company  was  organized  in  February,  1883,  including  some  of  the  lead- 
ing and  professional  men  of  the  city.     In  February,  1885,  a  majority  of 


wS^ 


uy': 


msi. 


/ 


GtOKGt  H.   UUiNHAM. 


A.  M.   DICKINSON. 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  357 

the  stock  passed  to  Otto  A.  Meyer  and  George  E  Dunham,  the  latter 
being  made  president  and  the  former  secretary  and  treasurer.  At  this 
time  F.  A.  Eastman,  who  had  edited  the  paper  about  two  years,  re- 
signed, and  Mr.  Dunham,  who  had  previously  acted  as  city  editor,  took 
the  chair.  Mr.  Meyer  continued  as  business  manager,  a  position  which 
he  had  already  held  about  two  years,  and  F.  W.  Bensberg  became 
a  stockholder  and  took  charge  of  the  mechanical  department.  The 
Press  is  independent  in  politics,  enterprising  in  the  quest  of  news, 
is  ably  edited  throughout  and  has  from  the  first  enjoyed  an  excep- 
tionally large  circulation.  Its  new  building  is  a  model  of  its  kind  and  is 
equipped  with  a  first-class  modern  newspaper  plant. 

The  Sunday  Tribune  was  founded  in  May,  1877,  by  Dennis  T.  Kelly 
and  T.  F.  Baker.  It  was  the  first  Sunday  publication  in  the  city  and 
was  successful  from  the  start.  The  present  proprietor,  H.  E.  Deven- 
dorf,  became  interested  in  the  fall  of  1877  ^"^  sole  owner  in  1883. 
Early  in  1878  the  office  was  removed  to  the  corner  of  Broad  and  John 
streets,  where  the  facilities  of  the  establishment  were  soon  outgrown. 
Later  it  was  moved  to  its  present  quarters  in  Broad  street. 

The  Utica  Saturday  Globe  was  founded  May  21,  1881,  by  William 
T.  and  Thomas  F.  Baker.  Tlie  circulation  grew  so  rapidly  that  en- 
larged quarters  were  obtained  three  times  before  its  permanent  home  in 
Whitesboro  street  was  built  iu  1886  Two  enlargements  were  neces- 
sary here,  the  first  in  1887,  and  the  second  in  1892,  each  doubling  the 
former  capacity.  Since  the  completion  of  the  last  the  Globe  doubtless 
occupies  more  room  than  that  devoted  exclusively  to  the  publication  of 
any  newspaper  in  the  State.  It  is  probably  the  best  and  most  complete 
newspaper  plant  in  the  State  outside  of  New  York  city,  among  its 
equipment  being  a  new  multi-colored  press,  set  up  in  1896,  The  cir- 
culation during  1891  averaged  165,354  copies  and  on  occasions  has 
risen  to  269,175  and  268,536.  A.  M.  Dickinson  is  managing  editor; 
associate  editors,  Timothy  H.  Sweeney,  Hugh  P.  McCabe.  Fred  G. 
Reusswig,   Byron  B.  Merrill,  and  five  assistants. 

The  Utica  Daily  Union  was  first  issued  October  12,  1895,  ^y  an  as- 
sociation of  fifteen  persons,  thirteen  of  whom  were  printers  from  other 
papers.  The  corporation  was  known  as  the  Union  Publishing  Company 
of  Utica,  Andrew   Keiner  being  president,  Enoch  M.  Chase,  secretary. 


358  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  E.  L.  Mainwaring,  treasurer  and  general  manager.  It  was  the  first 
one- cent  paper  started  in  Utica. 

The  Utica  Sunday  Journal  was  started  October  14,  1894,  by  the 
Journal  Publishing  Company,  consisting  of  John  A.  Neyenhouse,  John 
M.  Dolan,  and  Thomas  D.  Cahill. 

Measures  were  adopted  in  1853  to  establish  a  paper  in  Utica  for  the 
German  element.  Charles  Bierbauer,  Frank  Sang,  John  Hahn,  J.  W. 
Wasmer,  A.  Brendle,  Joseph  Leutheuser,  Joseph  Faass,  Paul  Keiser, 
Fred  Koelbel  and  others  formed  a  stock  company  and  started  a  paper 
called  the  Central  New  York  Demokrat.  The  first  printers  were  two 
men  from  New  York  city,  named  Timm  and  Brand,  and  Dr.  Soden  was 
the  first  editor.  The  paper  was  issued  twice  each  week  and  after  about 
two  years  passed  to  possession  of  Paul  Keiser,  who  changed  its  name 
to  the  Oneida  Demokrat.  J.  C.  Schreiber  became  the  editor  under 
Paul  Reiser's  management  in  i860,  the  paper  then  being  a  weekly. 
In  1865  Mr.  Schreiber  bought  the  establishment  and  made  the  paper 
again  a  semi  weekly.  He  changed  the  name  to  its  present  title.  The 
Utica  Deutsche  Zeitung  and  Oneida  Demokrat  and  later  issued  it  three 
times  a  week.  On  April  i,  1891,  the  establishment  passed  into  the 
control  of  a  stock  company  of  which  Mr.  Schreiber  was  president  and 
John  C.  Fulmer  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  paper  has  been  ably  con- 
ducted and  widely  read  by  the  Germans 

The  Utica  Volksblatt  was  started  by  the  present  editor  and  proprie- 
tor, Henry  Kruempel,  on  September  6,  1887.  It  is  issued  weekly,  and 
is  the  only  German  Republican  newspaper  in  Oneida  county. 

Y  Drych  (The  Mirror),  the  only  Welsh  weekly  newspaper  in  the 
United  States  (1896),  is  published  in  Utica,  by  Thomas  J.  Griffiths,  at 
131  Genesee  street.  The  paper  was  started  in  New  York  city  in  1851 
by  J.  M.  Jones,  who  conducted  it  until  1854,  when  he  sold  it  to  a  com- 
pany, and  the  late  John  W.  Jones  was  employed  as  its  editor.  After  a 
time  the  editor  became  the  proprietor.  He  moved  the  paper  to  Utica 
about  i860,  and  this  city  has  since  been  its  home.  The  late  J.  Mather 
Jones  purchased  it  not  long  after  its  removal,  and  John  W.  Jones  re- 
tained the  position  as  editor  and  T.  B  Morris  was  associated  with  him. 
The  journal  gained  popularity  rapidly,  and  was  widely  circulated  among 
the  Welsh  people.      In  1869  J.  Mather   Jones  and    John  W.  Jones  went 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  359 

to  Arvonia,  Kansas,  to  establish  a  Welsh  settlement  there,  and  J.  C. 
Roberts  came  on  from  New  York  in  March  of  that  year  to  manage  the 
paper,  which  position  he  has  since  retained  Mr.  Morris  remained  to 
assist  him  for  a  while,  but  soon  went  to  Scranton,  Pa.,  to  edit  the  Baner 
America.  John  W.  Jones  made  a  short  stay  in  Kansas,  and  returning 
continued  his  connection  with  the  paper.  He  was  often  absent  for  ex- 
tended periods.  He  made  several  trips  to  the  old  country,  though  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  October,  1884.  he  was  em- 
ployed on  the  paper  and  wrote  for  it.  He  was  a  prominent  man  among 
the  Welsh.  With  them  he  was  very  popular  and  by  them  he  was  much 
respected.  J.  Mather  Jones  remained  in  Kansas  from  1869  to  1872, 
and  continued  to  own  Y  Drych  till  his  death,  in  December,  1874,  when 
the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  T.  J.  Griffiths,  who  is  now  its  enter- 
prising and  successful  proprietor.  Joseph  W.  Nichols  was  associated 
with  Mr.  Roberts  for  about  eight  months  in  1870;  then  G.  H.  Hum- 
phrey for  some  years  from  1885  ;  and  now  (1896)  Benjamin  F.  Lewis, 
late  of  the  Utica  Herald. 

In  1877  Mr.  Griffiths  bought  the  Baner  America,  which  had  been 
running  nine  years  and  had  a  circulation  of  about  2,000.  In  1890  he 
bought-  Y  Warg  (The  Press)  which  had  been  published  in  Pittsburg 
since  1871  ;  and  in  1894  the  Columbia  (started  in  Chicago,  1888).  was 
merged  in  Y  Drych,  which  is  now  alone  in  the  field  with  a  circulation 
of  about  12,000  It  aims  to  be  a  family  paper.  It  has  all  the  Welsh 
news  carefully  edited  and  condensed.  Contributions  are  frequently 
sent  in  and  the  best  are  published.  Editorial  comment  on  current 
events  is  provided,  and  in  short,  it  is  made  just  such  a  paper  as  pleases 
all  who  can  read  Welsh  Y  Drych  has  the  largest  circulation  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  other  States  follow  in  this  order  :  Ohio,  Wisconsin,  New 
York,  Vermont,  Kansas,  Illinois,  and  so  on  through  the  list,  for  there  is 
no  State  nor  Territory  that  is  without  at  least  a  few  copies  of  Y  Drych. 
It  goes  wherever  there  are  any  Welshmen. 

Y  Cyfaill  (The  Friend),  a  Calvanistic  monthly  magazine,  founded  in 
1857,  has  been  published  by  J.  C.  Griffiths  from  the  office  of  Y  Drych 
since  i860.      It  is  printed  in  Welsh. 

Y.  Wawr,  a  Baptist  monthly  magazine,  was  established  in  January, 
1876,  by  Rev.  Owen  Griffiths,  the  present  editor. 


360  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Cambrian,  a  monthly  magazine  published  in  English  in  the  in- 
terests of  Welsh  Americans,  was  started  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1880, 
and  moved  to  Utica  in  December,  1886.  This  and  Y  Wawr  are  printed 
by  J.  C.  Griffiths. 

The  Utica  Advocate,  weekly,  was  started  by  Horton  &  Deane  in  1894 
and  is  now  published  by  Bantham,  Folkes  &  Co. 

Besides  the  foregoing  there  are  or  have  been  several  publications  in 
Utica  with  special  purposes.  The  Church  Eclectic,  a  monthly  maga- 
zine of  church  literature,  was  formed  March  i,  1873,  by  Rev.  W.  T. 
Gibson,  D.D.,  then  rector  of  St.  George's  Church. 

A  monthly  paper  called  the  Christian  Worker  is  issued  by  the  Women's 
Christian  Association,  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of  charities  of  the 
city. 

The  Gospel  Messenger,  organ  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  Western 
New  York,  was  founded  in  1827  in  Auburn  by  Dr.  John  Churchill 
Rudd.  About  the  year  1846  Dr.  Rudd  removed  with  his  paper  to 
Utica,  where  he  died  April  15,  1848.  Bishop  De  Lancey  succeeded 
to  the  ownership  and  turned  it  over  to  Rev.  Dr.  William  A.  Matson  as 
editor  and  proprietor  who  continued  down  to  i860.  Rev.  William  T. 
Gibson,  D.D.,  then  assumed  the  same  position,  which  he  continued 
until  January,  1872.  The  new  diocese  of  Central  New  York  having 
been  set  off  in  1868,  the  Gospel  Messenger  was  removed  in  January, 
1872,  to  Syracuse,  was  merged  with  the  Church  Journal  in  November 
of  that  year,  which  a  few  years  later  was  in  turn  merged  in  the  present 
Churchman. 

The  American  Journal  of  Insanity  was  founded  in  what  is  now  the 
Utica  State  Hospital  in  1844  ^^^  ^i^s  been  continued  under  the  offices 
of  the  various  superintendents  until  the  present  time. 

The  Evening  Telegraph  was  founded  as  an  independent  daily  paper 
May  I,  185  I,  by  T.  R.  McQuade  &  Co.,  the  company  being  James  Mc- 
Iver,  who  was  editor.  He  was  succeeded  in  1856  by  James  McQuade, 
who  acted  until  1861  and  was  followed  by  Henry  W.  Chase.  In  the 
fall  of  1863  the  paper  v/as  purchased  by  F.  A.  Crandall,  who  soon  sold 
out  to  D.  C.  Ritchie.     The  publication  ceased  its  existence  in  1865. 

Other  publications,  which  had  a  brief  existence  were,  the  Christian 
Magazine,    18 14-15,  published  by    Congregational    and     Presbyterian 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  3G1 

ministers;  The  Christian  Repository.  1822-28,  a  monthly  printed  by 
Wilh'am  Williams;  The  Western  Recorder,  1823-28,  published  by  Mer- 
rell  &  Hastings  ;  The  Baptist  Register,  a  weekly  started  by  Rev.  E.  F. 
Willey  and  Elon  Galusha  and  removed  in  1855  to  New  York  city  ;  The 
Utica  Evangelical  Magazine,  later  called  the  Magazine  and  Advocate, 
edited  by  Adolphas  Skinner  in  behalf  of  Universalism,  1827—31  ;  The 
Western  Sunday  School  Visitant,  1826-28;  The  Friend  of  Man  ;  The 
Teetotaler;  The  Mechanics'  Press ;  The  Uticanian ;  The  Mothers' 
Magazine,  1833;  The  Club,  by  Henry  Goodfellow,  1814-15;  The 
Woman's  Era,  started  by  Charles  M.  Curry  and  M.  Stanislaus  Murphy 
in  May,  1895,  and  published  by  them  until  April,  1896;  and  the 
Parish  Record,  issued  by  Trinity  Church. 

Banking  and  Mannfactuirs. — It  is  an  acknowledged  fact  that  the  city 
of  Utica  of  to-day  rests  upon  a  financial  foundation  more  stable  and 
sound  than  those  of  the  majority  of  the  large  communities  of  the  coun- 
try. This  position  has  not  been  reached,  however,  without  bitter  lessons 
of  experience,  struggles  to  avert  disaster,  and  periods  of  monetary 
stringency  that  threatened  to  overwhelm  the  business  of  the  place 
From  the  consequences  of  the  well  known  financial  "  panics,"  as  they 
are  called,  which  have  afflicted  the  country,  Utica  has  suffered  more 
than  many  of  her  sister  cities.  There  are  good  reasons  for  this,  and 
they  lie  chiefly  in  the  facts  that  apart  from  her  location  in  the  midst  of 
a  rich  agricultural  region,  she  possesses  no  natural  sources  of  wealth, 
and  that  she  has  no  large  water  power,  from  which  in  early  years  might 
have  been  cheaply  developed  a  large  manufacturing  industry.  1 

The  beginning  of  banking  operations  in  Utica  dates  from  the  arrival 
of  Montgomery  Hunt  in  1809,  who  was  sent  hither  by  the  Manhattan 
Bank  of  New  York  to  organize  a  branch  of  that  institution.  This  he 
did  and  began  business  in  a  small  building  standing  back  from  the  west 
line  of  Hotel  street,  a  little  south  of  Whitesboro.  In  July,  1809.  the  lot 
on  the  corner  of  those  streets  was  purchased  and  a  brick  bank  building 
erected.  Mr.  Hunt's  only  associate  was  Henry  B.  Gibson,  who  acted 
as  teller  and  bookkeeper.  The  institution  existed  until  18 18  and  appears 
to  have  been  prosperous. 

'  Until  after  about  1845  there  were  almost  no  manufacturing  operations  in  Utica,  while  Whites- 
town,  New  Hartford,  Clinton,  Paris,  Oriskany,  and  Waterville  were  the  sites  of  flourishing  estah- 
lishments. 

46 


362  OTJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lu  February,  i8i  i,  a  call  was  published  for  those  interested  in  a  bank 
in  Utica  to  meet  at  the  hotel.  This  step  resulted  in  the  incorporation 
of  a  Bank  of  Utica, ^  June  i,  1812,  which  began  business  on  the  8th  of 
the  following  December,  on  the  west  side  of  Genesee  street;  in  1813  it 
was  removed  to  the  brick  building  on  Whitesboro  street,  next  east  of 
the  hotel,  and  there  remained  until  February,  1854,  when  it  was  removed 
to  its  present  location.  The  capital  stock  was  placed  at  $1,000,000,  but 
in  reality  it  did  not  exceed  $600,000  and  on  the  renewal  of  its  charter 
in  1832  it  was  fixed  at  the  latter  sum.  Since  the  expiration  of  the  sec- 
ond charter  in  1850  the  business  has  been  carried  on  by  an  association 
under  the  State  law.  The  presidents  of  this  bank  have  been  James  S. 
Kip,  a  part  of  one  year;  Henry  Huntington,  until  1845;  Thomas 
Walker,  until  June,  1863;  Benjamin  N  Huntington,  until  1876;  when 
Publius  V.  Rogers,  then  cashier,  was  chosen  president.  On  his  death 
in  July,  1895,  Charles  B.  Rogers  succeeded  to  the  office.  On  the  first 
of  September,  1865,  this  bank  was  organized  under  the  national  system, 
becoming  the  First  National  Bank  of  Utica. 

The  Oneida  National  Bank  was  incorporated  May  13,  1836,  and  be- 
gan business  in  November  of  the  same  year  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$400,000.  Augustine  G.  Dauby  was  the  first  president  and  Kellogg 
Hurlburt  the  first  cashier.  The  stock  of  the  bank  was  in  great  demand 
and  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  about  $1,000,000  were  soon  made. 
On  Sunday  night,  November  20,  1836,  preceding  the  morning  proposed 
for  opening  business  the  bank  was  robbed  of  $108,000  in  cash  and 
$8,500  in  drafts.  The  theft  was  perpetrated  in  the  early  morning  after 
the  watchman  had  gone  home.  The  two  thieves  went  to  Canada  where 
they  purchased  farms  and  other  property.  They  were  subsequently 
arrested  ;  one  of  them  was  convicted  and  about  $50,000  in  property  was 
recovered.  Though  this  loss  was  a  severe  one,  the  bank  made  a  redis 
tribution  of  stock  and  soon  became  financially  strong.  On  the  1st  of 
July,  1865,  it  went  under  the  national  system,  becoming  the  Oneida 
National   Bank.     Succeeding   Mr.    Dauby,  who  held  the  office  of  presi- 

'  Timothy  O.  Grannis  came  to  Utica  and  about  1832  entered  the  Bank  of  Utica  as  clerk,  after- 
wards rising  to  the  position  of  teller.  In  18:38  the  Bank  of  Central  New  York  was  organized  and 
Mr.  Grannis  acted  as  teller  and  later  as  cashier.  July  1,  1862,  the  T.  O.  Grannis  &  Co.  Bank  was 
opened  to  btisiness,  at  first  under  a  State  charter  and  later  as  a  private  institution.  Mr.  Grannis 
was  a  worthy  and  enterprising  citizen,  was  long  connected  with  Trinity  church  and  later  with 
Grace  church  and  was  alderman  in  1849.    He  died  May  19,  1883. 


L  V  LV 1 1 


THE  CITY  OF  UTIOA.  363 

dent  only  about  three  months,  Alfred  Munson  was  chosen  in  December, 
1836,  and  continued  until  his  death,  May  6,  1854.  Charles  A.  Mann 
succeeded,  continuing  to  his  death,  January  20,  i860.  In  June  of  that 
year  James  Sayre  was  chosen  ;  he  died  April  24,  1877,  ^^^  '^^  the  6th 
of  July  following  A.  J.  Williams  was  elected,  and  held  the  office  until 
his  death  in  August,  1888.  In  November  of  that  year  R.  S.  Williams 
was  elected  and  still  holds  the  position  The  handsome  bank  building 
owned  by  the  institution  was  erected  in  1886-87. 

The  legislative  act  incorporating  the  Utica  City  Bank  bears  date 
April  8,  1838,  but  the  organization  was  not  effected  until  September  i, 

1848.  The  original  capital  was  $125,000,  which  was  increased  May  11, 

1849,  by  $75,000,  and  in  January,  1888,  was  raised  to  $400,000;  the 
bank  began  business  at  37  Genesee  street.  In  1862  property  on  the 
corner  of  Genesee  and  Catherine  streets  was  purchased  and  the  next 
year  a  suitable  building  was  erected.  This  was  burned  in  the  destructive 
fire  of  March  2,  1884.  Temporary  quarters  were  then  occupied  until 
May,  1885,  when  it  removed  to  its  present  building.  In  May,  1865,  the 
bank  was  reorganized  under  the  national  system.  Hiram  Denio  was  its 
first  president  and  was  succeeded,  September  5,  1859,  by  Jared  E. 
Warner;  he  resigned  January  10,  1878,  and  was  succeeded  by  Isaac 
Maynard,  who  died  February  23,  1885.  February  7  of  that  year 
Charles  S.  Symonds,  the  present  incumbent,  was  elected. 

The  Oneida  County  Bank'  was  organized  in  1853  with  a  capital  of 
$125,000,  which  has  always  remained  the  same,  and  began  business  in 
its  present  quarters.  The  first  president  was  Ira  B.  Cary,  who  died  in 
1855,  and  was  succeeded  by  Judge  Charles  H.  Doolittle,  who  served 
u  til  his  death  in  1874.  In  June  of  that  year  Francis  Kernan  was 
elected  and  held  the  office  until  August  2,  1887,  when  John  Milton 
Butler  was  chosen.  Mr.  Butler  came  to  Utica  to  enter  this  bank  in 
1853  and  was  made  its  cashier  in  1855.  The  institution  has  always 
maintained  its  credit  and  has  passed  through  the  various  financial  panics 
almost  unscathed. 

'  Stephen  Sicard,  born  in  New  Yoi-k  in  1835,  was  reared  in  Utica  and  from  1854  to  1865  was 
in  the  Oneida  Bank  as  clerk  and  later  as  teller.  In  the  latter  year  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  H.  H.  Htird  &  Co.,  wholesale  grain  dealers,  in  which  he  continued  to  his  death,  November 
5,  1890.  He  was  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Female  Academy,  at  one  time  was  cap- 
tain of  the  Citizens  Corps,  and  for  many  years  was  director  of  the  Oneida  Bank. 


364  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Second  National  Banki  was  incorporated  December  lO,  1863,  and 
began  business  at  75  Genesee  street  in  February,  1864.  The  first 
officers  were  William  J.  Bacon,  president;  Theodore  S.  Faxton,  vice- 
president  ;  William  D.  Hamlin,  cashier.  A  few  months  later  Mr.  Fax- 
ton  was  chosen  president  and  held  the  office  until  his  death  in  1881  ;  he 
was  succeeded  by  Edward  S.  Brayton,  who  continued  until  his  death 
in  1887.  William  M.  White  was  then  elected  to  the  office  and  held  it 
until  his  death  in  January,  1896,  when  Thomas  R.  Proctor  was  chosen. 
J.  R.  Swan  is  vice  president  and  D.  A.  Avery,  cashier.  The  original 
capital  stock  was  $300,000  and  has  always  remained  the  same. 

In  1 82 1  the  Legislature  granted  a  charter  for  "A  Bank  for  Savings  in 
the  City  of  Utica."  No  further  action  was  taken  until  1839,  when,  on 
the  26th  of  July,  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  Savings  Bank  of  Utica. 
The  institution  was  promptly  organized  and  began  business  on  May  18 
of  that  year  in  the  office  of  Nicholas  Devereux.  The  charter  limited 
the  deposits  to  $500,000  and  each  depositor  $2,000.  John  C.  Devereux 
was  elected  president,  Thomas  Walker,  vice-president,  and  Stalham 
Williams,  secretary.  At  the  second  meeting  May  8,  1839,  a  code  of 
by-laws  was  adopted,  and  Mr.  Williams  was  appointed  treasurer  of  tlie 
bank,  an  office  which  he  held  thirty- four  years,  until  his  death  in  1873 
at  the  age  of  ninety- nine  and  one-half  years.  In  1842  an  act  was 
passed  authorizing  the  bank  to  loan  $5,000  on  personal  security  instead 
of  $3,000  and  another  act  of  i860  extended  the  limit  of  deposits  to 
$1,000,000.  This  amount  was  increased  in  1864  to  $2,000,000 ;  in 
1869  to  $3,000,000,  and  in  1871  to  $5,000,000.  The  Central  City 
Savings  Institution  was  incorporated  June  20,  185  i,  and  failed  in  1873. 
The  National  Savings  Bank  of  Utica  incorporated  March  22,  1865,  was 
merged  later  with  a  branch  of  the  People's  Safe  Deposit  and  Savings 
Institution  of  the  State  of  New  York,  incorporated  May  14,  1868. 
This  institution  became  bankrupt  early  in  1872.  The  failure  of  the  two 
institutions  caused  some  distrust  among  the  depositors  of  the  Savings 
Bank  of  Utica,  which  culminated  in  a  run  on  the  bank  in  the  latter  part 

'  George  R.  Thomas,  son  of  Daniel  Thomas  of  Utica,  was  born  January  8,  1822.  After  being 
employed  in  several  banks,  the  longest  in  the  Rome  Bank,  where  he  was  teller  and  cashier  until 
the  expiration  of  its  charter,  he  settled  in  Utica  in  1864,  and  with  E.  S.  Brayton  and  others  organ- 
ized the  Second  National  Bank  and  was  cashier  until  his  death,  July  25,  1887.  Through  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him  he  lilled  many  positions  of  financial  trust. 


< 


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^^  ^>C9 


I 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  365 

of  December  of  that  year;  this  run  continued  for  about  twenty  days  and 
during  a  portion  of  the  time  was  heavy,  but  when  it  ended  the  institu- 
tion had  on  hand  in  its  vault  about  $500,000  in  currency.  Since  that 
time  the  poHcy  of  this  bank  has  been  to  exclude  the  deposit  of  moneys 
held  for  business  and  commercial  purposes.  In  1851  the  store  on  the 
east  side  of  Genesee  street,  near  the  corner  of  Bleecker,  was  taken  by  the 
bank  and  used  until  1869,  when  it  was  sold  and  the  lot  corner  Genesee 
and  Fayette  streets  was  purchased  and  the  handsome  bank  building, 
since  occupied,  was  erected  thereon.  The  presidents  of  the  bank  have 
been  John  C.  Devereux,  Thomas  Walker,  Hiram  Denio,  Edmund  A. 
Wetmore,  Hon.  William  J.  Bacon,  Ephraim  Chamberlain,  and  since  the 
latter's  death  in  September,  1895,  William  Blaikie.  Rufus  P.  Birdseye 
has  been  treasurer  and  secretar}'  of  the  board  of  trustees  since  Decem- 
ber, 1894,  succeeding  Addison  C.  Miller. 

A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.(Asaph  D.  Mather  and  Joshua  Mather)  established 
a  private  banking  house  in  Utica  in  March,  1866;  the  business  was 
continued  until  the  death  of  A.  D.  Mather  in  April  8,  1880,  when  the 
firm  was  constituted  of  Joshua  and  Charles  W.  Mather.  The  business 
continued  as  a  private  bank  to  1890,  when  it  was  organized  as  a  State 
bank  with  a  capital  of  $200,000.  Joshua  Mather  was  made  president, 
Charles  W.  Mather,  vice-president,  Eduard  Bushinger,  cashier.  At  the 
present  time  Charles  W.  Mather  is  president,  William  C.  Marsh,  vice- 
president,  and  Eduard  Bushinger,  cashier. 

The  Commercial  Travelers'  Mutual  Accident  Association  of  America, 
with  headquarters  in  Utica,  was  incorporated  March  19,  1883,  the 
founder  being  Edward  Trevvett,  who  drafted  its  constitution  and  by- 
laws, and  who  has  served  as  the  secretary  and  treasurer  since  July,  1883. 
Henry  D.  Pixley  has  been  its  only  president.  This  is  the  largest  acci- 
dent association  in  the  world  of  a  distinct  class  of  men,  all  its  members 
being  or  having  been  bona  fide  commercial  travelers. 

The  Homestead  Aid  Association  of  Utica  was  founded  by  the  late 
Edward  Curran  in  February,  1884,  and  represents  assets  aggregating 
more  than  half  a  million  dollars.  Mr.  Curran  was  its  president  until  his 
death  in  June,  1894.  In  January,  1895,  George  D.  Dimon,  then  vice- 
president,  was  elected  president,  and  he  was  succeeded  in  January, 
1896,  by  Hon.  Watson  T.  Dunmore.  The  association  has  an  invested 
capital  of  nearly  $700,000. 


366  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

MANUFACTURES. 

Utica  during  much  of  its  history  has  been  noted  for  its  manufactures. 
Its  situation  near  the  head  of  Mohawk  navigation  and  its  consequent 
convenience  as  a  place  for  the  receipt  and  distribution  of  goods  from 
the  east,  and  the  return  of  the  products  of  agriculture  from  a  rich  and 
wide  reach  of  country  gave  it  a  start  as  a  fit  place  for  commerce.  And 
in  commerce  its  people  were  largely  employed.  But  the  lack  of  water 
power  suitable  for  the  driving  of  factories  and  mills,  at  a  period  when 
such  power  was  wholly  relied  on,  forbade  that  its  industry  and  its  cap- 
ital should  be  directed  to  manufacturing.  There  were  of  course  the 
usual  complement  of  shoe  shops,  tin  shops,  chair,  cabinet  and  wagon 
makers.  There  were  tanners,  iron  founders,  and  nail  makers.  To 
wider  and  more  aspiring  methods  of  gain,  and  pending  the  period  of  the 
more  developed  uses  of  steam,  Utica  was  by  its  site  wholly  denied. 
Among  its  business  men  there  has  never  been  a  lack  of  enterprise,  but 
its  manifestations  were  seen  in  the  conduct  of  each  one's  private  affairs. 
As  wealth  increased  other  fields  were  sought  wherein  to  invest  the  sur- 
plus products  of  industry;  and  with  thought  and  hands  busy  at  home, 
capitalists  have  added  to  their  store  while  helping  to  build  up  towns  at 
a  distance  in  which  they  had  small  cause  for  personal  concern.  Nearer 
home  they  shared  in  the  stock  of  some  of  the  mills  of  the  Sauquoit,  and 
when  in  1810  a  factory  was  projected  at  Oriskany.  over  one-third  ofits 
subscribers,  representing  one-fifth  of  the  capital,  were  dwellers  in  Utica, 
the  bulk  of  the  capital  having  been  obtained  at  the  east. 

Space  can  be  spared  here  for  only  a  brief  record  of  the  founding  of 
some  of  the  important  manufacturing  industries  of  the  village  and  city 
as  follows  : 

The  Oneida  Glass  Company,  incorporated  in  February,  1809,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,000.  The  works  were  located  at  Vernon,  but  the  cap- 
ital was  mostly  from  Utica.  The  factory  was  operated  with  moderate 
success  until  1836,  when  the  company  closed  its  affairs. 

In  1820  Seth  Peckham  of  Troy  began  the  manufacture  of  plows  and 
other  implements  on  Catherine  street.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  the 
later  large  stove  foundry  of  J.   S.   &   M.    Peckham, ^   now  conducted  by 

'  John  S.  Peckham,  born  in  Rensselaer  county  October  3,  1803,  lived  in  Utica  from  his  youth. 
In  1828  he  succeeded  to  the  plow  factory  of  his  uncle,  Seth  Peckham.    In  1835  he,  with  his  half- 


HD.VIUND  MUNSON, 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  367 

Edwin  and  Frank  Peckham  and  W.  C.  Walker.  Another  foundry  was 
started  in  1822  by  Ephraim  Hart  which  was  the  parent  of  the  large 
establishment  now  under  the  management  of  H.  Gilbert  Hart,  grandson 
of  Ephraim,  and  Clarence  B.  CrouseJ 

A  grist  mill  was  started,  using  the  current  of  the  Mohawk  River,  in 
1823  ;  the  second  grist  mill,  known  as  the  City  Mill,  to  be  supplemented 
with  power  from  the  waste  water  from  the  canal,  was  built  not  long 
afterward  by  Rutger  B.  Miller. 

What  is  known  as  the  Central  New  York  Pottery,  Charles  N.  White, 
manager,  is  descended  from  two  industries  in  that  line,  one  founded  by 
Justin  Campbell,  in  1826,  and  the  other  by  Brayton,  Kellogg  &  DooHttle 
in  the  following  year.  The  latter  was  soon  after  leased  by  Noah  White, 
who  subsequently  purchased  it  From  him  it  passed  to  his  son,  Nich- 
olas A.  White,  and  thence  to  the  latter's  son,  Charles  N.  White. 

The  present  large  establishment  of  Munson  Bros.,  foundry,  machine 
shops  and  manufacturers  of  mill  machiner}^  had  its  origin  in  1823,  when 
Alfred  Munson  began  the  manufacture  of  buhr  mill  stones  on  the  corner 
of  Hotel  and  Liberty  streets.  In  1830  Martin  Hart  became  a  partner 
in  the  business  and  several  years  later  this  firm  dissolved  and  a  new  one 
was  foimed  by  Alexander  B.  Hart  and  Edmund  Munson.  This  firm 
was  succeeded  by  Munson  Bros,  in  1868.- 

The  Vulcan  W^orks,  now  the  Utica  Steam  Engine  and  Boiler  Works, 
was  erected  in  1832  by  Philo  C.  Curtis,  father  of  Philo  S.  About  three 
years  later  the  business  passed  out  of  his  hands,  but  came  back  to  him 
in  1 861.      One  year  later  Philo  S.  Curtis  bought  out  his  father. 

brother,  Merritt,  formed  the  firm  of  J.  S.  &  M.  Peckham,  which  continued  a  successful  business 
until  his  death,  May  2,  1879.  He  was  a  Whig  and  a  Republican  in  politics,  possessed  an  active 
public  spirit  and  labored  in  many  ways  for  the  advancement  of  the  city.  The  Utica  Mechanics 
Association,  the  Art  Association  and  other  institutions  were  largely  indebted  to  him  for  such 
prosperity  as  they  enjoyed. 

'  Henry  R.  Hart,  son  of  Ephraim  and  a  partner  with  him  in  the  iron  foundry,  was  well  known 
for  his  activity  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  public  institutions,  his  generosity  and  genial  person- 
ality. He  was  captain  of  the  Citizens  Corps  and  active  in  the  Mechanics  Association  and  in  the 
Fire  Department.     He  died  in  1868,  aged  fifty-seven  years. 

-  Edmund  Munson,  born  in  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  May  2,  180.5,  learned  the  milling  business 
with  his  father,  and  in  1829  built  a  flouring  mill  with  four  pairs  of  French  Buhr  stones  made  by 
himself.  In  1835  he  settled  in  Utica  and  was  employed  by  his  uncle,  Alfred  Munson,  as  superin- 
tendent of  his  business.  In  1847,  with  Alexander  C.  Hart,  he  formed  the  firm  of  Hart  &  Munson, 
mill  furnishers,  which  continued  until  18H9,  when  it  was  exchanged  for  one  with  three  sons,  con- 
tinuing until  his  death,  March  14,  1872.  Mr.  Munson  secured  several  valuable  patents  for  devices 
in  connection  with  his  buijj'ness.    A  sketch  ot  him  appears  on  a  subsequent  page  of  this  volume. 


368  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  first  planing  mill  in  Utica  was  started  by  Philo  C.  Curtis,  which 
soon  passed  to  Cbauncey  Palmer  and  Lewis  Lawrence.  In  1834  they 
began  making  sash,  doors  and  blinds  by  steam  power.  These  articles 
had  already  been  produced  by  Truman  B  Dixon,  using  horse  power. 
The  business  of  Palmer  &  Lawrence  passed  to  Downer  &  Kellogg  and 
later  to  Mr.  Kellogg  alone,  the  present  firm  being  Charles  C.  Kellogg 
&  Sons  Co  Other  lumber  working  establishments  were  those  of  Met- 
calf  &  Dering,  started  in  1861,  and  of  Edward  F.  Downer  &  Son. 

The  manufacture  of  oil  cloth'  has  long  been  carried  on  in  Utica,  hav- 
ing been  started  in  1832  by  J.  D.  Edwards;  it  soon  passed  to  Dr. 
Theodore  Pomeroy  and  Thomas  R.  Walker  and  later  to  Theodore  and 
George  D    Pomeroy,  son  and  grandson  of  the  original  proprietor. 

The  manufacture  of  ready  made  clothing  in  Utica  began  about  1836 
by  James  B.  Martin  and  was  continued  later  by  the  brothers  Yates, 
whose  sister  Martin  married  This  industry  has  since  been  represented 
by  such  establishments  as  that  of  William  Taylor  &  Co.,  successors  to 
the  Yates  business;  Rockwell,  Rhodes  &  Miller,  successors  to  the  busi- 
ness of  Henry  J.  Wood  ;  Roberts,  Butler  &  Co.,  successors  to  the  busi- 
ness started  by  Charles  A.  Yates  ;  Owen,  Pixley  &  Co  ,  succeeding  P.  V. 
Kellogg  &  Co.  ;  the  firm  of  Owen,  Pixley  &  Co  ,  dissolved  in  1885  and 
in  its  place  were  organized  the  firms  of  H.  D.  Pixley  &  Son  and  Owen 
Bros.,  both  extensive  manufacturers.  Other  large  establishments  were 
H.  H.  Cooper  &  Co..  Crouse  &  Brandegee,  Utica  Clothing  Co. 

The  decade  between  1840  and  1850  saw  an  awakening  of  the  indus- 
trial spirit  in  Utica.  A  company  to  operate  the  Utica  Steam  Woolen 
Mills  was  organized  February  27,  1846;  the  property  passed  to  A.  T. 
Stewart  of  New  York  city  under  judgment  sale  in  1869.  After  a  long 
and  successful  existence  the  business  was  closed  up  in  December,  1877. 

What  is  now  the  Globe  Woolen  Mills  originated  as  the  Utica  Globe 
Mills,  in  1847  After  various  vicissitudes  this  great  establishment 
passed  under  the  management  of  Robert  Middleton  in  1857  and  an  era 
of  prosperity  began.     The  capital,  which  was  $70,000  at  first,   was  in- 

1  William  B.  Jackson,  a  native  of  Westport,  Conn.,  began  business  life  in  New  York  city  and 
in  1852,  on  account  of  ill  health  settled  in  Forestport,  where  he  carried  on  a  lumber  business.  In 
18(54  he  removed  to  Utica,  and  for  about  ten  years  was  a  partner  with  Theodore  Pomeroy  in  the 
manufacture  of  oil  cloths.  He  was  a  director  in  the  Second  National  Bank,  trustee  of  St.  Luke's 
and  Faxton  Hospitals  and  a  warden  in  Grace  church.     He  died  December  28,  1890. 


X'^^^^^^^^^^^.:*;^ 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  369 

creased  in  1868  from  its  earnings  to  $300,000.  In  1886  a  large  worsted 
mile  was  added  to  the  plant.  In  the  height  of  its  prosperity  this  mill 
has  employed  about  looo  operatives,  and  has  manufactured  the  finest 
cloths  made  in  this  country. 

The  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills  were  established  in  February,  1848, 
under  an  agreement  dated  January  11,  1847,  made  by  the  following 
persons  as  trustees :  Theodore  S.  Faxton,  Silas  D.  Childs,  Alfred  Mun- 
son,  Charles  A.  Mann,  Edmund  A.  Graham,  Andrew  S.  Pond  and 
Horatio  Seymour.  The  first  mill  was  erected  in  1848  and  in  1850  be- 
gan the  manufacture  of  wide  cotton  goods.'  The  lower  mill  was  erected 
and  put  in  operation  in  1870  and  the  No.  3  Mill,  which  is  connected 
with  No.  I,  in  1880-81.  Extensive  additions  and  improvements  were 
made  in  1890-91. 

The  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills,  established  in  1880  for  the  manu- 
facture of  sheetings  different  in  texture  from  those  made  by  the  fore- 
going mills,  are  under  the  same  executive  management  as  the  Utica 
Steam  Cotton  Mills.     The  capital  stock  is  $500,000. 

The  Skenandoa  Cotton  Company  was  organized  in  1882  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $200,000,  which  was  afterwards  increased  to  $300,000  and 
later  to  $600,000.  The  plant  is  a  large  one,  having  a  spindlage  of 
about  55,000,  and  about  500  operatives  are  employed  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  hosiery  yarns. 

Other  manufacturing  industries-  in  the  city  worthy  of  mention,  but  which 
can  only  be  alluded  to  in  the  briefest   manner,  are   the  following:    The 

'  William  Wolcott  settled  in  Utica  about  1840,  coining  from  Whitesboro,  where  he  located  in 
1811  when  seventeen  years  old.  He  early  displayed  unusual  business  talent  and  was  a  long  time 
general  agent  and  superintendent  of  the  factory  of  the  Oneida  Manufacturing  Society.  He  was 
associated  in  business  with  Benjamin  S.  Wolcott,  his  brother,  in  the  New  York  Mills,  and  after 
coming  to  Utica  superintended  the  building  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  one  of  the  best  of  its 
kind  in  the  country.  He  was  thirty  years  a  director  of  the  Bank  of  Utica,  was  a  director  of  the 
Savings  Bank,  a  director  of  the  aforementioned  mills,  and  a  member  and  elder  in  the  Reformed 
church.    He  died  November  8,  18.59. 

*  John  G.  Marklove,  an  English  organ  builder,  came  to  New  York  city  in  1850  and  thence  to 
Utica.  He  thoroughly  understood  his  trade  and  successfully  carried  on  a  manufactory  of  excel- 
lent organs.    He  was  drowned  at  Scarboro,  Me.,  August  21,  1891. 

Edward  D.  Buckingham,  born  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  February  22,  1818,  learned  the  trade  of 
cabinetmaking,  at  which  he  worked  in  various  places  and  finally  in  Waterville  in  this  county. 
There  he  established  a  piano  factory  and  made  instruments  which  gained  an  excellent  reputation. 
Failing  in  the  financial  crisis  of  18.57,  he  removed  to  Utica,  bought  the  stock  of  William  H.  Dutton 
and  was  long  a  head  of  a  successful  music  and  art  store.  He  was  a  public  spirited  citizen  and 
influential  in  promoting  the  general  welfare  of  the  city.  He  died  suddenly  in  May,  1891. 
47 


370  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Pheonix  Iron  works  of  Cyrus  F.  Palmer,  started  in  1852  by  his  father, 
Chauncey  Palmer.  The  extensive  foundry,  stove  and  furnace  manufac- 
tory, founded  by  Joel  C.  Bailey  ^  about  1842  and  now  carried  on  by 
Russel  Wheeler  &  Son.  The  Carton  Furnace  Company,  manufacturers 
of  hot  air  furnaces,  invented  by  John  Carton,^  who  began  their  manu- 
facture in  1847.  The  locomotive  head  light  factory  of  I.  A.  Williams 
&  Company,  founded  in  1851  by  Irvin  A.  Williams,  patentee  of  the 
head  light  made  by  the  firm.  The  Utica  Steam  Gauge  Company, 
founded  by  E.  A.  Wood  in  1861.  The  Utica  Pipe  Foundry  Company, 
organized  in  1889  under  the  presidency  of  Charles  Millar  for  the  manu- 
facture of  cast  iron  pipes,  etc.  Mr.  Millar  is  also  at  the  head  of  a 
manufactory  of  lead  pipes.  The  Utica  Knitting  Company,  reorganized 
in  December,  1891,  to  operate  the  works  started  in  1863  by  S.  S.  &  J. 
L.  Lowery.  This  company  manufactures  exclusively  childrens'  knit 
underwear.  Another  manufactory  similar  in  character  to  the  above  is 
that  of  Wild  &  Devereux,  which  firm  was  formed  in  1874  and  took  the 
business  formerly  started  by  Charles  Stewart  and  John  Wild.  The  firm 
erected  a  new  mill  in  1880.  The  scotch  cap  factories  of  the  Mohawk 
Valley  Cap  Factory  Company  (a  business  which  was  begun  at  New 
Hartford  in  1868),  the  Empire  Scotch  Cap  Factory,  organized  in  1887 
by  Bayliss  and  C.  F.  Crandall,  and  the  A.  V.  Lynch  Scotch  Cap  Fac 
tory,  which  began  operations  in  1885.  The  Utica  Burial  Case  Com- 
pany, incorporated  in  April,  1890,  with  a  capital  of  $90,000.  Besides 
these  the  manufacture  of  ladies'  and  misses'  shoes  is  carried  on  quite 
extensively  in  Utica,  and  there  is  also  a  very  extensive  brewing  inter- 
est, with  various  other  industries  of  a  minor  character. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  mayors  of  the  city  of  Utica  from  its  incor- 
poration : 

'Joel  C.  Bailey,  son  of  an  early  settler  of  Whitestown,  located  in  Utica  in  1842  and  purchased 
the  Eagle  Furnace  on  Columbia  street.  There  alone  and  with  his  son-in-law,  Russel  Wheeler,  he 
manufactured  stoves  until  his  retirement  in  1856.  After  the  early  failure  of  the  Globe  Woolen 
Mill,  Mr.  Bailey  purchased  it  and  became  president  of  the  company;  he  was  also  interested  in  the 
steam  woolen  and  the  steam  cotton  mills.  He  was  long  a  deacon  and  influential  in  the  Bleecker 
street  Baptist  church,  and  died  February  2-3,  1882. 

2  John  Carton,  a  native  of  Dublin  settled  in  Utica  when  twelve  years  old  and  learned  the  cop- 
persmith's trade.  He  became  a  partner  with  O'Neil  &  Martin,  continuing  such  till  184.5.  He  was 
afterwards  in  business  alone  and  was  very  successful.  He  was  a  director  in  the  Oneida  Bank, 
a  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  and  of  the  Female  Academy  and  was  otherwise  honored  in  various 
w^ays  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


a^^r^L-^i^ 


ci^<^ 


THE  CITY  OF  UTICA.  371 

1833,  Henry  Seymour;  1834-5,  Joseph  Kirkland  ;  1836,  John  Ostrom ;  1837,  Theo- 
dore S.  Gold;  1838,  Charles  P.  Kirkland;  1839-40,  John  C.  Devereux;  1841,  Spencer 
Kellogg;  1842,  Horatio  Seymour;  1843,  Frederick  Hollister;'  1844,  Ward  Hunt; 
1845-46,  E.  A.  Wetmore ;  1847,  James  Watson  Williams;  1848,  Joshua  A.  Spencer, 
1849-50,  Thomas  R.  Walker;  1851-52,  John  E.  Hinman;  1858  Charles  H.  DooHttle ; 
1854,  John  E.  Hinman;  1855,  Henry  H.  Fish;  1856-57,  Alrick  Hubbell;  1858-59, 
Roscoe  Conkling ;  1860,  Calvin  Hall ;  1861-62,  Dewitt  C.  Grove ;  1863,  Charles  S.  Wil- 
son;  ^  1864,  Theodore  S.  Faxton ;  1865,  John  Butterfield ;  1866,  James  McQuade; 
1867,  Charles  S.  Wilson ;  .1868,  J.  Thomas  Spriggs;  1869-70,  Ephraim  Chamberlain; 
1871,  Miles  C.  Cumstock ;  1872,  Theodore  F.  Butterfield;  1873,  Charles  K.  Grannis; 
1874,  Theodore  F.  Sayre;  1875,  Charles  W.  Hutchinson;  1876,  Charles  E.  Barnard; 
1877,  David  H.  Gaffin  ;  1878,  James  Benton;  1879,  John  Buckley;  1880,  J.  Thomas 
Spriggs;  1881,  James  Miller;  1882,  Francis  M.  Burdick ;  1883,  Charles  A.  Doolittle; 
1884,  James  S.  Sherman;  1885-87,  Thomas  E.  Kinney;  1888,  Henry  Martin;  1889, 
Samuel  J.  Barrows;  1890-91, :^  Alexander  T.  Goodwin;  1891-93,  Thomas  Wheeler; 
1894-96,  John  C.  Gibson. 

'  A  man  who  had  a  somewhat  remarkable  career  between  1830  and  1850  was  Frederick  Hollis- 
ter. From  position  of  clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  John  Williams  he  became  his  partner  and  later 
his  successor.  An  active  business  ambition  took  Mr.  HoUister  outside  of  legitimate  trade,  and 
in  1840  he  bought  the  mill  of  Isaac  Mason  at  Checkerville;  there  he  suffered  loss  by  fire  of  about 
$40,000,  but  rebuilt  with  improvements.  In  1842  he  bought  property  at  Clayville  and  built  the 
Empire  Mill;  at  these  two  points  he  expended  nearly  $.500,000.  His  expectations  were  not  realized, 
and  in  18.51  he  failed  with  liabilities  of  about  $1,800,000,  causing  loss  and  distress  tomany  indorsers 
and  persons  of  small  means,  who  had  intrusted  him  with  their  savings.  He  was  alderman  in 
1838,  mayor  in  184.3,  and  originator  of  the  Bridgewater  plank  road,  the  first  that  led  out  of  the  city. 
After  his  failure  he  removed  to  New  York  and  died  there  December  18,  186.3. 

2  Charles  S.  Wilson,  born  in  Scotland  in  1809,  came  to  New  York  in  1830  and  soon  after  to  Utica. 
From  1832-1848  he  was  teller  of  the  Bank  of  Utica  and  afterwards  with  others  organized  the  Utica 
City  Bank,  becoming  its  cashier.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  was  alderman  three  years,  and  in 
18.59  was  nominated  for  mayor.  He  failed  of  election,  but  when  Roscoe  Conkling  not  long  after- 
ward resigned  that  office  to  enter  Congress,  Mr.  Wilson  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy  by  the 
council.    In  1863  and  again  in  1867  he  was  elected  mayor.     He  died  July  30, 1884. 

■*  In  1890  the  mayor's  term  of  office  was  extended  to  two  years. 


372  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  ANNSVILLE. 

This  town  is  one  of  the  northern  tier  of  Oneida  county  and  Hes  a 
httle  west  of  the  center.  Its  territory  includes  a  large  part  of  numbers 
I,  2,  3,  and  8  of  the  township  divisions  of  Scriba's  patent,  as  seen  on 
the  map  in  Chapter  X.  Scriba's  sale  of  75,000  acres  to  Franklin  & 
Robinson  included  a  part  of  the  territory  of  this  town.  A  part  of  the 
eastern  and  the  southern  boundaries  of  the  town  are  formed  by  the 
respective  branches  of  Fish  Creek  ;  the  east  branch,  after  leaving  the 
boundary,  flows  across  the  southeast  part,  while  the  area  is  well  drained 
otherwise  by  Furnace  Creek,  Miller's  Creek,  Fall  Brook  and  Glenmore 
Brook.  These  streams  are  rapid,  were  formerly  filled  with  fish,  and 
supplied  water  power  for  the  early  mills.  Fall  Brook  takes  its  name 
from  the  falls  where  it  empties  into  Fish  Creek,  the  upper  one  of  wliich 
is  fourteen  feet  high,  the  middle  one  fourteen,  and  the  lower  one  sixty 
feet.  The  volume  of  water  is  now  small  excepting  in  times  of  flood. 
The  town  contains  36,316  acres,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  the 
wife  of  John  W.  Bloomfield,  its  first  settler.  What  have  been  called 
"the  meadows"  in  this  town  were  formerly  occupied  by  a  part  of  the 
Oneida  nation.  About  the  time  of  the  old  French  war  a  party  of 
Canadian  Indians  located  at  the  Fish  Creek  forks,  where  the  fishing  was 
excellent,  but  they  were  driven  out  by  the  Oneidas.  The  surface  of 
Annsville  is  broken  by  ridges  and  rolling  swells  running  east  and  west 
and  gradually  rising  towards  the  north.  The  soil  is  clayey  in  the  south 
part  and  sandy,  gravelly  and  stony  in  the  north. 

Although  not  organized  as  a  town  until  comparatively  recent  date, 
the  territory  of  Annsville  was  settled  early.  In  April,  1793,  John 
Bloomfield  (of  whom  the  reader  of  earlier  chapters  has  already  learned 
something)  came  from  Burlington,  N.  J.,  and  settled  on  the  site  of  Taberg, 
making  his  first  improvement  on  the  place  afterwards  occupied  by  Dr. 
Beach.      On  his  way  in    he   stopped  at    Old  Fort  Schuyler  and   went 


THE  TOWN  OF  ANNSVILLE.  373 

thence  on  to  Fort  Stanvvix  (Rome),  arriving  there  on  the  same  day  with 
George  Huntington.  A  httle  later  he  proceeded  to  his  large  purchase 
at  Taberg,  and  soon  built  a  saw  mill  and  a  grist  mill  ;  these  were  of 
great  utility  to  the  early  settlers  in  that  region.  Mr.  Bloomfield  and 
his  heart  strong  wife  found  only  a  boundless  wilderness  to  welcome 
them  around  their  new  Jiome.  Their  only  visitors  for  a  long  time 
were  occasional  Indians,  and  they  were  not  always  the  most  desirable 
callers.  Wiiile  the  Oneidas  had  a  settlement  at  the  forks  of  Fish 
Creek,  according  to  the  "Annals,"  they  frequently  brought  salmon  to 
Mr.  Bloomfield  for  his  table.  Seeing  him  weigh  the  fish  they  soon 
learned  that  they  received  more  money  for  heavy  than  for  light  ones. 
Soon  afterwards,  while  dressing  some  fish,  Mr.  Bloomfield  found  them 
filled  with  small  stones.  Complaint  to  the  chief  put  a  stop  to  such 
practices.  On  another  occasion,  when  Mrs.  Bloomfield  was  alone  in  the 
house,  an  Indian  came  in  and  asked  for  liquor,  which  she  refused.  He 
persisted  in  his  demand,  saying  he  knew  she  had  it  in  the  house.  She 
still  refused  him,  when  he  drew  a  knife  with  which  he  threatened  her 
and  drove  her  into  a  corner,  hoping  to  frighten  her  into  compliance 
with  his  demand.  In  this  he  failed  ;  she  called  to  some  one  to  call  Mr. 
Bloomfield  from  his  work,  and  the  discomfited  savage  turned  and  fled. 
The  Indian  ever  admires  bravery,  and  the  next  day  Mrs.  Bloomfield 
received  from  her  late  visitor  a  fine  saddle  of  venison  as  an  evidence 
of  his  appreciation  of  her  firmness.  The  Indians  were  all  thencefor- 
ward her  friends. 

Wild  animals,  too,  were  numerous,  annoying  and  sometimes  dan- 
gerous, all  through  that  region  in  the  early  years.  Elias  Brewster, 
who  came  from  Connecticut,  settled  in  what  is  now  Annsville  in  1806, 
having  then  lived  in  the  town  of  Western  since  1790.  He  began  clear- 
ing his  land  in  1806  and  in  April,  1807,  located  his  family  on  his  pur- 
chase, where  he  had  built  a  rude  cabin  ;  the  snow  was  five  feet  deep 
at  the  time  of  his  removal.  He  soon  had  a  few  cattle  and  hogs  on  his 
place  and  bears  made  eternal  vigilance  the  price  of  keeping  them  safe. 
The  bears  also  made  havoc  in  his  cornfield,  and  in  the  second  year  of 
his  residence  there  a  large  black  hog  belonging  to  a  neighbor  who  had 
settled  about  a  mile  away,  also  found  its  way  to  the  same  crop.  Mr. 
Brewster's  fences  were  not  pretentious  and   he  often  had  to  drive  away 


374  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  hog.  One  evening  he  thought  he  heard  the  animal  in  his  corn,  and 
he  sent  his  Httle  boy  to  drive  it  away.  The  boy  had  been  on  similar 
errands  before  and  had  no  scruples  about  collecting  ammunition  in  the 
shape  of  stones  for  his  onslaught.  A  volley  or  two  at  the  black  animal 
caused  it  to  retreat,  climbing  the  tree  fence  with  surprising  agility. 
When  the  boy  returned  he  told  his  father  it  was  no  use  trying  to  keep 
the  animal  out  as  it  would  climb  a  fence  like  a  cat.  The  father  sus- 
pected the  facts,  and  when  the  boy  told  him  further  that  when  he 
stoned  the  hog  it  raised  up  on  its  hind  feet  to  fight,  he  knew  that  the 
lad  had  driven  ofif  a  big  bear.  Saying  nothing  he  reconnoitered  the 
place  the  next  morning  and  found  ample  evidence  that  he  was  right. 
Setting  spring  guns  the  following  night,  a  bear  weighing  400  pounds 
was  killed. 

Settlement  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  also  began  early  and  by  1803 
several  families  had  penetrated  that  region.  In  June  of  that  year  four 
brothers,  Benjamin,  Jonathan,  James,  and  Abraham  Morton  came  in 
from  Springfield,  Mass.;  Abraham  arrived  ahead  of  the  others,  driving 
an  ox  team.  He  settled  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent  years  by  O.  F. 
Simmons;  the  other  brothers  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood,  Benja- 
min on  the  farm  subsequently  occupied  by  Jonathan  Stanford  (and  later 
by  Wm.  Houston),  wliose  father  (Jonath;in,  sr.)  married  Benjamin 
Morton's  daughter  and  took  the  farm  when  the  latter  located  in  Taberg. 
The  settlement  of  Jonathan  and  Samuel  Stanford  was  made  in  1805,  two 
years  after  the  Mortons  came. 

Peter  Abbott,  from  Windham,  Vt.,  settled  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  in  1 806.  He  w?s  a  Revolutionary  veteran  and  a  personal  ac- 
quaintance of  Major  Andre.  Two  of  his  sons  served  in  the  war  of  18 12, 
and  Captain  John  F.  Abbott  and  Harvey  Abbott,  well  known  citizens 
of  the  town,  were  also  sons  of  Peter,  the  pioneer. 

Daniel  Miller,  from  Granville,  Mass.,  settled  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  in  1804,  on  the  farm  subsequently  occupied  by  John  Whiffin.  His 
brother,  Eliakim  Miller,  came  to  the  town  in  18 14,  purchased  the  farm 
and  lived  there  until  his  death.  Daniel  lived  for  a  time  in  Lee  and  in 
Taberg,  and  then  removed  to  Ohio.  A  son  of  Eliakim  served  in  the 
war  of  1 81 2. 

Squire  Fairservice  was  another  early  settler,  and  did  not  long  remain  ; 


THE  TOWN  OF  ANNSVILLE.  375 

he  located  on  the  flats  below  the  Jervis  mill.  Being  a  noted  fisherman 
he  enjoyed  life  there  until  the  disappearance  of  the  salmon  from  Fish 
Creek,  when  he  removed  to  Wisconsin.  Adam  P.  Campbell  and  Nich- 
olas Armstrong  came  in  and  settled  on  the  meadow  about  1806.  Dan 
Taft  settled  early  near  the  site  of  the  later  tavern  of  Vincent  Taft,  and 
had  sons  Lyman  and  George,  who  were  well  known  citizens. 

As  these  men  and  their  associates  labored  in  clearing  their  farms, 
others  made  use  of  the  water  power  on  the  streams  by  the  erection  of 
saw  mills  and  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  large  quantities  ;  while 
others  still  established  the  necessary  mercantile  stores  for  the  supply  of 
the  people,  built  grist  mills,  founded  schools,  opened  the  roads,  etc. 
There  were  at  one  time  twenty-one  saw  mills  in  the  town,  twelve  shingle 
mills,  four  lath  mills,  four  turning  shops,  two  stave  mills,  a  wool  carding 
machine,  a  blast  furnace,  two  cupola  furnaces,  and  two  tanneries,  a  large 
part  of  these  industries  being  at  Taberg.  Only  three  saw  mills  now 
remain.  Very  many  of  these,  particularly  of  the  saw  mills,  have  disap- 
peared with  the  clearing  away  of  the  forests.  The  village  of  Taberg 
took  its  name  from  a  town  in  Sweden,  and  is  situated  on  the  east  branch 
of  Fish  Creek,  and  has  good  water  power.  The  Oneida  Iron  and  Glass 
Manufacturing  Company,  originated  in  1809,  began  operations  here  and 
gave  the  place  its  name.  The  first  blast  was  made  in  181 1  and  a  good 
product  was  made.  Hollow  ware  was  afterwards  manufactured  for  a 
time,  but  finally  the  product  was  confined  wholly  to  pig  iron  of  fine 
quality.      The  business  was  finally  closed  up. 

A  grist  mill  was  built  below  the  McConnellsville  station  prior  to  1854 
by  David  Pike  for  a  man  named  Mills,  and  a  small  settlement  gathered 
about  it.  It  long  ago  disappeared.  The  tannery  at  Taberg  was  orig- 
inally built  by  Jotham  Warden,  and  was  burned  several  times  and 
rebuilt,  the  last  time  by  D.  B.  Danforth  ;  it  finally  passed  to  James  A. 
Terrill  &  Co.,  of  Boston  The  last  to  operate  it  was  Spencer  Owen,  and 
it  was  closed  up  in  1893. 

In  1874  Wilson  &  Draper  built  a  planing  mill,  a  grist  mill  and  butter 
tub  factory  at  Taberg.  The  planing  mill  was  last  operated  by  John  F. 
Draper. 

Hiram  Thorne  built  the  first  saw  mill  at  Glenmore,  and  a  custom 
grist  mill  was  afterwards  established,  around    which    gathered    a   small 


376  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

hamlet.  This  mill  and  a  saw  mill  and  cider  mill  has  been  operated  a 
number  of  years  by  Robert  G.  Jones.  Many  Irish  settled  in  that  vicin- 
ity. The  post-office  was  opened  here  between  1850  and  i860,  with 
(probably)  Alfred  Blenis  as  the  first  postmaster.  John  L.  Ward  ran  the 
grist  mill  at  Taberg  last,  succeeding  Robert  Ward,  who  had  it  several 
years.  Thomas  J.  Flanigan  built  a  new  grist  mill  in  1895.  Mr.  Ward 
has  placed  a  planing  mill  in  his  grist  mill. 

One  of  the  first  schools  in  the  town  was  taught  in  a  log  building  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town,  east  of  where  Jonathan  Stanford  lived.  This 
was  in  1812-13,  and  the  teacher's  name  was  Fannie  Hatch.  In  the 
same  winter  Rachel  Hill  taught  a  school  in  Taberg  ;  in  the  following 
winter  the  house  that  had  been  occupied  by  John  W.  Bloomfield,  who 
had  removed  to  Rome,  was  used  for  school  purposes,  Dr.  Ashley  being 
the  teacher.  The  first  frame  school  houses  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  were  built  in  1820,  one  in  the  Miller  and  one  in  the  west  district. 
There  are  now  in  the  town  eighteen  districts  with  school  house  in  each. 

What  is  now  the  Blossvale  post-office,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
was  formerly  located  in  the  edge  of  Vienna  at  what  was  called  Pine 
Corners  and  went  under  that  name.  It  was  removed  to  Taberg  station 
on  the  railroad  and  given  the  name  Blossvale,  from  the  prominent  family 
of  settlers  there  of  that  name.  John  Bloss  was  the  first  postmaster.  A 
little  hamlet  has  grown  up  around  the  station.  F.  and  I.  J,  White  are 
merchants  here  and  the  lattfer  has  built  and  keeps  a  hotel. 

Aside  from  the  sweet  corn  which  is  raised  in  considerable  quantities 
for  the  several  canning  establishments,  the  farmers  of  the  town  are 
turning  their  attention  to  dairying  more  than  in  former  years.  There 
are  now  two  cheese  factories  in  the  northern  part,  one  at  Taberg,  one 
at  Glenmore,  and  factories  for  limburger  cheese  at  Cold  Hill  and  on  the 
State  road. 

The  canning  industry  is  large  and  factories  are  carried  on,  two  at 
Taberg,  one  of  which  is  by  G.  H.  Wilson  and  the  other  just  now  in- 
volved in  the  Fort  Stanwix  bank  failure  ;  one  at  Blossvale  by  F.  &  I.  J. 
White. 

The  hotel  in  Taberg  formerly  owned  by  J.  J.  O'Connor  was  sold 
about  a  year  ago  to  Alexander  McCabe  and  burned  in  April,  1896. 
Peter  A.  Coyle  bought  a  hotel  of  John  Ferguson  fifteen   years  or  more 


THE  TOWN  OF  ANNSVILLE.  377 

ago,  which  burned  a  few  years  later  and  was  rebuilt  and  subsequently 
sold  to  O.  L.  Peck  in  1893  ;  he  died  within  the  present  year  (1896),  and 
the  house  is  conducted  by  his  widow.  Another  hotel,  built  about  two 
years  ago  by  J.  F.  O'Connor,  was  sold  to  Charles  Light,  who  now  con- 
ducts it 

Of  the  merchants  of  Taberg,  John  J.  Dooley  began  trade  in  1884. 
His  store  was  burned,  when  he  built  his  present  one  and  carries  on  an 
extensive  business.  Henry  Silvernail  has  been  in  business  several 
years,  succeeding  W.  J.  Lasher  who  was  in  trade  many  years.  G.  H. 
Wilson  is  in  business,  succeeding  George  Lake;  he  was  preceded 
by  Daniel  Beeknian.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  village  James  H. 
Ferguson  carries  on  business  in  the  store  built  by  him  many  years 
ago.  His  brother  Samuel  was  formerly  a  partner  with  him.  Dr.  O.  S. 
Kenyon,  who  has  been  in  practice  many  years,  has  a  drug  store.  W. 
B.  Graves  is  in  business  in  a  building  that  was  formerly  a  hotel  kept  by 
W.  W.  Barber,  Charles  Coventry,  Patrick  Kelly  and  David  Barry  suc- 
cessively. Mr.  Graves  was  preceded  by  Clarence  Joslyn,  and  he  by  A. 
J.  Brewster. 

A  store  is  kept  at  Glenmore  by  R.  R.  Jones,  and  a  hotel  by  Peter 
Riley. 

The  date  of  the  act  constituting  the  town  of  Annsville  is  April  12, 
1823,  when  the  territory  was  set  off  from  Lee,  Florence,  Camden  and 
Vienna.  The  first  town  meeting  was  held  March  2,  1824,  when  the 
following  officers  were  chosen  : 

Supervisor,  Beujamin  Hyde;  town  clerk,  John  Segar;  assessors,  John  Bloss,  James 
Hart,  Dan  Taft;  collector,  Edminster  Harrison,  jr.  ;  overseers  of  the  poor.  Increase 
Bartlett,  Peter  Abbott,  jr.  ;  commissioners  of  highways,  Daniel  Griswold,  Zachariah 
Tompkins,  John  Paddock;  constables,  E.  Hammond,  jr.,  Eben  S.  Bartholomew,  R. 
R.  Jones;  commissioners  of  schools,  Eliakim  Simons,  Gilbert  H.  Hull,  William 
Clover;  inspectors  of  schools,  Joseph  C.  Bloomfield,  Benjamin  Hyde,  jr..  Marshal  F. 
Fairservice;  poundmasters.  Barker  Cobb,  Asher  Miller. 

This  list  embraces  many  of  the  prominent  settlers  in  the  town  during 
the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century,  which  is  supplemented  by  the 
names  of  many  more  in  the  following  list  of  those  who  have  held  the 
office  of  supervisor,  as  far  as  it  is  accessible,  from  the  town  organization 
to  the  present  time : 

1835-27,  Joel  Northrop;  1829-31.  Israel  S.  Parker;  1832  to  1853,  records  missing; 
48 


378  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1854,  Thomas  B.  Allanson ;  1855-56,  Alfred  Blenis;  1857-62,  Thomas  B.  Allanson ; 
1863,  David  Beekman;  1864,  Benjamin  F.  Secor;  1865,  Thomas  B.  Allanson;  1866, 
George  W.  Brown;  1867-68,  Benjamin  F.  Secor;  1869-70,  David  B.  Danforth;  1871, 
William  G.  Cornwell;  1872,  A.  J.  Brewster;  1873,  Ambrose  Bloss;  1874,  Wm.  H. 
Nelson;  1875,  Wm.  C.  Armstrong;  1876.  George  H.  Wilson;  1877,  Wm.  H.  Nelson; 
1878-79,  Thomas  B.  Allanson;  1880,  James  Dounnend;  1881,  G.  R.  Stedman ;  1883- 
83,  I.  J.  White;  1884,  W.  H.  Nelson;  1885-86-87,  James  H.  Fergerson ;  1888-89, 
William  H.  Nelson;  1890,  G.  R.  Stedman;  1891,  George  W.  White;  1892-93-94-95-96, 
John  J.  Dooley. 

Annsville  has  always  been,  and  always  must  be,  largely  an  agricul- 
tural community  ;  as  such  it  is  now  among  the  best  of  those  similarly 
located  in  the  county.  The  opening  of  the  Midland  Railroad  along  its 
southern  border,  with  the  station  of  Taberg  (Blossvale  post-office)  only 
a  few  miles  from  Taberg  village,  gives  the  farmers  reasonable  access  to 
markets  with  their  surplus  products.  Among  the  leading  farmers  of 
the  town,  past  and  present,  may  be  mentioned  Ambrose  Bloss,  George 
W.  White,  William  C.  and  David  Armstrong,  William  Houston,  Simeon 
Harris,  William  R.  Armstrong,  Patrick  Cooney,  Edward  K.  and  G.  R. 
Stedman,  John  Finn,  Jacob  Sauer,  Horatio  Evans,  Chauncey  White, 
Alvin  Webb,  Patrick  Gubbins  and  Hiram  Hillman. 

The  first  regularly  organized  church  society  in  this  town  was  doubt- 
less the  Baptist,  in  Taberg,  which  was  formed  February  17,  1831,  with 
twenty  members,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Bloss,  pastor.  During  the  next  ten 
years  the  membership  increased,  but  after  that  date  it  declined  and  in 
March,  1846,  the  society  disbanded.  A  reorganization  was  effected 
January  23,  1847,  ^^^  i"  1848  the  membership  was  fifty-six,  with  Rev. 
P.  P.  Brown,  pastor.  The  first  frame  church  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
later  parsonage  and  was  built  soon  after  the  formation  of  the  society. 
The  present  church  was  erected  about  1864. 

Methodist  services  were  held  early  in  the  town,  but  the  organization 
of  the  society  at  Taberg  was  not  effected  until  1838,  when  nine  mem- 
bers joined  for  that  purpose.  A  frame  church,  afterwards  sold  to  the  Cath- 
olics, was  built  in  1839.  The  present  brick  church  was  erected  in 
1875-7  ^t  a  cost  of  $8,000.  Methodist  services  were  held  in  the  school 
house  at  Glenmore  for  twenty  years  before  the  society  at  that  place 
was  organized.  Preaching  was  often  heard  from  the  ministers  settled  at 
Taberg.  A  society  v.as  finally  organized  (1876)  and  a  frame  church 
built  which  was  dedicated  in  February,   1877. 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  379 

The  large  number  of  Irish  who  have  come  into  this  town  in  compar- 
atively late  years,  taking  the  places  of  early  settlers,  led  to  the  holding 
of  Catholic  religious  services,  which  were  conducted  a  number  of  years 
in  a  small  frame  church  north  of  Glenmore  and  a  mile  from  the  present 
church.  Rev.  Father  John  Ludden,  from  Florence,  was  the  first  pastor. 
The  new  church  was  erected  in  1875-6.  The  Catholic  society  of  Ta- 
berg  began  holding  regular  meetings  in  1876,  and  soon  had  a  resident 
pastor  in  Rev.  P.  McNulty,  under  whom  the  old  Methodist  church  was 
purchased,  as  before  stated.      These  societies  are  both  prosperous. 

A  branch  of  the  Congregational  church  of  Camden  was  formed  in 
Annsville  in  1820,  and  meetings  were  held  in  the  two  school  houses  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town.  After  some  years  of  usefulness  the  society 
ceased  its  existence.  A  Presbyterian  society  also  had  an  existence  for 
some  time  in  Taberg  and  built  a  church.  It  ultimately  passed  out  of 
existence. 

The  table  printed  on  page  202  gives  the  population  of  the  town  in 
various  years  when  a  census  was  taken. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA. 

This  town  lies  on  the  southwestern  border  of  Oneida  county,  contains 
an  area  of  16,763  acres,  and  was  formed  from  the  old  town  of  Whites- 
town  March  15,  1798,  coincident  with  the  formation  of  Oneida  county, 
when  it  was  enacted  : 

That  all  that  part  of  the  town  of  Whitestown,  bounded  westerly  and  southerly  by 
the  county  of  Chenango,  easterly  by  Brothertown,  and  the  town  of  Paris,  and  north- 
erly by  the  southernmost  great  Genesee  road  shall  be  and  hereby  is  erected  into  a 
separate  town  by  the  name  of  Augusta.  And  that  the  first  town  meeting  shall  be 
holden  at  the  dwelling  house  of  Timothy  Pond,  jr.,  in  said  town. 

The  town  was  named  after  Gen.  Augustus  Van  Horn,  who  promised 
to  give  Thomas  Cassety  a  new  military  hat  if  it  was  so  named. 

Augusta   was   the   eleventh    of  the   towns   in   the   county  in   date  of 


380  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

organization.  The  town  includes  a  part  of  the  Peter  Smith  tract  of 
60,000  acres,  described  in  Chapter  X,  and  the  reservation  of  the  Stock  - 
bridge  Indians.  The  southeast  corner  of  the  Smith  tract  was  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  town.  The  territory  of  the  town  Hes  on  both  sides  of 
Skanandoa  Creek,  the  highlands  rising  on  each  side  of  the  valley  and 
known  as  East  Hill  and  West  Hill.  Oriskany  Creek  flows  through 
the  extreme  southeast  corner.  The  soil  is  clayey  and  sandy  loam  and 
is  fertile. 

As  soon  as  Peter  Smith  obtained  his  tract  of  land  he  began  leasing 
subdivisions  for  twenty- one  years,  and  by  the  year  1797  most  of  the 
lands  of  the  town  were  leased.  In  1795  and  1797  these  leases  were 
confirmed  by  the  Legislature,  the  lessees  becoming  patentees. 

The  first  settler  in  this  town  was  a  man  named  Gunn,  who  in  1793 
built  a  log  house  near  where  Peter  Stebbins  afterward  lived.  The  sec- 
ond house  was  built  by  Benjamin  Warren  where  he  lived  many  years. 
His  son,  William  F.,  died  in  the  spring  of  1895  »  Lyman  Warren,  his 
brother,  lives  near  Newell's  Corners,  is  eighty-four  years  of  age,  and  has 
been  a  prominent  citizen  for  forty  years.  Others  settlers  of  that  year 
were  David  Morton,  John  Alden,  Ichabod  Stafford,  Joseph  and  Abra- 
ham Forbes,  and  their  families,  twenty- three  persons  in  all. 

In  1794  a  considerable  number  of  pioneers  came  in,  among  them 
Isaac  and  Benjamin  Allen,  Amos  Parker,  James  Cassety  (or  Casety), 
Francis  O'Toole,  Ozias  Hart,  Abel  Prior,  Thomas  Spafford,  Ezra  Sax- 
ton,  and  Abiel  Linsley.  Parker  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  is 
said  to  have  been  the  tallest  man  in  the  army,  and  stood  on  the  right 
of  the  line  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  His  descendants  live  in  the 
county.  Thomas  Cassety  was  a  son  of  James,  who  was  a  captain  in  the 
British  army  in  the  1756  war;  he  refused  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
colonies  in  the  Revolution.  After  the  peace  of  1760,  James  went  to 
Detroit  as  an  Indian  trader  and  there  Thomas  was  born.  For  firing  at 
an  officer  of  the  crown  sent  to  arrest  his  father,  Thomas  was  in  danger 
and  fled  from  Detroit  and  took  refuge  among  the  Western  Indians, 
where  he  was  adopted  into  a  tribe  and  took  an  Indian  wife.  After  the 
close  of  the  Revolution  he  returned  to  civilization  and  settled  at  Oriskany 
Falls  in  1794.  The  place  was  early  called  "  Cassety  Hollow."  There 
he  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  1794-5  and  a  grist  mill  in  1796,  the   latter 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  381 

in  company  with  Peter  Smith.  He  afterwards  bought  Smith's  interest 
giving  back  a  mortgage.  Reverses  overtook  him,  the  mortgage  was 
foreclosed  and  Mr.  Cassety  was  reduced  to  poverty.  His  death  took 
place  August  14,  1831,  from  taking  accidentally  a  dose  of  sulphuric 
acid.  Capt.  James  Cassety,  his  father,  died  in  Augusta  May  23,  1822, 
aged  eighty -four  years. 

Francis  O'Toole  served  the  English  cause  three  years,  came  to  this 
country  and  lived  two  years  with  the  family  of  Col.  Tliomas  Seymour 
in  Hartford,  Conn.  He  was  long  supposed  to  be  an  ordinary  specimen 
of  untutored  Irishman,  but  when  he  replied  sharply  in  Latin  to  his  em- 
ployer's son,  who  was  home  from  Yale  and  was  making  his  knowledge 
of  that  language  conspicuous,  he  appeared  in  an  entirely  new  light. 
He  and  his  family  were  much  respected,  but  the  name  is  not  now  repre 
sented  in  the  town. 

In  1796  Abraham  and  Alexander  Holmes  settled  on  the  east  hill, 
while  Oliver  Bartholomew,  Deacon  Philip  Pond,  William  Martin, 
Stephen  Crosby,  Archibald  and  John  Manchester,  Robert  Wordes,  and 
John  Goodhue  settled  in  other  parts  of  the  town  in  that  year.  Some 
of  them  had  already  done  work  on  their  places.  There  was  no  road 
worthy  of  mention  down  to  this  date  except  the  one  from  Clinton  to 
Madison,  which  passed  through  Augusta.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  the 
grist  mill  was  so  nearly  complete  that  it  could  be  used  ;  it  was,  of  course, 
a  great  convenience  and  relieved  the  settlers  of  their  previous  long  jour- 
neys to  Clinton  or  Madison  to  get  their  grinding  done.  There  are  a 
very  few  descendants  of  the  pioneers  thus  far  named  living  in  the  vicin- 
ity. A  daughter  of  Alexander  Holmes  married  Rowland  Clark,  now 
living  near  Augusta  Center.  J.  Reynolds  settled  probably  in  1795  and 
became  a  respected  citizen  ;  he  has  descendants  now  in  business  at 
Oriskany  Falls. 

Five  families  came  to  the  town  together  in  the  spring  of  1797  from 
Washington,  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  and  settled  on  what  has  been 
known  as  Washington  street.  Among  them  were  Robert  Durkee,  New- 
ton Smith,  Joseph  Hurd,  and  Sheldon  Parmalee.  Benjamin  and  Joseph 
Durkee,  and  David  Curtis,  from  the  same  place,  came  in  during  this 
year,  and  settled  on  "  Washington  "  street,  which  runs  south  from  the 
Center.      There  are  descendants  of  some  of  the  Durkee    families  still 


382  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

living  in  the  town      Joseph    Durkee  was  town  clerk   for  twenty- four 
years  after  the  organization  of  the  town. 

An  effort  was  made  in  the  Legislature  in  1797  to  organize  the  town, 
but  it  failed  from  the  fact  that  there  were  not  enough  freeholders  to  fill 
the  various  ofifices,  as  required  by  law,  the  settlers  being  still  lessees 
under  Peter  Smith.  The  organization  as  effected  in  the  next  year,  as 
already  stated,  and  at  the  first  town  meeting,  held  the  first  Tuesday  in 
April,  1798,  at  the  house  of  Timothy  Pond,  jr.,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  : 

Supervisor,  Col.  Thomas  Cassety ;  town  clerk,  Joseph  Durkee  (who  held  the  office 
until  1822);  assessors,  Ezra  Sexton,  David  Brewer,  Simeon  Williams,  Joel  Hull; 
commissioners  of  highways,  Michael  Hinman,  Ichabod  Stafford,  Philip  Pond;  con- 
stable and  collector,  Frederick  Putnam  ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  James  Cassety,  Abiel 
Linsley ;  inspectors  of  schools,  Francis  O'Toole,  John  Smile,  Sheldon  Parmalee ; 
fence  viewers,  Justus  Markham,  William  Martin,  Charles  Putnam,  Oliver  Barthol 
omew. 

These  officers  started  the  simple  machinery  of  the  town  government 
and  aided  in  the  establishment  of  schools  and  churches.  At  the  time 
of  the  organization  of  the  town  the  statutes  required  that  the  oaths  of 
town  officers  should  be  taken  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  or  other 
proper  officer,  without  fee  or  reward.  Colonel  Cassety  was  a  justice  for 
Herkimer  county  and  was  probably  the  only  one  at  that  time  in  the 
town.  He  administered  the  oath  of  ofifice  as  supervisor  to  himself,  and 
certified  that  the  oath  was  taken  before  himself,  as  shown  in  the  records. 
The  first  justice  of  the  peace  elected  for  Augusta  at  town  meeting,  was 
Nathan  Kimball,  chosen  in  1830;  prior  to  April  17,  1826,  they  were 
appointed  ;  by  an  act  passed  in  1826  they  were  elected  at  the  general 
elections;  May  4,  1829,  they  were  made  elective  at  town  meetings. 
Mr.  Kimball  settled  in  the  town  in  1804  and  was  subsequently  judge. 
The  town  meeting  of  1801  adjourned  to  meet  the  following  year  at  the 
house  of  Seth  Holmes,  who  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  ascending 
the  hill  from  the  south  from  Vernon  Center  ;  but  the  erection  of  the 
town  of  Vernon  in  February,  1802,  took  Mr.  Holmes's  house  into  the 
new  town  and  no  town  meeting  was  held  that  year,  the  officers  being 
appointed  by  three  justices  of  the  peace.  A  town  house  was  built  at 
the  Center  in  1805,  a"d  after  two  removals  was  finally  left  in  its  original 
situation. 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  383 

The  early  inhabitants  of  Augusta  gave  earnest  attention  to  religious 
matters,  and  it  is  recorded  that  a  Methodist  minister  preached  a  sermon 
in  the  town  as  early  as  1794,  which  was  the  first  public  religious  service 
in  the  town,  unless  some  of  the  missionaries  visited  the  locality  at  an 
earlier  date.  The  Presbyterian  church  at  Augusta  Center  was  organ- 
ized with  nine  members  on  the  7th  of  September,  1797,  in  the  log  school 
house  built  in  that  year,  where  many  early  gatherings  for  various  pur 
poses  were  held.  This  church  was  organized  in  the  Congregational 
faith,  with  the  following  members:  Isaiah  Gilbert,  Experience  Gilbert, 
Benjamin  Durkee,  Thomas  Stafford,  Lucy  Stafford,  Ezra  Saxton,  Abiel 
Linsley,  and  Anna  Linsley.  The  first  deacons  were  Abiel  Linsley, 
and  Isaiah  Gilbert,  and  the  first  settled  pastor  was  Rev.  John  Spencer, 
who  began  his  services  in  1804.  He  had  been  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
and  removed  from  Augusta  to  Chautauqua  county  in  1807  and  died 
there.  This  church  held  its  meetings  for  several  years  in  private  dwell- 
ings and  in  the  school  house,  and  from  1805  to  18 16  in  the  town  hall. 
In  1 8 16  a  substantial  frame  church  was  erected,  which  was  extensively 
repaired  in  1844.  The  church  has  always  enjoyed  a  good  degree  of 
prosperity  and  is  still  in  existence. 

The  Methodist  church  which  formerly  existed  at  the  Center  was  or  • 
ganized  as  early  as  1802,  at  which  time  there  were  two  classes  in  the 
town,  one  of  which  was  on  the  east  hill,  where  Riley  Shepard  built  the 
old  chapel  in  18 19.  The  chapel  was  occupied  until  1840,  when  a  new 
one  was  built  at  the  Center.  The  society  ultimately  closed  its  ex- 
istence. 

The  Baptists  formed  a  society  very  early  on  the  east  hill,  but  it  en- 
dured for  only  a  short  time. 

The  first  school,  as  far  as  known,  was  taught  in  the  log  school  house 
just  mentioned  as  built  in  1797.  It  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  road 
leading  north  from  where  William  Bridge  lived.  A  school  house  was 
built  at  the  Center  as  early,  or  earlier,  than  1805,  in  which  year  the 
town  meeting  is  recorded  as  held  in  it.  Other  schools  were  provided 
as  the  settlement  increased  and  various  neighborhoods  demanded  until 
1834,  when  steps  were  taken  to  found  an  academy.  About  $2,100 
were  raised  for  the  purpose  and  a  commodious  building  was  erected  at 
the  Center  and  the  school  commenced.      It  was  a  successful  and  benefi- 


384  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cent  institution  for  many  years.  In  1840  about  $400  were  raised  and 
expended  for  a  library  and  apparatus  and  the  academy  was  incorpo- 
rated. The  building  was  of  stone  and  is  still  standing,  but  is  not  used 
for  school  purposes.  The  schools  of  the  town  have  always  been  care- 
fully fostered  by  the  people.  The  town  is  now  divided  into  eleven 
school  districts,  which  include  union  schools  at  Oriskany  Falls,  organ- 
ized in  December,  1892,  and  at  Knoxboro,  organized  in  1876. 

Meanwhile  the  more  material  interests  of  the  town  were  steadily  ad- 
vancing. The  nucleus  of  a  village  gathered  at  the  Center,  where  a 
Mr.  Adams  began  selling  goods  in  a  small  way  in  1798,  in  the  dwell- 
ing of  Ichabod  Stafford.  He  began  building  a  store  on  lot  17,  but 
failed  before  it  was  finished.  Abiel  Linsley  was  an  early  merchant  at 
the  Center  and  for  a  time  was  associated  with  Samuel  Chandler.  The 
company  failed  and  W.  H.  Chandler  in  1806  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brother  under  the  style  of  Samuel  Chandler  &  Co.  Although  thus 
interested  in  the  store,  W.  H.  Chandler  did  not  settle  there  until  1808. 
The  brothers  continued  in  business  until  18 18,  when  W.  H.  Chandler 
became  sole  proprietor  and  so  continued  until  February  25,  1835,  when 
his  store  was  burned.  Elisha  Carrington  had  a  small  store  in  early 
years  at  "  Bartlett's"  afterwards  Newell's  Corners  At  Augusta  Center, 
where  is  located  the  oldest  post-office  in  the  town,  a  tavern  was  kept  in 
the  first  years  of  the  century  by  Jared  Moss,  which  was  burned  down 
about  1820.  Another  was  erected  on  the  site  and  occupied  for  a  time 
as  a  public  house  and  later  as  a  dwelling.  Other  small  taverns  were 
established  at  different  times  and  one  is  now  conducted.  Winthrop  H. 
Chandler  was  one  of  the  first  merchants  at  this  place  and  held  the  office 
of  postmaster  for  many  years,  the  office  being  in  his  store.  Henry  M. 
Hawley  was  a  later  merchant  and  postmaster.  Wayne  C.  Russell  is 
the  incumbent  of  the  office  and  the  only  merchant  in  the  village. 

The  picturesque  site  of  the  village  of  Oriskany  Falls,  with  its  valua- 
ble water  power,  also  attracted  early  settlers  and  business  men.  Tiie 
building  of  the  early  mills  at  this  point  by  Colonel  Cassety  has  been 
noticed.  Another  early  settler  near  the  Falls  was  Andrew  McMillan, 
who  located  at  Newell's  Corners  in  1798,  and  afterwards  lived  many 
years  on  the  hill  west  of  Deansville.  He  was  father  of  the  late  Andrew 
McMillan,   former  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Utica,  who 


I 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  385 


died  in  1892  :  there  are  no  descendants  of  this  family  now  in  this  town. 
Ehsha  Fowler,  son  of  EHsha,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris  in  1793,  re- 
moved to  Augusta  in  18 16,  and  settled  at  the  Falls  in  182 1,  was  promi- 
nent in  the  dry  goods  and  grocery  business  and  operated  a  distillery  on 
the  site  of  the  brewery.  The  old  Cassety  grist  mill  stood  about  on  the 
site  of  the  later  foundry  and  machine  shop  and  was  carried  away  in  a 
heavy  freshet  about  the  year  1807.  A  tannery  was  established  at  the 
Falls  by  Aaron  Burley  as  early  as  1816,  who  some  years  later  changed 
it  to  a  custom  grist  mill  and  distillery,  which  was  burned.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  1828,  with  David  Murray,  postmaster. 

While  these  and  other  improvements  were  in  progress  at  the  several 
hamlets  of  the  town,  settlers  came  rapidly  into  the  outlying  districts, 
the  forests  fell,  lands  were  cultivated,  and  attractive  homes  were  founded 
throughout  the  town. 

The  State  of  Connecticut  continued  to  send  her  hardy  Yankees  into 
Augusta,  and  it  is  said  that  in  1847  of  forty- eight  families  living  on  the 
road  running  north  and  south  through  its  center,  eighteen  were  from 
Litchfield  county  in  that  State,  while  many  others  were  from  other 
counties  in  the  same  State.  Josiah  Cook,  from  Otis,  Conn.,  settled  in 
town  in  1799,  with  his  family  of  thirteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  with 
their  families  located  in  this  town.  It  was  from  this  family  that  "  Cook's 
Corners,"  now  Knoxboro,  was  named. 

Abner  Ranney,  from  Blandford,  a  Connecticut  town  adjoining  Otis, 
settled  in  this  town  early,  and  lived  to  be  10 1  years  and  five  months  old  ; 
he  was  father  of  twelve  children.  Elisha  Shepard,  another  early  settler, 
was  from  Blandford,  as  were  the  Knox  family,  with  the  exception  of  J. 
J.  Knox.  John  J.  Knox  came  to  Augusta  in  181 1  ;  he  was  born  in  1791, 
and  died  in  1876.  John  Jay  Knox,  one  of  his  sons,  was  born  in  1828, 
and  died  February  9,  1891.  He  was  prominent  in  public  affairs  ;  from 
1866  to  1873,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  mint  and  coinage  correspond- 
ence of  the  Treasury  Department ;  was  deputy  comptroller  of  the  cur- 
rency five  years,  and  comptroller  five  years.  He  was  honored  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.  by  Hamiton  College.  Knoxboro  received  its  name 
from  the  father  of  John  Jay,  who  established  a  store  there  in  181 1, 
which  was  carried  on  by  members  of  the  family  many  years.  He  also 
established  a  brewery  about  1820,  to  "keep  folks  from  drinking";  it  was 
49 


386  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sold  to  New  York  men  and  is  not  now  in  operation.  John  J.  Knox  had 
two  other  sons,  all  prominent  men  ;  but  of  the  three  most  widely  known 
were  Revs.  W.  E.  Knox  and  Charles  E.  Knox.  The  former  was  pastor 
for  several  years  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  VVatertovvn,  N.  Y.,  then 
at  Rome  from  1848  to  1869,  and  at  Venice  from  the  latter  year  to  liis 
death  in  September,  1883.  He  was  a  strong  man  in  the  ministry  and 
everywhere  he  was  placed.  Rev.  Charles  E.  Knox  was  also  an  able 
divine.  J.  C.  Knox  and  others  established  the  "  New  York  Lock  Com- 
pany" in  1 86 1  and  manufactured  locks  several  years.  James  C  Knox 
was  the  first  postmaster  after  the  office  was  established  in  about  1850; 
the  name  was  officially  changed  in  1863,  The  present  postmaster  is 
Fred  Onyan. 

Charles  Putnam,  from  Stonington,  Conn.,  settled  very  early  in  Oneida 
county,  first  for  two  years  at  Clinton,  whence  he  removed  to  a  400  acre 
farm  situated  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  Oriskany  Falls  There  he 
built  the  first  barn  in  the  town.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution 
and  father  of  Frederick  Putnam,  who  settled  in  the  town  the  next  year 
after  his  father  came.  Sidney  Putnam,  son  of  Frederick,  died  in  1883, 
leaving  a  very  large  estate. 

An  early  physician  in  this  town,  and  probably  the  first,  was  Dr. 
Johnson,  who  settled  at  the  Center  in  1797,  and  died  in  1806  or  1807. 
Dr.  Nathaniel  Rose  began  practice  here  in  1803  and  lived  on  the  place 
where  he  died  in  1839.  Eli  Botsford  became  a  student  with  him  in 
1 8 19,  practiced  for  a  time  with  his  preceptor,  and  in  1827  began  prac- 
tice at  Knoxboro;  in  1845  he  removed  to  the  Center.  Dr.  Hooker  and 
Dr.  Richards  were  early  physicians  at  the  Center,  and  Dr.  Edmund 
Allen  settled  there  in  1820.  Preceding  Dr.  Botsford  at  Knoxboro  were 
Drs.  Usher  and  Hastings,  and  Dr.  Seabury  M.  Higgins  settled  there  in 
1846.  Dr.  John  S.  Livermore  began  practice  at  Oriskany  Falls  in 
1822;  Dr.  Bishop  in  1827;  Dr.  A.  VV.  Marsh  in  1828-9;  Dr.  D.  C. 
Worden  in  1833,  and  Dr.  Edward  Trask  in  1835.  Later  physicians  at 
the  Falls  were  Drs.  T.  H.  Cox,  and  Dr.  W.  E.  Babcock.  Dr.  Charles 
Munger  has  been  in  practice  at  Knoxboro  more  than  twenty-five  years. 

Early  in  the  year  1797  two  brothers,  Joab  and  John  Farnian,  sons  of 
John  and  Rebecca  (Chamberlain)  Farman,  came  from  Bath,  N.  H.,  to 
Paris,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.      Joab  purchased  lands  in  that  town,  which 


'/MVy         it. 


./c^^^^^-'^T-v^    QrCLA^ 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  387 

he  sold  in  1800  and  1804.  In  1804  he  moved  to  Ellisburg,  Jefferson 
county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  October  11,  1864,  in  his  ninety-eighth 
year.  His  first  wife,  Rebecca  (Powers)  Farman,  died  in  Paris,  July  6, 
1806;  and  he  married  in  the  same  place,  August  27,  1807,  Abigail 
Whitney.  Of  his  thirteen  children,  five  were  born  in  Paris,  viz.  : 
Wealthy,  October  28,  1797;  Belara,  September  20,  1799;  Martha,  De- 
cember 17,  1801  ;  Erastus  Ingerson,  April  14,  1805,  and  Joab,  jr.,  July 
3,  1806.  John  purchased  235  acres  of  land  on  the  Oneida  Reservation, 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town  of  Augusta  ;  his  deed  was  dated  Decem- 
ber 17,  1797  ;  and  the  land  was  situated  a  little  east  of  the  farm  owned 
and  occupied,  for  many  years,  by  the  late  Walter  Powers.  John  died  in 
Oppenheim,  N.  Y.,  February  181 2,  while  on  his  way  to  his  home  from 
Albany,  where  he  had  been  to  market  his  wheat.  Another  brother, 
Moody  Farman,  then  a  young  unmarried  man,  came  with  John  to 
Augusta.  After  his  marriage  he  lived  till  1820  at  Vernon  Center,  and 
then  moved  to  Jamesville,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  mill- 
wright, and  died  from  the  result  of  a  fall,  while  building  a  flouring  mill, 
in  the  then  village  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  September  27,  1825  Roswell, 
Samuel  and  Simpson  Farman,  who  were  also  brothers  of  Joab  and  John, 
came  to  Oneida  county  with  them,  or  soon  afterwards ;  Roswell  resided 
in  Vernon  until  1806,  when  he  removed  to  New  Haven,  Oswego  county, 
(then  Mexico,  Oneida  county),  when  he  died  October  17,  1839,  i"  his 
seventy-fifth  year.  Samuel  and  Simpson  resided  some  years  in  West- 
moreland, and  then  moved  to  Jefferson  county.  Samuel  died  in  Ellis- 
burg in  that  county,  December  20,  1849;  ^^^  Simpson  in  Wisconsin 
in  1863,  in  his  eighty  eighth  year.  John  Farman,  father  of  Roswell  and 
John  Farman,  was  born  September  11,  1739,  in  Maryland;  he  was  a 
descendant  in  the  fourth  generation  of  Robert  Foreman  (as  the  name 
was  originally  written),  a  planter,  who  settled  near  Annapolis,  Md.,  in 
1674.  John  was  a  volunteer  in  the  old  French  war,  and  served  in  the 
British  army  from  1756  to  1763.  He  came  by  the  way  of  the  Hudson, 
the  Mohawk,  Oneida  Lake  and  Oswego  River  to  Oswego  ;  he  was  occu- 
pied on  this  route  and  at  Oswego  for  three  years,  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  at  the  latter  place.  In  1760  he  descended  the  St.  Lawrence  in  the 
general  movement  upon  Montreal,  and  in  1763  went  through  the  forests 
to  Newbury,  Vt.    (then  New   Hampshire).      He  there  married  Rebecca 


388  OUR  COtJNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Chamberlain  and  settled  in  Bath,  New  Hampshire.  He  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  had  a  family  of  nine  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of 
whom,  except  one,  lived  to  have  families,  mostly  large  ones.  It  is 
probable  that  his  accounts  of  Central  New  York  led  bis  sons,  soon  after 
his  death,  to  leave  their  homes  among  the  mountains  of  Northern  New 
Eugland,  for  the  more  genial  climate  and  fertile  soil  of  Central  New 
York. 

Some  of  the  early  residents  of  the  town  attained  distinction  in  public 
affairs  ;  among  them  David  Ambler,  who  was  a  member  of  assembly 
when  presidential  electors  were  chosen  by  that  body,  and  was  one  of 
that  body  to  elect  James  Monroe  to  the  presidency.  John  J.  Knox 
was  elector  when  William  Henry  Harrison  was  chosen  to  the  presi- 
dency. Of  other  early  residents  Winthrop  H.  Chandler,  Riley  Shep- 
ard,  and  David  Murray  were  member  of  assembly,  and  many  other 
families  of  the  town  will  be  found  noticed  in  Parts  H  and  HI  of  this 
volume. 

Outside  of  Oriskany  Falls  this  town  is  essentially  an  agricultural  dis- 
trict, and  the  farmers  past  and  present  have  advanced  in  their  vocation 
with  the  improvements  in  facilities  and  the  broader  knowledge  of 
methods  introduced  in  later  years.  Following  the  crops  of  various 
grains  and  vegetables  that  were  principally  grown  in  early  years,  large 
areas  were  given  up  to  the  cultivation  of  hops.  This  crop  has  been  a 
snccessful  one,  as  far  as  relates  to  quantity  and  quality,  but  the  town 
has  often  suffered  in  common  with  others  from  the  fluctuation  in  prices. 
In  comparatively  recent  years  much  attention  has  been  devoted  to 
dairying,  with  good  results;  cheese  has  been  manufactured  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  and  there  are  now  two  factories  in  the  town.  Among 
the  leading  farmers  of  the  present  may  be  mentioned  the  following: 

D.  Fairchild,  John  Hewitt,  George  Byrnes,  W.  W.  Collins,  H.  J.  Durkee,  Charles 
Green,  Arthur  Allen,  Warren  G.  Strong,  A.  W.  Strong,  Eugene  Snow,  E.  C.  Eaton, 
W.  G.  Spaulding,  R.  O.  Vaughn,  William  Hinman,  A.  C.  Brewer,  E.  J.  Bartholo- 
mew, J.  E.  Morrow,  Henry  Farnham,  A.  I.  Stone,  J.  J.  Beach,  Putnam  estate,  John 
C.  Cross,  A.  A.  Miller,  Jay  Hatheway,  W.  W.  Hatheway,  E.  B.  Miner,  William 
Maxon,  P.  Chesebro,  James  Van  Swall,  A.  Morehouse. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  Augusta  was  Peter  Smith  Gunn,  a  son 
of  the  first  settler.  The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Daniel  Hart  and 
Catherine  Putnam,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Colonel  Cassety, 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  389 

as  justice.      The  first  death  of  an  adult  was  that  of  Eleazer  Putnam,  who 
died  April  15,  1795,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years. 

In  the  cemetery  near  Knoxboro  is  the  grave  of  Dr.  Augustus  Bur- 
goyne,  who  first  came  to  this  country  at  the  time  of  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  as  general  surgeon  in  the  British  army  under  command  of 
his  uncle.  Gen.  Sir  John  Burgoyne.  After  the  surrender  of  the  latter, 
October  17,  1777,  at  Saratoga,  Dr.  Burgoyne  and  other  prisoners  were 
sent  into  Vermont  to  be  safely  kept,  and  at  one  time  he  was  confined 
in  the  old  Bennington  meeting  house.  While  in  Vermont  he  became 
acquainted  with  Anna  Rice,  whom  he  afterwards  married.  He  settled 
in  Thetford,  Vt.,  where  he  practiced  medicine  many  years.  In  his  old 
age  he  went  to  live  with  his  married  daughter,  Tabitha  Burgoyne,  wife 
of  Zenas  Bird,  who  lived  in  Augusta.  There  he  died  and  was  buried. 
The  inscription  on  his  tombstone  reads  as  follows  : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Augustus  Burgoyne.     Born   in   England   1737,  and 
died  in  Augusta  February  8,  1824,  aged  87  years. 

Oh  soft  remembrance  drops  a  pious  tear, 
And  holy  friendship  stands  a  mourner  here. 

The  present  oldest  resident  of  the  town  is  Elliot  Hurd,  who  resides 
at  Augusta  Center  at  the  age  of  ninety  eight  years.  The  town  has 
been  the  native  place  of  several  excellent  attorneys,  some  of  the  latter 
ones  being  noticed  in  Part  II.  In  1847  ^  historical  address  was  deliv- 
ered by  the  Rev.  Orlo  Bartholomew,  from  which  many  facts  are  herein 
drawn,  in  which  he  gave  the  following  as  lawyers  native  in  the  town  up 
to  that  time:  Henry  Moss,  George  Fowler,  S.  L.  Rose,  James  O.  Toole, 
Austin  Kendall,  Henry  L.  Brown,  Du  Portal  Davis,  and  James  C.  Steb- 
bins. 

Besides  the  churches  already  noticed  several  others  have  been  organ- 
ized and  are  now  in  prosperous  existence.  The  Baptist  church  at  the 
Center  was  organized  August  22,  1829,  with  thirty-three  members. 
The  church  edifice  was  completed  before  the  organization  and  dedicated 
two  days  previous.     The  society  closed  its  existence  many  years  ago. 

On  the  31st  of  January,  1833,  the  Congregational  society  at  Oriskany 
Falls  was  organized,  and  the  stone  edifice  was  partly  finished,  so  that 
services  were  held  in  the  basement,  in  the  following  year  ;  the  building 
was   not   finished    until    1845.      ^'^^   several   years   prior    to    1894,   the 


390  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

church  was  practically  closed,  but  the  pulpit  is  now  occupied  by  a  non- 
resident pastor. 

A  Methodist  class  was  in  existence  many  years  before  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  society,  which  was  effected  in  1867.  The  village  was  made  a 
station  in  1858,  with  Rev.  A.  L.  York,  pastor.  In  1867  the  Women's 
Aid  Society  purchased  the  lot  and  fitted  up  a  building  there  as  a  chapel. 
The  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1870-71. 

The  date  of  organization  of  the  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  at 
Oriskany  Falls,  is  not  obtainable  but  was  prior  to  1871,  at  which  date 
Rev.  Russell  Todd  was  pastor.  The  frame  church  was  erected  in  that 
year.      It  is  now  in  a  fairly  prosperous  condition. 

St.  Joseph's  Catholic  church,  Oriskany  Falls,  began  holding  meetings 
in  Owen's  Hall  in  1867,  and  in  1872  began  the  erection  of  the  present 
church,  which  was  finished  in  the  next  year.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev. 
Peter  O'Reilly,  of  Clinton. 

A  Union  church,  composed  of  Presbyterians  and  Methodists  was 
organized  in  1849,  and  a  building  was  erected  from  the  materials  of  the 
old  church  on  East  Hill.  This  was  closed  as  a  church  in  1871.  The 
present  Methodist  church  at  Knoxboro  was  erected  in  1872  at  a  cost  of 
nearly  $10,000.  The  Presbyterians  of  Knoxboro  built  their  separate 
edifice  in  the  same  year,  which  cost  with  all  appurtenances  about  $I0,- 
000.     The  society  is  an  offshoot  from  the  one  at  the  Center. 

The  village  of  Oriskany  Falls  is  one  of  the  most  thriving  and  at- 
tractive of  the  smaller  villages  of  the  county.  In  recent  years  many 
industries  have  been  established  within  its  limits  which  enterprising  men 
have  made  prosperous.  The  railroad  built  by  the  Utica,  Clinton  and 
Binghamton  Company,  which  was  organized  in  August,  1862,  and 
opened  to  Oriskany  Falls  in  1868,  and  through  to  its  terminus  in  1871, 
placed  the  village  in  rapid  and  easy  connection  with  the  large  markets 
and  gave  it  a  marked  impulse.  The  first  grist  and  saw  mills  which 
have  been  described  were  succeeded  in  later  years  by  the  present  mill, 
which  was  erected  by  David  Currie.  Passing  through  various  hands 
it  finally  came  into  possession  of  Hatheway  &  Reynolds,  the  present 
proprietors.  It  contains  all  modern  requisites  for  flouring  purposes. 
What  has  been  known  as  the  "  Farmers'  Mill  "  was  built  in  186 1-2  by 
Martin  Miller,  and  is  now  owned  by  E.  S.  Hamblin.  It  has  been  re- 
fitted for  the  roller  process. 


THE  TOWN  OF  AUGUSTA.  391 

Aaron  Burley's  early  tannery,  which  was  converted  into  a  distillery, 
has  been  mentioned.  It  was  again  transformed  into  a  woolen  mill  by 
E.  &  W.  D.  Hicks  in  1864.  In  1889  it  was  purchased  by  Langley  & 
Davis.      It  was  burned  in  December,  1894. 

A  foundry  and  machine  shop  was  built  by  Ballard  &  Briggs  in 
1853,  to  which  was  added  a  furnace.  They  carried  on  the  business 
many  years.  In  the  spring  of  1895,  the  Oriskany  Falls  Knitting  Com- 
pany was  organized  for  the  manufacture  of  sweaters  and  underwear, 
and  took  the  old  foundry  and  shop  plant  for  their  business. 

In  1865  the  firm  of  Owen  &  Brainard  built  and  established  a  woolen 
factory,  where  they  manufactured  cassimeres  until  1875,  when  E.  B. 
Woolworth  took  the  plant  and  began  the  manufacture  of  woolen  yarns. 
The  business  in  1889  passed  to  Langly  &  Davis  and  the  factory  was 
burned.  H.  H.  Langley  then  erected  a  new  factory  which  is  now  in 
successful  operation. 

The  inception  of  the  Oriskany  Falls  brewery  is  credited  to  a  Mr. 
Hines,  who  built  on  the  site  of  the  former  distillery  of  Elisha  Fowler. 
After  passing  through  other  hands  it,  about  eleven  years  ago,  came 
into  possession  of  H.  Morgan  &  Co.  (James  A.  Douglass)  and  the  es- 
tablishment now  has  a  capacity  of  about  seventy- five  barrels  a  day 
Mr.  Douglass  is  now  sole  proprietor. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  industries  of  the  village  is 
the  Scotch  cap  factory  of  Hathevvay  &  Reynolds.  The  first  two  man- 
ufactories of  these  goods  in  America  were  established  in  Utica,  and  the 
third  was  the  one  at  the  Falls,  which  was  started  in  1881.  About  150 
hands  are  employed  in  the  business. 

Another  industry  in  the  same  line  is  the  Scotch  cap  factory  of  James 
Cunningham  &  Son,  which  was  founded  by  the  senior  of  the  firm,  who 
learned  the  business  in  his  native  Scotland.  He  located  in  Utica  in 
1880  and  removed  to  Oriskany  Falls  in  the  next  year,  where  he  started 
the  factory  of  Hatheway  &  Reynolds.  In  April,  1890,  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  with  his  son,  and  they  now  employ  about  fifty 
hands. 

In  1869  Fred  G.  Willard  established  a  job  printing-ofiice  in  this  vil- 
lage and  three  years  later  began  the  publication  of  a  small  paper  called 
the  Monthly  Advertiser.      It   was  soon  enlarged  and  the  name  changed 


392  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to  the  Weekly  News.  Later  another  enlargement  was  made  and  the 
name  changed  to  the  Oriskany  Falls  News.  On  the  ist  of  March, 
1888,  the  establishment  was  purchased  by  W.  S.  Phillips,  the  present 
proprietor.  He  has  improved  and  enlarged  the  paper,  which  finds  a 
large  constituency. 

Oriskany  Falls  Engine  Company  No.  i,  with  its  attendant  hose  com- 
pany, has  protected  the  village  from  fires,  as  far  as  possible,  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  The  hand  engine  was  purchased  in  1871,  and  the 
company  was  organized  immediately  afterwards.      D.  E.  McElhinney  is 

chief. 

Oriskany  Falls  village  was  incorporated  March  20,  1888.  J.  C.  Cross 
was  the  first  president,  and  H.  A.  Langley  is  the  present  incumbent  of 
the  office.      C.  B.  Keith  is  president  of  the  school  board. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  Augusta  from  the  date  of 
its  organization  to  the  present  time,  with  the  dates  of  their  election  : 

Colonel  Thomas  Cassety,  1798;  Abiel  Linsley,  1799-1800;  Sheldon  Parmalee, 
1802-7;  Samuel  Chandler,  1808-17;  John  J.  Knox,  1818;  Samuel  Chandler,  1819-21; 
John  J.  Knox,  1822-23;  Winthrop  H.  Chandler,  1824-26;  Nathan  Kimball.  1827-28; 
W.  H.  Chandler,  1829;  Nathan  Kimball,  1830-31;  William  Smith,  1832-34;  W.  H. 
Chandler,  1835-36;  Aaron  Burley,  1837-38;  Benjamin  Allen,  1839;  John  Currie, 
1840;  Elisha  Fowler,  1841-42;  John  A.  Scott,  1842-43;  Alonzo  Metcalf,  1845;  Benja- 
min Allen,  1846;  David  Murray,  1847;  Solomon  M.  Wells,  1848;  George  W.  Couch, 
1849;  John  A.  Scott,  1850;  Warren  H.  Griswold,  1851;  George  W.  Couch,  1852;  Al- 
mon  W.  Reynolds,  1853;  Isaac  C.  Miller,  1854;  James  Allen,  1855;  Elisha  Fowler, 
1856;  James  C.  Knox,  1857;  Dan  P.  Buckingham,  1858-59;  James  C.  Knox,  1860; 
Willard  G.  Cummings,  1861;  David  W.  Miner,  1862-64;  W.  S.  Adams,  1865;  Phil- 
ander Powers,  1866-67;  John  McMillan,  1868;  Philander  Powers,  1869;  Milo  C. 
Barker,  1870;  Warren  G.  Strong,  1871-72;  Milo  C.  Barker,  1873;  James  A.  Douglass, 
1874-75;  Arthur  P.  Bartholomew,  1876-77;  F.  Leroy  Hatheway,  1878-80;  Warren  G. 
Strong,  1881;  Judge  D.  Dodge,  1882;  Joseph  Beach,  1883;  William  Hinman,  1884- 
85;  Myrtlan  F.  Smith,  1886-89;  James  A.  Douglass,  1890-94. 

By  the  year  1835  the  population  of  the  town  had  reached  3,347  ;  but 
before  the  next  census  in  1840,  the  number  was  reduced  to  2,175, 
largely  by  the  setting  off  of  a  portion  of  the  town  to  Stockbridge,  Madi- 
son county,  in  1836.  Since  that  time  it  has  hardly  kept  its  original 
number  of  inhabitants,  like  many  other  localities  that  are  without  very 
large  commercial  centers.  In  1845  the  population  was  2,117;  i"  1850. 
2,271  ;  in  1855,  2,383 — the  largest  number  after  it  was  reduced  in  area 
in  1836.  In  i860  it  was  2,213;  '"  1870,  2,067;  i"  ^875.  2,233;  in 
1880,  2,171  ;   in  1890,  1,984  and  in  1892,  1,983. 


J.  A.  DOUGLASS. 


THE  TOWN  OF  AVA.  393 

The  principal  officers  of  the  town  for  1895  are  the  following: 

Supervisor,  James  A.  Douglass;  town  clerk,  Charles  F.  French;  justices.  E.  S. 
Hamblin,  E.  Bartholomew,  Frank  French,  Jay  Fairchilds;  assessors,  Lewis  Porte. 
Fred  Wasmuth,  Isaac  Richmond;  highway  commissioner,  John  Van  Evra;  collector. 
Arthur  Barton  ;  overseer  of  poor,  William  Beck. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  AVA. 

This  town  lies  in  the  central  part  of  the  northern  tier  of  the  county, 
and  is  one  of  the  minor  towns  as  well  as  next  to  the  last  one  in  date  of 
organization.  It  was  set  off  from  Boonville  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
May  12,  1846,  and  embraces  a  little  more  than  22,000  acres.  A  large 
part  of  the  territory  of  the  town  was  included  in  the  Machin  and  the 
Adgate  patents,  as  shown  on  the  map  in  Chapter  X,  with  a  smaller  part 
in  the  Scriba  patent,  and  small  grants  toothers.  The  surface  of  the 
town  is  high  and  rolling,  and  the  soil  productive  and  composed  of 
gravelly  loam.  The  western  boundary  is  Fish  Creek,  and  through  the 
town  flow  the  headwaters  of  the  Mohawk,  with  several  small  brooks. 
Tributaries  of  Black  River  find  their  source  in  the  town,  and  in  early 
years  especially,  when  the  volume  of  all  small  streams  was  much  larger 
than  now,  good  water  power  was  found  in  many  parts  of  the  town,  upon 
which  was  built  the  numerous  early  saw  mills. 

The  territory  of  Ava  was  settled  early,  considering  its  situation,  the 
pioneer,  Ebenezer  Harger,  having  located  there  in  1797  or  1798,  re- 
moving from  Whitestown  where  he  had  been  about  a  year.  His  settle- 
ment was  made  about  a  mile  east  of  the  site  of  Ava  Corners.  He  was 
soon  followed  into  the  town  by  Zephaniah  and  Abner  Wood,  and  prob- 
ably in  1800,  they  welcomed  as  neighbors  Philo  Harger,  Benjamin 
Jones,  Lemuel  Wood,  and  Justus  Beardsley.  Salmon  Bates  became  a 
settler  in  or  before  1800,  and  opened  his  house  as  a  tavern,  the  first  in 
the  town.  In  the  following  year  Benjamin  Jones  built  the  first  saw  mill, 
at  which  time  there  were  said  to  be  only  nine  residents. 

50 


394  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Eli  Mitchell  located  in  Western  in  1803,  where  their  daughter  Jerusha 
was  born  the  next  year.  About  1807  they  removed  to  Ava  and  settled 
on  the  farm  afterwards  occupied  by  their  son,  Eli  T.  Mitchell,  in  the 
southeast  part.  Rickerson  Kenyon  was  another  early  settler  in  that 
neighborhood,  south  of  the  Mitchell  place,  and  Joseph  Hunt  settled 
near  the  site  of  the  Corners.  About  1800  Daniel  Buck  settled  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  town,  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent  years  by  his 
son,  Jonathan  Buck.  The  latter  was  born  on  that  farm  in  December, 
1804,  and  passed  his  life  there.  About  a  mile  northeast  of  the  Buck 
farm  Isaac  Knight  settled  just  before  the  beginning  of  the  century  ;  he 
was  from  Rhode  Island.  This  farm  was  occupied  in  recent  years  by 
Fenner  Rockwood.  Remember  Kent  built  a  saw  mill  northwest  of  this 
on  Moose  Creek,  which  was  operated  many  years.  As  early  as  1801 
Philo  Harger  and  Benjamin  Jones  built  one  of  the  first  saw  mills  in  the 
town  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Mohawk.  The  first  white  child  born  in 
the  town  was  Chauncey  Harger,  b6rn  in  March,  1801. 

The  pioneers  of  Ava  lived  in  an  isolated  situation,  distant  from  the 
main  thoroughfares  of  travel,  and  passed  through  many  hardships  that 
were  escaped  by  those  of  other  localities  ;  but  they  persevered,  cleared 
their  farms,  learned  lessons  of  self-reliance,  and  reared  their  descendants 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  became  good  citizens.  Children  received 
such  education  as  was  possible  under  the  circumstances  ;  those  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  town  were  compelled  for  a  number  of  years  to  go 
to  Boonville,  while  others  went  to  the  log  school  houses  that  gradually 
came  into  existence.  Religious  services  were  held  in  the  dwellings  of 
the  settlers  for  many  years  before  a  regular  church  organization  was 
effected.  Many  of  the  pioneers  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends, 
and  they  built  an  early  church,  which  was  the  only  one  in  the  town  for 
years. 

The  act  organizing  the  town  directed  the  first  town  meeting  to  be 
held  "  on  the  4th  Tuesday  in  May,  1846,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon, 
at  the  house  of  Joshua  Coleman,  in  said  town."  At  that  meeting  the 
following  officers  were  chosen,  the  list  comprising  a  number  of  the 
prominent  settlers  who  located  in  the  town  prior  to  1850  : 

Supervisor,  Henry  Capron ;  town  clerk,  Horace  Hoyt;  justices  of  the  peace,  Sam- 
uel Jones,   Truman   Harger,  John   Cronk,  Jeremiah   Rowley;  collector,  Ezekiel  R. 


THE  TOWN  OF  AVA.  395 

Preston;  assessors,  Jonathan  Buck,  David  Rankins,  Ephraim  S.  Adams;  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  Horace  A.  Buck;  commissioners  of  highways,  Nathan  Shippy, 
Artemus  Young,  Daniel  Edgerton ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Samuel  Hunt,  Hiram 
Cronk;  constables,  Nathan  R.  Tiffany,  Noah  Nelson,  John  S.  Bush,  Archibald  Mc- 
Donald ;  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,  Horace  Hoyt. 

The  early  road  that  was  cut  through  from  Fort  Stanvvix  to  the 
French  settlement  on  Black  River  passed  through  this  town,  and  in  the 
central  part  a  settlement  gathered  at  what  became  and  now  is  Ava  Cor- 
ners. There  a  post-office  was  established  early,  through  the  effort,  as 
it  is  said,  of  a  man  named  Bancroft,  who  secured  a  title  formed  by  re- 
versing his  own  name  to  Croft  Ban.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  such  a 
name  did  not  endure,  and  later  gave  place  to  Ava  (the  name  of  the 
capital  of  the  Burmese  empire,  Asia),  and  upon  the  organization  of  the 
town  in  1846,  it  very  appropriately  took  the  same  name.  Ava  Corners 
is  a  small  village  where  has  been  carried  on  one  or  two  stores,  a  hotel, 
and  various  shops.  It  is  connected  by  stage  with  Rome.  The  first 
hotel  was  built  by  a  Mr.  Kingsbury,  on  the  site  of  the  later  hotel;  the 
second  one  was  partly  built  in  the  summer  of  1850,  but  it  passed  to 
Morse  &  Shaver,  who  finished  it  and  kept  it  a  number  of  years.  A 
store  is  kept  by  F.  E.  Castle,  who  has  been  in  trade  several  years,  suc- 
ceeding W.  S.  Bushnell.  Pohl  &  Smith  have  carried  on  a  store  about 
four  years,  prior  to  which  A.  Hurlbut,  now  a  merchant  of  Boonville, 
was  with  Mr.  Pohl.  G.  D.  &  V.  F.  Pohl  established  here  a  foundry  and 
machine  shop  where  they  have  manufactured  largely  curd  mills,  agita- 
tors, steam  and  gasoline  engines,  and  other  articles.  The  foundry  part 
of  their  works  burned  in  April,  1896.  H.  G.  Wickman  has  a  wagon 
shop  in  the  place. 

Some  of  the  former  merchants  of  the  place  are  Silas  Morse,  Nathan 
Tiffany,  Fred  Hammes,  Frank  Edgerton  and  Walter  Bushnell. 

The  farming  community  is  now  engaged  to  a  considerable  extent  in 
dairying,  and  there  are  now  six  cheese  factories  of  all  kinds  in  the  town. 
Some  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Ava,  past  and  present,  arc  A.  and  H. 
Hurlbut,  Gideon  Vary,  Charles  Castle,  N.  C.  Vary,  James  Thomas,  Asa 
W.  Owens,  Orsemus  Tiffany,  John  J.  Adams,  J.  B.  Adams,  Lincoln 
Wood,  Jedediah  Edgerton  and  P.  A.  Flint. 

Mrs.  Samuel  Hurlbut,  who  is  now  eighty-four  years  old,  lives  with 
her  son  on  the  place  where  she  was  born,  and  is  the  oldest  living  resi- 
dent.     She  was  a  daughter  of  Justus  Beardsley. 


396  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

There  have  been  a  good  many  German  settlers  in  this  town,  and  they 
have  always  had  religious  meetings  and  finally  effected  an  organization 
which  erected  a  church  in  school  district  No.  9.  It  was  completed 
about  1861. 

Methodist  services  were  held  in  school  houses  and  dwellings  for  years 
before  the  formation  of  the  present  society  in  1868.  The  pretty  church 
was  built  in  the  following  year. 

The  schools  of  the  town  are  well  cared  for,  the  number  of  districts, 
with  school  houses,  being  nine,  as  it  has  been  for  many  years. 

Following  is  a  list  of  those  persons  who  have  held  the  office  of  super- 
visor in  Ava  from  its  organization  to  the  present ;  a  list  containing 
about  fifty  of  the  prominent  citizens  : 

1847,  Henry  Capron;  1848-49,  Horace  Hoj-t;  1850.  Henry  Capron ;  1851-52,  Silas 
C.  Morse;  1853,  Horace  Hoyt;  1854-55,  Walker  Adams;  1850,  Reuben  Knight;  1857, 
Peter  A.  Flint;  1858-59,  Henry  E.  Shaver;  1860,  Samuel  Hunt;  1861,  Stephen  L. 
Bates;  1862-64,  Jedediah  Edgerton ;  1865-66,  James  H  Capron;  1867,  Samuel  Hurl- 
but;  1868,  Selden  Palmer;  1869,  Silas  C.  Morse;  1870-71,  John  M.  Edgerton;  1872, 
Peter  A.  Flint;  1873,  Selden  Palmer;  1874,  Smith  M.  Capron;  1875,  Silas  C.  Morse; 
1876,  James  H.  BeUinger;  1877,  Luke  Jones;  1878-79,  Gideon  Vary;  1880,  James  M. 
Bellinger;  1881-83,  John  M.  Edgerton;  1884,  Menzo  Fox;  1885.  William  A.  Lyman; 
1886-87,  Menzo  Fox;  1888,  Nathan  C.  Vary;  1889,  Henry  Harris;  1890,  N.  C.  Vary; 
1891-93,  Henry  Harris;  1894-96,  Charles  Knight. 

For  population  of  the  town  in  the  years  when  a  census  has  been 
taken  see  page  202. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  TOWN  OF  BOONVH.LE. 

The  town  of  Boonville  is  situated  on  the  northern  border  of  Oneida 
county  and  is  among  the  largest  of  the  towns,  its  area  being  43,985 
acres.  Within  its  territory  are  included  parts  of  Adgate's  and  Matchin's 
patents,  as  shown  on  the  map  herein.  Black  River  flows  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  across  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  and  the  head- 
waters of  the  Mohawk,  Black  River  and  Fish  Creek  are  found  within 
its  borders.      Black  River  Canal  enters  the  town   near  the  southwest 


THE  TOWN  OF  BOONVILLE.  397 

corner,  passes  northerly  through  the  village  of  Boonville  and  enters 
Lewis  county  from  the  northern  part  of  this  town.  A  feeder  to  this 
canal  extends  from  Boonville  village  to  the  village  of  Forestport.  The 
surface  of  the  town  is  uneven,  rising  in  places  in  considerable  hills. 
The  soil  is  generally  sandy  and  in  many  places  the  land  is  thickly  dot- 
ted with  great  boulders.  The  original  forest  in  this  region  was  princi- 
pally a  dense  growth  of  pine  and  spruce,  which  was  a  source  of  a  large 
lumber  industry  in  the  early  years  of  the  history  of  the  town. 

The  fact  that  the  Holland  Land  Company  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Oneida  county  at  an  early  day  has  already  been  recorded  in 
another  chapter  of  this  volume.  A  considerable  part  of  their  purchase 
lay  in  what  is  now  Boonville,  and  Gerrit  Boon  came  here  to  act  as  agent 
in  the  sale  of  the  company's  lands      From  him  the  town  took  its  name. 

Permanent  settlement  began  in  this  town  in  the  spring  of  1795  when 
Andrew  Edmunds  came  in  to  act  also  as  agent  in  the  sale  of  lands 
either  for  the  Holland  Company  direct  or  under  Mr.  Boon.  A  number 
of  men  were  employed  by  him  in  making  improvements,  among  which 
were  the  building  of  a  saw  mill  and  the  commencement  of  a  grist  mill. 
On  account  of  the  accidental  burning  of  the  quantity  of  lumber  intended 
for  the  latter  mill,  its  completion  was  delayed  until  the  following  spring. 

The  water  power  and  other  natural  features  of  the  locality  were  at- 
tractive to  settlers,  and  in  1796  quite  a  number  came  in.  Among  them 
were  Luke  Fisher  and  his  son,  Phineas.  Silas  and  Martin  Southwell, 
Asahel  and  Ezekiel  Porter  (who  located  on  the  west  hill),  Aaron  Will- 
ard  (who  settled  on  the  site  of  the  village),  Jacob  Springer,  Jeptha  King, 
Hezekiah  Jones  and  son,  a  Mr.  Stockwell  and  three  young  men  named 
King.  Many  of  these  were  employed  by  the  Holland  Company,  while 
others  selected  farms,  made  clearings  in  the  forest  and  began  the  erec- 
tion of  their  humble  homes. 

In  that  year  (1796)  the  Holland  Company  built  and  opened  a  store 
on  the  site  of  the  village,  which  was  the  first  one  in  the  town.  It  stood 
on  what  is  now  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Schuyler  streets,  was 
in  a  one  story  frame  building  and  was  kept  by  a  Mr.  Storms.  It  was 
afterwards  sold  to  Schuyler  &  Post  who  carried  on  business  there  more 
than  forty  years.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  the  company  built  a 
tavern  on  the  corner  on  the  site  of  the  stone   building  owned   in   recent 


398  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years  by  J.  M.  Lewis.  There  Capt.  Andrew  Edmunds  opened  the  first 
pubhc  house  in  the  town,  and  soon  around  these  pioneer  business  places 
gathered  the  nucleus  of  a  hamlet.  A  post-office  was  estabHshed  early 
and  Peter  Schuyler  was  probably  the  first  postmaster  ;  he  came  in  from 
New  Jersey  and  for  a  time  lived  in  Trenton.  In  early  years  a  mail 
post  route  extended  from  Utica  to  Ogdensburg.  Among  the  early  mail 
carriers  was  Jerry  Kingsbury  who  later  went  to  Alabama. 

Dr.  Samuel  Snow  settled  in  Boonville  about  1796  as  the  first  phy- 
sician. He  began  keeping  a  tavern  in  1808.  Small- pox  broke  out  in 
the  settlement  in  1799  and  Dr.  Snow  inoculated  many  for  the  disease. 
Other  very  early  physicians  were  Drs.  Samuel  Bass  and  Nathan   North. 

Aaron  Willard,  before  mentioned,  settled  on  or  near  the  village  site 
and  built  the  first  house  between  Boonville  and  Leyden  in  1796  ;  it  was 
replaced  by  a  frame  building  in  181 2.  Jacob  Rogers,  a  native  of  Ston- 
ington,  Conn  ,  and  later  from  Springfield,  Mass.,  brought  his  family  to 
Boonville  in  March,  1796;  he  was  a  shoemaker  and  tanner  and  had 
worked  for  the  Holland  Company  in  the  previous  year.  In  1799  he 
established  a  tannery  which  he  operated  several  years.  Ill  health  com- 
pelled him  to  give  up  the  business  and  he  settled  on  a  farm.  He  was 
prominently  connected  with  the  early  militia,  and  his  son  Julius  was 
born  in  the  village  in  1799  and  there  passed  his  long  life.  When  Jacob 
Rogers  first  came  in  John  Burgess  and  Hezekiah  Jones  were  occupying 
a  log  house,  and  he  stopped  with  them  until  his  own  rude  dwelling  was 
completed  ;  it  was  situated  on  Moose  Creek,  and  in  that  neighborhood  Mr. 
Rogers  built  his  tannery. 

Jotham  Snow  came  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  Boonville 
in  1804;  he  had  lived  in  Leyden  five  or  six  years  previously.  The  farm 
on  which  he  located  is  now  the  property  of  George  Tubbs.  His  son, 
S.  E.  Snow,  born  in  1804,  was  a  long-time  merchant  in  the  village. 

Deacon  John  Nichols  settled  within  the  limits  of  the  village  cor- 
poration about  1805,  on  the  farm  occupied  twenty  years  ago  by  Will- 
iam Higby,  which  is  now  leased  to  a  tenant.  Timothy  and  Thomas 
Jackson  located  here  about  1807;  Pelatiah  Ballon  was  also  an  early 
settler.  Elias  Kingsbury,  and  his  brothers,  John,  Jerry,  and  Elijah,  and 
their  cousin,  Archelaus  Kingsbury,  settled  in  the  town  within  about 
three  years  from  1796  ;  they  were  all  from  New  England.      Israel  Kings- 


THE  TOWN  OF  BOONVILLE.  399 

bury,  son  of  Elias,  long  a  respected  citizen  of  the  town,  as  also  were 
others  of  the  family. 

The  first  birth  of  a  white  child  in  what  is  now  Boonville  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Springer,  and  the  first  deaths  were  those  of  Mr.  Truman  and 
Mr.  Darrow  ;  it  is  not  positively  known  which  of  the  two  died  first.  The 
first  couple  married  were  Henry  Evans  and  Elizabeth  Edmunds,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  the  pioneer. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  town  was  not  settled  until  comparatively  re- 
cent years.  Jacob  Hayes  located  there  in  1823  on  the  farm  afterwards 
occupied  by  his  son  Jonas.  George  Hilts  settled  on  the  next  farm 
north,  and  Ahaz  Thayer  and  Ziba  Kingsbury  to  the  south. 

Levi  Hillman  was  an  early  settler  and  one  of  the  first  assessors. 
Elisha  Grant  was  another  pioneer  and  was  chosen  the  first  collector  of 
the  town.  Job  Fisk  and  John  Post  settled  prior  to  18 16  and  both  held 
the  ofiice  of  supervisor  in  early  years;  the  latter  located  in  the  village. 
The  names  of  many  other  prominent  citizens  will  appear  as  we  proceed. 

The  town  of  Boonville  was  erected  from  the  town  of  Leyden  March 
28,  1805.  Its  territory  was  originally  included  in  Whitestown,  from 
which  it  was  taken  to  form  a  part  of  Steuben,  and  in  1797  became  a 
part  of  Leyden.  The  first  town  meeting  for  Leyden  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Andrew  Edmunds  April  4,  1797,  and  the  following  officers 
elected,  among  whom  were  a  number  of  early  comers  to  what  later  was 
made  Boonville : 

Supervisor,  Andrew  Edmunds;  town  clerk,  John  Stormes;  assessors,  Asa  Brayton, 
Jacob  Rogers,  Phineas  Southwell;  constables  and  collectors,  Jared  Topping,  Levi 
Hillman  ;poormasters,  Bela  Hubbard,  Luke  Fisher;  commissioners  of  highways,  Asa 
Lord,  Reuben  King,  Elisha  Randal;  roadmasters,  Sheldon  Johnson,  Isaac  Southwell, 
Eliphalet  Edmunds,  Amasa  King,  Archelaus  Kingsbury ;  fence  viewers,  Lilly  Fisher, 
Asahel  Huff  (Hough?),  Timothy  Burgess;  poundmasters,  Charles  Otis,  Joshua 
Preston. 

Boonville  territory,  it  will  be  noticed,  got  most  of  the  officers.  The 
supervisors  of  Leyden  from  1797  to  1805  were  as  follows: 

1798,  Andrew  Edmunds;  1799,  Phineas  Southwell ;  1800,  Asa  Brayton  ;  1801,  Phineas 
Southwell;  1802,  Asa  Brayton;  1803,  Silas  Southwell;  1804  John  Dewey;  1805,  Peter 
Schuyler. 

The  usual  regulations  were  voted  in  the  early  town  meetings,  among 
them  being  a  ten  dollar  bounty  for  wolf  scalps  taken  on  the  west  side  of 


400  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Black   River,  and  six   cents  for  henhawks'    heads  ;  these  bounties  were 
voted  at  the  last  election  in  Leyden  before  Boonville  was  set  off. 

The  first  election  of  officers  for  Boonville  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Joseph  Dennini,^  April  22,  1805,  and  the  following  officers  were  chosen, 
the  list  embracing  several  pioneers  not  before  mentioned  : 

Supervisor,  Joseph  Rogers ;  town  clerk,  Aaron  Willard;  assessors,  Levi  Hillman, 
Jotham  Snow,  Isaac  Knight;  constable  and  collector,  Elisha  Grant;  poormasters, 
Luke  Fisher,  Job  Fisk;  commissioners  of  highways,  Pelatiah  Ballou,  Pliny  Morgan, 
Ebenezer  Wheeler;  fence  viewers,  Lebbeus  Ford,  Daniel  Buck,  Ebenezer  Wheeler; 
poundmaster,  Pliny  Morgan;  pathmasters,  George  Dibble,  John  G.  Post,  Isaac 
Knight,  Elijah  Kingsbury,  Josiah  Hurlburt,  Pelatiah  Ballou,  John  Combs,  Archelaus 
Kingsbury,  Benjamin  S.  Jones,  Abner  Wood,  Hezekiah  Turner. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  with  the  years  of 
their  election  from  its  organization  to  the  present  time  : 

1806,  Peter  Schuyler;  1807,  Job  Fisk;  1808-9,  John  Post;  1810-21,  Martin  Southwell ; 
1832-24,  John  Dewey;  1825,  Martin  Southwell;  1826-29,  Henry  Graves;  1830,  John 
Dewey;  1831-36,  Henry  Graves:  1837-39,  Philip  M.  Schuyler;  1840^4,  Stephen  Ward; 
1845-46,  William  S.  Jackson;  1847-51,  Nelson  C.  Grant ;  1852-53,  William  S.  Jackson; 
1854,  Joseph  R.  Tharratt;  1855-56,  William  II.  Cole;  1857-58,  J.  Earl  Hurlbert;  1859, 
Justus  V.  Kent;  1860,  Griffith  J.  Griffiths;  1861,  Joseph  R.  Tharratt;  1S62-64,  George 
B.  Anderson;  1865-67,  Samuel  Johnson ;  1868-69,  Evan  J.  Evans;  1870-71,  Nathaniel 
Sargent;  1872,  Robert  Wilson;  1873,  Samuel  Johnson;  1874-75,   Robert  H.  Roberts 
1876-78,  H.  Dwight  Grant;    1879-80-81-82,   Job  W.    Fisk;  1883,  Charles  N.   Bush 
1884-85,  Francis  A.  Willard;  1886-87,  G.  Clinton  Ward;  1888-89-90,  W.  W.  Roberts 
1891-92-93-94-95,  Elbridge  Palmer;  1896,  H.  Dwight  Grant. 

The  situation  of  Boonville  in  such  that  the  inhabitants  at  the  time  of 
the  war  of  181 2  felt  the  deepest  interest  in  that  conflict.  This  fact  is 
indicated  by  the  following  proceedings  which  took  place  at  a  special 
town  meeting  held  July  18,  1812  : 

Voted,  That  the  town  of  Boonville  send  to  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York 
for  arms  and  ammunition. 

Voted,  That  the  surplus  moneys  in  the  hands  of  the  town  clerk,  amounting  to 
seventeen  dollars  and  sixty-eight  cents,  shall  be  appropriated  to  pay  the  expense  of 
transporting  arms  and  ammunition. 

Voted,  That  Captain  Ebenezer  Wheeler,  Lieutenant  George  Manchester,  Pelatiah 
Ballou,  Ezra  Adams,  and  Peter  Schuyler,  Esqs.,  be  a  committee  to  carry  the  above- 
mentioned  business  into  effect. 

The  patriotism  thus  displayed  was  again  active  when  the  government 
was  threatened  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  No  town  in  Oneida  county 
was  more  active  and  enthusiastic  in  supplying  volunteers  for  the  army, 
and  Boonville  village  was  made  the   rendezvous  of  the  97th  Regiment. 


WALTER   BALL.OU. 


THE  TOWN  OF  BOONVILLE.  401 

The  building  of  the  Black  River  Canal  and  the  Black  River  Railroad, 
both  of  which  pass  through  this  town,  gave  it  an  impetus  in  growth,  as 
well  as  shipping  facilities  that  have  been  of  great  benefit.  The  farming 
community  has  kept  pace  with  other  localities  in  the  county  and  tilled 
the  lands  with  a  fair  degree  of  profit.  In  recent  years  dairying  has 
been  brought  forward  successfully  and  numerous  cheese  factories  con- 
tribute to  the  large  gross  product  of  the  county. 

A  general   act   for    the    incorporation   of  villages    was  passed  by  the 

State  Legislature,  December  7,  1847,  ^"*^  the  village  of  Boonville  was 

incorporated  under  the  provisions  of  this  act  in  1855,  with  the  following 

described  boundaries,  viz.: 

Commencing  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Elisha  Scovil's  land  (in  the  said  town  of 
Boonville),  and  running  thence  south  two  degrees  west  3718  feet  to  the  centre  of  the 
street  designated  on  the  map  accompanying  the  petition  as  Ford  Street;  thence 
south  18"  24'  east  2583  feet;  thence  south  85°  41'  east  5693  feet  to  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  William  Higby's  land;  thence  north  4"  15'  east  1412  feet  to  the  centre  of  the 
Boonville  Plank-Road,  or  Main  Street  on  said  road;  thence  north  84°  2'  west  811  feet; 
thence  north  two  degrees  east  4505  feet  to  the  northeast  corner  of  W.  Tuttle's  saw- 
mill lot ;  thence  north  88°  west  5973  feet  to  the  place  of  beginning,  containing  Eight 
Hundred  Fifty-two  and  4-10  acres  of  land. 

The  following  were  elected  the  first  president  and  board  of  trustees, 
of  the  village  in  1855:  William  Higby,  president ;  Archibald  Bamber, 
Joseph  R.  Tharratt,  James  Hyland,  Charles  N.  Bass. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  from   its  incorporation  down 

to  the  present  time  : 

1855,  WiUiam  Higby;  1850,  Charles  N.  Bass;  1857,  Lewis  Holdridge;  1858,  Will- 
iam F.  Owens;  1860,  James  Hyland;  1861,  Thomas  N.  Manchester;  1862,  Thomas 
Bamber;  1863,  Archibald  Bamber;  1864,  Job  W.  Fisk;  1865,  Charles  N.  Bass;  1866- 
67,  Chauncey  W.  Colton ;  1868,  J.  R.  Tharratt ;  1869,  Walter  Ballou ;  1870.  J.  F. 
Manchester;  1871,  Walter  Booth;  1872,  Williams  F.  Owens;  1873,  Joseph  R.  Thar- 
ratt; 1874,  Henry  W.  Bentley;  1875,  Ephraim  Owen;  1876,  Henry  McCluskey;  1877, 
Henry  McCluskey;  1878  William  Comstock;  1879,  W.  Ray  Tanner;  1880-81,  Robert 
H.  Roberts;  1882-83,  Charles  F.  Rice;  1884-85,  David  Karlen;  1886,  George  M. 
Sawyer;  1887,  Walter  Ballou;  1888,  James  H.  Capron;  1889-90-91,  Henry  W.  Bent- 
ley;  1892,  John  Ready;  1893-94,  Edgar  Hughes;  1895,  Jerry  Buckley;  1896,  Frank 
W.  Smith. 

Boonville  village  has  long  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  active  and  enterprising  places  in  this  county.  Its  situation  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  and  prosperous  farming  district  and   its  position  as  the 

51 


402  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

business  center  of  many  small  villages  and  hamlets  supplied  it  long  ago 
with  elements  of  growth  and  prosperity  peculiar  to  itself 

Following  the  establishment  of  the  first  business  interests  here,  which 
have  been  described,  the  erection  of  the  well  known  Hulbert  House 
took  place  in  1819  by  Ephraim  Owens.  About  twenty  years  later  it 
was  purchased  by  Richard  Hulbert,  who  raised  the  substantial  stone 
structure  another  story  and  added  considerably  to  it  on  the  west  side.  It 
has  ever  since  been  a  noted  hostelry  and  has  satisfactorily  catered  to 
thousands  of  guests.  The  house  was  taken  in  April,  1883,  by  George 
Beck  who  succeeded  George  May.  The  Park  Hotel  was  built  by 
George  Marcy  ;  it  is  now  the  property  of  Charles  Pratt  and  is  leased  to 
Dennis  Leary.  The  Central  Hotel  was  built  by  Matthew  Siter,  and  is 
owned  and  conducted  by  Jerry  Buckley.  The  American  Hotel  is 
owned  by  Mrs.  Jacobs,  whose  husband  built  it,  and  is  leased  to  George 
Youngs. 

About  the  year  18 17  Ephraim  Owens  built  a  saw  mill  and  a  grist 
mill  on  Mill  Creek  about  on  the  site  where  the  Sargent  mill  and  chair 
factory  now  stand.  The  old  grist  mill  was  long  ago  taken  down  and- 
the  name  Boonville  Mills  which  it  and  the  small  mill  bore  has  been 
transferred  to  the  Boonville  Mills  now  owned  by  Mrs.  M.  J.  Davis 
widow  of  William  Davis.  In  1878  S.  C.  Thompson  &  Co.  built  a  steam 
flouring  mill  which  they  have  operated  ever  since.  A  third  grist  mill  is 
conducted  by  A.  H.  Barber. 

A  foundry  and  machine  shop  was  established  in  i850by  Titus  Powers 
who  soon  afterward  sold  out  to  Holdridge  &  Gilbert.  It  afterwards 
passed  to  Gilbert  &  Sawyer  and  finally  closed  up.  Norton  &  Avery 
established  a  saw  and  planing  mill  in  1875,  in  which  business  is  now 
conducted  by  Lewis  Siter.  The  firm  of  Norton  &  Avery  had  carried 
on  the  same  business  in  an  earlier  mill  south  of  the  village,  which  was 
burned. 

A  tannery  was  established  about  1824  by  Ephraim  Owens,  sr..  who 
did  so  much  for  the  advancement  of  the  industrial  interests  of  the  vil- 
lage. This  tannery  changed  hands  several  times  and  in  1849  passed  to 
Samuel  Johnson,  who  carried  on  the  business  many  years  The  tan- 
nery was  situated  on  Mill  Creek  and  subsequently  burned. 

A  tub,  churn    and   barrel   factory  was   built  by  J.  L.  Mather  on   Mill 


^ 


G.  A.  WILLARD. 


THE  TOWN  OF  BOONVILLB.  403 

Creek  many  years  ago  and  later  was  sold  to  W.  R.  Davis.  He  carried 
on  the  business  several  years  and  transferred  it  to  Jeremiah  Lints,  who 
continues  the  business. 

Many  years  ago  a  foundry  was  established  by  C.  H.  Jillson.  It  was 
changed  into  a  sash  and  blind  factory  which  was  operated  by  John  M. 
Fisk,  who  carried  on  the  manufacture  several  years,  and  in  1868  trans- 
ferred it  to  Rice  Brothers  ;   it  is  now  operated  by  C.  F.  Rice. 

A  large  wagon  factory  was  established  in  1830  by  Burton  Tuttle  in 
the  building  now  occupied  for  the  same  business  by  E.  L  Woolley,  who 
succeeded  the  firm  of  Tanner  &  Woolley.  Other  firms  who  carried  on 
the  business  there  were  Noyes  &  Whiting  and  Fisk  &  Burgess.  Tanner 
&  Woolley  took  the  business  in  1857. 

What  is  now  the  chair  factory  of  Sargent  Brothers  was  established  by 
their  father,  N.  M.  Sargent,  in  185  i,  on  Mill  Creek,  for  the  manufacture 
of  wooden  chairs. 

Among  the  prominent  merchants  of  the  past  were  Archibald  Bamber, 
William  F.  Owen,  William  H.  Cole,  John  M.  Lewis  and  Thomas  Man- 
chester, all  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  John  and  Philip  Owens,  Joel 
T.  Comstock,  Owens  &  Diefendorf,  and  Nicholas  Schweinsberg.  Dr. 
Samuel  Bass  dealt  in  drugs  many  years  ago,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son.  The  oldest  merchants  of  the  present  are  Edward  Richards,  Job  W. 
Fisk  and  Eaton  Snow.  The  village  has  at  the  present  time  about  thirty 
merchants  of  all  kinds. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Boonville  was  the  Boonville  Ledger, 
which  was  started  by  James  H.  Norton  in  March,  1852,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  E.  Kent.  In  March,  1855,  the  establishment  was  purchased 
by  L.  C.  Childs  &  Co.,  who  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to  the  Black 
River  Herald  and  published  it  until  March  8,  1862,  when  they  sold  to 
H.  P.  Willard.  He  successfully  conducted  the  business  and  ultimately 
took  in  partnership  his  two  sons,  Francis  A.  and  Garry  A.  Just  before 
the  death  of  H.  P.  Willard,  the  sons  assumed  the  establishment  and 
carried  on  the  business  as  Willard  Brothers.  In  1891  Gary  bought  his 
brother's  interest  and  has  since  conducted  the  paper  alone.  While  un- 
der the  management  of  Mr.  Willard  he  changed  the  name  of  the  paper 
to  the  Boonville  Herald  and  it  so  continues.  The  Herald  is  a  progressive 
and  able  country  weekly,  independent  with  Republican  leaning,  and 
enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  public. 


404  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Boonville  Record  was  founded  August  15,  1892,  by  C.J.  Don- 
nelly. He  published  the  paper  until  November  22,  1895,  when  it  was 
purchased  by  Harry  H.  Griffith  and  I.  Gilbert  Sawyer,  both  of  whom 
are  practical  printers  and  enterprising  and  successful  editors  and  pub- 
lishers.    The  Record  is  Democratic  in  politics. 

The  earliest  schools  in  this  town  were  undoubtedly  taught  at  the 
village.  The  first  one  of  which  there  is  definite  knowledge  was  taught 
here  by  Miss  Lydia  Buckley,  afterwards  Mrs.  John  Post.  This  was 
about  1802  and  the  school  was  in  a  private  house  at  the  corner  of 
Schuyler  and  Post  streets.  A  log  school  house  was  built  about  1807  on 
what  is  now  West  street,  where  a  Mr.  Higby,  from  Turin,  and  Nathan 
Wheeler  taught  in  early  years.  Before  this  school  building  was  erected 
a  frame  structure  had  been  built  for  the  joint  use  of  a  school  and  town 
hall  purposes.  This  building  was  afterwards  burned.  In  1817a  stone 
school  house  was  erected  near  the  site  of  S.  C.  Thompson  &  Co.'s  bank. 
In  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  was  an  early  log  school  house,  built 
about  1822,  and  in  that  part  a  frame  school  house  was  erected  a  little 
later  and  was  afterward  removed  to  near  Hawkinsville.  In  Boonville 
village  a  stone  school  building  was  erected  previous  to  1850  The  Un- 
ion Free  School  district  was  established  in  1879  and  the  excellent  school 
is  now  under  Charles  H.  Warfield,  principal,  with  nine  assistants.  The 
town  now  has  eighteen  school  districts  with  a  school  house  in  each. 

It  is  not  known  just  when  the  first  provision  was  made  for  protection 
against  fires  in  the  village,  but  it  was  very  early.  A  fire  company  was 
organized  and  Cataract  engine  purchased.  In  September,  1856,  the  cor- 
poration purchased  of  the  company  this  engine  and  all  apparatus  and 
property  for  $1,560.  In  the  same  year  an  engine  house  was  built  and 
two  reservoirs  constructed.  The  property  of  the  fire  department  now 
consists  of  the  old  engine,  one  steam  fire  engine,  a  hook  and  ladder 
apparatus,  with  ample  hose  and  other  appurtenances.  Efficient  com- 
panies have  charge  of  each  of  these  divisions. 

Boonville  is  amply  supplied  with  banking  facilities.  The  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Boonville  was  established  as  the  Bank  of  Boonville  in 
1866,  with  a  capital  of  $75,000.  J.  R.  Tharratt  has  been  president  of 
the  institution  from  its  organization. 

S.  C.  Thompson  &  Co.'s  Bank  was  founded  at  Constableville,  Lewis 


THE  TOWN  OF  BOONVILLE.  405 

county,  in  June,  1867,  by  Schuyler  C.  Thompson,  and  was  removed  to 
Boonville  in  1872.  The  members  of  the  company  are  S.  C.  Thompson, 
S.  A.  Johnson  and  E.  S.  Thompson. 

The  Boonville  Union  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  in  1871  and 
leased  the  grounds  of  the  Boonville  Driving  Park  Association  (which 
was  organized  in  the  previous  year),  and  for  a  number  of  years  it  held 
fairs  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  success  ;  but  the  organization  ultimately 
declined  and  finally  went  out  of  existence.  In  1888  the  Boonville  Fair 
Association  was  formed  as  a  stock  company  and  has  since  held  success- 
ful annual  fairs. 

Boonville  village  has  within  the  past  few  years  been  especially  fav- 
ored through  the  benefaction  of  one  of  its  former  citizens,  Cornelius  B. 
Erwin.  He  was  born  in  the  village  but  left  before  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority, finally  locating  in  New  Britain,  Conn.,  where  he  organized  the 
great  firm  of  Russell,  Erwin  &  Co.,  and  accumulated  a  fortune.  Upon 
his  death  he  left  a  will  which  bequeathed  $10,000  to  an  association  to 
be  formed  under  State  laws  for  a  public  library  building;  $2,500  for  a 
library,  and  $18,000  as  a  maintenance  fund.  In  1886  the  Erv/in  Library 
and  Institute  was  organized  with  John  M.  Whipple,  Robert  H.  Roberts, 
Frank  A.  Willard,  Leander  W.  Fiske,  and  William  Bamber  directors 
and  trustees  of  the  fund.  In  1890  a  building  was  erected  in  native 
limestone,  at  a  cost  of  over  thirteen  thousand  dollars.  In  1891  a  library 
was  purchased  and  now  a  free  public  library  with  a  public  reading  room 
is  maintained  with  an  annual  circulation  of  over  six  thousand  books. 

Besides  these  inestimable  gifts,  Mr.  Erwin  gave  $20,000  to  the  vil- 
lage for  improvements  of  its  park  :  $10,000  to  the  cemetery  association  ; 
$10,000  to  the  Baptist  church,  and  $5,000  to  the  Presbyterian  church. 
These  funds  have  been,  or  are  being,  judiciously  expended  to  the  great 
benefit  of  the  place. 

The  little  village  of  Hawkinsville  had  its  inception  in  the  settlement 
about  1824  of  Sterry  Hawkins,  David  Porter,  and  Moses  Johnson,  who 
joined  in  the  building  of  a  saw  mill  on  Black  River.  In  the  next  year 
they  built  a  grist  mill.  The  saw  mill  was  destroyed  in  a  freshet  in  1869. 
A  carding  mill  was  established  about  1830  by  Stephen  Hawkins,  which 
ceased  operations  many  years  ago.  Alexander  Murray  built  a  tavern 
several  years  after  the  first  settlements  were  made  on  the  site  of  the  later 


406  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mechanics'  Hotel.  Piatt  Rogers,  a  shoemaker,  settled  about  the  same 
time  with  the  others  named  and  was  succeeded  in  his  business  by 
Simeon  Hayes.  The  post-office  here  was  opened  not  far  from  1850, 
with  Sterry  Hawkins  postmaster.  A  chair  factory  was  built  and  oper- 
ated first  by  Jacob  Hilts  and  Sterry  Hawkins  ;  it  has  passed  through 
various  hands,  and  is  now  operated  on  a  small  scale  A  large  tannery 
was  established  east  of  the  village  in  1852  by  William  Anderson's  sons. 
For  many  years  it  did  a  large  business  and  was  last  operated  by  George 
Anderson.  The  first  regular  store  was  opened  about  1838  by*  Whitman 
Buck,  though  goods  had  been  sold  in  temporary  places  before  that  time. 
He  was  succeeded  later  by  D.  Hayes.  The  present  merchant  is  Oscar 
Hayes.  The  Union  Hotel  was  built  in  1867  by  Matthias  Munz,  who 
kept  it  a  number  of  years.  The  general  business  of  the  place  has  de- 
clined in  late  years. 

Alder  Creek  is  a  hamlet  and  post-office  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
town,  with  a  station  about  a  mile  distant  on  the  railroad.  The  business 
interests  at  this  point  have  always  been  small,  and  at  the  present  time 
a  store  is  kept  by  R.  J.  Helmer,  and  another  by  John  McClusky.  The 
hotel  is  kept  by  G.  S.  Thurston. 

The  first  religious  society  organized  in  Roonville  was  called  the  Con- 
gregational church  of  Boonville,  which  was  formed  in  1805  through  the 
efforts  of  Rev.  David  or  Daniel  Smith,  a  missionary.  At  a  later  date  it 
took  the  Presbyterian  form.  The  frame  church  was  built  about  1861, 
previous  to  which  year  services  were  held  in  the  old  Union  church 
erected  in  1827.  The  church  has  been  much  improved  in  recent  years 
and  is  in  a  properous  condition. 

The  Boonville  Baptist  church  was  organized  February  3,  18 10,  by 
Elder  John  Upfold,  with  seventeen  members.  The  first  pastor  was  El- 
der Timothy  Day.  Up  to  1826  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  village 
school  house  or  in  private  dwellings  ;  in  that  year  a  frame  church  was 
erected,  which  was  used  until  displaced  in  1866  by  the  present  brick 
edifice. 

The  Methodist  society  at  Boonville  was  organized  about  1820  In 
1827  a  union  church  was  built  by  the  Presbyterians,  Methodists  and 
Universalists.  Some  years  later  the  Methodists  disposed  of  their  inter- 
est to  the  Presbyterians   and  about  1836  built  their  frame  church  ;   this 


R.   J.   HELMER. 


THE  TOWN  OF  BRIDG-EWATEK.  407 

was  used  until  1873,  when  the  present  brick  edifice  was  erected.  The 
old  church  is  now  in  use  for  stores  and  a  printing-office.  There  is  also 
a  small  Methodist  society  at  Langsing  Kill. 

The  German  Lutheran  church  at  Boonville  was  organized  in  1869 
with  Rev.  Mr.  Heinle  as  pastor  and  only  five  members.  The  first 
frame  church  was  leased  in  1872,  the  meetings  previous  to  that  being 
held  in  halls.      A  church  has  been  erected  in  recent  years. 

Trinity  Episcopal  church  of  Boonville  was  organized  as  a  parish 
about  1855  by  Rev.  Edward  H.  Jewett.  who  was  the  first  rector.  The 
present  brick  church  edifice  was  erected  within  a  few  years. 

There  is  a  Roman  Catholic  society  at  Boonville,  which  has  erected  a 
frame  church,  and  another  at  Hawkinsville  which  was  organized  and 
built  its  church  about  i860. 

The  German  Lutheran  church  at  Hawkinsville  was  organized  about 
i860  and  its  church  erected  in  the  next  year.  The  original  member- 
ship was  forty  with  Rev.  Mr.  Classen  pastor. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Hawkinsvillle  was  organized  about 
1866,  and  built  a  frame  church  soon  afterward. 

There  is  a  Presbyterian  church  at  Alder  Creek,  which  has  a  frame 
church  and  has  kept  up  its  meetings  and  been  supplied  by  pastors  from 
Forestport  and  elsewhere  The  church  used  many  years  ago  by  a  Bap- 
tist society  here,  passed  to  the  Methodists, 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  TOWN  OF  BRIDGEWATER. 

Although  it  is  the  smallest  town  in  Oneida  county,  containing  only 
14,820  acres  and  containing  the  least  number  of  inhabitants,  its  settle- 
ment in  Bridgewater  began  within  five  years  after  Hugh  White  took  up 
his  residence  in  Whitestown.  Bridgewater  is  in  the  extreme  southeast 
corner  of  the  county  and  was  formed  from  Sangerfield  March  24,  1797, 
seven  years  after  the  first  settlement  was  made.  The  accompanying 
map  shows  that  its  eastern  portion  was  a  part  of  the  Bayard  patent,  de- 


408  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

scribed  in  Chapter  X ;  its  western  part  a  portion  of  town  20  of  the 
Chenango  Twenty  Towns,  while  a  small  diagonal  tract  in  the  northern- 
central  part  was  in  Coxe's  patent.  The  headwaters  of  the  Unadilla 
River  flow  through  the  central  part  of  the  town  and  receive  numerous 
tributaries.  The  valley  of  this  stream  is  about  a  mile  wide  toward  the 
north  part,  narrowing  as  it  extends  southward.  The  surface  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  town  is  broken  and  hilly,  the  elevations  rising  in  the  east 
and  the  west  to  from  500  to  600  feet  above  the  valley.  The  soil  in  the 
east  part  is  rich  gravelly  loam  and  in  the  west  is  clay.  Limestone  is 
quarried  to  some  extent  in  the  northeast  part.  Cedar  swamp  exists 
along  some  of  the  streams. 

The  date  of  first  settlement  in  Bridgewater  is  in  slight  dispute.  Judge 
Jones  gives  the  following  version  in  his  "Annals:  " 

In  March,  1789,  Farwell,  in  company  with  Ephraim  Waldo  and  Nathan  Waldo, 
removed  their  families  from  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  to  Farwell's  Hill.  They  came 
by  way  of  Albany,  up  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  to  Whitesborough,  and  from  thence 
by  the  way  of  Paris  Hill  to  Bridgewater.  From  Paris  Hill  they  were  obliged  to 
make  their  road  as  they  progressed,  following  a  line  of  marked  trees.  Their  team 
consisted  of  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  horse,  and  the  vehicle  an  ox-sled.  They  arrived 
on  the  4th  of  March.  The  snow  at  this  time  was  about  one  and  a  half  feet  deep, 
but  soon  increased  to  the  depth  of  four  feet.  They  had  two  cows,  which,  with  the 
oxen  and  horse,  subsisted  until  the  snow  left  upon  browse  alone.  Upon  their  arrival 
they  erected  a  shanty  in  the  most  primeval  style.  Four  crotches  set  in  the  ground, 
with  a  roof  of  split  bass  wood  overlaid  with  hemlock  boughs,  with  siding  composed 
of  coverlets  and  blankets  formed  the  first  dwelling-house  ever  erected  in  the  town 
of  Bridgewater.  The  three  families  continued  in  this  miserable  apology  for  a  house 
until  midsummer,  when  two  of  them,  having  more  comfortable  dwellings  provided, 
removed  to  them,  while  the  other  remained  for  a  year.  Farwell's  home  was  of  logs, 
built  upon  the  hill  where  he  commenced  the  previous  season.  About  three  years 
afterwards  he  erected  the  first  frame  house  in  town. 

On  another  hand,  Charlotte  Ives  made  the  following  statement  to  the 

editor  of  the  Evarts  history  of  the  county  in  1877-78  : 

In  1789  Jesse  and  Joel  Ives,  cousins,  came  to  this  town  to  look  for  land,  and  selected 
the  place  northwest  of  the  village  of  Bridgewater,  upon  which  Miss  Ives  now  re- 
sides. These  men  were  under  21  years  of  age  at  the  time  and  unmarried.  In  1790 
they  came  back  to  their  claim  and  made  a  clearing  upon  it  of  twelve  acres,  and 
erected  a  log  house  In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  Thomas  Brown  located  on  the 
site  of  Bridgewater  village,  where  he  built  the  first  log  house  in  town,  and  was  the 
first  actual  settler  within  its  limits.  With  him  came  his  wife,  and  Miss  Margaret 
Lines,  and  Joseph  Farwell.  In  1791  the  first  frame  houses  in  town  were  built  by  Joel 
and  Jesse  Ives.     Those  erected  by  the  former  have  long  since   succumbed  to  the 


THE  TOWN  OF  BRTDGEWATER.  ,        409 

beating  of  the  elements:  the  barn  built  by  Jesse  Ives  is  still  standing,  and  the  kitchen 
of  his  old  house  is  now  the  front  part  of  the  dwelling  of  Miss  C.  Ives.  It  has  been 
somewhat  i-emodeled.  Before  the  Cherry  Valley  road  was  constructed  the  highway 
passed  between  Jesse  Ives'  house  and  barn.  The  last-named  person  removed  to 
Whitesboro'  April  1,  1800,  just  ten  years  after  he  had  located  on  his  place  in  Bridge- 
water.  He  retained  the  old  place,  and  in  1832  removed  back  to  it,  but  returned  to 
Whitesboro  in  1845.  He  died  in  1802,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  Joel  Ives  died  on  his  place 
in  1804.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Julia  Scott,  is  now  living  at  the  village  with  her  son, 
Willard  J.  Scott. 

Abner  Ives,  a  younger  brother  of  Jesse,  came  a  year  or  two  after  the  others  had 
settled,  he  being  married  at  the  time.  When  the  Ives  family  came  they  made  the 
trip  from  Connecticut  on  sleds  drawn  by  oxen,  and  were  but  scantily  supplied  with 
the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life. 

Other  residents  of  the  town  have  asserted  that  the  Waldo  famihes  did 
not  come  into  the  town  until  about  1793,  which  is  directly  in  contradic- 
tion of  Judge  Jones.  These  differences  in  dates  cannot  now  be  settled 
any  more  conclusively. 

Ezra  Parker  settled  very  early  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  and 
opened  his  house  as  a  tavern.  A  Mr.  Lyman  came  in  about  the  same 
time,  and  a  few  years  later  erected  a  frame  structure  in  which  was  after- 
wards kept  a  tavern  long  known  as  Parkhurst's  Tavern.  The  building 
is  yet  standing  at  North  Bridgewater. 

According  to  the  Annals,  Major  Farwell  in  1790  built  a  saw  mill  on 
the  west  branch  of  the  Unadilla  about  three- fourths  of  a  mile  below  its 
junction  with  the  Tianadara  Creek  ;  it  was  doubtless  the  first  saw  mill 
in  town.  In  1792  Ephraim  Waldo  built  a  store  and  a  blacksmith  shop 
on  Farwell's  Hill,  which  were  also  the  first  of  the  kind  in  town.  A 
grist  mill  was  erected  the  same  year  by  a  Mr.  Thomas. 

As   early   as    1797    a   school    house   was  built  a  mile  north  of  North 

Bridgewater,  near  the  tavern  of  Ezra  Parker,  where  the  first  school  was 

taught  by  a  man    whose   name   is  lost   in   the   past.      Schools  were  also 

opened  very  early  in  the  Farwell  neighborhood,  and    elsewhere   in   the 

town,  as  would  be  expected    from   a  knowledge   of  the  character   and 

former  homes  of  the  pioneers.     The  town  has  now  eight  school  districts, 

with  a  school  house  in  each.      So,  also,  we  would  look  for  early  churches. 

The  Congregational  society  was  organized  March  8,  1798,  with  thirteen 

members,  which  must  have  included  almost  the    whole  settlement.      A 

church  was  built  in  1805  two  miles  north  of  the  village  near  the  center 
52 


410  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  town.      Meetings  were  held  there  until  1834  when  a  division  took 
place,  as  noted  further  on. 

The  first  town  meeting  followed  closely  upon  the  town  organization 
and  was  held  April  4,  1797,  at  the  house  of  Col.  Thomas  Convers,  as 
stated  in  the  records.  There  the  following  officers  were  elected,  the  list 
embracing  a  number  of  additional  settlers  who  must  have  located  in  the 
town  before  the  beginning  of  the  century  : 

Supervisor,  Thomas  Brown,  esq.  ;  town  clerk,  Aaron  Morse;  assessors,  James  Kin- 
nee,  esq.,  Eldad  Corbit,  and  William  Morgan;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Ezra  Parker, 
John  W.  Brown,  and  Alexander  Tackles;  road  commissioners,  Levi  Carpenter,  jr.. 
Job  Tyler,  and  James  Benham,  jr.  ;  constable,  John  Mitchell;  school  commissioners, 
Asher  Flint,  Thomas  Brown,  esq.,  and  Jonathan  Porter;  collector,  John  Mitchell; 
fence  viewers,  Ebenezer  Barker,  Joseph  Moore,  Abijah  Babcock. 

The  usual  town  laws  were  adopted  for  the  simple  government  of  the 
community,  among  them  being  one  for  the  building  of  a  pound  *'  near 
the  house  of  Epaphras  Moody.  Chose  Joseph  Moore  trustee  and  com- 
mittee to  build  such  pound,  and  likewise  pound  keeper."  The  town 
meeting  for  1798  was  held  at  the  house  of  Asher  Bull.  On  the  ist  of 
March  of  that  year  the  following  persons  paid  $5  each  for  inn  keepers' 
licenses:  John  W.  Brown,  Timothy  Andrews,  Ezra  Paiker,  and  Joseph 
Farwell.  The  following  list  gives  the  names  of  all  the  supervisors  of  the 
town  from  the  beginning  and,  of  course,  includes  many  of  the  early 
prominent  citizens : 

1798-1800,  James  Kinnee,  esq.;  1801-3,  Job  Tyler;  1808,  Asher  Flint;  1804-6, 
Peabody  Fitch;  1807-13,  Daniel  Rindge ;  1814,  Samuel  Jones,  jr.;  1815-17,  Willard 
Crafts;  1818,  Oliver  Brown;  1819-21,  Samuel  Jones;  1822,  Willard  Crafts;  1823, 
Sardius  Denslow^  1824,  James  A.  Rhodes;  1825-26,  Sardius  Denslow;  18i7,  Willard 
Crafts;  1828,  Samuel  Jones;  1829,  Peleg  Brown;  1830-31,  Absalom  L.  Groves;  1832- 
35,  Laurens  Hull;  1836,  Levi  Carpenter ;  1837,  Peleg  Brown;  1838,  Theodore  Page; 
1839,  JohnF.  Trowbridge;  1840,  James  A.  Rhodes;  1841-42.  Peleg  Brown;  1843-44, 
Ohver  R.  Babcock;  1845,  Oliver  B.  Brown;  1846,  Milton  Converse;  1847,  John  South- 
worth;  1848,  Everett  Lewis;  1849,  Samuel  De  Wolf ;  1850,  Elisha  Baker;  1851-54, 
Peleg  B.  Babcock;  1855,  Nehemiah  N.  Peirce,  1856,  Elisha  B.  Brown;  1857,  William 
N.  Southworth ;  1858-60,  Peter  B.  Crandall ;  1861-2,  Albert  A.  Steele ;  1863-64,  Milton 
Converse;  1865-6,  J.  Jerome  Budlong;  1867-69,  Nehemiah  N  Peirce;  1870-71,  Albert 
N.  Bort;  1872,  William  Foote;  1873-4,  A.  N.  Bort;  1875,  Gould  H.  Parkhurst;  187f- 
77,  Newton  Sholes;  1879-80,  Wm.  N.  Southwick ;  1881-82,  Nehemiah  N.  Peirce; 
1883-4;  Geo.  W.  Palmer;  1885,  Samuel  Williams;  1886-7,  David  S.  Wood;  1888,  Geo. 
N.  Greenman;  1889-90,  Robert  J.  Williams;  1891,  Henry  Robinson;  1892.  Chas.  D. 
Woodworth ;  1893-95,  Henry  Sarn ;  1896,  Wm.  Walsh. 


THE  TOWN  OF  BRIDGEWATER.  411 

Among  other  early  settlers  in  the  town  was  Frederick  Peirce,  father 
of  Nehemiah  N.  Peirce,  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  town,  who 
came  from  Mansfield,  Conn.,  originally,  and  settled  in  Bridgewater  in 
1796.  He  was  then  unmarried  and  accompanied  a  family  named  Gurley, 
with  whom  he  lived  for  a  time  ;  their  home  was  a  little  north  of  Bridge- 
water  village.  Mr.  Peirce  practiced  surveying  and  was  one  of  the  early 
justices  of  the  peace  ;   he  laid  out  many  of  the  early  roads. 

Abraham  Monroe  was  an  early  settler  and  kept  a  public  house  on  the 
place  owned  in  recent  years  by  John  Tuckerman.  Stewart  Bennett,  a 
blacksmith  located  on  the  well  known  Kirkland  farm  which  he  sold  to 
Stephen  Kirkland,  who  came  from  Saybrook,  Conn.,  in  July,  1816. 
There  was  then  a  small  frame  house  on  the  place ;  it  was  occupied  long 
by  the  two  brothers,  Asa  P.  and  Nathaniel  Kirkland. 

Asa  and  Oliver  Babcock,  from  North  Stonington,  Conn.,  were  among 
the  first  settlers  on  the  hill  which  took  its  name  from  them.  Asa  came 
in  1797  and  located  on  the  farm  in  the  edge  of  Paris  afterwards  owned 
by  George  Chapman,  and  adjoining  the  one  in  Bridgewater  whereon 
Oliver  Babcock  settled  in  1799.  Martin  Babcock,  a  younger  brother, 
came  in  1807  and  settled  on  the  farm  afterwards  occupied  by  his  son, 
C.  H.  Babcock.  Roland  Stiles  had  settled  prior  and  made  improve- 
ments on  that  farm.  Martin  and  Oliver  Babcock  served  in  the  war  of 
181 2,  the  former  at  Ogdensburg  and  the  latter  at  Sackett's  Harbor. 

Major  Anthony  Rhodes,  father  of  James  A.  Rhodes,  came  into  this 
town  in  the  summer  of  1791  and  purchased  of  Judge  Sanger  500  acres 
of  land,  a  part  of  which  his  son  subsequently  occupied.  After  building 
a  log  shanty  on  his  place,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  North  Stonington, 
Conn.,  and  in  the  next  year  made  his  permanent  settlement  in  Bridge- 
water.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution.  His  son  was  born  in 
1790  and  passed  a  long  and  honorable  life  in  this  town. 

Major  Rhodes'  wife  used  to  relate  the  circumstances  which  induced  her  husband 
and  herself  to  remove  to  this  town.  Her  brother,  Captain  Oliver  Babcock,  came  this 
way  at  some  time  during  the  Revoiutidn  with  a  small  band  of  Connecticut  soldiers. 
They  proceeded  from  Schenectady  to  what  is  known  as  the  "  Carr  Farm,"  in  Otsego 
county,  and  thence  up  the  Unadilla  and  down  the  Oriskany  to  Fort  Stanwix.  On 
the  way  they  camped  on  the  very  ground  which  was  afterwards  selected  by  Major 
Rhodes  for  a  home.  Captain  Babcock  mentioned  the  place  to  his  brother-in  law 
after  his  return  to  Connecticut,  and  the  latter  came  out  and  bought  it,  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  now  buried  upon  it. 


412  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

On  Esquire  Rhodes'  farm  are  a  number  of  apple-trees  which  grew  up  at  the  spot 
where  Captain  Babcock  and  his  party  bivouacked.  They  probably  sprang  from 
seeds  thrown  down  by  those  men,  as  they  undoubtedly  procured  apples  at  the  Carr 
farm.     One  of  the  trees  is  now  ten  feet  in  circumference.  ^ 

Major  Rhodes  was  accompanied  into  the  town  by  John  W.  Brown 
and  his  brother,  the  former  of  whom  settled  on  Babcock  Hill  and  the 
latter  at  the  forks  of  the  Unadilla;  and  by  Dr.  Daniel  Avery  and  John 
W.  Collins.  John  Rhodes,  brother  of  the  major  became  a  settler  in 
town  soon  after  his  brother  came,  and   purchased  a  large  tract   of  land. 

A  little  hamlet  grew  around  Babcock  Hill  and  a  post-office  was 
established  in  1845,  with  John  M.  Champion,  M.  D.,  postmaster.  The 
mail  was  brought  by  carrier  from  Cassville  in  the  town  of  Paris.  Other 
early  postmasters  were  David  Palmer,  Clark  Green,  Mills  Barnet,  James 
Johnson,  Lewis  J.  Tripp,  Gould  Benedict,  John  P.  Babcock,  and  others. 
Edward  L.  Austin  was  postmaster  in  1894  and  had  held  the  position 
about  twenty-five  years.  A  hotel  was  built  on  the  hill  in  181 2  by  Asa 
Babcock,  who  kept  it  until  his  death.  The  first  store  was  kept  by  P. 
Mott;  there  is  no  store  or  hotel  at  the  Hill  at  the  present  time. 

The  active  growth  of  the  village  of  Bridgewater  began  about  18 10, 
after  the  construction  of  the  Cherry  Valley  Turnpike,  a  noted  early  east 
and  west  thoroughfare,  which  passed  through  this  place.  Previous  to 
that  time  the  principal  settlement  was  on  Farwell's  Hill,  half  a  mile 
farther  south,  near  the  county  line.  At  that  point  there  were  at  one 
time  two  stores,  two  taverns,  a  post-office  and  some  shops.  Levi  Bost- 
wick  built  what  was  later  known  as  the  Hibbard  House  about  18 12,  and 
was  its  landlord  a  number  of  years.  The  building  was  subsequently 
greatly  enlarged  and  improved,  and  finally  passed  to  A.  C.  Hibbard, 
who  died  a  few  years  ago;  the  house  is  now  conducted  by  E.  F. 
Saunders. 

A  brick  building  opposite  was  built  early  for  a  hotel  by  Harvey  Cur- 
tis, who  kept  it  many  years.  Abner  Ives  was  an  early  merchant  on  the 
site  of  what  become  Wilson's  Hotel.  Piatt  Herrick  changed  the  store 
to  a  hotel  and  occupied  it  for  a  period.  It  finally  passed  to  William 
Wilson. 

Among  other  past  business  men  of  Bridgewater  have  been  A.  M. 
Perkins,  deceased;   Frank   Mallory,  who   had  a  hardware   store  in  what 

'  The  Everts  History  of  Oneida  Co.,  18T8. 


THE  TOWN  OF  BRIDGEWATER.  413 

is  now  the  Cottage  Hotel.  Present  merchants  are  Rising  Brothers, 
Charles  W.  Stoddard,  Thomas  Carter. 

Bridgewater  has  had  a  number  of  professional  men  of  prominence 
among  whom  were  John  Ruger,  De  Witt  C.  Littlejohn,  and  Leander 
Babcock,  attorneys;  and  Drs.  Laurens  Hull  and  Daniel  Avery,  who 
located  at  Bridgewater  village  about  1804;  Dr.  Avery  was  a  settler  as 
early  as  1793.  in  the  Babcock  Hill  neighborhood.  Dr.  H.  P.  Whitford 
has  been  long  in  practice  in  Bridgewater  and  is  the  only  physician  now 
in  the  place. 

North  Bridgewater  is  a  hamlet  on  the  Utica  and  Chenango  division  of 
the  D.,  L.  &  W.  Railroad,  where  a  post-office  was  established  about 
1850,  with  Elisha  Baker  postmaster.  Gould  T.  Parkhurst  kept  a  tavern 
here  in  early  years,  which  house  was  afterwards  conducted  by  John 
Golden.     There  is  now  no  hotel  or  store  at  this  point. 

Among  the  leading  farmers  of  this  town  in  the  past  may  be  men- 
tioned Frederick  G.  Bobbins,  James  Thorn,  Elisha  Brown,  S.  Brown, 
James  A.  Rhodes,  Giles  Scott  and  Alvah  Penny,  all  of  whom  are  dead. 
Prominent  farmers  of  the  present  day  are  Newton  Sholes,  William  Henry 
Brown,  Francis  D.  Penny,  William  H.  Briggs,  Gershom  Schaul,  James 
B.  Tuckerman  and  Willard  J.  Scott. 

When  the  division  before  mentioned  was  made  in  the  old  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Bridgewater,  a  new  society  of  that  denomination  was 
formed  at  the  village,  by  whom  a  new  church  was  at  once  erected  ;  it 
was  greatly  repaired  and  improved  and  an  organ  added  in  1876.  The 
church  is  still  fairly  prosperous. 

The  Baptist  church  of  Bridgewater  was  organized  July  12,  1826,  with 
sixteen  members,  and  Rev.  Amasa  Smith  as  the  first  settled  pastor;  he 
remained  about  ten  years.  The  first  church  built  by  the  society  stood 
on  the  hill  a  little  west  of  the  village  and  was  erected  in  1826.  In  1840 
it  was  removed  nearer  to  the  center  of  the  village  and  extensively  im- 
proved. The  building  was  burned  about  1863,  at  which  date  it  was 
being  used  by  the  Methodists.  At  the  same  time  a  few  Episcopalians 
were  holding  services  in  a  small  building  owned  by  them,  and  an  agree- 
ment was  reached  by  the  three  sects  under  which  this  building  was 
moved  to  the  site  of  the  burned  church  for  the  general  use  of  all  three. 
This  arrangement  was  carried  out.  An  Episcopal  society  is  still  main- 
tained. 


414  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  Universalist  society  was  formed  in  this  town  quite  early  and  built 
a  church  in  1834  in  the  south  part  of  the  village.  The  first  pastor  was 
Rev.  L.  D.  Smith.     This  society  still  exists. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  CAMDEN. 

This  town  is  situated  on  the  western  border  of  Oneida  county,  near 
the  northwestern  corner,  and  includes  in  its  present  area  the  whole  of 
township  7  and  about  half  of  township  8  of  Scriba's  patent.  (See  map 
herein). 

The  town  was  formed  from  the  great  town  of  Mexico  on  the  15th  of 
March,  and  then  included  what  was  then  Florence  (set  off  February  16, 
1805),  Vienna  (set  off  April  3,  1807)  and  a  part  of  Annsville  which  was 
taken  off  in  1823,  leaving  Camden  with  its  present  area  of  31,438  acres. 
The  west  branch  of  Fish  Creek  flows  through  the  town  towards  the  south- 
west and  unites  with  Mad  River  near  Camden  village,  the  latter  stream 
flowing  down  from  the  north.  Little  River  forms  part  of  the  southern 
boundary  and  joins  Fish  Creek  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town. 
These  streams  are  rapid,  in  many  places  furnishing  excellent  water 
power  which  has  been  extensively  utilized.  Many  small  tributaries  con- 
tribute to  drain  the  town.  The  surface  is  rolling,  gradually  rising 
towards  the  north  where  it  is  broken  into  a  hilly  region.  The  soil  is  a 
sandy  loam,  gravelly  and  stony  in  some  places  and  generally  suitable 
for  grazing.      Good  building  stone  are  quarried  in  some  places. 

The  settlement  of  this  town  began  in  1796-7,  probably,  with  the  ar- 
rival of  Judge  Henry  Williams.  Jesse  Curtiss  had  already  been  in  the 
town  and  built  a  saw  mill,  but  he  did  not  permanently  settle  until  later. 
It  is  probable  that  other  families  came  in  with  Judge  Williams  or  about 
the  same  time,  but  if  so  they  returned  for  their  families,  remaining  away 
through  the  ensuing  winter.  Among  the  earliest  arrivals  were  Levi 
Matthews,  Daniel  Parke,  Seth  and  Joel  Dunbar,  Aaron  Matthews, 
Thomas  Comstock,  Jesse  and  Elihu   Curtiss,  Samuel  Royce,  Noah  and 


f 


STtPHEN   CROMWELL. 


THE  TOWN  OF  CAMDEN.  415 

Andrew  Tuttle,  Benjamin  Barnes,  sr.,  and  his  son  Benjamin,  Philip 
Barnes,  Israel  Stoddard  and  a  Mr.  Carrier.  Of  these  Judge  Israel 
Stoddard  came  into  the  town  in  1793  and  purchased  a  farm  on  which 
was  a  small  house.  He  then  went  back  to  his  former  home  for  his 
family,  returning  with  tbem  in  1799.  He  was  astonished  to  find  a 
funeral  in  progress  in  his  house,  over  the  bodies  of  a  Mrs.  Bacon  and 
her  child  who  had  been  drowned  while  crossing  Mad  River  in  a  canoe. 
These  were  the  first  deaths  in  the  town.  Noah  Tuttle,  mentioned 
above,  located  half  a  mile  southwest  of  the  village  site.  His  son  Daniel, 
born  April  22,  1788,  was  the  first  white  male  child  born  in  the  town, 
and  the  first  birth  of  a  white  child  of  either  sex  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Williams.  The  marriage  of  Elihu  Curtiss  and  Anna  Northrup  was  the 
first  in  town.  Mr.  Curtiss  died  in  January,  18 15,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
nine.  Jesse  Curtiss  erected  the  first  frame  house  in  the  town  and 
owned  ten  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  the  heart  of  the  village,  and  in- 
cluding the  mill  privilege  on  Fish  Creek.  There  he  built  a  saw  mill 
just  above  the  site  of  the  grist  mill  and  made  other  early  improvements. 
He  died  in  1821  at  the  age  of  eighty  eight  years.  About  1800  Manning 
Barnes,  from  Connecticut,  settled  on  the  site  of  West  Camden,  and  built 
a  log  house  on  the  site  of  the  later  hotel  and  afterward  added  to  it  a 
frame  portion.  Being  requested  to  entertain  many  travelers  and  settlers, 
he  made  his  dwelling  a  public  house  and  kept  it  as  such  many  years.  He 
was  accompanied  into  the  town  by  his  brothers  Whiting  and  Lyman 
Barnes,  who  took  up  farms  and  afterward  brought  on  their  father, 
Zopher.  Other  sons  of  Zopher  Barnes  were  were  Zopher,  Street  and 
Pliny.     The  family  has  been  prominent  in  the  history  of  the  town. 

Elijah  Perkins  came  from  Connecticut  in  1803  and  settled  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town  where  James  Nisbet  lived  in  recent  years.  He 
brought  with  him  besides  his  wife,  two  sons,  Elijah  and  Woodard. 
The  former  and  his  brother  Lyman  served  in  the  war  of  18 12.  Wood- 
ard Perkins  was  a  farmer  on  the  road  between  Camden  village  and 
West  Camden. 

A  school  was  being  taught  on  the  site  of  Camden  village  in  1803,  in 
a  frame  building,  which  was  probably  built  a  few  years  earlier.  About 
1 8 10  a  school  house  was  built  in  the  Perkins  district,  where  Clark  Cro- 
foot  taught  ;   he  lived  in  Florence  and  a  part  of  that  town  was  included 


416  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  the  district.  In  Manning  Barnes's  log  house  at  West  Camden  a 
school  was  kept  soon  after  the  war  of  1812  by  Rachel  Hungerford. 
After  this  schools  multiplied  rapidly. 

Measures  were  early  adopted  by  the  pioneers  to  establish  a  church, 
which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  First  Congregational  church 
of  Camden  February  19,  1798,  by  Rev.  Eiiphalet  Steele,  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Paris  Hill.  The  organization  was  effected  at  Paris,  and  in- 
cluded the  following  eight  members  :  Benjamin  Barnes,  sr.,  and  his  wife 
Thankful ;  Philip  Barnes  and  Laura,  his  wife  ;  Marshal  Meriam  and  Ben- 
jamin Barnes,  jr.,  all  of  whom  were  dismissed  from  Mr.  Steele's  church. 
Rev.  Joshua  Johnson,  of  Redfield,  preached  the  first  sermon.  A  little 
rivalry  in  early  years  between  the  so-called  east  and  west  villages  led  to 
the  withdrawal  from  the  First  church  of  a  number  of  members,  and  the 
organization  in  1803  of  the  Second  Congregational  church  in  the  west 
village.  The  two  were  united  in  181  5,  under  the  name  of  the  Union 
Congregational  church  of  Camden.  According  to  the  agreement,  meet- 
ings were  to  be  held  in  the  Second  church  one-fourth  of  the  time.  A 
building  was  erected  and  enclosed  in  1807,  and  furnished  with  rough 
benches;  it  was  not  finished  until  18 16,  was  repaired  in  1836  and  burned  in 
the  great  fire  of  June  22,  1867.  The  present  church  was  erected  imme- 
diately afterward, 

Eldad  Smith  came  to  this  town  from  Connecticut  in  1800  with  an  ox 
team  and  was  two  weeks  on  the  way.  He  settled  east  of  West  Camden 
and  was  the  father  of  S.  L.  Smith.  John  Bryan  came  from  Watertown, 
Conn.,  about  1805,  driving  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  horse,  and  bringing  his 
family.  He  settled  on  the  Taberg  road  in  the  east  part  of  the  town. 
His  daughter  married  Amos  D.  Mix,  father  of  J.  W.  Mix. 

Col.  Israel  E.  Stoddard  came  to  the  town  in  1798  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  went  back  and  brought  in  his  family,  settling  about  two  miles 
north  of  Camden  village,  where  his  son  Israel  E.  now  lives.  A  year  or 
two  later  he  sold  out  and  located  one- half  mile  north  of  the  village  on 
the  farm  owned  by  his  son  John  N.  He  died  there  April  4,  1859.  His 
children  were  Cyrus,  Samuel,  Mrs.  Huldah  B.  Judson,  Joanna  P.,  Martha 
P.,  Israel  E.,  Cynthia  C,  and  John  N. 

John  D.  Penfield  was  born  on  a  farm  north  of  the  village  in  18 13, 
where  his  father  settled,  and  is  probably  the  oldest  living  native  of  the 


A.   C.  WOODRUFF. 


THE  TOWN  OF  CAMDEN.  417 

town.  He  located  in  the  village  in  1836,  where  he  has  long  been  con- 
nected with  the  milling  business  and  prominent  in  all  public  affairs 
(See  biography  and  portrait  in  this  volume.) 

Joel  Dunbar  settled  a  little  west  of  the  village  on  the  Mexico  road, 
where  he  had  the  old  Dunbar  mill.  He  was  a  brother  of  Horace  Dun- 
bar, and  died  December  31,  1827. 

Other  very  early  settlers  who  can  only  be  briefly  mentioned  were 
Allen  Sperry,  father  of  Clark,  Anson,  Andrew  and  Sherman  Sperry, 
who  settled  on  Sperry,  or  Wolcott  Hill ;  the  Prestons,  Caleb,  who  died 
in  February,  18 13,  and  Abner  (died  November  24,  1833),  William  R. 
(died  August  4,  1834),  and  Noah  (died  April  4,  1835).  I^  was  from 
these  and  others  of  the  name  that  Preston  Hill  took  its  title.  Henian 
Byington,  who  settled  on  a  farm  one-half  mile  from  Camden  village  and 
had  sons,  Rufus  and  Ira;  he  died  in  September,  1831.  Henry  Peck, 
who  settled  on  Wolcott  Hill,  and  died  February  24,  1833.  Deacon 
Bennet  Cobb,  settled  on  the  Taberg  road,  where  H.  Giles  now  owns, 
and  died  April  8,  1870,  aged  eighty- four  years.  Sylvanus  Wilson  lived 
on  a  farm  about  two  miles  north  of  the  village,  and  died  March  17, 
1833.  Seth  Dunbar,  father  of  Horace  and  Edwin  S.  Dunbar.  Dr. 
Whitman  V  Ransom,  died  November  3,  18 17.  Jonah  Sanford, 
died  November  15,  1824.  Oliver  Cook,  died  Decmber  30,  1838,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years.  Isaac  Stone,  died  November  2,  1839.  Bar 
tholomew  Pond,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  died  in  1850  at  the  age 
of  ninety  five  years.  Martin  Stevens,  died  in  1832.  Andrew  Tuttle, 
died  October  19,  1829.  Lemuel  Warner,  died  July  23,  1824.  Will- 
iam S.  Spencer,  died  August  23,  183 1.  Eliphalet  Johnson,  died  March 
2,  18 1 8.  Elijah  Bailey,  died  in  August,  1838.  Other  names  will  ap- 
pear in  the  official  list  and  accounts  of  industries,  etc. 

These  men  and  their  descendants  laid  the  foundation  for  the  later 
prosperity  of  this  town.  As  a  farming  community  it  has  been  pros- 
perous, a  considerable  dairy  interest  having  been  developed  in  recent 
years.  There  are  now  several  cheese  factories  in  the  town.  The  open 
ing  of  the  Rome  and  Watertown  Railroad  through  the  town,  and  later 
the  E.,  C.  &  N.  road  gave  the  inhabitants  excellent  facilities  for  reaching 
the  markets,  and  inaugurated  a  marked  impetus  in  Camden  village, 
under  which  it  sprang  into  prominence  as  one  of  the  most  active  and 

53 


418  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

most  enterprising  communities  of  Central  New  York.  While  many 
other  towns  have  stood  still  or  retrograded  in  population,  Camden 
has  steadily  advanced.  From  2,114  »"  i^SS.  it  reached  3,187  in  i860, 
and  in  1892  had  3,675.  The  number  of  school  districts  with  school 
houses  is  fourteen,  as  it  has  been  for  many  years. 

Camden  village  was  incorporated  May  2,  1834,  and  the  first  election 
of  officers  took  place  June  27  of  that  year,  resulting  as  follows  : 

Humphrey  Brown,  president;  Lyman  Curtiss,  Hubbard  Tuttle,  Ammi  Hinkley, 
and  Aaron  Stone,  trustees ;  Rufus  Byington,  David  Johnson,  and  George  Trowbridge, 
assessors;  Martin  H.  Stevens,  collector;  Robert  H.  Burr,  treasurer;  A.Trowbridge, 
clerk. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  of  the  village  from  that  time  to 
the  present : 

1835,  Humphrey  Brown ;  1836,  A.  Stone ;  1837-8,  A.  Trowbridge ;  1839-40,  Richard 
Empey;  1841,  A.  Trowbridge;  1842,  Lyman  Curtiss;  1843,  H.  Tuthill ;  1844-46, 
Jefferson  Colton ;  1847,  Edwin  Rockwell ;  1848,  William  R.  Paddock ;  1849,  Baldwin 
Tuthill;  1850,  R.  Empey;  1851-53,  A.  W.  Ransom;  1854,  Thomas  D.  Penfield ;  1855. 
Joshua  H.  Tracy;  1856-57,  Ambrose  Curtiss;  1858-59,  A.  W.  Ransom;  1860,  A. 
Curtiss;  1861,  J.  Munroe;  1862-63,  A.  Stone;  1864,  Stephen  Cromwell;  1865-66, 
Thomas  D.  Penfield;  1867-68,  Stephen  Cromwell;  1869,  P.  H.  Costello;  1870,  Stephen 
Cromwell;  1871,  George  Abbott;  1872,  P.  H.  Costello;  1873-74,  Thomas  D.  Penfield; 
1875,  Benjamin  D.  Stone;  1876,  A.  J.  Stone;  1877,  Lewis  J.  Conlan ;  1878,  John  G. 
Dorrance;  1879-80,  Robert  Frazier;  1881,  E.  A.  Harvey;  1882-83,  Eugene  H. 
Conant;  1884,  J.  C.  McDonald;  1885,  Egbert  More;  1886,  Robert  Frazier;  1887-88, 
Thomas  D.  Penfield;  1889-90,  B.  D.  Stone;  1891,  A.  C.  Woodruff;  1892,  W.  H. 
Stansfield;  1893.  Theron  A.  Farnsworth;  1894-95,  D.  T.  Wood;  1896,  T.  A.  Farns- 
worth.  ' 

Camden  village  has  long  been  the  center  of  a  large  manufacturing 
interest.  In  1832  James  Barber  and  Horace  Mclntyre  established  the 
first  foundry.  About  five  years  later  it  was  sold  to  G.  W.  and  Josiah 
Wood,  and  Albro  Phelps.  During  their  proprietorship  the  foundry  was 
burned.  Meanwhile,  in  1859  the  firm  of  Tripp  &  Fifield  established 
the  Eagle  foundry  and  machine  shop  on  Fish  Creek.  The  Wood 
foundry  was  not  rebuilt  after  the  fire,  but  the  firm  acquired  the  Fifield 
foundry  and  began  business  there,  the  members  at  that  time  being  Wood 
Brothers  and  Percival,  William  G.  Percival  having  acquired  an  interest 
in  the  business  with  Augustus  and  Henry  Wood,  sons  of  G.  W.  Wood. 
Later,  in  1894,  a  stock  company  was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $24,000 
in  which  I.  D.  West  was  a  member.  One  of  the  chief  articles  of  manu- 
facture is  turbine  water  wheels. 


W.   J.   FRISBIE. 


THE  TOWN  OF  CaMDEN.  419 

In  the  early  history  of  the  town  there  were,  of  course,  numerous  saw 
mills  built  on  the  various  streams,  which  were  kept  busy  in  cutting  up 
the  timber  of  the  forests  which  covered  the  land.  As  these  disappeared 
many  of  the  mills  fell  in  to  disuse.  A  saw  mill  has  existed  continuously 
for  many  years  in  the  village  and  is  now  operated  by  Herbert  Giles, 
who  took  it  recently  from  A.  Raymond  who  had  owned  it  for  many 
years.  It  was  built  very  early  and  probably  by  Timothy  Wood.  An- 
other mill  is  located  about  a  mile  northwest  and  outside  the  corporation 
which  is  run  by  Walter  Russell.  It  was  owned  years  ago  by  H.  S. 
Waterman  who  sold  it  to  Curtiss  Covill  and  he  transferred  it  to  Mr. 
Russel.  Another  saw  mill  known  as  the  Dunbar  mill  is  on  Fish  Creek 
and  was  long  owned  by  Horace  Dunbar ;  it  was  last  operated  by 
George  Swanson. 

A  woolen  factory  was  established  in  early  years  by  John  Norton  ;  it 
was  burned,  and  the  same  fate  was  shared  by  a  second  which  was 
erected.  C.  T.  E.  Huj^ck  then  built  the  third  one,  which  was  operated 
many  years  after  1866  It  was  finally  converted  into  a  planing  mill  by 
Wakefield  &  Gardner,  and  is  now  operated  by  George  Dana. 

Another  planing  mill  was  built  by  Stone  &  Hammond  about  1839. 
In  1844  Cyrus  Allen  purchased  a  half  interest  and  in  1850  became  sole 
owner.  It  was  subsequently  burned  and  rebuilt,  and  in  1891  was  pur- 
chased by  Lewis  Perrin  who  now  uses  it  for  the  manufacture  of  desks. 
The  planing  mill  now  run  by  Horace  Rush  was  built  by  D.  P.  Cox 
about  1853,  was  burned  ten  years  later  and  rebuilt  by  Cox  &  Stone. 
The  firm  afterwards  became  Stone,  Williams  &  Co.  and  later  Williams 
&  Rush,  Jacob  Rush  being  the  partner.  Mr.  Williams  retired  and 
Horace  Rush  succeeded  his  father. 

The  Camden  Knitting  Company  carries  on  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  important  industries  in  this  section.  It  had  its  origin  with  Willard 
J.  Frisbie  (see  biography  and  portrait  elsewhere  in  this  work)  and  Will- 
iam H.  Stansfield,  former  successful  dry  goods  merchants  in  Camden, 
who  in  1883  established  a  knitting  factory  of  small  capacity  in  the  build  ■ 
ing  now  occupied  by  the  Corbin  Lock  Company.  Their  business  in- 
creased and  in  1887  they  started  a  yarn  factory  on  the  premises  formerly 
occupied  by  the  tannery  of  P.  &  P.  Costello.  In  this  branch  of  the  in- 
dustry Charles  F.  Kendall  had  an  interest  and  it  was  carried  on   under 


420  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  name  of  Charles  F.  Kendall  &  Co.  The  old  building  burned  in 
March,  1893,  but  meanwhile,  in  1891,  the  knitting  industry  was  removed 
to  the  same  locality,  where  new  and  commodious  brick  buildings  were 
erected  and  the  name  Camden  Knitting  Company  adopted.  About 
200  hands  are  employed  chiefly  in  the  manufacture  of  ladies'  and 
children's  ribbed  underware.  The  same  company  have  factories  in  Syra- 
cuse and  in  Utica. 

The  tannery  above  mentioned  was  established  in  1847  ^"d  was  long 
an  important  industry ;  but  the  disappearance  of  bark  led  to  its  final 
extinction.  A  still  earlier  tannery  was  operated  by  Reuben  Bettis  and 
afterwards  by  Orange  Dayton. 

What  are  known  as  the  Grove  Mills,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
were  built  by  John  Lambie  and  Levi  Wilcox  just  before  i860.  From 
them  they  passed  to  James  P.  Owen  and  quite  recently  from  him  to 
Thomas  Jackson. 

The  building  of  the  first  saw  mill  here  b}'  Jesse  Curtiss  has  been  de- 
scribed. A  distillery  formerly  existed  below  the  saw  mill  and  a  grist 
mill  was  erected  an  the  site  of  the  present  Camden  mill.  The  latter  was 
built  by  Lyman  Curtiss  on  the  site  occupied  by  the  old  one  erected  by 
his  father,  Jesse.  This  property  was  acquired  by  Thomas  D.  Penfield 
(see  biography  and  portrait  elsewhere  in  these  pages)  and  Thomas  Stone 
and  was  operated  by  them  until  i860,  when  Mr.  Stone  died.  The  mill 
was  conducted  by  the  surviving  partner  until  1867,  when  Benjamin  D. 
Stone,  son  of  Thomas,  acquired  an  interest,  the  firm  name  continuing 
the  same. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  industries  of  Oneida  county  is  the  chair 
works  of  F.  H.  Conant's  Sons.  This  business  was  established  in  185  i 
by  F.  H  Conant,  who  is  succeeded  by  his  sons,  E.  H.  and  George  F. 
Conant.      About  175  hands  are  employed. 

The  firm  of  Stark  &  Boehm  began  the  manufacture  of  wagons  and 
sleighs  in  Church  street  in  1864.  In  188 1  Mr.  Boehm  retired  and  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  James  Stark  bought  his  present  shop  of  J.  P.  Owen,  who 
had  previously  carried  on  the  same  business  there  for  about  ten  years. 
The  firm  of  Boehm  Brothers  was  formed  and  now  carry  on  a  large  busi- 
ness in  the  same  line. 

Camden  has  for  many  years  been  the  center  of  a  large  canning  indus- 


t^^^ 


Sd^^^^r 


^-c^. 


THE  TOWN  OF  CAMDEN.  421 

try,  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  sweet  corn  for  the  market.  This 
business  is  also  extensive  in  other  parts  of  the  county.  The  first  factory  in 
the  county  was  established  at  Camden  about  1855  by  the  Edgett  Broth- 
ers, and  ten  years  later  J.  W.  Mix  began  the  business  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  extensively  engaged.  Godfrey  &  Stoddard  built  a  factory 
in  1878  on  Mad  River,  which  subsequently  burned.  The  Camden  Pack- 
ing Company  was  formed  and  established  two  factories,  one  a  mile  and 
a  half  west  of  the  village,  which  had  been  built  in  1874  by  J  E.  Woods, 
and  the  other  below  the  village,  built  by  Stephen  McCall  in  1872.  The 
latter  was  operated  in  1872  by  S.  S.  McCall  &  Co.,  and  in  1874  by  J  P. 
McCall  &  Co.  It  was  then  taken  by  the  Camden  Packing  Company. 
A  factory  was  built  by  James  Gerow  in  1878,  and  within  a  few  years  of 
that  time  others  were  started  by  Godfrey  &  Stoddard,  Pliny  Phelps, 
Byron  Phelps,  W.  I.  Stoddard,  and  Paddock  Brothers.  The  factories 
now  in  operation  are  those  of  Tuttle  &  Stoddard,  east  of  the  village,  and 
that  of  L.  P.  Haviland. 

The  Corbin  Cabinet  Lock  Company  began  a  branch  of  its  industry  in 
Camden  in  1891,  its  principal  business  being  the  manufacture  of  gov- 
ernment furniture  for  post-office  equipment.  The  wood  work  only  is  done 
here,  the  other  branches  being  located  at  New  Berlin,  Conn. 

The  press  of  Camden  village  is  most  worthily  represented  by  the  Ad- 
vance-Journal, a  local  independent  newspaper  of  high  character  and  in- 
fluence. The  first  newspaper  in  the  village  was  the  Camden  Gazette, 
started  by  E.  C.  Hatton  in  1842.  A  few  years  later  it  passed  to  E.  M. 
Higbie  and  closed  its  existence  under  him.  The  next  paper  was  the 
Northern  Light,  which  shed  its  effulgence  on  the  world  only  a  short 
time.  Ira  D.  Brown  published  it  six  months  in  1852,  when  Merritt  & 
Stone  took  it,  and  employed  N,  B.  Stevens  as  editor.  In  1853  this  paper 
was  succeeded  by  the  Camden  Courier,  E.  O'Farrell,  proprietor;  this 
paper  had  only  a  brief  existence  and  was  followed  by  the  Camden  Free- 
man, started  by  Wesley  Henderson  and  suspended  in  1863.  I"  March, 
1864,  Jairus  H.  Munger  established  the  Camden  Journal  and  continued 
its  editor  and  proprietor  until  his  death  in  1878.  Meanwhile  in  1867 
the  Camden  News  was  started  by  Giles  &  Franklin,  which  was  removed 
to  Coxsackie  a  year  later.  On  July  24,  1873,  W.  C.  Stone  established 
the  Camden   Advance,  which   he  successfully  conducted   until  January, 


422  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1885,  when  he  bought  out  the  Journal  (above  described)  and  consoH- 
dated  the  two  papers  under  the  name  of  the  Advance-Journal.  In 
1887-88  Mr.  Stone  built  the  brick  block  in  which  he  is  now  located, 
adapting  it  for  a  modern  country  newspaper,  and  a  book  and  stationery 
store,  both  of  which  he  now  conducts. 

The  Camden  Library  Association  was  formed  in  1891  by  a  number  of 
women  of  the  village.  The  first  president  was  Mrs.  E.  T.  Pike  and  the 
first  secretary  Miss  Tessie  M.  Durr.  The  present  president  is  Mrs.  J.  G. 
Dorrance  and  the  secretary  and  librarian  is  Mrs.  E.  C.  Case.  About  1,300 
volumes  have  been  accumulated  and  pleasant  rooms  fitted  up  in  the 
new  Town  Hall.      The  institution  is  accomplishing  much  good. 

Some  of  the  men  and  firms  who  have  been  conspicuous  in  Camden 
mercantile  business  during  the  past  half  century  are  Frisbie  &  Stansfield, 
dry  goods  ;  J.  G.  Dorrance,  general  store  ;  C.  Curtiss  &  Son,  F.  &  F. 
Fifield  (later  Fifield  &  Dorrance) ;  G.  S.  Wetmore,  drugs ;  E.  A.  Har- 
vey, grocer  ;  W.  C.  Carman,  grocer ;  Orth  &  Tracy,  clothiers;  Olmsted 
&  Meacham,  clothiers;  Samuel  B.  Hinckley  (father  of  Briggs  T.  Hinck- 
ley), Ammi  Hinckley,  Don  A.  Gatchell,  and  E.  A.  Harvey 

Later  and  present  prominent  merchants  in  various  lines  are  Williams 
&  Norton,  George  H.  Smith,  A.  G.  Robson,  \V.  H.  Dorrance  &  Son.  L. 
Hornung,  D.  Crimmins,  G.J.  Williams,  W.  L  Stoddard,  D.  E.  Kennedy, 
C.  O.  Biederman,  Chas.  E.  Hendley,  C.  A.  &  A.  C.  Phelps,  Robert  Aird, 
B.  A.  Curtis,  Charles  E.  Orr,  Charles  J.  Durr  &  Co.,  S.  L.  Harding,  J. 
N.Nichols,  W,  E.  Tififaany,  Briggs  T.  Hinckley. 

The  first  hotel  in  the  village  was  kept  by  Elihu  Curtiss  on  what  is  now 
Minor  avenue,  and  it  is  said  that  the  old  well  of  the  house  is  now  under 
the  foundation  of  the  Whitney  House.  The  house  stood  about  one- 
half  in  what  is  now  the  street,  and  was  opened  as  early  as  1803.  Jeffer- 
son Colton  kept  an  early  hotel  about  on  the  site  of  Churchill  &  Tibbit's 
market ;  he  is  remembered  as  a  fine  type  of  the  old  time  landlord.  His 
house  was  called  the  Park  Hotel,  and  was  burned  June  22,  1867.  The 
Seymour  House  was  an  early  hotel  and  stood  on  the  site  of  B.  D.  Stone's 
residence;  it  was  burned  about  i860.  Another  hotel  was  early  in  ex- 
istence at  the  lower  end  of  the  village. 

The  Commercial  Hotel  was  built  about  ten  years  ago  by  John  Olden, 
who  kept  it  until  his  death  a  year  later.      He  was  succeeded   by  Morse 


E.  A.  HARVEY 


THE  TOWN  OF  CAMDEN.  423 

&  Farmer,  and  others.  The  present  proprietor,  C.  L.  Roberts,  pur- 
chased the  property  six  years  ago. 

The  Whitney  House  was  built  by  Moses  L.  Whitney,  who  had  pre- 
viously kept  the  Park  Hotel,  and  was  kept  by  him  about  five  years. 
The  present  proprietor,  D.  J.  Crimmins,  bought  it  in  1876,  and  practi- 
cally rebuilt  the  house. 

The  Empire  House  was  built  by  William  Moses  after  a  former  house 
on  that  site  had  been  burned.  The  present  proprietor,  P.  E.  Malone, 
took  the  house  in  1889.     The  Erwin  House  is  k^pt  by  M.  G.  Ronan. 

A  bank  was  in  existence  in  Camden  under  the  State  law  in  early  years, 
of  which  Gen.  Lyman  Curtiss  was  at  one  time  president.  This  institu- 
tion failed  previous  to  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  Hastings  Curtiss 
then  opened  a  banking  house  about  i860,  which  passed  to  the  proprie- 
torship of  Curtiss  &  Carman  ;   they  failed  in  1876. 

The  private  bank  of  D.  G.  &  J.  G.  Dorrance  was  established  in  1876 
and  continued  as  such  until  January,  1880,  when  it  was  made  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Camden,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  D.  G.  Dorrance 
continued  president  of  the  bank  until  his  death,  on  March  26,  1896,  and 
the  office  has  not  yet  been  filled.  (See  biography  and  portrait  in  this 
work.)  J.  G.  Dorrance  has  been  cashier  from  the  first.  Edwin  A. 
Harvey  is  vice-president,  and  Daniel  G.  Dorrance,  son  of  J.  G.,  is  assist- 
ant cashier. 

The  entire  village  of  Camden  is  now  embraced  in  Union  Free  School 

district  No.   i,  and  a  commodious  brick  building  built  in  1855,  on  the 

site  of  the  one  burned  two  years  earlier,  accommodates  the  pupils.      A 

high  school  and  academic  department  have  been   inaugurated,   below 

which  there  are  nine  grades.      Following  is  the  Board  of  Instruction  in 

1895-96; 

D.  D.  Van  Allen,  M.  A.,  principal;  Frances  J.  H.  Van  Allen,  preceptress;  asso- 
ciate teachers:  Misses  Sarah  Davis,  Clara  E.  Curtiss,  Emma  Gardner,  Josephine 
Lewis,  Nellie  I.  Moore,  Minnie  Sanford,  Lelab  J.  Sanford.  The  Board  of  Education 
consists  of  the  following:  Mr.  John  M.  Young,  president;  Counselor  A.  C.  Wood- 
ruff, secretary;  Robert  Allen,  B.  A.  Curtiss,  D.  G.  Dorrance,  M.  A.,  G.  F.  Morss, 
James  P.  Owen,  Benj.  D.  Stone,  Geo.  J.  WilHams. 

Camden  village  street  lights  consisted  of  oil  lamps  until  1888  when 
the  Camden  Electric  Light  Company  was  formed,  with  M.  P.  Osborne, 
manager.      He  is  now  practically  the  owner  of  the  plant  which  was  put 


424  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  operation,  and  the  streets  are  properly  hung  with  large  incandescent 

lamps. 

Public  water  works  were  established  by  the  village  corporation  in 
1886,  water  being  brought  from  Emmons  Brook,  giving  about  175  feet 
head.  About  fifty  hydrants  are  placed  in  the  streets  and  mains  laid 
throughout  the  principal  streets,  making  an  effective  agency  for  extin- 
guishing fires.  The  village  was  bonded  for  $40,000  to  build  the  system. 
A  fire  engine  had  long  been  owned  in  the  village,  for  which  a  company 
was  organized  in  1839,  of  which  Samuel  B.  Hinckley  was  captain.  The 
engine*  was  bought  at  about  the  same  time.  A  hook  and  ladder  com- 
pany was  organized  in  1857,  and  in  the  following  year  A.  J.  Stone  was 
chosen  chief  engineer,  and  two  assistants.  From  that  time  forward  the 
department  was  kept  on  an  efficient  basis.  When  the  water  system  was 
placed  in  operation  the  engine  was  sold.  The  two  most  notable  fires  in 
the  village  occurred  June  28,  1856,  and  June  22,  1867.  In  the  latter 
three  churches  were  destroyed,  a  hotel,  and  a  number  of  stores  on  Main 
street. 

A  handsome  opera  house  was  completed  in  1894  by  a  stock  company 
at  a  cost  of  over  $20,000. 

In  1894  the  village  was  bonded  for  $10,000  for  a  new  town  hall  It 
is  a  handsome  brick  structure  and  accommodates  the  fire  department, 
the  library,  a  large  hall,  offices,  etc. 

The  small  village  of  West  Camden  is  situated  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  town  on  the  railroad.  The  early  settlement  here  of  Manning 
Barnes,  and  the  opening  of  the  tavern  have  been  described.  Wilburt 
Barnes  opened  the  first  store  in  the  place  and  continued  in  trade  a  num- 
ber of  years;  he  was  a  son  of  Manning  Barnes.  The  post-office  was 
established  in  1832,  with  Merrit  Munson,  probably  as  the  first  post- 
master. 

A  small  mercantile  business  has  existed  here  many  years  and  at  the 
present  time  a  store  is  kept  by  J.  C.  Leigh.  The  saw  mill  and  chair 
factory  is  carried  on  by  Mott  Brothers,  and  another  chair  factory  estab- 
lished by  A.  S.  Gibson,  is  now  operated  by  Cummings  Brothers. 

The  next  church  organized  in  Camden  succeeding  the  one  described 
on  a  preceding  page  was  the  Methodist  Episcopal.  A  class  was  formed 
in  the   town   before    1805,  consisting   of  seven   persons,  and  another  a 


THE  TOWN  OF  CAMDEN.  425 

little  later  at  West  Camden.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  of  Cam- 
den was  organized  in  1820  and  in  1831  Camden  was  made  a  station. 
A  frame  church  was  built  in  1852  and  rebuilt  in  1889.  A  Wesleyan 
Methodist  church  was  organized  prior  to  1840,  but  disbanded  in  1854. 
A  Free  Methodist  society  was  organized  in  August,  1887,  and  pur- 
chased the  frame  church  formerly  owned  by  the  Wesleyan  Methodists. 
It  was  remodeled  in  1895. 

The  first  Presbyterian  church  in  Camden  was  organized  in  Septem- 
ber, 1867,  with  thirty-two  members  who  were  dismissed  from  the  Con- 
gregational church  for  the  purpose.  The  first  meetings  were  held  in 
Curtiss  Hall.  The  corner  stone  of  the  present  brick  church  was  laid 
June  30,  1868,  and  it  was  dedicated  in  March  of  the  next  year.  The 
total  cost  was  about  $18,000. 

Trinity  Episcopal  church  of  Camden  was  organized  about  1842  with 
Rev.  E.  D.  Kennicott  the  first  rector.  The  frame  church  was  erected 
which  was  one  of  the  three  burned  June  22,  1867,  and  the  present  brick 
edifice  was  built  immediately  afterwards  on  the  site;  its  cost  was  about 
$8,000. 

The  Baptist  church  of  Camden  was  constituted  in  1839.  I"  1844  it 
became  a  branch  of  the  society  at  North  Bay  and  was  finally  absorbed 
by  the  latter.  A  Baptist  society  was  organized  in  early  years  at  Hills- 
boro  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  which  subsequently  disbanded.  On 
December  30,  1870,  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Camden  was  organized 
at  that  place  and  a  frame  church  was  built  in  the  following  year. 

The  second  Congregational  church  at  West  Camden  was  organized 
November  5,  1851,  with  sixteen  members,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Sweezey, 
pastor.  He  had  preached  there  for  some  time  previous.  A  frame 
church  was  erected  in  1858.  This  building  was  also  occupied  by  the 
Methodists  of  that  place. 

St.  John's  Catholic  church  of  Camden  was  formerly  afifiliated  with  St. 
Mary's  of  Florence,  under  which  it  was  a  mission  for  many  years.  The 
church  society  acquired  the  old  Methodist  edifice  which  it  used  until  re- 
cent years  when  a  new  frame  building  was  erected. 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  of  this  town  from  its  organization  to 

the  present  time  : 

1800-1,  Johij  W.   Bloomfield,  esq. ;  1803,  John  Rogers;   1803-5,   John   Humiston- 
64 


426  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1806-8  Israel  Stoddard;  1809-10,  Elihu  Curtiss;  1811-12,  Phineas  Tuttle;  1813-l(i, 
Seth  Dunbar;  1817-24,  Israel  Stoddard;  1825,  Seth  Dunbar;  1826-28,  Israel  Stod- 
dajd-  1829-31  Seth  Dunbar;  1832,  Israel  Stoddard;  1833,  no  record;  1834,  Lyman 
Curti'ss-  1835,  Garrit  Smith;  1836,  John  Smith;  1837-38,  Samuel  B.  Hinkley;  1839, 
Seth  Dunbar;  1840,  Don  A.  Gatchel;  1841-42,  Junius  Woods;  1843,  Samuel  B. 
Hinkley  1844-45,  Horace  Dunbar;  1846^7,  Ambrose  Curtiss;  1848-49  Edwin  S. 
Dunbar-' 1850,  George  W.  Wood;  1851-53,  Thomas  D.  Penfield;  1864,  Edwin  S. 
Dunbar'  1855,  Jairus  H.  Hunger;  1856-57,  Horace  Dunbar;  1858,  Alfred  Chamber- 
lain- 1859,  Thomas  D.  Penfield;  1860,  Albert  Bickford;  1861,  Thomas  D.  Penfield; 
1862  PHny  Phelps;  1863-66,  P.  C.  Costello;  1867-68,  Henry  S.  Waterman;  1869-70, 
Benjamin  D.  Stone;  1871-72,  Curtis  J.  Wright;  1873-74,  Spencer  J.  Upson;  1875-76, 
B  A.  Curtiss;  1877-82,  Thomas  D.  Penfield;  1883,  Benjamin  D.  Stone;  1884-85, 
Chauncey  M.  Phelps;  1886,  Thomas  D.  Penfield;  1887-88,  Jabez  Ford;  1889-90. 
Andrew  W.  Craig;  1891-92,  Orson  C.  Woods;  1893-95,  W.  H.  Gifford;  1896.  William 
S.  Peck. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  DEERFIELD. 

The  town  of  Deerfield  lies  near  the  center  of  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Oneida  county.  Its  surface  is  mostly  a  high  plateau  rising  from  6oo 
to  i.ooo  feet  above  the  Mohawk.  A  broad  intervale  extends  along  the 
river  opposite  Utica,  parts  of  which  are  sometimes  overflowed.  In  the 
northeast  part  the  surface  descends  abruptly  to  West  Canada  Creek, 
which  forms  the  boundary  of  the  town  in  that  direction.  The  soil  on 
the  flats  is  a  rich  alluvial  loam,  while  on  the  hills  the  loam  is  intermixed 
with  gravel  and  slate.  To  the  northward  of  the  Mohawk  flats  rise 
the  noted  "  Deerfield  Hills,"  from  which  is  viewed  a  landscape  of  the 
greatest  beauty,  while  the  scenery  in  other  parts  of  the  town  is  pictur- 
esque and  grand.  Beyond  the  Deerfield  Hills  is  the  valley  of  Nine- 
Mile  Creek,  which  rises  in  this  town  and  flows  westward  into  Trenton. 
Reall's  Creek  rises  near  the  center  of  the  town  and  flows  into  the  Mo- 
hawk at  Utica. 

The  reader  must  be  referred  back  to  Chapter  VII  for  an  account  of 
the  settlement  in  this  town  before  the  Revolution  (1773)  of  George  J. 
Weaver  (originally  Weber),  Mark  Damuth,  and  Christian  Reall.      They 


THE  TOWN  OF  DEERFIELD.  427 

sympathized  with  the  colonists  in  the  struggle  for  independence,  for 
which  offense  their  settlements  were  burned  in  the  summer  of  1776, 
and  they  were  driven  from  their  homes,  as  already  described.  But 
these  families  remembered  their  homes  in  the  wilderness,  and  after  the 
cessation  of  hostilities,  in  1784,  made  their  way  back  to  the  desolate 
scene  and  again  began  work.  In  the  following  year  they  were  joined 
by  Peter,  Nicholas  and  George  Weaver  (distantly  related  to  the  first 
pioneer),  George  Damuth,  and  Nicholas  and  Philip  Harter,  who  settled 
in  the  same  neighborhood.     (See  Chapter  VII.) 

The  Weaver  family  was  a  long  and  prominent  one  in  the  town,  and 
the  first  white  male  child  born  here  was  a  son  of  George  M.  Weaver 
and  grandson  of  George  J.  He  was  born  January  15,  1787,  and  died 
in  1877  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  In  the  "Annals"  is  found  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  an  incident  in  which  he  was  the  principal  figure  : 

In  1793  the  first  bridge  was  erected  over  the  Mohawk  between  Utica  and  Deerfield. 
To  insure  more  help  it  was  raised  on  Sunday.  George  M.  Weaver — son  of  George 
J.  Weaver — and  his  wife,  with  their  httle  son,  .  .  .  were  on  their  way  to  the  raising 
and  when  about  half-way  from  the  Corners  to  Utica,  and  some  twenty  or  thirty  rods 
above  the  present  MacAdam  road,  their  dog  treed  a  bear.  Mr.  Weaver  left  his  wife 
and  son  with  the  dog  to  keep  the  animal  up  the  tree,  while  he  returned  for  his  gun. 
The  peculiar  barking  of  the  dog  had  apprised  the  inhabitants  of  "Old  Fort  Schuy- 
ler "  that  valuable  game  was  on  foot,  and  a  number  of  them  arrived  with  their  guns 
at  about  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Weaver  returned.  Four  or  five  shots  were  made  in 
quick  succession,  and  poor  Bruin's  life  paid  the  forfeit  for  his  temerity  in  approaching 
so  near  the  site  of  an  embryo  city. 

George  M.  Weaver  was  father  of  Hon.  A.  B.  Weaver,  a  leading 
citizen  and  member  of  assembly.  In  the  third  generation  was  Jacob 
G.  Weaver,  another  prominent  citizen  who  was  several  times  elected 
supervisor. 

Nicholas  Harter  was  a  shoemaker,  and  Philip  was  a  blacksmith. 
They  owned  adjoining  farms  ;  Nicholas  mingled  shoemaking  with 
farming,  and  died  July  26,  1854,  in  his  ninety-fourth  year,  leaving  his 
son  Richard  on  the  homestead.  Philip  followed  his  trade  and  died 
about  1808. 

Timothy  Smith  came  in  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  in  March,  1800, 
and  settled  with  his  family  on  what  became  known ^  as  Smith's  Hill. 
His  family  then  consisted  of  his  wife,  four  sons  and  a  daughter.  One 
oi  his  sons  was  Pratt  Smith,  who  passed  his  life  in  the  town  and  died 


k 


428  OUR, COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  March,  1874,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.     A   son   of  Pratt  Smith  was 
Giles,  who  was  long  a  prominent  citizen,  supervisor,  etc. 

The  accompanying  map  shows  that  the  town  of  Deerfield  originally 
comprised  a  large  part  of  Gage's  patent,  a  small  part  of  Cosby's  Manor, 
most  of  the  Sadaquahda  patent,  and  part  of  Oriskany  patent  (see  Ciiap- 
ter  X  )  The  town  was  organized  under  an  act  of  Legislature  dated 
March  15,  1798,  which  also  erected  the  county  of  Oneida.  From  its 
original  area  was  taken  the  town  of  Marcy  on  March  30,  1832,  leaving 
Deerfield  with  its  present  area  of  22,500  acres. 

The  first  town  meeting  for  Deerfield  was  held  at  the  house  of  Ezra 
Payne,  an  early  settler,  April  3,  1798,  where  the  following  officers  were 
elected,  the  list  embracing  a  large  number  of  prominent  pioneers: 

Supervisor,  Dr.  Francis  Guiteau;  town  clerk,   Isaac   Brayton,  jr.;  justices  of  the 
peace,  Abrani  Camp,  James  S.  Kipp;  assessors,  Daniel  Biddlecom,  Ebenezer   Stew- 
ard, Phineas  Camp;  commissioners  of  highways,  William   Hallock,  Calvin  Guiteau, 
Hazard  Sherman;  poormasters,   Olney  Pierce,  Ezra  Payne;  constables,  Heli   P'oot, 
Wm.  Hallock,  Samuel  Wells;  overseers  of  highways.  Rev.  Oded  Eddy,  Ezekiel  Will- 
ington,  Olney  Pierce,  Hazard  Sherman,  Joseph  Tylor,  John  Warren,  William  Hal- 
lock, James  Wilson,  James  Briggs,  David  Hadcock,  Ebenezer  Steward,  John  Jon.son  ; 
poundmasters.  Hazard  Sherman,  Phineas  Camp,  Wm.  Hallock,  Nicholas  G.  Weaver- 
While  these  early  settlements  were  being  made  and  the  simple  gov- 
ernment of  town  affairs  being  established,"  settlers  were  coming  rapidly 
into  Whitestown,  the  bridge  was  built  across  the  river  to  the  site  of  Utica 
in  1792,  roads  were  surveyed,  and  general  progress  was  made.      Calvin 
Guiteau  was  a  pioneer  and   a   surveyor,   and  many  of  the  early  roads 
were  laid  out  by  him ;  he  came  to  the  town  about  1 792,  when  his  brother, 
Dr.  Francis  Guiteau,  jr.,  also  arrived.      (See  chapter  on  the  Medical  Pro- 
fession—XXIII.) 

The  first  road  laid  out,  according  to  the  records  of  March  16,  1799, 
is  described  as  follows  : 

Beginning  at  the  place  where  .  .  of  Utica  road  intersects  the  County  Road,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk  River,  and  continuing  on  the  line  of  lots  14  and  15, 
twenty  chains  beyond  the  Dwelling  House  of  Eldred  Edwards;  to  be  two  rods  in 
width  (that  is  one  rod  on  each  side  of  the  line). 

Calvin  Guiteau,  Hazard  Sherman,  and  William  Hallock  were  then  road 
commissioners.    Another  road  record  May  10,  1799,  was  thus  described  : 

Beginning  near  Hazard  Sherman's  house,  on  the  line  between  Lots  Nos.  14  and 
15,  as  they  now  run  ;  from  thence  Northerly  until  it  iutersccls  the  back  road.  Said 
line  is  in  the  middle  of  the  Road,  and  is  four  rods  wide. 


THE  TOWN  OF  DEERFIELD.  429 

Returning  to  early  settlements  it  is  found  that  Dr.  Alexander  Cov- 
entry, who  settled  in  Utica  in  1796,  came  over  into  Deerfield  previous 
to  1804,  retaining  an  office  in  Utica.  He  purchased  a  farm  and  divided 
his  time  between  agriculture  and  his  profession.  (See  Chapter  XXIII.) 
His  son,  Robert  Coventry,  was  born  on  the  homestead  in  1807  and 
passed  a  long  life  in  this  town. 

Meanwhile  settlement  extended  into  the  northern  part  of  the  town  in 
the  neighborhood  of  North  Gage,  many  of  the  new  comers  being  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  Among  them  were  the  families  of  John  Smith,  the 
Walkers,  McKays,  and  a  family  named  Blue,  of  whom  Duncan  Blue  was 
the  pioneer. 

In  1798,  when  Dr.  Francis  Guiteau  was  supervisor,  licenses  were 
granted  to  the  following  persons:  Jabez  Stewart,  James  Fluskey  ;  in 
1 799  to  Ezra  Payne,  Philip  Harter,  Isaac  Brayton,  jr..  Hazard  Sherman, 
and  Guiteau  &  Pierce  ;  in  1800  to  Bennett  Rice,  Isaac  Brayton,  jr., 
Philip  Harter,  and  George  Tisdale,  all  of  whom  were  of  course  early 
settlers. 

Jacob  H.  Schermerhorn,  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  came  in  from 
Montgomery  county  before  1802  and  purchased  over  200  acres  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town  but  did  not  then  remain.  In  1803  his  eldest  son, 
Uriah,  and  a  slave  family  named  Jackson,  came  to  the  place,  and  in 
March,  1804,  were  followed  by  the  father's  family.  The  house  after- 
wards occupied  by  his  grandson,  William  Schermerhorn,  was  built  by 
the  pioneer  in  1812,  and  was  the  first  frame  house  in  that  part.  Jacob 
H.  Schermerhorn  died  May  8,  181 3.  Cornelius  Schermerhorn,  of  North 
Gage,  was  his  son,  and  another  son  was  Daniel,  who  volunteered  in  the 
war  of  181 2.  Jacob  H.  Schermerhorn  built  a  saw  mill  on  West  Canada 
Creek  in  1805,  which  was  washed  away  two  years  later.  In  18 19  the 
sons,  Daniel  and  Cornelius,  built  a  tannery  near  North  Gage  and  car- 
ried on  shoemaking  in  connection,  doing  a  prosperous  business. 

About  the  year  1807  the  first  school  in  this  town  was  taught  in  a  log 
building  near  J.  H.  Schermerhorn's  place.  Stuart  Cummings  was  one 
of  the  very  early  teachers  here.  By  an  act  of  the  Legislsture  passed 
April  5,  1 8 10,  commissioners  were  appointed  to  lay  out  a  road  from 
Deerfield  to  Boonville. 

laaac   Heatherington  settled  in  Deerfield  with  his  family  about  1808, 


430  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

on  the  road  from  North  Gage  to  Utica.  He  built  an  early  saw  mill  on 
Nine- Mile  Creek,  on  the  site  of  the  later  mill  of  Amasa  Salisbury  ;  the 
first  mill  was  burned.      Isaac  was  father  of  William  Hetherington. 

Joseph  Cox  settled  in  this  towrt  in  1809,  coming  from  Schuyler,  Her- 
kimer county.  He  was  father  of  James  Cox  and  died  May  15,  1855. 
Peter  Walker  was  the  son  of  the  pioneer  in  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
named  Alexander  Walker,  who  located  there  in  1803. 

In  the  town  has  been  developed  in  recent  years  a  very  large  dairy 
interest  and  there  are  now  ten  or  twelve  cheese  factories,  while  large 
quantities  of  milk  are  sold  in  Utica.  Gardening  for  the  city  trade  is 
also  a  considerable  industry.  Among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town, 
past  and  present,  are  Van  R.  Weaver  (now  sheriff  of  the  county),  Geo. 
B.  Anderson,  George  H.  Grossman,  Frederick  G.  Weaver,  A.  B.  Weaver, 
Earl  Clapp,  Giles  Smith,  Lewis  B.  Gillett.  William  W.  Biddlecom, 
Isaac  Buchanan,  Stephen  Northrup,  John  W.  Smith,  Thomas  Burton, 
Lyman   Marsh,  Robert  Coventry,  and  William  M.  Wells. 

One  of  the  earliest  industries  in  this  large  agricultural  town  was  the 
making  of  brick  on  the  flats  where  grew  up  the  little  village  of  Deerfield 
Corners,  and  the  business  has  continued  down  to  the  present  time. 
This  industry  has  been  of  immense  advantage  to  the  city  of  Utica,  and 
has  supplied  a  large  part  of  the  brick  for  that  city.  The  clay  is  of  ex- 
cellent quality  and  seven  or  eight  yards  have  at  times  been  in  simulta- 
neous operation. 

The  settlement  at  the  Corners  increased  in  magnitude  and  the  road 
between  the  place  and  Utica  became  nearly  all  built  in.  Stores  and  hotels 
were  opened  and  considerable  business  carried  on.  The  post-office  was 
opened  about  1855  ^^'ith  the  name  "  Deerfield,"  and  Joseph  Oster,  post- 
master. One  of  the  long  time  merchants  here  was  Henry  W,  Kasson, 
who  started  in  business  here  as  early  as  i860  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  C.  H.  Kasson,  the  present  merchant.  Another  store  is  kept  by 
Jesse  Anert.  Union  Hotel,  one  of  the  older  public  houses,  is  kept  by 
Mrs.  Katherine  Anert,  who  succeeds  her  husband.  The  Washington 
Hotel  is  conducted  by  J.  H.  Huss.  E.  T.  Hamert  is  a  wagonmaker 
and  John  Hofmeister,  blacksmith.  The  factory  of  the  Utica  Paper 
Novelty  Company  is  located  here  and  turns  out  a  large  quantity  of  paper 
pails,  grocers'  packages,  etc.  A  steam  saw  mill  two  miles  east  of  the 
Corners  is  operated  by  John  Smith. 


|j-™,5n^r,p,-r.Tni^!Tp«nnn3TW!m^ 


HI 


'toi^tr: 


THE  TOWN  OF  DEERFIELD.  43I 

The  post-office  at  North  Gage,  with  this  name,  was  estabhshed 
about'1831,  with  Daniel  Schermerhorn  postmaster ;  he  was  soon  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  Stephen  F.  Fenton.  During  the  war  Archibald  C.  Blue 
built  and  managed  a  cheese  factory,  here,  the  first  in  the  town.  In 
1 87 1  the  North  Gage  cheese  factory  was  started  by  a  stock  company. 
Later  it  passed  to  the  Schermerhorn  brothers,  In  early  days,  when 
travel  was  quite  extensive  in  this  direction,  there  were  public  houses 
and  stores  at  this  point. 

Deerfield  Corners  was  the  home  of  the  Second  Baptist  society 
organized  in  Oneida  county,  its  formation  being  effected  in  1798,  and 
a  church  built  soon  afterward  a  little  east  of  the  Corners.  Elder  Oded 
Eddy  was  the  first  pastor,  and  continued  twenty-four  years.  The 
frame  church  was  built  in  18 12,  and  has  been  several  times  improved. 
In  18 1 5  the  cemetery  adjoining  the  church  was  laid  out  on  land  given  by 
Gen.  John  G.  Weaver,  whose  wife  was  the  first  person  buried  there  in 
181 1.  In  later  years  many  Baptists  have  attended  church  in  Utica  but 
a  society  is  maintained. 

Episcopal  services  were  begun  in  Deerfield  about  1874  under  a 
mission  from  VVhitesboro,  and  a  church  was  built  seven  years  later. 
The  society  has  kept  its  existence  since. 

St.  Peter's  Roman  Catholic  church  was  organized  audits  church  built 
in  1872,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Father  Eis. 

The  Union  church  (Presbyterian  and  Baptist)  at  North  Gage,  was 
built  in  1830;  the  first  Baptist  pastor  was  Rev.  David  Pratt  and  the  first 
Presbyterian,  Rev.  William  Goodell. 

The  following  list  of  supervisors  of  this  town  from  the  beginning  con- 
tains the  names  of  very  many  prominent  citizens  not  already  men- 
tioned : 

1799-1800,  Dr.  Francis  Guiteau;  1801-10,  Isaac  Brayton,  jr.  ;  1811,  Calvin  Guiteau; 
1812-18,  Isaac  Brayton  ;  1819-23,  Dr.  Alexander  Coventry ;  1824,  John  G.  Weaver ;  1825, 
Amasa  Rowe  ;  1826-27,  John  D.  Leland ;  1828,  Jacob  Edic ;  1829-31,  John  D.  Leland ;  1832, 
Amasa  Rowe;  1833-40,  Calvin  Hall,  jr.  ;1841,  Ambrose  Kasson ;  1842,  Luther  Leland; 
1843-44,  Jacob  G.  Weaver;  1845,  Richard  Harter;  1846-47,  Jacob  G.  Weaver;  1848, 
Luther  Leland;  1849,  John  G.  Webster;  1850-51,  George  F.  Weaver;  1852,  WilUam 
D.  Schermerhorn;  1853,  John  D.  Leland;  1854-55,  Calvin  Hall;  1856-57,  William  H. 
Green;  1858-59,  William  Haddon ;  1860-61,  George  F.  Weaver;  1862,  John  C.  Blue; 
1863,  Luther  Leland;  1864,  tie  vote, — no  supervisor  recorded;  1865,  William  McSor- 
ley;  1866,  no  vote  recorded;  1867,  George  F.  Weaver;  1868,  Job  Sayre;  1869,  no  vote 


432  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

recorded;  1870,  Nicholas  Hicks;  1871-72,  Frederick  G.  Weaver;  1873-74,  Malcolm  A. 
Blue;  1875,  Nicholas  H.  Hicks;  1876,  Frederick  G.  Weaver;  1877,  Giles  Smith ;  1878-9, 
N.  H.  Hicks;  1880-84,  Van  R.  Weaver;  1885-6,  Archibald  M.  Blue;  1887-89,  Alfred 
C.  Shaw;  1890-91,  N.  H.  Hicks;  1893-94,  Van  R.  Weaver;  1895.  John  R.  Donafield; 
1896,  Charles  J.  Wood. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  FLORENCE. 

Florence  lies  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  Oneida  county  and 
has  an  area  of  33,473  acres.  It  was  wholly  included  in  Scriba's  patent 
as  township  No.  4  and  a  part  of  No.  3.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  roll- 
ing and  lies  from  250  to  300  feet  above  the  Rome  level.  Mad  River 
flows  southeasterly  across  the  town  and  receives  the  waters  of  many 
small  streams.  The  west  branch  of  Fish  Creek  also  finds  a  part  of  its 
source  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town.  Considerable  water  power  is 
developed  by  these  streams.  The  soil  in  most  parts  of  the  town  is  light 
and  stony  and  considerable  parts  are  still  covered  with  forest", 

William  Henderson,  of  New  York  city,  purchased  township  No,  4  of 
the  Scriba  patent,  and  in  order  to  promote  settlement  upon  his  tract  he 
offered  a  bonus  of  fifty  acres  each  to  persons  who  would  locate  on  his 
land  and  become  permanent  settlers.  This  offer  was  accepted  by  Amos 
VVoodworth,  John  Spinning,  and  a  man  named  Turner,  and  perhaps  by 
others  not  now  known.  Mr.  Woodworth  located  in  the  fall  of  1 801 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  north  line  of  the  town.  John  Spinning  set- 
tled about  the  same  time  on  the  old  State  road  east  of  the  site  of  Florence 
village,  and  both  began  improving  their  property. 

Clark  Crawford  and  his  father,  whose  name  is  not  now  known,  came 
into  the  town  soon  after  the  three  pioneers,  and  were  followed  about 
the  same  time  by  Azariah  Norton  and  Norman  Waugh  ;  all  of  the.se 
located  in  the  south  part  of  the  town.  Benoni  Barlow,  Ebenezer  Bar- 
low, Ambrose  Curtiss,  Ephraim  Wright,  Joseph  Olcott,  and  Benjamin 
Youngs  settled  very  early  in  the  Florence  Hill  neighborhood. 

Nathan  Thomson  visited  the  town  in  1801,  but  did  not    remain   per- 


THE  TOWN  OF  FLORENCE.  433 

manently  until  his  second  visit,  May  6,  1802,  when  he  brought  in  his 
family  and  settled  on  the  farm  afterwards  occupied  by  his  son,  Aaron 
H.  Thomson.  The  father  built  a  log  house  a  little  east  of  the  later 
dwelling,  and  there  opened  a  tavern  which  he  kept  many  years  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  just  named.  When  Mr.  Thomson  first  came  to 
the  town  it  is  recorded  that  there  was  only  one  house  between  that  of 
John  W.  Bloomfield,  at  Taberg  in  Annsville,  and  the  one  occupied  by 
John  Spinning,  two  miles  east  of  Florence  village,  a  distance  of  about 
twelve  miles  by  the  route  then  traveled. 

Other  settlers  who  came  into  Florence  before  the  war  of  1812  were 
Asa  Jenkins,  the  first  supervisor,  Eliakim  Simons,  Samuel  Stanford, 
Daniel  Dye,  James  Angell,  Amos  Wilcox,  Salem  Town,  Jonathan  Mor- 
ton, Ansel  Lovejo)',  Imri  Case,  and  others. 

The  town  of  Florence  was  set  off  from  Camden  under  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  dated  February  16,  1805.  From  its  original  area  a  small 
portion  was  taken  off  and  annexed  to  Annsville  in  1823,  leaving  it  with 
its  present  dimensions.  The  act  creating  the  town  authorized  the  hold- 
ing of  the  first  town  meeting  at  the  house  of  John  Spinning,  on  the 
State  road  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  1805  ;  but  the  records  show 
that  it  was  held  on  March  5,  of  that  year.  There  the  following  officers 
were  elected  : 

Supervisor,  Asa  Jenkins;  town  clerk,  David  Young;  assessors,  Benoni  Barlow, 
Eliakim  Simons,  Daniel  Dye;  collector,  Joseph  01cott;poormasters.  Ephraim  Wright; 
Abraham  Morton;  commissioners  of  highways,  Samuel  Town,  John  Spinning,  Eph- 
raim Wright;  constables,  Joseph  Olcott,  James  Angell;  fence  viewers,  Ansel  Love- 
joy,  Imri  Case,  Lemuel  Spinning,  Jonathan  Morton ;  pathmasters,  Azariah  Orton. 
Jared  Olcott,  Norton  Waugh,  David  Kellogg,  Amos  Wilcox,  Salem  Town,  Asa  Jen 
kins,  Daniel  Dye. 

The  first  marriage  ceremony  performed  in  this  town  was  that  uniting 
Benjamin  Wilcox  and  Betsey  Waugh,  in  1803.  The  first  birth  was  a 
child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Crawford. 

Job  Dawley,  father  of  Calvin,  settled  in  town  prior  to  the  war  of  18 12, 
and  located  on  the  farm  occupied  in  later  years  by  Robert  McFern,  and 
near  his  son's  late  residence.  Calvin  Dawley  went  to  Sackett's  Harbor 
twice  during  the  war,  and  passed  a  long  life  in  town,  A.  C.  Dawley  is 
a  son  of  Calvin, 

Anthony  Empey,  sr.,  was  an  early  settler,  first  on  the  Calvin  Dawley 
55 


434  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

place,  coming  about  i8i  1-12.  His  son,  Anthony,  jr.,  laid  out  the  little 
village  of  Empeyville,  and  the  family  built  an  early  saw  mill  near  by. 
Boardwine  Dyer  afterwards  built  a  grist  mill  which  ultimately  passed 
out  of  use.  Other  early  settlers  were  Hiram  Fellows,  John  Cropper, 
Elijah  Blake  (a  surveyor),  and  Abel  Smith. 

While  these  pioneers  and  their  successors  were  clearing  up  their  lands 
and  building  their  homes,  they  did  not  neglect  the  educational  and  moral 
welfare  of  the  community.  Schools  were  early  established,  but  the 
records  give  almost  no  information  regarding  them.  The  number  of 
districts  into  which  the  town  had  been  divided  in  i860  was  eleven;  this 
had  been  increased  in  1878  to  seventeen,  three  of  which  were  joint  dis- 
tricts. There  are  now  in  the  town  fourteen  districts,  with  good  school 
buildings. 

Among  other  settlers  in  this  town  who  ha\'e  been  prominent  as  farm- 
ers and  otherwise  are  David  Young,  Benoni  Barlow,  and  Charles  Curtiss 
in  the  west  part;  Eliakim  Simons  in  the  north  part;  and  others  yet  to 
be  mentioned. 

The  first  church  society  organized  in  Florence  was  the  Congrega- 
tional, at  Florence  Hill,  under  date  of  December  16,  1816.  There  were 
only  ten  members  at  the  first,  but  the  society  soon  joined  the  Presby- 
tery, and  by  January,  1829,  there  were  sixty- nine  communicants. 
Gerrit  Smith  gave  the  church  a  site,  a  lot  for  a  burial  place  and  aided 
in  the  erection  of  the  church  building,  which  was  begun  in  1825  and 
finished  two  years  later.  From  about  1835  the  society  declined  in 
numbers  and  finally  lost  its  separate  identity. 

A  Methodist  class  was  organized  about  181 5  on  Florence  Hill  where 
a  small  society  of  that  denomination  still  exists.  Another  class  was 
formed  about  1820  three  miles  below  Florence  village,  which  prospered 
a  number  of  years ;  while  at  about  the  same  time  a  class  was  formed  at 
the  village,  which  was  soon  organized  into  a  society  and  built  its  church 
in  1833.  This  society  has  ever  since  prospered.  The  church  building 
has  recently  been  improved. 

Some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  town  who  came  in  at  a  later 
date  than  those  already  mentioned  were  Simon  Davis,  Charles  Curtiss, 
Safiford  S.  Delano,  Varnum  Dunton,  Daniel  G.  Dorrance,  John  Downs, 
and  others  whose  names  appear  in  lists  of  officials  and  in  Part  HI. 


THE  TOWN  OF  FLORENCE.  435 

The  growth  of  Florence  village  began  early  and  was  fostered  to  some 
extent  by  Gerrit  Smith,  the  Madison  county  philanthropist.  He  had 
built  a  blacksmith  shop  in  1822,  and  in  the  following  year  Thomas 
Evans,  formerly  of  Peterboro  (Madison  county),  and  father  of  Horatio 
J.  Evans,  settled  in  the  hamlet  and  began  work  at  his  trade  of  black- 
smithing  in  Mr.  Smith's  shop.  Other  mechanics  were  also  induced  by 
Mr  Smith  to  settle  here,  as  well  as  men  of  other  avocations  and  profes- 
sions, and  the  little  village  seemed  to  have  a  bright  prospect.  Roger 
Maddock,  a  former  Peterboro  merchant,  was  among  those  sent  by  Smith; 
he  bought  out  a  small  store  which  had  been  kept  by  a  Mr.  Norton,  and 
at  the  same  time  acted  as  Mr.  Smith's  agent.  Mr.  Smith  also  purchased 
the  grist  mill  at  the  village,  which  had  been  erected  not  long  previous. 
The  mill  now  here  is  run  by  Z.  L.  Tompkins.  Ezra  Graves  established 
a  tannery  some  time  prior  to  1828.  He  removed  away  soon  afterward. 
Another  tannery  was  started  in  1832  by  James  S.  T.  Stranahan,  through 
the  agency  of  Mr.  Smith.  This  tannery  was  burned  and  another  was 
erected  by  Lewis  Rider,  which  ultimately  passed  to  Terrill  Brothers,  of 
Boston,  and  was  burned  about  1875,  after  doing  a  vast  business  for  a 
number  of  years.  Another  tannery  in  the  village  was  carried  on  by 
John  Sliter,  while  W.  W,  Graves  manufactured  fine  upper  leather  in  his 
tannery,  and  operated  the  grist  mill.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  tanning 
interest  has  been  by  far  the  most  imporatant  industry  in  Florence  ;  but 
with  the  disappearance  of  bark  the  business  has  greatly  declined.  It  is 
now  represented  only  by  the  Graves  tannery,  which  is  operated  by  H. 
A.  Seymour,  son-in-law  of  W.  W.  Graves.  A  saw  mill  is  now  situated 
a  little  above  the  village  and  is  run  by  C.  Wilmot. 

A  large  hotel  was  built  in  1825  by  James  Cleveland,  founder  of  the 
village  of  Cleveland,  Oswego  county.  This  building  was  subsequently 
burned.  There  are  now  two  hotels,  the  Grove  Hotel,  by  Clark  Brothers, 
and  a  comparatively  new  house,  built  and  kept  by  John  Riley.  Rens- 
selaer Lament  formerly  kept  a  hotel  here. 

It  is  not  known  in  just  what  year  the  post-ofifice  was  established,  but 
in  1823  it  was  located  at  the  tavern  of  Asa  Barnes,  two  miles  above 
the  village,  and  he  was  postmaster.  It  was  removed  to  the  village 
about  1830. 

There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  business  at  Florence  village. 


436  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Among  the  former  merchants  of  the  place  were  J.  S  T.  Stranahan, 
Daniel  G.  Dorrance,  whose  son  is  now  banker  in  Camden,  Simon  Davis, 
Junius  A.  Cowles.  Stores  are  now  kept  by  J.  Orr,  Daniel  O'Mara,  and 
John  F.  Clark. 

This  village,  like  many  others  in  the  county,  is  not  so  prosperous  in  a 
business  sense  as  it  was  in  former  years,  for  reasons  that  are  apparent. 
The  town  is  fairly  prosperous  as  an  agricultural  district,  mixed  crops 
being  successfully  cultivated  by  many  progressive  farmers.  Dairying 
has  received  increasing  attention  in  recent  years,  and  there  are  now  four 
cheese  factories  in  the  town. 

The  Baptist  society  of  Florence  village  became  connected  with  the 
Oneida  Baptist  Association  in  1828,  having  been  organized  some  years 
prior  to  that  year.  The  society  then  had  a  membership  of  twenty- four  ; 
this  number  had  increased  to  sixty- four  in  1835.  The  society  built  a 
church,  and  in  1833  opened  a  school  for  the  education  of  young  men, 
on  the  now  popular  plan  of  combining  mental  and  manual  labor  and 
study.  A  large  three  story  stone  school  building  was  erected  in  1834  ; 
but  neither  the  school  nor  the  church  was  permanently  prosperous  The 
church  declined  and  the  building  finally  passed  to  a  small  Congregational 
society,  previously  mentioned.  The  school  building  was  purchased  by 
a  Catholic  society  about  1845,  was  changed  over  for  its  new  purpose 
and  has  ever  since  been  used  by  that  organization. 

The  post  office  at  Empeyville  is  named  East  Florence,  and  was  origin- 
ally located  at  the  corners  near  the  Thomson  farm  ;  Charles  B.  Thom- 
son was  probably  the  first  postmaster.  The  office  was  removed  to  the 
little  village  in  April,  1863.  The  business  interests  of  this  hamlet  are 
small.  The  saw  mill  which  has  existed  many  years  is  run  by  James 
Keating,  and  A.  C.  Dawley  and  James  Bonner  are  merchants. 

The  following  are  the  supervisors  of  Florence  from  1806  to  1896,  in- 
clusive : 

1806-7,  Asa  Jenkins;  1808,  Samuel  Stanford;  1809-13,  Asa  Jenkins;  1813  (special 
election),  Samuel  Stanford;  1814-23,  Benoni  Barlow;  1824-28,  Calvin  Uawley;  1829- 
32,  Amos  Woodworth;  1833-34,  Simon  Davis;  1835-36,  Charles  Curtiss;  1837-38, 
Safford  S.  Delano;  1839-30,  Amos  Woodworth;  1841,  Nathan  Thomson;  1842,  Var- 
num  Dunton;  1843-44,  Anthony  Empey,  jr.;  1845-46,  Daniel  G.  Dorrance;  1847, 
Watson  Sammon ;  1848-50,  Aaron  H.  Thomson  ;  1851-52,  John  Downer,  jr. ;  1853-54, 
Rensselaer  Lament;  1855,  Junius  A.  Cowles;  1856,  Lewis  Rider;  1857-58,  Cornelius 


THE  TOWN  OF  FLOYD.  43'7 

Sirapkins;  1859,  Aaron  H.  Thomson;  1860-61,  Lewis  Rider;  1862-63,  Michael  Mc- 
Laughlin; 1864-66,  A.  H.  Thomson;  1867-68,  A.  D.  Rider;  1869-70,  Stoddard  Love- 
land;  1871-77,  Edward  Fitzgerald;  1878-79,  Humphrey  Courtney;  1880-81,  Edward 
Fitzgerald;  1882-83,  Daniel  O'Mara;  1884-85,  Humphrey  Courtney;  1886-87,  John 
Daly;  1888-89,  Aaron  Clough;  1890-91-92,  John  F.  Clark;  1893-94-95-96,  William 
Clark. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  TOWN  OF  FLOYD. 

The  town  of  Floyd  was  erected  from  Steuben  on  March  4,  1796, 
when  Western  was  also  a  part  of  Steuben.  Floyd  received  its  name  in 
honor  of  Gen.  William  Floyd,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  a  large  land  owner  in  this  town  and  in  Western. 
General  Floyd  settled  in  Western  in  1803,  and  remained  there  until  his 
death.  He  was  instrumental  in  the  development  of  this  region  and 
gave  material  aid  to  the  early  settlers.  (See  history  of  Western).  The 
territory  of  Floyd  was  included  largely  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Fonda's 
patent,  while  the  southern  portion  and  the  eastern  portion  were  in  the 
Oriskany  and  Holland  patents  respectively.  The  town  lies  just  east  of 
the  center,  its  southern  limit  touching  the  IMohawk  at  the  junction  of 
Nine- Mile  Creek  with  the  river;  tributaries  of  both  these  streams  find 
their  sources  within  this  town.  The  surface  consists  of  the  Mohawk  in- 
tervale in  the  south,  a  sandy  plateau  farther  back,  with  the  F"Ioyd  hills 
in  the  northern  part.  The  soil  is  generally  productive  and  many  fine 
farms  are  seen  in  the  town.  A  large  number  of  the  thrifty  Welsh  set- 
tled early  in  the  northern  part  of  Floyd  and  have  aided  materially  in 
its  development.  In  late  years  a  considerable  dairying  interest  has 
taken  the  place  of  earlier  agricultural  crops.  The  town  has  an  area  of 
20,650  acres. 

Settlement  in  Floyd-began  several  years  prior  to  the  formation  of  the 
town,  with  the  advent  of  Capt.  Benjamin  Pike  about  1790.  He  had  a 
son,  Jarvis  Pike,  who  came  in  early,  possibly  with  his  father,  and  took 
a  lease  from  General  Floyd  of  a  lot  north  of  Floyd  Corners  under  date 
of  October  26,  1793.      He  was  supervisor  from  1801  to  181 1. 


438  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Contemporaneous  with  Benjamin  Pike's  settlement  was  that  of  Stephen 
Moulton,  jr  ,  a  musician  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  who  lived  to  the 
age  of  ninety-one  years  and  died  February  i,  1851. 

As  early  as  February,  1795,  the  different  members  of  the  Moulton 
family,  from  Stafford,  Conn.,  had  settled  in  this  town.  As  before  men- 
tioned. Stephen  Moulton,  the  younger,  was  among  the  earliest  settlers. 
Within  five  years  after  his  arrival,  his  father,  Stephen  Moulton,  and  four 
other  sons,  Salmon,  Joseph,  Benjamin,  and  Ebenezer,  had  moved  into 
the  town.  The  Moulton  family  were  among  the  staunchest  Whigs  of 
the  Revolution  in  the  land  of  "  steady  habits,"  and  sacrificed  much  in 
the  cause  of  their  country.  Salmon  was  taken  prisoner  on  Long  Island, 
and  suffered  all  the  horrors  of  a  confinement  in  the  "  Sugar  House,"  a 
place  more  noted  for  the  suffering  of  its  inmates  than  the  "  Black  Hole  " 
of  Calcutta,  because  more  protracted.  Mr.  Moulton  was  kept  so  short 
of  provisions  that  he  and  his  compatriots  used  to  chew  pieces  of  the  oak 
staves  of  the  sugar  casks  left  in  their  prison,  for  the  little  nutriment  they 
contained.  His  father,  Col.  Stephen  Moulton,  was  afterward  taken 
prisoner  (as  is  understood)  at  Fort  Washington,  and  there  confined. 
After  a  tedious  confinement  in  the  "  Sugar  House,"  Salmon  was  paroled 
to  leave  for  Fort  Washington,  and  soon  after,  both  father  and  son  were 
paroled  to  go  to  their  homes.' 

Stephen  Moulton,  sr.,  was  elected  the  first  supervisor  of  Floyd  and 
the  family  has  been  a  prominent  one  in  the  town.  William  and 
Nathaniel  Allen  and  James  Chase  came  in  at  about  the  same  time  with 
the  Moultons,  and  were  soon  followed  by  Elisha  Lake,  Hope  Smith, 
and  two  brothers  named  Howard  ;  Mr.  Smith  was  father  of  Stephen  R. 
Smith,  who  became  a  popular  Universalist  preacher.  David  B}'am, 
James  Bartlett,  and  a  man  named  Putney  settled  very  early  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  in  the  spring  of  1796,  at  the  house 
of  Samuel  J.  Curtiss,  another  early  settler,  and  Stephen  Moulton,  sr., 
was  chosen  supervisor,  and  Moses  Coffeen,  town  clerk.  The  town  rec- 
ords for  1797  are  missing.  The  supervisors  of  the  town  from  1798 
to  the  present  time  excepting  from  1851  to  1863.  of  which  year  the 
records  are  missing,  have  been  as  follows : 

1  Jones's  Annals. 


THE  TOWN  OF  FLOYD.  439 

Abel  French  held  the  office  of  supervisor  in  1798-99;  Jarvis  Pike  from  1800  to 
1811;  Nathan  Tovvnsend,  sr.,  in  1812;  Ephraim  Robbins  from  1813  to  1819;  Nathan 
Townsend  again  in  1820-21 ;  Ephraim  Robbins  again  from  1822  to  1824;  Salmon  Pel- 
ton  from  1825  to  1832;  David  Moulton  from  1833  to  1837;  Samuel  C.  Brooker,  1838- 
39;  David  Moulton  1840-42;  Hosea  Clark,  1843-44;  David  Moulton  again  from  1845 
to  1851;  1863,  Alonzo  Denison;  1864-66,  Philip  A.  Hale;  1867,  George  W.  Davis; 
1868,  David  Moulton;  1869-71,  William  A.  Davis;  1872-73,  David  Moulton;  1874, 
Thomas  D.  Roberts;  1875,  Wm.  A.  Davis;  1876,  T.  D.  Roberts;  1877,  Matthew  J.  Bar- 
ker; 1878,  Charles  A.  W^ard;  1879-80,  M.  J.  Barker;  1881,  Orris  B.  Tripp;  1882-83,  J. 
Henry  Powell;  1884-85,  Philip  J.  Baker;  1886,  Owen  J.  Evans;  1887,  J.  Nicholas 
Jacobs;  1888-90,  J.  W.  Potter;  1891,  Griffith  D.  Thomas;  1892,  G.  M.  Soule,  1893- 
95,  P.  J.  Baker;  1896,  Griffith  W.  Jones. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  very  early  in  this  century  Floyd  was  the 
residence  for  a  time  of  Israel  Denio,  father  of  the  distinguished 
Judge  Hiram  Denio,  who  is  elsewhere  noticed  in  this  volume.  Israel 
Denio  was  a  son  of  Aaron  Denio,  who  was  a  Revolutionary  vet- 
eran, and  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Mass.  Learning  the  blacksmith 
trade,  he  married  in  1791.  Ester  Robbins,  daughter  of  John  Robbins 
(another  Floyd  pioneer)  and  in  1795  settled  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Floyd,  about  a  mile  south  of  the  late  farm  of  Alfred  Robbins. 
There  was  born  in  1796  his  daughter  who  became  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Kirkland.  About  the  year  1797  Mr.  Denio  removed  to  Wright  Set- 
tlement, in  the  town  of  Rome,  and  there  followed  his  trade  many  years. 
He  later  worked  at  other  points  and  died  in  1846.  His  son  Hiram  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Rome  in  May,  1799. 

John  Robbins,  mentioned  above,  came  from  Bennington,  Vt.,  into 
Oneida  county  in  1790,  locating  at  first  in  the  town  of  Rome  near  New- 
vilie  Finding  fever  and  ague  prevalent  there  he  removed  into  what  is 
now  Floyd  and  settled  near  the  town  line  on  the  farm  occupied  in  recent 
years  by  his  grandson,  Alfred  Robbins.  The  father  of  the  latter  was 
Henry  Robbins,  who  passed  his  life  and  died  in  Floyd. 

Samuel  Dyer  was  an  early  settler,  who  spent  several  years  on  a  farm 
in  this  town  and  removed  to  Marcy.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  char- 
acter, and  is  doubtless  the  one  referred  to  in  the  following  extract  from 
the  diary  of  Rev.  John  Taylor,  a  missionary  who  passed  through  this 
region  from  Massachusetts  in    1802: 

August  2. — Started  for  Floyd;  rode  11  miles  to  a  Captain  Rice's.  Preached  in  the 
evening.  I  know  not  what  remarks  to  make  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  town ;  a 
half  dozen  excepted,  they  seem  to  be  the  fag-end  of  man  in  disorder  and  confusion 


440  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  all  kinds.  The  Baptists  have  some  regularity,  but  the  Methodists  are  producing 
the  scenes  which  are  transpiring  m  Kentucky.  Women  here,  Methodists,  pray  in 
their  famihes  instead  of  ye  men,  and  with  such  strength  of  lungs  as  to  be  distinctly 
heard  by  their  neighbors.  I  had  almost  as  many  nations,  sects,  and  religions  pres- 
ent to  hear  me  preach  as  Peter  had  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  In  this  town  there  is 
an  excellent  character,— Esq.  Dier;  he  tells  me  that  Clinton  has  given  commissions 
to  five  men  for  justices  in  this  place,  one  of  whom  is  a  renegade  Irishman,  without 
character  and  without  prayer,  and  another  has  no  Bible  in  his  house.  In  fact,  this 
is  a  most  miserable  place  as  to  inhabitants.  The  land  is  good,  too  good  for  such  in- 
habitants. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  some  of  the  statements  of  this  mission- 
ary were  unjustifiable  under  the  circumstances  ;  they  certainly  do  not 
indicate  a  Christian  spirit.  Coming  westward  from  older  settled  locali- 
ties to  encounter  the  rude  scenes  of  life  in  the  wilderness,  v/ith  many 
privations  that  may  have  touched  his  own  person  harshly,  this  mission- 
ary appears  to  have  little  understood  or  appreciated  the  situation.  It 
is  very  certain  that  the  pioneers  of  Floyd  no  more  deserved  the  obloquy 
of  this  itinerant,  than  those  of  any  other  similar  locality  in  the  early 
years. 

Captain  Nathan  Townsend  settled  in  1801  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  town,  on  a  farm  which  had  been  purchased  by  Gov.  George  Clin- 
ton, and  where  a  "squatter"  named  Turner  I£llis  had  previously  lived. 
Mr.  Townsend  was  supervisor  in  182 1,  and  had  a  son  of  the  same  name. 
He  was  father  of  Ingham  and  William  F.  Townsend. 

Thomas  Bacon  and  Samuel  Cummings  were  early  settlers  on  Floyd 
Hill,  the  locality  being  known  for  a  time  as  "Bacon's  Hill."  Asa 
Clark  settled  on  the  Hill  about  1805.  He  served  as  a  teamster  in  the 
war  of  18 1 2  and  was  father  of  A.  S.  Clark,  one  time  postmaster  at 
Floyd  Corners. 

Robert  Nutt  and  his  son  David  came  into  the  town  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century  and  both  lived  and  died  in  the  town.  The  father 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  David's  son,  Austin  A  ,  was  born  in 
Floyd  in  1800.  Samuel  Denison  settled  in  town  in  1800,  and  about 
the  same  time  came  James  Chase,  Latham  Denison,  and  others.  An 
epidemic  of  dysentery  swept  over  the  settlement  in  the  summer  of  1796, 
during  which  the  wife  of  Col.  Stephen  Moulton  and  three  children  of 
his  son  died,  all  within  a  week.  Nathan  Thompson  was  the  second 
person  to  die  in  the  town,  and  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree. 


J 


THE  TOWN  OF  FLOYD.  441 

Benjamin  Gardner  came  from  Rhode  Island  and  settled  in  Floyd 
about  1804,  with  his  father.  Amos  Gardner.  Benjamin  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  ;  his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Eli  Kent,  who  was  five  years 
old  when  her  parents  came  into  Oneida  county  in  1795  and  settled  in 
the  edge  of  the  town  of  Rome.  In  that  neighborhood  but  within  the 
Floyd  town  line  settled  early  three  families  named  Kilborn,  and  Israel 
Denio,  before  mentioned.  It  was  probably  one  of  these  Kilborns  who 
taught  a  very  early  school,  about  the  winter  1795-6,  in  the  Kent  neigh- 
borhood in  the  town  of  Rome.  A  school  was  taught  as  early  as  18 10 
in  the  Nutt  neighborhood.  The  town  was  later  divided  and  subdivided 
into  districts  which  numbered  eleven  in  i860.  There  are  now  nine  dis- 
tricts, with  good  school  buildings. 

One  of  the  earliest  churches  in  this  town  was  built  as  a  Union  church 
at  the  Corners,  where  for  a  number  of  years  services  were  held  as 
opportunity  offered  by  Methodist,  Baptist  or  Presbyterian  ministers  or 
missionaries.  Free  Methodists  and  Episcopalians  occasionally  occupied 
the  cliurch  in  later  years,  until  finally  the  services  were  confined  mainly 
to  the  Methodists. 

A  Baptist  society  was  organized  on  the  Hill  in  1807,  and  for  many 
yeaas  was  prosperous.      It  finally  declined  and  went  out  of  existence. 

Camroden  post-office  and  the  little  hamlet  of  that  name  is  situated 
about  three  miles  northerly  from  Floyd  Corners,  where  numbers  of 
Welsh  settlers  located  and  gave  it  the  peculiar  name.  The  post-office 
was  established  in  1872.  Here  is  located  a  Methodist  church  society 
organized  about  1840,  who  built  their  present  church  about  1866;  ser- 
vices where  held  previous  to  that  time  in  the  building  that  was  subse- 
quently used  for  the  post  office  and  residence  of  R.  M.  Williams.  The 
Welsh  Congregational  church  at  Camroden  was  originally  under  Presby- 
terian authority  and  was  organized  about  1834.  A  church  was  erected 
north  of  the  present  building,  which  was  built  in  1854. 

Besides  the  post  office  and  hamlet  at  Floyd  Corners  (the  post-office 
having  the  name  of  Floyd),  there  is  a  post-office  called  East  Floyd  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  The  saw  mill  here  is  operated  by  P.  J. 
Baker,  who  is  postmaster. 

The  little  village  of  Floyd  Corners  is  in  the  southern  central  part  of 
the  town,  whese  a  post-office  was  established  in  early  years,  with  Benja- 
56 


442  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

min  Pike  postmaster.  There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  busi- 
ness here,  the  store  at  present  being  conducted  by  M.  J.  Barker,  who  lias 
beenamerchantfor  twenty-  five  years.  He  waspreceded  during  many  years 
by  P.  A.  Hale.  G.  W.  Martin  has  a  second  store.  The  hotel  which  has 
long  been  conducted  is  now  in  charge  of  S.  A.  Thorp.  The  first  hotel 
here  was  kept  by  Capt.  Benjamin  Pike. 

The  first  cheese  factory  in  this  town  was  built  in  1862  by  T.  D.  Rob- 
erts. There  are  now  three,  and  one  for  the  manufacture  of  limburger 
cheese.  Some  of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  town,  past  and  present,  are 
Germaine  Soule,  Ingham  Townsend,  and  his  brother  William  F.,  Thomas 
D.  Roberts,  H.  M.  Hemenway, William  Jones,  O.  B.  Tripp,  Frank  Tripp, 
Thomas  H.  Vandenhofif,  G.  D.  Thomas,  Robert  Evans,  Charles  H.  Owen 
aud  John  Evans. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  TOWN  OF  FORESTPORT 

This  is  the  northeasternmost  town  in  Oneida  county  and  its  territory 
includes  in  the  southern  part  a  small  section  of  the  Remscnburgh  patent, 
all  of  the  Woodhull  tract  in  its  central  portion,  and  the  Adgate  eastern 
patent  in  the  north  part,  as  shown  on  the  map.  Black  River  forms  its 
southern  boundary,  while  many  small  streams  flow  through  parts  of  the 
town,  and  numerous  lakes  and  ponds  exist  in  the  northern  part;  among 
these  are  Long  Lake,  White  Lake,  Otter  Lake,  and  Deer  and  Round 
Ponds.  Big  and  Little  Woodhull  Creeks  flow  southeasterly  across  the 
town  and  into  Black  River.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  elevated  from 
1,500  to  2,000  feet  above  tide  and  is  much  broken  by  hills  and  ridges. 
The  soil  is  mostly  a  light  sandy  loam,  suitable  for  the  ordinary  farm 
crops,  and  hops  have  been  raised  to  some  extent  in  the  central  part. 

This  town  has  only  a  brief  history,  either  as  a  civil  organization  or  as 
to  its  settlement.  Lying  in  the  outskirts  of  the  great  northern  wilder- 
ness, its  forests  were  not  penetrated  until  comparatively  recent  years, 
and   most  of  its  dwellers  have  in  some   way  been   associated  with   the 


G.  M.  STUDOR. 


THE  TOWN  OF  FORESTPORT.  443 

leading  industries  of  lumbering  or  tanning.  Foresport  was  erected  from 
Remsen  November  24,  1869,  and  the  first  town  meeting  was  held  in 
Forestport  village  on  the  ist  of  March,  1870,  at  which  time  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected  : 

Supervisor,  Harr>'  Weed;  town  clerk,  Charles  E.  Barber;  justices  of  the  peace, 
Daniel  Nugent,  Judson  W.  Rockwell;  assessors,  Stephen  Millard,  Thomas  Ryan; 
commissioners  of  highways,  Christopher  Herrig,  John  Bellinger ;  collector,  Thomas 
J.  Alliger;  poormasters,  Philip  Studer,  John  Lindsay ;  constables,  James  H.  Jackson, 
Henry  Herrig,  Asaph  Learned,  William  Elthorp,  George  Thurston ;  inspectors  of 
election,  Giles  C.  Hovey,  Edward  Coughlin,  Cephas  Weeks ;  sealer  of  weights  and 
measures,  James  McKenzie. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  its  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  time  : 

1870-75,  Harry  Weed;  1876-8(1,  Timothy  Coughlin ;  1881,  Evan  R.  Jones;  1882, 
Roselle  Putney;  1883-4,  A.  B.  Baker;  1885,  Oscar  F.  Huber;  1886-93,  F.  X.  Sulzman; 
1894-96,  J.    B.  Coughlin. 

The  building  of  the  great  dam  at  Forestport  by  the  State  in  1849-50 
to  create  the  feeder  for  the  Black  River  Canal,  stimulated  settlement  at 
that  point,  and  the  lumber  business  was  soon  active.  A  man  named 
Smith  built  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  the  first  saw  mill  there,  and  the 
first  dwelling  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  was  built  by  Alfred  Hough. 
Truman  Yale  had  settled  there  about  1840  and  carried  on  a  chair  fac- 
tory, the  first  industry  in  the  place.  A  hotel  was  opened  in  1851  by 
Anson  Hayden,  and  a  store  was  opened  early  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  by  Loren  Miller,  This  was  the  first 
store,  and  the  first  one  on  the  east  side  was  established  by  Enos  S. 
Howard  while  the  canal  feeder  was  being  constructed.  The  place  was 
at  one  period  known  as  Williamsville,  when  the  post-office  was  located 
at  Woodhull,  which  is  now  practically  a  suburb  of  Forestport.  The 
office  was  finally  removed  to  Forestport  and  given  that  name,  with 
Alfred  Hough,  postmaster.      It  is  now  the  only  post-office  in  the  town. 

George  Hovey  settled  permanently  in  Forestport  in  1847,  having 
visited  the  locality  some  years  before.  A  school  was  opened  about 
1840  in  the  hamlet,  since  which  time  the  town  has  been  subdivided  into 
more  districts,  having  now  ten.  Forestport  village  now  has  a  graded 
school,  with  David  R.  Lloyd,  principal,  and  two  assistants. 

Among  other  early  and  prominent  settlers  in  this  town  may  be  men- 


444  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tioned  Gen.  Jonathan  A.  Hill,  who  located  here  in  1867,  after  having 
won  high  military  distinction  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  became 
associated  with  Thomas  E.  Proctor,  of  Boston,  in  carrying  on  a  great 
tannery  at  Woodhull. 

An  early  grist  mill  in  Forestport  was  erected  and  carried  on  by 
Hough  &  Hulburt,  and  a  later  one  was  built  by  Philip  McGuire.  These 
mills  are  now  operated  by  George  Farley  and  C.  M.  Bingham,  both  of 
whom  have  been  in  the  business  many  years. 

As  the  lumber  business  developed,  large  mills  were  erected  at  various 
points,  among  those  now  in  operation  being  Denton  &  Waterbury, 
Forestport  Lumber  Company,  Syphert  &  Herrig,  James  Gallagher 
(all  in  Forestport  village),  aad  those  of  W.  R.  Stanburgh,  a  mile  out  ; 
Joseph  Ano,  four  miles  east;  Henry  Nichols  and  Jerry  App,  on  Bear 
Creek.  A  pulp  mill  was  built  in  1888  by  H.  Nichols  and  a  shingle  mill 
by  Frederick  Brown  The  Adirondack  Lumber  Company  is  located  at 
White  Lake,  where  a  chair  factory  is  operated.  The  hotels  at  P'^orest- 
port  are  the  Getman  House,  built  about  eight  years  ago  by  Charles 
Getman ;  the  American  by  Michael  Doyle  ;  the  Clinton  House,  built  by 
Robert  Boyle,  and  George  Buckley's  hotel.  Merchants  here  are  Den- 
ton &:  Waterbury,  Boyce  &  Downing,  George  R.  Ainsworth,  who 
bought  out  W.  R.  Stanburgh,  Henry  Nichols,  Herbert  Helmer.  Older 
merchants,  now  gone,  were  S.  F.  Traffarn  and  Hough  &  Hurlbut.  The 
village  has  an  active  fire  department  and  in  1891  purchased  a  Howe 
combined  chemical  and  water  engine.  A  graded  school  is  maintained 
with  three  teaehers. 

At  Woodhull  the  large  tannery  formerly  operated  by  Proctor  &  Hill  is 
not  now  in  use.  A  planing  mill  is  operated  by  Charles  Hayes,  and  a 
store  is  kept  by  the  Woodhull  Lumber  Company.  The  Central  Hotel 
is  kept  by  Cornelius  Breen  ;  the  Hasney  House  by  R.  J.  Monihan,  and 
the  Forestport  House. 

The  Presbyterian  society,  organized  as  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Forestport,  Alder  Creek  and  White  Lake,  built  its  frame  house  of  wor- 
ship in  1 88 1.  Prior  to  that  services  were  held  in  the  school  house,  in 
the  M.  E,  church  and  in  Temperance  Hall.  Rev.  William  N.  Cleveland 
(brother  of  President  Cleveland)  was  the  first  pastor  and  remained  about 
ten  years. 


PHILIP  MCGUIRE. 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  445 

The  Catholic  church  was  organized  and  its  church  built  fourteen  years 
ago.      It  is  in  charge  of  the  society  at  Boonville. 

An  Episcopal  society  has  been    in  existence  here  many  years. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND. 

Although  it  was  organized  at  a  comparatively  recent  date,  the  town 
of  Kirkland  is  in  many  respects  one  of  the  most  important  in  Oneida 
county.  It  was  organized  under  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April 
13,  1827,  and  then  included  what  is  now  the  town  of  Marshall,  which 
was  set  off  in  1829.  In  1834  a  small  section  was  annexed  to  New  Hart- 
ford, and  in  1839  ^  small  part  of  Paris  was  annexed  to  Kirkland.  The 
town  now  embraces  an  area  of  19,716  acres,  and  received  its  name  in 
honor  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  the  noted  missionary.  It  lies  in 
the  interior  of  the  county,  south  of  the  center,  and  its  surface  is  divided 
into  two  general  ridges  by  the  Oriskany  Creek  which  flows  northeasterly 
through  near  the  center.  The  hilly  uplands  rise  200  to  500  feet,  often 
with  steep  declivities,  presenting  in  many  places  scenery  of  picturesque 
beauty.  The  soil  is  generally  a  rich  calcareous  loam,  well  adapted  to 
fruit  growing,  which  has  been  extensively  followed.  Along  the  shores 
of  Oriskany  Creek  are  rich  alluvial  deposits.  Iron  ore  of  good  quality 
has  been  found  in  the  town,  and  in  past  years  thousands  of  tons  were 
annually  shipped  to  distant  furnaces  by  the  Chenango  Canal.  Good 
building  stone  is  quarried  near  Clinton  village.  The  town  is  noted 
throughout  the  State  for  the  number  and  high  character  of  its  educa- 
tional institutions. 

The  settlement  of  this  town  was  begun  on  the  3d  of  March,  1787,  by 
Moses  Foote  and  seven  families  The  event  is  commemorated  on  a 
stone  now  standing  in  the  park  at  Clinton  village  by  the  following  in- 
scriptions : 

Moses  Foote,  Esq.,  in  company  with  seven  other  families,  commenced  the  settle- 
ment of  this  village  March  3,  1787. 


446  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  north  face  has  the  following  : 

Nine  miles  to  Utica.     Moses  Foote,  James  Bronson,  Luther  Foote,  Bronson  Foote, 
Ira  Foote,  Barnabas  Pond,  Ludim  Blodgett,  Levi  Sherman. 

Mr.  Foote  and  a  few  other  persons  had  visited  this  locality  in  the  fall 
of  1786,  and  James  Bronson  came  in  February,  1787,  passing  the  night 
of  the  27th  of  that  month  under  shelter  of  the  roots  of  a  tree  on  what  is 
now  Clinton  Green.  Five  of  the  eight  families  mentioned  were  from 
Plymouth,  Conn.,  whence  they  had  a  few  years  earlier  migrated  to 
German  Flats.  In  coming  to  their  later  home  they  followed  what  was 
known  as  the  Moyer  road,  which  followed  a  part  of  the  Indian  trail  from 
Buffalo  to  the  Mohawk  valley.  '  That  road  brought  them  to  Paris  Hill, 
where  they  turned  northward.  After  some  discussion  the  party  located 
the  site  of  their  settlement  on  the  site  of  Clinton  village.  The  family  of 
Solomon  Hovey  is  thought  by  some  to  have  come  in  with  those 
pioneers;  if  he  did  not,  he  followed  them  very  closely,  and  his  wife  was 
the  first  white  woman  to  come  into  the  town.  The  summer  of  1787 
found  thirteen  families  living  on  the  Oriskany,  and  this  number  had  in- 
creased to  twenty,  this  addition  including  the  families  of  John  Bullen, 
Salmon  Butler,  James  Cassety  (see  history  of  Augusta,  herein)  William 
Cook,  Samuel  and  Noah  Hubbard,  Amos  Kellogg,  Aaron  Kellogg, 
Oliver  Porter,  Randall  Lewis,  Cordial  Storrs,  Caleb  Merrill,  Levi  Sher- 
man, and  Judah  Stebbins. 

The  settlement  was  formed  on  a  road  extending  north  and  south  from 
the  house  owned  in  recent  years  by  Marshall  W.  Barker  to  the  house  of 
Seth  K.  Blair.  Each  family  was  given  two  acres  of  land  on  this  street 
for  a  building  lot,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year  eight  acres  additional  were 
set  off  for  each  family,  adjoining  the  first  assignment  in  each  case.  These 
pioneers  cleared  some  of  their  land,  planted  crops,  and  named  their  set- 
tlement in  honor  of  the  governor  of  the  State,  Clinton,  They  labored 
under  the  privations  and  inconveniences  common  to  the  first  settlers  in 
many  other  localities  ;  they  carried  their  corn  on  foot  or  horseback  to 
the  mill  at  Whitestown,  built  in  1788,  over  a  narrow  trail,  six  miles^ 
until  a  little  later  they  joined  their  labor  and  cut  out  a  road  wide  enough 
for  teams.  Soon  afterward  Colonel  Cassety  built  a  grist  mill  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  creek,  near  the  site  of  the  bridge  on  College  street,  and  in 
the  same  year  a  saw  mill   was  built  a  few   rods  above.      This  saw   mill 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  447 

property  is  now  owned   by   E    G.  Coleman  and  the  grist  mill  by  Van 
Buskirk  &  Co.,  and  known  as  the  Clinton  Roller  mills. 

During  the  summer  of  1788  about  twenty  new  families  were  added 
to  the  settlement,  among  whom  were  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  George 
Longford,  Timothy  Tuttle,  Benjamin  Pollard,  Zadock  Loomis,  Theodore 
Manross,  Andrew  Blanchard,  Silas  Austen,  Joshua  Morse,  Elias  Dewey, 
and  Joseph  Gleason 

When  the  lands  now  covered  by  this  town  were  first  selected  by  Captain  Foot  and 
his  party,  it  was  supposed  that  they  had  never  been  surveyed,  and  were  not  embraced 
within  the  limits  of  any  patent.  They  considered  themselves  '  squatters,'  presuming 
that  when  the  land  came  into  market  they  could  claim  it  by  pre-emption  right.  What, 
then,  was  their  surprise,  on  exploring  and  clearing  up  the  forests,  to  find  lines  of 
marked  trees,  and  on  further  inquiry  to  learn  that  they  had  settled  upon  Coxe's 
Patent,  '  a  tract  of  land  granted  by  the  colony  of  New  York,  May  30,  1770,  to  Daniel 
Coxa,  William  Coxe,  Rebecca  Coxa,  and  John  Tabor  Kempe  and  Grace,  his  wife." 
Their  settlement  was  found  to  be  located  on  '  the  two  thousand  and  sixteen  acres 
tract  '  by  which  descriptive  name  it  was  long  known  to  the  older  inhabitants  and 
surveyors.  This  plot  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henry 
Gleason,  on  the  east  by  David  Pickett's,  on  the  south  by  Seth  K.  Blair's,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Oriskany  Creek.  On  further  search  it  was  found  that  this  tract  had  al- 
ready been  divided  into  twenty  lots  of  nearly  equal  size,  and  that  the  proprietors 
had  offered  it  as  a  gift  to  any  colony  of  twenty  families  who  would  take  it  up  and 
occupy  it  as  a  permanent  settlement.  At  once  our  settlers  hoped  that  they  might 
enjoy  the  benefit  of  this  generous  offer;  but  the  patentees,  learning  that  their  lands 
had  already  been  occupied  in  ignorance  of  their  proposal,  refused  to  make  the  gift, 
and  required  the  squatters  to  buy  the  land  at  the  rate  of  ten  shillings  an  acre.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  summer  of  1788,  Captain  Foot  was  sent  to  Philadelphia  to  purchase 
the  whole  tract  on  the  best  possible  terms;  and  eventually  the  several  lots  were 
parceled  out  at  cost  among  the  different  settlers.  The  triangular  piece  of  land  which 
afterwards  became  the  site  of  the  village  was  called  the  'handkerchief  lot,'  from  its 
resemblance  on  the  map  to  a  half  handkerchief,  and  was  bought  by  Captain  Foot.  1 

The  first  death  in  the  town  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1788,  when  Miss 
Merab  Tuttle,  seventeen  years  old,  a  daughter  of  Timothy  Tuttle,  was 
drowned  in  Oriskany  Creek  ;  the  sad  event  cast  a  shadow  of  gloom  over 
the  little  community. 

On  account  of  loss  of  the  records  of  this  town  prior  to  1866,  the  list 
of  supervisors  can  be  given  only  from  that  year,  as  follows  : 

18G6-7,  Charles  Kellogg;  1868-9,  Henry  S.  Armstrong;  1870-3,  Elliott  S.  Williams; 
1873-4,  Silas  T.  Ives;  1875,  Anthony  N.  Owston ;  1876,  Henry  N.  Gleason;  1877-78, 
Henry  C.  Earle;  1879-81,  Robert  W.  Evans;  1882-83,  Lathrop  N.  Brockway;  1884- 

*  History  of  Kirkland  (.18^4)  by  Rev.  A.  D.  Gridley. 


448  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

87,  Andrew  L.  Williams;  1888-89,  Thomas  W.  Onyon ;  1890-93.   George  E.  Norton; 
1894-95.  Amos  Armstrong;  1896,  Willard  G.  Pickert. 

Within  the  boundaries  of  Kirkland  are  included  the  Kirkland  patent, 
a  part  of  the  tract  of  the  Brothertown   Indians,  a  part  of  Cox's  patent. 
This  latter  section  made  the  early  settler  considerable  trouble,   as  de 
scribed    a    little    further   on.      (See  also    Chapter  X,    and    the   map   of 
patents). 

The  first  marriage  in  Kirkland  was  celebrated  in  1788,  when  on  the 
same  day  Elias  Dewey  and  Anna  Foote,  and  Andrew  Blanchard  and 
Mary  Cook  were  united.  Mr.  Dewey  built  a  house  on  the  site  of  the 
Judge  Williams  residence  of  recent  years.  Roger  Leverett  and  Eliza- 
beth Cheesebrough  were  also  married  in  that  year,  in  a  log  house  that 
stood  on  the  road  to  Utica,  east  of  Slocum's  bridge.  The  first  child 
born  in  the  town  was  Clinton  Foote,  who  died  before  reaching  manhood  ; 
the  second  was  Fanny  Kellogg,  daughter  of  Amos  Kellogg  and  later 
the  wife  of  Orrin  Gridlcy  ;  the  third  was  Julius  Pond,  born  July  26, 
1789. 

Among  the  settlers  who  arrived  in  1789  was  Jesse  Curtiss,  who  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  built  the  third  frame  house  in  town,  the  first  having 
been  erected  by  Timothy  Tuttle,  and  the  second  by  Ebenezer  Butler, 
jr.  These  three  were  all  built  in  1789.  Other  setttlers  of  the  year 
were  Timothy  Pond,  Eli  Bristol,  Joel  Bristol,  Jonah  Sanford.  Samuel 
Curtiss,  John  Curtiss,  Ebenezer  Butler,  Theodore  Gridley,  Bartholomew 
Po  d,  Rufus  Millard,  William  Marsh,  and  William  Carpenter.  While 
Capt.  Moses  Foote  brought  to  the  town  the  first  horse,  it  was  soon 
stolen  by  Indians,  and  the  next  ones  were  brought  in  1789  by  William 
Carpenter  and  Nathan  Marsh.  It  is  a  local  tradition  that  these  men 
started  on  hoseback  for  Albany,  and  at  the  same  time  Jesse  Curtiss  and 
Bartholomew  started  on  foot,  and  that  the  footmen  reached  their  desti- 
nation some  hours  ahead  of  the  horsemen. 

In  1789  the  families  who  had  settled  in  this  town  encountered  an  en- 
emy which  they  had  not  anticipated,  in  a  period  of  famine.  It  seems 
incredible  that  actual  want  of  food  could  have  existed,  but  when  the 
difficulty  of  communication  with  distant  points,  where  crops  had  not 
failed,  is  considered,  the  situation  may  be  better  appreciated.  The  stock 
of  flour  and  potatoes  was  exhausted  and  many  were  compelled   to  live 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  449 

on  wild  game  and  such  nuts  and  wild  vegetables  as  they  could  find.  At 
last  a  party  of  men  started  for  Fort  Plain  in  Montgomery  county,  in 
search  of  flour  or  other  food.  There  they  found  a  friend  in  Isaac  Paris, 
who  loaded  a  small  flat  boat  with  flour  and  meal  and  sent  it  up  the 
Mohawk  to  the  mouth  of  Oriskany  Creek,  where  it  was  transferred  to  a 
log  canoe,  which  the  settlers  had  made  and  who  were  there  to  meet  the 
returning  party.  The  canoe  and  its  load  were  worked  up  the  creek  to 
near  the  village,  where  the  welcome  food  was  taken  in  carts  to  the  set- 
tlement. Mr.  Paris  received  his  pay  for  the  flour  and  meal  in  ginseng 
root,  for  which  he  could  find  a  ready  market.  All  that  territory  was 
then  a  part  of  Whitestown,  it  will  be  remembered,  and  when  in  1792,  a 
new  town  was  to  be  erected  which  wQuld  include  what  is  now  Clinton, 
he  was  honored  by  giving  it  his  name — Paris. 

In  1792  Thomas  Hart  settled  in  Clinton  and  opened  a  store  in  com- 
pany with  Seth  Roberts  in  a  building  erected  by  Ebenezer  Butler,  in 
which  the  latter  had  carried  on  trade.  In  1793  Judah  Stebbins  built  the 
first  two-story  house  in  the  town.  It  was  in  the  Hart  store,  to  which 
business  Ephraim  Hart  (son  of  Thomas),  had  succeeded  prior  to  1801, 
that  the  first  burglary  in  the  town  was  committed.  Mr.  Hart  had  col- 
lected about  $1  800  in  silver,  and  an  Irishman  named  Samuel  McBride, 
who  must  have  learned  of  the  treasure,  broke  into  the  store  and  carried 
it  off.  He  was  very  soon  captured  and  most  of  the  money  restored  to 
the  owner.  The  thief  escaped  from  the  place  of  confinement,  started 
north  and  traveled  till  morning,  when  he  found  a  hollow  stump  about 
ten  feet  high  near  Middle  Settlement,  into  which  he  descended  to  hide 
until  night  again  came  on.  But  the  misguided  burglar  found  a  prison 
more  secure  in  the  stump  than  where  he  was  first  confined.  After 
nearly  losing  his  life  he  did  finally  get  out,  but  only  to  fall  into  the  cus 
tody  of  his  pursuers.  He  was  tried  and  sentenced  to  State  prison  for 
fourteen  years. 

The  pioneers  of  Kirkland  and  that  vicinity  found  many  Indians  of  the 
Oneida  nation,  the  Stockbridge  and  the  Brothertown  tribes,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  their  figures  and  faces  were  perhaps  more  familiar  to 
the  settlers  than  those  of  their  own  white  neighbors.  Many  incidents 
of  interest  are  recorded  of  the  intercourse  between  the  natives  and  the 
pioneers,  for  which  space  cannot  be  spared  in  this  volume.  (See  Grid- 
57 


450  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ley's  History  of  Kirkland,  and  Jones's  Annals  of  Oneida  County.)  The 
Indians  were  friendly  as  a  rule  and  in  some  instances  were  contributors 
to  the  comfort  of  the  settlers.  It  was  among  these  Indians  that  Rev. 
Samuel  Kirkland  passed  a  large  part  of  his  life  in  efforts  to  Christianize 
them.  He  established  the  first  permanent  Protestant  mission  in  the 
country  of  the  Six  Nations  among  the  Oneidas  in  July.  1766,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  was  a  prominent 
figure  in  this  history  of  this  region.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Nassau  Hall, 
Princeton,  N.  J.  (1765),  and  in  the  previous  year,  when  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old,  had  made  a  visit  to  the  country  of  the  Six  Nations.  His 
life  among  the  Indians  was  replete  with  incident  and  its  history  reads 
like  a  romance.  When  Mr.  Kirkland  settled  among  the  Oneidas  in  this 
town,  he  built  for  himself  a  dwelling  for  which  he  cut  the  timber  and 
dug  a  cellar  with  his  own  hands.  His  garden  was  on  ground  afterwards 
used  for  the  same  purpose  by  Hon.  Timothy  Jenkins.  He  was  con- 
nected with  the  army  as  chaplain  during  a  part  of  the  Revolutionary 
struggle,  and  was  conspicuous  and  acted  as  interpreter  in  the  great 
Buffalo  treaty  of  1784.  In  October,  1791,  he  removed  his  family  to  the 
land  granted  him  by  the  Indians  and  the  State,  and  as  far  as  he  was 
able  continued  his  labors  among  the  Oneidas  through  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  His  death  took  place  February  28,  1 808.  His  funeral  was  held 
in  Clinton  and  his  remains  were  buried  on  his  own  land  and  near  his 
dwelling.  His  remains,  with  those  of  others  of  the  family,  were  ex- 
humed and  reburied  in  the  college  cemetery  October  31,  1S56.  Three 
sons  and  three  daughters  were  born  to  him.  Two  of  the  sons  died 
young  and  unmarried.  Dr.  John  Thornton  Kirkland,  president  of  Ham- 
ilton College,  left  no  children.  Of  the  daughters,  Jerusha,  the  eldest, 
married  John  H.  Lothrop,  of  Utica,  in  1797;  Sarah  married  Francis 
Amory,  of  Boston,  in  1804;  and  Eliza,  the  youngest,  married  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Robinson,  D  U.,  in  1818,  then  a  professor  in  Hamilton  College,  and 
subsequently  known  as  an  Oriental  traveler,  and  professor  in  Union 
Theological  Seminary  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  Kirkland's  greatest  act 
of  usefulness  was,  perhaps,  the  founding  in  1793  of  the  Hamilton  Oneida 
Academy,  at  Clinton,  which  was  the  direct  parent  of  Hamilton  College. 
A  history  of  this  and  the  many  other  prominent  educational  institutions 
of  this  "educational  emporium  of  Oneida  county"  is  given  in  Chapter 
XXIV. 


i 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  451 

Hamilton  Academy  was  advanced  to  the  rank  and  dignity  of  a  col- 
lege in  1812,  and  in  the  following  year  the  Clinton  Grammar  School 
was  founded,  as  fully  described  in  Chapter  XXIV.  The  well  known 
Clinton  Liberal  Institute  was  established  in  1831,  and  was  followed  in 
the  next  year  by  the  Young  Ladies'  Domestic  Seminary,  all  of  which 
were  forerunners  of  others  which  have  been  described.  As  to  the  early 
common  schools  of  the  town,  there  is  little  that  can  be  recorded.  The 
following  brief  sketch  was  prepared  by  Gains  Butler  for  the  Gridley 
history  and  should  be  preserved  : 

The  first  building  erected  in  Kirkland  for  the  purpose  of  a  common  school  stood 
on  the  east  side  of  the  village  green,  upon  the  spot  now  occupied  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose. It  was  a  frame  building,  one  story  and  a  half  high.  This  was  afterward  re- 
moved, and  now^  (1873)  stands  on  the  north  side  of  Kellogg  Street,  and  is  occupied  by 
Mr.  James  Hughes.  The  original  school-house  was  succeeded  by  a  brick  building. 
The  bricks  used  in  this  structure  were  made  on  the  farm  of  Gideon  Cole,  now  owned 
by  James  Elphick  and  Dr.  G.  I.  Bronson.  In  the  spring  of  1840  this  house,  having 
become  somewhat  dilapidated,  was  sold  at  auction  for  some  $300,  and  soon  after- 
wards the  present  frame  building  was  erected  on  or  near  the  same  spot.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  a  Mr.  Fillmore,  brother  of  President  Fillmore,  was  one  of  the 
early  teachers  in  this  school-house. 

It  was  originally  a  very  general  practice  to  measure  the  lot  by  the  size  of  the 
school-house,  as  if  a  sufficient  margin  for  a  play-ground  was  land  thrown  away. 
The  school  house  on  Utica  Street  was  built  on  a  steep  bluff",  at  an  angle  on  two  sides 
of  some  45  degrees,  with  not  one  spare  foot  of  ground.  A  school  was  sustained  on 
this  spot  for  man}'  years,  but  a  bright  light  one  evening  many  years  ago  showed  that 
the  old  building  was  being  reduced  to  ashes. 

The  first  school-house  in  the  eastern  part  of  Kirkland,  near  Mr.  Pickett's,  was 
built  by  a  Mr.  Willard,  at  the  contract  price  of  $150.  Low  price  and  poor  work.  It 
was  attempted  to  warm  the  building  in  wnnter  by  a  Russian  stove,  of  which  Dr. 
Backus  said,  "  One  might  as  well  warm  his  feet  by  a  tombstone."  Another  and  bet- 
ter building  was  afterwards  put  up  on  the  same  site,  but  ere  long  it  went  up  by  fire, 
and  the  district  itself  was  dissolved. 

The  Franklin  district  is  a  large  and  populous  one.  The  first  school-house  was 
destroyed  under  circumstances  bordering  on  the  ludicrous.  It  may  suffice  here  to 
state  that  for  a  certain  cutaneous  disease  sulphur  was  regarded  as  the  best  remedy, 
and  that,  in  order  to  its  being  well  rubbed  in,  a  large  fire  was  considered  necessary. 
Well,  the  boys  were  not  in  a  condition  to  put  it  out. 

District  schools  were  opened  early  in  other  parts  of  the  town,  such 
names  as  the  "  Brimfield  Hill  district,"  the  "  Chuckery  district,"  the 
"  Manchester  district,"  and  the  "  Post  Street  district  "  being  some  of 
those  applied  to  the  several  divisions.      In    i860  there  were  seventeen 


452  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

districts    in    the  town.       The  number    at    the  present  time  is  fifteen, 
with  a  school  house  in  each. 

While  these  various  extensive  and  effective  measures  were  being  adopted 
to  provide  for  the  education  of  the  young  of  the  town,  religious  organ- 
izations were  established.  It  is  recorded  that  the  first  religious  meet- 
ing held  in  Kirkland  convened  on  Sunday,  April  8,  1787,  in  an  un- 
finished house  belonging  to  Moses  Foote,  in  Clinton.  Mr.  Foote  opened 
the  meeting  with  prayer,  and  Caleb  Merrill,  who  lived  near  Middle 
Settlement,  read  a  printed  sermon.  Other  similar  meetings  were  held 
in  various  places  until  a  church  organization  was  effected.  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Eells,  of  Branford,  Conn.,  visited  Clinton  in  November,  1788,  held 
services  and  performed  baptisms.  In  August,  1791,  Rev.  Dr.  Edwards, 
then  pastor  of  the  North  church  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  came  to  Clin- 
ton and  organized  a  Congregational  church  with  thirty  members;  A 
few  weeks  later  "  The  Society  of  Clinton  "  was  organized  with  eighty- 
three  members.  Rev.  Asahel  Strong  Njrton,  of  Chatham,  Conn.,  was 
called  as  the  first  pastor,  and  was  paid  a  salary  of  "  one  hundred  pounds, 
lawful  money."  He  served  for  the  same  pay  for  twenty  years,  and 
visited  other  parts  of  the  town,  preaching  in  school  houses,  dwellings 
and  barns.  A  log  building  was  erected  on  the  village  common  in  1792, 
and  there  meetings  were  held.  This  was  torn  down  in  1796,  and  the 
school  house  was  used  for  worship  until  a  church  was  built.  This  was 
partly  accomplished  in  that  year,  but  the  building  was  not  finished 
until  1 801.  It  stood  in  the  park,  facing  the  south,  and  was  65  by  48 
feet  in  size.  A  bell  was  hung  in  the  square  tower  in  1804,  which  was 
cast  by  Capt.  Timothy  Barnes  in  the  village — a  product  of  ona  of  the 
earliest  industries.  The  church  is  remembered  as  "  the  old  white  meet- 
ing house."  A  new  church  was  erected  of  stone  in  1835-6,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  park,  and  was  burned  July  10,  1876,  when  the  pres- 
ent handsome  edifice  was  erected  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $40,000. 
After  a  period  of  about  seventy  years  in  the  Congregational  faith,  the 
Presbyterian  form  was  adopted  and  the  church  became  connected  with 
the  Utica  Presbytery.  The  first  Methodist  class  was  formed  in  18 18, 
and  that  and  other  churches  are  described  a  little  further  on. 

During  the  period  in  which    were  established   the   above  mentioned 
organizations  for  the  moral  and  educational  welfare  of  this  town,  many 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  453 

of  the  early  manufacturing  industries  were  founded,  which  for  a  time 
made  it  a  center  of  considerable  business.  The  breeding  of  fine-wool 
sheep  was  successfully  followed  in  Oneida  county  at  an  early  date  and 
Kirkland  people  engaged  extensively  in  the  work.  This  led  to  the 
formation  of  companies  for  the  manufacture  of  woolen  cloths,  among 
which  was  the  Clinton  Woolen  Manufacturing  Company,  which  erected 
a  factory  in  i8iO.  After  a  few  years  of  profitable  operation,  the  busi- 
ness declined  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  i8i2,  largely  through  com- 
petition of  English  goods.  Broadcloths  were  made  at  this  factory  which 
sold  during  the  war  as  high  as  $12  a  yard,  and  other  kinds  of  cloth  in 
proportion.  The  property  ultimately  passed  to  the  proprietors  of 
Clark's  Mills  and  was  used  as  a  cotton  factory,  as  described  further  on  ; 
the  post-office  at  this  point  has  the  name  of  Clark  Mills. 

Amos  Kellogg  built  a  fulling  mill  in  Clinton  prior  to  18 10,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  creek  on  College  street.  He  sold  out  to  Clark  Wood, 
who  removed  the  machinery  to  the  north  side  of  the  road  to  m.ake 
room  for  a  carding  machine  which  was  set  up  on  the  site  by  Owen  & 
Bennett. 

About  the  year  1813  a  nail  factory  was  established , by  Silas  Buttrick 
and  others,  near  the  site  of  the  grist  mill ;  this  was  soon  closed.  The 
building  of  the  first  grist  mill  has  been  mentioned  ;  it  stood  on  the  east 
side  of  the  creek,  just  above  College  street.  Another  was  erected  by 
Simon  Nelson  at  a  later  date  on  the  site  and  in  1878  was  occupied  by 
William  Healey.  An  early  flouring  mill  was  built  about  forty  rods  above 
the  Farmers'  Mill,  which  was  afterward  moved  down  the  stream  and 
rebuilt  under  the  name  of  Hart's  Mill,  and  finally  took  the  name  of 
"Farmers'  Mill."  About  1800  a  small  grist  mill  was  built  a  little  east 
of  Manchester  (Kirkland  P.  O)  by  a  Mr.  Sherman  A  Mr.  Parks,  an 
early  settler,  began  the  erection  of  a  mill  below  Manchester  and  ex- 
pended consideral  money  on  a  raceway  ;  but  his  prospects  of  profit  in 
it  were  cut  off  by  the  erection  of  a  mill  about  1802-3  by  Nathan  and 
Ebenezer  Thompson  at  Clark  Mills.  These  men  had  also  a  saw  mill 
and  a  carding  machine.  The  saw  mill  was  burned  in  1881.  The  first 
saw  mill  in  the  town  was  established  by  Bronson  Foote  in  1788,  and 
had  several  successors  in  different  parts.  One  was  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  Dug- Way;  another,  built  by  Mr.  Bliss,  where   the   chair  factory  of 


454  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

S.  P.  Landers  was  built  in  1861,  and  another  by  Ralph  W.  Kirkland   a 

little  below  the  Franklin  Iron  Works.     Still  another  saw  mill  was  on   a 

stream  known  as  Sherman  Brook,  near  the  eastern  bounds  of  the  town  ; 

it   was   owned  by   Judah    Stebbins  and   Zadock   Loomis,  while  farther 

down  that  stream  was  a  grist  mill  owned  by  Timothy   Barnes  and   his 

sons ;   the  latter  was  sold  and  converted  into  a  distillery.      Still  farther 

down  the  same  stream  was  the  saw  mill  of  John    Bird,  and   below   that 

one  by  Thomas  Warmele. 

In  1794,  a  deed  was  made  by  Mr.  Bliss  to  Woodruff  &  Kinney,  for  a  dike  to  be  cut 
from  his  mill-pond  (near  Mr.  Landers'  present  factory)  through  his  land  to  the  pres- 
ent location  of  the  shop.  The  water-course  having  been  dug,  a  trip-hammer-shop 
was  built  for  making  scythes,  hoes,  and  for  common  blacksmithing.  After  a  few 
years  Manross  &  "Wicks  became  the  proprietors.  They  .sold  one-half  of  the  shop  to 
Charles  Faber,  who  made  nail-hammers.  The  next  proprietors  were  Porter  &  Kelsey 
who  made  hay-forks.  After  them  came  Mr.  Wells,  who  made  staves.  The  next 
proprietors  were  Biam  and  Hiram  Davis,  who  manufactured  sash,  blinds,  and  doors. 
The  next  owner  was  James  Stewart,  who  made  Excelsior  shavings,  and  carried  on 
the  business  of  upholstery.  During  its  occupancy  by  Colonel  Stewart,  Mr.  H.  H. 
Jones  manufactured  axes  to  some  extent.  Succeeding  Colonel  Stewart  came  Messrs. 
Cooke  &  Case,  who,  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  when  cotton  was  high,  dressed 
flax.     Soon  after  this  they  turned  their  attention  to  the  making  of  cotton  batting. 

Asa  Marvin  started  a  hat  factory  in  Clinton  about  1834  on  the  west 
corner  of  College  and  Franklin  streets,  which  continued  some  years. 
Woodbury  &  Kinney  made  scythes  quite  early  near  the  Farmers'  Mill, 
and  Timothy  Barnes  cast  bells,  as  before  mentioned.  The  first  pottery 
was  established  by  Erastus  Barnes,  near  College  street ;  he  used  an  ex- 
cellent clay  found  near  Manchester  and  did  a  large  business  ;  he  was 
succeeded  by  John  B.  Gregory.  Brick  making  has  been  largely  carried 
on,  the  first  ones  being  made  by  Dr.  Abel  Sherman,  on  Utica  street ; 
other  yards  were  established  in  various  places. 

Among  the  numerous  tanneries  which  were  established  and  which 
have  all  passed  away  were  those  of  Theophilus  Redfield,  near  the  foot 
of  College  Hill ;  of  John  Shapley,  in  the  hollow  east  of  the  village  of 
Clinton  ;  of  Rufus  Hayes,  and  another  by  Bangs  &  Dillow  on  Utica 
street. 

A  small  factory  was  established  about  1830  by  a  Mr.  Hard  on  a 
stream  between  Clinton  and  Deansville  for  making  of  German  silver 
spoons;  the  proprietor   afterwards   began   counterfeiting  coin   and   fled 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  455 

the  country  Lewis  Pond  and  Andrew  Pond  each  estabHshed  a  small 
furnace  for  working  scrap  iron  quite  early,  but  neither  continued  long 
in  operation. 

The  Manchester  Manufacturing  Company  was  chartered  in  1815,  with 
capital  stock  of  $100,000,  its  purpose  the  establishment  of  a  cotton  fac- 
tory in  this  town.  The  works  were  put  up  by  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Theo- 
dore Sill  and  John  Young,  and  the  limited  machinery  of  those  days  put 
in.  The  weaving  was  done  by  hand  by  families  over  a  large  extent  of 
territory.  After  the  introduction  of  the  power  loom,  the  business  was 
revolutionized,  but  continued  successful.  In  1831  the  factory  was  en- 
larged and  new  machinery  including  ninety  six  looms  added.  The  fac- 
tory was  burned  in  1 8 54  and  not  rebuilt.  The  Clinton  Iron  Works 
occupied  the  site. 

The  mining  of  iron  ore  in  Kirkland  has  already  been  alluded  to  The 
richest  beds  in  town  were  discovered  early  on  the  farm  of  the  late  James 
D.  Stebbins,  and  the  ore  was  so  near  the  surface  that  it  was  turned  up 
by  the  plow.  The  ore  was  taken  out  of  town  many  years  and  worked 
into  pig  iron.  In  1852  the  Franklin  Iron  Works  went  into  operation, 
the  company  having  been  formed  in  1850,  with  a  capital  of  $16,000. 
The  works  were  built  during  1 85  i ,  and  had  a  capacity  of  six  to  ten  tons 
a  day.  The  capital  not  being  forthcoming,  a  new  company  was  formed 
in  1852,  in  which  Alfred  Munson,  of  Utica,  and  Mr.  Tower  took  an  in- 
terest, the  capital  being  increased  to  $32,000.  The  works  were  started 
with  success  and  were  afterwards  greatly  enlarged.  In  1864  the  prop 
erty  passed  to  a  new  corporation,  and  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to 
$100,000.  The  first  stack  produced  100  tons  per  week;  in  1869-70  a 
new  stack  was  built  with  a  capacity  of  160  tons  per  week.  In  1871  the 
old  stack  was  rebuilt.  Quite  a  hamlet  gathered  about  these  works  and 
a  post-ofifice  opened  under  the  name  Franklin  Iron  Works.  The  works 
closed  down  in  1893. 

The  C'linton  Iron  Company  was  formed  in  November,  1872,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $100, OOO.  The  works  were  erected  in  the  following 
year  at  Manchester,  and  work  was  commenced  in  1874.  Operations 
were  suspended  in  1876,  but  started  up  again  and  continued  with  more 
or  less  success  until  1893,  when  they  closed  down.  At  Kirkland  is 
located  the  plant  of  the  Kirkland  Canning  Co.,  and  the  Kirkland  Cream- 
ery, both  of  which  are  successfully  operated. 


456  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

In  the  summer  of  1846  a  cotton  factory  was  established  in  the  ex- 
treme northern  part  of  the  town  by  Ralph,  Eneas  P,  and  A.  R.  Clark, 
from  whom  the  hamlet  that  subsequently  gathered  there  took  the  name 
of  Clark  Mills,  the  name  also  applying  to  the  post-office  at  that  point. 
The  first  factory  was  finished  in  that  year  and  in  April,  1849,  1 1 1  looms 
were  put  in  operation.  At  a  later  date  the  old  woolen  factory  at  Clin- 
ton and  the  Peckville  Mills  were  purchased,  and  the  business  rapidly  in- 
creased. A  mill  for  making  batting  and  rope  was  also  established.  In 
1873  the  mills  changed  proprietorship.  In  1891  this  factory  was 
changed  to  a  plush  factory,  in  which  foreign  capital  is  chiefly  interested. 
The  post-office  was  established  about  1852.  with  H.  W.  Bettis,  post- 
master. A  large  brick  structure  was  erected  for  a  boarding  house,  stores 
were  opened  and  the  place  became  quite  an  active  center. 

With  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  agriculture  in  this  town, 
as  in  most  others,  and  the  larger  attention  given  to  dairying,  cheese 
factories  came  into  existence.  The  first  company  was  formed  at  Man- 
chester in  1862,  with  Benjamin  Barnes,  president;  George  W.  Pixley, 
secretary;  E  C.  Lewis,  treasurer.  The  business  was  successful,  and 
another  factory  was  established  in  the  "  Chuckery  "  district  in  1864,  and 
a  third  at  Franklin  in  1866  by  Thomas  T.  Sawyer,  jr.  There  are  now 
three  factories  in  the  town. 

Among  the  prominent  farmers  of  the  town,  past  and  present,  may  be 
mentioned  : 

Amos  P.  Gridley,  James  D.  Stebbins,  Simeon  Gunn,  Marshall  W.  Barker,  William 
B.  Havens,  Hiram  G.  Hart,  James  O.  Gridley,  George  Bristol,  Col.  John  H.  Tower, 
R.  J.  Billingham,  John  Foote,  A.  P.  Armstrong,  William  C.  Billingham,  James 
Burns,  Henry  C.  Earle,  Charles  Baker,  Warren  Ely,  Henry  Gleason,  Herbert  Case, 
Harrison  Griffin,  H.  H.  Miller,  and  P.  M.  Miller.  The  south  part  of  the  town  is  still 
largely  devoted  to  hop  raising.  Along  the  railroad  line  considerable  milk  is  now 
produced  for  shipment. 

The  village  of  Clinton  was  incorporated  April  12,  1843,  by  which 
time  it  had  become  a  very  active  and  enterprising  place.  Three  years 
later  the  first  newspaper  was  established,  when  the  Clinton  Signal  was 
issued  on  July  10,  1846,  by  L,  W.  Payne.  To  meet  the  suggestions  of 
some  of  the  Senior  class  of  the  college  in  1848  the  paper  was  changed 
to  an  eight-page  quarto  form  and  the  name  called  the  Radiator.  The 
former  style  and  name  were  taken   in   the   following   year.      The   paper 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  457 

suspended  in  1852.  Mr.  Payne  and  Ira  D.  Brown  soon  afterward  es- 
tablished the  Oneida  Chief,  which  continued  with  some  changes  in 
ownership  for  several  years;  in  1856  it  was  sold  to  Francis  E.  Merritt, 
who  sold  a  year  later  to  Galen  H.  Osborne,  who  changed  the  name  to 
the  Chief  and  Courier.  Osborne  sold  to  M.  D.  Raymond  in  August, 
1859,  who  continued  it  to  May  i,  1875,  when  it  passed  to  J.  B.  Sykes, 
and  the  name  changed  to  the  Clinton  Courier.  It  is  now  published  by 
J.  B.  &  H.  B.  Sykes.      It  is  a  progressive  and  ably  edited  journal. 

In  1852  a  monthly  agricultural  paper  was  started  in  Clinton  called  the 
Northern  Farmer,  the  publisher  was  T.  B.  Miner.  In  1854  it  was  issued 
in  connection  with  the  Farmer  (another  monthly),  and  in  January,  1856, 
the  Rural  .American  was  added.  Soon  afterwards  both  editions  of  the 
Farmer  were  dropped  and  the  Rural  American  continued  to  1868,  when 
it  was  removed  to  New  Jersey. 

In  1845  Orrin  Gridley  established  the  Kirkland  Bank  in  Clinton,  and 
on  his  death  in  April,  1847,  it  passed  to  his  son,  Albert  G.  Gridley,  who 
conducted  it  until  the  fall  of  1854,  when  it  was  closed  and  its  affairs  set- 
tled. In  1862  the  Lincoln  Bank  was  established  with  William  H.  Mars- 
ton,  president,  and  Henry  M.  Burchard,  cashier;  it  was  closed  in  June, 
1864.  A  banking  house  was  opened  by  George  Bissell  &  Co  in  Jan- 
uary, 1866.  with  Philip  J.  Hart,  cashier;  it  was  closed  in  August,  1868. 
The  Clinton  Bank  was  established  January  19,  1870,  by  Bunce  &  Dun- 
bar ;  from  them  it  passed  to  Hill  &  Elliott,  and  since  1884  has  been 
conducted  by  C.  E.  Hayes  &  Co. 

The  post-office  in  Clinton  was  opened  January  i,  1803,  with  J.  Sim- 
mons, postmaster.  Julia  H.  Bronson  has  held  the  position  for  the  past 
twelve  years. 

In  1 89 1  the  village  voted  to  organize  a  Union  school.  In  the  next 
year  a  modern  and  commodious  school  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
nearly  $50,000,  and  is  designated  as  Clinton  Union  School  and  Academy. 

The  old  Park  House  was  erected  at  about  the  beginning  of  the  cent- 
ury, and  continued  in  use  as  a  hotel  more  than  three-quarters  of  a 
century.  The  Clinton  House,  a  fine  brick  hotel,  was  erected  in  1873 
by  J.  H.  Tower.  On  the  site  of  this  hotel  stood  the  old  Clinton  House, 
built  by  Joseph  Stebbins  probably  between  18 18  and  1 820,  and  long  a 

popular  hotel;   it  was  burned  in  1871. 

58 


458  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Among  the  prominent  former  merchants  of  the  village  were  Major- 
General  Comstock,  Benoni  Butler,  Peter  Fake,  "  Deacon"  Gridley,  Dr. 
Charles  Barrows  (drugs).  James  T.  Watson  and  John  Marsh  have  been 
in  business  since  1858,  and  R.  C.  Osborn  since  i860. 

Following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have  held  the  office  of  village  presi- 
dent since  1875,  in  which  year  Hiram  C.  Everett  held  the  position: 
1876,  William  C.  Bartlett ;  1877-82,  James  J.  Scollard  ;  1883-5,  Andrew 
W.  Mills  ;  1886-7,  E.  S.  Williams  ;  1888-90,  James  I.  Scollard  ;  1 891-2. 
E.  S.  Williams;  1893-6,  E.  B.  Woolworth. 

A  fire  company  has  existed  in  Clinton  from  early  times.  A  reorgan- 
ization of  the  fire  department  was  effected  in  1873  and  maintained  until 
the  establishment  of  the  village  water  works  in  1882-3.  Since  then  the 
Smythe  Hook  &  Ladder  company  and  the  Osborn  Hose  company, 
with  Francis  Tasker  chief,  have  constituted  the  equipment  for  extin- 
guishing fires. 

In  the  spring  of  1796  Bartholomew  Pond,  who  then  owned  what  has 
been  known  as  the  Royce  farm,  donated  to  the  Society  of  Clinton 
(before  described)  an  acre  of  land  to  "  be  used  as  a  burial  yard."  This 
lot  constitutes  the  southeast  corner  of  the  present  cemetery.  About 
the  year  1805  the  grounds  were  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  the  north- 
ern and  eastern  parts,  which  were  deeded  to  the  society  by  Samuel 
Royce.  The  Rural  Cemetery  Association  act  of  the  Legislature  was 
passed  in  1847,  «^'""^  '"  the  summer  of  1854  an  association  was  formed 
under  it  in  Clinton.  Grounds  now  forming  the  Clinton  Cemetery  were 
selected  and  purchased  for  $3,220.  The  lot  comprises  about  twenty- 
eight  acres  and  has  been  handsomely  laid  out.  The  care  of  the  old 
cemetery  was  in  1862  passed  over  to  the  new  one. 

The  post-office  at  Manchester  (Kirkland  post-office)  was  established 
about  181 5,  when  the  Manchester  Company  before  described  erected 
their  mills  The  first  postmaster  was  probably  Robert  Converse.  At 
about  the  same  time  Robert  Eells  opened  a  store,  and  a  few  shops  and 
taverns  with  a  hamlet  of  dwellings  soon  gathered  about.  In  the  early 
days  at  one  time  there  were  three  public  dwellings  there,  one  a  half 
mile  east,  and  eleven  on  the  road  between  here  and  Utica.  The  first 
one  opened  at  Kirkland  was  kept  by  Justin  Little  as  early  as  1805,  and 
the  next  one  by  David  Pixley,  sr.,  who  settled  there  about  1805.      The 


E.    S.  WILLIAMS. 


THE  TOWN  OF  KIRKLAND.  459 

latter  was  closed  thirty  or  more  years  ago.  Charles  Hart  was  an  early 
merchant  and  his  old  store  is  now  used  as  one  of  the  two  hotels.  David, 
Charles  and  Isaac  Pixley  were  early  merchants.  The  store  is  now  kept 
by  Thomas  Joy,  who  is  postmaster. 

Besides  this  post-office,  and  the  one  at  Clinton,  there  is  one  still  re- 
tained at  Franklin  Iron  Works,  and  one  at  Chuckery  which  was  estab- 
lished in  1895. 

The  Methodist  class  which  has  been  mentioned  as  having  been  formed 
at  Clinton  in  18 18  belonged  to  the  Westmoreland  circuit,  and  preach- 
ing was  begun  in  the  village  in  18 19.  Dr.  Joseph  Cornell  located  in 
the  village  in  1831  and  in  company  with  Walter  Gillespie  purchased  a 
site  for  a  church;  it  was  built  in  1832,  repaired  in  1849  ^"^  again  in 
1867  in  its  present  form.  • 

The  Universalist  society  of  Clinton  was  an  outgrowth  of  the  one  at  New 
Hartford,  organized  in  1805.  In  1821  the  Clinton  society  began  an  in- 
dependent existence  and  built  a  brick  church,  largely  through  the  liber- 
ality of  Joseph  Stebbins.  It  was  designated  a  Free  church  and  the  people 
worshiping  in  it  were  called  the  Free  Church  Society  of  Clinton. 
Methodists  and  Baptists  used  it  to  some  extent  in  its  early  years.  The 
society  took  its  title  as  the  First  Universalist  Society  of  Clinton  in  June, 
1 83  I.  Rev.  Stephen  R.  Smith,  its  founder,  was  the  first  pastor.  A 
new  church  was  erected  and  dedicated  October  12,  1870  at  a  cost  of 
about  $18,000. 

The  College  church  (Presbyterian)  was  organized  in  the  college  April 
20,  1825,  and  continued  until  183  i,  when  it  was  dissolved.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1 861,  it  was  reorganized  and  has  continued  a  prosperous  existence 
since. 

The  Baptist  church  of  Clinton  was  organized  September  21,  1831, 
with  seventeen  members.  A  church  site  was  soon  purchased  and  the 
present  church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  It  was  subsequently  re- 
modeled at  a  cost  of  $6,500 

St.  James  Episcopal  church,  Clinton,  was  the  outgrowth  of  services 
held  between  1841  and  1850  by  Bishop  De  Lancey.  In  1854  a  Sun- 
day school  was  organized,  and  services  were  held  by  various  pastors, 
but  not  continuous,  until  May,  1862,  when  the  parish  was  organized. 
The  corner  stone  of  the  church  was  laid  on  the  5th  of  June,  1863,  and  the 


460  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

building  was  finished  in  March,    1865.      It  was  consecrated  in  January, 
1869. 

A  Sabbath  school  was  started  at  Kirkland  in  18 17,  soon  after  the 
establishment  of  the  cotton  factory.  Later  meetings  were  held  in  the 
brick  school  house,  where  various  pastors  held  services  until  1834,  when 
a  church  edifice  was  erected.  About  the  same  time  a  society  of  the 
Congregational  faith  was  organized. 

St.  Mark's  Episcopal  church  at  Clark  Mills,  was  an  outgrowth  of 
religious  services  held  in  the  school  house  there  in  1862,  by  Rev.  Russell 
Todd.  The  corner  stone  of  the  church  was  laid  on  June  6,  1863,  and 
the  parish  was  incorporated  in  November  of  that  year.  There  were 
then  forty  communicants. 

A  Methodist  society  has  been  organized  here,  and  their  new  church 
has  just  been  completed  (1896). 

St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  church,  Clinton. — Rev.  William  C.  Cough- 
lin  made  his  first  professional  visit  to  Clinton  January  6,  185  i,  and  cele- 
brated the  first  mass  in  a  dwelling  on  the  14th  of  that  month  before  a 
congregation  of  sixteen  members.  The  present  church  edifice  was 
begun  in  May,  1852,  and  finished  and  dedicated  October  25,  1854.  A 
parochial  residence  was  built  on  Marvin  street  in  1872.  The  church  is 
prosperous. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  LEE. 

This  town  lies  just  north  of  the  center  of  the  county  and  embraces  in 
its  territory  parts  of  townships  1  and  2  of  Scriba's  patent,  and  small 
sections  of  the  Oothoudt,  and  the  several  smaller  subdivisions  clearly 
shown  on  the  map  of  patents  herein  The  area  of  the  town  is  27,771 
acres.  The  west  branch  of  the  Mohawk  flows  across  the  northeast 
corner,  and  the  east  branch  of  Fish  Creek  forms  a  part  of  the  western 
boundary  ;  other  small  streams  give  the  town  good  drainage  and  water. 
The  surface  is  rolling  and  moderately   hilly,    rising    from    the    lowlands 


THE  TOWN  OF  LEE.  461 

gradually  to  a  height  of  500  to  800  feet  above  the  canal  level  at  Rome. 
The  soil  is  a  clayey,  sandy  and  gravelly  loam,  in  some  places  very 
stony,  but  generally  productive. 

This  town  was  erected  from  Western  April  3,  181 1  ;  Western  from 
Steuben,  March  10,  1797,  and  Steuben  from  Whitestown  April  10,  1792. 
The  town  was  reduced  to  its  present  area  by  setting  off  a  small  part  to 
Annsville  in  1823. 

Settlement  began  early  in  this  town.  On  the  8th  of  March,  1872, 
the  60th  anniversary  of  the  first  town  meeting  was  celebrated  at  Lee 
Center,  which  resulted,  among  other  things,  in  the  preservation  of  much 
valuable  local  history  which  might  otherwise  have  been  lost.  An  ad- 
dress was  delivered  by  Hon.  Anson  S.  Miller,  then  of  Rockford,  111.,  in 
which  he  reviewed  the  early  settlement  of  the  town  as  follows  :  1 

The  first  settlement  in  what  is  now  Lee  was  made  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mohawk 
River,  near  the  present  site  of  Delta,  by  Esek  Sheldon  and  his  sons,  Stephen,  Reuben, 
and  Amasa,  in  1790.  Stephen  built  the  first  house,  a  little  logcabin,  between  Potash 
Brook  and  the  house  afterwards  built  by  Israel  Stark.  The  father  and  the  other 
brothers  took  up  land  on  the  fiat  west  of  the  Mohawk,  next  above  the  land  known  as 
the  Bugby  place,  just  north  of  the  road  leading  from  Delta  to  Lee  Center.  At  this 
angle  in  the  roads  under  the  hill  was  erected  the  first  school-house  in  the  town  of 
Western,  now  Lee.  It  was  a  small,  log  house,  with  a  Dutch  fireplace,  stick  chimney, 
and  slab-roof  and  seats.  Joshua  Northrup,  a  young  surveyor,  scarcely  eighteen 
years  old,  was  the  first  teacher.  He  settled  in  what  is  now  Western,  and  was  a  mag- 
istrate there  for  many  years.  About  the  time  of  the  Sheldon  settlement,  or  soon 
after,  David  Smith  and  his  sons,  David  and  Russell,  came  to  the  Mohawk  country, 
near  Delta,  described  by  a  writer  of  that  time  as  "  away  up  the  Mohawk  countrj'  be- 
yond Fort  Stanwi.x,  inhabited  only  by  bears,  wolves  and  Indians."  David  Smith, jr., 
built  a  saw  mill  there  soon  after,  which  he  subsequently  sold  to  Judge  Prosper  Rudd, 
who  came  into  the  country  from  Franklin,  Mass.,  with  Eliza,  his  wife,  and  his  sons, 
Jabez  F. ,  Benjamin,  and  WylHs,  and  his  daughter,  wife  of  the  late  Captain  Gates 
Peck.  Judge  Rudd  soon  added  a  flouring  mill,  with  one  run  of  stone,  and  a  carding 
machine,  which  were  a  great  convenience  to  the  country.     The  flouiing  mill  has  been 

'  In  attendance  at  this  celebration  were  the  following  natives  of  Lee:  Samuel  Nisbet,  Henry 
Hall,  John  Shaver,  Asa  Starr,  Asahel  Castle,  Albert  J.  Wilkinson,  Nathaniel  Kenyon,  Orrin  Ken- 
yon,  Lewis  Eames,  Walton  Worden,  D.  G.  Drummond,  A.  W.  Cornish,  Capt.  Asa  Fillmore,  Ly- 
man Sexton,  Albert  J.  Wentworth.  Besides  these  there  were  present  William  Parke,  .Stephen 
Allen,  and  Nathaniel  Kenyon  (the  last  above  named)  were  among  the  original  voters  in  the  town. 
Four  other  original  voters  were  then  known  to  be  living  but  were  unable  to  be  present;  these 
were  Nathaniel  Wood,  A.  B.  Pease,  Joseph  Kenyon,  and  Tillotson  Ross-  Those  natives  of  the 
town  who  were.present  from  other  localities  were  the  following:  George  Hovey,  of  Herkimer 
county;  Col.  E.  B.  Armstrong,  of  Rome;  Henry  Twitchell,  of  Pulaski;  Dr.  H.  N.  Porter,  of  New 
York  Mills;  Smith  Miller  and  Philetus  Laney,  of  Annsville;  Dwight  Waterman,  of  Whitesboro; 
Calvert  Comstock,  of  Rome;  Anson  S.  Miller,  of  Rockford,  111.  This  list  includes,  of  course, 
many  of  the  early  settled  families  in  the  town. 


462  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

greatly  enlarged  and  improved  by  Eliakim  Elder,  Anson  Dart,  and  Elisha  Wals- 
worth.  Soon  after  came  1790  Dea.  Nathan  Barlow.'and  Lydia,  his  wife,  late  the  widow 
of  Joseph  Miller,  of  Granville,  Mass.,  and  mother  of  Smith,  Eliakim,  Dan,  and  Luther 
Miller,  pioneer  settlers.  They  cut  the  first  wagon-path  from  the  residence  of  Ros- 
well  Fellows,  on  the  road  running  from  Fort  Stanwix  to  Elmer  Hill,  a  mile  and  a 
half,  to  their  residence  in  Lee  Centre. 

In  1792,  Colonel  Alpheus  Wheelock  and  Rachel,  his  wife,  a  famous  female  physi- 
cian, settled  at  Elmer  Hill,  and  about  the  same  time  Edward  Salisbury  and  his  seven 
sons,  Nicholas,  Edward  S.,  Enon,  Alexander,  Lodowick,  De  Estamg,  and  Smith, 
settled  near  Delta.  Nicholas,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Abigail  Rudd,  wife  of  Colonel  Ben- 
jamin Rudd,  was  the  first  resident  on  the  Bugby  place,  next  south  of  Esek  Sheldon's. 
Edward  S.  took  land  further  up  the  Mohawk  River,  on  the  west  side,  near  what  be- 
came the  residence  of  Silas  Morse.  Another  early  settler,  Otis  White,  father  of  Moses 
T.,  Willard,  Otis,  jr.,  and  Israel,  took  up  land  in  the  same  neighberhood.  Edward 
Salisbury,  sr.,  settled  with  his  other  sons  on  the  land  since  the  farms  owned  by  Adin 
and  Rensselaer  Sly,  on  the  road  from  Delta  to  Lee  Centre.  The  Sheldons,  Smith, 
Wheelocks  and  Salisburys  emigrated  from  the  State  of  Rhode  Island.  Hezekiah 
Elmer  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  and  his  sons  Andrew,  Eliakim,  Hezekiah,  and  his 
daughters,  subsequently  the  wives  respectively  of  Dr.  Enoch  Alden  and  James  Ben- 
edict, came  from  Connecticut  at  that  early  day,  and  settled  near  what  is  known  as 
Elmer  Hill.  Colonel  Wheelock  opened  the  first  tavern  west  of  Fort  Stanwix  at  the 
Hill.  In  1792  the  inhabitants  near  Delta  were  joined  by  John  Spinnmg  and  his  sons, 
John,  jr.,  Daniel,  and  their  brother-in-law,  Luther  Washburn,  and  sons,  Martin, 
Rufus,  Freeman,  Luther,  jr.,  and  Calvin;  also  their  relative,  Benjamin  Crittenden. 
These  were  from  the  State  of  Vermont.  Crittenden  was  the  first  settler  on  the  land 
afterwards  the  home  of  James  Baker,  father  of  Miles  and  Lorenzo  D.,  where  Daniel 
Twitchell  subsequently  resided.  Near  this  time  Deacon  Andrew  Clark,  father  of 
Joseph  Clark,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Stokes,  built  a  house  near  Nisbet's  Corners. 
Ephraim  Ballard  was  the  first  settler  on  the  Nisbet  farm,  and  Abiel  Kenyon  lived 
near.  Matthew  Clark  and  Jonathan  Bettis  took  the  land  afterwards  occupied  by 
Hazzard  Steadman.  Joseph  Hale  and  his  brother  were  the  first  residents  on  the  land 
sold  by  Simeon  Gunn  to  Alban  Comstock,  and  Frederick  Sprague  took  up  the  land 
adjoining,  on  which  Colonel  Wheelock  subsequently  built  a  large  frame  house,  after- 
wards occupied  by  John  Dye,  Peter  Husted,  John  Shaver,  and  others. 

Smith  Miller  built  the  Mallory  House,  in  which  the  Rev.  Lorenzo  Dow  was  mar- 
ried with  Margaret  (Peggy)  Holcomb,  the  younger  sister  of  Mrs.  Miller.  Early  in 
the  settlement  of  what  is  now  Lee,  James  Young  and  Hannah,  his  wife,  and  his 
sons,  James,  Jr.,  Benjamin,  David,  and  Alvan,  and  a  number  of  daughters,  emi- 
grated from  Lee,  Mass. ,  and  settled  a  half  a  mile  south  of  Lee  Centre.  Deacon  John 
Hall  had  previously  located  on  land  near  Mr.  Young,  which  John  Smith  purchased 
of  Hall,  now  owned  by  William  Graves.  There  was  a  neighborhood  west  from  Lee 
Centre,  known  as  Brookfield  Settlement,  where  West  Waterman,  William  Lany, 
Tillotson  Ross,  and  Messrs.  Fish,  Walker,  Hitchcock,  and  others,  from  Brookfield, 
Mass.,  settled.  Dan  Taft  settled  on  the  State  road,  towards  Taberg,  and  Tom  Law- 
rence settled  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Mohawk  at  an  early  day.  The  land  in  Lee 
was  mainly  embraced  in  four  patents,  which  cornered  on  the  south  side  of  Canada 


THE  TOWN  OF  LEE.  463 

Creek,  where  Ezra  Hovey  afterwards  had  his  garden.  Fonda's  and  Oothoudt's  Pat- 
ents were  lease-land.  Jellis  Fonda  sold  much  of  his  extensive  patent  to  Stephen 
Lush,  of  Albany,  and  other  land  dealers,  for  ten  cents  per  acre.  The  other  patents 
were  Scriba's  and  Banyar's.  There  were  other  lands  in  what  is  now  Lee,  known  as 
Matchin's,  Boon's  and  Mappa's  tracts.  A  part  of  Scriba's  Patent,  known  as  the 
6,000-acre  tract,  in  township  No.  1,  afterwards  known  as  Fish  Creek  Settlement,  and 
a  part  of  the  4,000  acre  tract,  in  township  No.  2,  were  sold  to  Daniel  C.  White,  John 
W.  Bloomfield,  John  Hall,  George  Huntington,  and  others. 

Some  of  the  early  settlers  on  the  6,000-acre  tract  were  Charles  Ufford  and  John, 
his  son;  Ephraim  Pease,  and  Arvin  B.,  his  son;  Elam  Pease;  Jotham  Worden ;  Jesse 
Sexton  and  his  sons,  William  and  Amasa;  David  Webster;  Gideon  Perry  and  his 
sons.  Freeman  and  Gideon  B. ;  James  Eames  and  his  sons,  Simeon  N.,  Lewis, 
George,  and  Daniel;  George  Cornish,  with  his  sons,  Hosea  and  George;  Asahel 
Castle  and  his  sons,  John  J.,  and  others;  Roswell  Spinning,  the  son  of  Benjamin 
Spinning;  Joseph  Park  and  his  son,  Joseph,  Jr.  ;  Daniel  Park,  and  the  sons  of  Jacob 
Park,  Elisha,  Abijah,  and  William;  Oliver  Armstrong,  father  of  Wheeler,  Jesse, 
Enoch,  and  Earl;  Deacon  Samuel  Wright  and  his  wife  Vienna,  and  his  sons,  Will- 
iam B.,  Arunah,  Eben,  and  Samuel,  Jr.,  and  his  nine  daughters,  originally  from 
Connecticut,  settled  on  this  tract;  James  Wood  and  his  sons,  Amasa  and  Nathaniel; 
Ephraim  J.  H.  Curtis;  ApoUos  King;  William  Taft  with  his  sons,  Paul  and  Shays, 
who  first  settled  near  Luther  Miller,  on  land  afterwards  owned  by  Adonijah  Barnard, 
where  George  Sheldon  afterwards  resided;  and  many  others  settled  on  the  6,000- 
acre  tract. 

The  lease-land  proved  to  be  a  great  curse  to  the  town.  What  is  the  town  of  West- 
ern, once  embracing  Lee,  dates  back  one  j-ear  before  the  settlement  of  the  Sheldons. 
Henry  Wager,  Asa  Beck  with  and  his  sons,  Asa,  jr.,  Lemuel,  Reuben,  and  Wolcott, 
came  to  the  Mohawk  country  in  1789;  and  soon  after  Josiah  Church  and  his  sons 
George,  Brayton,  Jonathan,  Ivan,  Allan,  Frazier;  Joshua  Northrup;  Jabez  Halleck 
and  his  sons,  Joseph  and  Jabez,  Jr.  ;  William  Cleveland;  Daniel  Paddock  and  sons; 
Otis  White  and  sons;  William  Olney;  Daniel  and  Robert  Felton ;  and  other  well- 
known  citizens  settled  on  the  Mohawk,  above  Fort  Stanwix.  In  this  early  settlement 
the  people  built  the  first  bridge  across  that  river.  It  was  back  of  the  residence  of 
Dr.  Zenas  Hutchinson,  near  Elmer  Hill,  where  John  Treadway,  Anson  Dart,  and 
George  Williams  afterwards  lived.  The  river  here  was  narrow,  with  a  high  bank  on 
the  south.  The  bridge  had  only  one  set  of  stringers,  and  there  was  not  a  stick  of 
hewn  or  sawed  lumber  in  it.  At  this  time  all  this  region  was  in  the  town  of  Whites- 
town.  .... 

One  of  the  first  mills  built  on  the  Mohawk  River  was  erected  by  Roswell  Fellows, 
Smith  and  Luther  Miller.  It  stood  in  the  notch  or  little  gulf  nearly  opposite  where 
John  Barnard  afterwards  built  a  mill.  The  water  was  raised  by  a  wing-dam.  Sub- 
sequently, General  William  Floyd,  who  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  at  an  early  day 
on  the  upper  Mohawk,  built  a  mill  on  that  stream  near  what  is  now  Westernville, 
and  erected  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  on  Canada  Creek, ^  a  few  miles  below  Lee 
Centre.     At  the  first  settlements  in  what  are  now  Western  and  Lee,  and  before  the 

'  Authority  of  Jones's  Annals. 


464  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

erection  of  these  mills,  the  early  settlers  got  their  grain  ground  at  Wetmore's  on  the 
Sauquoit,  and  other  distant  places.  The  gigantic  William  Remington  is  said  to  have 
carried  on  his  shoulders  the  flour  of  two  bushels  of  wheat  from  Wetmore's,  mill  near 
Whitestown.  to  his  residence  in  what  is  now  Lee,  without  resting.  Very  few  of  the 
roads  at  this  time  could  be  used  for  wagons,  and  journeys  were  therefore  made  on 
horseback  or  one  foot.  Henry  Wager  and  Asa  Beckwith,  Jr.,  walked  to  German 
Flats,  and  there  procured  one  bushel  each  of  seed-potatoes,  which  they  brought 
home  on  their  shoulders. 

The  first  saw  mill  built  in  Lee  was  the  one  erected  in  1791  or  1792, 
by  David  Smith,  on  the  Mohawk  in  the  village  of  Delta.  The  second 
one  was  built  in  1796,  by  John  Hall  and  Smith  Miller,  on  the  Canada 
Creek  at  Lee  Center.  The  first  grist  mill  in  the  town  was  built  by  Gen. 
William  Floyd  in  1796,  on  Canada  Creek  south  of  Lee  Center  and  near 
the  Rome  town  hne  Another  was  built  at  Lee  Center  in  1798  by 
Thomas  and  William  Forfar,  settlers  from  Scothind.  A  third  mill  was 
erected  on  the  Mohawk  previous  to  1800  by  Luther  and  Smith  Miller 
and  Roswell  Fellows  a  few  miles  from  Fort  Stanwix.  The  grist  mill  at 
Lee  Center  was  built  by  Ezra  Ilovey,  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  old 
Forfar  mill,  and  is  running  in  about  the  same  condition  that  it  has  been 
in  for  many  years  by  P.  B.  Scothon.  Near  the  old  Lee  post-office  a 
grist  mill  was  in  operation  previous  to  1812,  built  by  David  Bryan.  The 
grist  mill  and  saw  mill  here  on  the  old  site  are  now  operated  by  Frank 
Hyde. 

Of  the  proceedings  which  led  to  the  division  of  the  town  of  Western 
and  the  erection  of  Lee,  and  the  first  election  of  officers,  Judge  Miller 
said  : 

In  1811  and  previous  the  people  of  Western  had  discussed  the  question  of  dividing 
the  town,  and  a  committee  consisting  of  James  Young  and  Joshua  Northrup,  both 
emigrants  from  Lee,  Mass.,  acted  as  a  committee  for  getting  an  enabling  act  to 
divide  the  town.  The  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  attended  to  in  the  Senate 
by  Jonas  Piatt,  then  a  senator,  and  in  the  Assembly  by  George  Huntington,  then  a 
member  from  this  district.  The  name  "  Lee  "  for  the  new  town  was  inserted  at  the 
request  of  Messrs.  Young  and  Northrup.  The  question  of  division  was  determined 
at  the  next  town  meeting  of  Western  (1811),  at  the  house  of  Silas  Morse.  George 
Brayton  was  chosen  moderator,  and  after  the  election  of  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year,  the  crowd  of  voters,  finding  the  house  too  small  for  their  accommodation,  re- 
tired to  the  yard,  where  a  division  was  agreed  on  with  great  unanimity.  Henry 
Wager,  from  Western,  John  Hall,  from  Lee,  and  George  Huntington,  of  Rome, 
were  chosen  commissioners  to  fix  the  boundaries,  with  Benjamin  Wright  as  surveyor. 
The  boundaries  were  harmoniously  agreed  on,  and  Lee  remained  under  Western  till 
the  3d  of  March,  1812,  when  the  first  town-meeting  was  held  in  the  old  West  school- 


THE  TOWN  OF  LEE.  465 

house,  the  only  framed  one  in  the  town,  the  first  building  north  of  Luther  Miller's 
and  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  southeast  of  Lee  Centre,  at  the  road-crossing  near 
which  the  late  John  Calvin  Capron  resided. 

James  Young  was  elected  supervisor  and  West  Waterman  town  clerk ;  Jesse  But- 
ton, Earl  Fillmore,  and  Joseph  White,  assessors ;  John  Hall  and  Dan  Taft,  overseers 
of  the  poor;  Jotham  Worden,  Dan  Taft,  and  Thomas  E.  Lawrence,  commissioners 
of  highways;  George  Hawkins,  Samuel  Hall,  and  Zebediel  Wentworth,  constables; 
Adonijah  Barnard,  Dan  Taft,  and  Asahel  Castle,  fence-viewers.  There  were  then 
23  road  districts  in  the  town,  and  overseers  were  duly  chosen.  Justices  of  the  peace 
were  at  that  time  appointed  by  the  State  executive  for  the  county,  and  there  were 
no  inspectors  of  common  schools  till  1816,  when  the  justices  of  the  peace — Jesse 
Dutton,  James  Eames,  and  Joseph  White — appointed  Dr.  Jonah  B.  Burton,  Eleazer 
Bushnell,  Simeon  N.  Eames,  William  B.  Wright,  George  Hawkins,  and  Samuel  Hall 
such  inspectors. 

In  1813,  James  Young  was  re-elected  supervisor  and  West  Waterman  town  clerk. 
The  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  school-house  before  described,  which  answered  in 
that  day  as  a  school-house  and  for  religious  and  political  meetings.  Nearly  all  the 
officers  elected  in  1812  were  re-elected  except  the  assessors  and  collector.  Charles 
Ufford,  Luther  Miller,  and  Charles  Ladd  were  chosen  a.ssessors,  and  Simeon  N. 
Ames,  collector. 

In  1814,  John  Hall  was  elected  supervisor  and  James  Young  town  clerk.  General 
election:  Nathan  Williams,  Republican,  for  member  of  congress,  89  votes;  Thomas 
Gold,  Federalist,  for  member  of  congress,  43 — Republican  majority,  46.  These  elec- 
tion returns  are  certified  by  James  Young,  John  Hall,  Luther  Miller,  Charles  Ladd, 
and  Charles  Ufford,  inspectors  of  election. 

The  pioneers  of  Lee  were  people  who  believed  in  educating 
their  children  and  they  early  adopted  measures  to  provide  the  means. 
The  first  school  house,  the  one  in  which  the  first  town  meeting  was 
held,  was  situated  southeast  of  Lee  Center.  School  was  first  taught 
there  about  1798  by  Elijah  Blake.  The  first  school  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Delta  was  taught  by  a  daughter  of  Prosper  Rudd,  who  after- 
wards married  Gates  Peck  ;  the  latter  kept  the  first  winter  school  in 
that  region  on  Elmer  Hill  in  1804,  and  had  an  attendance  of  over 
eighty.  Miss  E.  A.  Peck,  a  daughter  of  Gates  Peck,  was  also  a  suc- 
cessful teacher  in  the  town.  Rev.  Thomas  Brainerd,  for  thirty  years 
pastor  of  the  old  Pine  Street,  church,  Philadelphia,  was  an  early  and  be- 
loved teacher  in  Lee  ;  in  the  winter  of  1823-4  he  taught  in  the  Dutton 
district,  where  Albert  Barnes  had  previously  taught..  So  successful 
was  Mr.  Brainerd  that  in  the  following  winter  the  trustees  of  the  larger 
district  at  Lee  Center  secured  his  services.  Mr.  Brainerd  afterwards 
taught  in  Rome.  Among  the  long  list  of  names  of  male  teachers  in 
59 


466  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

this  town  are  found  those  of  such  later  eminent  men  as  Hiram  Denio, 
Anson  S.  Miller,  Rev.  Dr.  Albert  Barnes,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Gideon  B. 
Perry,  with  many  others  of  lesser  fame.  For  the  past  half  century  the 
town  has  had  seventeen  school  districts,  with  good  school  buildings  as  a 
rule.  The  Union  Free  School  building  at  Lee  Center  was  built  in  1872, 
and  the  first  principal  was  Prof.  William  P.  Robinson.  The  present 
principal  is  Frank  Niess,  who  has  one  assistant. 

A  library  was  established  very  early  in  the  century  at  Delta,  called 
the  Union  Library  of  Lee  and  Western.  This  was  succeeded  by  the 
one  established  at  Lee  Center  by  the  Harmony  Library  Association  in 
March,  1820.  The  trustees  were  Dr.  Elijah  Ward,  Charles  Ufford, 
William  Lany,  Thomas  E.  Lawrence,  and  James  Young.  A  resolution 
stipulated  that  the  library  should  be  kept  "  within  one  mile  of  the  North 
Meeting-House,  in  the  town  of  Lee."  James  Young  was  librarian  until 
his  death  in  1836,  and  many  prominent  citizens  interested  themselves  in 
its  welfare.  The  library  was  permitted  to  go  to  decline  not  long  after 
the  death  of  Mr.  Young. 

There  are  and  have  been  for  many  years  six  post-offices  in  Lee,  around 
some  of  which  is  gathered  a  hamlet  or  village.  The  oldest  one  is  Lee, 
in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  town,  on  the  State  road.  Jesse 
Matteson,  if  not  the  first,  was  one  of  the  very  early  postmasters,  and 
kept  a  public  house.  There  had  been  one  or  two  earlier  taverns  at  that 
point,  but  there  has  never  been  much  business  there.  William  Fisher 
is  the  present  postmaster,  and  the  factory  of  the  Lee  Canning  Company 
is  located  here. 

A  post-office  was  early  established  and  still  continues,  called  Stokes 
near  the  eastern  town  line  south  of  the  Center,  where  a  little  hamlet 
gathered,  with  a  hotel  and  shops.  This  post-office  was  removed  in  1827 
to  Lee  Center,  but  was  not  long,  if  at  all,  discontinued  at  the  former 
place.  Charles  Stokes  was  the  first  postmaster  at  that  point,  and  when 
the  office  was  removed  he  became  the  first  postmaster  at  Lee  Center, 
while  James  M,  Husted  was  the  next  one  at  Stokes.  Lee  Center  has 
been  an  active  little  village  and  is  connected  daily  by  mail  and  express 
lines  with  Rome.  When  Charles  Stokes  removed  hither  he  established 
an  ashery,  having  previously  operated  one  at  Stokes ;  he  also  opened  a 
store  on  the  site  of  the  brick  block  erected  by  A.  A.   Cornish  in  1878. 


THE  TOWN  OF  LEE.  467 

The  old  Stokes  store  was  built  by  William  and  Abijah  Park,  and  leased 
to  a  Mr.  Sherman  who  kept  the  first  store  in  the  place.  Eleazer  Bush- 
nell,  and  others  succeeded  as  merchants.  A  tannery  was  established  at 
this  place  in  1830-31  by  Asa  Adams  ;  it  was  a  small  affair  and  was  sold 
to  Asa  B.  Sexton.  Later  it  passed  to  Eames  &  Smith,  who  conducted 
it  successfully.  It  burned  in  1888,  and  was  not  rebuilt.  A  large  tan- 
nery was  put  in  operation  here  about  1871  by  a  Boston  firm,  and  a 
great  business  was  done  ;  it  was  afterwards  burned  in  1876  and  not  re- 
built. George  and  Aaron  Stedman  began  their  foundry  about  1840;  it 
was  discontinued  many  years  ago.  The  Lee  Center  House  is  now  kept 
by  John  Bowman,  and  C.  B.  Hitchcock  has  another  hotel.  The  present 
stores  of  the  village  are  kept  by  Carl  Simon,  who  has  been  many  years 
on  his  present  site,  where  he  succeeded  A.  A.  Cornish  ;  he  is  also  post- 
master. Henry  J.  Hitchcock,  in  trade  since  1868  at  his  present  place. 
W.  H.  Wyman,  millinery,  Mrs.  Ingalls,  grocery,  Merritt  Knight,  cloth- 
ing, and  James  R.  Rogers,  who  succeeded  Reuben  R.  Richmond. 
David  Swanscott  has  a  large  lumber  business  with  a  steam  mill  in  Lewis 
county. 

The  village  of  Delta  is  situated  in  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  the 
town,  on  the  Mohawk  and  is  partly  in  the  iown  of  Western.  Anson 
and  Oliver  Dart,  brothers,  settled  there  early  and  gave  the  place  its 
name.  About  the  year  1834  Anson  Dart  built  the  gristmill  and  called 
it  the  Delta  Mills;  it  was  subsequently  burned.  In  the  same  year  two 
men  named  Catlin  and  Hartoon,  brothers-in-law,  built  a  brick  store. 
Prior  to  1828,  probably,  a  post-office  was  established  at  Newbernville 
(Elmer  Hill)  with  Andrew  Elmer,  postmaster.  In  1834  it  was  removed 
to  Delta,  the  name  changed,  and  Franklin  Peck  appointed  postmaster. 
He  was  a  son  of  Gates  Peck,  the  pioneer.  Daily  mail  communication 
was  established  with  Rome.  In  early  years  Moses  Hall  built  and  oper- 
ated a  distillery,  over  the  Western  line,  which  afterwards  passed  to 
Horace  Putnam.  Another  was  built  by  Jared  C.  and  Elisha  Pettibone ; 
this  was  later  converted  into  a  cheese  factory.  These  factories  increased 
in  number  in  late  years,  as  the  dairy  interest  grew,  until  there  are  now 
fourteen  in  operation.  The  town  is  now  a  leading  one  in  Central  New 
York  in  dairying.  A.  J.  Sly  operates  a  saw  mill  at  Delta,  and  the  old 
carding  mill  is  carried  on  by  W.  C.  Bacon.  Frank  Herington  has  a 
store. 


468  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

• 

Point  Rock  is  a  post  office  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
town,  and  takes  its  name  from  a  precipitous  rocky  point  between  Fish 
and  Point  Rock  Creeks.  The  place  was  long  a  considerable  lumber 
center  for  some  years,  with  a  store,  a  tavern  and  a  few  dwellings.  D. 
C.  Smith  and  Charles  Wick  are  the  present  merchants. 

West  Branch  is  a  post-office  and  a  small  hamlet  in  the  northern  part, 
with  a  grist  mill,  owned  in  1878  by  the  Wyman  Brothers,  and  a  tavern. 
There  was  formerly  a  carding  mill  here.  The  grist  mill  is  still  in  opera- 
tion.     A  store  is  kept  by  G.  A.  Simon,  and  a  second   one  by  Julius 

Haynes. 

Lorena  is  a  post-office  which  has  been  established  in  the  southern 

part  in  recent  years. 

The  first  religious  society  organized  in  Lee  was  the  Congregational, 
which  dates  back  to  1797.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  James  South- 
worth.  The  congregation  was  ministered  to  by  several  missionaries 
during  a  period  of  years,  and  long  used  the  school  house  for  its  services. 
It  built  a  church,  about  a  mile  south  of  Lee  Center,  and  ultimately 
changed  to  the  Presbyterian  form.      It  ceased  its  existence  long  ago. 

The  Union  Ecclesiastical  Society  at  Lee  Center  was  formed  in  18 19, 
and  a  church  was  soon  erected  on  land  furnished  by  William  Park. 
The  Congregational  Society  wishing  to  have  a  church  for  their  exclu- 
sive use,  built  a  structure  on  the  Hall  farm.  The  members  of  the  Union 
society  held  somewhat  liberal  views,  and  in  later  years  the  church  was 
repaired  and  remodeled  and  used  by  the  Universalists.  This  church  is 
still  standing  and  used  as  needed  by  any  denomination. 

Methodist  services  were  held  early  in  this  town  and  in  1876  the  pres- 
ent society  at  Lee  Center  was  organized  and  a  handsome  edifice  built. 
Rev.  James  Stanton  was  the  first  pastor.  There  is  also  a  small  Metho- 
dist society  at  Lee,  another  at  Point  Rock,  and  still  another  south  of 
Lee  Center,  called  the  Lee  Valley  church. 

The  Methodists  held  meetings  at  Delta  as  early  as  1838  and  a  soci- 
ety was  organized,  possibly  earlier  than  that  year.  The  present  church 
was  built  in  1843. 

A  Friends'  Meeting  House  was  built  many  years  ago  near  West 
Branch.     The  society  has  erected  a  new  building  in  recent  years. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  Lee  from  its  organization  to 
the  present  time  : 


THE  TOWN  OF  MARCY.  469 

1813,  James  Young,  jr.  ;  1814-16,  John  Hall,  esq.;  1817-20,  William  Park;  1821, 
Rudolph  Devendorf,— Mr.  D.  removed,  and  William  Park  was  elected  at  a  special 
town  meeting-  to  fill  vacancy;  1822-32,  William  Park;  1833-40,  Daniel  Twitchell ; 
1841-42,  James  N.  Husted;  1843,  Freeman  Perry;  1844-45,  Lyman  Sexton;  1846-47, 
John  J.  Castle ;  1848,  Jeram  Chesebrough  ;  1849,  Mansir  G.  Phillips ;  1850-53,  Charles 
Stokes;  1854-55,  Charles  E.  Frazer;  1856,  Elias  Spencer;  1857,  Charles  Stokes;  1858, 
Asaph  B.  Sexton;  1859,  Elias  Spencer ;  1860-61,  Henry  J.  Hitchcock;  1862,  Thomas 
J.  Brown;  1863-65,  Andrew  Davidson;  1866-68,  Isaac  McDougall;  1869,  Andrew 
Goely;  1870,  Julius  H.  Sly;  1871,  Jay  Capron;  1872-75,  Curtis  B.  Hitchcock;  1876, 
Thomas  J.  Brown  (resigned  and  Elisha  A.  Walsworth  elected  to  the  vacancy) ;  1877- 
78,  James  Fames ;  1879-80,  Eli  S.  Bearss ;  1881-82,  Henry  J.  Hitchcock ;  1883-84, 
Charles  E.  Eraser,  jr.;  1885-86,  A.  J.  Sly;  1887,  H.  C.  Wyman ;  1888,  George  E.' 
Hollenbeck;  1889,  S.  Mason  Smith;  1890-93,  Albert  Krebs;  1894,  Mason  N.  Went- 
worth ;  1895-96,  D.  C.  Smith. 

The  foregoing  list  extends  our  memoranda  of  prominent  settlers  and 
citizens  and  includes  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  town. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  MARCY. 

The  town  lies  in  the  eastern  central  part  of  Oneida  county  upon  the 
north  bank  of  the  Mohawk.  Nine- Mile  Creek  flows  across  the  north- 
west corner  and  numerous  small  streams  afford  drainage  into  the  Mo- 
hawk. The  surface  is  made  up  of  a  wide  intervale  along  the  river  which 
is  rich  and  productive  farming  land.  From  this  rises  a  rolling  and  ir- 
regular upland  to  a  height  of  300  to  500  feet  above  the  valley.  The 
soil  on  this  upland  is  a  rich  sandy  and  gravelly  loam;  that  of  the  valley 
an  alluvial  deposit.  The  former  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad  crosses 
the  town  in  a  northerly  direction,  with  a  station  at  Stittville,  a  hamlet 
on  the  Trenton  line,  and  another  at  Marcy. 

The  town  includes  in  its  territory  parts  of  the  Sadahquada,  the  Oris- 
kany,  the  Holland  and  Fonda's  patents,  as  shown  on  the  map  herein. 

Settlement  was  begun  in  Marcy  by  John  Wilson,  who  came  from 
Windsor,  Vt.,  in  1793,  with  a  large  family  of  children  and  located  on  a 
farm  half  a  mile  east  of  Mine- Mile  Creek;  the  place  was  occupied  in 
recent  years  by  William  Richards.     There  he  cleared  several  acres  and 


470  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

built  a  log  house ;  but  he  was  taken  ill  and  died  in  the  fall  of  the  year 
in  which  he  arrived  ;  this  was  the  first  death  in  the  town.  The  home- 
stead was  taken  in  charge  by  the  elder  children.  Mr.  Wilson  was  the 
sixth  of  nine  sons  of  Thomas  Wilson,  who  came  over  from  Ireland; 
eight  of  these  nine  sons  joined  the  Continental  army  early  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary struggle.  Early  in  1794  James  Wilson,  the  seventh  son  in 
this  family,  came  into  Marcy,  and  settled  in  a  large  log  house,  eighteen 
feet  square,  on  Nine-Mile  Creek,  near  its  junction  with  the  Mohawk. 
This  house  had  been  built  by  a  Dutchman  named  Tull,  who  also  con- 
tinued there  with  his  family,  making  in  all  twelve  inmates.  In  the  fol- 
lowing spring  Wilson  purchased  an  unimproved  lot  about  a  mile  north 
of  Oriskany  village,  where  he  became  a  successful  farmer.  In  1794 
also  the  fourth  and  fifth  sons  of  Thomas  Wilson  (Isaac  and  Jacob)  set- 
tled in  the  town  in  the  same  neighborhood  where  their  brother  James 
first  stopped.      None  of  the  early  settlers  is  left  in  that  locality. 

The  early  settlements  in  Marcy  were  mostly  made  along  the  river. 
Among  them  were  the  Camp  and  Carey  families ;  but  aside  from  a 
comparatively  few  families,  the  larger  part  of  the  territory  was  settled 
later.  Anthony  W.  and  Jonathan  Wood  located  in  the  town  in  18 16. 
Jeremiah  Sweet  came  in  early,  as  did  also  the  Weaver  and  Edic  fam- 
ilies.    William  Mayhew  settled  at  Marcy  post-office  about  1820. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  town  Welsh  settlers  found  their  way  into 
the  central  and  northern  parts  and  their  numbers  increased  until  they 
constitute  by  far  the  larger  part  of  the  population  in  that  district. 
Among  the  early  comers  were  Joseph  Ellis,  Evan  Jones,  and  Ellis 
Owens.  They  are  generally  successful  farmers  and  thrifty  and  useful 
citizens. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Marcy  was  held  May  i,  1832,  "  at  the 
school  house  near  Samuel  Camp's."  Isaac  Bronson,  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  presided,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected : 

Supervisor,  John  Newell;  assessors,  Samuel  C.  Baldwin,  Dan  P.  Cadwell,  Harvey 
Foot;  commissioners  of  roads,  John  F.  Allen,  Nathaniel  Kent,  Joel  Hale;  collector, 
John  Cavana;  commissioners  of  schools,  Hazen  E.  Fox,  Horatio  N.  Cary,  Jeremiah 
Sweet;  inspectors  of  schools,  Jonathan  Sweet,  James  Dikeman,  Ezra  Simmons; 
overseers  of  poor,  Samuel  C.  Baldwin,  William  Potter;  constables,  Joseph  Ward, 
George  W.  Miller,  John  Cavana,  Phineas  Sherman,  jr. ;  sealer  of  weights  and  meas- 
ures Anthony  W.  Wood;  justices  of  the  peace,  William  R.  Miller,  Ezra  Simmons, 
Conrad  Raymer;  town  clerk,  Milton  Dyer. 


THE  TOWN  OF  MARCY.  471 

Among  other  settlers  in  Marcy  may  be  mentioned  Samuel  Baldwin, 
the  first  supervisor,  Nathaniel  D.  Bronson,  Milton  Dyer,  John  Cavana, 
Jonathan  Sweet,  Jeremiah  Sweet,  James  A.  Dikeman,  Clark  Potter, 
David  Babcock.  Amos  C.  Hall.  William  H.  Hale,  Henry  Edic,  George 
B.  Robbins,  Ebenezer  Lewis,  William  E.  Clark,  and  others,  all  of  whom 
have  been  prominent  and  instrumental  in  advancing  the  welfare  of  the 
community. 

The  first  school  in  Marcy  was  probably  taught  before  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  in  the  Wilson  neighborhood.  As  early  as  i8i6  there 
was  a  school  house  there,  which  showed  by  its  condition  that  it  had 
stood  many  years.  The  town  was  gradually  subdivided  and  in  t86o  it 
had  ten  districts.  The  present  number  is  eleven,  with  good  school 
houses. 

A  post-ofiice  bearing  the  name  of  this  town  was  established  prior  to 
1836  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  on  the  river  road.  Albertus 
Hibbard  was  the  first  postmaster  and  was  succeeded  by  William  May- 
hew,  sr.,  who  was  appointed  by  President  Van  Buren.  The  office  was 
then  removed  to  its  present  location  at  Marcy  station. 

A  post-office  was  established  in  January,  1878,  at  Edic's  Crossing, 
in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town  and  named  Maynard,  with  Ephraim 
V.  Horn,  postmaster. 

Stittville  is  a  hamlet  in  the  north  part  on  the  Trenton  line  and  is 
noticed  in  the  subsequent  history  of  that  town. 

The  Union  Society  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Marcy  was  incorpo- 
rated by  vote  February  4,  1839,  and  the  church  was  organized  in  the 
same  year,  with  the  following  names  on  the  register: 

David  Babcock,  Samuel  C.  Baldwin,  W.  Barnard,  John  Burton,  Stephen  Briggs, 
Anthony  Bradt,  Amos  Cleaver,  John  Cleaver,  Horace  Dj^er,  Milton  D3-er,  Jacob 
Edic,  David  Gray,  T.  Gray,  George  Hicks,  George  Hazard,  John  Hazard,  William 
Hill,  John  I.  Jones,  Walter  King,  William  R.  Miller,  Jeremiah  Sweet,  William  Sher- 
man, Freeborn  Sweet,  Samuel  Steward,  Robert  Start,  Abram  Weaver,  John  White 
and  Thomas  White. 

This  list  contains  the  names  of  many  families  who  came  into  the  town 
at  a  comparatively  early  date.  The  church  was  erected  in  1839,  and  a 
parsonage  the  same  year.  The  lot  on  which  the  church  was  built  as 
well  as  the  burial  lot  were  donated  by  Jacob  Edic.  Rev.  Mr.  Cass  was 
the  first  pastor.      Previous  to  this   organization   and  in  1824,  the  Rev. 


472  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Frost,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Whitestown,  had  rec- 
ommended to  the  Marcy  people  the  services  of  a  local  Methodist 
preacher  named  Gibson,  and  he  came  and  held  services  in  the  school 
house.  A  revival  followed,  and  a  class  was  formed,  which  was  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  latter  church. 

The  Berean  Baptist  church,  at  Marcy  Station,  was  organized  early  in 
1844,  under  Elder  William  H.  Thomas,  who  became  the  first  pastor. 
The  membership  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  was  seventy- three  and  the 
church  was  soon  erected. 

Welsh  Presbyterian  Church. — A  society  of  this  denomination  was 
formed  in  1854  under  Rev.  John  R.  Griffith,  who  long  continued  its 
pastor.  A  frame  church  was  built  in  school  district  No.  1 1.  The  soci- 
ety has  had  continued  existence  since,  but  no  regular  pastor  is  em- 
ployed. 

A  number  of  members  of  the  Welsh  Presbyterian  congregation  left  it 
soon  after  its  formation  and  organized  a  Methodist  society,  building  a 
frame  church  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town.  It  was  subsequently 
burned  and  the  existing  church  erected  on  the  site.  Services  have  gen- 
erally been  held  by  supplies.  In  that  part  of  the  town  also  a  German 
Methodist  society  was  organized  with  a  small  membership  and  a  frame 
church  built. 

In  the  southeast  part  of  the  town  a  Welsh  Presbyterian  church  was 
formed  before  1815,  and  built  a  church.  This  was  subsequently  re- 
moved and  converted  into  a  cheese  factory  and  in  1858  the  present 
church  was  erected.      The  membership  has  always  been  small. 

From  183;^  to  1896,  inclusive,  the  following  named  persons  have  served  as  super- 
visors of  the  town :  1838,  Samuel  C.  Baldwin;  1834-35,  Milton  Dyer;  1836-38  Con- 
rad Raymer;  1839,  Samuel  C.  Baldwin;  1840-il,  Nathaniel  D.  Bronson;  1842-43, 
James  A.  Dikeman;  1844-46,  Hazen  E.  Fox;  1847-48,  Clark  Potter;  1849,  Jeremiah 
Sweet;  1850,  Amos  C.  Hall;  1851-52,  Clark  Potter;  1853,  James  A.  Dikeman;  1854, 
David  Babcock;  1855,  William  H.  Hale;  1856,  David  Babcock;  1857,  Clark  Potter; 
1858-59,  Edward  T.  Marson ;  1860,  James  Cavana;  1861-62,  Henry  Edic;  1863, 
George  B.  Robbins;  1864-65,  Ebenezer  Lewis;  1866-67,  Michael  Van  Hatten ; 
1868-69,  William  E.  Clark;  1870,  David  T.  Jenkins;  1871.  Charles  J.  Edic;  1872, 
James  Cavana;  1873-75,  Charles  J.  Edic;  1876-77,  David  T.  Jenkins;  1878,  William 
Marson;  1879-80,  William  E.  Jones;  1881,  Amos  L.  Edic;  1882,  Thomas  Watkins; 
1883-84,  Mortimer  M.  Mayhew;  1885-86,  Alexander  E.  Morgan;  1887,  John  R.  Pugh; 
1888-92,  Mortimer  M.  Mayhew;  1893-95,  Charles  H.  Clark;  1896,  John  W.  Potter. 

Marcy  is  almost  wholly  an  agricultural  district  and  its  history  is  a 


THE  TOWN  OF  MARSHALL.  473 

brief  record  of  peace  and  a  reasonable  degree  of  prosperity.  There  has 
never  been  any  manufacturing  of  account  within  its  bounds,  though  a 
glass  factory  was  established  in  the  northeastern  part  during  the  war 
period  of  1 812-15,  where  a  poor  quality  of  window  glass  was  made  for 
a  time ;  but  the  discovery  of  better  sand  on  Oneida  Lake  caused  its  re- 
moval thither.  A  few  saw  mills  were  built  in  the  early  years,  but  nearly 
all  have  passed  away.  In  comparatively  recent  years  the  farmers  have 
turned  more  and  more  of  their  energies  to  dairying  ;  cheese  factories 
have  been  established  to  such  an  extent  that  during  one  period  the  busi- 
ness threatened  to  be  overdone,  as  far  as  this  locality  was  concerned. 
Powell's  saw  and  grist  mill  are  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town  on 
Nine  Mile  Creek,  and  Clark  &  Whittaker  have  mills  on  the  same  stream. 
There  is  now  no  store  or  hotel  in  the  town. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  TOWN  OF  MARSHALL. 

This  town  lies  in  tiie  southern  central  part  of  Oneida  county,  the 
southwest  corner  touching  Madison  county.  The  surface  is  a  hilly  up- 
land, the  hills  rising  from  200  to  300  feet  above  the  valleys.  Oriskany 
Creek  flows  northerly  through  the  western  part.  The  soil  is  a  fertile 
sandy  loam.  A  small  part  of  the  village  of  Waterville  (in  Sangerfield) 
is  included  within  the  limits  of  this  town,  but  is  treated  in  the  history  of 
Sangerfield.  The  town  includes  within  its  area  of  19,322  acres  a  large 
part  of  the  tract  once  belonging  to  the  Brothertown  Indians,  with  a 
small  triangular  tract  in  the  northeast  corner  from  the  Coxa  patent. 
(See  map.) 

The  Brothertown  Indians  were  composed  of  remnants  of  several  New 
Jersey  and  Long  Island  tribes,  and  were  invited  by  the  Oneidas  to  come 
and  live  on  their  territory ;  the  State  also  aided  in  their  collection  and 
removal.  They  settled  on  the  well  known  tract  mostly  within  what  is 
now  Marshall,  and  soon  took  up  the  English  language.  While  living 
here   they   reached  a   comparative  degree  of  civilization,     The  last  of 


474  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

their  number  left  this  locality  about  1850.  Among  those  who  settled 
here  previous  to  the  Revolutionary  war  were  David  Fowler,  Elijah 
Wampy  (or  Wampe),  and  John  Tuhi,  grandfather  to  one  of  the  same 
name  who  was  executed  in  1816.  Those,  however,  who  located  at  that 
time  left  soon  after  the  war  began,  through  fear  of  the  Indian  tribes 
which  had  espoused  the  loyal  cause,  and  returned  to  New  England. 
They  planted  potatoes  before  they  went  away,  and  left  them  growing  in 
the  field,  and  on  their  return  some  six  years  later  found  them  still  pro- 
ducing. In  1 83  I  a  portion  of  them  sold  out  and  emigrated  to  Green 
Bay,  Wis.  During  their  sojourn  in  what  is  now  Marshall  they  acted 
under  a  regular  township  organization.  Their  town  clerks  from  1795  to 
1843  were  Elijah  Wampy,  David  Fowler,  jr.,  William  Coyhis,  Christo- 
pher Scheesuck,  Thomas  Crossley,  Jacob  Dick.  William  Dick,  jr.,  James 
Fowler,  jr.,  Daniel  Dick,  David  Toucee,  R.  Fowler,  James  Kiness, 
Simon  Hart,  James  Wiggins,  and  Alexander  Fowler,  some  of  whom 
held  the  office  a  number  of  years,  and  James  Kiness  the  longest  term  of 
all.  By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  the  people  of  Brothertown  were  to 
meet  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April  of  each  year  to  elect  their  town 
officers.  The  peace-makers  presided  at  these  meetings,  and  were 
authorized  to  give  notice  of  special  meetings.  The  elective  officers 
were  a  clerk,  two  overseers  of  the  poor,  two  marshals,  three  fence- 
viewers,  a  poundmaster,  and  overseers  of  highways.  The  office  of 
peace-maker  corresponded  with  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  the  posses- 
sor being  entitled  to  affix  *'  Esquire"  to  his  name.  These  officers  were 
appointed  by  the  governor  and  Senate.  The  following  persons  served 
as  superintendents  of  the  Brothertown  Indians,  viz.  :  Samuel  Jones, 
Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  Zina  Hitchcock,  William  Floyd,  Thomas  Eddy, 
Bill  Smith,  Thomas  Hart,  Henry  McNiel,  Uri  Doolittle,  Asahel  Curtis, 
Joseph  Stebbins,  William  Root.  Nathan  Davis,  Austin  Mygatt,  Samuel 
L.  Hubbard,  Elijah  Wilson,  Samuel  Comstock.  Prominent  among  the 
peace  makers  from  1796  to  1843  were  the  Fowlers,  Johnsons,  Scheesucks, 
Tuhis,  and  Dicks.  In  1801  the  Brothertowns  sent  John  Tuhi,  sr.,  John 
Scheesuck,  sr.,  Jacob  Fowler,  and  Henry  Cuchip  as  delegates  to  treat 
with  the  Western  Indians.  In  a  few  instances  marble  slabs  were  placed 
at  the  graves  of  the  Brothertowns  by  their  friends.  The  inscription  on 
two  of  these  are  the  following  : 


THE  TOWN  OF  MARSHALL.  475 

John  Tuhi.  Esq.,  died  December  14,  1811,  aged  65  j-ears. 

Esther  Poquinal,  A  Member  of  the  Mohegan  Tribe  of  Indians,  A  Practical 

and  Exemplary  Christian,  aged  96  years. 

Asa  Dick,  esq.,  and  his  brother,  members  of  the  Narragansett  tribe, 
were  influential  men  among  the  Brothertowns.  Dickville,  just  above 
Deansville,  was  named  for  the  former,  who  built  a  mill  there,  and 
founded  a  settlement,  which  grew  to  quite  respectable  proportions,  but 
upon  his  death  lost  its  prestige,  and  is  now  a  suburb  of  Deansville.  The 
old  red  grist  mill  at  Dickville  was  built  about  1807-8,  and  has  long  been 
removed.  The  incident  of  the  capture  and  escape  of  Colonel  Heinrich 
Staring  is  related  in  the  history  of  Kirkland.  The  colonel  was  appointed 
first  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Herkimer  county  upon  its 
orgcinization,  and  man}-  laughable  incidents  are  related  of  him  while  hold- 
ing that  oflfice. 

The  first  settlement  made  by  white  men  in  the  town  of  Marshall  was 
probably  that  of  David  Barton,  in  1793,  on  that  part  of  the  Brothertovvn 
tract  sold  to  the  State.  Warren  William.s  came  in  soon  afterward  and 
settled  on  a  farm,  which  he  sold  to  Elder  Hezekiah  Eastman,  who  re- 
ceived his  deed  from  the  State  in  1795.  This  farm  was  afterwards  oc- 
cupied by  Horace  H.  Eastman.  Capt.  Simon  iHubbard  and  Levi 
Barker  were  among  the  earliest  settlers.  The  first  birth  in  the  town  was 
that  of  Col.  Lester  Barker,  who  was  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1847-48. 

Isaac  Miller  settled  in  the  town  about  1795,  when  his  son,  Isaac,  was 
three  or  four  years  old.  The  family  located  at  Hanover  and  there  the 
pioneer  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  the  first  supervisor  of 
the  town.  His  grandson,  also  named  Isaac,  became  a  successful  farmer 
a  little  way  north  of  Deansville  in  the  town  of  Kirkland.  Joel  Green 
was  an  early  settler  on  "  Hanover  Green,"  and  near  the  home  of  Isaac 
Miller,  sr. 

In  the  year  1795  John  Dean,  a  Quaker,  was  commissioned  by  the 
Friends  in  New  York  city,  to  labor  among  the  Brothertown  Indians  as 
a  missionary.  He  came  on  to  Marshall  and  Kirkland  and  began  his 
work.  After  two  years  he  returned,  but  came  on  again  at  the  urgent 
request  of  the  Indians,  bringing  with  him  his  wife  and  son,  Thomas 
Dean,  who  was  then  nineteen  years  old.  They  lived  in  a  log  house,  and 
in  1799  the  wing  of  what  became  the  old  Dean  homestead  was  built; 
the  main  part  of  the  building  was  erected  in  1804.     John  Dean  contin- 


476  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ued  his  labor  with  the  Indians  until  near  his  death,  which  took  place  in 
1820  ;  he  is  buried  in  Deansville,  Some  years  before  his  death  his  son 
Thomas  had  been  chosen  by  the  Indians  as  their  agent  and  counselor. 
In  1809  Thomas  Dean  married  Mary  Flandrau,  sister  of  Thomas  H- 
Flandrau,  an  early  lawyer  of  this  county.  Thomas  Dean  had  charge  of 
the  removal  of  the  Brothertown  Indians  to  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  where  he 
was  instrumental  in  securing  for  them  a  tract  of  64,000  acres  of  land. 
He  spent  ten  winters  in  Washington  and  the  intervening  summers  in 
Green  Bay,  in  his  efiforts  to  bring  his  plans  to  completion.  Upwards  of 
2,400  Indians  were  removed  to  the  west.  He  is  remembered  as  an  un- 
selfish, honest  and  generous  man  who  gave  up  many  years  of  his  life  to 
this  work,  for  which  he  was  very  inadequately  remunerated.  He  died 
in  June,  1842,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 

In  1 801  Daniel  Hanchett,  John  Winslow,  Thomas  Winsl.ow,  and 
Ward  White  erected  a  forge  near  the  center  of  the  town  on  the  site  of 
the  hamlet  that  became  known  as  Forge  Hollow.  They  manufactured 
iron  from  ore,  and  in  succeeding  years  other  iron-working  establish- 
ments were  started  there,  in  which  castings  were  made,  scrap  iron 
worked,  ete.  All  these  interests  long  ago  went  out  of  existence.  A 
man  named  Putnam  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  at  that  point,  and 
Elder  Tremain  and  Timothy  Burr  were  early  comers. 

James  Melvin  was  an  early  settler  in  Marshall.  His  son,  Ira  J., 
was  born  here  in  1805  and  became  one  of  the  successful  settlers  of  the 
town. 

Settlement  at  what  became  known  as  Hanover  (the  post  office  taking 
the  name  of  Marshall)  began  early,  and  the  post  office  was  established 
about  1824,  with  Dr.  Levi  Buckingham  postmaster.  A  tavern  was 
kept  there  by  Newman  Gridley  about  18 13,  and  when  Dr.  Buckingham 
settled  in  the  place  in  18 16  he  built  a  store  on  Hanover  Green  and  en- 
gaged in  trade  with  Henry  Hawley,  who  had  previously  carried  on 
business  at  Forge  Hollow.  The  doctor  sold  out  to  his  partner,  who  con- 
tinued the  business  many  years.  The  first  store  opened  in  the  town 
was  kept  by  Isaac  Miller.  The  post-office  at  this  point  has  been  aban- 
doned. 

Other  settlers  of  a  comparatively  early  date  were  Jared  J.  Hooker, 
Charles   Smith,    Silas  Hanchett,  Calvin    Parker,   Lorenzo  Rouse,   E.    B, 


THE  TOWN  OF  MARSHALL.  477 

Barton,  Anthony  Peck,  Marinus  Hubbard,  Ashby  K.  Northrup,  James 
J.  Hanchett,  Silas  Clark,  Oscar  B.  Gridley,  Charles  B.  Wilkinson,  and 
others  whose  names  will  appear. 

In  early  years  there  were  a  few  saw  mills  and  asheries  in  this  town, 
but  their  usefulness  long  ago  ceased.  There  is  no  manufacturing  of 
account  carried  on,  and  the  mercantile  business  is  mostly  confined  to 
Deansville.  The  farming  community  is  reasonably  prosperous,  large 
quantities  of  hops  having  been  grown,  and  from  which  in  many  of  the 
passing  years  a  large  revenue  was  derived.  Dairying  has  in  recent 
years  attracted  more  attention  than  formerly. 

The  town  supports  excellent  schools  and  is  divided  into  ten  districts! 
The  number  of  children  attending  school  in  1895  was  281. 

Among  the  more  prominent  farmers  of  this  town,  past  and  present, 
are  Elephas  Barton,  Adonijah  Day,  Hubert  M.  Rouse,  S.  S,  Whitney, 
John  G.  Bennett,  Ansel  Hanchett,  Joseph  S.  Barton,  Daniel  Conger, 
David  Gallup,  Julius  A.  Day,  and  Charles  A.  Hovey. 

Deansville  is  a  pretty  village  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
town,  and  takes  its  name  from  the  Dean  family  before  noticed.  It  has 
the  only  post-office  in  the  town.  When  the  Chenango  Canal  was  con- 
structed through  this  town,  as  described  in  Chapter  XXI,  it  o-ave  the 
inhabitants  considerable  encouragement,  and  readier  access  to  distant 
markets.  The  village  of  Deansville  is  on  the  line  of  the  canal  and  most 
of  its  growth  dates  from  that  time.  What  was  formerly  the  Utica, 
Clinton  and  Binghamton  Railroad  passes  through  the  village  and  is,  of 
course,  of  greater  utility  than  the  canal  ever  was.  William  Northrup 
settled  in  the  village  in  1833,  and  the  post  ofiice  was  established  about 
the  same  time,  with  Thomas  Dean  postmaster.  The  name  of  the  post- 
office  was  changed  in  1894  to  Deansboro.  John  Wilmott  opened  the 
first  store  in  a  building  erected  by  himself,  and  in  which  George  B, 
and  Orville  B.  Northrup  (sons  of  William)  were  in  trade  in  later  years. 
George  Barker  was  the  second  merchant  in  the  place,  and  built  the 
store  occupied  later  by  Fairbank  &  Van  Vechten.  Royal  M.  Northrup, 
brother  of  William,  kept  a  hotel  in  1849-50  on  the  Utica  and  Clinton 
plank  road,  then  just  completed  ;  it  was  situated  half  a  mile  north  of 
Deansville,  over  the  Kirkland  line.  William  Northrup  probably  kept 
the  first  hotel  in  the  village  ;  it  stood  on  the  site  of  the  later  Hamilton 


478  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

House,  and  was  burned.  The  Hamilton  House  was  built  by  William 
Hamilton  in  1875-6.  A  hotel  was  kept  at  one  period  by  Harvey  Cur- 
tiss  The  old  grist  mill  at  Deansville  was  built  by  Asa  Dick  about 
1836.  It  was  afterwards  converted  into  a  distiliery  and  operated  by  a 
stock  company.      Still  later  it  was  changed  back  to  a  grist  mill. 

The  Deansville  Cemetery  Association  was  organized  about  i860,  and 
owns  a  fine  tract  of  about  three  and  one-half  acres  in  the  town  of  Kirk- 
land,  just   north  of  Deansville,  which  has  been  laid  ov(t    with  excellent 

taste. 

A  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  the  town  of  Marshall  June 
14.  ^797-  ^t  ^^^  located  at  Hanover  and  took  the  name  of  "The 
Hanover  Society."  The  membership  embraced  seven  males  and  seven 
females.  A  church  was  erected  for  the  society  in  1801,  and  about  forty 
years  later  was  rebuilt.  The  society  prospered  for  many  years  but 
eventually  declined  and  was  finally  disbanded 

The  First  Baptist  church  of  Paris,  which  was  within  the  present  limits 
of  this  town,  was  organized  July  6,  1797,  only  a  short  time  after  the 
organization  of  the  Hanover  society.  Elder  Hezekiah  Eastman  had 
preached  here  in  the  previous  year  and  possibly  earlier,  and  was  the  first 
pastor  of  this  church.  He  continued  until  1809.  The  society  was  dis- 
banded in  1832,  when  a  part  of  its  members  united  with  the  Baptist 
church  in  Clinton,  then  recently  formed. 

The  Methodists  had  a  class  in  this  town  as  earl)-  as  1803,  which  was 
supplied  with  preaching  bi-weekly  by  Westmoreland  circuit  ministers. 
A  society  was  organized  in  1828,  and  in  1837  the  church  in  Deansville 
was  erected  on  a  site  donated  by  Thomas  Dean  ;  the  building  was  first 
occupied  in  1842  ;  it  was  extensively  improved  in  1883  and  soon  after- 
ward burned       It  was  rebuilt  in  1884. 

A  Universalist  Society  had  an  existence  of  many  years  at  Forge  Hol- 
low, but  is  now  extinct 

The  town  of  Marshall  was  organized  from  Kirkland  February  21, 
1829,  and  the  first  town  meeting  ordered  held  at  the  house  of  George 
Tinker  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  March  of  that  year.  It  was  so  held  and 
the  following  elected  as  the  first  officers  : 

Supervisor,  Isaac  Miller,  esq.;  town  clerk,  Levi  Buckingham;  assessors,  Charles 
Smith,  Jared  J.  Hooker,  Thomas  Lyman  ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Silas  Hanchett, 
James   Cawing;     commissioners   of   roads.    Joseph    Page,    John    Lapham,    Horatio 


THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD.  479 

Burchard;  commissioners  of  schools,  Calvin  Parker,  Lorenzo  Rouse,  Henry  L.  Haw- 
ley;  inspectors  of  schools,  Truman  E.  Lyman,  Ichabod  R.  Miller,  Joseph  P.  East- 
man; constables,  Bernard  Banker,  William  W.  Bulkley,  Pardon  Tabor,  collector, 
William  W.  Bulkley;  poundkeeper,  Isaac  Miller,  esq.;  fenceviewers,  Hosea  Adding- 
ton,  Hamlin  D.  Corbin,  Zadock  Cutler,  Seth  Bath,  jr. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  its  origanization 
to  the  present  time  : 

1830,  Isaac  Miller,  esq.;  1831-33,  Levi  Buckingham;  1834,  Eliphas  B.  Barton ;  1835, 
Thomas  Lyman;  1836,  Levi  Buckingham ;  1837,  Anthony  Peck;  1838-39,  Marinus 
Hubbard;  1840-42,  Thomas  Dean ;  1843,  Joel  K.  Greenslit;  1844-46,  John  Dean; 
1847-49,  Horace  H.  Eastman:  1850,  Ashby  K.  Northrup;  1851,  Eliphas  B.  Barton; 
1852-53,  James  J.  Hanchett;  1854-55,  Silas  Clark;  1856-57,  Oscar  B.  Gridley;  1858- 
59,  Charles  B.  Wilkin.son;  1860-64,  Lorenzo  Rouse;  1865, John  S.  Mowrey;  1866-67, 
Seth  W.  Peck;  1868,  R.  Wilson  Roberts;  1869,  Seth  W.  Peck;  1870-74,  Joseph  F. 
Barton;  1875-76,  R.  Wilson  Roberts;  1877-78,  Spencer  F.  Tooley;  1879,  J.  F.  Bar- 
ton; 1880-83,  Julius  A.  Day:  1884,  A.  D.  Van  Vechten;  1885-86,  Julius  A.  Day; 
1887-8,  L.  D.  Edwards;  1889-90,  Spencer  F.  Tooley;  1891-93,  Marshall  B.  Peck; 
1894-96,  Philip  Fuess. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD. 

New  Hartford  was  the  last  town  formed  from  the  once  great  town  of 
Whitestown,  and  was  erected  April  12,  1827.  The  name  had  many 
years  earlier  been  given  to  the  village  and  was  retained  for  the  town. 
The  territory  of  New  Hartford  was  mainly  included  in  the  Bayard  and 
the  Coxe  patents,  as  shown  on  the  map  herein,  and  embraces  at  the 
present  time  16,941  acres.  An  act  of  Legislature  was  passed  April  26, 
1834,  which  added  to  New  Hartford  a  small  section  of  Kirkland.  Pre- 
vious to  November  22,  1855,  the  little  village  of  Clark's  Mills  lay  partly 
in  four  towns — New  Hartford,  Kirkland,  Westmoreland,  and  Whites- 
town  ;  but  an  act  of  Legislature  of  the  above  date  small  portions  of 
three  of  those  towns  were  annexed  to  Kirkland,  placing  all  of  the  village 
in  that  town.      (See  history  of  Kirkland.) 

The  surface  of  New  Hartford  is  level  or  gently  rolling,  except  in  the 
extreme  east  part  where  there  is  a  low  range  of  hills.      The  soil  is  a  rich 


480  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

calcareous  loam.  Sauquoit  Creek  flows  northerly  through  near  the 
center  of  the  town  and  with  its  branches  affords  sufficient  drainage. 
That  stream  in  early  years  supplied  large  water  power  and  was  an  influ- 
ence in  the  establishment  of  the  extensive  manufacturing  interests  of  the 
town  ;  but  in  later  years  the  volume  of  water  has  decreased  and  steam 
power  has  been  placed  in  many  of  the  factories.  Through  the  influence 
of  Judge  Sanger,  the  pioneer  in  the  town,  the  old  Seneca  turnpike,  con- 
structed in  1800,  passed  through  the  village  of  New  Hartford,  giving 
the  place  a  considerable  impetus  and  making  it  for  a  number  of  years 
an  active  rival  of  Utica.  The  course  of  the  Erie  Canal  through  the 
latter  village  wrought  the  change  that  made  Utica  a  city  and  New 
Hartford  its  suburb.  The  Chenango  Canal,  and  what  was  the  Utica, 
Chnton  and  Binghamton  Railroad  cross,  parallel,  the  northern  part  of 
the  town,  and  the  Utica  and  Chenango  division  of  the  D.,  L  and  W. 
Railroad  follows  up  the  valley  of  the  Sauquoit,  with  a  station  at  New 
Hartford  village. 

Previous  to  1788  Col.  Jedediah  Sanger,  born  in  Sherburne,  Mass., 
probably,  February  29,  1752,  had  purchased  1,000  acres  of  land  lying 
about  equally  on  both  sides  of  the  Sauquoit,  and  in  March  of  that  year 
he  came  on  to  his  purchase  and  began  making  improvements.  He  had 
agreed  to  pay  fifty  cents  an  acre  for  his  land,  and  it  included  the  site  of 
New  Hartford  village.  Within  the  year  mentioned  he  sold  the  part  on 
the  east  side  of  the  creek  to  Joseph  Higbee  for  one  dollar  an  acre. 
Higbee's  tract  was  afterwards  found  to  contain  600  acres.  Colonel 
Sanger  was,  as  seen,  thirty- seven  years  old  when  he  came  to  New 
Hartford  ;  he  had  received  only  a  common  school  education  and  had 
kept  a  small  store  in  Massachusetts.  In  May,  177 1,  he  married  Sarah 
Rider,  by  whom  he  had  four  children.  In  1782  he  removed  to  Jeffries, 
N.  H.,  and  purchased  a  large  farm,  and  kept  both  a  store  and  a  tavern 
in  his  dwelling.  In  1784  his  dwelling  and  contents  were  burned,  rend- 
ering him  bankrupt.  Hearing  of  the  "  Whitestown  countr)',"  he  deter- 
mined to  seek  a  new  home,  and  in  1788  he  made  the  change  as  stated. 
He  later  paid  all  of  his  indebtedness  to  his  eastern  creditors. 

In  1796  he  erected  the  first  grist  and  saw  mills  on  the  outlet  of  Skaneateles  Lake, 
now  in  the  beautiful  village  of  Skaneateles,  Onondaga  county.  He  was  one  of  the 
active  and  leading  partners  in  the  Paris  Furnace,  which  was  erected  in  1800,  and 
went  into  operation  in  1801.     In  1805  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton. 


THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD.  481 

He  spent  eleven  winters  in  Albany  as  a  member  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  to  each 
of  these  bodies  having  been  elected  by  the  people.  He  was  the  first  supervisor  of 
Whitestown,  and  held  the  office  for  three  successive  years.  He  was  appointed  first 
judge  of  Oneida  county  upon  its  organization,  and  held  the  office  until  1810,  when  he 
resigned,  as  by  the  constitution  and  laws  his  age  (sixty  years)  disqualified  him  from 
holding  that  office,  i 

Judge  Sanger  was  thrice  married,  the  last  time  to  Fanny  Dench,  Oc- 
tober 3,  1827.  He  died  June  6,  1829,  and  is  buried  in  the  village  cem- 
etery. 

Ohver  Collins  settled,  it  is  believed  in  1739,  on  a  farm  on  the  Whites- 
boro  road  a  short  distance  from  Middle  Settlement,  where  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life  ;  he  was  quite  prominent  in  local,  civil,  and 
military  affairs  and  bore  the  title,  "  General."  A  native  of  Connecticut, 
he  served  in  the  line  of  that  State  as  sergeant  during  the  Revolution. 
Soon  after  his  settlement  here  he  was  commissioned  captain  of  the 
militia  company,  and  subsequently  rose  step  by  step  to  the  rank  of  gen- 
eral. In  this  capacity  he  called  out  the  militia  under  him  and  marched 
to  Sackett's  Harbor  where  he  served  in  18 14.  The  militia  under  Gen- 
eral Collins  numbered  nearly  3,000,  of  whom  2,500  were  from  Oneida 
and  Herkimer  counties.  The  service  and  quarters  at  Sackett's  Harbor 
were  very  trying  on  the  raw  troops,  and  many  deserted.  After  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  when  General  Collins  returned  he  ordered  a  court 
martial  for  the  deserters.  In  spite  of  determined  opposition  the  court 
was  held  in  Utica,  and  the  offenders  were  ordered  to  have  all  their  back 
pay  stopped  and  be  drummed  out  of  camp  as  far  as  Deerfield  Corners 
to  the  Rogue's  march.  The  sentence  was  executed.  General  Collins 
retired  to  his  farm  and  there  died  August  15,  1838. 

John  French  settled  in  New  Hartford,  coming  from  New  Hampshire, 
about  1792,  on  the  farm  afterwards  occupied  by  his  son  John,  who  was 
born  on  that  place  in  1797.  The  father  died  February  25,  1839.  Na- 
than Seward  located  about  the  same  time  on  the  farm  adjoining  Mr. 
French's  on  the  east.  He  was  subsequently  interested  in  the  Capron 
cotton  factory  north  of  New  Hartford  village 

Capt.  David  Risley,  a  Revolutionary  veteran,  with  his  brother,  Allen, 
and  Truman  and  Webster  Kellogg,  settled  very  early  south  of  New 
Hartford   village  and   west  of  what  is  now  Washington  Mills.      They 

1  Jones's  Annals, 
61 


482  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

built  a  shanty  and  began  making  other  improvements.  There  was  no 
grist  mill  of  much  account,  if  indeed  there  was  any  at  all,  nearer  than 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  in  Herkimer  county,  and  these  pioneers,  and 
probably  others,  resorted  to  the  well-known  method  of  pounding  their 
grain  into  coarse  meal  in  the  top  of  a  hollowed  hard  wood  stump.  Soon 
after  his  settlement  Captain  Risley  built  and  opened  a  small  store  on 
his  place;  it  was  a  log  building,  and  he  also  built  a  log  tavern  which 
was  a  popular  stopping  place  for  travelers.  Later  he  built  a  large  frame 
store,  which  became  extensively  patronized  by  the  pioneers.  This 
building  was  later  removed  to  Washington  Mills  where  it  was  used  as  a 
dwelling. 

Among  others  who  settled  south  of  the  village  of  New  Hartford,  ac- 
cording to  French's  Gazetteer,  were  two  families  named  Olmstcad,  and 
the  Seymour,  Hurlburt,  Kilborn,  and  Montague  families.  Henry  Black- 
stone,  also,  migrated  to  this  town  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  county, 
and  settled  east  of  Washington  Mills  on  the  farm  afterwards  occupied 
by  his  son,  Alfred.  His  first  journey  hither  was  made  in  company  with 
Zenas  Gibbs  and  Ashbel  Tyler,  with  an  ox  team.  The  Gibbs  farm  was 
owned  in  late  years  by  his  grandson,  Gould  G.  Morton.  Nehemiah 
Ensworth  came  into  the  town  in  the  fall  of  1791  and  in  the  following 
spring  settled  on  a  part  of  the  500  acre  lot  on  which  Mr.  Gibbs  and  Mr, 
Blackstone  had  located.  Mr.  Ensworth's  brother,  Elihu,  came  in  with 
him  ;   the  latter  was  father  of  Ezra  Ensworth. 

Very  soon  after  the  first  settlement  was  made  in  this  town,  steps  were 
taken  for  the  organization  of  a  church.  A  meeting  was  held  in  a  barn 
belonging  to  Judge  Sanger,  in  New  Hartford,  on  the  27th  of  August, 
1 791,  and  there  the  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  with  thirteen 
members  It  was  organized  under  the  Congregational  form,  but  was 
changed  to  the  Presbyterian  in  1802.  The  first  trustees  were  Jedcdiah 
Sanger,  Needham  Maynard,  Uriah  Seymour,  first  class;  Capt.  James 
Steel,  Lieut.  William  Stone,  Jesse  Kellogg,  second  class;  Capt.  John 
Tillotson,  Capt.  Joseph  Jennings,  Capt.  Nathan  Seward,  third  class. 
Rev.  Dan  Bradley  was  the  first  pastor.  It  was  proposed  at  a  meeting 
that  he  be  given  "  ten  acres  of  land  near  Colonel  Sanger's  old  log  house 
as  a  settlement,"  and  if  this  land  was  not  of  the  value  of  $200,  that 
amount  should  be  made  up  to  him  ;  he  was  then  to  have   $160  a  year 


MORGAN  BUTLER. 


THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD.  483 

salary,  $6o  of  which  should  be  in  cash  and  the  remainder  in  produce. 
This  probably  did  not  satisfy  Mr.  Bradley,  for  at  the  next  meeting  it 
was  resolved  to  "  give  Mr  Bradley  $200  in  cash  as  a  settlement,  and 
one  hundred  pounds  current  money  of  the  State  of  New  York  annually 
as  a  salary — one  third  in  cash,  the  remainder  in  produce  at  the  cash 
price,  and  thirty  Chords  of  good  firewood  annually,  as  long  as  he  con- 
tinues to  be  our  minister;  accepted."  On  March  5,  1792,  the  trustees 
agreed  with  Colonel  Sanger  to  build  them  a  church  at  a  cost  of  "  seven 
hundred  pounds."  The  church  was  mainly  built  in  1793,  though  it  was 
not  entirely  finished  until  1796;  it  was  the  first  church  building  erected 
in  the  State  west  of  Herkimer.  The  lot  on  which  it  stood  was  donated 
by  Judge  Sanger,  who  also  gave  a  lot  in  Sangerfield  for  the  benefit  of 
the  society. 

Among  those  who  settled  west  of  the  village  were  Ashbel  Beach, 
Amos  Ives,  Solomon  Blodget,  Salmon  Butler,  Joel  Blair  (the  last  three 
at  what   is   known   as   "  Middle   Settlement "),  A.  Hill  (who  located  on 

the  farm  owned  for  many  years  by  Oliver  Sandford,  esq,), Wyman, 

and  Stephen  Bushnell.  On  the  road  leading  from  Middle  Settlement 
to  Whitesboro  was  Joseph  Jennings.  East  of  the  village  of  New  Hart- 
ford were  Messrs.  Higbee,  Seward  and  French.  To  the  south  of  the 
village  the  settlers  were  more  numerous.  Eli  Butler,  a  resident  of  Mid- 
dletown.  Conn. — the  same  place  whence  came  Hugh  White,  the  first 
permanent  settler  in  the  county — arrived  in  what  is  now  New  Hartford 
in  1789,  and  settled  on  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  his  grandson, 
Morgan  Butler,  the  house  of  the  latter  being  just  within  the  corporate 
limits  of  the  village.  Mr.  Butler  had  been  to  this  region  in  the  year 
1785,  and  purchased  farmsTor  three  of  his  sons — John  and  Sylvester  in 
Paris,  and  Ashbel  in  New  Hartford.  He  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and 
seven  daughters,  and  the  daughters  and  one  son,  Eli,  jr.  (father  of 
Morgan  Butler),  accompanied  him  here  in  1789.  Eli  was  his  youngest 
son,  and  remained  on  the  farm  settled  by  his  father  in  New  Hartford 
until  his  death.     The  farm  included  three  hundred  acres. 

Of  the  early  schools  in  this  town  very  little  can  be  learned,  the  terri- 
tory being  a  part  of  Whitestown  until  a  comparatively  recent  date.  It 
is  known,  however,  that  there  were  early  schools  taught  in  the  village 
of  New  Hartford. 


484  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  reader  has  already  found  an  account  of  the  estabhshment  in  New 
Hartford  of  the  Whitestown  Gazette  in  New  Hartford  village  in  June, 
1796,  by  Charles  McLean;  it  was  the  second  newspaper  in  this  county, 
and  was  removed  to  Utica  in  1798.      (See  history  of  Utica). 

On  the  farm  of  Zenas  Gibbs,  before  mentioned,  iron  ore  was  early 
discovered,  where  an  ox  had  thrown  some  dirt  out  of  a  ditch  with  his 
horns.  Further  prospecting  developed  considerable  deposits  and  the 
ore  was  shipped  in  large  quantities  to  furnaces  in  Paris,  Litchfield  and 
Franklin.     The  industry  finally  declined,  and  is  now  abandoned. 

The  following  list  of  names  and  dates  of  death  has  been  collected 
from  the  grave  stones  in  the  old  cemetery  in  New  Hartford,  and  is 
worthy  of  preservation  for  reference  and  to  add  to  the  list  of  early  set- 
tlers in  the  town  : 

Elder  Ithamar  Parsons,  died  July  24,  1828,  aged  78  j'ears. 
Mabel,  his  wife,  died  Jan.  22,  1812,  aged  57  years. 
Eli  Butler,  died  April  19,  1802,  aged  61  years. 
Mrs.  Rachel  Butler,  died  Sept.  1,  1805,  aged  62  years. 
Ashbel  Butler,  died  March  2,  1829,  aged  63  years. 
Truman  Kellogg,  died  Nov.  5,  1821,  aged  56  years. 
Lois,  wife  of  Thomas  Gaylord,  died  May  2,  1806,  aged  57  years. 
Abel  Wilcox,  died  Jan.  IB,  1836,  aged  80  years. 
Experance,  his  wife,  died  June  10,  1811,  aged  58  years. 
Eunice,  wife  of  William  Palmer,  died  April  5,  1810,  aged  21  years. 
Jabez  Winchester,  died  Sept.  10,  1838,  aged  71  years. 
Lucretia,  his  wife,  died  Aug.  16,  1834,  aged  54  years. 
Deacon  Ebenezer  Cook,  died  March  29,  1813,  aged  67  years. 
Abigail,  his  wife,  died  Jan.  14,  1814,  aged  70  years. 
Samuel  Wells,  died  Oct.  7,  1803,  aged  41  years. 
Dolly,  his  wife,  died  Feb.  9,  1854,  aged  89  years. 

Mrs.  Abigal  Grosvenor.  widow  of  Captain  Seth  Grosvenor,  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,  died 
Aug.  2,  1816,  aged  65  years. 
Lucy,  daughter  of  Allen  and  Lucy  Risley,  died  Sept.  14,  1803,  aged  6  years. 
Jacob  Hart,  died  Jan.  17,  1812,  aged  58  years. 
Jane,  wife  of  Charles  McLean,  died  June  15.  1827,  aged  21  years. 
Captain  Elisha  Newell,  died  Nov.  10,  1799,  aged  66  years. 
Betsy  H.,  wife  of  Amos  Hull,  M.  D.,  died  Sept.  11,  1798,  aged  21  j-ears. 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Amos  Hull,  M.  D.,  died  Oct.  1,  1802,  aged  28  years. 
Eunice,  wife  of  Amos  Hull,  M.  D.,  died  Aug.  5,  1812,  aged  33  years: 
Uriah  Lathrop,  died  April  13,  1814,  aged  41  years. 

"  Mrs.  Clemens,  relict  of  Jacob  Sherril,"  died  Aug.  8,  1820,  aged  83  years. 
Esther,  wife  of  Joseph  Allen,  died  July  30,  1816,  aged  67  years. 
David  Risley,  died  Aug.  24,  1834,  aged  68  years. 


THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD.  485 

Cynthia,  his  wife,  died  May  26,  1845,  aged  76  years. 

Salmon  Goodrich,  died  Dec.  18,  1842,  aged  85  j-ears. 

King  Strong,  died  April  15,  1854,  aged  71  years. 

Daniel  Eels,  died  July  17,  1851,  aged  94  years. 

Martha,  his  wife,  died  May  26,  1834,  aged  73  years. 

Theodosia  Eels,  his  sister,  died  Dec.  7,  1850,  aged  96  years. 

Ebenezer  Dickinson,  died  May  5,  1845,  aged  73  years. 

Prudence,  his  wife,  died  Dec.  29,  1863,  aged  90  years. 

Jotham  Gaylord,  died  Feb.  5,  1807,  aged  58  years. 

Esther,  his  wife,  died  March  14,  1838,  aged  87  years. 

Ozias  Wilcox,  died  Dec.  4,  1838,  aged  73  years. 

Betsy,  his  wife,  died  Aug.  28,  1831,  aged  55  years. 

Ebenezer  Dickinson,  Sr.,  died  Dec.  24.  1824,  aged  89  years. 

Mabel,  his  wife,  died  March  13,  1827,  aged  89  years. 

Rhoda,  wife  of  Abel  Andrus,  died  Dec.  20,  1828,  aged  84  years. 

Simeon  Hatch,  died  Feb.  26,  1853,  aged  86  years 

Rebecca,  his  wife,  died  Aug.  29,  1836,  aged  68  j'ears. 

Lois,  wife  of  Arthur  Perry,  died  Aug.  11,  1819,  aged  56  years. 

Mrs.  Ruth  Seward,  died  April  21,  1810,  aged  81  years. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Lane,  died  Feb.  26,  1799,  aged  47  years. 

Colonel  Nathan  Seward,  died  Nov.  9,  1815,  aged  57  years. 

Martha,  his  wife,  died  March  24,  1838,  aged  80  years. 

Samuel  Abbott,  died  May  28,  1814,  aged  27  years. 

Sally,  his  wife,  died  Oct.  22,  1817,  aged  23  years. 

Bethuel  Norton,  died  Sept.  11,  1814,  aged  74  years. 

Lois,  his  wife,  died  April  11,  1828,  aged  85  years. 

Hart  Norton,  died  Sept.  7,  1837,  aged  62  years. 

Lois,  his  wife,  died  March  19,  1813,  aged  38  years. 

Susan,  his  wife,  died  March  9,  1837,  aged  49  years. 

Ashbel  Mallory,  died  Feb.  1,  1856,  aged  83  years. 

Mary,  his  wife,  died  Nov.  23,  1854,  aged  74  years. 

Gideon  Savage,  died  Feb.  26,  1833,  aged  82  years. 

Sarah,  his  wife,  died  June  9,  1840,  aged  82  years. 

Leonard  Goodrich,  died  Dec,  27,  1837,  aged  65  years. 

Susan,  his  wife,  died  Feb.  20,  1859,  aged  84  years. 

Rhoda,  wife  of  Samuel  Hecox,  died  Oct.  29,  1807,  aged  53  years. 

William  Trowbridge,  died  April  13,  1814,  aged  26  j-ears. 

Louisa,  his  wife,  died  July  4,  1813,  aged  25  years. 

Andrew  Miller,  died  Sept.  30,  1820,  aged  41  years. 

David  Miller,  died  June  2,  1865,  aged  80  j'ears. 

George  Peacock,  died  June  23,  1824,  aged  75  years. 

Elizabeth,  his  wife,  died  May  20,  1820,  aged  44  years. 

Thomas  Thornton,  died  Nov.  — ,  1826,  aged  81  years. 

Rachel  Thornton,  died  Dec.  29,  1816,  aged  63  years. 

Abigail,  wife  of  Haul  B.  Prior,  died  Jan.  14,  1808,  aged  27  years. 

Hunting  S.  Pierce,  died  March  12,  1826,  aged  34  years. 


486  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Thomas  Dana,  died  Aug.  31,  1817,  aged  95  years. 

Martha,  his  wife,  died  Sept.  14.  1795,  aged  67  years. 

Ezekiel  Williams,  died  Aug.  30,  1849,  aged  94  years. 

Sarah,  his  wife,  died  April  9,  1813,  aged  55  years. 

Nancy,  wife  of  Lewis  Sherril,  died  July  18,  1822,  aged  38  years. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  New  Hartford  was  held  April  24,  1827,  at 
the  house  of  King  Strong,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected  : 

Supervisor,  Eli  Savage;  town  clerk,  Samuel  Dakin  ;  assessors,  Ashbel  Mallory, 
Stephen  Fitch,  Thomas  R.  Palmer;  commissioner  of  highways,  Abel  Mosher,  Coll- 
ings  Locke,  Truman  Kellogg;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Joshua  Palmer,  Edward  Black- 
stone;  collector,  Isaac  G.  Stratton  ;  commissioners  of  common  schools,  Daniel  W. 
Randall,  Charles  Babcock,  Warner  Wadsworth;  mspectors  of  schools,  Proctor  C. 
Samson,  Zedekiah  Sanger,  James  McElroy. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  its  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  time  ;  the  list  includes  the  names  of  many  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  the  town  in  its  comparatively  recent  history : 

1828-30,  Jesse  Sheplierd;  1831,  Ashbel  Mallory;  1832-35,  Olliver  Prescott,  jr., 
1836-40,  Frederick  Kellogg;  1841-42,  James  Brown ;  1843-45,  Josiah  S.  Kellogg; 
1846-47,  Oliver  Prescott;  1848-50,  John  French;  1851-52,  James  Rees;  1853,  Hiram 
Shays;  1854-55,  Gould  G.  Norton;  1856-57,  John  French;  1858,  William  Huxford; 
1859-61,  John  B.  Winship;  1862-64,  George  W.  Chadwick;  1865-68,  James  Arm- 
strong; 1869-70,  Henry  S.  Rogers;  1871,  Oliver  R.  Babcock;  1872,  Joseph  P.  Rich- 
ardson; 1873,  John  B.  Winship;  1874,  Oliver  R.  Babcock;  1875,  Timothy  W.  Black- 
stone;  1876  Porters.  Huntley;  1877-79,  John  C.  Roby;  1880-81,  R.  Abiram  Smith; 
1882,  Richard  M.  Davis;  1883,  John  W.  McLean;  1884,  R.  A.  Smith;  1885-86, 
Charles  H.  Philo;  1887,  Johnson  C.  Dewhurst;  1888,  John  M.  Porter;  1889,  Ralph 
Lee;  1890,  George  Benton;  1891-95,  Albert  P.  Seaton,   1896,  Ladd  J.  Lewis. 

The  village  of  New  Hartford  was  incorporated  in  1870,  by  a  vote  of 
32  to  9  In  the  next  year  the  boundaries  of  the  village  were  slightly 
changed  so  as  to  make  Sauquoit  Creek  the  easterly  village  limit.  A 
post-office  was  established  in  the  village  at  about  the  beginning  of  the 
century.  Dr.  Calvin  Sampson  was  one  of  the  early  postmasters  and 
held  the  office  many  years. 

Manufacturing  began  early  in  the  village.  A  man  named  Butterfield 
established  a  factory  for  making  ingrain  carpets  early  in  the  century, 
his  product  being  claimed  as  the  first  of  the  kind  made  in  this  State  ; 
he  removed  later  to  Oriskany.  The  first  cut  nails  made  in  tlie  State 
were  also  probably  manufactured  here  by  Jonathan  Richardson,  father 
of  Joseph  Richardson.      Mr.  Richardson  died  in  1838.      A  tannery  was 


'c^<.^<><.</^--J7^^ 


THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD.  487 

early  established  by  Thomas  and  Ezekiel  Williams,  west  of  Sauquoit 
Creek  and  north  of  Genesee  street.  Another  was  built  nearer  the  creek 
by  Stephen  Childs,  where  a  large  product  was  turned  out.  Messrs. 
Reed  &  Allen  established  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  cotton  yarn, 
batting,  etc.,  under  the  name  of  the  Half  Century  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Their  building  was  burned  after  it  had  passed  to  possession  of 
Armstrong,  Baker  &  Company,  and  the  latter  firm  then  located  in  what 
had  been  the  Childs  tannery,  above  mentioned,  where  they  established 
a  large  knitting  factory.  This  burned  and  the  present  factory  of  this 
company  was  erected. 

A  paper  mill  was  built  here  early  by  Samuel  Lyon,  who  came  from 
Vermont  early  in  the  century.  It  stood  above  the  later  cotton  factory 
and  was  afterwards  removed  next  to  the  grist  mill,  which  Mr.  Lyon  had 
purchased.  The  business  long  ago  disappeared.  A  door  and  sash  fac- 
tory was  formerly  operated  by  A.  Sweet,  in  which  J.  C.  Roby  after- 
wards established  a  batting  factory.  The  building  was  burned  and  on 
the  site  was  erected  the  present  factory  of  Devine  Brothers,  who  manu- 
facture buffing  wheels  extensively. 

The  New  Hartford  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized 
and  erected  its  main  building  about  1815-16,  under  the  management  of 
Samuel  Hicks.  The  south  addition  was  built  in  1838  by  a  company 
formed  about  that  time.  The  factory  is  operated  by  water  and  steam 
power,  and  was  burned  and  rebuilt  in  brick.  It  is  still  operated  by  the 
New  Hartford  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company — John  W.  McLean, 
president ;  William  M.  Osborn,  vice  president ;  James  Irish,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  This  company  was  organized  in  1870,  with  a  capital  of 
$150,000.  They  purchased  the  mill  from  John  Adams  who  had  ope- 
rated it  since  before  the  war.  The  product  is  what  are  known  as  bunt- 
ings and  about  150  hands  are  employed. 

There  are  two  factories  for  canning  corn  in  the  village,  one  operated 
by  the  New  Hartford  Canning  Company,  and  the  other  by  the  Excel- 
sior Canning  Company.  S.  F.  Sherman  is  superintendent  of  the  first 
and  William  M.  Osborn  of  the  other. 

General  stores  are  kept  by  F.  N.  Russell  and  George  Ireland,  and 
Joseph  Killian  has  a  hardware  store.  Enoch  Morris  carries  on  harness 
making.      The  hotel  long  known  as  the  Entwistle  Hotel  is  kept  by  Mrs. 


488  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Fred  Durrenbeck  ;  the  Williams  House  by  H.  A.  Williams,  and  the 
Myers  House  by  D.  F.  Myers. 

The  village  constitutes  Union  Free  School  district  No.  i,  and  an  ex- 
cellent school  is  taught,  with  Frank  B.  Spaulding,  principal,  and  five 
teachers.  The  town  is  now  divided  into  eighteen  school  districts  with 
a  school  house  in  each. 

Butler  Memorial  Hall  was  erected  in  1889  for  the  use  of  the  village 
and  contains  the  post-office,  a  hall  and  various  offices.  It  was  donated 
to  the  place  by  the  late  Morgan  Butler. 

The  presidents  of  the  village  of  New  Hartford  have  been  Charles  McLean,  1870- 
71;  James  Armstrong,  1872;  James  Campbell,  1873;  Richard  U.  Sherman,  1874-75; 
John  B.  Winship,  1876-9;  1880-1,  James  Armstrong;  1882,  Luther  W.  McFarland; 
1833,  Albert  P.  vSeaton ;  1884,  James  Harris;  1885-7,  Albert  P.  Seaton ;  1888-9,  James 
Armstrong;  1890,  Jerome  M.  Seaman;  1891-2,  James  Armstrong;  1893-5,  Jerome 
M.  Seaman ;  1896,  George  W.  Reed. 

The  village  of  Washington  Mills  is  situated  on  Sauquoit  Creek  about 
two  miles  above  New  Hartford.  Frederick  Holh'ster  was  a  business 
man  of  Utica,  who  had  been  associated  in  the  drug  trade  there  in  what 
was  known  as  "  the  checkered  store."  Isaac  Mason  had  established  a 
mill  on  the  site  of  Washington  Mills,  which  Mr.  Hollister  purchased  in 
1840.  This  was  burned  and  rebuilt  by  him,  and  was  also  painted  in 
colors,  giving  the  local  name  of  "  Checkerville  "  to  the  place.  The 
second  mill,  which  was  of  stone,  was  also  burned,  with  little  insurance, 
and  the  loss  was  heavy.  But  Mr.  Hollister  had  unbounded  energy  and 
the  firm  of  Hollister  &  Stanton  built  again  a  large  frame  mill,  to  which 
was  given  the  name  "  Washington  Mill."  This  ultimately  became  the 
property  of  A.  T.  Stewart  of  New  York  and  is  still  owned  by  his  estate  ; 
it  is  idle.  The  post-office  was  established  here  between  1840  and  1850, 
and  Adna  Ingham  was  one  of  the  earlier  postmasters  holding  the  office 
fifteen  years. 

A  hoe  and  fork  factory  was  established  here  in  1865  by  Babcock, 
Brown  &  Co.  ;  the  firm  was  afterwards  Huntley  &  Babcock.  The 
product  for  some  years  reached  $100,000  annually.  The  property  is 
now  owned  by  the  Utica  Tool  Co.,  in  which  C.  H.  Philo  and  Ladd  J. 
Lewis  are  prominent,  and  a  successful  business  is  carried  on. 

A  cotton  factory  was  built  in  district  No.  2,  at  this  town,  by  Dr. 
Seth  Capron,  of  Oriskany,  the    Sewards.    of  Utica,    and    others,   about 


THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  HARTFORD.  489 

1 8 14- 15  ;  Dr.  Capron  was  the  leader  in  the  enterprise,  which  became 
known  as  the  Capron  factory.  The  property  ultimately  passed  to  E.  B. 
Sherman  &  Co.,  and  a  little  later  to  C.  C.  and  H.  M.  Taber,  cotton 
brokers  in  New  York.  This  firm  took  the  factory  about  1865,  and 
carried  it  on  successfully.  It  finally  passed  to  the  Utica  Cotton  Com- 
pany and  continues  in  operation.      William  H.  Cloher  is  superintendent. 

In  early  years  there  was  a  paper  mill  and  a  saw  mill  at  this  point, 
erected  by  Seward,  Kellogg,  and  others.  They  have  passed  away.  A 
knitting  mill  was  established  a  few  years  ago  by  the  Capron  Knitting 
Mill  Co.  William  H.  Cloher  is  largely  interested  in  this  business.  The 
post-office  here  is  named  Capron.      A  store  is  kept  by  Joshua  Hagan. 

Chadwick's  Mills  post-office  is  a  hamlet  in  the  extreme  south  part  of 
the  town,  and  is  a  station  on  the  railroad.  Manufacturing  began  here 
as  early  as  1809,  when  Abner  Brownell,  John  Chadwick,  and  Ira  Todd 
built  what  was  long  known  as  the  Eagle  Cotton  Factory.  Chadwick 
and  Brownell  purchased  the  water  power,  which  had  been  located  by 
C.  E.  Macomber.  The  members  of  the  firm  were  from  Otsego  county. 
Mr.  Todd  afterwards  removed  to  Utica.  The  later  cotton  factory  was 
established  in  a  stone  building  three  stories  high,  with  G.  W.  Chadwick, 
proprietor,  and  became  known  as  Chadwick's  Mills.  Both  steam  and 
water  power  were  used.  The  property  passed  to  the  control  of  the 
Chadwick's  Mills  Cotton  Co.,  more  than  twenty  years  ago.  Benjamin 
Groff"  is  superintendent.  George  W.  Chadwick,  son  of  George  and 
grandson  of  John,  is  still  prominently  interested  in  the  industry. 

At  Willowvale  is  a  small  settlement  taking  its  name  from  the  quan- 
tity of  willows  along  the  creek ;  it  is  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town. 
A  large  foundry  and  machine  shops  were  established  here  and  owned 
by  Rogers  &  Spencer.  A  small  saw  mill  was  also  operated  there. 
The  machine  shops  were  burned  in  1868  and  not  rebuilt.  The  Utica 
Willowvale  Bleaching  Company  has  an  establishment  here  which  has 
been  in  successful  operation  a  number  of  years.  A  store  is  kept  by 
M.  F.  Jordan. 

The  New  York  Upper  Mills  of  the  New  York  Mills  Manufacturing 
Company  (Whitestovvn),  are  in  the  north  part  of  this  town,  and  will  be 
described  with  the  other  mills  of  that  company  in  the  history  of  Whites- 
town.      A  grist  mill  was  early  JDuilt  here,  long  afterwards  known  as  the 

62 


490  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Buhr  Stone  Factory.     There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  busi- 
ness done  here,  with  a  few  shops. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  pages  that  this  town  has  been  one 
of  the  most  important  manufacturing  districts  in  Oneida  county  ;  and 
while  its  proximity  to  Utica  has  prevented  its  assuming  any  mercantile 
importance,  it  has  nevertheless  contributed  largely  to  the  wealth  of  the 
county.  Its  agricultural  interests  are  also  large  and  important,  some  of 
the  best  farms  in  the  county  being  situated  within  its  limits.  Dairying 
and  milk  producing  for  Utica  is  quite  largely  followed  in  recent  years, 
and  fruit  growing  is  also  an  important  industry.  Market  gardening  is 
also  extensively  carried  on 

The  second  church  organized  in  New  Hartford  was  of  the  Universalist 
faith  and  was  called  the  Universalist  Society  of  Whitestown.  It  was  the 
result  of  pastoral  labor  begun  in  1805  by  Rev.  Nathaniel  Stacy.  A 
small  church  was  built  in  18  15  and  occupied  many  years,  after  which 
it  was  used  by  the  Baptists,  and  subsequently  burned.  The  society 
became  extinct  long  ago. 

The  Friends  meeting  house  in  New  Hartford  was  erected  in  1820, 
through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Peleg  Gififord,  a  noted  Quaker  minister,  who 
preached  in  New  Hartford  twenty  years.  He  was  a  pioneer  and  owned 
a  farm  two  miles  southeast  of  New  Hartford  :  it  is  said  he  surveyed  the 
highway  between  New  Hartford  and  Utica.  The  families  of  this  faith 
have  almost  disappeared  from  the  community. 

St.  Stephens's  church  (Episcopal),  New  Hartford,  was  organized  Sep- 
tember I,  1824.  Judge  Sanger  gave  a  lot  for  a  church  building  and  in 
his  will  left  an  annuity  of  $250  to  aid  in  supporting  a  minister.  The 
church  was  erected  in  1825,  and  has  since  been  improved. 

A  Baptist  church  was  organized  at  New  Hartford  previous  to  1840, 
as  a  branch  of  the  one  at  VVhitesboro,  but  it  was  dissolved  in  1844. 
Meetings  were  afterwards  held  in  the  old  Universalist  church  and  else- 
where. The  site  of  the  present  church  was  bought,  the  building  erected 
and  dedicated  in  August,  1856,  a  reorganization  having  been  effected 
in  the  previous  year.  The  old  church  was  abandoned  and  a  new  brick 
edifice  erected  a  few  years  ago  on  a  new  site,  corner  of  South  and  Mill 
streets. 

The    Methodist   Episcopal   society  at    New   Hartford  was  organized 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  491 

before  1850,  the  first  pastor  being  Rev.  Richard  Cooke.  A  church 
was  soon  erected,  which  was  displaced  by  the  present  one,  erected 
about  1875. 

A  Free  Will  Baptist  society  was  organized  at  Washington  Mills  in 
i860  by  Elder  G.  H.  Ball,  with  twenty-five  members;  meetings  had 
been  held  a  few  months  previous  to  that  date.  The  church  building 
was  erected  for  a  Union  church  on  land  deeded  by  Frederick  Hollister, 
but  it  did  not  prosper  and  the  Baptists  purchased  the  building  and  re- 
moved it  to  its  present  site. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS. 

Paris  as  originally  constituted  embraced  a  large  area.  It  was  set  off 
from  Whitestovvn  April  10,  1792,  and  included  what  are  now  the  towns 
of  Brookfield,  Hamilton,  and  part  of  Cazenovia  (in  Madison  county), 
Sherburne  (in  Chenango  county),  Sangerfield,  all  of  which  were  set  off 
from  it  in  1794,  and  Kirkland,  which  was  set  off  April  13,  1827  ;  a  still 
further  tract  was  added  to  Kirkland  in  1839,  leaving  Paris  with  its  pres- 
ent area  of  18,641  acres.  The  town  received  its  name  from  Isaac  Paris, 
a  merchant  of  Fort  Plain,  who  in  a  time  of  scarcity  and  distress  in  1789, 
generously  supplied  them  with  corn  and  other  food  on  liberal  credit. 

Paris  lies  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  county  and  near  the  southeast 
corner.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  western  half  was  in  Coxe's  patent  and 
the  remainder  in  the  Bayard  patent,  as  shown  on  the  map  herein.  The 
surface  is  very  hilly,  with  deep  intervening  valleys.  The  highest  eleva- 
tion in  the  county  is  Tassel  Hill  (so  called  from  a  Dutchman  who  settled 
there)  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  town,  which  rises  2,100 
feet  above  sea  level.  The  summit  of  what  was  the  Utica  and  Chenango 
Railroad  is  near  the  line  between  Paris  and  Marshall,  and  is  a  little 
more  than  1,000  feet  above  the  station  at  Utica.  This  locality  consti- 
tutes a  part  of  the  watershed  to  the  northward  and  southward  of  the 
State.      Paris  Hill  rises  840  feet  above  Sauquoit.      The  Sauquoit  Creek 


492  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

flows  northerly  through  the  town  east  of  the  center,  and  in  a  distance 
of  six  miles  descends  nearly  400  feet,  affording  excellent  water  power. 
The  soil  of  the  town  is  a  sandy  calcareous  loam.  The  town  has  been 
noted  for  its  manufactures. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Paris  was  held  April  2,  1793,  at  the 
house  of  Moses  Foot  in  Clinton,  and  the  following  officers  were  chosen  : 

Supervisor,  David  Ostrom,  esq;  town  clerk,  Henry  McNiel;  assessors,  Joshua 
Holiburt,  Joel  Bristol,  Dan  Chapman,  Benjamin  Barnes,  Ithamar  Coe,  Joseph  Far- 
well,  William  Babbott;  commissioners  of  roads,  Amos  Kellogg,  Simeon  Coe,  Stephen 
Barrett;  poormasters,  Timothy  Tuttle,  Levi  Sherman;  constables,  Jesse  Curtiss. 
Amos  Dutton,  Nathan  Marsh;  fence-viewers,  Barnabas  Pond,  Joseph  Plumb,  Borden 
Wilbur,  Joshua  Preston  ;  po'undmaster,  Amos  Kellogg. 

The  first  settler  in  this  town  was  Maj.  Amaziah  Royce,  who  located 
near  Paris  Hill  in  1789,  on  the  old  road  from  Sauquoit  to  its  intersec- 
tion with  the  Oxford  turnpike,  north  of  Paris  Hill.  In  Pecember  of 
that  year  John  and  Sylvester  Butler,  and  Asa  Shepard  settled  on  the 
same  road  about  half  a  mile  v/est  of  Sauquoit;  while  in  the  same 
month  Phineas  Kellogg  settled  in  the  valley  and  was  followed  to  the 
same  locality  the  next  spring  by  Theodore  Gilbert  and  family,  who 
who  located  at  the  Burning  Spring,  West  Sauquoit.  The  first  settler 
on  the  "  Moyer  Road  "  between  Sauquoit  and  Paris  Hill  was  William 
Babbitt  in  1790.  In  the  next  spring  Lieut.  Spencer  Briggs  became  the 
first  settler  at  East  Sauquoit,  and  at  the  same  time  Simeon  Coe  located 
on  the  Moyer  Road  east  of  Sauquoit.  Capt.  Abner  Brown  settled  in 
the  spring  of  1791  at  West  Sauquoit  and  his  son  Kendall,  born  July  5, 
1791,  was  the  first  male  child  born  in  Sauquoit. 

To  the  Paris  Hill  region  Benjamin  Barnes,  sr.,  and  his  son  of  the  same 
name,  and  John  Humaston,  followed  Mr.  Boyce  within  a  few  weeks, 
and  Henry  McNeil  settled  early  in  that  vicinity  ;  he  became  a  prominent 
citizen,  served  in  the  Legislature,  first  in  1798,  and  taught  school  early 
at  Paris  Hill.  Luther  Richards  became  a  settler  in  that  vicinity  about 
1792  ;  he  was  father  of  William  Richards.  Aaron  Simons  and  his 
brothers,  Adam  and  Abel,  came  in  here  early  from  Rhode  Island  and 
located  west  of  the  village  of  Paris  Hill.  Darius  Scovill  and  his  sons, 
Isaac,  Seabury  and  Edward,  located  about  1801,  coming  from  Water- 
town,  Conn.  Isaac  Scovill  was  father  of  J.  V.  H.  Scovill,  long  a  prom- 
inent citizen  at  Paris  Hill.      At  this  point  it  is  proper  to  quote  the  fol- 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  493 

lowing  paragraphs  from  a  historical  sketch  of  Paris   Hill  written  many 
years  ago  by  Hon.   Lorenzo  Rouse  : 

My  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  Paris  is,  of  course,  somewhat  limited  as  to 
personal  observation,  my  first  acquaintance  with  it  having  commenced  in  the  spring 
of  1816,  that  is,  twenty-seven  years  after  the  first  settlement  was  made,  which  was 
at  Paris  Hill  and  vicinity.      The  first  settlement  made  in  the  town  was  in  1789. 

The  first  settler  at  Paris  Hill  was  Captain  Royce;  soon  after  him  came  Benjamin 
Barnes  and  son,  Stephen  Barrett,  Abel  Simmons,  sr.,  John  and  Sylvester  Butler,  and 
others  who  settled  near.  None  of  these,  however,  settled  at  the  present  village,  but 
in  the  vicinity.  Tradition  says  that  one  of  the  earliest  settlers,  if  not  the  earliest,  at 
Paris  Hill  proper  was  Colonel  Tuttle,  who  was  quite  a  land-owner  on  the  east 
side  of  what  is  now  "the  Green,"  Indeed,  he  gave  the  east  half  of  the  Green  for  a 
public  park,  other  parties  giving  the  west  half  for  the  same  purpose. 

Tradition  further  says  that  iff  Colonel  Tuttle's  day  a  large  pine-tree  was  standing 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  park,  or  green.  The  colonel  caught  and  tamed  a  young  bear, 
which  he  used  to  pet  very  much.  When  winter  came  on  the  bear  disappeared,  and 
the  colonel  felt  the  loss  deeply, — was  inclined  to  think  some  one  had  shot  or  stolen 
it, — but  on  a  sunny  day  in  March  the  bear  was  discovered  coming  out  of  a  hole  in 
that  pine  tree,  and  he  returned  to  his  master,  who  was  greatly  rejoiced  thereat ;  he 
had  been  hibernating. 

The  first  church  erected  in  1791,  was  a  plain,  barn-like  looking  structure,  innocent 
of  paint,  and  in  fact  never  was  finished  off  inside.  After  its  erection  settlers  began 
to  come  in  rapidly,  and  Colonel  Tuttle  persuaded  the  people  to  sell  the  building  to 
him,  and  to  build  larger,  both  of  which  they  did.  He  then  removed  the  first  build- 
ing to  the  rear  of  his  house,  and  converted  it  into  a  barn.  The  new  church  was 
located  near  the  center  of  the  green,  nearest  the  west  side,  and  was  reasonably 
capacious. 

The  Episcopal  church  was  erected  in  1797.  That,  too,  was  a  very  plain  structure, 
and  unpainted.  In  1818  it  was  removed  to  the  west  of  the  church  lot,  and  the  present 
structure  was  erected.  Val.  Pierce  was  the  builder,  assisted  by  his  brother ;  also  by 
Roderick  White  and  others.  Russell  Brooks,  Eli  Gilbert,  and  the  Saxton  boys  did 
the  plastering.  The  old  structure,  after  its  removal,  was  fitted  up  and  occupied 
(with  some  additions)  by  Rev.  William  R.  Weeks  as  a  residence  and  school  building. 
Afterwards  Chester  Cook  bought  it  and  occupied  a  part  as  a  dwelling  and  the  rest 
as  a  saddle  and  harness  shop.     It  subsequently  took  fire  and  was  burned. 

The  Methodist  church  stood  on  the  road  going  towards  Clinton,  east  of  the  present 
burial  ground.  It  had  a  good  congregation  when  I  first  knew  it ;  had  its  regular 
services  by  a  circuit  preacher,  and  had  a  number  of  zealous  members.  The  society 
afterwards  became  extinct,  and  the  church  was  taken  down  about  1850. 

Paris  Hill  was  the  third  or  fourth  settlement  in  order  of  time  in  the  original  town 
of  Whitestown,  and  being  the  farthest  south  was  generally  known  as  the  "South 
Settlement."  When  the  present  village  began  to  manifest  itself  it  was  known  as 
"  Shax's  Borough,"  but  after  the  new  town  had  been  organized,  and  named  Paris,  it 
gradually  assumed  its  present  name  of  Paris  Hill. 

When  I  first  saw  the  place,  nearly  sixty-two  years  ago,  and  for  a  few  years  after, 
it  was  a  more  important  point  than  at  present,  and  a  place  of  much  more  business. 


494  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

It  had  three  churches,  two  taverns  (as  the}-  were  then  called),  two  stores,  two  black- 
smith shops,  two  saddle  and  harness  shops,  several  carpenters'  and  shoemakers' 
shops,  one  wagon  shop,  one  spinning  wheel  maker's  shop,  two  tailors'  shops,  two 
asheries  or  potash  establishments,  and  two  cooper  shops  for  the  making  of  barrels, 
to  be  used  for  pork,  cider,  potash,  and  for  whisky,  the  latter  being  manufactured  on 
the  premises  now  occupied  by  J.  Van  Valkenberg.  The  whisky  was  mainly  sold  to 
the  farmers  in  the  vicinity,  at  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  cents  per  gallon.  No  doubt 
there  were  other  manufacturers'  shops  not  recollected,  but  Chester  Cook's  silver  plat- 
ing shop  must  not  be  overlooked.  A  turnpike,  running  through  the  village  for  some 
years,  connected  the  place,  and  all  south  and  southwest  of  it,  as  far  as  Oxford,  with 
Utica,  by  means  of  intersecting  the  Seneca  Turnpike  at  New  Hartford.  A  toll-gate 
stood  a  little  north  of  the  Episcopal  church.  The  turnpike,  not  proving  a  profitable 
investment,  soon  shared  a  fate  similar  to  that  of  the  plank  road,  which  succeeded  it 
at  a  more  modern  date,  and  was  abandoned,  to  the  stockholders"  loss. 

A  grist  mill  was  standing  when  I  first  knew  the  place,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road, 
opposite  a  portion  of  the  present  Episcopal  cemetery.  It  was  originally  intended  to 
be  operated  by  horse-power,  the  horses  to  travel  on  the  inner  circumference  of  a 
large  wheel,  nearly  or  quite  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  This  wheel  revolved  with  an 
axle,  or  shaft,  which  furnished  the  motive  power  to  ithe  machinery.  The  builder  of 
this  novel  grist  mill  was  a  Mr.  Simister.  The  working  of  it  proved  too  destructive 
to  horseflesh  to  be  profitable,  and  it  was  therefore  abandoned.  Subsequently  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  utilize  the  building  by  putting  in  a  steam  apparatus,  but  as  the 
construction  of  stationary  steam  engines  was  then  but  little  understood,  that  plan 
was  also  abandoned,  and  the  building  was  demolished  about  1820. 

Sixty  years  ago  the  green  was  very  convenient  as  a  parade  ground,  two,  and  some- 
times three,  military  companies  mustering  for  parade  and  inspection  at  the  same 
time — usually  the  first  Monday  in  June,  the  4th  of  July,  and  the  first  Monday  in  Sep- 
tember. The  two  or  three  companies  strove  to  outdo  each  other  in  the  precision  and 
skill  of  their  evolutions.  In  some  cases  a  battalion  consisting  of  six  or  seven  com- 
panies assembled  there.  In  one  instance,  at  least,  the  whole  regiment  met  there  in 
September  for  "  general  training,"  as  it  was  called. 

Among  the  prominent  individuals  residing  in  the  village  at  that  time  may  be  men- 
tioned General  Henry  McNiel,  ex-judge  and  the  member  of  assembly;  Elnathan 
Judd,  M.  D.,  the  leading  physician  of  the  place;  Theophilus  Steele,  esq.,  the  town 
clerk;  Samuel  H.  Addington,  merchant  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  Martin  Haw- 
ley,  landlord  and  land-owner.  Esquire  Addington's  store  was  then  the  building  on 
the  west  side  of  the  green,  with  a  brick  front,  now  converted  into  a  blacksmith  shop. 
It  was  previously  occupied  as  a  store  by  Stanton  &  Hawley.  The  house  north  of  it, 
on  the  corner,  was  owned  by  Major  Hawley,  and  was  used  as  a  hotel  or  tavern.  A 
curbed  well  was  directly  in  front  of  it,  in  what  is  now  used  as  a  traveled  roadway. 
Other  prominent  citizens  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village,  but  not  in  it,  were  Capt. 
John  Wicks,  John  Strong,  Ephraim  Walker,  Timothy  Hopkins,  Deacon  Bailey, 
Adam  and  Abel  Simmons,  Captain  Ebenezer  and  Esquire  Charles  Smith,  Esquire 
Uri  Doolittle,  David  Stiles,  Fobes  Head,  Jonathan  Head,  Abiel  Saxton,  Luther 
Richards,  and  several  others.  The  succeeding  merchants  at  Paris  Hill  were  Hay- 
wood &  Blair,  Steele  &  Wicks,  Tompkins  &  Doolittle,  Mott  &  Reynolds,  Andrew 
Mills  and  Jesse  E.  Thompson. 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  495 

General  McNiel  was  postmaster  from  time  immemorial,  but  always  had  the  busi- 
ness done  by  a  deputy — usually  a  merchant  or  innkeeper.  He  was  removed  about 
1830,  under  Jackson's  administration,  and  Germond  Mott  was  appointed  in  his  place. 
In  the  earlier  days  the  people  were  content  with  one  mail  per  week,  and  that  was 
carried  by  the  "post-rider"  on  horseback,  he  delivering  the  Utica  newspapers  to 
subscribers  on  his  route  at  their  doors,  carrying  them  in  his  "  saddle-bags,"  and  the 
letter  mail  in  his  pockets.  This  method  of  carrying  the  mail  continued  till  about 
1830,  when  the  post-rider  changed  his  conveyance  to  a  one-horse  wagon,  thus  secur- 
ing higher  pay,  and  occasionally  a  passenger.  Soon  after  a  mail  stage  was  started, 
with  one  pair  of  horses,  making  two  trips  each  way  per  week ;  afterwards  three,  and 
finally  daily  trips  each  way,  with  four  horses. 

George  W.  Head,  the  late  prominent  Utica  business  man,  formerly 
kept  a  store  at  the  Hill.  David  Kelly  followed  and  was  succeeded  by 
David  Addington.  There  are  now  two  stores,  kept  by  G.  f.  Graham 
and  Burrett  &  Hinckle. 

Other  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  town  were  Stephen  Barrett, 
Luther  Richards,  Fobes  and  Jonathan  Head.  A  post-office  was  early 
established,  with  Henry  McNeil  as  postmaster.  Capt.  Uri  Doolittle, 
Capt.  Gideon  Seymour,  Eli  Blakeslee,  Jesse  and  Dr.  Gurdon  Thomp- 
son, were  also  early  settlers  here.  Justus  and  Julius  Munson,  Isaac 
Welton,  Erastus  Weber,  John  J.  Wicks,  Leander  Richards,  Lysander, 
and  Harvey  Head,  John  Bailey,  and  William  Richards  were  prominent 
farmers  south  of  the  Hill,  and  Anson  Hubbard,  William  Burrett 
Abram  Bartlett,  the  Walker,  Hecox,  Porter  and  Smith  families  north. 
There  were  two  distilleries  early  at  the  Hill,  one  by  Samuel  Adding- 
ton and  one  by  a  Mr.  Haywood.  George  W,  Head  was  a  noted  mer- 
chant here  many  years  and  was  succeeded  by  Porter  C.  Huntley; 
Daniel  Kelley  and  William  Wooden  were  also  former  merchants.  In 
recent  years  the  business  of  the  place  has  not  been  large 

Other  prominent  farmers  of  the  town  not  already  named,  and  who 
have  passed  away  were  Deacon  Charles  Allen,  Stephen  Chapman,  Elias 
F.  Green,  Chauncey  S.  Butler,  Stephen  Thomas,  Joshua  P.  Tompkins, 
and  Erastus  Webber  ;  some  of  those  of  later  date  are  J.  M.  Risley, 
Charles  H  Thomas,  C.  L.  Chapman,  O.  D.  Head,  H.  W.  Anderson, 
Freeman  Bartlett,  Samuel  G.  Ryder. 

Ctayville. — This  is  an  incorporated  village  situated  on  the  Sauquoit 
Creek  southeast  of  the  center  of  the  town.  The  place  was  originally 
called  Paris  Furnace,  and  a  post-office  was  established  with  Col.  Gard- 
ner Avery  postmaster  ;  he  was  succeeded  by  Deacon  Joseph  Howard. 


496  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

"Judge"  Eliphalet  Sweeting  was  the  pioneer  here  in  i8oo  and  began 
building  the  Paris  furnace  on  the  site  of  the  lower  Millard  works. 
Colonel  Avery  came  in  the  year  1801  and  took  charge  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  furnace  and  management  of  the  business.  A  Mr.  Hill 
built  the  first  log  house  for  a  boarding  house,  and  Thomas  built  the 
next  one  in  1802.  Colonel  Avery  erected  his  residence  in  18 10,  and 
about  the  same  time  Judge  Sweeting  built  his  and  erected  a  saw  mill 
on  the  site  of  the  Empire  Woolen  Factory.  Joseph  Howard  had  al- 
ready built  a  brewery  and  a  grocery  near  by  and  Mr.  ScoUard  erected 
a  tavern  opposite  and  west  of  the  furnace  ;  this  was  long  kept  by  Horace 
Luce  and  was  ultimately  converted  into  a  residence  by  David  Millard. 
Colonel  Avery  built  a  saw  mill  about  18 10  opposite  his  residence, 
which  burned  a  few  years  later  and  he  built  another  on  the  site  which 
stood  until  recent  years.  In  1822  he  erected  a  carding  mill  a  little 
above,  which  was  long  operated  by  'Squire  Albert  Barnett,  who  came 
to  the  village  about  that  time  and  passed  his  long  life  here  ;  his  father, 
James  Barnett,  was  a  pioneer  of  the  town,  and  William  Barnett,  brother 
of  Albert,  and  father  of  Mills  and  William  H.  Barnett,  was  long  a 
prominent  citizen. 

The  second  merchants  at  Clayville  were  Bacon  &  Collis.  To  them 
William  Barnett  sold  the  Sweeting  saw  mill  which  he  had  acquired,  and 
on  its  site  they  began  the  erection  of  a  woolen  factory,  which  passed  to 
Frederick  Hollister  and  was  finished  by  him  in  1842-3.  Present  mer- 
chants are  J.  S.  Green,  O.  M.  Buchanan,  James  A.  Jordan,  and  C.  L. 
Chapman  &  Son. 

David  J.  Millard,  born  in  1804,  came  to  the  Sauquoit  valley  early  in 
the  century  with  his  father,  Charles  Millard.  On  the  site  of  the  old 
Quaker  factory  at  Sauquoit  the  father  and  his  brother  Amasa  placed  in 
the  machine  shop  trip  hammers  and  began  manufacturing  scythes  in  a 
primitive  manner.  David  J.  learned  the  trade  of  wool  sorting  and  by 
evening  study  obtained  a  good  education.  He  later  became  agent  for 
the  Furnace  factory  at  South  Sauquoit  and  about  1840  removed  to  Clay- 
ville and  with  his  brother  Sterling  A.  engaged  in  manufacturing 
scythes,  hay  forks,  etc.,  on  the  site  of  the  Cobb  &  Robinson  shovel 
factory,  which  was  built  in  18 14  and  converted  into  a  scythe  shop  by 
Davis  &  Bowles  in  18 18.     Sterling  A.  Millard  soon  withdrew  from  the 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  497 

business  and  erected  his  scythe  works  farther  up  the  stream.  The 
Millard  scythes  were  probably  the  best  made  in  the  whole  country  and 
attained  wide  celebrity.  David  J.  Millard  was  a  leading  citizen  of  the 
town  and  was  supervisor  several  years.  The  S.  A.  Millard  works  were 
sold  on  a  mortgage  held  by  the  Oneida  County  Bank,  March  6,  1896, 
and  bid  off  by  J.  M.  Butler,  president  of  the  bank,  who  has  since  be- 
come sole  owner.  The  works  are  now  running  full  time,  manufacturing 
forks,  hoes  and  rakes.  The  D.  J.  Millard  works,  which  formerly  existed 
under  the  style  of  the  Paris  Furnace  Company,  were  sold  by  the  same 
bank  March  17,  1896,  were  bid  off  in  the  same  manner  and  also  passed 
to  Mr.  Butler.  Until  quite  recently  this  plant  was  used  for  the  manu- 
facture of  axes  under  the  name  of  the  Hubbard,  Babcock,  Millard  Ax 
Company,  and  is  now  temporarily  idle.  One  section  of  the  plant  is 
rented  to  the  Pratt  Chuck  Company,  which  is  in  successful  operation. 
When  Frederick  Hollister  came  to  Clayville  from  Utica,  as  before 
noted,  he  purchased  the  partly  built  woolen  factory,  and  finished  it  and 
put  it  in  operation.  He  also  bought  largely  of  lands  which  included 
water  power  and  furnished  building  lots,  opened  a  street  across  the 
creek  at  the  upper  mill  and  northward  along  the  foot  of  the  western 
hillside  to  intersect  the  main  road  at  the  old  carding  mill  ;  this  road  he 
named  Canada  street,  and  thereon  he  built  seventeen  double  tenement 
houses,  and  about  the  same  number  on  the  west  side  of  the  old  main 
road;  he  built  also  a  block  of  stores  near  the  upper  mill.  In  1843  he 
began  the  erection  of  the  large  stone  factory,  which  was  ready  for  the 
machinery  in  the  fall  of  1844.  It  was  used  for  a  great  Henry  Clay  meet- 
ing, which  has  led  to  the  statement  that  the  great  statesman  was  pres- 
ent ;  this  is  not  true,  but  Clay  did  visit  the  place  five  years  later.  Mr. 
Hollister  built  also  a  frame  block  for  stores  and  a  hotel  (the  Hollister 
House,  later  the  Murray  House),  and  a  gas  manufactory  for  lighting  the 
mills.  About  the  same  period  David  J.  Millard  opened  a  new  street 
and  built  houses  and  made  other  improvements.  The  operations  of 
these  two  men  advanced  the  place  from  a  hamlet  to  a  thriving  village, 
and  drew  other  business  enterprises  hither.  A  machine  shop  and 
foundry  was  established,  two  other  hotels  were  opened,  and  various 
shops  and  stores  followed.  The  crash  from  this  abnormal  growth  came 
in  1850  with  the  failure  of  Mr.  Hollister.  "  Millard ville,"  above,  how- 
§3 


498  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ever,  continued  active  for  some  years,  but  ultimately  shared  the  same 
fate.  The  woolen  factories  were  run  for  s4iort  periods  afterwards.  In 
January,  1861,  the  Empire  Woolen  Company  was  organized,  with  James 
J.  Murray,  president;  George  Innis,  vice-president;  and  A.  J.  Williams, 
treasurer.  This  company  purchased  the  entire  woolen  factory  plant 
and  made  the  necessary  repairs  and  changes  to  put  it  in  operation. 
Soon  afterwards  Mr.  Murray  died  and  A.  J.  Williams  purchased  his  in- 
terest and  also  that  of  Mr.  Innis,  leaving  the  property  in  control  of  Mr. 
Williams  and  his  four  sons  ;  the  company  was  reorganized  with  A.  J. 
Williams,  president ;  A.  G.  Williams,  vice-president ;  and  these  two  with 
I.  A.  Williams,  James  H.  Williams,  and  N.  A.  Williams,  trustees.  The 
capital  was  made  $250,000.  Further  improvements  were  made  and  a 
successful  business  inaugurated. 

The  Union  school  in  Clayville  was  opened  in  187 1,  and  in  1876  a 
large  two  story  brick  school  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $6,000. 
Clayville  was  incorporated  in  1887  and  the  first  officers  were  elected  in 
September  of  that  year.  W.  J.  Millard  served  as  president  until  the  fol- 
lowing March,  and  was  then  re-elected  for  one  year.  He  was  succeeded 
by  C.  B  Gormond,  and  in  1890  A.  J.  Rhodes  was  elected  and  has  served 
ever  since. 

Sanquoit. — The  earliest  settlers  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  creek 
where  grew  up  the  little  villages  of  East  and  West  Sauquoit  have  been 
briefly  mentioned.  In  early  years  the  west  part  became  known  as 
*'  Savage's  Corners,"  and  the  east  part  as  "  Methodist  Corners,"  and 
"  Bethelville."  When  the  post-office  was  established  in  1820  (with  Ho- 
bart  Graves,  postmaster)  the  place  was  officially  named  Sauquoit.  Mr. 
Graves  was  a  merchant  in  the  east  village,  and  a  few  years  later  the  post- 
office  was  removed  to  the  other  side  and  Stephen  Savage  made  post- 
master; he  was  succeeded  in  1832  by  his  son,  Frederick  S.  Savage.  The 
earliest  settlers  were  followed  by  William  Babbitt,  William  M.  Winship, 
David  Ostrom,  Captain  Abner  Bacon,  Charles  Cooledge,  Zenas  Merrill, 
and  Camp  Parmalee,  in  or  near  the  west  village  ;  while  on  the  east  side 
settled  Lieut.  Spencer  Briggs,  Baxter.  Gage,  and  on  the  hill,  Simeon 
Coe,  Elisha  Wetmore,  Moses  Campbell,  jr.,  and  Elkanah  Hewett.  and 
northeast  of  the  village,  Josiah  Hull,  Nathan  Robinson,  Moses  Camp- 
bell, sr.,  and    Howe  Nichols.      At  South   Sauquoit  came  in    1789-90, 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  499 

Titus  Gilbert,  sr.,  AUyn  Gilbert,  and  Theodore  Gilbert,  2d,  and  Ephraim 
Davis.  This  particular  locality  was  early  known  as  "  Davis's  Forge," 
or  "  Farmers'  Factory."  Captain  Bacon  first  kept  the  tavern  in  the 
valley,  and  the  first  store  was  kept  by  Drs.  Dick  and  Jack  Perkins,  vi^ho 
were  succeeded  by  Judge  James  Orton ;  he  added  a  store  and  sold  out 
to  Stephen  Savage  in  about  1806  Mr.  Savage  built  a  store  about  181 2 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Presbyterian  church  lot;  he  also  owned 
the  grist  mill  at  one  time  and  in  partnership  with  Naaman  W.  Moore 
established  the  paper  mills.  His  old  store  was  later  kept  by  R.  E. 
Kaple,  Peter  Kneaskarn  and  Solomon  Rogers.  The  old  Savage  hotel 
was  kept  in  later  years  by  Paul  R.  Miner,  Stephen  Medbury,  and  Joseph 
Mason,  and  was  burned  April  5,  1862,  and  rebuilt  by  Mr.  Mason  on  the 
present  site.  The  first  merchant  at  East  Sauquoit  was  Martin  Hawley, 
and  Henry  Cram  opened  a  store  soon  afterwards.  Mr,  Hawley  removed 
to  Paris  Hill  and  was  succeeded  by  Hobart  Graves,  later  by  Hobert 
Graves,  jr.,  who  had  for  partners  at  different  periods,  John  Milton  But- 
ler, William  W.  Hickox  and  Ezra  C.  Southard.  Other  merchants  were 
Mills  &  Hale,  Solomon  Rogers  (with  different  partners),  J.  M.  &  A.  Gray, 
sons  of  Jordan  Gray,  Erastus  Everett,  M.  L.  Hungerford,  Davis  &  Day, 
Birdsall  &  Hull,  William  H.  Royce,  James  Moulton,  Miller  &  Nichols, 
and  others. 

In  1828  Austin  Graves  built  the  hotel  at  the  Burning  Spring,  South 
Sauquoit,  designing  the  establishment  for  a  watering  place.  After  pass- 
ing through  several  hands  it  was  burned  in  March,  1859.  Major  Will- 
iam Gere  built  the  first  tannery  at  East  Sauquoit,  which  a  few  years 
later  passed  to  Josiah  Mosher  who,  with  his  sons,  George  W.  and  S. 
Emerson,  operated  it  some  years.  Major  Gere  afterwards  operated  the 
tannery  built  by  John  Curtiss.  These  have  passed  out  of  existence. 
Major  Gere  was  also  a  partner  with  A.  Jenks  in  an  oil  mill  at  South 
Sauquoit.  Deacon  Abijah  Hubbard  manufactured  wagons  many  years 
opposite  the  tannery,  and  a  little  south  of  his  shop  was  the  organ  fac- 
tory of  Oliver  Prior,  who  was  a  pioneer  in  the  invention  of  the  early 
reed  organs.  Other  shop  keepers  in  the  two  villages  were  Asahel  Cur- 
tiss, Ezekiel  Hawley  and  General  Gates,  saddlers  ;  the  Royces,  James 
Seaton,  George  and  Daniel  Griggs,  H.  Norton  Robinson,  John  Olm- 
stead,  Major  Gere,  Zabine  Luce,  Samuel  Robbins,  George  Tinker,  M.  L, 


500  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Antisdel  and  Samuel  Cheeney,  shoemakers ;  Stillman  Wells,  Nehemiah 
Walton  and  David  Loring,  cabinetmakers:  D.  Sheldon  Marsh,  Hiram 
and  Titus  Gilbert,  Roswell  Eastman,  George  W.  Holman,  Alpha  Smith 
and  John  Seaton,  millwrights  ;  Daniel  Wells,  Captain  Knight,  T.  L. 
Switzer,  blacksmiths ;  U.  T.  Harvey,  Elkanah  Hewitt,  A.  L.  White, 
Daniel  Bacon  and  Benjamin  Allen,  tailors.  At  one  time  there  were 
eleven  distilleries  in  this  town,  four  at  Cassville,  two  at  Paris  Hill,  one 
at  Holman  City,  and  a  brewery  at  Clayville.  John  Butler  was  the  pio- 
neer distiller.  Among  early  physicians  in  town  were  Amos  G.  Hull, 
Elnathan  Judd,  Seth  Hastings  and  David  Larrabee,  at  Paris  Hill;  Dick 
and  Jack  Perkins,  Spaulding  Pierce,  Leverett  Bishop,  Rufus  Priest, 
Aaron  B.  Bligh,  Jeremiah  Knight,  Ansel  and  Asa  Tyler,  C.  N.  Palmer 
and  C.  A.  Ostrom,  at  Sauquoit ;  Barzilla  Budlong  at  Cassville,  where 
some  of  the  others  also  practiced. 

William  L.  Mould,  an  Englishman,  came  to  this  town  early  and  for  a 
few  years  operated  the  "  Farmers'  Factory  Mill,"  between  Sauquoit  and 
Clayville.  His  sons,  W.  F.  Mould  &  Brothers,  bought  the  grist  and 
saw  mills  of  Henry  Gilbert  January  i,  1853,  and  made  extensive  repairs 
and  improvements.  What  was  known  as  the  Friendly  Woolen  Com- 
pany was  formed  about  181 2  by  a  company  of  Quakers  who  came  to 
Sauquoit,  purchased  the  Abner  Bacon  saw  mill  which  they  rebuilt  and 
added  other  shops.  They  then  built  a  woolen  mill  and  began  its  opera- 
tion. It  did  not  prove  remunerative  and  the  property  passed  to  Thomas 
Dean.  In  1824  it  was  purchased  by  Kellogg  Hurlburt,  Abner  Brownell 
and  John  Chadwick  (who  were  then  proprietors  of  what  became  the 
Chadwick  Mills  in  the  edge  of  New  Hartford).  They  converted  it  to  a 
cotton  factory  and  changed  the  name  to  Franklin  Mill.  In  1827,  after 
one  year's  operation,  the  firm  divided  and  Hurlburt  and  Brownell  con- 
tinued the  business.  Later,  in  1877,  while  being  conducted  by  Mr, 
Brownell's  sons,  the  factory  was  burned  and  not  rebuilt. 

Between  1840  and  1845  A.  Brownell  &  Co.  built  a  cotton  factory 
just  below  Sauquoit  village,  which  was  operated  at  the  same  time  with 
the  Franklin  Mill.  In  1873  the  machinery  was  removed  and  the  Sau- 
quoit Silk  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized,  which  put  in  new 
machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  certain  silk  products.  Nearly  100 
bands  were  employed  and  the  factory  was  prosperous  many  years.      It 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  501 

was  closed  in  1895  while  being  operated  by  Stelle  &  Son,  who  had  long 
been  connected  with  the  business. 

An  academy  was  established  in  Sauquoit,  by  raising  a  fund  by  sub- 
scription, and  a  contract  made  with  L.  W.  Thomas  to  properly  fit  up 
the  building,  the  school  to  be  held  meanwhile  in  the  basement  of  a 
church.  It  was  intended  that  the  academy  should  be  an  advance  upon 
the  select  school  that  had  been  held  in  the  upper  story  of  the  old  school 
house.  A  meeting  of  the  subscribers  to  the  fund  was  held  April  9, 
1844,  and  seven  trustees  were  elected.  The  building  was  in  due  time 
occupied.  The  teachers  were  Professor  Barber,  assisted  by  his  wife  and 
Miss  Kate  Tuttle,  with  Miss  Kittie  Roberts,  music  teacher,  and  George 
W.  Eastman,  teacher  of  penmanship  and  bookkeeping.  At  the  winter 
term  of  1845-6  the  school  opened  with  200  scholars.  Professor  Barber 
subsequently  went  to  Texas  and  the  school  declined  until  1850,  when 
Rev.  Moses  E.  Dunham  assumed  its  management  and  brought  it  back 
to  its  former  standard.  After  his  departure  another  period  of  decline 
came  on  and  the  building  needed  repairs.  In  1866  the  people  raised 
another  fund  of  about  $1,700,  put  the  structure  in  good  repair  and  en- 
gaged Aaron  White  as  principal.  The  school  now  opened  with  over 
200  scholars  ;  but  this  prosperity  was  not  steadily  maintained,  and  vari- 
ous teachers  were  employed  in  efforts  to  keep  the  institution  alive.  In 
1878  the  building  was  again  repaired  and  T.  H.  Roberts  engaged  as 
principal.  Under  his  management  a  fair  degree  of  success  was  attained. 
The  institution  was  merged  in  the  Union  School  in  March,  1895. 

Cassville. — This  village  is  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  and  near 
the  junction  of  the  two  railroads.  The  first  settlers  here  were  Amasa 
Burchard,  Elias  and  Mark  Hopkins,  and  Eleazer  Kellogg,  who  came  in 
1803.  The  post-office  was  established  about  1830  under  the  name  of 
Paris  Hollow,  with  Dr.  Aaron  Bligh  postmaster.  The  name  was 
changed  to  Cassville  in  1835.  Elias  Hopkins  built  a  saw  mill  here,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  grist  mill.  Amasa  Burchard  soon  after  built  the 
present  grist  mill  on  the  site  of  the  former  one,  and  in  1804  erected  a 
carding  mill  on  the  site  afterwards  occupied  by  the  tub  factory  and  later 
by  a  cheese  factory.  The  settlement  gradually  extended  up  the  bluft 
southward  and  a  distillery  was  built  on  each  side  of  the  road  up  the 
bluff,    one   by  Thompson    Snell   and    the   other  by  Marsh   &    Stanley. 


502  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Michael  Foster  erected  a  tavern  which  was  subsequently  torn  down,  and 
Norman  Merrill,  the  merchant,  built  his  residence  on  the  site.  East  of 
the  village,  at  Richfield  Junction,  the  railroad  station,  considerable  busi- 
ness is  carried  on.  Among  the  prominent  settlers  and  residents  of  this 
part  of  the  town  may  be  mentioned  Nathan  Randall,  who  settled  north 
of  the  village  in  1807;  he  was  father  of  Abel  and  Bishop  T.  Randall. 
The  Monroe  and  the  Brownell  families  were  prominent  settlers  in  this 
vicinity.  George  Smith  and  R.  A  Webb  built  a  tannery  and  carding 
mill  in  1826  on  the  south  branch,  which  long  ago  disappeared  Farther 
down  the  stream  stood  an  early  saw  mill,  and  below  the  road  to  Paris 
Hill  Grove  W.  Bagg  manufactured  farmers'  implements  about  1850. 
John,  Joseph  and  David  Budlong  were  pioneers  north  of  the  village. 
Deacon  Charles  Allen  settled  about  1799,  and  James  Rhodes  about  the 
same  time.  The  Budlong  family  had  many  descendants  and  has  con- 
tributed much  to  the  advancement  of  Cassville.  Calvin  A.  Budlong 
built  an  early  store  in  Cassville,  conducted  it  many  years  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Norman  Merrill,  who  continued  in  trade  to  1889,  a  period  of 
forty  years.  This  old  store  is  now  conducted  by  U.  L.  Loomis.  Mr. 
Budlong  built  and  kept  a  second  store  after  he  sold  out  to  Merrill,  and 
was  succeeded  therein  by  Thomas  H.  Hughes,  and  he  by  Abner  Sea 
man  in  1876.  Bentley  &  Roberts  are  now  in  that  store.  Lorenzo 
Palmer  was  another  early  merchant. 

Justus  Childs  settled  in  Paris  about  183  i  and  was  an  extensive  farmer 
east  of  Cassville,  and  a  prominent  citizen  and  officeholder.  West  of 
Cassville  Roswell  Cossitt  was  a  pioneer  distiller  and  his  sons,  Stephen 
and  Miles,  were  prominent  farmers.  Asa  Stanton,  Val  Pierce,  Isaac 
Walton,  and  others  settled  on  the  Paris  Hill  road. 

Holinan  City. — This  is  a  hamlet  east  of  Clayville  where  considerable 
business  was  done  in  early  years,  when  it  bore  the  local  title  of  "  Log 
City."  In  1798  Seth  Leonard  Cutler  settled  here  and  started  a  shop  for 
turning  wooden  bowls,  at  the  same  time  working  at  carpentering.  After 
he  moved  away  Lenthel  Eells  had  a  saw  mill  on  the  site  of  Cutler's  fac- 
tory, where  J  B.  Davis  and  his  son  made  hubs  in  later  years.  In  18  12 
David  Holman  settled  here  and  built  a  grist  mill,  a  saw  mill  and  later  a 
clover  mill ;  the  latter  was  converted  into  a  distillery  which  was  operated 
many  years  by  George  Briggs  ;  it  was  finally  burned.      The    grist  mill 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  503 

declined  after  the  burning  of  the  distillery,  and  William  H.  Le  Roy  and 
Jeremiah  Wells  built  on  the  site  a  shop  for  making  draw  shaves;  hoes  were 
also  made  there.  It  was  afterwards  changed  into  a  batting  factory,  and 
later  into  a  cabinet  factory,  passing  through  various  hands  in  the  mean 
time.  Early  stores  were  kept  here  by  William  Hojman,  George  Briggs, 
and  others.  In  1830  Tunis  V.  Le  Roy,  sr.,  a  skilled  mechanic,  invented 
the  first  upright  power  drill  and  began  its  manufacture  here  in  1839  >  it 
was  an  important  industry. 

Hops  have  been  raised  in  this  town  to  a  considerable  extent,  but  not 
as  largely  as  in  some  adjoining'  towns.  In  later  years  attention  has  been 
more  largely  given  to  dairying  and  the  production  of  milk  for  shipment 
to  New  York.  This  has  been  made  possible  by  the  building  of  the  Utica 
and  Chenango  Valley  Railroad  through  the  town  in  1869,  and  later  the 
branch  to  Richfield  Springs  and  on  southward.  The  town  is  now 
divided  into  thirteen  school  districts  with  a  school  house  in  each. 

Following  is  a  list  of  supervisors  of  this  town  from  its  foundation  to 
the  present  time : 

1794,  David  Ostrom;  1795,  George  W.  Kirkland;  1796-97,  Jesse  Curtiss;  1798, 
Thomas  Hart;  1799-1805,  Jesse  Curtiss;  1806-07,  Isaac  Miller;  1808-17,  Jesse  Curtiss; 
1818,  Ebenezer  Griffin;  1819,  Henry  McNiel ;  1820-23,  Jesse  Curtiss;  1824-27,  Othniel 
Williams.  The  act  dividing  the  town  and  creating  Kirkland  was  passed  April  13, 
1827,  and  a  second  election  was  held  for  Paris,  at  which  Henry  McNeil  was  chosen 
supervisor;  he  was  re-elected  in  1828.  1829,  Jared  P.  Todd;  1830,  Henry  McNiel; 
1831,  Theophilus  Steele;  1832,  Jeremiah  Knight;  1833-34,  Jared  P.  Todd;  1835-37, 
Constant  H.  Wicks;  1838,  Jeremiah  Knight;  1839-43,  Naaman  W.  .Moore  (William 
Gallup  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1839,  and  held  the  office  fifteen  years); 
1844.  George  M.  Brownell;  1845-49,  David  J.  Millard;  1850-51,  Sterling  A.  Millard; 
1852-53,  William  S.  Bartlett;  1854-55,  Eli  Avery;  1856,  William  Gallup;  1857,  Justus 
Childs;  1858-59,  Barzilla  Budlong;  1860-62,  Harvey  Head;  1863-64,  F.  S.  Savage; 
1865,  D.  J.  Millard;  Mr.  Millard  resigned  on  account  of  ill-health,  and  Harvey  Head 
was  appointed  to  fill  vacancy;  1866,  Eli  Avery;  1867,  Eli  C.  Green;  Mr.  Green 
resigned,  and  Samuel  B.  Rhodes  was  elected  at  a  special  meeting  to  fill  vacancy ; 
1868-70,  Harvey  Head;  1871-72,  Martin  L.  Hungerford;  1873-75,  Harvey  Head; 
1876-77,  William  F.  Mould;  1878-79,  Harvey  Head;  1880-81,  A.  J.  Rhodes;  1882-88, 
Seth  W.  Smith;  1884-87,  Charles  L.  Marshall;  1888-^1,  Dr.  David  A.  Barnum; 
1892-96,  Charles  L.  Marsh. 

The  first  settlers  of  Paris  had  scarcely  become  located  in  their  wilder- 
ness homes  before  they  took  steps  to  form  a  church.  A  meeting  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Timothy  Tutile  in  Whitestown  on  August  29,  1791, 
where  Solomon  and  Sibil  Wright,  Timothy  Tuttle  and  his  wife   Mehit- 


504  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

able,  and  Reuben  Fowler,  under  direction  of  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards, 
of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  acting  as  moderator,  formed  the  "  Second 
Church  of  Christ  in  White's  Town."  The  first  pastor  was  Rev  Elipha- 
let  Steele,  who  was  installed  July  15,  1795  ;  he  continued  until  October, 
1 8 17.  This  church  has  had  an  uninterrupted  existence  and  during  a 
part  of  its  career  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  the  county.  In 
later  years  it  was  governed  under  the  Presbyterian  form. 

St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church,  Paris  Hill,  is  the  oldest  of  that  denomi- 
nation in  this  State  west  of  Johnstown.  A  meeting  was  held  February 
13,  1797,  of  which  Gideon  Seymour  was  chairman,  at  which  the  follow- 
ing were  chosen  the  first  vestrymen  of  the  new  society:  Uri  Doolittle, 
Benjamin  Graves,  Peter  Selleck,  Epaphroditus  Ely,  Selah  Seymour, 
Thomas  Stebbins,  George  Harden,  Noah  Humaston,  and  Silas  Judd. 
The  name  adopted  was  St.  Paul's  Church  in  Herkimer  county.  The 
first  minister  was  Rev.  Robert  Grifiith  Wetmore,  who  performed  bap- 
tisms on  November  14,  1797  ;  there  is  no  evidence  that  he  remained  in 
the  parish.  Other  early  pastors  who  preached  occasionally  were  Revs. 
Father  Nash,  Philander  Chase,  John  Urquhart,  Mr.  Thatcher  and  Mr. 
Judd.  From  1 809  to  1 8 14  Rev.  Amos  G.  Baldwin  preached  here  a 
quarter  of  his  time,  in  Utica  one  half,  and  a  part  of  the  remainder  in 
Fairfield.  The  frame  church  at  Paris  Hill  was  built  in  1818  ;  but  there 
was  an  earlier  and  smaller  one,  built  about  1800,  and  used  later  as  a 
dwelling. 

The  Presbyterian  church  at  Sauquoit  was  organized  at  the  house  of 
Abner  Bacon  in  January,  18 10;  but  an  attempt  had  been  made  and 
preliminary  steps  taken  to  perfect  an  organization  in  1795.  Between 
that  year  and  18 10  meetings  were  held  in  the  school  houses.  The  final 
organization  comprised  26  members,  and  in  the  spring  of  18 10  Rev. 
Ezra  Woodworth  began  preaching  as  stated  supply.  In  August  of  that 
year  the  first  steps  were  taken  towards  providing  a  church  building, 
and  in  the  spring  of  181 1  a  site  was  selected  on  the  east  side  of  the 
creek  and  the  foundations  laid.  The  site  was  then  changed  to  the  lo- 
cation of  the  present  church.  The  building  was  not  entirely  finished 
until  18 14,  but  was  used  in  its  unfinished  condition.  It  stood  until  1843 
when  it  was  demolished  and  the  present  building  erected. 

The  date  of  the  formation  of  a  Methodist  class  at  Sauquoit  is  lost  in 


THE  TOWN  OF  PARIS.  505 

the  past ;  but  a  church  was  in  existence  which  was  much  out  of  repair 
in  i8i6.  In  later  years  it  was  largely  improved  and  used  as  an  acad- 
emy.    The  present  brick  church  was  built  in  1842. 

The  Baptist  church  at  Cassville  was  organized  sometime  between 
1820  and  1830  and  a  frame  church  was  erected  This  was  subsequently 
burned  and  the  present  substantial  edifice  erected  on  the  site  in  1868. 
A  Presbyterian  Society  existed  at  Cassville  at  one  period  and  built  a 
church  in  the  year  following  the  erection  of  the  old  Baptist  church. 
The  society  passed  out  of  existence. 

The  Clayville  Presbyterian  society  was  organized  by  nine  members 
who  were  dismissed  from  the  Sauquoit  church  for  that  purpose  in  1856. 
In  September,  1858,  a  subscription  was  started  to  collect  funds  for  the 
building  of  a  church,  which  resulted  in  the  erection  of  the  present 
building.  The  first  regular  pastor  was  Rev.  M.  E.  Dunham.  The 
society  owns  a  parsonage. 

St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  Clayville,  was  incorporated  July  9,  1849, 
with  21  members  Services  had  been  held  about  two  years  previously 
and  funds  raised  for  the  building  of  the  handsome  brick  edifice,  which 
was  finished  in  1849  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $20,000.  Rev.  William  Baker, 
then  preaching  for  St.  Paul's  church  at  Paris  Hill,  preached  here  in  1847, 
once  each  month.  The  first  wardens  were  John  Wicks  and  Ezra  Brown. 
The  site  for  the  church  was  deeded  by  the  Empire  Mills  Company. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Clayville  was  organized  about 
1863,  and  has  continued  a  prosperous  existence  since. 

St.  Patrick's  Catholic  church,  Clayville,  was  built  in  1864  and  ded- 
icated in  1865.  The  first  Catholic  pastor  who  visited  the  place  was 
Father  Patrick  Carraher,  many  years  before  the  building  of  the  church. 
The  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Father  Coughlin  of  Clinton,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Father  O'Reilly.      The  parish  is  large  and  thriving. 

64 


50G  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  R?:MSEN. 

Until  recent  years  this  town  occupied  a  large  area  in  the  extreme 
northeast  corner  of  Oneida  county,  much  of  which  was  covered  by  the 
original  forest.  Remsen  was  reduced  to  its  present  area  of  23,364  acres 
by  the  erection  from  it  of  the  town  of  Forestport  in  1869.  Most  of  the 
territory  of  the  present  town  was  included  in  the  Remsenburgh  patent ; 
a  small  section  in  the  south  part  was  in  the  Servis  patent,  and  another 
small  section  in  the  west  part  in  the  Steuben  tract,  as  shown  on  accom- 
panying map.  Remsen  was  erected  simultaneously  with  the  formation 
of  Oneida  county  (March  15,  1798),  when  it  was  set  off  from  Norway, 
Herkimer  county,  and  named  after  Henry  Remsen,  one  of  the  original 
patentees.  Black  River  forms  the  northern  boundary  of  the  town,  and 
Canada  Creek  the  southeastern  boundary  ;  it  is  further  watered  by  Cin- 
cinnati Creek,  Baker  Brook  and  small  tributaries.  The  surface  of  the 
town  is  well  elevated  and  generally  hilly  and  broken,  while  the  soil  is  a 
light  sandy  loam.  A  very  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  town 
are  of  Welsh  descent. 

Settlement  began  in  Remsen  previous  to  the  formation  of  the  town, 
with  the  arrival  of  Shubael  Cross  from  Massachusetts,  who  in  March, 
1794,  came  on  westward,  left  the  Mohawk  at  Utica  and  with  his  family 
turned  northward  into  the  forest.  He  made  a  line  of  marked  trees 
along  the  Cincinnati  Creek  through  the  site  of  Remsen  village,  and 
halted  and  built  a  log  cabin  at  what  became  known  later  as  Burritt's 
Mills,  and  afterwards  as  Bordwell  Settlement,  now  Porpoise  Glen.  Mr. 
Cross  was  an  energetic  pioneer  and  he  soon  had  a  piece  of  land  cleared, 
and  built  later  a  wind- power  grist  mill  This  was  followed  by  the  erec- 
tion of  a  saw  mill,  both  of  which  were  of  great  utility  to  the  settlers  in 
that  section.  Mr.  Cross  took  a  cold  from  getting  wet  in  the  creek,  lost 
his  mental  balance,  and  finally  died,  his  death  being,  probably,  the  first 
in  the  town, 


THE  TOWN  OF  REMSEN.  507 

In  1795  three  more  families  came  into  the  town  ;  these  were  John 
Bonner,  Barnabas  Mitchell  and  Amos  Bull.  Mr.  Bonner  was  an  Eng- 
hshman,  but  came  in  from  Vermont  and  settled  on  the  lot  afterwards 
owned  by  Jenkin  Jones  ;  later  he  moved  west.  Mr.  Mitchell  settled  on 
land  afterwards  owned  by  his  son  Milo  Mitchell,  and  his  daughter  Polly, 
who  became  Mrs.  Van  Slyke,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town. 
Amos  Bull  settled  on  the  tract  which  was  long  known  as  Bull's  Com- 
mons, and  later  as  the  Camp  farm  ;  discouraged  with  the  land  and  his 
prospects  he  removed  to  Floyd,  where  he  died. 

These  pioneers  were  soon  followed  into  the  town  by  Ephraim  Hollis- 
ter,  father-in-law  of  Judge  Storrs,  who  followed  brickmaking,  and  who 
was  elected  the  first  supervisor  of  the  town. 

Stephen  Hutchinson  and  a  Mr.  King  located  in  the  town  about  this 
time,  and  a  daughter  of  the  latter  and  her  husband  were  probably  the 
first  persons  married  in  the  town,  about  the  year  1800.  Mr.  King  kept 
the  first  public  house.  It  is  recorded  that  the  first  religious  service  of  a 
public  character  was  held  in  Mr.  Hutchinson's  barn  on  what  became 
known  as  the  Price  farm  ;  he  was  the  first  overseer  of  the  poor  of  the 
town. 

The  site  of  Remsen  village  was  settled  early  by  Peter  Becker,  who 
built  a  small  log  cabin  un  his  hundred-acre  lot,  afterwards  selling  the 
property  to  Deacon  Piatt,  of  Steuben.  The  log  cabin  was  soon  after- 
ward burned. 

About  the  same  time  Joseph  Brownell  purchased  the  lOO  acre  lot  on 
which  the  upper  tavern  was  built.  He  was  one  of  the  first  three  road 
commissioners  of  the  town.  He  soon  sold  out  to  Oliver  Smith  and  left 
the  town  ;  Gershom  Hinkley,  a  practical  surveyor,  was  elected  road 
commissioner  in  his  place.  It  was  on  the  farm  of  the  latter  at  Fairfield 
Corners  that  the  first  school  house  in  the  town  was  built. 

James  Smith  and  his  son  Joab  came  into  the  town  about  1795,  and 
the  father  opened  a  tavern  in  1797  on  the  place  afterwards  occupied  by 
Captain  Root;  the  son  died  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  the  war  of  181 2. 
At  about  this  time  the  families  of  Jacob  Dayton,  Nathaniel  Rockwood, 
Solomon  Gillett,  Perez  Farr,  Ebenezer  Dodd,  William  Piatt,  Philip 
Scott  (the  first  physician  in  town  and  an  early  town  clerk)  and  Rev. 
Edmund  Tefift,  the  first  resident  minister,  settled  in  the  town.  The 
names  of  other  early  comers  appear  further  on. 


508  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

This  town  and  those  adjoining  it  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  are 
very  largely  settled  by  Welsh.  The  first  of  this  nationality  to  locate 
here  was  David  Jones,  but  it  is  not  known  in  just  what  year  he  came. 
Steuben  and  Trenton,  adjoining,  already  contained  a  large  number  of 
these  thrifty  citizens.  Mr.  Jones  took  up  the  so  called  Billings  lot,  on 
the  Steuben  road.  In  the  year  1803  Broughton  White  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  Lemuel  Hough,  came  in  from  the  town  of  Steuben,  and  Mr. 
White  subsequently  opened  a  small  grocery  in  a  log  building  on  the  site 
of  the  later  store  in  Remsen  village ;  it  was  the  first  mercantile  estab- 
lishment in  the  town,  and  Esquire  White's  chief  returns  for  his  goods 
were  ashes.  He  sold  out,  after  making  further  improvements,  to  John 
Mappa  and  Jacob  Belticher,  who  in  turn  transferred  it  to  Heman  Ferry. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  town  remained  substantially  a  wilderness  un- 
til a  number  of  years  after  settlement  had  progressed  in  the  western 
part.  It  bore  the  local  designation  of  "  Ninety-six,"  and  the  first  set- 
tlers came  in  there  about  18 16.  About  the  year  1808  the  Welsh  fam- 
ilies of  David  Manual,  John  James,  Griffith  I.  Jones,  John  Owens,  and 
Hugh  Hughes,  all  from  Wales,  settled  in  the  town,  and  were  succeeded 
by  many  others  who  with  their  descendants  contributed  largely  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  community.  It  is  recorded  that  Griffith  O.  Griffiths, 
of  Remsen  village,  now  deceased,  was  the  first  Welsh  child  born  in  this 
State  west  of  the  Hudson  River. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  earliest  records  of  this  town  are  lost,  but  it 
is  known  that  the  first  town  meeting  was  held  in  the  year  of  the  town 
organization  (1798),  in  the  log  dwelling  of  Samuel  Howe,  at  Cross  Set- 
tlement ;  Mr.  Howe  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  town.  The 
list  of  supervisors  of  the  town,  however,  is  complete,  through  the  record 
in  the  Jones  Annals ;  they  are  as  follows  : 

1798,  Ephraim  Hollister;  1799-1808,  Gershom  Hinckley;  1809-1819,  Broughton 
White;  1820-31,  James  Sheldon ;  1822-33,  Zalmon  Root;  1824-25,  Luther  Conkling; 
1826-28,  Lemuel  Hough;  1829-34,  Henry  R.  Sheldon;  1835-38,  Mather  Beecher; 
1839-43,  Evau  Owens;  1844,  Thomas  R.  White;  1845,  Obadiah  J.  Owens;  1846, 
Griffith  O.  Griffiths;  1847,  Andrew  Billings;  1848-49,  William  H.  Thomas;  1850-54, 
Evan  Jones;  1855,  Joseph  H.  Montague;  1856-58,  Didymus  Thomas;  1859,  Samuel 
Lamb;  1860-61,  John  J.  Vaughn;  1862,  William  H.  Owen-  1863,  James  Mitchell; 
1864,  William  H.  Owen;  1865,  Morgan  Owen;  1866-67,  Silas  Moore;  1868,  William 
A.  Thomas;  1869-72,  James  Mitchell;  1873-74,  Evan  G.  Williams;  1875-76,  Richard 
R.  Jones;  1877-78,  John  R.  Thomas;    1879-80,  Evan  G.  Williams;    1881-82,  William 


THE  TOWN  OF  REMSEN.  509 

G.  Griffith ;  1883-85,  John  S.  Kent ;  1886-87,  WilHam  A.  Thomas ;  1888-89,  William 
J.  Jones;  1890-91,  David  H.  Jones;  1892-93.  Griffith  Morris;  1894-95,  B.  H.  Kent; 
1896,  Clinton  R.  Thomas. 

The  foregoing  list  adds  considerably  to  the  record  of  names  of  early 
as  well  as  later  settlers  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  and  also  indicates 
to  what  a  large  extent  the  region  is  settled  by  Welsh  who  are  worthy 
of  holding  responsible  positions.  Silas  Kent  was  another  who  was 
among  the  very  early  pioneers  of  Remsen,  and  here  his  son  Chester  was 
born  January  i,  i8o2,  and  became  a  prosperous  citizen.  William  Rob- 
erts settled  in  the  town  in  1820  on  the  old  State  road,  with  his  wife  and 
two  sons,  Robert  and  Hugh,  both  of  the  latter  having  been  born  in 
Wales.  They  became  prosperous  farmers.  Milo  Mitchell,  son  of  the 
pioneer,  Barnabas,  became  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the 
county;  he  was  born  in  Remsen  October  26,  1797.  He  built  the  first 
cheese  factory  in  this  town  and  the  second  one  in  the  United  States, 
and  held  several  town  offices.  The  family  history  of  many  other  prom- 
inent settlers  in  Remsen  is  given  in  Part  HI  of  this  work. 

The  first  school  house  in  this  town  has  been  mentioned  as  situated  at 
Fairchild  Corners.  The  first  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  for  school  pur- 
poses was  held  on  the  4th  of  September,  18 13,  when  districts  were 
formed  and  the  first  district  school  house  was  built  on  the  following 
year.  The  first  trustees  were  John  Piatt,  Lemuel  Hough,  and  Ezra 
Green.  In  December,  1813,  it  was  voted  that  "  Broughton  White  be 
instructor  of  said  school  for  this  winter."  Austin  Ward  was  another 
early  school  teacher,  and  also  taught  singing.  The  first  school  house 
was  a  frame  building  and  stood  in  the  upper  part  of  the  village.  New 
districts  were  gradually  formed  until  in  i860  there  were  fourteen.  After 
the  erection  of  Forestport  the  number  was  reduced  to  eleven,  in- 
cluding two  joint  districts  in  connection  with  that  town  and  Trenton. 
There  are  now  ten  districts  with  school  houses  and  twelve  teachers  are 
employed.  An  academy  was  founded  in  Remsen  village  many  years 
ago,  which  prospered  for  a  period,  but  finally  declined  and  closed  its 
existence. 

The  settlement  of  Remsen  village  gradually  increased  in  numbers 
and  it  became  a  center  for  the  large  lumber  business  of  the  town.  The 
construction  of  the  Black  River  Railroad   through  the  place  gave  it  an 


510  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

impetus  and  the  business   interests   developed   rapidly.      William    Piatt, 

who   settled   here   in    1795,  built  the  first  small   mill  on  the  site  of  the 

later  one.     John  G.  Jones  erected  a  carding  mill  in  early  years    on   the 

creek  some  distance  below  the  village.     The  ruins  are  still  visible.      In 

later   years   A.  C.  Herron   built  a  grist   mill    in   which   either   steam  or 

water  power  could  be  used.     This  was  afterwards  occupied  as  a  butter 

tub  factory.      It  is  still  standing  and   used  for  shops.      Among  the  early 

merchants  of  the  village   were  William  and  Heman  Ferry ;   the  latter 

removed  to  Utica  and  the  former  to  Michigan  ;  he  was  father  of  Thomas 

Ferry,  U.  S.  senator  from  that  State.      Dr.  Bill    erected  a  part   of  what 

became  the  Dawson  Hotel  at  an  early  day;   he   removed  to  Ohio,      He 

was  the  first  physician  in  the  village  and  practiced  many  years.   Horace 

N.  Bill,  once  editor  of  the  Roman  Citizen,  was  his  son. 

Remsen  village  was  incorporated  in  1845  ^^^  on  the  first  Tuesday  in 

May  of  that  year  an  election  was  held  and   the   following  officers  were 

chosen : 

John  Smith,  Andrew  Billings,  Griffith  B.  James,  trustees;  Thomas  R.  Hawley,  G. 
B.  James,  Morgan  Owens,  assessors;  Mather  Beecher,  fire  warden;  L.  Evan  Jones, 
clerk;  John  T.  Griffiths,  treasurer;  Josiah  Griffiths,  collector. 

A  fire  company  was  appointed  by  the  trustees  on  the  19th  of  July, 
1845,  consisting  of  the  following  men:  George  P.  Bridgeman,  Morgan 
Owens.  John  Edmunds,  Owen  E.  Jones,  William  L  Williams,  William 
E.  Lewis,  Thomas  Jones,  Edward  James,  Henry  Crosby,  Griffith  J. 
Griffiths,  Isaac  W.  Roberts,  Delos  Bearhyte,  A.  H.  Doty,  Francis 
Prindle,  Seth  Wells,  jr. 

The  grist  mill  is  operated  by  Richard  Bros.,  and  stores  are  kept  by 
R.  G.  Griffith,  R.  O.  Griffith,  O.  R.  Griffith,  and  Owen  J.  Roberts  ; 
D,  S.  Davies  has  a  jewelry  business  and  T.  L.  Morgan,  tailoring.  The 
Bristol  House  is  kept  by  Brant  &  Gansway,  succeeding  on  March  i, 
1896,  Friend  Bristol  The  Pierce  House  is  conducted  by  Pierce  Dines. 
John  H.  Williams  also  keeps  a  hotel.  At  Bordwell  Town,  as  it  is 
kuown,  is  a  saw  mill  run  by  Menzo  Bordwell,  and  what  was  formerly 
the  tannery  is  now  used  by  the  Porpoise  Lace  Company,  who  started 
in  the  fall  of  1895. 

The  election  in  the  village  in  1846  was  declared  illegal  through  some 
informahty,  and  the  officers  of  1845  held  over.  The  trustees  from  that 
time  to  the  organization  under  the   new  charter  were  as  follows : 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  511 

1847,  Z.  D.  Root,  Mather  Beecher,  Isaac  W.  Roberts;  1848,  G.  A.  Yeomans,  N. 
C.  Phelps,  O.  J.  Owens;  1849,  F  W.  Buckingham,  J.  H.  Smith,  Z.  D.  Root;  1850, 
Morgan  Owens,  Fred  E.  Hale,  Jonah  Griffith;  1851,  no  record;  1852,  William  E. 
Owen,  Griffith  O.  Griffiths,  Josiah  Griffith ;  1853,  Griffith  O.  Griffiths,  John  R.  Jones, 
Robert  P.  Williams;  1854,  Morgan  Owen,  James  Owens,  William  W.  Thomas;  1855, 
no  record;  1856,  A.  C.  Herron,  Griffith  O.  Griffiths,  Didymus  Thomas;  1857,  no 
record;  1858,  Henry  W.  Roberts,  Delos  Bearhyte.  R.  P.  Williams;  1859,  Morgan 
Owens,  S.  Douglas,  D.  Bearhyte;  1860,  G.  O.  Griffiths,  William  W.  Thomas,  Will- 
iam E.  White;  1861.  D.  Bearhyte,  W.  H.  Williams,  W.  S.  Evans;  1862-63,  same  as 
1861;  1864,  G.  O.  Griffiths,  J.  Mitchell,  John  D.  Griffiths;  1865,  James  Mitchell, 
Morgan  Owen,  Josiah  Griffith ;  1866,  Richard  R.  Jones,  William  H.  Williams,  Rob. 
ert  W.  Roberts;  1867-68,  no  record;  1869,  John  P.  Samuel,  Robert  W.  Roberts, 
Hugh  Hughes;  1870,  William  W.  Thomas,  Evan  G.  Williams,  Rowland  Anthony. 
There  is  no  record  for  1871.  In  1872  a  new  charter  was  obtained  under  the  general 
law,  and  the  following  officers  for  that  year  were  elected:  President,  Dr.  R.  H.  Wig. 
gins;  trustees,  Joseph  Roberts,  R.  W.  Roberts,  "Jink"  Jones.  The  village  presi- 
dents to  the  present  time  have  been  as  follows:  Dr.  R.  H.  Wiggins,  1872-75;  Joseph 
I.  Francis,  1876;  R.  W.  Roberts,  1877-80;  1881-83,  record  missing;  1884-86,  Robert 
W.  Roberts;  1887,  George  E.  Pugh;  1888-91,  Owen  R.  Griffith;  1892-93,  Robert  R. 
Griffith;  1894-96,  R.  R.  Jones. 

The  village  has  an  excellent  graded  school,  with  two  teachers. 

At  one  period  there  were  twelve  churches  in  this  town,  most  of  them 
Welsh.  The  number  is  now  reduced  to  five.  These  are  the  Baptist 
at  Remsen,  which  was  formerly  a  Welsh  Congregational  and  burned  in 
1892,  and  was  rebuilt  aud  changed  to  a  Baptist  in  February,  1894. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the  village  and  the  Calvinistic 
M.  E.  church  have  had  a  long  existence,  and  the  Welsh  Calvinistic 
society,  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  village,  is  an  old  one. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  ROME. 

Four  years  after  the  then  large  town  of  Steuben  was  set  off  from  the 
great  town  of  Whitestown  (1792)  and  on  the  4th  of  March,  1796,  the 
town  of  Rome  was  erected  from  Steuben.  The  town  of  Floyd  was 
formed  at  the  same  time,  which  with  Rome  took  all  of  the  southern  part 
of  Steuben,      Rome  occupies  nearly  the  center  of  Oneida  county,  and 


512  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

its  territory  was  almost  wholly  included  in  the  Oriskany  and  Fonda's 
patents,  as  seen  by  the  map  herein.  The  Mohawk  River  flows  south- 
easterly through  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  ;  Wood  Creek  flows  west 
through  the  northwest  part  while  Fish  Creek  forms  the  northwest 
boundary.  Canada  Creek  flows  north  across  the  western  part  of  the 
town.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  nearly  level,  and  in  the  western  part 
are  extensive  swampy  tracts,  to  which  reference  has  been  made  in 
early  chapters  of  this  work.  The  soil  is  a  highly  productive  gravelly 
loam. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  town  met  in  their  first  town  meeting  at  the 
dwelling  house  of  Ebenezer  Claflin,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  1796, 
and  there  elected  the  following  officers  : 

Supervisor,  George  Huntington;  town  clerk,  Ebenezer  Wright,  jr.;  assessors, 
Chester  Gould,  Gershom  Waldo,  Daniel  W.  Knight ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Thomas 
Wright,  William  Walsworth ;  commissioners  of  highways.  Bill  Smith,  Elijah  Wells, 
Caleb  Reynolds;  constables,  Samuel  Reynolds,  David  Waldo;  fence-viewers,  Asa 
Tyler,  Matthew  Brown,  John  Williams;  collector,  Samuel  Reynolds;  poundmasters, 
Nathan  Thompson,  Matthew  Brown;  commissioners  of  schools,  Chester  Gould, 
Sheldon  Logan,  Abijah  Putnam. 

Besides  the  election  of  these  officers,  the  usual  regulations  for  the 
simple  government  of  the  new  town  were  voted. 

The  settlement  at  Fort  Stanvvix  long  prior  to  the  Revolution  by  John 
Roof  and  a  few  others  has  been  already  described  in  an  earlier  chapter. 
He  made  his  settlement  in  1760.  two  years  after  the  fort  was  built,  and 
remained  until  driven  away  by  the  siege  of  the  fort  in  1777.  His  first 
son  was  also  named  John  and  was  born  August  28,  1762,  without 
doubt  the  first  child  born  in  what  is  now  Oneida  county.  When  the 
Roof  family  were  forced  to  abandon  the  improvements  they  had  made 
they  left  their  possessions  in  charge  of  one  Conrad,  who  was  afterward 
killed  in  the  fort.  The  buildings  were  all  finally  destroyed,  to  prevent 
their  occupancy  by  the  enemy,  and  Colonel  Gansevoort  gave  Roof  a 
certificate  that  the  property  destroyed  was  worth  800  pounds.  The 
family  were  never  reimbursed  for  their  loss. 

The  vicinity  of  Fort  Stanwix  was  probably  without  inhabitants  after 
the  siege,  until  1784.  In  May  of  that  year  Jedediah  Phelps  and  James 
Dean  located  within  the  hmits  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Vienna. 
They  built  a  log  house  and  a  shop,  and  in  the  latter  Mr.  Phelps  carried 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  513 

on  his  trade  as  silversmith.  A  flood  in  the  spring  of  1785  practically 
dislodged  them  and  Mr.  Dean  removed  to  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Westmoreland,  while  Mr.  Phelps  located  at  the  fort,  where  he  remained 
until  after  1800.  After  continuing  work  at  his  trade  two  years  and 
passing  a  few  years  on  the  Oneida  Reservation,  he  located  as  early  as 
1806  on  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the  site  of  Verona  village.  A  few 
other  settlers  came  to  Fort  Stanwix  in  1785-87  ;  it  is  recorded  by  Judge 
Jones  in  his  Annals  that  his  father  told  him  that  in  1787  there  were  five 
houses  there. 

Ebenezer  Wright  brought  his  wife  and  six  children  to  Fort  Stanwix 
in  1789,  and  soon  acquired  196  acres  of  land  at  what  became  known  as 
Wright  Settlement.  In  1790  settlers  came  in  quite  rapidly.  In  1795  a 
grist  mill  was  built  on  Wood  Creek  near  the  old  arsenal  site,  which  was 
a  great  convenience  to  the  pioneers.  In  1796  the  Clark  and  the  Hin- 
man  families  settled  on  the  Whitesboro  road  ;  Silas  Matteson,  grand- 
father of  the  late  O.  B.  Matteson,  settled  about  the  same  time  on  what 
was  the  county  poor  farm,  and  Thomas  Selden,  jr.,  grandfather  of  the 
late  N.  Hyde  Leffingwell,  came  at  that  time. 

In  1790  John  Lansing,  jr.,  who  owned  large  tracts  of  land  in  the 
northern  part  of  Oneida  county,  leased  to  the  following  five  persons  100 
acres  each,  all  the  leases  being  dated  in  June:  To  John  Wright,  son  of 
Thomas  Wright,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Rome,  what  has  been  known 
as  the  Gates  place,  fifty  acres,  and  fifty  on  tiie  opposite  side  of  the  road 
known  as  the  Waters  place;  to  Moses  Wright,  brother  of  John,  100 
acres  next  north  of  the  latter,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  highway;  to 
Asa  Knapp  the  next  100  acres  on  the  north  ;  to  Elijah  Weeks  100  acres 
north  of  Knapp,  mostly  on  the  west  side  of  the  present  highway  and 
extending  down  to  the  Mohawk;  to  Jasper  French  (before  mentioned), 
a  surveyor,  lOO  acres  mostly  on  the  east  side  of  the  highway.  The  rent 
for  these  lots  was  to  be  eighteen  bushels  of  wheat,  payable  in  Albany. 

By  that  year  (1790)  leases  had  also  been  granted  in  the  Wright  Set- 
tlement to  the  following:  Seth  Ranney,  David  I.  Andrus,  Nathaniel 
Gilbert,  Rozel  (or  Roswell)  Fellows,  Ebenezer  Wright,  jr.,  Willett  Ran- 
ney, jr.,  Benjamin  Gilbert,  John  Wright,  Moses  Wright,  Asa  Knapp, 
Jasper  French,  Elijah  Weeks,  Elijah  Root,  Chester  Gould,  and  Elisha 
Walsworth. 

65 


514  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Thomas  Wright,  Willet  Ranney,  sr.,  and  Bill  Smith  probably  accom- 
panied Ebenezer  Wright  in  1789,  when  he  came  on  to  make  his  settle- 
ment. Smith  at  first  located  near  the  fort,  but  as  early  as  1800  was 
living  on  the  road  to  Floyd,  and  later  on  the  Peter  Williams  farm.  In 
18 10  he  kept  a  small  store  on  Dominick  street  in  Rome.  David  I.  An- 
drus  and  Nathaniel  Gilbert  came  into  the  town  either  the  same  or  the 
following  year,  and  in  1791  lands  were  leased  in  the  Wright  Settlement 
to  Dyer  McCumber  and  Abner  Pitcher.  Other  early  comers  previous 
to  1800  were  Colonel  D.  W.  Knight,  about  1790;  Jesse  Childs,  about 
1792  ;  Joseph  Otis,  1793  ;  William  West,  1793;  Edward  Simmons,  1793  ; 
♦  Calvin  Hard,  about  1794;  John  Simons,  and  Jonathan  Brainard,  1794; 
Daniel  W.  Lamb,  John  and  Daniel  Ashby,  about  1795  ;  Rufus  Barnes 
(father  of  Rev.  Albert  Barnes),  1795  ;  Israel  Denio  (father  of  Judge  Hi- 
ram Denio  and  of  Israel  and  C.  D.  Denio,  of  Rome),  about  1797  ;  Cor- 
nelius Van  Wormer,  Zaccheus  Abell,  Abiather  Seekill,  Peter  Lampman, 
"Pigeon"  Palmer,  Luke  Usher,  and  Benjamin  Taylor,  about  1800. 
Some  brief  details  of  the  settlement  of  these  pioneers  are  at  hand.  Jesse 
Childs  lived  at  the  fort  a  short  time  and  then  located  on  a  farm  north 
of  Ridge  Mills,  east  of  the  Mohawk,  in  the  Selden  neighborhood.  About 
the  same  time  that  he  located  there  the  families  of  Solomon,  John,  and 
David  Williams  came  in  from  Connecticut,  and  with  Daniel  Ashby  and 
William  Brewster,  from  Groton,  Mass.,  settled  north  of  the  Ridge.  Da- 
vid I.  Andrus  lived  at  the  Wright  Settlement  before  1800,  and  held 
a  lease  for  138  acres  of  land  near  the  Ridge  from  George  Clinton, 
made  in  1790.  He  operated  a  distillery  before  1800  at  the  Ridge  and 
about  1804  moved  to  Jefferson  county.  The  three  Williams  brothers 
settled  on  land  on  the  Mohawk  a  short  distance  above  the  Ridge  Mills. 
David  had  served  in  the  army  at  the  fort  and  was  familiar  with  the 
locality.  His  youngest  son  was  Jesse  Williams,  who  has  been  elsewhere 
mentioned  as  the  orignator  of  the  cheese  factory  system  in  this  country. 
Solomon  Williams  was  great-grandfather  of  B.  W.  Williams,  a  former 
postmaster  of  Rome.  Joseph  Otis  came  from  Fort  Ann,  N.  Y.,  in  1793 
and  settled  in  the  Selden  neighborhood  ;  with  him  were  Lot  and  Simeon 
Fuller,  who  located  in  what  is  now  Steuben.  Mr.  Otis  was  among  those 
who  responded  to  the  extra  inducements  ofifered  by  the  owners  of  the 
Fonda  patent  to  bring  in   settlers,  and   came  with  his  young  wife   and 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  515 

entirely  without  means.  A  road  had  been  surveyed  and  opened  two 
years  earlier  from  the  Ridge  via  what  became  known  as  Penny  street 
northerly  towards  the  covered  bridge.  In  July  of  that  year  (1793)  a 
road  was  surveyed  by  Moses  Wright,  as  an  extension  of  the  one  just  de- 
scribed, which  extended  to  the  covered  bridge  over  the  Mohawk,  going 
around  the  hill  and  nearer  the  river  than  the  present  road.  On  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river  from  the  bridge  stood  a  mill  at  that  time  owned 
by  Roswell  Fellows.  Asa  Knapp  lived  on  what  has  been  known  as  the 
Philander  and  Philemon  Selden  place.  Mr.  Otis  assisted  Benjamin 
Wright  in  the  survey  of  thousands  of  acres  of  land.  Rufus  Barnes  was 
a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  a  tanner.  In  January,  1796,  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  a  lease  from  Henry  Wilson  on  Penny  street  and  built  a  log 
house,  and  about  1801  built  a  shoe  shop  and  a  tannery  on  the  place. 
Near  the  Barnes  place  lived  Israel  Denio,  who  was  a  blacksmith  ;  his 
father-in-law.  John  Robbins,  settled  as-  early  as  1791,  and  came  from 
Bennington,  Vt.  His  coming  to  this  locality  was  doubtless  an  induce- 
ment to  Mr.  Denio  to  follow  him.  The  latter  located  at  first  in  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Floyd,  near  the  Rome  line,  and  about  1797  removed 
to  the  Wright  Settlement,  where  he  built  a  blacksmith  shop;  he  followed 
his  trade  at  several  different  points  in  the  vicinity.  His  son,  Hiram, 
who  was  to  become  eminent  at  the  bar,  was  born  in  May,  1799,  (See 
Chapter  XXII.) 

Others  who  settled  early  in  the  Wright  neighborhood  were  Gideon 
Butts  and  Grant  Wheat  about  1802,  on  what  was  called  Canterbury 
Hill;  John  Butts  in  1803  ;  Daniel  Kirkland,  son  of  Joshua,  about  1807, 
and  the  latter  came  in  about  181 1;  Hazel  Lathrop  about  1807;  ^"d 
Daniel  Butts,  Samuel  and  Asa  Smith,  Zacheus  Abell,  Samuel  Williams, 
and  Asa  Colburn  (the  latter  with  his  family)  all  came  in  early  and  con- 
tributed by  their  toil  to  change  the  wilderness  into  a  beautiful  and  pro- 
ductive country. 

Thomas  Selden,  jr.,  from  Stamford,  Conn  ,  came  about  1796,  and  set- 
tled on  half  of  a  lOO-acre  tract  which  John  Lansing,  jr.,  had  leased  to 
Jasper  French.  Mr.  Selden  was  grandfather  of  the  late  N.  Hyde  Lef- 
fingwell,  of  Rome,  and  after  be  had  purchased  Mr.  French's  improve- 
ments he  returned  to  Vermont  for  his  family,  bringing  them  and  his 
aged  parents  back  into  the  wilderness  in  the  winter  of  1795-6.     Thomas 


516  OUE  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Selden,  sr.,  the  aged  father,  walked  the  whole  distance,  though  the 
roads  were  very  bad,  driving  cows  and  oxen ;  the  women  and  children 
rode  in  a  sleigh.  Thomas,  jr.,  built  a  frame  house  about  1800  and  with 
Roswell  Edgerton  and  John  Ely,  engaged  largely  in  building  and  con- 
tracting. It  is  believed  they  built  the  early  grist  mill  of  Col.  Samuel 
Wardwell  at  the  Ridge,  the  "  red  mill  "  for  Mr.  Lynch  and  the  factories 
at  Factory  Village,  a  suburb  of  Rome.  Roswell  Edgerton  came  from 
the  same  neighborhood  as  the  Seldens  and  settled  on  the  road  leading 
to  Delta. 

Dr.  Elijah  Clarke  was  a  pioneer  physician  in  the  Wright  Settlement 
neighborhood,  coming  as  early  as  1794  ;  until  about  18 12  he  practiced 
over  a  large  territory.  On  what  is  known  as  Canterbury  Hill  in  that 
neighborhood,  other  early  settlers  were  Joshua  Kirkland,  who  was  liv- 
ing there  in  181 1  ;  John  Butts  settled  about  1803  ;  Col.  D.  W.  Knight 
about  1790;  Gideon  Butts  about  1802  ;  Daniel  Kirkland,  son  of  Joshua, 
about  1807  ;  Zaccheus  Abell,  Samuel  Williams,  Asa  Colburn,  Daniel 
Butts,  Samuel  and  Asa  Smith,  and  Abiather  Seekill.  Of  these  Gideon 
Butts  was  the  pioneer  on  the  hill  and  Grant,  Wheat  was  next.  The  lat- 
ter walked  from  Connecticut  in  1801,  carrying  his  gun  and  fifty  pounds 
in  a  pack.  Several  of  these  settlers  took  part  in  the  war  of  18 12,  mostly 
at  Sackett's  Harbor. 

Joseph  Otis  came  on  from  Fort  Ann,  N.  Y.,  in  March,  1793,  and  set- 
tled in  the  Selden  neighborhood  ;  it  will  be  noted  that  this  locality  was 
then  in  what  is  now  Steuben.  With  him  came  Lot  and  Simeon  Fuller. 
The  then  owners  of  Fonda's  patent  were  at  that  time  surveying  it  into 
lots,  placing  them  in  market,  and  ofTering  extra  inducements  to  settlers 
with  hmited  means.  Mr.  Otis  was  among  those  who  responded,  and 
came  on  almost  entirely  without  means,  a  young  man,  with  his  second 
wife,  a  lady  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  a  year  old  daughter  by  his 
first  wife.  About  two  years  before  a  road  had  been  surveyed,  worked, 
and  traveled  from  the  Ridge,  via  what  is  now  "Penny  street,"  northerly 
towards  the  covered  bridge,  ending  near  the  present  residence  of  Amos 
M.  Potter.  In  July  of  the  same  year  (1793)  a  road  was  surveyed  by 
Moses  Wright,  intended  as  a  continuation  of  the  above  highway,  to  the 
present  covered  bridge  over  the  Mohawk,  running  around  the  hill  and 
nearer   to   the   river   than   it  does  at  present.      The  road   was  changed 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  517 

within  a  few  years.  Mr.  Otis  moved  into  the  dwelHng  of  Willett  Ran- 
ney  until  his  own  log  house  could  be  built.  Mr.  Otis  aided  Benjamin 
Wright  in  making  surveys  of  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in  this  part  of 
the  State  and  in  fixing  the  boundaries  of  Oneida,  Oswego,  Jefterson  and 
Lewis  counties.  Between  Mr.  Otis  and  the  Fellows  mill  also  settled 
early  William  Brewster,  Daniel  Ashby  and  Dea.  Daniel  W.  Lamb. 

About  1793  David,  John  and  Solomon  Williams  settled  on  the  Mo- 
hawk a  short  distance  above  Ridge  Mills.  David  Williams  had  served 
in  the  Fort  Stanwix  garrison  and  like  many  other  soldiers,  was  doubt- 
less attracted  hither  by  what  he  had  seen  of  the  country  at  that  time. 
John  Williams  died  in  1848,  aged  ninety;  David  in  1837,  aged  eighty- 
six,  and  Solomon  in  1 85 2,  aged  ninety-eight.  The  latter  was  grand- 
father* of  the  late  B.  W.  Williams,  and  Jesse  Williams,  the  founder  of 
the  cheese  factory  system,  was  the  youngest  son  of  David. 

Roswell  Fellows,  before  named,  probably  made  his  settlement  as  early 
as  1790,  at  which  time  there  was  no  road  farther  north  than  his  loca- 
tion, except  the  Indian  trail.  A  few  years  later  and  before  the  year 
1800,  Mr.  Fellows,  Hope  Smith  (a  settler  in  that  vicinity)  and  Luther 
Miller  built  a  grist  mill  on  the  Mohawk  a  mile  or  more  east  of  Mr.  Fel- 
lows's  place  and  opposite  what  was  long  known  as  Barnard's  Mills.  The 
latter  mills  were  built  by  Mr.  Fellows  prior  to  1793,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Mohawk,  and  near  the  site  of  the  covered  bridge.  Later  on  John 
Barnard,  the  enterprising  Roman,  bought  the  mill,  and  hence  the  name. 
A  saw  mill  was  also  located  there  and  quite  a  thriving  business  center 
gathered  around  in  the  early  years.  The  pioneers  of  Wright  Settlement 
and  its  vicinity  carried  their  grain  to  Whitesboro  before  the  building  of 
these  mills. 

As  early  as  1800  Dr.  Thomas  Hartwell  lived  on  a  farm  of  100  acres 
on  the  road  to  Whitesboro  about  three  miles  east  of  the  city.  He  was 
father  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Hartwell  who  practiced,  and  kept  a  tavern  on  the 
road  to  Delta  on  the  corner  of  two  roads,  one  of  which  ran  easterly  to  the 
Mohawk  River  at  the  site  of  the  covered  bridge.  This  corner  is  about 
a  mile  southerly  of  Elmer  Hill.  About  1800  Nathan  Peggs  settled  on 
that  corner  and  kept  a  tavern.  He  was  father  of  Deacon  Richard  Peggs 
of  Rome.  Timothy  Wood  was  next  in  this  tavern  and  was  followed  by 
Josiah  Tallmadge. 


518  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Opposite  this  corner  and  before  1800  Roswell  Fellows,  great-grand- 
father of  the  late  B.  W.  Williams,  of  Rome,  kept  a  tavern  ;  this  was  the 
second  tavern  north  of  Fort  Stanwix. 

In  the  western  and  southwestern  parts  of  the  town  early  settlers  were 
Richard  Brown  (1801),  J.  B.  Green,  Jonathan  Williams,  Daniel  W.  Haz- 
ard, Daniel  Williams,  Amos  Scofil,  John  C.  Brewster,  Lyman  Thayer, 
Richard  Brown,  jr.,  Joseph  King,  Eleazer  Dunham,  Ephraim  Covel, 
and  others. 

In  tr.  ing  the  history  of  Rome  village  it  is  necessary  to  describe 
what  ih  xnown  as  the  Expense  Lot.  This  was  a  tract  originally  em- 
bracing 397  acres  and  bounded  as  follows  : 

Commencing  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mohawk,  and  not  far  from  Mr.  Parry's  brick- 
yard; thence  running  southwesterly  towards  the  poorhouse,  about  240  rods;  then 
northwesterly  about  a  mile,  towards  Canal  Village;  then  northeast  about  150  rods, 
towards  St.  Joseph's  church,  passing  south  of  that  building,  and  crossing  the  track 
of  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  at  Henry  street,  and  up  that 
street  to  near  the  track  of  the  Rome,  Watertown  and  Ogdensburg  Railroad,  where 
Expense  street  extended  would  cross  it;  thence  north  up  that  street  to  a  point  about 
half-way  between  Court  and  Embargo  streets ;  thence  easterly,  crossing  the  blocks 
diagonally,  and  passing  near  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles  Keith,  on  the  corner  of  Court 
and  Washington  streets,  and  so  on  diagonally  across  West  park  to  James  street ;  and 
thence  nearly  down  Park  alley,  and  crossing  the  Black  River  Canal  near  the  bathing- 
house  of  H.  W.  Barnes,  and  soon  to  the  Mohawk;  then  following  that  stream  down 
to  the  starting  point. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1875,  the  agents  for  the  Expense  Lot  pub- 
lished a  notice  that  on  the  9th  of  January,  1786,  they  would  meet  "for 
the  purpose  of  attending  to  the  balloting  for,  and  drawing  by  lot"  the 
several  parcels  surveyed.  At  that  meeting  there  were  present  the  com- 
missioners and  agents,  with  Judge  Visscher  and  Jelles  Fonda.  In  the 
drawing  made  at  that  time  the  De  Lancey  one  fifth  was  set  off  to  the 
State,  one  of  the  parcels  thus  disposed  of  being  a  tract  of  960  acres  in 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  patent  embracing  witli  other  lands  the  Rome 
cemetery  and  most  of  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  Asa  C.  Huntington 
and  later  by  Dr.  H.'  H.  Pope  ;  also  another  parcel  of  460  acres  east  of 
Factory  Village.  The  portion  of  the  city  site  east  of  Washington  street 
and  next  north  of  the  Expense  Lot  was  set  off  to  WiUiam  Livingston 
and  Alida  Hoffman,  460  acres,  and  included  the  old  burying  ground, 
the  sites  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  court  house,  St.  Peter's  church, 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  519 

the  East  Park,  and  P'actory  Village.  The  portion  west  of  Washington 
street  and  north  and  west  of  the  Expense  Lot,  including  West  Rome, 
was  set  off  to  those  claiming  under  George  Clarke  ;  and  the  portion  of 
the  Rome  swamp,  south  of  the  Expense  Lot,  and  between  that  line  and 
the  county  house,  was  set  off  to  those  claiming  under  Thomas  Wenham. 
On  March  17,  1786,  the  Expense  Lot  was  put  at  auction  and  bid  off  by 
Dominick  Lynch,  a  New  York  merchant,  for  2,250  pounds.  This  was 
his  first  purchase  in  this  vicinity — the  nucleus  of  the  Lynch  estate  in 
Rome 

The  price  paid  by  Mr.  Lynch  for  the  Expense  Lot  was  thci.  consid- 
ered large,  but  he  evidently  saw  the  prospective  importance  of  the 
place.  In  July,  1786,  he  added  to  his  purchase  the  460  acres  set  off  to 
Livingston  and  Hoffman,  and  in  the  next  year  he  bought  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  Forfeiture  the  460  acres  east  of  Factory  Village  which  had 
been  set  off  to  the  State.  Other  parcels  bought  by  him  previous  to 
1800  increased  his  holdings  to  about  2,000  acres.  Mr.  Lynch  laid  out 
the  village  site  as  early,  probably,  as  1796,  giving  it  the  name  Lynch- 
ville  (see  map  of  18 10).  The  name. Rome  was  not  applied  to  the  place 
until  some  years  later  and  under  precisely  what  circumstances  is  not 
now  known.  Mr.  Lynch  adopted  the  very  objectionable  plan  of  giving 
perpetual  leases  for  his  lots,  instead  of  deeds  of  sale,  and  in  case  the 
annual  rents  were  not  paid  the  land  was  to  revert  to  the  owner.  On 
July  30,  1796,  twenty-eight  lots  were  leased  to  the  following  persons: 
Matthew  Brown,  jr.,  Michael  McGrath,  Sheldon  Logan  (what  is  now 
the  Empire  Block),  Joshua  Hathaway  ("  Elm  Row"),  and  John  Barnard, 
the  latter  leasing  twenty-two  lots  on  Dominick  street.  Three  years 
later,  in  1769,  the  site  of  the  Merrill  Block  and  other  premises  were 
leased  to  George  Huntington  perpetually,  at  an  annual  rent  of  twelve 
bushels  of  wheat,  payable  May  i  of  each  year.  It  is  possible  there  were 
also  other  leases  in  Lynchville  where  the  rent  was  to  be  paid  in   grain. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  settlement  on  the  site  of  the  village  had 
already  begun.  When  Ebenezer  Wright  came  in  1789  there  were  two 
log  houses  on  the  road  to  Newville,  in  one  of  which  lived  William  Col- 
braith,  the  first  sheriff;  a  log  house  near  the  old  arsenal  site  in  which 
Jedediah  Phelps  lived,  and  two  other  log  houses  ;  the  only  frame  house 
stood  near  the  site  of  the  G.  N.  Bissell  residence,  and  a  log  house  near 


520  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  site  of  the  old  St.  Peter's  church.  The  Ranney  family,  Bill  Smith 
(before  mentioned),  and  a  Dutchman  named  Dumont,  lived  near  the 
fort.  A  man  named  Armstrong  lived  at  the  junction  of  Wood  and 
Canada  Creeks.  These  were  all  the  houses  then  constituting  Rome. 
I"  1793  John  Barnard  kept  a  tavern  near  the  site  of  the  old  Baptist 
church,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year  George  Huntington  came  to  the 
place,  bringing  a  small  stock  of  merchandise  which  he  began  selling  in 
Barnard's  tavern.  Mr.  Barnard  was  an  'enterprising  man  and  secured 
the  good  will  of  Mr.  Lynch.  He  engaged  quite  largely  in  early  build- 
ing operations,  but  finally  became  involved,  made  an  assignment  and  in 
1799  conveyed  to  Caleb  Putnam  seventy-two  acres  of  land,  most  of 
which  was  composed  of  the  so  called  "  pepper-corn  lots."  These  lots 
lay  in  the  southern  and  swampy  part  of  Mr.  Lynch's  purchase,  and  one 
of  them  was  usually  given  as  a  bonus  to  persons  who  leased  more  valu- 
able lots.  The  rent  named  for  each  one  was  "a  pepper-corn  payable 
on  the  first  day  of  May  in  each  year,  if  lawfully  demanded,  for  the  term 
of  ten  thousand  years,  and  after  that  twenty  cents  annually  for  each  lot." 
The  land  conveyed  to  Putnam  by  Barnard  is  now  very  valuable,  extend- 
ing south  from  the  Erie  Canal  and  including  the  site  of  the  railroad 
station.  On  his  land  Mr.  Putnam  built  the  first  tannery  in  this  region, 
which  did  considerable  business.  Mr.  Putnam  was  killed  by  an  accident 
in  1819 

Soon  after  his  purchase  Mr.  Lynch  began  making  various  improve- 
ments to  enhance  its  value  and  render  it  attractive  to  settlers.  In  1804 
he  built  a  dam  across  the  Mohawk  above  the  the  dam  of  the  Inland 
Canal,  and  opened  a  raceway  to  the  river  on  such  a  course  that  it  dis- 
charged its  waters  into  the  river  at  the  other  side  of  "  the  bow  "  where 
the  old  red  mill  was  erected  in  the  same  year.  About  18 10- 12  Mr. 
Lynch  built  a  woolen  factory  where  the  soap  factory  of  Brodock  &  Co. 
stood  ;  it  was  burned  in  18 17.  Previous  to  1820  he  built  a  cotton  fac- 
tory farther  down  the  race-way,  which  was  burned  in  1849.  A  saw 
mill  built  in  the  same  vicinity  in  1863  and  a  wrench  factory  in  1865, 
were  both  subsequently  burned. 

The  building  occupied  by  Mr.  Lynch  as  a  residence  when  he  was  here, 
and  by  his  son  James  previous  to  18 10,  stood  where  H.  K.  White  re- 
cently Hved.     It  was  a  large  square  frame  structure  and   occupied   tiie 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  521 

space  which  had  been  covered  by  the  southeast  corner  of  Fort  Stanwix. 
The  Lynch  dwelling  was  burned  about  1825.  Quite  early  in  the  cen- 
tury Mr.  Lynch  built  as  many  as  thirty  five  tenement  houses  in  the 
village,  stores  multiplied,  taverns  were  opened  and  various  kinds  of  shops 
accommodated  the  inhabitants.  Previous  to  i8ooa  public  house  called 
the  Rome  Coffee  House  was  built  and  was  kept  in  that  year  by  Solomon 
Rich;  he  was  succeeded  about  1804  by  Parker  Halleck,  who  was  a 
tailor  and  worked  in  his  bar  room.  The  Masons  had  a  lodge  in  the 
upper  rooms.  In  1839  the  lower  part  of  the  Coffee  House  was  con- 
verted into  stores.  What  became  the  site  of  another  hotel  of  early  date 
was  first  occupied  by  a  two  story  frame  house,  the  site  of  the  later 
Northern  Hotel  ;  Judge  Beardsley  lived  there  about  1820  ;  it  was  burned 
about  1838  and  J.  M.  Orton,  a  cabinet  maker,  built  on  the  site  a  part  of 
the  structure  which  was  purchased  about  1850  by  Jacob  Stevens  and 
converted  into  a  hotel  ;  after  being  called  by  him  the  Fremont  House 
and  later  the  Tremont  House,  it  finally  took  the  name  of  the  Northern 
Hotel. 

Among  the  prominent  early  settlers  and  business  men  of  Rome  vill- 
age may  be  mentioned  the  following:  George  and  Henry  Huntington, 
Alva  Mudge,  R.  S.  Doty,  P.  B.  Langford,  Frank  De  Ryther,  David 
Utley,  C.  Grosvenor,  Glen  Petrie,  J.  &  E.  B.  Armstrong,  Dr.  H.  H. 
Pope,  J.  D.  Ely,  J.  B.  Bradt,  G.  N.  Bissell,  N.  H.  Leffingwell,  B.  B. 
Hyde,  the  Wardwell  Brothers,  Daniel  Cady,  Jeptha  Matteson,  Rufus 
Keeney  all  of  whom  were  men  of  character  and  determination,  whose 
capacity  for  business,  united  with  their  public  spirit  aided  in  the  up- 
building of  the  place  and   the  development  of  its  resources. 

Water  was  supplied  to  the  early  inhabitants  from  town  wells,  one  of 
which  was  situated  in  the  intersection  of  James  and  Dominick  streets, 
and  another  at  Washington  and  Dominick;  still  another  at  the  corner 
of  James  and   Embargo  streets. 

On  the  site  of  the  later  American  block,  corner  of  Dominick  and 
James  streets,  was  early  a  three  story  frame  hotel  built  previous  to  1800  ; 
it  was  transformed  into  stores  about  1843,  after  having  been  conducted 
by  many  different  landlords.      In  1799  Cicero  Gould  kept  a  tavern  in  a 
building  next  to  the  site  of  the  Presbyterian  parsonage. 

About  the  year    1800  John    Barnard  built  a  two  story  hotel  on  the 

66 


522  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

site  of  the  present  Stanwix  Hall  ;  while  on  the  south  part  of  that  site 
Nathaniel  Mudge,  sr.,  had  a  grocery  as  early  as  1812.  Among  those 
who  kept  the  tavern  in  early  years  were  Benjamin  Hyde,  sr.,  Enos  Gil- 
bert, Elisha  Walsworth,  Thomas  Ford,  John  A.  Ford,  who  gave  it  the 
name,  Stanwix  Hall,  and  in  1843  erected  a  brick  building  on  the  Mudge 
premises.  Since  that  time  a  hotel  has  always  been  kept  there  and  has 
passed  through  various  hands. 

On  the  site  of  the  Merrill  block,  corner  of  James  and  Dominick  streets, 
a  store  was  kept  as  early  as  1804  by  a  Mr.  Devereux.  Norman  Judd 
carried  on  a  pottery  as  early  as  1813,  some  distance  from  the  west  side 
of  James  street.  George  and  Henry  Huntington  operated  an  ashery  in 
early  years,  and  Elijah  Worthington  built  a  hat  factory  about  1822. 

Previous  to  1820  there  was  not  a  building  of  any  kind  south  of  the 
canal  between  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  and  the  poorhouse,  the 
whole  space  being  covered  with  a  swamp.  Through  it  a  road  had  been 
constructed  on  a  causeway.  In  18 17  the  Legislature  granted  a  charter 
to  Jeremiah  B.  Brainard  and  Isaac  G.  Green  and  their  associates  to  con- 
struct a  toll  turnpike  across  the  swamp  on  that  route.  The  road  was 
built  and  began  taking  tolls  October  20,  1819.  In  18 19  Mr.  Brainard 
built  the  tavern  long  known  as  the  Mansion  House,  and  as  other  build- 
ings sprang  up  in  that  vicinity  on  account  of  the  opening  of  the  canal, 
the  locality  became  known  as  Canal  Village.  The  Mansion  House  was 
the  first  building  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  canal,  and  the  second 
one  was  built  the  same  year  and  extended  across  the  canal  ;  it  was 
used  as  a  warehouse  (the  first  one  in  Rome),  and  later  as  a  brewery  by 
John  O'Neil  ;  it  was  subsequently  burned.  The  so-called  "  Canal  Cof- 
fee House"  was  built  in  1824  by  Daniel  Whedon,  and  in  1826  John 
O'Neil  erected  a  grocery  building  west  of  the  Mansion  House.  In  the 
same  year  Hiram  Whedon  built  the  first  dwelling  in  that  locality.  Dur- 
ing the  first  ten  years  of  the  existence  of  Canal  Village  its  growth  was 
slow,  but  the  change  in  the  route  of  the  canal  in  1844  called  away  from 
the  locality  its  Yankee  element,  and  it  then  immediately  and  rapidly 
began  to  fill  up  with  foreign  population.  The  opening  of  the  canal  and 
later  of  the  first  railroad  through  the  village  gave  it  a  marked  impetus, 
as  seen  by  the  census  figures  further  on. 

The  village  of  Rome  was  incorporated  in  1 8 19,  and  the  first  election 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  523 

held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  June  of  that  year.     The  following  officers 
were  elected  : 

Trustees,  George  Huntington,  Charles  Wylie,  Joshua  Hathaway,  Pliny  Darrow, 
Belah  C.  Hyde;  assessors,  William  Wright,  Samuel  Beardsley,  Arden  Seymour; 
clerk,  Benjamin  P.  Johnson;  treasurer,  Arba  Blair;  collector,  Archibald  T.  Funk. 

The  usual  village  ordinances  were  adopted,  and  the  machinery  of  the 
civil  government  ran  along  without  serious  interruption  through  the 
later  years. 

In  1853  the  village  was  divided  into  three  wards,  that  portion  east  of 
James  street  being  the  First  ward  ;  and  west  of  James  street  and  south 
of  Liberty  the  Second  ward  ;  and  west  of  James  and  north  of  Liberty 
street  the  Third  ward.  The  village  was  governed  by  five  trustees  until 
1832,  after  which  three  trustees  were  elected  for  each  of  the  three  wards, 
over  whom  was  chosen  a  president.  The  presidents  from  that  time  until 
the  organization  of  the  city  were  as  follows  : 

1853,  Alanson  Bennett;  1854,  B.  J.  Beach;  1855,  Marquis  L.  Kenyon ;  1856-63, 
George  Barnard;  1864,  David  Utley;  1875,  E.  B.  Armstrong;  1866,  George  Barnard, 
jr. ;  1867  and  1868,  James  Stevens;  1869,  Edward  L.  Stevens. 

Rome  was  incorporated  as  a  city  under  an  act  passed  February  23, 
1870.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  mayors  elected  from  that  time  un- 
til the  present : 

1870.  Calvert  Comstock;  1871  to  1874  George  Merrill;  1875  and  1876,  Samuel  B. 
Stevens;  1877  and  1878,  Edward  L.  Stevens;  1879  and  1880,  George  Barnard;  1881 
and  1882,  Edward  L.  Comstock;  1883  and  1884,  Frederick  E.  Mitchell;  1885  and 
1886,  Edward  Comstock;  1887  to  1890.  James  Stevens;  1891  and  1892,  E.  Stuart 
Williams;  1893  and  1894,  Samuel  Jillett;  1895  and  1896,  W.  J.  P.  Kingsley. 

Following  are  the  principal  ofificers  of  the  city  for  the  year  1896: 

W.  J.  P.  Kingsley,  mayor;  Charles  Carmichael,  recorder.  Aldermen:  First  Ward, 
Edward  H.  Walworth,  Adelbert  F.  Sajies,  James  H.  McLean;  Second  Ward,  George 
M.  McLaughlin,  Joseph  Reh,  Frederick  Lewis;  Third  Ward,  Alois  Mertz,  James  H. 
Grogan,  William  J.  Cramond;  Fourth  Ward,  George  Erhardt,  Henry  S.  Wetherbee, 
Charles  T.  Hayden  ;  Fifth  Ward,  Lyman  A.  Martin,  Oswald  P.  Backus,  Abram  W. 
Honsinger. 

The  earliest  religious  society  in  Rome  was  organized  in  Wright  Set- 
tlement at  a  meeting  held  September  28,  1800,  though  a  preliminary 
meeting  was  held  a  few  days  earlier  at  which  four  persons  signed  a  con- 
fession of  faith  ;  they  were  Joshua  Hathaway,  Ebenezer  Wright  and 
Grace,  his  wife,  and   Daniel  W.  Knight.      At  the  second   meeting  nine 


524  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

other  persons  were  added  to  the  roll.  The  little  society  prospered  and 
was  incorporated  in  January,  i8o2,  the  first  election  of  trustees  taking 
place  on  January  1 1,  resulting  as  follows:  Daniel  W.  Knight  and  John 
White,  one  year  ;  Benjamin  Wright  and  Oliver  Smith,  two  years  ;  Clark 
Putnam,  three  years.  The  title  chosen  was  "  The  First  Religious  Soci- 
ety of  Rome."  There  was  no  regular  pastor  over  the  society  for  the 
first  six  years  of  its  existence,  but  services  were  held  frequently,  as 
shown  by  different  subscription  lists  for  the  payment  of  ministers.  In 
October,  1807,  Rev.  Moses  Gillett  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church, 
after  which  year  the  pulpit  was  regularly  occupied.  Down  to  that  time 
services  had  been  mostly  held  in  the  school  house  on  the  park.  In  De- 
cember, 1806,  a  subscription  was  started  to  raise  money  with  which  to 
build  a  church  edifice.  A  sufficient  fund  having  thus  been  assured  a 
lot  was  purchased  for  $180  on  Court  street,  and  there  the  church  was 
erected.  In  January,  1831,  a  second  church  was  organized,  which  was 
united  with  the  first  one  in  June,  1847.  The  building  of  the  second 
society  stood  on  Washington  street  and  was  sold  to  the  Welsh  Metho- 
dists. Rev.  Dr.  James  H.  Taylor,  the  present  pastor  of  this  society, 
succeeded  Rev.  Peter  Stryker,  D.  D. 

The  Baptist  church  was  organized  at  Wright  Settlement  in  December, 
18 10,  with  seventeen  members,  and  Elder  Dyer  Starks  was  the  first 
pastor.  The  corner  stone  of  the  present  church  edifice  was  laid  Sep- 
tember 13,  1826,  and  the  present  handsome  stone  edifice  was  erected 
in  1872-3.  In  1870  Rev.  H.  H.  Peabody  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the 
church  and  has  occupied  the  pulpit  ever  since. 

Zion  Episcopal  church  was  organized  August  15,  1825,  and  Rev. 
Algernon  S.  Hollister  took  charge  of  the  little  flock.  The  lower  story 
of  Masonic  Hall,  corner  of  Washington  and  Liberty  streets,  was  leased 
for  eight  years  and  there  services  were  held.  This  lodge  room  was 
purchased  by  the  church  in  1833  and  enlarged  and  fitted  up  for  church 
purposes.  It  was  occupied  until  185  i.  In  1850  the  lot  on  the  corner 
of  Liberty  and  Washington  streets  was  purchased  and  there  on  Sep- 
tember 5,  1850,  the  corner  stone  of  the  present  church  edifice  was  laid; 
the  building  was  consecrated  in  September,  185  i.  The  building  was 
enlarged  in  1867.  In  1885  a  handsome  stone  memorial  hall  was  erected 
to  the  memory  of  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke.  The  latter  was  succeeded  Febru- 
ary  i,  1881,  by  John  H.  Egar,  the  present  pastor. 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  525 

St.  Peter's  Catholic  Church  was  organized  and  the  building  of  the  old 
edifice  begun  in  1838;  the  structure  was  completed  in  1840,  under  the 
labors  of  Rev.  Father  William  Beecham  He  remained  with  the  church 
more  than  forty  years  and  until  his  death  in  March,  1876.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Father  A.  Murphy,  and  still  continues.  In  1893  was 
commenced  the  erection  of  the  magnificent  stone  edifice  on  James 
street,  which  is  to  cost  $150,000. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  church. — German  Catholic  priests  came  to  Rome 
in  1845  snd  after  two  years'  labor  took  steps  toward  the  erection  of  a 
church.  In  1848  a  wooden  building  was  erected  on  th;  corner  of 
James  and  De  Peyster  streets.  The  first  resident  pastor  was  Rev, 
Florian  Schwenninger.  On  May  18,  1871,  the  corner  stone  of  a  brick 
church  was  laid  on  the  lot  on  the  north  side  of  Liberty  street ;  this 
building  cost  over  $20,000. 

First  M.  E.  church — The  first  Methodist  class  formed  in  Rome  was  in 
1799  on  the  Turin  road  three  miles  north  of  the  village.  The  first 
preacher  here  was  Rev.  Jonathan  Newman,  who  came  about  1791.  In 
1803  the  class  moved  over  to  the  Ridge  and  joined  with  the  Methodists 
there  in  worship.  In  Rome  village  a  class  was  formed  prior  to  1820, 
and  worshiped  in  a  school  room  in  the  American  block.  In  1824  a 
church  building  was  begun  near  the  court  house,  which  was  finally  and 
after  great  effort  completed  in  1829.  It  was  enlarged  in  1850  and  there 
the  society  worshiped  forty  years  The  present  brick  edifice  was  com- 
pleted in  September,  1869,  at  a  cost  of  about  $45,000.  The  first  trus- 
tees of  this  society  were  Oliver  Greenwood,  Preston  H.  Grover,  Joshua 
Hathaway,  Stephen  White,  George  Walsworth,  Jeremiah  Steves,  and 
William  Penfield.      The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  David  S.  Pierce, 

The  Liberty  Street  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1863,  as  the 
Court  Street  church,  with  Rev,  P.  H.  Wilds,  pastor.  In  1879  the 
church  property  on  Court  street  was  exchanged  with  the  Welch  Con- 
gregationalists  for  their  Liberty  street  property, 

A  Free  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  about  1870,  and  occupied 
a  building  on  Embargo  street. 

The  Welch  Calvinistic  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1847  ^"d 
formerly  occupied  a  frame  building  which  had  been  used  by  the  Second 
Congregational  Society.  A  few  years  since  a  brick  edifice  was  erected 
on  North  Washington  street. 


526  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

St.  Joseph's  Protestant  Episcopal  (German)  church  was  organized  by 
the  German  famihes  h'ving  in  Canal  Village  in  1840,  under  the  name  of 
St.  Mary's  church  and  purchased  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  James  and  De 
Peyster  streets.  Owing  to  internal  differences  over  a  site  for  a  new 
church  another  society  was  organized  in  1871  called  St  Joseph's.  A 
site  on  Ridge  street  was  purchased  in  April  of  that  year  and  the  pres- 
ent brick  edifice  built  under  the  administration  of  the  present  pastor, 
Rev.  Bernhardt  Werner.  In  December,  1876,  the  congregation  trans- 
ferred their  allegiance  from  the  Roman  Catholic  to  the  Protestant  form. 

Trinity  German  Lutheran  church  was  organized  in  1848,  and  the 
church  edifice  erected  in  1853.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Mr.  Wetzel. 
In  the  spring  of    1893  the  church  was  rebuilt  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,400. 

St.  John's  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  was  organized  in  1869,  and 
soon  erected  their  frame  church  building  on  North  Madison  street. 
Rev.  Charles  A.  Wiegel  has  been  pastor  for  twenty  years  past. 

The  Welsh  Congregational  church  has  been  alluded  to  in  mentioning 
the  Court  Street  M  E.  church.  The  organization  was  effected  and 
the  exchange  made  for  the  Court  street  property  in  1879.  Rev.  M.  M. 
Hughes  is  pastor  and  services  are  held  in  Welsh  and  English. 

The  First  Universalist  church  was  organized  about  1837  and  long 
held  meetings  in  the  court  house.  In  1851  the  Masonic  hall,  which  had 
been  fitted  for  church  purposes  by  the  Episcopalians,  was  purchased. 
Regular  preaching  has  not  always  been  maintained. 

The  first  public  school  house  in  Rome  was  built  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  park,  and  in  it  were  held  some  of  the  early  courts,  as  re- 
lated in  Volume  I,  That  building  was  used  for  school  purposes  until 
about  1 8 19,  when  it  was  removed  and  a  frame  school  house  erected  on 
the  site  of  Zion  church.  This  was  burned  some  years  later  and  the 
Liberty  street  school  succeeded  it.  The  first  schools  outside  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Rome  were  in  the  Wright  neighborhood,  where  a  log  school 
house  was  built  prior  to  1 800.  About  18 16  another  school  house  was 
built  on  Penny  street.  Shadrach  Hathaway  was  the  first  teacher,  as 
far  as  known,  in  the  old  school  house  in  the  park,  within  the  walls  of 
which  a  number  of  scholars  attended  who  afterwards  became  eminent 
men. 

There  is  no  available  data  from  which  to  compile  a  detailed  history  of 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  527 

the  schools  of  Rome  from  about  1820  down  to  the  incorporation  of  the 
Rome  Academy.  This  institution  was  founded  in  1835  and  was  re- 
incorporated by  the  Regents  of  the  University  March  15,  1849.  The 
three  story  brick  structure  was  built  in  1849,  ^"d  is  still  in  use.  In 
1850  the  Liberty  street  school  building  was  erected.  This  building  was 
extensively  improved  and  enlarged  in  1891.  In  1853  an  appropriation 
of  $300  was  made  for  the  improvement  of  the  school  building  in  Canal 
Village,  which  had  been  meanwhile  erected.  The  present  building, 
corner  of  Ridge  and  James  streets,  was  built  in  1868. 

The  free  school  system  was  not  adopted  in  Rome  until  1869,  although 
efforts  were  made  on  several  occasions  in  earlier  years,  beginning  with 
1 86 1.  The  change  was  finally  effected  under  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  July  3,  1869: 

Resol^ied,  That  a  Union  Free  School  be  established  within  the  bounds  of  school 
district  No.  5  in  the  town  of  Rome,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  chapter  555  of  the 
laws  of  18G4,  and  the  amendments  thereto. 

The  old  academy  was  adopted  as  the  academical  department  of  this 
district,  and  the  property  was  transferred  to  the  Board  of  Education. 
The  academy  opened  in  1869  with  ninety  seven  pupils. 

In  1870  the  Liberty  street  school  was  thoroughly  repaired,  and  in 
September  the  second  and  first  floors  were  occupied,  the  third  floor 
having  been  abandoned  as  dangerous.  In  1891  the  building  was  again 
improved  and  the  top  floor  fitted  up  and  occupied  by  the  7th  and  8th 
grade  scholars ;  a  fire  proof  tower  was  erected  by  which  to  reach  this 
floor. 

In  January,  1871,  the  Thomas  street  building  was  first  occupied  ;  it 
was  erected  in  the  previous  year.  In  1872  the  academy  was  thoroughly 
repaired  and  the  seating  capacity  increased  to  200.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  a  reorganization  was  effected  and  the  advanced  pupils  of  the  Lib- 
erty street  school  were  transferred  to    the  academy. 

In  1874  a  site  was  purchased  on  the  east  side  of  South  James  street, 
on  which  was  a  building  which  was  remodeled  in  the  interior  and  fitted 
up  for  school  purposes.  It  was  opened  with  a  school  in  the  fall  of  1874. 
In  January,  1875,  the  new  school  building  on  Third  street  in  East  Rome 
was  opened  and  the  old  one  on  Dominick  street  was  transferred  to  the 
Common    Council  for  fire  purposes.       In    1876    the  building  in  West 


52,S  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Rome  was  repaired  and  improved,  and  the  capacity  imcreased  to  eighty 
pupils  In  1890  a  lot  and  dwelling  were  purchased  on  South  James 
street  in  which  a  school  was  opened. 

The  present  superintendent  of  schools  is  W.  D.  Manro,  who  assumed 
the  office  August  I,  1893.  The  Board  of  Education  is  Dr.  T.  M.  Flan- 
drau,  Edward  Comstock,  William  R.  Huntington,  Albert  H  Golley, 
Jerome  Graves,  William  H.  Van  Wagenen. 

A  fire  engine  was  purchased  for  the  village  probably  in  the  early 
years  of  the  century,  but  the  exact  date  is  lost  in  the  past.  A  second 
one  was  bought  in  1825.  and  on  the  6th  of  June  of  that  year  the  trus- 
tees of  the  village  appointed  twenty  citizens  members  of  a  fire  company. 
Fire  company  No  2  was  formed  in  May,  1827,  comprising  fourteen 
members,  to  which  were  added  twelve  more  in  August.  The  Rome 
fire  department  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  April  12,  1855. 
In  1866  the  first  steam  fire  engine  was  purchased  which  cost,  with  a 
large  supply  of  hose,  etc.,  about  $8,000.  lu  1867  a  second  steamer 
was  purchased.  The  first  of  these  was  sold  to  the  Rome  locomotive 
works  and  in  May,  1884,  a  new  steamer  was  purchased  at  a  cost  of 
$3,400.  In  April,  1896,  the  other  old  engine  was  traded  for  a  new 
Clapp  &  Jones  steamer.  The  fire  and  police  commissioners  for  1896 
are  Thomas  G.  Nock,  Willey  L.  Kingsley,  Howard  C.  Wiggins,  T.  J. 
Mowry.  Leonard  Briggs  is  acting  chief  of  the  fire  department,  and 
Michael  Hagerty  is  chief  of  police. 

The  Rome  water  works  were  established  in  1872  and  are  owned  by 
the  city,  bonds  having  been  issued  to  the  amount  of  about  $172,000  for 
the  purpose.  The  plant  comprises  two  horizontal,  double  action  pumps, 
with  a  capacity  of  eighty-four  gallons  per  revolution.  The  usual  press- 
ure is  about  fifty  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  but  this  can  be  greatly  in- 
creased. The  water  is  elevated  sixty-  five  feet  into  a  reservoir  twenty-  one 
feet  deep  and  297  feet  in  diameter,  with  capacity  of  9,000,000  gallons. 
There  are  now  about  2,000  consumers,  and  the  pressure  is  such  that  there 
is  very  little  need  for  fire  engines.  The  water  works  are  in  charge  of  the 
Water  and  Sewerage  Commission,  comprising  in  1896,  W.J.  P.  Kings- 
ley,  ex-officio,  chairman,  John  S.  Baker,  H.  S.  Bedell,  A.  R.  Kessinger, 
and  J.  S.  Haselton.      H.  S.  Wetherbee  is  superintendent. 

A  sewer  system  has  been  inaugurated   during  the  past  year,  under 


THE  TOWN  OF  ROME.  529 

a  law  passed   in  1893   authorizing  the  issue  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$240,000. 

The  post-office  in  Rome  was  established  about  1798,  with  Matthew 
Brown,  jr.,  postmaster.  He  was  succeeded  by  Joshua  Hathaway  in 
1 8 10,  who  held  the  office  until  his  death  in  1836.  His  son,  Jay  Hatha- 
way, then  took  the  office  until  1849,  when  R.  G.  Savery  was  appointed. 
He  was  succeeded  in  1852  by  A.  J.  Rowley,  who  was  followed  in  1857 
by  Daniel  E.  Wager.  E.  H.  Shelley  succeeded  him  in  1861,  who  was 
displaced  in  1866  by  S.  P.  Lewis.  Mr.  Shelley  was  re-appointed  in 
1867,  and  was  succeeded  in  1870  by  B.  Whitman  Williams.  The  next 
postmaster  was  S.  M.  Palmer,  who  was  succeeded  by  James  D.  Corcoran, 
and  he  by  William  E.  Scripture.  The  present  official  is  Charles  H. 
Dunning,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Scripture,  December  i,  1893. 

Rome  has  in  the  past  possessed  excellent  and  liberal  banking  facilities. 
The  oldest  bank  now  in  existence  is  the  First  National,  which  was  in- 
corporated as  the  Rome  lixchange  Bank  in  i85l,and  began  business  in 
August  of  that  year  with  R.  B.  Doxtater,  president,  and  F.  H.  Thomas, 
cashier.  It  was  organized  as  a  national  bank  in  1865,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  J.  G.  Bissell  has  been  president  since  1889;  William  R, 
Huntington,  vice-president. 

The  Central  National  Bank  was  organized  in  1854  as  the  Oneida  Cen- 
tral Bank,  and  changed  to  a  national  bank  in  1865,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  It  failed  in  December,  1894,  and  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Jim 
Stevens,  receiver. 

The  old  bank  of  Rome  flourished  many  years  prior  to  1863,  when  its 
charter  expired  and  its  affairs  were  closed  up.  The  present  Bank  of 
Rome  was  organized  under  the  State  law  in  1875,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  W.J.  P.  Kingsley  was  elected  president  and  still  holds  the 
office.  R.  M.  Bingham,  the  first  vice-president,  was  succeeded  by  Ed- 
ward Comstock.      Samuel  Wardwell  is  cashier. 

The  Fort  Stanwix  National  Bank  was  organized  as  a  State  bank  in 
1847,  and  began  business  with  David  Utley,  president  ;  W.  W.  Nellis, 
cashier  ;  H.  G.  Utley,  teller.  It  was  changed  to  a  national  bank  in  1865 
and  after  a  long  and  honorable  career,  was  wrecked  early  in  1896, 
through  bad  management  of  its  president,  George  Barnard.  Its  affairs 
are  being  closed  up  while  this  work  is  in  press. 
67 


530  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Rome  Savings  Bank  was  organized  in  185 1,  and  has  enjoyed 
pubHc  confidence  and  support  ever  since.  Henry  Braton  was  the  first 
president;  Andrew  C.  Betts,  vice-president ;  B.  J.  Beach,  secretary; 
Henry  D.  Spencer,  the  present  president,  was  elected  in  1891  ;  Wheeler 
Armstrong,  first  vice- president ;  A.  P.  Fuller,  second  vice-president; 
C.  F.  Barnard,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  Oneida  County  Savings  Bank  was  organized  on  May  i,  1869, 
with  Samuel  B.  Stevens,  president ;  Alfred  Ethridge,  vice-president; 
G.  Harrison  Lynch,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  first  chief  officers 
are  Owen  E.  Owens,  president ;  T.  D.  Roberts,  first  vice  president ; 
F.  L.  Roth,  second  vice-president  ;  John  R.  Edwards,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 

The  first  newspaper  in  Rome  was  the  Columbian  Patriotic  Gazette, 
which  was  established  in  1799,  the  first  number  bearing  date  August 
17;  its  founders  were  Thomas  Walker  and  Ebenezer  Eaton.  The  latter 
left  the  paper  early  in  1800  and  Mr.  Walker  continued  the  publication 
until  1804,  when  he  removed  it  to  Utica.      (See  history  of  Utica.) 

The  second  paper  in  Rome  was  the  Oneida  Observer,  which  was 
founded  by  E.  Dorchester  in  18 18.  He  removed  hither  from  Utica, 
where  he  was  publishing  the  Utica  Observer.  In  1819  he  returned 
with  his  paper  to  Utica,  and  continued  its  publication  there. 

The  Rome  Sentinel,  one  of  the  best  of  the  interior  journals  of  this 
State,  dates  its  ancestry  back  to  the  Rome  Republican,  which  was  first 
published  in  February,  1825,  by  Lorin  Dewey.  In  June,  1828,  a  paper 
called  The  Republican  was  started  by  J.  P.  Van  Tice.  who  later  changed 
its  name  to  the  Oneida  Republican.  In  1830  these  two  papers  were 
consolidated,  and  in  1831  E,  Moon  became  the  proprietor  and  changed 
the  name  to  the  Rome  Telegraph.  After  several  changes  in  ownership 
it  passed  to  R.  W^albyin  1838  who  changed  its  name  to  the  Democratic 
Sentinel,  and  Calvert  Comstock  was  made  editor.  In  1840  L.  D.  Dana 
became  editor,  and  in  1845  H.  F.  Utley  and  S.  W.  Morton  became 
owners  and  changed  the  name  to  the  Rome  Sentinel.  In  September, 
1846,  Mr.  Morton  sold  his  share  to  A.  J.  Rowley,  and  in  1847  Mr. 
Utley  sold  his  interest  to  A.  J.  Rowley  &  Co.  ;  the  company  was  Cal- 
vert Comstock,  and  the  editor  was  Elon  Comstock.  In  1850  Mr.  Rowley 
became  sole   proprietor,      On   July    15,    1852,  the    Daily  Sentinel   was 


THE  TOYvN  OF  ROME.  531 

started  by  Calvert  and  Elon  Comstock.  In  October,  1854,  C.  &  E. 
Comstock  sold  half  of  the  establishment  to  D.  E,  Wager  and  D.  C.  Row- 
ley. In  July.  1 86 1,  Wood  &  Larwill  became  owners  of  the  establish- 
ment, and  continued  until  December,  1863,  when  it  passed  to  Warren 
&  Beers.  In  June,  1864,  the  concern  became  the  property  of  Franklin 
D.  Beers  and  Augustus  C.  Kessinger,  who  have  successfully  conducted 
it  for  more  than  thirty  years.  The  papers  are  Democratic  in  politics 
and  leaders  of  the  party  in  this  section. 

In  July,  1835,  a  newspaper  was  established  at  Vernon,  Oneida  county, 
called  the  Vernon  Courier.  In  1840  it  was  removed  to  Rome,  and  its 
name  changed  to  the  Roman  Citizen,  C.  B.  Gay  editor,  and  H.  N.  Bill 
proprietor.  J.  K.  Kenyon,  J.  P.  Fitch,  Alfred  Sandford,  George  Scott, 
G.  H.  Lynch,  A.  D.  Griswold,  and  A.  C.  Sandford  were  successively  in- 
terested in  its  publication.  In  October,  1854,  A.  Sandford  became  sole 
proprietor.  In  1855  ^^e  office  was  burned,  but  Mr.  Sandford  soon  after 
resumed  publication.  In  1866  E.  E.  Carr  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
paper,  and  the  firm  of  Sandford  &  Carr  continued  until  February,  1884, 
when  the  veteran  Mr.  Sandford  sold  his  interest  to  Ernest  E.  Byam,  who 
continued  asCarr&Byam.  In  June,  1887,  Mr.Carr  sold  out  to  Clark  Briggs. 
The  firm  of  Byam  &  Briggs  continued  to  January  i,  1896,  when  Mr. 
Briggs  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  has  since  continued  sole  pro- 
prietor. The  Citizen  is  Republican  in  politics  and  exerts  a  powerful 
influence  in  its  district. 

The  Rome  Republican  was  founded  by  J.  J.  Guernsey  in  188 1,  as  a 
weekly  Republican  newspaper.  It  was  successful  under  the  energetic 
management  of  its  proprietor  and  in  1895  a  tri- weekly  issue  was  estab- 
lished. E.  E.  Pavey  acted  as  editor  in  association  with  Mr.  Guernsey 
until  April,  1896,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  M.  Burke, 

The  Harness  Gazette  is  a  very  successful  trade  journal  which  is  pub- 
lished monthly  by  T.  J.  Mowry.  It  was  founded  in  1886,  by  T.  J. 
Mowry  and  H.  B.  Maxwell.  January  i,  1889,  the  Harness  Gazette 
Company  was  incorporated,  the  entire  stock  being  held  by  Mr.  Mowry. 

Rome  has  acquired  a  fair  reputation  as  a  manufacturing  center  and 
has  now  in  successful  operation  within  her  borders  several  very  impor- 
tant industries.  The  Rome  Brass  and  Copper  Company  is  in  a  sense 
the  successor  of  the  Rome  Iron  Works,  which  company  was  established 


532  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  1866.  In  1878  the  manufacture  of  brass  was  taken  up  and  in  1887 
the  working  of  copper  was  begun.  The  name  of  the  company  was 
changed  to  its  present  title  in  October,  1891,  with  S.  O.  Scudder,  presi- 
dent ;  William  R.  Huntington,  vice-president ;  J.  S.  Haselton,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Scudder,  Mr.  Huntington  was 
made  president  and  W.  J.  P.  Kingsley,  vice  president.  Nearly  400 
hands  are  employed  in  making  brass,  copper  and  German  silver  sheets, 
wire,  rods,  tubes,  etc. 

The  Rome  Merchant  Iron  Mill  was  founded  in  1870,  with  John  B. 
Jarvis,  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  1886  a  reorganization  was  effected 
under  the  present  name  and  management.  The  output  of  the  mill  is 
about  12,000  tons  of  merchant  iron  annually.  Jim  Stevens  is  president ; 
Samuel  B.-  Stevens,  vice-president ;  Charles  W.  Lee,  secretary  and 
treasurer  ;   Samuel  Southall,  superintendent. 

The  New  York  Locomotive  Works  were  founded  in  1881  and  a  large 
business  was  carried  on  until  1892,  when  the  general  depression  and 
other  causes  led  to  the  placing  of  the  works  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver. 
In  1893  a  reorganization  was  effected  under  the  name  of  The  Rome 
Locomotive  and  Machine  Works,  with  Thomas  H.  Stryker,  president ; 
William  B.  Isham,  vice-president;  Edward  Comstock,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  capital  was  placed  at  $150,000  in  stock  and  the  same 
sum  in  first  mortgage  bonds  ;  these  bonds  have  been  reduced  since  to 
$75,000.  The  establishment  is  still  in  the  receiver's  hands,  but  its 
affairs  are  being  rapidly  put  in  shape  for  future  large  operations. 

Other  Rome  industries  which  have  been  instrumental  in  adding  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  place  are  the  works  of  R.  M.  Wilson,  manufacturer  of 
solid  copper  bath  tubs,  tanks,  closets,  etc.,  established  in  1891^  The 
Adams  foundry  and  machine  shops,  established  in  1835  ;  the  factories 
of  the  Rome  Textile  Company  and  the  Rome  Steam  Knitting  Mills. 
The  cot,  crib  and  chair  factory  of  Carpenter  &  Dyett,  established  in 
1886. 

There  are  post-offices  in  the  town  of  Rome  at  Ridge  Mills,  the  set- 
tlement of  which  has  been  described  ;  at  Green's  Corners,  about  three 
miles  west  of  Rome  city,  and  at  Stanwix,  on  the  Erie  Canal  east  of 
Rome.  There  has  been  a  little  mercantile  business  conducted  at  these 
points,  and  a  few  shops,  but  most  of  the  trade  in  late  years  is  diverted 
to  Rome. 


J.  S.  HASELTON. 


THE  TOWN  OF  SANGERFIELD.  533 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town  from  1797  to 
the  incorporation  of  the  city  : 

1797,  Abijah  Putnam;  1798  to  1801,  Thomas  Gilbert;  1802,  Clark  Putnam;  1803, 
Henry  Huntington;  1804,  George  Huntington;  1805,  Clark  Putnam;  1806-7,  Thomas 
Gilbert;  1808,  Samuel  Dill;  1809,  Henry  Huntington;  1810-11,  Samuel  Dill;  1812-13, 
Bill  Smith;  1814,  George  Huntington;  1815-16,  Wheeler  Barnes;  1817,  George  Hunt- 
ington; 1818-20,  Samuel  Beardsley;  1821-22,  Rufus  Barnes;  1823-26,  Jay  Hathaway ; 
1827-28,  George  Brown;  1829-30,  Henry  A.  Foster;  1831-32,  Numa  Leonard;  1833- 
34,  Henry  A.  Foster;  1835-36,  Jesse  Armstrong ;  1837-38,  Harold  H.  Pope;  1839-40, 
James  Merrill;  1841-42,  Adam  Van  Patten;  1843-44,  Enoch  B.  Armstrong;  1845-46, 
Giles  Hawley;  1847,  JohnNiles;  1848-49,  Alfred  Ethridge;  1850,  Allen  Briggs;  1851, 
Benjamin  N.  Huntington;  1852-53,  Stephen  Van  Dresar;  1854,  Bradford  C.  Dean; 
1855-58,  Giles  Hawley;  1859-60,  Alfred  Ethridge;  1861-68,  Giles  Hawley;  1869, 
Enoch  B.  Armstrong. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  TOWN  OF  SANGERFIELD. 

This  is  one  of  the  two  southernmost  towns  in  Oneida  county,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  west  and  south  by  Madison  county.  It  was  formed 
from  Paris  March  5,  1795,  and  originally  included  what  is  now  Bridge- 
water,  which  was  set  off  March  24,  1797.  Sangerfield  remained  a  part 
of  Chenango  county  until  April  4,  1804.  It  includes  a  greater  part  of 
what  was  township  No.  20  of  tiie  Chenango  "  Twenty  Towns."  The 
surface  is  mainly  a  hilly  upland  rising  from  700  to  800  feet  above  the 
Mohawk.  It  is  watered  by  the  east  branch  of  the  Oriskany  and  the 
west  branch  of  the  Chenango  Creeks.  Along  the  latter  stream  is  what 
is  known  as  the  Great  Swamp,  extending  from  near  Waterville  to  the 
southern  border  of  the  town,  and  averaging  a  mile  or  more  in  width. 
Much  of  this  has  been  cleared  of  its  forest,  drained,  and  converted  into 
meadow.  The  soil  of  the  valleys  is  a  rich  alluvium  and  on  the  hills  is  a 
gravelly  loam.  For  many  years  this  town  has  been  noted  for  its  large 
acreage  of  hops.  In  the  year  1882  the  price  of  hops  exceeded  a  dollar 
a  pound.  While  this  brought  comparative  wealth  to  many  of  the  in- 
habitants, it   was    in   the    main    disastrous;   producers   thereafter  based 


534  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

their  calculations  to  a  large  extent  upon  a  continuance  of  such  prices, 
and  when  they  were  forced  to  sell  in  later  years  for  a  fraction  of  that 
sum,  much  financial  distress  was  caused.  It  is  stated  that  at  one  time 
there  was  only  one  farm  in  the  town  that  was  not  to  a  greater  or  lesser 
extent  devoted  to  hop  growing.  Under  the  depression  and  low  prices 
of  the  past  three  years  the  acreage  has  been  considerably  reduced  The 
town  has  been  noted  for  the  proportionately  large  number  of  noted  men 
in  political,  educational  and  business  life  that  have  left  its  borders. 

This  town  was  surveyed  under  a  law  of  February,  1789,  and  within 
the  next  two  years  it  was  purchased  of  the  State  upon  speculation, 
chiefly  by  Jedediah  Sanger  (from  whom  it  takes  its  name),  Michael 
Myers,  and  John  J.  Morgan  ;  large  parts  of  it  were  subsequently  leased 
in  perpetuity.  The  price  paid  for  the  purchase  was  a  little  over  three 
shillings  per  acre. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  April  7,  1795,  and  the  following 
officers  elected  : 

Supervisor,  David  Morton;  town  clerk,  Thomas  Brown;  assessors,  Joseph  Farwell, 
Daniel  Brown,  and  Ezra  Parker;  con.stables  and  collectors,  Jonathan  Porter  and 
David  Chapin ;  overseers  of  the  poor,  Oliver  Norton  and  Thomas  Converse;  com- 
missioners of  highways,  Timothy  White,  Saul  Smith,  and  Oliver  Norton ;  pathmas- 
ters,  Jonathan  Palmer,  Eldad  Corbet,  John  W.  Brown,  James  Kenny,  Eri  Brooks, 
Philip  King,  Asahel  Hunt,  Jesse  Ives,  Roger  W.  Steele,  John  Phillips,  Thomas 
Stephens,  Oliver  Eagur,  Zerah  Phelps,  Joel  Blair,  Solomon  Williams,  Benjamin 
White,  John  Stone,  Joseph  Putney,  Moses  Bush,  Elias  Montgomery,  and  Thomas 
Hale;  fence-viewers,  Ezra  Parker,  Joel  Blair,  Nathan  Ciurney,  Uri  Brooks,  and  David 
Norton,  esq. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  town  was  begun  by  Zerah  Phelps,  who  in 
the  fall  of  1 79 1  sent  a  hired  man  to  build  a  log  house  on  lot  42,  of 
which  he  had  previously  become  the  owner.  This  house  stood  about 
a  mile  northeast  of  Sangerfield  Center.  Mr.  Phelps  was  from  Green- 
woods, Mass.  About  the  ist  of  March,  1792,  Mini  vera  xHale  and  his 
wife,  and  Nathan  Gurney  and  his  wife  and  babe  moved  into  the  town 
from  New  Hartford.  They  brought  in  oxen  and  the  snow  being  very 
deep,  their  journey  in  some  parts  was  a  very  difficult  one.  They  were 
a  whole  day  making  the  last  four  miles,  driving  the  oxen  tandem.  Mr. 
Hale  had  bought  land  adjoining  Mr.  Phelps,  and  Mr.  Gurney  bought 
lot  40,  on  the  site  of  Waterville  village;  a  part  of  this  lot  was  later 
owed  by  Aaron  Stafford.     They   passed  a  few   weeks   in    the  house  of 


THE  TOWN  OF  SANGERFIELD.  535 

Mr.  Phelps,  until  their  own  log  dwellings  could  be  erected.  In  the 
month  of  April  following  Benjamin  White  settled  on  a  part  of  lots  30 
and  40,  the  farm  that  was  later  occupied  by  Amos  Osborn.  A  number 
of  other  pioneers  came  in  that  year.  Phineas  Owen  and  Nathan  Gur- 
ney's  father  settled  on  lot  40;  other  arrivals  were  Sylvanus  Dyer,  Asa- 
hel  Bellows,  Nathaniel  Ford,  Henry  Knowlton,  Jonathan  Stratton,  and 
a  Mr.  Clark.  Mr,  Clark  had  aided  in  surveying  the  town  in  1789. 
These  settlers  met  with  disaster  the  first  year  through  a  heavy  frost 
which  destroyed  their  corn  crop,  and  also  served  to  keep  away  other 
settlers.  According  to  the  Jones  Annals,  Mr.  Clark  had  his  leg  crushed 
by  a  falling  tree  in  May,  1792,  and  Mr.  Hale  started  in  quest  of  a  phy- 
sician. He  found  Dr.  Guiteau  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  and  returned  with 
him  over  the  long  journey;  but  the  doctor  would  not  treat  the  injury 
without  other  medical  aid,  and  Dr.  Petrie,  at  Herkimer,  was  sent  for. 
These  two,  with  Dr.  Elmer,  of  Paris,  amputated  the  injured  limb.  It 
was  an  example  of  the  privation  and  danger  under  which  many  pio- 
neers lived  on  account  of  their  distance  from  medical  aid  and  the  absence 
of  roads  In  July,  1792,  a  daughter  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phelps, 
which  was  the  first  birth  of  a  white  child  in  town.  The  Phelps  family 
soon  removed  to  Batavia.  The  first  male  child  born  was  a  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hale,  named  Seneca,  born  January  20,  1793. 

On  February  9,  1793,  Col.  David  Norton  and  his  family  arrived  in 
town  from  Arlington,  Vt.,  and  he  became  a  leading  citizen.  He  was 
the  first  supervisor,  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  the  first  captain  of 
militia  in  the  town  and  later  a  colonel,  and  the  first  postmaster  after  the 
office  was  removed  to  the  Center.  He  was  foremost  in  all  good  works. 
His  daughter  Hannah  married  Sylvanus  Dyer,  which  was  the  first  wed- 
ding in  the  town  ;   the  date  was  October  30,  1793. 

With  better  crops  and  prospects  in  1793,  the  following  year  (1794) 
saw  a  considerable  influx  of  settlers.  Daniel  Brown,  Saul  Smith, 
Thomas  King,  Daniel  King,  Solomon  Williams,  Samuel  Williams,  Jus- 
tus and  Ebenezer  Hale,  and  Benjamin  Dewey  were  among  the  new 
comers.  In  the  same  year  the  two  Hales  opened  the  first  store  in  the 
town  in  their  dwelling  house,  and  were  also  the  first  to  furnish  accom- 
modations to  travelers.  Ebenezer  Hale  built  the  second  frame  house  in 
the  town,  Zera  Phelps  having  erected  the  first  one.      In  the  summer  of 


536  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1794  Polly  Dyer  taught  the  first  school  in  Colonel  Norton's  house.  In 
the  following  year  the  sum  of  the  school  money  appropriated  to  this 
town  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Herkimer  county  was  forty-five 
pounds.      Schools  afterwards  multiplied   rapidly  as  their  need  was  felt. 

The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  Col.  Jedediah  Sanger,  as  before 
stated,  in  return  for  which  it  is  said  that  he  agreed  to  present  a  cask  of 
rum  at  the  first  town  meeting  and  fifty  acres  of  land  to  the  first  church 
denomination  which  should  first  build  a  house  of  worship.  Many  of 
the  first  settlers  desired  that  the  town  should  be  called  New  Lisbon, 
and  when  Sangerfield  was  chosen  they  manifested  their  displeasure  by 
applying  the  name  of  New  Lisbon  to  the  Congregational  society  which 
was  organized  soon  afterward,  thas  securing  Colonel  Sanger's  bounty 
for  a  church  bearing  the  rejected  title.  The  rum  was  duly  presented 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  land  each  given  to  the  Baptist  and  Congrega- 
tional societies  ;   these  tracts  were  part  of  lot  45. 

In  September,  1796,  Dr.  Stephen  Preston  came  into  the  town  as  the 
first  resident  physician.  He  practiced  here  more  than  thirty  years  and 
was  also  justice  of  the  peace  many  years.  Daniel  Eells,  sr.,  settled  in 
that  part  of  Sangerfield  now  included  in  Bridgewater  in  1796,  but  in 
the  following  year  removed  to  New  Hartford. 

^"  1793  Judge  Sanger  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  town  on  the  site  of 
Waterville,  and  in  the  following  year  Benjamin  White,  the  second  set- 
tler at  that  place,  built  the  second  mill.  In  1796  Mr.  White  built  the 
first  grist  mill,  long  known  as  White's  Mills.  Other  early  settlers  at 
Waterville  are  noticed  a  little  further  on. 

Among  the  prominent  farmers  of  past  years  were  John  Monroe,  Delos 
Terry,  Orin  Kellogg,  Philander  Havens,  Lyman  Jewett,  William  C. 
Conger,  Horace  Locke,  Jedediah  Sanger  and  others.  Other  leading 
farmers  are  G.  W.  Allen,  John  C.  Mason,  C.  B.  Mason,  Charles  H. 
Jewett,  S.  A.  Clark,  W.  Cary  Sanger,  Walter  J.  Bennett,  C.  L.  Terry, 
and  Charles  G.  Havens. 

Waterville  village  is  situated  on  the  northern  line  of  th.e  town  about 
one  fourth  of  its  territory  extending  into  the  town  of  Marshall.  It  early 
gave  indications  of  becoming  an  active  business  center.  The  mills 
which  have  been  mentioned  as  in  operation  there  before  the  beginning 
pf  the  present  century  drew  around   them   other  manufactures,  stores 


\ 


/: 


^^    .,^^^zC-t><^    - 


THE  TOWN  OF  SANGERFIELD.  537 

were  opened  and  progress  was  rapid.  The  settlement  of  Sylvanus 
Dyer  was  made  in  1799,  when  he  came  from  the  Center  and  opened 
the  first  store  in  a  house  at  the  west  end  of  the  village  and  also  kept  a 
tavern.  Two  men  named  Brown  and  Hewett,  who  had  kept  a  store  on 
the  road  to  Oriskany  Falls,  opened  a  store  here  in  1801,  and  Robert 
Benedict  established  the  third  one  soon  afterward. 

Amos  Osborn  came  from  Fairfield  county,  Conn.,  to  Waterville  in 
1802  and  built  the  first  distillery  in  the  place  near  White's  Mills.  He 
purchased  Mr.  White's  farm  in  18 10,  for  which  he  paid  $30  an  acre  ;  he 
afterwards  bought  a  second  farm  near  by,  paying  nine  gallons  of  gin 
per  acre.  Both  of  these  farms  were  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
village  corporation,  and  Mr.  White's  house  was  the  first  frame  dwelling 
erected  in  the  village.  Mr.  Osborn  operated  his  distillery  thirteen 
years. 

Justus  Tower  settled  in  Waterville  in  1802  and  built  a  house  and  a 
grist  mill.  In  1803  he  built  the  White  Mills  and  operated  both.  A 
freshet  in  April,  1804,  carried  away  all  the  dams  of  the  place,  and  Mr. 
Tower  and  John  J.  Williams.,  jr.,  were  drowned. 

The  Towers  were  from  the  town  of  Hingham,  Plymouth  county, 
Mass.,  and  first  located  in  the  town  of  Paris.  There  were  four  brothers 
— Jeduthan  (grandfather  of  Reuben  and  of  Charlemagne  Tower),  Jus- 
tus (father  of  Horace  D.  Tower),  John  and  Jotham.  John  Tower  was 
the  father  of  John  Tower,  at  one  time  proprietor  of  the  Clinton  House 
at  Clinton.  Jotham  was  the  youngest  of  twelve  children,  Justus  Tower 
was  but  thirty- seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  built  a 
store  in  Waterville,  and  after  his  death  Jotham  Tower  stocked  it  with 
goods,  repaired  the  grist  mill,  which  had  been  badly  damaged  by  the 
freshet,  and  carried  on  both  in  company  with  Justus  Tower's  widow. 
Horace  D.  Tower,  son  of  Justus,  lived  a  long  life  in  Waterville.  His 
younger  brother,  Henry  Tower,  was  for  some  years  in  the  distilling 
business  with  J  and  R.  Bacon,  merchants  of  the  place,  who  purchased 
the  stock  of  goods  left  by  Justus  Tower  at  his  decease,  and  carried  on 
the  store  for  thirty  years  or  more.  (See  biography  of  Reuben  Tower 
in  this  volume). 

The  post-office  at  Waterville  was  established  in  1806,  with  Amos 
Muzzy,  postmaster  ;  he  was  succeeded  by  Col.  John  Williams,  under 
68 


538  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

whose  administration  it  was  removed  to  the  Center,  a  httle  over  a  mile 
southward  ;  this  was  done  in  1808  and  the  name  changed  to  Sanger- 
field.  It  was  brought  back  and  opened  under  its  present  name  in  1823. 
Previous  to  that  time  the  place  had  been  locally  known  as  "  The 
Huddle."  In  1802  the  settlement  had  thirty-two  dwellings  and  about 
200  inhabitants.  From  that  time  forward  the  village  grew  rapidly. 
A  tannery  was  established  very  early  by  Col.  John  Williams,  who  was 
also  an  early  tavern  keeper.  Chauncey  Huell  afterwards  became  his 
partner  in  the  tannery  and  finally  purchased  it  and  began  boot  and  shoe- 
making  in  connection  with  it.  The  buisness  increased  in  later  years 
and  a  firm  was  formed  under  the  name  of  C.  Buell,  Son  &  Co.,  which 
employed  at  one  period  nearly  lOO  hands  and  sold  goods  at  wholesale 
over  a  wide  extent  of  territory.  Colonel  Williams,  who  started  this 
tannery,  also  established  an  earlier  one  in  the  southwest  part  of  the 
town. 

Amos  Osborn  established  a  distillery  in  1802,  and  several  others  were 
operated  for  a  time  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  but  generally  on  a 
small  scale.  The  one  just  mentioned  was  used  in  later  years  as  the 
Cold  Spring  Brewery.  The  latter  was  operated  until  1894  when  it  was 
abandoned. 

The  grist  mill  operated  in  recent  years,  was  built  by  Jotham  Tower 
about  181  5  on  the  site  of  the  White  Mills.  Justus  Tower  built  another 
grist  mill  in  1802  which  was  transformed  into  a  paint  factory  in  1869 
by  Terry  &  Gridley. 

The  Sangerfield  cotton  factory  was  built  in  18 16  by  the  Sangerfield 
Manufacturing  Company.  Henry  B.  Clarke  afterwards  obtained  a  con- 
trolling interest  and  operated  it  until  1830,  when  Goodwin  &  Bacon 
purchased  it  and  changed  it  to  a  woolen  factory.  In  1837  J.  A.  Ber- 
rill  took  the  building  and  established  a  foundry  and  machine  shop, 
afterwards  taking  his  son  into  partnership.  They  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness many  years.  The  plant  was  taken  in  1895  by  McLean  &  Co., 
who  succeeded  Brace  Beardsley.  Paint  mills  are  made,  in  connection 
with  the  other  business. 

The  Waterville  Wooden  Novelty  Works  were  established  in  1895, 
for  the  manufacture  of  various  household  articles. 

Waterville  has  had  several  newspapers,  the  first  one  being  the  Civil 


SQUIRE  UTLEY. 


THE  TOWN  OF  SANGERFIELD.  539 

and  Religious  Intelligencer,  started  in  1815  by  Joseph  Tenney ;  the 
name  was  changed  in  1825  to  the  Sangerfield  Intelligencer,  and  ten 
years  later  it  was  moved  to  P'abius,  N.  Y.  The  publication  of  the  Oneida 
Standard  was  commenced  in  Waterville  in  1833,  but  it  was  soon  after- 
ward removed  to  Utica.  The  Waterville  Advertiser  was  begun  in  1851 
by  R.  W.  Hathaway.  In  1855  the  Waterville  Journal  was  started  by 
A.  P.  Fuller  &  Co.,  C.  B.  Wilkinson,  editor.  It  was  discontinued  in 
March,  1856  In  1857  the  publication  of  the  Waterville  Times  was 
commenced  by  McKibbin  &  Wilkinson,  who  continued  it  until  i860, 
and  sold  out  to  J.  H.  Yale.  On  November  8,  1866,  the  paper  passed 
into  the  hands  of  R.  S.  Ballard.  James  J.  Guernsey  bought  the  es- 
tablishment in  1870,  and  continued  to  July,  1 881,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceedee  by  Histcd  &  Cutter  (William  L.  Histed,  Frank  J.  Cutter)  who 
continued  to  June,  1882.  Mr,  Histed  then  retired  and  Mr.  Cutter  con- 
tinued to  April,  1887,  when  W.  S.  Hawkins  &  Co.,  (Dr.  Claude  Wilson) 
purchased  the  plant.  This  firm  continued  one  year  when  Mr.  Hawkins 
bought  his  partner's  interest.  In  1884  Patrick  Loftus  and  Milton 
Barnum  started  a  four  page  weekly  called  the  Reflex.  A  little  later  W. 
S  Hawkins  purchased  the  paper  and  in  1887  he  consolidated  the  two 
papers,  the  name  Waterville  Times  being  continued.  The  paper  is  an 
excellent  representative  of  progressive  country  journalism.  The 
Waterville  Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  a  thriving  institution  and  publishes  a  small 
weekly  called  "'  Waterville's  Young  Men." 

Some  of  the  early  public  houses  have  been  mentioned.  What  became 
the  American  hotel  was  built  about  181 5  by  Jonathan  Hubbard  and 
was  afterwards  extended  and  improved.  There  were  three  public  houses 
in  the  village  before  that.  The  store  occupied  in  1802  by  Robert  and 
Hudson  Benedict  was  afterwards  converted  into  a  hotel  and  became 
known  as  the  Park  House.  M.  B.  Crossett  built  the  Commercial  House 
in  1875. 

The  first  bank  in  Waterville  was  established  in  1838  under  the  State 
law  and  was  changed  to  a  national  bank  in  1865.  Among  early  stock- 
holders of  the  old  bank  were  Stanton  Park,  Josiah  Bacon,  Amos  Osborn, 
Julius  Candee,  Samuel  Goodwin,  D.  B.  Goodwin,  Charlemagne  Tower, 
Julius  Tower,  David  L.  Barton,  E.  B.  Barton,  Henry  Tower,  Horace 
Bigelow,   Isaac   Hovey.      Daniel   B.  Goodwin  was  president  of  the  na- 


540  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tional  bank  until  1888,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  WilHam  B.  Goodwin. 
The  latter  was  cashier  until  the  above  change  was  made,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Samuel  W.  Goodwin.  William  B.  Goodwin  served  as 
president  until  1894,  when  Samuel  W.  Goodwin  was  chosen,  and  W.  L. 
Race  was  made  cashier. 

Charles  Green  &  Son  established  a  private  bank  in  1872,  and  in  1875 
it  was  removed  to  Utica  and  continued  until  1884.  The  firm  was  then 
changed  to  Charles  Green,  Son  &  Co.,  O  W.  Kennedy  and  J.  W.  Hayes 
joining  in  the  business.  In  1891  the  bank  was  removed  back  to  Water- 
ville,  and  the  firm  became  Charles  Green,  Son,  Brainard  &  Co.,  through 
the  purchase  of  the  interest  of  Mr.  Hayes  by  I.  D.  Brainard. 

Waterville  was  incorporated  April  20,  1870,  and  at  the  first  charter 
election  Daniel  B.  Goodwin  was  elected  president  ;  E.  H.  Lamb,  George 
Putnam,  E.  S.  Peck,  trustees ;  Horace  P.  Bigelow,  treasurer.  The  suc- 
cessive presidents  of  the  village  have  been  George  Putnam,  elected 
1872;  held  the  office  to  1877;  D.  Smith  Bennett,  1878  ;  Reuben  Tower, 
to  1883;  E.  C.  Terry,  1884;  Reuben  Tower,  to  1886;  A.  R.  Eastman, 
1886;  I.  D.  Brainard,  1887-88;  F.  H.  Coggeshall,  1889-90;  W.  \V. 
Waldo,  to  1896,  succeeded  by  F.  H.  Coggeshall.  The  village  has  an 
excellent  fire  department,  owning  a  steam  fire  engine,  ample  hose  and 
apparatus,  with  a  company  for  both  the  engine  and  hose  cart.  The 
village  is  on  what  was  the  Utica,  Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Valley 
Railroad,  the  opening  of  which  took  place  in  November,  1869,  giving  a 
marked  impetus  to  the  business  growth  of  the  place.  Among  the  lead- 
ing business  men  of  the  village  are  the  following  :  O.  E.  Wood,  general 
store,  who  succeeded  C.  R.  Nash  in  1896;  P.  H.  Landers,  succeeded  W. 
F.  O'Connor  in  1895  ;  S.  S.  Bissell  succeeding  W.  J.  Bissell's  Sons, 
drugs;  William  Jones,  succeeded  Jones  &  Marvin  in  1893,  drugs;  D  B. 
Collins,  clothing,  began  in  1890;  Beers  &  Davis,  succeeded  William  D. 
Jones  in  1893,  wall  paper,  paints,  etc.;  E.  G.  Brown,  drugs;  A.  H.  Wilfcer, 
clothing,  and  many  minor  business  establishments  Many  new  business 
blocks  of  modern  character  have  been  erected  in  recent  years,  and  aside 
from  the  general  depression  incident  upon  the  low  price  of  hops,  the 
village  is  in  a  thriving  condition. 

One  of  the  largest  industries  of  the  kind  in  the  whole  country  is  car- 
ried on  here  by  the  New  York  Hop    Extract   Company,  organized    in 


W.   p.   LOCKE. 


THE  TOWN  OF  SANGERFIELD.  541 

1870.  In  April,  1873,  W.  A.  Lawrence  was  elected  superintendent. 
J.  R.  Whiting  became  sole  licensee  of  the  company  for  extracting  from 
hops  under  patents,  and  soon  afterward  become  president  of  the  com- 
pany. In  1875-76  the  business  was  removed  from  New  York  city  to 
Waterville,  the  center  of  the  hop  district.  A  large  plant  was  erected 
with  capacity  of  extracting  20.000  pounds  of  hops  per  day.  Here  an 
immense  product  of  acknowledged  purity  is  made  and  finds  a  market 
throughout  the  country. 

One  of  the  oldest  permanent  industries  in  this  county  is  the  drain 
tile  and  brick  manufactory  of  P.  B.  Haven  &  Son,  which  was  founded 
in  18 1 2  by  John  Haven,  who  came  in  from  Connecticut  From  primi- 
tive methods  of  early  times  this  business  has  advanced  until  now  it  is 
conducted  on  the  most  modern  and  successful  lines.  In  1836  P.  B. 
Haven,  son  of  John,  took  possession  of  the  works,  made  many  improve- 
ments in  methods  and  about  1855  added  the  drain  tile  industry.  Two 
years  later  an  iron  tile  machine  was  put  in  and  in  1864  A.  G.  Haven, 
son  of  P.  B..  became  a  partner  with  his  father.  Horse  power  brick  and 
tile  machinery  was  used  until  1880,  when  a  modern  outfit  driven  by  a 
forty  horse  power  boiler  was  introduced.  Since  then  every  valuable 
device  has  been  added  for  the  production  of  brick  and  tile.  Twelve 
hands  are  employed. 

The  schools  of  this  town  are  in  excellent  circumstances,  there  being 
in  1895  twelve  districts  with  school  houses,  and  a  prosperous  Union 
school  in  Waterville.  The  building  was  erected  in  1872  at  a  cost  of 
$20,000.  The  whole  number  of  children  attending  the  schools  of  the 
town  in  1895  was  790. 

There  are  now  three  post-offices  in  this  town  ;  Waterville,  Sanger- 
field  and  Stockwell,  the  latter  having  been  established  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  town,  at  the  place  known  as  Stockwell  Settlement,  with  C. 
D.  Marsh,  postmaster.  The  post-office  at  Sangerfield  has  been  in  ex- 
istence since  early  years,  Col.  David  Norton  holding  the  office  of 
postmaster  from  1808  to  1829,  when  he  died.  There  has  always  been 
a  small  mercantile  business  there  and  a  few  shops. 

The  first  church  society  in  Sangerfield  was  the  "  Society  of  Lisbon, 
Sangerfield,"  formed  about  the  beginning  of  1796,  as  the  outgrowth  of 
efforts   made   in    1794  to   found   a  Congregational  society  and   secure 


542  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

regular  preaching.  Services  were  regularly  held  from  January,  1795, 
to  March,  1797,  with  occasional  preaching.  The  Society  of  Lisbon 
was  formally  organized  March  15,  1797,  with  eighteen  members;  the 
first  settled  pastor  was  Rev.  James  Thompson.  A  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  1804,  on  the  village  green  at  the  Center,  the  land  con- 
stituting the  green  having  been  conveyed  to  the  society  in  October, 
1796,  by  David  Norton,  Ebenezer  Hale,  Justus  Hale,  and  Oliver  Nor- 
ton. In  1823  the  society  divided  and  about  one  half  organized  the 
First  Presbyterian  ciiurch.  The  church  was  removed  in  1824  a  little  to 
the  north,  and  in  1846  it  was  demolished  and  the  present  one  erected. 
In  after  years  the  Congregationalists  at  the  Center  attended  the  church 
at  Waterville  and  the  old  church  was  occupied  by  an  Episcopal  mission, 
services  being  held  in  connection  with  Stockwell  Settlement,  Oriskany 
Falls  and  Augusta  Center. 

The  Baptist  church  at  Waterville  was  organized  in  December,  1798, 
and  the  first  preaching  was  by  Elder  Peter  P.  Roots;  the  first  settled 
pastor  was  Elder  Joel  Butler,  who  began  in  1799.  In  i8oo  a  church 
was  built  on  the  green,  the  land  having  been  granted  by  Benjamin 
White.  In  1877  the  church  was  extensively  improved  and  its  career 
has  been  one  of  prosperity. 

The  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Waterville  was  organized  May  19, 
1823,  with  twenty  persons  from  the  first  Sangerfield  church,  as  before 
stated.  Rev.  Evans  Beardsley  was  the  first  stated  supply,  and  in  1824 
Rev.  Daniel  C.  Hopkins  was  installed  the  first  pastor.  The  first  cliurch 
building  was  erected  on  the  green  in  1823  ;  it  was  sold  to  the  Method- 
ists in  1844,  and  a  frame  church  built  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  a 
handsome  brick  edifice  which  was  erected  in  1872,  at  a  cost  with  the  lot 
of  $37,000.     The  church  is  active  and  progressive. 

Grace  church  (Episcopal)  Waterville,  was  or.jinized  in  1840,  and 
Rev.  Fortune  C.  Brown  was  the  first  rector.  In  1842  the  church  was 
erected  which  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Welsh  Congregational 
society,  and  in  1854  the  present  church  was  built. 

The  Methodist;  Episcopal  society  at  Stockwell  was  formed  in  1843, 
and  the  old  Presl^yteriai  church  building  was  purchased.  This  was  sold 
in  1848.  In  Ap,^,il,  1847,  the  second  Methodist  society  was  organized 
and  the  present  qjiurclVbuilt  at  the  Settlement.      In  1857  Waterville  was 


THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN.  543 

organized  as  a  separate  Methodist  society,  it  having  previously  been  in 
a  circuit  with  other  places;  it  was  made  one  of  three  appointments 
under  charge  of  Rev.  F.  W.  Tooke — Waterville,  Sangerfield  and 
Stockwell.      The  frame  church  in  Waterville  was  built  in  i860. 

The  Welsh  Congregational  church  at  Waterville  was  organized  in 
1852,  and  occupied  the  church  sold  to  them   by  the   Episcopal  society. 

St.  Bernard's  Catholic  church  in  Waterville  was  organized  about  1850 
and  has  grown  to  a  large  congregation,  and  has  a  substantial  church. 

The  town  records  are  incomplete  from  1797  to  1800  inclusive;  after 
that  year  the  list  of  supervisors  and  their  years  of  service  is  as  follows  : 

1801,  Amos  Muzzy;  1S()2,  Oliver  Norton;  1803-4,  Justus  Tower;  1805,  Benjamin 
White;  1806-9,  Oliver  C.  Seabury;  1810.  John  Williams;  1811,  O.  C.  Seabury;  1812, 
Josiah  Bacon;  1H13,  O.  C.  Seabury;  1814-20,  Josiah  Bacon;  1821-23,  Reuben  Bacon; 
1824-27,  Samuel  M.  Mott;  1828,  Josiah  Bacon;  1829-31,  Samuel  M.  Mott;  1832,  Reu- 
ben Bacon;  1833,  John  Mott,  jr.;  1,834,  Erastus  Jeffers;  1835,  Levi  D.  Carpenter; 
1836,  Erastus  Jeffers;  1837-40,  Horace  Bigelow;  1841-42,  Julius  Tower;  1843,  Horace 
Bigelow:  1844,  Otis  Webstet;  1845,  Amos  O.  Osborn;  1846,  Erastus  A.  Walter; 
1847-48,  De  Witt  C.  Tower;  1849,  John  W.  Stafford;  1850-51,  George  W.  Cleveland; 
1852-54,  James  M.  Tower;  1855,  Edwin  H.  Lamb;  1856,  Hull  Page;  1857-62,  Piatt 
Camp;  1863-76,  James  G.  Preston;  1877-80,  Marion  B.  Crossett;  1881,  Horace  P. 
Bigelow;  1882-84,  George  W.  Cleveland;  a  special  election  was  held  in  December, 
1884.  and  George  Beach  was  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Cleveland,  deceased;  1885, 
George  Beach;  1886-90,  Reuben  Tower;  1891,  Lewis  D.  Edwards;  1892-96,  Charles 
M.  Felton. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN. 

This  town  was  set  off  from  Whitestown  on  April  10,  1792,  and  its 
area  has  been  several  times  slightly  changed.  The  towns  of  Floyd  and 
Rome  were  taken  off  in  1796,  and  Leyden  (now  in  Lewis  county)  and 
Western  in  1797.  Small  parts  of  Western  and  Remsen  were  annexed 
in  1803,  and  a  small  section  was  set  off  to  Remsen  ir  1809,  leaving  the 
town  with  an  area  of  26,126  acres.  The  tou'n  talis  its  name  from 
Baron  Steuben,  the  account  of  whose  patent  of  i6,OC  acres  is  given  in 
Chapter   X  ;   the  larger  portion  of  that  patent  is  inc    ided  in  this  town, 


544  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  a  part  of  the  Holland  patent  in  the  southern  part,  and  small  sec 
tions  of  other  tracts  in  the  western  part,  all  shown  on  the  map  herein. 
The  Cincinnati  Creek  forms  a  part  of  the  eastern  boundary  and  the 
town  is  well  watered  by  several  small  streams  which  flow  into  that  creek 
or  into  the  Mohawk  or  Black  Rivers.  The  soil  is  a  gravelly  loam  well 
adapted  to  grazing.  Stone  quarries  from  which  good  building  stone 
have  been  taken,  have  been  worked.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  the 
highest  of  any  north  of  the  Mohawk  and  is  much  broken  by  lofty  hills 
and  deep  valleys,  particularly  in  the  northern  part,  where  hills  rise  to  a 
height  of  from  800  to  1,200  feet.  Starr's  Hill,  so  named  from  Capt. 
David  Starr,  an  early  settler  upon  it,  was  long  considered  the  highest 
land  in  the  county,  but  it  is  now  settled  that  this  distinction  belongs  to 
an  eminence  in  the  southern  part.  From  the  top  of  Starr's  Hill  most 
beautiful  views  are  obtained,  extending  over  Oneida  Lake  on  the  west, 
to  Rome  and  Utica  to  the  southward,  and  taking  in  the  Black  River 
valley  on  the  northeast.  Other  high  points  in  Steuben  are  Bovven's 
Hill,  so  called  from  a  seaman  of  that  name  who  lived  there  in  early 
years;  Dutch  Hill,  which  took  its  name  from  the  fact  that  numerous 
Dutch  families  settled  on  and  around  it;  and  Penn  Mount.  These  with 
their  intervening  valleys  give  a  variety  of  picturesque  scenery  that  is 
not  excelled  in  the  county. 

As  the  town  of  Rome  was  embraced  originally  in  Steuben,  the  first 
town  meeting  was  held  at  Fort  Stanwix,  "  at  the  house  lately  occupied 
by  Seth  Ranney,  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1793,"  as  given  in  the 
town  records.  There  the  following  officers  were  chosen,  the  list  includ- 
ing several  of  the  pioneers  of  what  is  now  Steuben,  though  most  of 
them  were  from  near  Fort  Stanwix  : 

Supervisor,  Roswell  Fellows;  town  clerk,  Jedediah  Phelps;  assessors, Abijah  Put- 
nam, Henry  Wager,  David  I.  Andrus,  Samuel  Sizer,  Abel  French  ;  commissioners  of 
roads,  Hezekiah  Welles,  Daniel  W.  Knight,  Ebenezer  Weeks;  overseers  of  the  poor, 
Thomas  Wright,  Reuben  Beckwith ;  constables,  Samuel  Dickinson,  Edward  S.  Salis- 
bury, Jasper  French ;  collector  for  the  west  side  of  Mohawk  River,  Samuel  Dickin- 
som ;  collector  for  east  side  of  same,  Edward  S.  Salisbury ;  pathmasters,  Clark  Put- 
nanr,  Benjamin  Gifford,  Alpheus  Wheelock,  Abiel  Kinyon,  Lemuel  Beckwith, 
Stephen  Sheldon,  Frederick  Sprague,  William  Walsworth,  James  Ranney,  William 
West,  Joseph  Biara,  Thomas  Parker,  Ebenezer  Bacon,  Samuel  J.  Curtis,  Charles 
McLen,  Simeon  Woodruff.  David  Starr,  Isaac  Lathrop;  fence-viewers,  Jonathan 
Waldo,  Bill  Smith,  Asa  Beckwith,  Abraham  Brooks,  Ephraim  Potter;  poundmaster, 
Thomas  Wright, 


THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN".  545 

The  second  meeting  was  voted  to  be  held  "  at  the  new  dwelHng  house 
of  Roswell  Fellows."  After  the  subdivision  of  1796,  setting  off  Rome 
and  Floyd,  the  town  meeting  of  1797  was  held,  according  to  the  records, 
at  the  "  house  of  Silas  Fowler,  that  of  the  late  Baron  Steuben,  Dis- 
c  eased." 

The  distinguished  services  of  Baron  Steuben  in  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution are  well  known  and  need  not  be  recounted  here.  In  partial 
recognition  of  such  services,  the  State  of  New  York  granted  him  in 
1786  a  tract  of  16,000  acres  of  land,  the  territory  of  which  constitutes  a 
large  part  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Steuben.  The  baron  died  No- 
vember 28,  1794.  Between  the  date  of  the  land  grant  to  him  and  his 
death,  he  passed  his  summers  on  his  patent  and  his  winters  in  New 
York.  During  this  period  he  leased  his  lands  as  he  had  opportunity, 
usually  in  loo  acre  tracts  at  from  ten  to  twenty  dollars  for  each  hun- 
dred acres,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  there  were  about  twenty  fami- 
lies residing  on  the  patent.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1790,  he  gave  a  dinner 
to  all  the  people  on  his  lands  and  neighboring  settlers.  It  is  recorded 
that  wherever  he  found  a  worthy  soldier  he  would  present  him  with  a 
farm  of  from  40  to  100  acres.  It  was  his  purpose  to  erect  a  large  man- 
sion on  his  possessions,  but  his  death  prevented  the  consummation  of 
his  plans,  and  the  building  of  a  log  house  and  other  minor  improve- 
ments was  all  that  he  was  able  to  accomplish.  Previous  to  his  death 
he  had  directed  that  his  remains  should  be  buried  in  the  forest  that  he 
had  begun  to  love  so  well.  His  wish  was  carried  out,  and  his  aide-de-camp 
and  adopted  son,  Colonel  Walker,  reinterred  them  where  they  now  re- 
pose and  deeded  fifty  acres  of  land  to  the  First  Baptist  Society  of  Steu- 
ben, on  condition  that  five  acres  including  the  grave  of  the  baron,  should 
be  fenced  and  kept  in  a  state  of  nature.  In  1824  a  plain  monument 
was  erected  over  the  grave,  which  was  replaced  in  1870—71  by  the  im- 
posing one  which  now  marks  the  resting  place  of  the  patriot. 

The  first  person  to  take  up  a  permanent  residence  in  what  is  now 
Steuben  was  Samuel  Sizer,  who  about  1789  came  in  to  take  charge  of 
the  improvements  contemplated  by  Baron  Steuben.  In  the  spring  of 
1792  Capt.  Samuel  Fuller,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution,  located  on  the 
Steuben  patent  and  brought  in  his  family  early  the  following  year.  He 
was  father  of  Major  Russell  Fuller,  a  prominent  citizen  who  several  times 
69 


546  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  elected  supervisor.  Capt.  David  Starr,  also  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier, settled  on  the  hill  which  bears  his  name,  having  taken  a  durable 
lease  from  Baron  Steuben.  Several  of  the  early  settlers  had  borne  arms 
under  Steuben  and  they  naturally  sought  homes  near  his  own. 

Capt.  Joseph  Ingham  came  from  the  Bermuda  Islands  and  settled  in 
Steuben  in  1800.  The  remains  of  his  wife  who  died  January  17,  1804, 
are  buried  on  the  top  of  Starr's  Hill,  where  lie  also  the  remains  of  Will- 
iam Davies  and  his  wife.  Daniel  Barnes  came  to  the  town  in  1794, 
from  Middletown,  Conn.,  built  a  house  and  made  other  improvements 
on  the  farm  owned  in  recent  years  by  John  Griffiths  on  Starr's  Hill;  he 
then  went  back  for  his  family,  returning  to  his  settlement  in  the  spring 
of  1795.  He  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Among  other  settlers  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Starr's  Hill  were  Noadiah  Fairchild,  and  Joel  and 
Samuel  Hubbard,  from  Middletown,  Conn.  In  1793  Noadiah  Hubbard 
took  the  contract  for  constructing  the  canal  locks  for  the  Western  In- 
land Navigation  Company  at  Little  Falls.  He  had  first  settled  at 
Whitestown  about  1791,  where  he  made  the  first  brick  and  the  first 
lime.  He  located  in  Steuben  about  1792,  and  removed  to  what  is  now 
Jefferson  county  in  1798.  Elisha  Crowell  was  also  an  early  settler  in 
the  Starr's  Hill  neighborhood. 

The  first  settler  at  what  became  Steuben  Corners  was  Stephen  Brooks, 
who  came  from  Connecticut  about  1791  and  located  on  the  place  sub- 
sequently owned  by  his  grandson,  John  W.  Brooks.  A  son  of  Stephen 
Brooks,  named  Stephen,  jr.,  born  in  1791  or  1792,  was  probably  the 
first  white  male  child  born  in  this  town. 

Moses  Adams  came  in  from  New  Marlborough,  Mass.,  and  settled  in 
1793  on  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  Allen  Clark;  he  afterwards 
removed  to  the  farm  occupied  in  recent  years  by  Rowland  Evans,  east 
of  Steuben  Corners.  His  son  Aaron,  born  in  June,  1796,  served  in  the 
war  of  1 8 12,  as  did  also  his  father. 

Among  the  very  early  settlers  of  the  original  town  of  Steuben  then 
including  Western  (see  history  of  Western  and  Remsen)  were  repre- 
sentatives of  the  thrifty  Welshmen  so  many  of  whom  have  found  homes 
in  Oneida  county.  Prominent  among  these  were  the  Griffiths  families, 
from  one  of  which  sprang  Griffith  O.  Griffiths,  who  was  born  in  Steu- 
ben in  1796,   and   died   in  April,    1878.      He  was  a   contributor  to  the 


THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN.  547 

press  and  was  well   informed  on  local  history,  and  previous  to  his  de- 
cease he  wrote  the  following  interesting  account  of  Welsh  settlements  : 

In  the  month  of  March,  1795,  about  twelve  families  took  their  leave  of  their  native 
country  and  embarked  on  board  the  noble  ship  that  bore  them  safely  across  the 
Atlantic,  and  they  arrived  in  New  York  after  a  passage  of  fourteen  weeks.  After  a 
short  stay  in  New  York,  five  of  the  said  families,  namely,  Griffith  Rowland,  William 
Williams,  Evan  Owens,  Hugh  Roberts,  and  Owen  Griffiths,  making  in  all  about 
eighteen  persons,  left  the  city  of  New  York,  and  started  for  some  more  favorable 
portion  of  the  Country,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  settlement.  They  embarked 
on  board  a  sloop,  and  came  up  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany,  from  there  by  land  to 
Schenectady,  where  they  chartered  a  bateau,  and  wended  their  way  up  the  crooked 
Mohawk,  makmg  very  slow  headway,  until  at  length  they  arrived  at  the  present  city 
of  Utica,  which  then  contained  one  frame  building,  and  eight  or  ten  log  cabms. 
The  only  hotel  was  kept  in  a  log  house  located  where  Bagg's  Hotel  is  now  situated. 
During  their  stay  at  Utica,  they  concluded  to  go  to  the  town  of  Steuben,  in  Oneida 
county,  which  is  situated  about  twenty  miles  from  Utica.  In  a  few  days  they  pre- 
pared for  their  journey  by  chartering  a  wagon  drawn  by  four  oxen  and  a  horse  to 
lead.  Into  this  wagon  they  packed  all  their  materials,  children,  etc.,  and  were  soon 
on  their  way  to  their  new  home.  Such  was  the  situation  of  the  roads  in  those  days 
that  from  five  to  seven  miles  was  all  they  could  make  in  a  day.  Leaving  Utica  early 
in  the  morning,  they  reached  the  foot  of  Deerfield  hill  the  first  day,  where  they  were 
obliged  to  stay  over  night  without  any  accommodation  but  the  great  wilderness,  and 
the  canopy  of  heaven  to  cover  them,  and  the  rain  pouring  down  during  the  whole 
night.  Each  one  having  to  select  his  own  lodging,  if  they  succeeded  in  getting 
alongside  of  a  log  or  tree  they  thought  they  were  doing  well.  One  heroine,  with  her 
infant,  about  three  weeks  old,  got  under  the  root  of  a  tree  that  had  turned  up  by 
force  of  the  wind,  where  she  supposed  she  was  secure  from  the  elements.  But  when 
daylight  came  she  found,  to  her  surprise,  that  her  infant  was  richly  adorned  with 
ringlets  formed  of  the  American — not  free — soil,  which  had  found  its  way  quite 
plentifully  in  the  ridges  formed  by  the  flesh  around  her  neck  and  arms,  etc. 

Next  morning,  after  wringing  the  water  from  their  clothes,  they  soon  prepared  for 
their  day's  journey.  After  considerable  struggle  and  toil,  they  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing a  log  shanty  that  was  erected  and  occupied  by  some  jobbers  that  were  engaged 
in  clearing  land  at  a  point  about  one-half  mile  north  from  South  Trenton.  They 
were  very  kindly  received  and  cared  for,  when  they  got  a  good  night's  rest  after  a 
hard  day's  travel  of  five  miles.  The  third  day  they  reached  Trenton  village,  four 
miles  farther  north,  where  they  found  some  settlers,  and  were  of  course  accommo- 
dated. The  fourth  day,  15th  September,  1795,  they  made  out  to  reach  their  place  of 
destination,  which  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  yellow  store,  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  where 
they  found  five  or  six  families  of  Americans,  who  had  preceded  them  the  year  pre- 
vious, and  who  were  very  kind  to  them,  sharing  with  them  their  hospitalities  until 
they  were  able  to  support  themselves. 

Their  first  object  was  to  select  suitable  locations,  which  they  did  within  the  range 
of  about  one-half  mile,  where  they  were  soon  at  work  felling  trees  and  building 
their  log  cabins,  which  were  their  only  recourse  for  habitations.     They  had  to  resort 


548  OUR  COUNTY  A^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to  the  elms  for  a  covering  for  their  houses,  as  well  as  for  a  part  of  their  furniture 
such  as  tables,  bedding,  etc.  Their  sofas  were  made  by  splitting  a  basswood  log  into 
parts,  turning  the  flat  side  up,  and  driving  four  pegs  into  the  round  or  bottom  part, 
which  answered  for  legs.  Their  French  bedsteads  were  made  by  driving  four  posts 
into  the  ground,  laying  cross-sticks  on  to  them,  then  finishing  off  with  elm-bark  for 
the  bottom.  In  some  instances  they  would  select  a  building  spot  where  they  could 
find  a  large  maple  or  birch,  which  they  felled,  using  a  part  of  the  body  for  one  side 
of  their  dwelling,  leaving  the  large  stump  in  the  centre,  which  was  used  for  a  table. 
The  remainder  of  their  furniture  to  correspond.  During  the  first  years  of  their  resi- 
dence in  their  new  home  there  was  no  grist  mill  nearer  than  Whitesboro,  some 
twenty  miles  distant,  and  but  one  horse  in  the  town,  which  was  owned  by  the 
Americans,  and  was  used  as  a  common  carrier  to  carry  grist  to  the  mill.  There  being 
no  road  most  of  the  distance,  except  a  path  through  the  woods,  with  marked  trees 
for  guide-boards,  the  settlers  were  frequently  overtaken  by  night,  and  so  dark  was 
the  forest  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  they  found  their  way  out.  But 
the  old  gray  was  always  true  to  her  trust,  and  so  well  acquainted  with  the  road  they 
gave  her  the  rein  and  bid  her  go,  the  driver  holding  on  her  tail  behind  if  there 
chanced  to  be  more  than  one  of  the  settlers  along.  Their  only  chance  was  to  follow 
in  the  footsteps  of  their  predecessors,  thus  successfully  finding  their  way  out  of  the 
woods. 

The  next  summer  a  grist  mill  was  built  and  in  operation  within  four  miles  of  the 
settlement,  which  dispensed  with  further  difficulty  of  that  nature.  Owing  to  the 
great  distance  they  had  come,  and  the  many  difficulties  they  had  to  contend  with, 
their  limited  means  had  become  nearly  exhausted.  Consequently  the  men  were 
obliged  to  leave  their  wives  and  children  to  guard  their  castles,  while  they  were 
seeking  employment  to  obtain  means  to  support  themselves  and  families.  During 
their  absence  the  women  were  frequently  annoyed  by  wild  beasts,  which  were  then 
quite  numerous.  Their  howls  during  the  night  were  fearful,  and  even  in  the  day- 
time Mr.  Bruin  would  frequently  be  seen  prowling  around,  seeking  whom  he  might 
devour;  and  sometimes  would  be  successful  in  catching  a  porker,  even  in  the  door- 
yard,  and  walk  off  in  triumph. 

In  the  year  1796  the  first  Welsh  child  was  born  in  town,  or  in  Oneida  county,  or 
even  west  of  the  Hudson,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  who  still  lives  in  the  vicinity 
with  his  family.  His  wife  is  the  infaiUt  mentioned  as  being  secured  under  the  roots 
of  the  upturned  tree  during  the  first  night  of  their  travel  from  Utica. 

Thus  they  remained  in  their  solitary  condition  without  the  comforts  of  life  or  the 
means  of  grace,  until  the  latter  part  of  1798,  or  early  in  1799,  when  thej'  were  joined 
by  several  others  whom  they  had  left  at  New  York.  Among  them  were  Deacon 
William  C.  Jones,  William  Griffiths,  Robert  Griffiths,  John  Parry,  William  P.  Jones, 
etc.,  most  of  whom  were  professors.  They  soon  on  their  arrival  established  a  prayer 
meeting,  which  was  held  at  the  dwelling-house  of  AYilliam  C.  Jones.  Although 
neither  of  the  first  settlers  spoken  of  were  professors  of  religion,  still  they  were 
brought  up  under  the  immediate  influence  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  they 
had  become  very  much  attached  to  it,  and  were  taking  quite  an  interest  in  the  cause. 
As  evidence  of  this  fact  I  would  here  mention  one  incident,  which  some  one  may 
profit  by.     At  the  time  the  first  prayer-meeting  was  to  be  held,  one  of  the  mothers 


THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN.  549 

was  living  at  service  eight  or  nine  miles  distant  from  the  settlement.  Such  was  her 
attachment  to  the  good  cause,  and  anxiety  to  be  present  at  the  organization  of  the 
Hrst  prayer  meeting  among  the  Welsh  in  their  new  home,  that  she  walked  all  the 
way  on  foot  through  the  wilderness,  carrying  her  infant,  who  was  about  four  months 
old,  in  her  arms.  What  a  contrast  between  the  past  and  present !  At  the  present 
day  it  is  often  too  much  of  a  task  to  even  cross  the  street  on  a  dark  night  to  attend 
such  meetings.  After  this  they  continued  to  hold  their  meetings  every  Sabbath, 
until  the  year  1801.  when  there  was  quite  a  large  immigration  into  the  settlement. 
During  the  fall  of  that  year  Rev.  John  G.  Roberts  came  from  Ebensburg,  Pa.,  and 
settled  among  them,  when  he  preached  the  first  Welsh  sermon  to  quite  an  audience 
for  a  new  country,  which  had  convened  at  the  dwelling-house  of  John  Jones,  situated 
on  a  part  of  the  estate  of  Robert  Thomas,  deceased.  After  this  they  continued  to 
assemble  every  Sabbath  to  hear  the  word  of  God.  Also,  they  held  their  weekly  or 
class  meetings  regularly,  most  of  the  time  at  the  house  of  William  C.  Jones,  although 
there  was  not  any  regular  church  organization  until  the  year  1804,  when  they  formed 
a  union  church,  with  Rev.  John  G.  Roberts  for  their  pastor.  A  part  of  the  members 
were  formerly  from  the  Calvinistic  Methodists,  and  a  part  from  the  Congregational 
church.  So  they  remained  together,  in  union  and  love,  for  many  years,  under  the 
pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  John  G.  Roberts  and  Rev.  William  G.  Pierce. 

During  the  summer  of  1804  they  built  a  log  meeting-house  on  the  site  of  the 
present  stone  church.  It  was  rather  late  in  the  fall  of  that  year  before  it  was  com- 
pleted ;  perhaps  as  late  as  the  1st  of  November  before  it  was  opened.  As  it  was  also 
intended  for  a  school-house  as  well  as  for  spiritual  instructions,  the  school  was  com- 
menced about  the  1st  of  December,  and  continued  until  Christmas  night,  when,  by 
accident,  the  house  was  consumed  by  fire,  with  all  its  contents.  Nothing  daunted, 
the  inhabitants  went  to  work  in  the  summer  of  1805  and  erected  a  frame  building  on 
the  same  location,  which  was  soon  finished  ready  for  use.  It  was  used  until  it  was 
removed  to  give  place  to  the  present  splendid  stone  church. 

In  the  mean  time  there  was  quite  a  settlement  in  the  city  of  Utica.  They  also  had 
formed  a  church,  which  was  first  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Daniel  Morris,  assisted 
by  Revs.  Evan  Davis,  John  Roberts,  etc.  During  the  summer  of  1806,  Rev.  Howell 
R.  Powell  visited  the  Welsh  churches  at  Utica  and  Steuben,  and  advised  them  of 
the  advantage  of  forming  an  association,  or  cymanfa;  which  was  done,  and  their 
first  meeting  was  held  at  Utioa  in  September,  1806,  and  at  Steuben  the  following 
week.  The  ministers  who  took  part  at  the  first  were  Daniel  Morris,  Evan  Davis, 
and  John  G.  Roberts,  of  Steuben,  assisted  by  an  English  divine,  whose  name  is 
forgotten.  Thus  commenced  the  annual  conferences  of  Steuben  and  Utica,  which 
have  been  kept  up  with  so  much  zeal  to  the  present  day.  The  following  year  Rev. 
Howell  R.  Powell  was  present,  and  took  conspicuous  part  in  the  conference  and 
preaching  etc.,  and  continued  to  attend  every  year  with  the  greatest  punctuality 
for  twenty-five  years.  The  first  Welsh  Batpist  church  was  organized  in  Steuben  in 
the  year  1806,  on  the  arrival  of  Rev.  Richard  Jones  from  Philadelphia,  who  had  the 
pastoral  charge  of  the  said  church  for  many  years.  Although  the  first  church  was 
organized  as  above,  one  Morgan  Williams  had  been  in  the  habit  of  preaching  occa- 
sionally to  a  limited  number  in  different  localities,  but  there  was  no  constant  preaching 
until  the  year  above  mentioned.  They  soon  went  to  work  to  build  a  house  of  wor- 
ship on  the  site  of  their  present  house. 


550  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

About  the  year  i8oo  the  family  of  Thomas  Thomas,  another  Welsh- 
man, settled  in  this  town.  He  had  been  a  sailor  and  was  a  victim  of 
the  British  press  gangs.  He  afterwards  lost  his  right  leg  in  an  engage- 
ment with  a  French  ship  ;  this  occurred  in  1796,  and  he  was  taken  to 
Halifax,  thence  to  Greenwich  Hospilal,  and  finally  married  and  returned 
to  America.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- seven  years,  and  was  the 
last  survivor  of  the  Welsh  pioneers  of  this  town.  His  sons,  William 
H.,  Charles  M.,  Didymus  and  John  T.,  became  prominent  citizens  of 
Remsen.  Daniel  Thomas,  brother  of  Thomas  Thomas,  became  a  set- 
tler in  the  town  about  1806.  He  was  a  stone  cutter  and  his  son  T.  D. 
Thomas  was  a  well  known  farmer  in  the  town.  Joel,  Chester  and  Sal- 
mon Porter,  brothers',  settled  in  the  town  about  1808.  A  daughter  of 
Joel  became  the  wife  of  Daniel  Barnes,  before  mentioned.  Chester  Por- 
ter was  a  shoemaker,  and  many  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
The  family  of  John  Roberts  came  from  Wales  about  1800,  and  William 
Francis  about  1818.  William  Lewis,  long  a  prominent  citizen  of  Steu- 
ben, was  born  in  Utica  in  1813,  and  was  a  son  of  William,  a  native  of 
Wales,  who  immigrated  in  1800.  The  son  came  into  Steuben  prior  to 
1820,  the  year  in  which  his  father  died  in  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Lewis 
held  the  office  of  supervisor  thirteen  terms,  and  in  the  fall  of  i860  was 
elected  to  the  Assembl)^  Timothy  Griffith  was  an  early  settler,  and 
his  son,  John  R.,  was  born  in  town  in  September,  18 17.  l^oth  father 
and  son  became  examples  of  the  excellent  citizenship  of  the  town. 

On  a  monument  in  the  cemetery  at  the  stone  church  is  this  inscrip- 
tion : 

Rev.  Robert  Everett,  D.  D.,  was  born  January  2,  1791,  at  Cronant,  Flintshire, 
North  Wales.  A  minister  of  the  gospel  for  sixty  years,  and  editor  of  xthe  Cenhadwr 
for  thirty-five  years.     Died  February  25,  1875. 

Dr.  Everett  lived  near  Remsen  village,  but  in  this  town.  He  had 
acquired  considerable  literary  reputation  before  coming  to  this  region, 
and  came  to  America  in  1823,  as  pastor  of  the  Welsh  Congregational 
church  in  Utica,  where  he  remained  nine  years.  After  terms  of  preach- 
ing in  other  places  he  settled  in  Steuben  in  1838,  as  pastor  of  two 
churches,  one  near  where  he  lived  and  one  four  miles  away.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1840,  he  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Cenhadwr,  a  religious 
monthly,  which  he  continued   to  edit  till  his  death.      It  was  printed  at 


THE  TOWN  OF  STEUBEN.  551 

first  in  Utica,  later  in  Remsen  and  finally  at  his  residence.  Several 
books  were  published  by  him,  and  his  entire  life  was  given  up  to  good 
works.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Roberts,  sister  of  Henry  Roberts,  of 
Utica,  father  of  the  firm  of  Henry  Roberts's  Sons. 

Richard  R.  Roberts,  sr.,  came  to  Steuben  in  1818.  He  and  his  wife 
were  natives  of  Wales.  He  died  in  1842,  His  son  of  the  same  name 
was  a  well  known  citizen  of  the  town.  Owen  Owens,  another  Welsh 
citizen,  settled  in  town  in  1824.  His  sons,  John  C.  and  Charles,  were 
among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town,  owning  at  one  time  about  1,000 
acres,  and  carrying  on  a  cheese  factory. 

Religious  and  educational  institutions  were  founded  early  in  this  town, 
as  would  be  expected  from  the  well  known  character  of  the  pioneers. 
A  school  was  taught  before  1800  in  the  Starr's  Hill  neighborhood,  by 
Dr.  Earl  Bill,  who  lived  afterwards  in  Remsen  village  ;  he  taught  only 
one  winter.  About  1807  a  young  man  named  Smith  taught  in  the 
same  neighborhood.  Moses  Adams  taught  a  school  near  the  site  of 
Steuben  Corners  prior  to  1  800,  and  Aaron  Adams  was  a  teacher  after 
he  reached  a  proper  age.  The  town  was  early  divided  into  districts 
and  the  early  log  school  houses  were  gradually  displaced  by  better 
frame  structures.  There  were  thirteen  districts  in  the  town  in  i860  and 
the  number  remains  the  same,  with  a  school  house  in  each.  The  whole 
number  of  children  attending  school  in  1894  was  184. 

In  Mr.  Griffiths's  account  mention  has  been  made  of  the  early  Welsh 
meetings.  The  Welsh  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  1800  and  was 
in  charge  at  the  first  of  Rev.  Morgan  Williams  and  is  the  society  which 
has  charge  of  the  lot  containing  the  grave  of  Baron  Steuben,  before 
mentioned. 

The  Welsh  Congregational  church,  called  Pen  y  mynidd,  is  an  off- 
shoot from  an  old  Union  church  of  early  days.  About  18 16  two  Bap- 
tist societies  built  churches  in  the  town,  which  they  subsequently  agreed 
to  convert  one  into  a  Union  church  and  the  other  into  an  academy. 
The  latter  stood  a  mile  east  of  Steuben  Corners  and  did  not  continue 
long. 

The  old  Union  church  was  occupied  for  a  time  by  Methodists  also, 
but  in  1855  the  church  was  built  by  them  at  Steuben  Corners  and  the 
society  has  since  kept  up  its  existence.      Besides    these   three   churches 


552  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

there  are  four  other  Welsh  congregations  in  different  parts  of  the  town. 

There  has  been  very  little  village  life  in  this  town.  Steuben  Corners 
is  a  hamlet  southwest  of  the  center,  where  a  post-office  was  established 
about  1825  with  Aaron  Adams  postmaster.  Previous  to  this  time  mail 
was  received  from  the  office  at  Remsen.  A  small  mercantile  business 
has  always  been  carried  on  here,  with  the  usual  complement  of  shops. 
A  store  is  now  conducted  by  Otis  Ferguson,  and  a  saw  mill  operated 
by  William  Weaver. 

There  are  two  other  post-offices  in  the  town,  East  Steuben  in  the 
extreme  eastern  part,  and  Steuben  valley. 

The  supervisors  of  the  town  of  Steuben,  from  1794  to  1878  have  been 
the  following  persons,  viz.  : 

1794-95,  Roswell  Fellows ;  1796,  William  Olney;  1797,  Samuel  Sizer;  1798.  Noa- 
diah  Hubbard;  1799-1803,  Samuel  Sizer;  1804.  Samuel  Potter;  1805,  Samuel  Sizer; 
1806-12,  Thomas  H.  Hamilton ;  1813,  Jabez  Burchard ;  1814-80,  Thomas  H.  Hamil- 
ton; 1831-32,  Russell  Fuller;  1833,  Henry  Slocum;  1834-35,  Russell  Fuller;  1836, 
Henry  Slocum;  1837-38,  Alfred  Gillett;  1839,  Russell  Fuller;  1840,  William  N. 
Steuben;  1841,  Russell  Fuller ;  1842,  Henry  H.  Hamilton;  1843,  Lester  B.  Miller; 
1844-47,  Russell  Fuller;  1848-51.  William  Lewis;  1852-53.  Saul  U.  Miller;  1854, 
William  Lewis;  1855,  Joseph  I.  Francis;  1856,  William  Lewis;  1857,  Alfred  H.  Gil- 
lett; 1858,  Lewis  Everett;  1859,  Saul  U.  Miller;  1860-61,  David  H.  Williams;  1862, 
Thomas  H.  Jones;  1863-66,  William  Lewis;  1867-68,  Lewis  Everett;  1869-70, 
Morris  W.  Morris;  1871-73,  William  Lewis;  1874-75,  Lewis  J.  Lewis;  1876,  Leon- 
ard E.  Adsit;  1877-78,  John  E.  Owen. 

After  the  foregoing  list  was  prepared  and  before  it  was  completed  to 
date,  the  town  records  were  burned. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON. 


This  town  had  an  existence  of  one  year  before  Oneida  county  was 
formed.  Trenton  was  erected  from  the  town  of  Schuyler,  then  in  Herki- 
mer county,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1797.  Its  27,292  acres  embrace 
almost  the  whole  of  the  Servis  patent  and  a  large  tract  of  the  Holland 
patent  in  the  western  part ;  both  of  these  patents  are  described  in  Chap- 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON".  553 

ter  X.  and  the  accompanying  map  shows  their  boundaries  in  relation  to 
this  town.  Trenton  Hes  on  the  eastern  side  of  Oneida  county  about  in 
the  center  from  north  to  south.  West  Canada  Creek  forms  a  part  of  its 
eastern  boundary,  as  it  does  also  the  boundary  of  the  county  at  that 
point.  Cincinnati  Creek  flows  through  the  northern  part  and  Nine  Mile 
Creek  through  the  southern  part.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  hilly  and 
broken,  rising  in  places  from  400  to  600  feet,  and  the  streams  have 
many  cascades  and  falls,  chief  of  which  is  the  celebrated  Trenton  Falls 
on  the  West  Canada  Creek.  The  soil  is  a  sandy  and  clayey  loam  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  grazing. 

The  Trenton  Falls  have  acquired  more  than  a  local  reputation  and 
the  grand  and  picturesque  scenery  in  that  vicinity  is  not  excelled  in 
Central  New  York.  The  upper  fall  is  called  Prospect  Fall,  where  the 
water  has  a  descent  of  twenty-four  feet.  A  short  distance  farther  down 
the  stream  it  becomes  very  narrow  and  the  tumultuous  waters  plunge 
through  the  gorge  in  wild  confusion.  Into  this  gorge  there  is  no  place 
of  easy  descent  until  the  Summit  House  is  reached,  from  which  point 
the  boiling  rapids  continue  until  the  so-called  Cascade  of  the  Alhambra 
is  reached,  a  waterfall  of  matchless  beauty.  Below  this  the  waters 
spread  out  in  foamy  level,  only  to  enter  another  gorge  farther  down  in 
which  is  the  Mill  Dam  Fall  of  fourteen  feet.  Below  this  the  scenery  of 
the  battlemented  rocks  and  crags,  along  the  feet  of  which  plunges  the 
imprisoned  stream,  is  magnificent.  The  High  Fall  comes  next  and  is 
not  only  beautiful  in  itself,  but  is  surrounded  with  scenery  of  the  most 
picturesque  loveliness  and  grandeur.  Farther  down  is  the  beautiful 
Sherman  Fall,  and  below  that  is  the  Village  Fall,  after  leaving  which 
the  waters  flow  onward  in  placid  peace.  The  total  descent  of  the  five 
separate  falls  is  about  200  feet,  within  a  distance  of  half  a  mile.  Tren- 
ton Falls  is  a  popular  resort  and  was  first  prominently  brought  into 
notice  by  John  Sherman,  who  conducted  the  first  hotel  for  visitors, 
erected  in  1822,  as  noticed  further  on. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Trenton  was  held  in  the  village  of  Olden 
Barneveld,  as  Trenton  was  first  named,  on  the  4th  of  April,  1797,  at 
the  house  of  Thomas  Hicks,  and  the  following  officers  were  chosen: 

Supervisor,  Adam  G.  Mappa;  town  clerk,  John  P.  Little;  assessors,  Thomas  Hicks, 
Cheney  Garrett,  David  Williams;  commissioners  ot  highways,  Peter  Schuyler,  David 
70 


554  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Stafford,  William  Miller;  overseers  of  the  poor  Gerrit  Becker,  Peter  Garrett;  col- 
lector, Daniel  Bell;  commissioners  of  schools,  Peter  Schuyler,  John  Hicks,  David 
Williams;  constable,  Daniel  Bell,  Jacob  P.  Nash,  Solomon  Gillett;  fence-viewers, 
Gerrit  Boon,  William  Johnson,  Solomon  Gillett;  poundmasters,  Jacob  T.  Smits, 
James  Holibert;  overseers  of  highways,  on  road  to  Fort  Schuyler,  Francis  Adrian 
Van  der  Kemp;  on  road  to  Steuben,  Joseph  Brownell;  on  road  to  Canada  Creek, 
David  Corp;  on  road  to  Fort  Stanwix,  Abner  Matthews;  on  road  to  White's  Town, 
Jonathan  Grrves. 

The  first  settlement  made  in  this  town  was  by  Gerrit  Boon,  who  came 
from  Holland,  and  has  already  been  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter  as 
the  pioneer  to  make  improvements  in  the  town  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Boon 
came  into  Trenton  in  1793  from  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  marking  trees 
along  his  route,  and  halted  on  the  site  of  the  villlage  of  Trenton.  Here 
he  foresaw  the  building  up  of  a  thrifty  settlement  and  he  gave  it  the 
name  of  Olden  Barneveld.  Mr.  Boon  came  as  one  of  the  several  agents 
of  the  great  Holland  Land  Company,  which  owned  vast  tracts  of  land 
in  this  State.  After  faithfully  serving  his  employers  in  this  country  a 
few  years  he  returned  to  his  native  country  and  died  there.  He  was  a 
man  of  ability  and  integrity.  He  built  a  frame  house  on  the  village  site, 
which  was  subsequently  removed  across  the  road,  was  enlarged  and  still 
stands.  John  C.  Owens  occupies  it.  A  stone  dwelling  was  built  on 
the  Boon  place  and  the  property  is  now  owned  in  the  Wicks  family. 
Mr.  Boon  also  attempted  to  build  a  dam  and  a  stone  grist  mill  on  the 
Cincinnati  Creek,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still  visible  ;  he  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  making  his  dam  permanent,  and  abandoned  it  for  another  site 
farther  up  the  stream.  Mr.  Boon  was  not  practical,  apparently,  in  some 
directions  and  certainly  was  not  conversant  with  many  features  of  the 
new  world.  It  is  said  that  when  he  first  saw  maple  sap  flow  and  sugar 
made  from  it,  he  was  enthusiastic  and  resolved  to  go  into  the  business 
and  follow  it  the  year  round. 

Col.  Adam  G.  Mappa  and  his  family  followed  Boon  from  Holland 
and  Mr.  Mappa  succeeded  the  latter  as  agent  of  the  land  company. 
Within  a  year  or  two  Francis  Adrian  Vanderkemp  and  his  family,  also 
from  Holland,  came  here  to  reside.  Mappa  and  Vanderkemp  became 
close  friends  here,  as  they  had  been  in  Holland.  Vanderkemp  was  im- 
prisoned in  Holland  for  taking  part  in  the  revolution  of  1786,  but  was 
ransomed,  and  on  his  arrival  in  this  country  settled  first  at  Esopus  and 
afterwards  on  an   island   in    Oneida    Lake.      His  son,  John  J.  Vander- 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON.  555 

kemp,  was  the  first  clerk  in  the  land  company's  office  here  under 
Colonel  Mappa,  and  later  became  the  company's  chief  agent  with 
headquarters  in  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Luther  Guiteau,  whose  name  has  been  frequently  mentioned  in 
earlier  chapters  of  this  volume,  was  born  in  Lanesboro,  Mass.,  and 
settled  in  Trenton  in  1802,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  until  his 
death  in  1850.  He  was  succeeded  in  his  practice  by  his  son  of  the 
same  name.      Their  old  office  is  still  standing  in  the  village. 

It  was  in  1802  that  Rev.  John  Taylor  visited  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try and  wrote  a  report  of  his  journey.  Under  date  of  August  3  he 
states  that  "  at  Trenton,  six  miles  east  of  Floyd,  he  put  up  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Fish,  from  New  Jersey,  who  was  employed  part  of  the  time  by  the 
people  of  the  town,  and  rode  as  a  missionary  the  remainder."  The 
next  day  Mr.  Taylor  wrote:  "Trenton,  17  miles  north  of  Utica,  In 
this  place  there  is  no  church  formed.  A  majority  of  the  people  are 
Presbyterians  ;  the  remainder  are  Baptists  and  persons  of  no  religion, 
and  a  few  Methodists."  He  then  adds:  "I  visited  a  school  of  50  chil- 
dren, who  have  a  good  instructor."  In  this  early  school  house  the 
people  met  for  religious  worship  ;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fish  mentioned  was 
probably  the  first  preacher  in  the  town  and  the  first  pastor  of  the 
church  organized  at  Holland  Patent  in  1797,  as  noticed  further  on. 

About  1803  Rev.  John  Sherman  became  pastor  of  the  Unitarian 
church  at  Trenton,  organized  in  1803.  In  18 12  Mr.  Sherman  founded 
an  academy  in  the  village,  which  he  successfully  conducted  a  number  of 
years  and  educated  a  large  number  of  scholars.  He  was  a  finely  edu- 
cated man,  an  eloquent  preacher  and  a  writer  of  ability.  He  was  en- 
raptured over  the  falls  and  their  surroundings,  and  believed  from  the 
first  that  the  locality  would  eventually  become  a  popular  resort.  He 
therefore  purchased  of  the  Holland  Land  Company  in  1822,  sixty  acres 
of  land  including  the  first  fall  (which  took  his  name),  and  built  on  the 
site  of  the  later  hotel  a  small  structure  which  he  called  Rural  Resort. 
This  house  was  at  first  only  opened  for  day  visitors  and  guests,  but  in 
1824  Philip  Hone  and  family,  and  Dominick  Lynch  (the  pioneer  of 
Rome)  and  his  family  came  from  New  York  and  insisted  on  remaining 
over  night.  During  the  visit  Mr.  Hone  asked  the  preacher  why  he  did 
not  build  a  larger  house  and  make  it  known  to  the  public.     The  answer 


556  OUR  COUNTY  AISD  ITS  PEOPLE.    , 

was  another  question  whether  Mr.  Hone  ever  knew  a  minister  who  had 
any  money.  The  result  was  a  tender  of  a  loan  to  Mr.  Sherman  by 
Mr.  Hone  of  $5,000,  which  was  accepted  and  the  Trenton  Falls  House 
was  erected.  Rev.  Isaac  B.  Pierce  succeded  Mr.  Sherman  as  pastor  of 
the  Unitarian  church  and  acceptably  served  the  congregation  for  twenty- 
five  years. 

From   a   Centennial  address   delivered   in   Trenton   July  4,  1876,  we 
quote  the  following  paragraphs  of  important  early  history  of  this  town  : 

You  have  living  in  your  neighborhood  a  man  who  was  born  before  any  white  man 
ventured  to  think  of  settling  here, — Vincent  Tuttle,  of  Holland  Patent.  He  was 
born  in  1790,  and  now,  eighty-six  years  old,  with  a  firm  step  and  sound  memory, 
he  is  here  to  celebrate  with  you  this  centennial  Fourth  of  July.  He  came  here  in 
March,  1804.  He  tells  me  that  at  that  time  the  clearing  was  only  as  far  as  the  place 
where  the  Prospect  Railroad  Depot  now  stands;  that  all  north  of  that,  including  the 
ground  where  Pi'ospect  Village  now  is,  was  covered  by  a  dense  forest ;  that  he 
helped  cut  the  road  towards  Prospect,  m  front  of  Mr.  Wm.  Perkins'  land,  in  1807; 
that  the  village  of  Prospect  was  laid  out  by  Colonel  Mappa  in  1811,  and  by  him  named 
Prospect ;  and  that  when  he  came  here  Colonel  Adam  G.  Mappa  resided  where  we 
are  now  assembled,  but  in  the  frame  house  built  by  Gerrit  Boon;  that  in  1809,  the 
Holland  Land  Company  built,  at  a  cost  of  $13,000  this  stone  mansion,  which  has 
witnessed  man}' assemblages  of  distinguished  peojDle;  that  in  1804  the  stone  grist- 
mill on  the  flat  was  in  good  order,  but  the  dam  had  been  carried  away  by  a  flood. 
This  mill  was  built  by  Boon,  at  the  expense  of  the  Holland  Company,  to  save  the 
settlers  the  time  and  labor  and  difficulty  of  w'alking  toWhitesboro'  to  get  flour.  The 
location  of  this  dam  and  mill  proving  unfortunate,  the  Holland  Land  Company 
abandoned  it,  and  built  a  new  grist-mill  on  the  Cincinnati  Creek,  a  few  rods  below 
the  location  of  Parker's  present  foundry,  at  the  foot  of  the  first  fall  below  the  bridge. 
This  company  also  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  site  of  the  present  saw-mill.  These  mills 
the  Holland  Land  Company  .sold  to  Peter  Schuyler,  who  owned  and  ran  them  sev- 
eral years,  and  then  sold  out  to  James  Parker,  an  important  and  early  settler,  who 
occupied  and  ran  the  mills  many  years,  day  and  night,  doing  a  large  business,  cus- 
tomers coming  from  Steuben,  Remsen,  and  Boonville  to  have  their  grist  ground. 
The  farmers  then  raised  their  own  wheat  and  had  it  for  sale.  But  until  a  grist-mill 
was  built  here  they  could  obtain  no  flour  without  walking  from  here  to  Whitesboro. 
The  road  was  impassable  in  any  other  way.  There  was  no  flour  then  to  be  purchased 
at  stores.  The  whole  community  was  intensely  excited  about  the  grist-mill.  They 
could  not  run  the  risk  of  the  old  location  ;  that  must  be  abandoned,  and  a  reliable 
mill  built  at  once.  This  was  done,  and  thereby  a  great  trade  was  brought  to  Tren- 
ton. Tailors  and  boot  and  shoe  makers  had  no  shops,  but  went  from  house  to  house 
mending  and  and  making  up  for  the  year.  The  women  of  the  county  carded  by 
hand  the  fleeces  of  wool  clipped  by  the  farmers.  They  spun  and  made  yarn,  and 
then  by  hand-looms,  such  as  is  worked  to  day  by  Mrs.  Perkins,  at  Prospect,  they 
wove  their  own  dresses,  which  lasted  for  years,  and  were  handed  down  from  the 
mother  to  the  youngest  child ;  and  the  farmer  sowed  flax,  and   when   it  was  broken 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON.  557 

and  made  ready  for  the  spinning-wheels,  the  women  took  it  and  made  all  their  linen 
for  household  uses. 

You  can  readily  imagine,  therefore,  what  a  blessing  to  the  women  was  a  carding 
and  fulling-mill;  and  so  there  was  rejoicing  in  this  land  when,  in  1806,  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Ensign  put  up  a  carding  and  fulling  mill  on  the  Cincinnati  Creek,  just  above 
the  foundry.  The  falls  on  the  creek  opposite  the  Prospect  Depot  are  sometimes 
called  Ensign  Falls, — after  the  builder  of  this  carding  and  fulling  mill.  He  sold  out 
to  Timothy  Powers,  who  built  new  and  larger  works,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  busi- 
ness for  several  years.  His  carding-mill  stood  where  the  present  foundry  is  located. 
The  first  male  child  born  in  the  town  was  a  son  of  James  Parker,  already  mentioned; 
he  was  named  Adam,  after  Colonel  Adam  Mappa,  although  many  supposed  he  was 
called  Adam  because  he  was  the  first  man. 

George  Parker,  another  son  of  James  Parker,  was  the  father  of  Messrs.  Parker 
who  now  own  the  foundry.  He  was  a  very  ingenious  mechanic.  He  learned  his 
trade  with  Shubael  Storrs,  a  watch-maker  in  Utica,  and  then  returning  to  Trenton, 
built  a  foundry  on  the  Cincinnati  Creek,  just  above  the  present  foundry.  This  was 
subsequently  turned  into  a  grist-mill,  which  was  a  short  lived  affair,  and  the  build- 
ing now  remains  unoccupied. 

Mr.  Tuttle  informs  me  that  in  the  fallof  1804  Captain  John  Billings  and  Mr.  James 
Douglas,  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  came  to  Trenton.  They  were  merchants,  and 
by  marriage  related  to  one  another,  and  to  Dr.  Guiteau.  They  were  both  Demo- 
crats, and  could  live  in  harmony,  and  they  entered  into  a  partnership  which  lasted 
several  years.  Mr.  Billings  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1805,  and  held  his  position 
about  fifty  years,  and  accounted  for  every  cent  of  the  receipts  of  his  office.  He  was 
born  in  1781,  and  died  in  1863. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  James  Douglas  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  He  became  a 
planter  on  the  island  of  Jamaica.  He  had  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter.  His 
son,  Thomas  James  Douglas,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  in  the  year  of  1758,  came 
to  America,  with  two  servants,  landing  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  He  engaged 
in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  with  Great  Britain,  holding  the  commission  of  major 
in  the  army.  He  corresponded  with  General  Washington,  and  also  with  other  offi- 
cers, and  this  correspondence  is  still  extant.  His  son,  James  Douglas,  was  born  at 
Westfield,  Mass.,  in  1778,  and,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  came  here  in  the  fall  of 
1804,  with  Captain  Billings.  They  were  strongly  urged  to  stop  at  Utica,  but  the  hill- 
sides about  Utica  were  ver}^  wet,  while  the  lowlands  were  subject  to  the  overflowings 
of  the  Mohawk  River,  and  they  decided  to  come  here.  Mr.  Douglas  died  in  1851, 
leaving  a  widow  and  sons  and  daughters,  who  survive  him. 

Captain  Billings  held  a  commission  in  the  war  of  1813,  and  went  with  his  company 
to  Sacket's  Harbor.  For  thirty  years  Mr.  Douglas  and-  Captain  Billings  were  asso- 
ciated in  business,  and  when  they  dissolved  partnership  the  new  firm  was  Douglas  & 
Son.  About  1810  there  were  five  stores  at  Trenton,  which  were  carried  on  by  the 
following  per.sons  :  Mappa  &  Remsen,  Chapman  &  Cooper,  Billings  &  Douglas, 
Brooks  &  Mason,  and  Mr.  Griswold. 

At  that  time  there  was  no  village  of  Prospect.  There  was  Remsen,  but  no  store 
there;  Holland  Patent,  but  no  store  there;  Russia,  but  no  store  there;  and  thus  the 
trade  of  that  part  of  Herkimer  county,  and  all  this  part  of  Oneida  county,  was  tribu- 
tary to  your  village,  and  some  of  your  trade  came  over  from  Martinsburg. 


558  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Tuttle  states  that  Colonel  Thomas  Hicks  built  the  house  in  which  Dr.  Guiteau 
now  resides.  Colonel  Hicks  was  an  influential  and  active  citizen,  and  an  earnest 
Federalist. 

The  house  in  which  Judge  Vanderkemp  resided  Mr.  Tuttle  thinks  was  built  by 
him.  This  is  quite  likely,  but  the  original  poor,  thin,  cold  building  cannot  now  be 
recognized  in  the  pretty  and  comfortable  cottage  occupied  by  Mr.  Silsbee. 

From  1816  to  1871  Mr.  Tuttle  owned  164  acres?  of  land,  which  included  all  of  Tren- 
ton Falls  on  the  west  side  of  Canada  Creek  up  to  Fanning's  (now  Perkins")  south  line, 
except  the  first,  or  Sherman's  Fall.  He  gave  for  it,  in  1816,  from  $20  to  $25  per  acre, 
and  sold  it,  in  1871,  to  Mr.  Moore,  for  $100  per  acre;  but  Mr.  Moore  occupied  the 
land  twenty  years  before  he  purchased  it.  Mr.  Tuttle  states  that  prior  to  1832  those 
who  wished  to  see  the  Falls  used  to  stop  at  the  Backus  Hotel, — now  Mr.  Skinner's 
house, — in  your  village,  and  then  go  to  the  ravine  by  a  path  across  the  fields  and 
through  some  gates. 

About  the  year  1822,  Joseph  Bonaparte,  who  then  lived  in  New  Jersey,  gave  some 
money  to  Mr.  Backus  to  blast  out  some  of  the  rock  in  the  ravine,  so  as  to  make  a  safe 
walk  up  to  the  first  fall.  Bonaparte  was  delighted  with  the  beauty  of  the  falls,  and 
predicted  that  they  would  be  of  great  note ;  and  to-day  Mr.  Moore's  register  will  show 
the  names  of  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Among  the  first  settlers,  Judge 
John  Storrs  held  the  office  of  supervisor  eleven  years,  Peter  Schuyler  ten  years,  and 
William  RoUo  eighteen  years.  When  we  look  back  upon  the  early  settlers,  we  wish 
we  had  the  time  to  give  the  name  and  history  of  every  one;  but  they  number  be- 
tween two  hundred  and  three  hundred  as  early  as  1804. 

Pascal  C.  J.  De  Angelis  came  over  from  the  old  country  in  his  boy- 
hood, took  part  in  the  naval  service  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was 
captured  by  tiie  British  and  confined  in  Dartmoor  prison.  After  the 
war  he  built  and  commanded  a  vessel  in  the  merchant  service.  Becom- 
ing acquainted  with  Mr.  Johnson,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Holland 
patent, 1  he  was  persuaded  by  his  friend,  Mr.  Fisk,  to  join  with  him  and 
and  a  Mr.  Hubbard  in  the  purchase  of  one-quarter  of  the  Holland 
patent.  They  all  came  in  during  1797.  A  receipt  dated  October 
12,  1797,  is  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  from  P.  C. 
J.  De  Angelis  for  improvements  and  buildings,  and  is  signed  by  James 
Hulbert.  The  building  was  a  log  house  on  land  afterwards  occupied  by 
W.  W.  De  Angelis  as  a  garden.  Mr.  Fisk  built  the  first  frame  house 
and  Judge  De  Angelis  the  next;   the  latter  was  built  in  1800. 

The  Vincent  Tuttle  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  quotations  came  with 
his  father,  Daniel  Tuttle,  from  Long  Island  to  Norway,  Herkimer 
county,  in  1794  ^nd  settled  near  the   site  of  Prospect  village  in    1804. 

1  The  Holland  Patent  was  named  after  Lord  Holland,  and  .should  not  be  confounded  with 
any  of  the  lands  of  the  Holland  Land  Company. 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON.  559 

The  son  settled  after  attaining  his  majority  on  a  farm  between  Pros- 
pect and  Trenton  and  there  passed  most  of  his  life  He  engaged  in 
early  years  in  the  distilling  business,  during  which  he  had  a  contract  for 
producing  250,000  gallons  of  spirits  for  the  army.  He  also  carried  on 
a  store  at  Trenton  Falls. 

Thomas  G.  Hicks,  father  of  Col.  Thomas  Hicks,  came  from  Rhode 
Island  about  1781  and  located  in  Utica.  He  soon  afterward  removed 
to  Trenton  village,  where  he  built  the  house  afterwards  occupied  by  Dr. 
Guiteau,  in  which  he  kept  the  first  hotel  in  the  place.  A  year  later  he 
removed  to  a  farm  at  South  Trenton  and  made  improvements.  He  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  was  the  first  captain  of  militia  from  this  town 
and  was  colonel  of  the  y2d  Regiment ;  he  went  to  Sackett's  Harbor 
during  the  war  of    181 2 

Previous  to  the  war  of  1812  the  Utica  and  Remsen  turnpike,  which 
became  better  known  as  the  Black  River  road,  was  constructed  under 
direction  of  Col.  Thomas  Hicks.  Isaac  Curry  kept  a  hotel  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  south  of  South  Trenton  and  there  was  located  a  toll 
gate.  Mr.  Curry  was  a  leading  early  citizen  and  held  several  ofiices. 
Cheney  Garrett  was  a  partner  of  Colonel  Hicks  in   building  operations. 

According  to  the  Jones  Annals,  the  fiist  settlers  in  the  south  part  of 
the  town  were  Colonel  Hicks.  John  Garrett  and  his  two  sons,  Cheney 
and  Peter,  Edward  Hughes  and  Hugh  Thomas  ;  others  were  Ephraim 
Perkins,  John  Curry  and  his  two  sons,  Elias  and  Isaac,  Owen  Morris, 
Lemuel  Barrows,  Jedediah  Brownell,  Lucas  Younglove,  and  James 
Francis.  These  settlements  were  made  between  1792  and  18 10  John 
Garrett  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  became  owner  of  104  acres 
from  the  land  company  on  the  north  of  Nine  Mile  Creek,  for  which  he 
paid  $4  an  acre.  Hicks  bought  200  acres  a  half  mile  north  of  Garrett, 
paying  $4. 50  an  acre.  He  later  built  a  hotel  at  Trenton.  Peter  and 
Cheney  Garrett  returned  to  Utica  after  their  father's  settlement,  but 
about  1802  came  back  to  South  Trenton,  Cheney  locating  on  his 
father's  place  and  building  the  house  afterwards  occupied  by  his  son, 
John  P.  Garrett.  Peter  bought  a  farm  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south 
from  South  Trenton,  the  place  later  occupied  by  his  son  Jedediah. 
John  Curry  was  from  Scotland,  and  married  a  sister  of  John  Post,  the 
Utica  pioneer,  with  whom   one  of  his  sons  was  an  early  clerk  ;   it  was 


560  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

through  the  latter's  influence  that  his  father  moved  here  from  Ballston.  He 
purchased  lOO  acres  of  the  land  company  at  South  Trenton,  at  $5  an  acre. 
About  1807  Isaac,  the  son,  built  a  hotel  a  mile  south  of  South  Trenton, 
which  in  later  years  was  known  as  the  Joy  place.  James  Francis  emigrated 
from  South  Wales  and  settled  at  South  Trenton  about  1806,  where  he 
purchased  a  small  farm  a  half  mile  northeast  of  the  village  and  built  a 
log  house.  Edward  Hughes  came  over  from  Wales  about  1802,  lived 
in  Philadelphia  three  years  and  then  settled  at  South  Trenton,  where  he 
bought  fifty  acres  at  $8  an  acre  ;  his  place  was  a  short  distance  south 
of  the  village  site.  These  pioneers  were  endowed  with  determination 
and  industry  and  they  founded  schools  and  churches,  built  mills,  opened 
stores  and  shops  and  laid  the  foundations  for  the  prosperity  that  has 
been  enjoyed  by  their  posterity. 

A  post-ofiice  was  established  at  Trenton  village  about  the  beginning 
of  the  century  and  soon  a  little  settlement  gathered  about  which  fore- 
shadowed the  later  village.  Dr.  Luther  Guiteau  was  postmaster  for  a 
time,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  Billings,  his  brother- in-law,  who  set- 
tled here  in  1804.  Taking  the  office  in  1805  he  kept  it  about  sixty 
years  and  at  his  death  was  the  oldest  postmaster  in  the  United  States. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Griffith  Pritchard.  Elizur  Skinner  settled  near 
the  village  about  1810,  removed  to  South  Trenton  where  he  kept  a 
public  house  a  year,  when  he  returned  to  Trenton  village  during  the  war 
of  18 1 2  and  kept  the  tavern  four  years  that  was  occupied  in  late  years 
by  G.  L.  Skinner.  This  hotel  was  built  by  Judge  John  Storrs.  Peter 
Remsen  opened  an  early  store  in  the  village  and  Douglass  &  Billings 
another.  By  the  year  18 19  a  considerable  hamlet  had  grown  up  and 
on  the  19th  of  April  of  that  year  the  village  was  incorporated  under  the 
original  name  of  Olden  Barneveld.  Reincorporation  was  effected  April 
26,  1833,  under  the  present  name  and  with  slightly  different  bounda- 
ries ;  these  boundaries  have  been  twice  changed,  first  in  April,  1864, 
and  again  in  April,  1870.  The  records  under  the  first  incorporation  are 
not  in  existence.  Previous  to  1868  the  village  was  governed  simply  by 
a  board  of  trustees  numbering  six  in  the  early  years,  five  for  a  later 
period,  and  still  later  four.  Since  1868  a  president  of  the  board  has 
been  chosen,  the  list  embracing  the  following : 

1868-69,  Daniel  French;  1870,  Hugh  H.  Jones;  1871,  Levi  Wheaton  ;  1872,  Daniel 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON.  5GI 

French;  1873-76,  Albert  S.  Skiff;  1877-79,  William  Boullian ;  1880,  H.  S.  Stanton; 
1881,  J.  B.  Watkins;  1883,  D.  French,  jr. ;  1883,  J.  B.  Watkins;  1884-85,  James  Reeve; 
1886-88,  John  C.  Owens;  1889,  D.  H.  Roberts;  1890-91,  T.  J.  Lewis;  : 893-93,  John 
Hughes;  1894-95,  D.  H.  Roberts;  1896,  John  E.  Dublin. 

A  library  was  founded  in  the  village  in  1874  under  the  name  of  the 
Trenton  Library  Association,  which  title  was  afterward  changed  to  the 
Barneveld  Library  Association.  A  subscription  was  collected  of  about 
$100  and  a  number  of  books,  and  a  room  was  furnished  for  the  purpose. 
The  collection  increased  until  about  240  volumes  were  gathered  when 
on  the  17th  of  March,  1875,  the  library  was  burned.  A  meeting  was 
held  and  a  revival  of  the  library  determined  upon  ;  another  subscription 
was  started  and  so  liberally  were  contributions  made  that  within  two 
months  350  volumes  were  collected  and  before  the  close  of  that  year  the 
number  was  increased  to  more  than  1,200  volumes.  A  building  was 
now  needed  and  subscriptions  were  received  for  the  purchase  of  a  site, 
and  the  collection  of  funds  was  continued  until  about  $1,200  was  col- 
lected, when  on  July  27,  1877,  the  corner  stone  of  a  building  was  laid. 
The  building  is  of  stone  and  cost  with  the  site  about  $1,700. 

Some  of  the  former  business  men  of  Trenton  are  Daniel  French,  still 
living,  who  came  in  1 837  and  started  in  the  meat  market  business  in 
1842;  Billings  &  Howe,  James  Douglass  &  Son,  Egert  &  Pritchard, 
Levi  Wheadon  and  John  Evans.  The  firm  of  Bevin  &  Dublin  were  in 
trade  and  dissolved,  J.  E.  Dublin  opening  a  store  and  C.  C.  Bevin  an- 
other;  Barker  &  Plumb  started  where  Mr.  Bevin  now  is,  and  were 
succeeded  by  F.  F.  Potter.  Other  present  merchants  are  J.  J.  Lewis, 
Alger  &  Barker,  formerly  R.  Alger  &  Son,  and  before  them  William 
Robertson  ;  G.  H.  Skiff,  furniture,  William  Bouillian,  many  years  in  the 
drug  trade,  and  E.  French  &  Son,  market  and  grocers. 

The  grist  mill  is  operated  by  F.  A.  Goodman,  formerly  by  S.  R.  Sizer 
and  still  later  by  Israel  Jones.  The  saw  mill  about  a  mile  out  the  vil- 
lage is  operated  by  Austin  Mcintosh,  and  near  it  in  what  was  the 
Parker  foundry,  is  the  fish  rod  factory  owned  by  George  A.  Clark  &  Co. 
of  Utica 

For  many  years  past  there  have  been  two  hotels  in  Trenton.  The 
Dawson  House  has  been  kept  for  thirteen  years  by  George  W.  Dawson; 
it  has  been  a  hotel  site  for  a  great  many  years.     The  Brooklyn  House  is 

kept  by  Herbert  Griffith. 
71 


562  OUR  COUiQTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  village  of  Holland  Pateni  takes  its  name  from  the  large  tract  of 
land  of  more  than  20,000  acres,  granted  to  Henry.  Lord  Holland,  by 
the  British  crown.  He  sold  the  tract  to  Seth  Johnson,  Horace  Johnson, 
and  Andrew  Craige,  who  employed  Moses  Wright  to  survey  it  into  lots 
of  about  100  acres  each.  Seth  Johnson  was  a  native  of  Middletown, 
Conn.,  born  in  1767,  and  died  while  on  a  visit  to  Holland  Patent  De- 
cember 8,  1802;  he  was  the  first  person  buried  in  the  burial  ground 
which  he  had  given  to  the  settlers  for  that  purpose.  At  the  time  the 
Johnsons  came  on  the  patent  they  found  Noah  Simons  making  a  sur- 
vey and  claiming  to  be  the  owner  of  it.  There  was  some  litigation  in 
later  years  to  support  those  claims,  but  it  failed.  A  few  families  moved 
upon  the  tract  previous  to  1797,  having  made  purchases  of  Simons; 
among  these  are  Rowland  Briggs,  EHphalet  Pierce,  Eliphalet  Coates, 
Benjamin  White,  and  a  few  others,  who  made  repurchases  of  the  real 
owners.  Soon  after  the  Johnson  and  Craige  survey  they  sold  a  quarter 
of  the  patent  to  Bezabel  Fisk,  Pascal  C  I  De  Angelis,  Hezekiah  II ul- 
bert,  and  Isaac  Hubbard,  who  drew  shares  for  their  several  locations, 
after  selecting  two  lots  each.  This  formed  a  nucleus  for  the  subsequent 
settlement.  Mr.  Hulbert  died  in  1800,  and  Mr.  Fisk  died  early,  both 
deaths  occurring  in  Connecticut.  Mr.  De  Angelis  died  in  Holland  Pat 
ent  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years;  and  Mr.  Hubbard  died  in 
Ohio  at  the  age  of  ninety- nine  years.  The  post-office  here  was  estab 
lished  probably  about  1805.  Hobart  Hall  Academy  was  incorporated 
in  1839,  with  Mr.  De  Angelis  as  president,  and  a  building  was  erected 
and  the  school  commenced.  For  a  number  of  years  it  was  quite  sue 
cessful,  but  it  finally  gave  way  to  the  graded  schools  and  the  building 
was  then  used  for  that  purpose.  In  1876  Watson  Williams  built  the 
large  brick  hotel  called  the  Clarendon,  principally  to  accommodate  the 
many  guests  that  in  recent  years  have  sought  this  quiet  and  health 
promoting  place.  This  house  is  now  kept  by  I.  D  Thompson.  A  store 
is  kept  by  John  E.  Jones  (formerly  Jones  &  Owens),  and  by  William 
McClusky  (formerly  White  &  McCIusky),  and  M.  M.  Brown.  A  grist 
mill  between  this  village  and  Stittville  is  operated  by  Thompson  & 
Goodman. 

This   village  is  the  home  of  the  author  of  successful  books,  writing 
under  the  nom-de  plume  of  Betsey  Bobbett, 


HENRY  HAGEDORN, 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON.  563 

The  enterprising  village  of  Prospect  is  situated  in  the  northeast  part 
of  the  town  on  the  West  Canada  Creek.  Its  name  is  said  to  have  been 
given  it  by  Col.  Adam  G.  Mappa,  who,  with  a  surveying  party,  laid 
out  the  village.  Standing  upon  the  eminence  overlooking  the  valley  of 
the  creek  and  surrounding  scenery,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  a  beautiful 
prospect !  "  Hence  the  name.  Phineas  Watkins  was  an  early  settler  of 
this  town  near  what  has  been  called  Birch  Ridge  ;  his  son  George  opened 
the  first  store  in  Prospect,  in  association  with  John  Owens;  this  was  in 
1823.  Mr.  Watkins  had  previously  taught  school  in  the  village.  A 
saw  mill  was  built  early  on  the  Herkimer  county  side  of  the  creek  by 
John  G.  Squires,  and  another  on  the  Trenton  side  which  was  long 
operated  by  George  Watkins.  Watkins  and  Owens  continued  in  part- 
nership until  1830.  Mr.  Watkins  was  conspicuous  in  building  up  the 
place.  Judah  Crosby  settled  about  the  beginning  of  the  century  a  mile 
north  of  Prospect,  and  there  his  son,  Smith  Crosby,  was  born  in  July, 
1803.  The  latter  was  long  a  well  known  citizen  and  built  the  Union 
church  in  the  village.  George  Watkins  erected  a  grist  mill  after  he  had 
got  his  saw  mill  in  operation  ;  it  has  been  run  ever  since,  with  changes 
in  its  interior.  The  grist  mill  here  is  now  operated  by  Henry  Hagedorn  ; 
there  is  no  saw  mill  in  operation.  The  large  tannery  once  carried  or 
by  Lewis  J.  Griffith  was  burned  and  not  rebuilt. 

The  post-office  at  Prospect  was  established  probably  as  early  as  18 15. 
About  1825  Clark  Hoyt  built  what  became  known  as  Union  Hall,  a 
large  hotel  in  the  upper  part  of  the  village.  This  property  is  now  the 
property  of  Henry  Hagedorn  and  is  conducted  by  James  Murphy,  jr. 
The  popular  Dodge  House  is  conducted  by  William  Hodge.  What 
was  formerly  known  as  Goshen  Hall,  and  McMaster's  Hall,  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  village,  was  probably  built  in  early  years  by  Porter  Davis; 
it  is  now  owned  by  James  Sherman,  and  conducted  as  a  hotel  by  Fred. 
Hubbard.  Stores  are  kept  here  by  C.  B.  Hodge,  Charles  Walters,  John 
R.  Williams  and  George  H.  Worden  ;  the  latter  has  been  in  trade  here 
thirty  years,  and  is  a  grandson  of  Isaac  Worden,  who  came  here  in  1794 
and  settled  a  half  mile  from  the  village  site. 

The  early  settlement  by  the  Garretts  and  others  at  South  Trenton 
has  been  described.  Cheney  Garrett  kept  a  public  house  for  twenty 
years  in  what  was   later  the   dwelling  of  his  son;   it   was  built  in  1801. 


gG4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  first  store  in  the  place  was  kept  by  Hugh  WiUiams,  a  native  of 
England.  Mr.  Garrett  built  a  saw  mill  on  tlie  creek  as  early  as  1797, 
and  a  grist  mill,  a  clover  mill,  a  flax  mill,  and  a  peppermint  distillery 
were  later  put  in  operation.  A  brick  yard  was  established  about  1837 
by  H.  W.  and  J.  P.  Garrett.  The  post-ofiice  of  South  Trenton  was 
originally  established  three  miles  south  of  the  village  on  the  Utica  roa-d  ; 
the  one  at  the  village  was  opened  about  1822  with  Daniel  Schermer- 
horn  as  postmaster.  A  store  is  kept  by  E.  D.  Wheeler  where  John 
Mallory  was  formerly  in  trade  and  was  succeeded  by  Robert  Isaacs.  A 
man  named  Rowley  was  in  trade  here  as  early  as  1 837.  The  hotel  is 
kept  by  Lewis  Smallenberge  ,  and  a  small  grist  mill  is  run  by  Charles 
Sypher. 

The  first  store  at  Trenton  Falls  was  probably  that  of  Romeo  W.  Mar- 
shall, who  was  doubtless  the  first  postmaster  also.  The  store  was  in 
operation  about  1820  and  not  far  from  1825  the  post-office  was  opened. 
A  grist  mill  was  built  about  1 822  by  Henry  Conradt,  and  a  saw  mill 
was  also  started  in  early  years.  The  grist  mill  is  operated  by  William 
Morgan,  and  Charles  Morgan  has  a  store.  The  two  hotels  are  owned 
by  Mrs.  Maria  Moore,  widow  of  Michael  Moore. 

Gang  Mills  (post-office,  Hinckley)  is  in  the  extreme  northwest  part 
of  this  town,  and  has  long  been  a  large  lumber  center.  Almost  half  of 
the  hamlet  is  in  Herkimer  county.  On  the  Trenton  side  is  the  post- 
office,  a  box  factory  run  by  Butts  &  Co.,  a  large  saw  mill  by  the  Glens 
Falls  Lumber  Company  ;  a  store  by  Prentice  &  Willoughby  and  an- 
other by  Lamb  &  Smith. 

In  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town  is  a  hamlet  called  Stittville,  which 
has  had  a  post-office  since  about  185^.  William  Grant  was  the  first 
postmaster.  A  small  mercantile  business  has  always  been  conducted 
there,  and  a  few  shops.  A  knitting  factory  was  established  in  1878; 
it  is  now  operated  by  Hackett  &  Atwood.  A  store  is  kept  by  Fred. 
Gauss  and  another  by  Ellis  D.  Jones. 

The  first  church  in  this  town,  the  Presbyterian  at  Holland  Patent, 
founded  in  1797,  has  already  been  mentioned.  A  church  of  this  de- 
nomination was  also  organized  at  Trenton  village  at  an  early  date,  but 
it  finally  declined  and  passed  out  of  existence.  Rev.  Dr.  Harrower 
preached  alternately  at  the   two   places.      The   early   records  of  these 


THE  TOWN  OF  TRENTON.  565 

churches  are  lost.  In  1812  a  Congregational  church  was  formed  at 
Holland  Patent  by  Rev.  Elijah  Norton,  to  which  Dr.  Harrower  minis- 
tered after  a  few  years.  On  the  2d  of  January,  182 1,  these  two  churches 
(the  Presbyterian  and  the  Congregational)  united  under  the  title  Tlie 
Church  of  Christ  in  Holland  Patent. 

A  Baptist  church  was  organized  at  Holland  Patent  March  26,  1812, 
with  sixteen  members,  under  the  pastorate  of  Elder  Joel  Butler.  A 
small  church  was  built  in  1813  This  was  succeeded  in  1840  by  the 
stone  church. 

The  "  United  Protestant  Religious  Society  "  was  formed  at  Trenton 
village  in  1803.  and  dissolved  in  181 1.  The  Christian  church  was  or 
ganized  in  March,  1806,  with  Rev.  John  Sherman,  pastor.  These 
organizations  were  succeeded  by  the  Reformed  Christian  (or  Unitarian) 
Church  of  Trenton  Village.  A  house  of  worship  was  early  erected  and 
is  still  in  use.  A  Unitarian  congregation  was  formed  early  at  Holland 
Patent,  which  was  ministered  to  in  connection  with  the  one  at  Trenton, 
it  is  not  now  in  existence. 

St.  Paul's  P^piscopal  church,  Holland  Patent,  was  organized  June  21, 
1 82  I,  with  Rev.  Henry  Moore  Shaw,  rector,  and  James  Wetmore,  and 
Abraham  Diefendorf,  wardens ;  Aaron  Savage,  Seth  Wells,  Robert 
McArthur,  Samuel  Candee,  Bryant  Yoings,  John  P.  Warner,  Samuel 
White,  and  Aaron  White,  vestrymen. 

There  are  also  at  Holland  Patent  a  Welsh  Methodist  and  a  Welsh 
Congregational  church  Neither  has  a  large  membership  nor  a  regular 
pastor.  The  pulpit  of  the  former  is  supplied  by  Rev.  Thomas  T. 
Evans. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  Trenton  village,  was  organized  as 
1840,  and  built  its  frame  church  in  1847. 

In  1 84 1  a  Union  Society  was  formed  at  Prospect,  which  built  a  church 
and  dedicated  it  in  January,  1 842.  The  property  was  afterwards 
deeded  to  a  Methodist  society,  and  the  building  was  used  by  them  and 
the  Free  Will  Baptists  many  years.  The  latter  society  was  organized 
in  1857.  A  society  of  Close  Communion  Baptists  was  organized  at 
Prospect  about  1820,  which  afterwards  was  merged  with  the  Free  Will 
society.  There  is  a  W'elsh  Calvanistic  church,  organized  about  1857, 
and  a  Moriah  Welsh  Congregational  society,  organized  in  1863,  at 
Prospect,  both  of  which  have  church  buildings. 


566  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  Baptist  church  was  formed  at  Trenton  Falls  about  1833,  with 
thirty- nine  members.  Besides  these  there  is  a  Welsh  Methodist  church 
at  South  Trenton. 

The  supervisors  of  this  town,  from  1798  to  1896.  inclusive,  have  been 

as  follows,  viz.  : 

1798-1800,  John  Storrs;  1801,  Peter  Schuyler ;  1802-10,  John  Storrs;  1811.  Rowland 
Briggs;  1812-29,  William  Rollo;  1830-32,  Ithia  Thompson;  1833-39,  John  Storrs; 
1840,  Isaac  Currey;  1841,  Israel  F.  Morgan;  1842-45,  Henry  Rhodes;  1846,  Luther 
Guiteau,  jr.;  1847.  Henry  Miller;  1848-49,  Aaron  White;  1850-51,  John  N.  Billmgs; 
1852,  John  Candee;  1853,  Reuben  W.  Fox;  1854,  Elam  Perkins;  1855-58,  Orville 
Combs;  1859-64,  Delos  A.  Crane;  1865-70,  Henry  Broadwell ;  1871-73,  Delos  A. 
Crane;  1874-76,  J.  Robert  Moore;  1877-78,  Jacob  J.  Davis;  1879,  Griffith  Wheldon  ; 
1880,  S.  B.  Atwood;  1881,  Norton  Wolcott;  1882-83-84,  Lester  G.  Waufnl;  1885-86- 
87,  Thomas  J.  Lewis;  1888-89-90,  R.  R.  Isaac;  1891-92-93,  George  R.  Farley; 
1894-95-96,  H.  A.  Pride. 


I 


CHAPTER  XLVH. 

THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON. 

This  town  lies  on  the  southwestern  border  of  the  county  and  was 
formed  from  parts  of  Westmoreland  and  Augusta  on  Feb.  17.  1802.  It 
retained  its  original  area  until  1836,  when  a  small  part  was  set  off  to 
Stockbridge,  Madison  county,  leaving  Vernon  with  an  area  of  23,710 
acres  Within  the  limits  of  the  town  is  included  the  territory  of  the 
Van  Eps,  Wemple.  Baschard,  Hleecker  and  Dean  patents;  the  territory 
was  within  the  original  Oneida  Reservation  and  a  part  in  the  Stock- 
bridge  tract;  these  divisions  are  shown  on  the  map  herein.  Oneida 
Creek  forms  most  of  the  western  boundary  of  the  town,  and  Skanandoa 
Creek  flows  northward  across  the  town.  The  surface  is  rolling  and  the 
soil  an  excellent  quality  of  gravelly  and  clay  loam,  underlaid  with  lime- 
stone, waterlime  and  gypsum  No  town  in  the  county  possesses  greater 
fertility  than  this. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  David  Tuttle  on  the 
first  Tuesday  in  April,  i802,and  the  usual  officers  were  chosen  Sam- 
uel Wetmore  was  elected  supervisor  ;  Josiah   Patten,  town   clerk.      Mr. 


1 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON.  667 

Wetmore  held  the  office  of  supervisor  nine  years  and  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Patten,  who  remained  in  the  office  until  1819.  He  was  succeeded 
by  John  P.  Sherwood.  In  1830  James  Kellogg  The  town  records 
previous  to  this  date  are  lost.  The  list  of  supervisors  from  1831  is  as 
follows : 

18;}l-3:},  Nicholas  Dyer;  1834.  James  Kellogg;  1835-36,  Josiah  W.  Jenkins;  1837, 
John  P.  Sherwood;  1838.  David  Pierson ;  1839-40,  John  P.  Sherwood;  1841,  Levi  T. 
Marshall;  1842,  Austin  B.  Webber;  1843,  Salmon  Case;  he  resigned  and  Charles 
Kilbourn  was  elected  to  the  vacancy;  1844,  Erastus  W.  Clark;  1845,  Salmon  Case; 
1846,  Fitch  Howes;  1847-48,  David  Pierson;  1849-50,  Hiram  D.  Tuttle;  1851,  Josiah 
Case;  1852-54;  Orson  Carpenter;  1855,  Eusebius  W^  Dodge;  1856-57,  Orson  Car- 
penter; 1858-59,  Sidney  A.  Bunce;  1860-63,  Henry  Wilson;  1864,  Sidney  A.  Bunce; 
1865-66,  Henry  Wilson;  1867-68,  Thomas  Butterfield;  1869-70,  Edward  W.  Williams; 
1871-72,  William  Marson;  1873-75,  James  Markham;  1876,  Orson  Carpenter;  1877, 
A.  DeV.  Townsley;  1878,  A.  Pierson  Case;  1879-80,  Charles  Scoville;  1881,  Orson 
Carpenter;  1882-83,  F.  A.  Cody,  jr.;  1884,  J.  B.  Cushman;  1885-86,  Morris  S. 
Miller,  jr.;  1887-89,  Charles  H.  Phister;  1890,  John  F.  Morrison;  1891-92,  Elliot  J. 
Norton;  1893-96,  James  M.  Brown. 

Settlement  in  Vernon  was  begun  by  Josiah  Bushnell,  who  located 
about  1794  on  the  northwest  corner  lot  of  the  Bleecker  patent,  coming 
in  from  Berkshire  county,  Mass.  He  brought  with  him  his  wife  and 
four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters  ;  the  youngest  daughter 
died  in  1795.  before  the  arrival  of  any  other  settlers.  When  ihe  Oneida 
Reservation  was  sold  at  auction  in  August,  1797,  and  the  several  pat- 
ents were  granted,  settlement  progressed  rapidly,  and  within  two  years 
every  farm  was  taken  up  by  sturdy  pioneers,  mostly  from  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut.  The  Baschard  patent  was  by  far  the  larger  of  those 
within  the  town  and  the  following  is  a  list  of  the  first  settlers  thereon  : 

Rev.  Publius  Bogue,  Deacons  Hill  and  Bronson,  Samuel  Wetmore,  David  Bron- 
son,  Levi  Bronson,  Seth  Holmes,  Anson  Stone,  Asahel  Gridley,  Heman  Smith, 
Eliphaz  Bissell,  Adonijah  Foot,  Stephen  Goodwin,  Seth  Hills,  Eli  Frisbie,  James 
De  Votie,  John  DeVotie,  Samuel  Austin,  Ezra  Stannard,  Matthew  Griswold,  Joseph 
Frisbie,  David  Alvord,  Levi  Thrall,  Asahel  Wilcox,  Russell  Church,  Abijah  P.  Bron- 
son, Thomas  Spencer,  Stephen  Carter,  Benjamin  Carter,  Levi  Marshall,  Seth  Mar- 
shall, Harvey  Marshall,  David  Tuttle,  Huet  Hills,  Elijah  Webber,  a  Mr.  Bush,  and 
a  Mr.  McEwen. 

These  settlers  were  nearly  all  from  the  towns  of  Winchester  and  Tor 
rington,   Conn.,  and  they  laid  out  a  plat  of  six  acres  in  a  parallelogram 
which  became  the  site  of  Vernon  Center.      Surrounding  the  Green  were 
lots  of  one  acre  each,  and    a  number  of  the  settlers  located  on  them. 


568  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Around  this  Green  all  Protestant  religious  organizations  were  given 
permission  to  build  churches. 

Asahel  Gridley,  mentioned  above,  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  the  town, 
on  the  Skanandoa  Creek  a  little  west  of  Vernon  Center  ;  he  was  father 
of  Hon  Philo  Gridley,  one  of  the  Supreme  Court  judges  of  this  State. 
The  second  grist  mill  was  built  a  little  later  at  Vernon  village  by  Abram 
Van  Eps. 

The  first  settlers  on  the  Sargent  patent,  which  was  a  mile  square  and 
a  little  southwest  of  Vernon  Center,  were  Rev  John  Sargent,  the 
patentee,  Zenas  McEwen,  Ezra  McEwen,  ^nd  a  Mr.  Martin.  On  the 
Oneida  Reservation  the  early  set;lers  were  Gideon  Skinner,  Ariel  Law- 
rence, Samuel  Shed,  Thomas  Gratton,  William  De  Land,  Nathan 
Carter,  Thomas  Tryon,  a  Mr.  Spalding,  David  Moore,  Josiah  Simons,  a 
Mr.  Grant,  Joseph  Doane,  Ezra  May,  a  Mr.  Kellogg,  VViiliam  Mahan, 
Stephen  Page,  Ebenezer  Ingraham,  Sylvester  Crocker,  Chester  May, 
Jonathan  Graves,  Augustus  and  Philo  Soper,  Ashbel  Norton,  Charles 
Dix,  Rufus  Vaughan,  William  Wright,  Samuel  Cody,  a  Mr.  Kelsey, 
Mr.  Raymond,  Jacob  Hungcrford,  Joseph  Bailey,  a  Mr.  Ailing,  Mr. 
Haseltine,  Mr.  Carpenter,  and  Jedediah  Darling  ;  these  were  mainly  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town. 

The  settlers  in  the  west  and  southwest  part  were  James  Griffith, 
Ebenezer  Webster,  Elisha  Webster,  Eli  Webster,  Russell  Webster, 
Allen  Webster,  a  Mr.  Freeman,  Capt.  William  Grant,  Dr.  Samuel 
Frisbie,  Joseph  Stone,  Eliphalet  Hotchkiss,  Joshua  Warren,  Calvin 
Youngs,  Simon  Willard,  Andrew  Langdon,  and  Edwarj  Webber.  In 
the  north  part  settled  Amos  Brockway,  a  Mr.  Cole,  Moses  Upham, 
Aaron  Davis,  Jonathan  Blount,  Thaddeus  Brookins.  Joseph  Day,  Robert 
Frink,  Stephen  Campbell,  Jonathan  Ney,  Calvin  Huntington,  Luther 
Huntington,  and  a  Mr.  Cook. 

The  early  settlers  on  the  Van  Eps  patent  were  Abram  (or  Abraham) 
Van  Eps,  the  patentee,  Richard  Hubbell,  Gershom  Hubbell,  Benjamin 
Hubbell,  Gad  Warner,  Benjamin  Pierson,  David  Pierson.  Josiah  Patten, 
William  Root,  and  Elihu  Root.  Richard  and  Gershom  Hubbell  were 
twin  brothers,  as  also  were  Calvin  and  Luther  Huntington.  Richard 
Hubbell  was  the  first  settler  on  the  Van  Eps  patent,  locating  in  1794-5 
in  what  is  now  the  north  part  of  Vernon  village. 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON".  569 

The  first  marriage  in  this  town  was  that  of  Aaron  Davis  and  Amy, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Bushnell  ;  it  occurred  before  1798.  The  first  white 
child  born  in  the  town  was  Edward  Marshall,  son  of  Levi  Marshall,  the 
date  being  April  19,  1799 

The  father  of  Abraham  Van  Eps  was  a  fur  trader  at  Schenectady. 
After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  took  a  lot  of  valuable 
property  to  the  Canadian  shore  of  Lake  On'ario,  where  he  was 
plundered  by  Indians  and  refugees;  he  never  returned  and  his  fate  is 
unknown.  Abraham  was  born  in  Schenectady  in  1763,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1784  passed  through  what  is  now  Oneida  county  before  the 
arrival  here  of  either  Judge  Dean  or  Judge  White,  on  his  way  to 
Niagara  with  fur  traders'  goods.  Returning  in  the  fall  he  found  along 
the  old  military  road  through  the  site  of  Whitesboro  village  the  begin- 
ning of  improvements  by  Judge  White  and  his  sons.  Mr.  Van  Eps 
established  a  trading  station  at  the  mouth  of  Oriskany  Creek  in  1785, 
where  he  traded  till  about  1787,  when  he  moved  into  the  town  of  West- 
moreland and  built  a  log  store  on  Judge  Dean's  farm.  About  1792  he 
erected  a  building  north  of  the  site  of  Westmoreland  furnace  in  which  he 
kept  house,  having  married  a  Miss  Young  of  Schenectady,  and  also  sold 
goods  ;  thus  he  was  both  the  first  merchant  in  the  county  and  in  the 
town  of  Westmoreland.  When  his  patent  was  granted  in  Vernon  he 
at  once  built  a  store  in  what  is  now  the  eastern  part  of  Vernon  village. 
In  the  same  building  Gershom  Hubbell  kept  a  tavern  a  short  time. 
Mr  Van  Eps  built  a  dwelling  there  in  1798.  moved  into  it,  opened  his 
store  and  thus  became  the  first  merchant  in  the  town  of  Vernon.  He 
was  successful,  but  in  1809  removed  to  Schenectady.  In  1829  he  re- 
turned to  this  town,  his  wife  having  died  in  1828,  and  married  Miss 
Sarah  Underbill.      He  died  in  1841,  after  a  long  and  very  useful  life. 

Some  of  the  early  roads  in  this  town  received  local  names;  for  exam- 
ple, a  part  of  the  Seneca  turnpike  east  of  Oneida  Castle  was  called 
Turkey  street,  said  to  have  been  so  named  from  the  fact  that  some  of  the 
early  settlers  went  in  the  night  to  Oneida  Castle  and  stole  some  turkeys  be- 
longing to  the  Indians  What  was  called  Cooper  street  runs  parallel  with 
and  a  mile  or  more  north  of  the  Seneca  turnpike,  and  was  so  named  from 
the  number  of  early  coopers  settled  there.  Hovel,  or  Webster  street,  be- 
gins about  two  miles  west  of  Vernon  village  and  leads  southward  to 
72 


570  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Sargent's  patent.  The  first  title  came  from  the  "  hovel"  style  of  some 
of  the  early  dwellings  along  this  road,  while  the  residence  there  of  five 
VVebsters  was  sufficient  to  name  it  Webster  street. 

The  first  school  in  this  town  was  taught  at  tlie  Center  by  a  Mr. 
Sessions,  in  a  log  school  house.  The  first  frame  school  house  was  built 
at  Vernon  village  soon  after  1798  and  was  used  also  as  a  church  for  a 
number  of  years.  As  the  inhabitants  increased  in  numbers,  the  town 
was  subdivided  into  districts,  the  number  of  which  in  i860  was  twelve; 
at  the  present  time  there  are  ten,  with  school  houses. 

The  village  of  Oneida  Castle  is  situated  partly  in  this  town  and  partly 
in  the  town  of  Lenox,  Madison  county.  A  considerable  hamlet  gath- 
ered here  in  early  years.  The  first  public  house  was  kept  by  John 
Otis  on  the  site  of  the  later  lower  hotel.  East  of  this  house  previous 
to  1824  Stephen  Parkhurst  kept  a  small  tavern  ;  in  the  year  named  he 
moved  the  building  opposite  to  the  so  called  White  House  and  kept  it 
as  a  hotel  eight  or  ten  years.  About  1833  he  built  the  White  House. 
This  is  still  standing,  but  is  unoccupied.  The  present  hotel  of  Luke 
H.  Coon  was  built  by  him  in  1887  on  the  site  of  an  older  one  which  he 
had  kept  more  than  ten  years.  Another  hotel  is  kept  by  John  Don 
ovan,  called  the  Central, 

The  post-office  was  established  prior  to  18 18  and  George  Baldwin, 
an  early  lawyer,  was  made  postmaster ;  he  was  succeeded  by  Stephen 
Parkhurst,  who  held  the  office  twenty  years  and  was  followed  by  Tim- 
othy Jenkins. 

The  first  store  in  this  village  was  that  of  Andrew  Van  Alstine,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Thomas  Hooker.  The  stone  store  was  built  about 
1834  by  Elphalet  Hotchkiss,  on  the  site  now  covered  by  S.  D.  Bridge's 
store.  Timothy  Jenkins,  just  mentioned,  was  a  prominent  citizen,  an 
excellent  lawyer,  and  practiced  in  Vernon  village  from  1825  to  about 
1832,  when  he  removed  to  Oneida  Castle  and  there  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  useful  life.  Stores  are  now  kept  by  S.  D.  Bridge  and  Chester 
Martin.     The  Brid   e  store  was  built  by  Rufus  Peckham. 

The  earliest  physician  in  this  place  was  Dr.  John  Morrison,  who  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Wisconsin.  Other  prominent  physicians  of  the 
place  were  Drs.  Hurlburt  G.  Wetmore,  Martin  Cavana,  and  A.  P. 
Dodge. 


TIMOTHY  JEiNKINS. 


TFIE  TOWN  OF  VERNON.  571 

An  academy  was  started  early  in  the  village  by  one  of  the  Bronson 
family,  who  taught  in  it  for  a  time.  It  dechned  in  later  years  and 
was  merged  in  tiie  Union  school.  This  school  is  continued  in  the 
academy  building  and  is  in  charge  of  J.  H.  Kales,  principal,  and  two 
assistants.  A  branch  of  the  school  is  maintained  at  the  Community 
with  three  teachers. 

Oneida  Castle  was  incorporated  May  26,  1841.  and  the  following 
were  elected  the  first  officers  : 

Robert  Perry,  Rufus  Peckham,  Horatio  Stevens,  H.  G.  Wetmore,  Nathan  F. 
Graves,  trustees;  James  Tomlinson,  clerk;  Daniel  Lamb,  collector  and  treasurer; 
Timothy  Jenkins,  John  Smith,  and  Stephen  Parkhurst,  fire  wardens. 

A  reincorporation  was  effected  under  the  general  State  law  of  1870 
on  the  22d  of  December,  1872,  and  the  first  election  under  that  charter 
was  held  January  I  I,   1873.      The  following  were  elected  : 

President,  James  B.  Avery;  trustees,  John  Klock,  J.  L.  Bridge,  C.  H.  Wells;  treas- 
urer, H.  Luce;  collector,  L.  Budlong;  clerk,  M.  L.  Carr. 

The  village  officers  for  1896  are:  President,  E.  B.  Beebee;  trustees,  Amos  Joslin, 
James  Taylor,  Stephen  Goodnow;  collector,  Daniel  E.  Teale;  treasurer,  Charles 
Hitchcock;  clerk,  George  R.  Morrison.     Mr.  Morrison  is  also  postmaster. 

Among  the  past  tradesmen  of  this  village  were  Horatio  Stevens, 
Newman  Schofield,  Van  Eps  Hotchkiss,  and  others. 

The  village  of  Vernon  began  its  existence  as  a  hamlet  very  early  in 
the  century.  The  beginning  of  mercantile  business  here  by  Mr.  Van 
Eps  has  been  described.  A  post-office  was  established  early  in  the 
history  of  the  place.  Hezekiah  and  Asa  Ames,  brothers,  built  a  card- 
ing and  fulling  mill  early,  and  a  dwelling  which  afterwards  became 
the  Empire  House.  Samuel  Gay  kept  a  tavern  probably  as  early  as 
181 3  in  a  building  that  in  later  years  became  the  residence  of  A. 
Judson.  A  public  library  was  founded  in  the  little  village  in  1806, 
which  continued  probably  to  181 1.  Salmon  Case  came  to  the  village 
in  1813  and  lived  here  all  his  life;  he  died  in  1871.  He  opened  a 
store  and  long  carried  on  a  successful  business.  He  was  the  first 
cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Vernon,  was  twice  elected  supervisor  of  the 
town,  and  was  otherwise  honored.  Benjamin  Pierson,  who  came  to  the 
place  about  1800,  and  Thomas  Williams,  sr.,  were  also  early  and  prom- 
inent citizens  of  the  place.      The  latter  operated  a  large  tannery  in  the 


572  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

southeast  part  of  the   village   which  ultimately  burned  and   was  not   re- 
built.     He  also  carried  on  shoe  and  harness  making. 

Vernon  village  was  incorporated  on  April  6,  1827,  and  the  first 
election  of  officers  was  held  on  the  third  Tuesday  in  May  of  that  year, 
resulting  as  follows : 

John  P.  Sherwood,  Thomas  Williams,  Luke  Hitchcock  Salmon  Case,  Robert 
Richardson,  trustees;  Henry  Y.  Stewart,,  John  Stevens  and  Ira  Kirtland,  assessors; 
J.  H.  Collins,  treasurer. 

Mr.  Sherwood  was  afterward  chosen  president  of  the  Board,  and 
Timothy  Jenkins,  clerk.  The  officers  for  1896  are  F.  Martin,  president; 
J.  J.  Bartholomew,  George  Lewis,  Ard  Johnson,  trustees. 

The  grist  mill  in  this  village  was  built  for  Mr.  Van  Eps  in  early  years, 
the  first  millwright  being  Robert  Richardson.  The  latter  also  estab- 
lished a  brewery  here,  and  at  one  time  the  Granger  brothers  had  a  fac- 
tory for  making  glass  bottles.  A  window  glass  factory  was  carried  on 
at  one  time  by  Willett  Sherman  for  a  stock  company  ;  both  of  these 
industries  were  removed  from  town.  Other  past  industries  were  a 
manufactory  of  scythe  rifles  and  a  drain  tile  factory.  The  grist  mill  is 
now  operated  by  J.  J.  Bartholomew.  A  canning  factory  is  run  by  the 
Curtis  Canning  Company. 

An  academy  was  opened  here  in  1833  chiefly  through  the  efforts  of 
Salmon  Case.  It  was  incorporated  and  started  with  good  prospects. 
Until  1876  the  institution  had  a  fair  degree  of  prosperity,  but  in  that 
year  it  was  merged  into  the  Union  school  of  the  village  and  its  prop- 
erty was  transferred  to  the  trustees. 

Soon  after  the  incorporation  of  the  village  the  "  Vernon  X'illage  Fire 
Company  "  was  organized.  A  small  hand  engine  was  already  owned, 
which  with  additions  of  hose  and  other  apparatus  continued  in  use  until 
1833,  when  a  new  company  was  organized  and  in  1840  a  new  engine 
was  purchased  and  an  engine  house  erected.  This  outfit  sufficed  until 
1872  when  another  and  better  engine  was  bought.  It  is  still  in  use  and 
a  fire  company  and  hose  company  are  maintained. 

The  Bank  of  Vernon  was  organized  in  1839  ^^'i^h  a  capital  of  $100,- 
000.  John  J.  Knox  was  the  first  president  and  Salmon  Case,  cashier. 
The  stone  bank  building  was  erected  in  the  same  year.  In  1865  the 
bank  was  changed    to   a    national   band.     Josiah    Case    succeeded    Mr. 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON.  573 

Knox  as  president  in  1862,  and  Salmon  Case  was  succeeded  as  cashier 
by  T.  F.  Hand,  and  he  by  Everett  Case  in  185  i.  The  present  presi- 
dent is  A    P.  Case,  and  D.  B    Case  is  cashier. 

The  founding  of  the  Vernon  Courier  many  years  ago  and  its  later 
removal  to  Rome  have  been  described  in  another  chapter  of  this  vol- 
ume. The  village  remained  without  a  newspaper  until  the  spring  of 
the  present  year  (1896).  Rev.  H.  A.  Howard  established  the  Search- 
light, a  monthly  publication,  in  December,  1895,  and  continued  it  to 
May,  1896,  when  the  Vernon  Times  succeeded  it.  with  Curry  &  Mur- 
phy publishers  and  editors.  The  Times  is  a  sprightly  folio  and  is  re- 
ceiving liberal  support. 

Present  stores  are  kept  in  this  village  by  C.  H.  Pfister,  George  P. 
Langford,  and  a  tin  and  stove  store  by  William  Hyden.  J.  A.  Ott  is 
postmaster. 

The  hotels  now  in  existence  are  the  Vernon  House  by  William  Zim- 
mer,  the  Lewis  House  by  G.  H.  Lewis,  and  the  West  Shore  House  by 
William  Kernan.  The  old  Hubbell  tavern  (afterwards  the  Pierson)  was 
the  first  one  in  the  place.  In  1878  it  was  enlarged  and  improved. 
Samuel  Gay  kept  a  hotel  as  early  as  1813  and  was  succeeded  by  other 
landlords  in  the  building  that  subsequently  became  the  residence  of  A. 
Judson.  A  hotel  formerly  known  as  the  Empire  House  was  built  for  a 
dwelling  by  Hezekiah  and  Asa  Ames,  brothers.  Shelburn  Ives  owned 
and  occupied  it  many  years.  The  Ames  Brothers  also  had  a  carding 
machine  and  fulling  mill  on  Scanandoa  Creek. 

The  laying  out  of  the  village  plat  of  Vernon  Center  by  the  pioneers 
has  already  been  noticed.  A  post  office  was  established  here  soon  after 
the  war  of  18 12,  and  Pitt  Cody  was  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first, 
postmaster;  he  kept  the  office  in  his  shoe  shop.  His  father  was  Sam- 
uel Cody,  a  justice  of  the  peace.  Elisha  Pettibone  kept  a  hotel,  which 
was  built  early  in  the  history  of  the  place.  A  second  one  was  built  be- 
fore Mr.  Pettibone  completed  the  changes  which  he  made  in  his  house, 
on  the  site  of  the  Methodist  parsonage.  Mr  Pettibone  opened  his 
house  January  i,  1 8 18,  after  which  the  other  house  was  closed  as  a 
hotel.  Mr.  Pettibone  also  operated  a  distillery  north  of  the  village  many 
years.  A  store  was  kept  as  early  as  1818  opposite  the  hotel  by  Syl- 
vester Herrick.      Other  former  merchants    were   Elihu    Foot,  John  Pil- 


574  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cher,  Josiah  Foot,  Alpha  Church  and  Willis  Walters.  Stores  are  now 
kept  by  Elliot  Norton,  who  succeeded  his  father,  Alson  Norton,  and 
another  by  George  Earl. 

Charles  Dix  came  with  his  family,  a  wife  and  five  children,  from 
Wethersfield,  Conn.,  to  Vernon,  in  i8o2.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
in  the  extreme  south  part  of  the  town,  a  portion  of  which  is  still  owned 
and  occupied  by  his  granddaughter,  Mrs  Gay  Henry  Rodemore.  His 
new  home  was  in  a  picturesque,  narrow  valley,  with  his  lands  extending 
up  the  hills  on  either  side.  Adjoining,  on  the  north,  was  the  Oneida 
Indian  Reservation,  whence  formerly  a  considerable  quantity  of  beads 
were  washed  down  the  ravines  of  the  hill  side.  The  Indians  were  buried 
in  shallow  graves  with  their  beads  and  other  ornaments  The  writer 
still  has  a  string  of  beads  that  he  picked  up  at  this  place  more  than  fifty 
years  ago.  Mr.  Dix  brought  with  him  sufficient  means  to  give  him  at 
once  an  independent  financial  position.  He  built  a  tannery  and  shoe- 
shop,  and  later  a  rope  walk  and  flax  mill,  and  in  the  early  part  of  the 
century  this  little  valley,  where  there  is  now  only  a  lone  farm  house, 
was  a  busy  place  The  Indians  made  almost  daily  visits,  and  bread  and 
other  food  was  often  given  them,  which  they  ate,  sitting  in  groups  near 
the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Dix  on  the  logs  that  had  been  drawn  for  wood  to 
be  used  in  the  great  fireplaces  of  the  time.  They  were  always  peaceable 
and  friendly,  except  occasionally  when  intoxicated  by  liquors  furnished 
by  the  whites. 

Charles  Dix  was  born  in  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  November  8,  1764,  and 
died  in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  July  13,  1850  He  was  a  descendant  in  the 
fourth  generation  of  Leonard  Dix,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Weth- 
ersfield. He  married,  March  5,  1786,  Prudence  Wells,  daughter  of  John 
Wells,  a  descendant  in  the  fourth  generation  of  Thomas  Wells,  also  one 
of  the  original  settlers  of  Wethersfield  (1635),  and  the  first  colonial 
treasurer  of  Connecticut,  and  afterwards  secretar\',  deputy  governor 
and  governor  of  the  colony,  and  for  twenty-  three  years  one  of  the  judges 
of  the  General  Court,  and  the  writer,  and  one  of  the  enactors,  in  1642, 
of  the  severe  statutes  that  have  given  rise  to  the  tradition  of  the  exist- 
ence of  a  criminal  code,  commonly  known  as  the  "  Blue  Laws." 

Charles  Dix  removed  from  Wethersfield  to  Torrington,  Conn.,  in 
1786;   where,  according  to  the  published  history  of  that  town,  he  built 


1 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON.  575 

its  first  tannery;  he  returned  to  Wethersfield  in  1795,  and  moved  to 
Vernon,  N.  Y.,  in  1802. 

Children  of  Charles  and  Prudence  (Wells)  Dix  :  i,  Lydia,  bom  April 
6,  1787,  in  Torrinoton,  Conn.,  died  August  27,  1870,  in  Vernon,  N.Y.  ; 
2,  Wilham,  born  June  7,  1789,  in  Torrington,  Conn.,  died  IMarch  19, 
1876.  in  Dover,  Mich.  ;  3,  Erastus,  born  April  15,  1791,  in  Torrington, 
Conn.,  died  in  1844,  in  Ausable  Forks,  N.  Y.  ;  4,  Ara,  born  July  14, 
1793,  in  Torrington,  Conn.,  died  September  4,  1826,  in  Vernon,  N.  Y. ; 
5,  Martha  (Patty), ^  born  December  12,  1796,  in  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
died  December  23,  1863,  in  New  Haven,  N.  Y.  ;  6,  Hannah,  born  De- 
cember 8,  1799,  in  Wethersfield,  Conn,,  died  February  27,  1848,  in 
Stafford,  N.  Y.  ;  7,  Charles,  born  May  i,  1802,  in  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
died  March  8,  1862,  in  Le  Roy,  N.  Y. ;  8,  Samuel,  born  July  14  1805, 
in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  died  March  27,  1807,  in  same  place;  9,  Eli  Richard, 
born  October  6,  1807,  in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  died  August  18,  1852,  in  same 
place. 

The  first  religious  society  in  this  town  was  of  the  Congregational 
form  and  was  organized  at  Vernon  Center  in  1803.  It  subsequently 
changed  to  the  Presb}'terian  form  and  has  so  remained.  Rev.  Mr. 
Bogue  was  the  first  pastor  who  was  followed  by  Rev.  Calvin  Hushnell, 
who  preached  here  and  in  Vernon  village  until  1817,  when  he  was  set- 
tled at  the  latter  place.  The  first  church  building  was  erected  in  1812 
and  was  rebuilt  in  1839. 

The  "  Mount  Vernon  Presbyterian  Society  "  was  organized  at  Ver- 
non village  in  1805,  taking  its  name  from  the  then  commonly  used  title 
for  that  village.  The  frame  church  was  built  by  subscri[)tion  in  1815, 
and  was  extensively  improved  in  later  years.  Rev.  Calvin  Hushnell, 
before  mentioned,  remained  with  the  church  until  1829,  aad  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Aaron  Gunnison 

The  Baptist  church  at  Vernon  village,  was  organized  in  October, 
1807.  The  church  edifice  was  built  many  years  ago  and  is  still  in  use 
in  remodeled  form.      This  society  has  always  had  a  vigorous    existence. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church   at   Vernon    Center   was   formed   in 

'  Martha,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Prvidence  (Wells)  Dix,  married,  in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  March  8, 
1814,  Zadok  Farman,  son  of  Roswell  and  Ataiah  (Hutchins)  Farman.  Their  second  son,  Henry  Far- 
man,  born  March  14,  1823,  in  New  Haven,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  has  resided  at  Knoxboro,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  for  over  fifty  years.    (See  sketch  on  another  page  of  this  work). 


576  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1826,  and  in  1828  the  society  built  its  frame  edifice.  In  1850  the  spire 
was  demoHshed  by  lightning  and  afterwards  rebuilt. 

The  Methodist  church  at  Vernon  village  was  oiganized  about  1830, 
and  soon  afterward  built  its  church  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  corpo- 
ration. The  building  was  moved  to  its  later  location  in  1839,  and  the 
society  has  always  been  active  and  zealous. 

A  Unitarian  Congregational  society  was  formed  in  March,  1841,  and 
the  church  building  near  the  Oneida  Community's  factories,  formerly 
used  by  the  Indians,  was  removed  to  the  village  of  Vernon,  and  dedi- 
cated in  September,  1842.      The  society  finally  passed  out  of  existence. 

A  Presbyterian  society  was  formed  at  Oneida  Castle  not  long  after 
1840,  and  a  church  built  at  a  later  date,  meetings  being  held  at  first  in 
the  school  house.  The  old  chujch  was  used  until  1884,  when  a  new 
edifice  was  erected. 

OneidaConimunity — The  property  of  this  celebrated  organization  is 
largely  in  the  town  of  Vernon  The  community  was  founded  in  1847— 
8  by  a  company  of  so  called  Religious  Perfectionists,  under  leadership 
of  John  Humphrey  Noyes. 

The  lands  where  the  Community  settled  were  fertileand  well- watered. 
They  bought  of  the  State  a  part  of  the  Oneida  Indian  Reservation. 
This  land  had  never  been  subject  to  private  ownership.  The  Indians 
held  it  in  common.  Near  the  center  of  this  tract  of  Indian  land,  and 
about  midway  in  the  mouth  of  the  valley  was  a  beautiful  plateau  of  sev- 
eral acres  in  extent,  near  the  Oneida  Creek,  but  rising  about  a  dozen 
feet  above  the  adjacent  land.  It  was  a  natural  garden  spot.  On  this 
plateau  the  Community  reared  its  primitive  mansion — a  wooden  struc- 
ture built  mainly  of  hemlock  lumber,  cut  in  the  neighborhood  and  sawed 
in  their  own  mill.  Here  they  afterward  built  a  larger  Community  home 
of  brick,  and  surrounded  it  with  beautiful  lawns  and  flowers,  shrubbery 
and  trees.  Since  1863  their  grounds  have  been  noted  as  among  the 
most  beautiful  in  the  State,  and  have  been  visited  and  admired  by 
thousands. 

The  Community  soon  after  its  settlement  here  began  fruitgrowing. 
One  of  their  prominent  business  men,  Henry  Thacker,  a  man  with  a 
clear  head  and  practical  mind,  was  an  enthusiast  in  this  line.  He 
brought  a  stock   of  fruit   trees   with    him   when  he  joined;  he  set  out 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERNON.  577 

orchards — apple,  pear,  peach,  cherry  and  pkim  ;  he  planted  straw- 
berries and  raspberries;  he  imbued  the  Community  with  his  confidence 
and  enthusiasm.  The  winters  of  Central  New  York  are  cold,  with  oc- 
casional falls  of  temperature  to  20*^  or  more  below  zero.  The  Com- 
munity were  obliged  after  experiments  to  abandon  peach,  cherry  and 
pkim  culture  as  uncertain.  In  other  fruits,  especially  strawberries,  they 
had  success.  Gradually  the  farmers  around  them  caught  the  fruit 
growing  fever.  They  inquired  as  to  the  Community  methods  of  culture, 
and  put  them  into  practice,  and  ultimately  made  the  Oneida  region 
famous  in  strawberry  growing. 

In  1854  Mr.  Thacker  began  canning  and  bottling  fruits  in  a  small 
way  for  family  use.  The  art  was  learned  from  a  member  of  the  North 
American  Phalanx  in  New  Jersey.  His  success  led  the  Community  to 
encourage  him  to  further  experiments.  In  1855  a  few  dozens  of  toma- 
toes and  plums  were  canned  for  the  market  and  sold  in  Syracuse,  Os- 
wego and  other  neighboring  cities.  From  this  small  beginning  a  large 
business  grew. 

Other  manufacturing  businesses  also  grew  up  in  the  Community  in 
much  the  same  way.  notably  the  Newhouse  Steel  Trap  business.  Sewell 
Newhouse,  an  accomplished  hunter  and  trapper,  and  trapmaker  joined 
the  Community.  He  soon  converted  the  Community  to  his  own  en- 
thusiasm for  making  Newhouse's  superior  steel  traps,  for  trapping  all 
kinds  of  fur  bearing  animals,  from  the  rat  and  muskrat  to  the  grizzly 
bear.  A  quantity  was  made  and  put  on  the  market.  They  were  in- 
troduced to  fur  dealers  and  hardware  men,  and  through  them  to  trap- 
pers all  over  the  country.  Demand  for  them  sprang  up  and  grew  faster 
than  the  Community  could  supply.  A  great  business  was  the  result. 
The  whole  continent,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  has  for  over  thirty  years  been  mainly 
supplied  with  steel  traps  from  the  Oneida  Community  factory.  They 
still  lead  in  the  business,  distancing  all  competitors,  both  in  quality  and 
popularity  of  their  traps.  In  1866  a  beginning  was  made  in  a  small 
way  in  the  manufacture  of  sewing  silks  and  machine  twist.  This  busi- 
ness has  also  grown  to  large  proportions,  and  the  goods  placed  on  the 
market  by  them  are  among  the  best  of  American  make.  In  1877-8 
the  manufacture  of  silver-plated  table  ware  was  begun,  and  is  now  a 
73 


578  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPL^. 

leading  business.  The  factories  of  the  trap  and  silk  businesses  Are 
located  at  Sherrill,  Oneida  county,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  north  of  the 
home  buildings,  on  the  New  York,  West  Shore  and  Buffalo  Railway. 
The  canning  factory  is  near  the  home  buildings.  The  table  ware  works 
are  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

In  1879  the  Community  receded,  in  compliance  with  the  wishes  of 
the  surrounding  public,  from  the  practice  of  their  peculiar  doctrines  of 
Social  Communism,  and  in  1880  it  was  re-organized  as  a  joint  stock 
company,  under  the  name  of  the  Oneida  Community,  Limited.  Their 
social  life  is  now  similar  to  that  of  surrounding  society.  The  joint  stock 
company  carries  on  the  leading  business  of  the  old  Community.  The 
large  domain  of  over  500  acres,  lying  in  both  Oneida  and  Madison 
counties,  is  kept  nearly  intact.  The  farm  is  a  beautiful  one,  under  good 
cultivation.     The  grounds  are  still  well  kept. 

The  goods  put  on  the  market  by  the  Oneida  Community  had  an  un- 
rivaled reputation.  The  Oneida  Community,  Limited,  inherit  that 
reputation  and  aim  to  increase  it. 

In  1879  the  Oneida  Communit)-,  having  exhibited  for  thirty  three 
years  a  harmonious  and  prosperous  form  of  society  in  which  the  private 
ownership  of  both  property  and  persons  was  abolished,  peaceably  re- 
solved itself  into  a  joint  stock  company.  The  shares  in  the  large  prop- 
erty which  had  been  accumulated  by  their  industry  were  divided,  with- 
out any  litigation,  among  the  members  of  the  Community,  the  amount 
allotted  to  each  individual  being  proportioned  to  the  number  of  years 
of  service.  There  was  no  distinction  at  the  settlement.  The  women 
shared  equally  with  the  men  and  the  children  born  in  the  Community 
were  given  an  annuity.  The  five  flourishing  businesses  established  by 
the  Community  have  been  continued  without  interruption,  and  afford 
a  profit  m  dividends  which  support  the  original  members  in  comfort. 
The  younger  people  intermarried  on  the  dissolution  of  the  Communistic 
form  of  society,  and  have  made  happy  families.  Mr.  Noyes  died  in 
1886,  and  his  followers  have  refrained  from  any  attempt  to  form  smal^ 
Communities. 

The  chief  agricultural  product  of  Vienna  in  the  past  has  been  hops, 
but  in  recent  years  the  dairying  interest  has  successfully  competed  for 
precedence,  and    with    the    prospects   of  prevailing   depression    in    the 


I 


SILAS  ADAMS. 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERONA.  579 

hop  market,  is  likely  to  become  the  leading  industry.  Among  the 
prominent  farmers  in  the  town  who  have  passed  away  were  Nicholas 
Dyer,  Harlem  Norton,  and  J.  L.  Stone.  Some  of  the  leaders  of  the 
present  time  are  Silas  Adams,  J.  F.  Morrison,  the  Markham  brothers, 
Merrick  Webber,  Neil  Duross,  and  Ira  Snell. 


CHAPTER  XLVHI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  VERONA. 

The  town  of  Verona  is  situated  on  the  western  border  of  Oneida 
county,  centrally  north  and  south,  and  originally  constituted  a  part  of 
the  Oneida  Reservation,  the  territory  of  which  was  sold  at  auction  in 
August,  1797.  The  town  was  erected  February  17,  1802,  from  West- 
moreland. The  western  boundary  is  formed  by  Oneida  Creek  and 
Oneida  Lake,  and  its  northern  boundary  by  Wood  Creek.  Other 
smaller  streams,  among  them  Stony  Creek,  are  tributary  to  the  two 
larger  creeks  and  lake.  The  surface  south  of  the  Erie  Canal  is  rolling, 
while  the  northwestern  part  is  level  with  a  slight  slope  towards  the  lake, 
by  which  it  was  undoubtedly  once  covered;  the  soil  here  is  a  rich  allu- 
vial and  was  covered  by  a  dense  forest  of  the  ordinary  hard  woods,  with 
some  hemlock  and  cedar.      The  town  has  an  area  of  41,796  acres. 

The  Verona  Springs,  that  have  attained  considerable  local  celebrity, 
are  situated  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town.  This  spring  was  known 
to  the  Indians,  by  whom  it  is  said  to  have  been  called  "  the  medicine 
spring."  Ihe  water  was  used  to  some  extent  from  the  time  of  the 
early  settlements  in  this  region;  but  it  was  not  until  about  1830  that 
the  spring  was  brought  into  public  notice.  In  1850  Dr.  Seymour  Cur- 
tiss  established  a  water  cure.  Some  years  later  Dr.  Nelson  Hunt  and 
his  wife,  Mrs.  A.  A.  Hunt,  M.  D.,  took  the  establishment  and  success- 
fully conducted  it.  Many  boarders,  both  patients  and  others,  were 
accommodated  and  many  were  greatly  benefited.  The  boarding  house 
is  still  open  under  the  supervision  of  Mrs.  Hunt.  The  analysis  of  the 
spring  water  is  as  follows: 


580 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Grains.  Uncovibined  Acids  or  Bases. 


Sulphate  of  lime 63.189  Grains. 

Carbonate  of  lime 38.473       Silicic  acid 588 

Chloride  of  calcium 83.609       Sulphuric   acid 37.170 

Chloride  of  magnesium 27.109       Chlorine 418.411 

Chloride  of  sodium 562.891       Carbonic  acid 10.047 

Chloride  of  potassium 4.057      Hydro  sulphuric  acid 8.870 

Chloride  of  lithium 2.375      Lime 89.271 

Silicicacid -588      Magnesia 11.424 

Potassa .-       2.562 

Grains  in  one  imperial  gallon .  .781.291       g^^^^      _ _  _   298.487 

Lithia 838 


Total.. 878.668 

Gases  in  5tf/?^//t^«.— Sulphuretted  hydrogen  25.55  cubic  inches. 

Settlement  began  in  this  town  in  1791  with  the  arrival  of  George  A. 
Smith.  He  reached  Judge  Dean's  public  house  in  Westmoreland  on 
Christmas  eve  of  that  year,  and  on  the  following  day  started  with  his 
family  through  the  deep  snow  and  the  dark  forest  for  their  wilderness 
home  in  Verona.  They  did  not  reach  their  destination  until  January  i, 
1792,  although  they  were  within  the  town  limits  a  few  days  earlier. 
Mr.  Smith  was  prominent  among  the  early  settlers,  and  died  about 
eleven  years  after  his  arrival.  His  daughter,  Eve,  born  March  25,  1795, 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town. 

After  a  considerable  interval,  the  second  pioneer  arrived  in  the  per- 
son of  Asahel  Jackson,  from  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  who  came  in  May, 
1796,  and  at  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek  built  a  dwelling  where  he  kept 
a  public  house  for  boatmen  Mr.  Jackson  died  about  ten  years  later 
and  his  widow  continued  the  tavern  another  ten  years,  and  married  a 
man  named  Eggleston.  At  the  time  of  Jackson's  settlement,  Mr.  Smith 
was  his  nearest  neiglibor,  eighteen  miles  distant. 

In  either  1796,  or  early  in  1797,  a  Frenchman  and  his  bride  came 
into  the  town  and  located  at  what  became  known  as  Oak  Orchard,  on 
Wood  Creek.  His  name  was  La  Whiten  de  Wardenon,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife,  whose  name  was  Celeste,  were  reputed  members  of  dis- 
tinguished families,  while  romatic  tradition  credited  them  with  fleeing 
from  their  native  land  to  escape  opposition  to  their  marriage.  Arriving 
in  America  it  is  known  that  De  Wardenon,  who  had  invested  his  for- 
tune in  fpreign  merchandise  and  brought  it  over  with  him,  lost  most  cf 
his  property  and  then  sought  a  home  in  the  wilds  of  Verona.      A  child 


DAVID   A.   WARREN. 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERONA.  581 

was  born  to  the  twain,  which  died  in  1797 — the  first  death  in  the  town. 
The  parents  were  grief  stricken  and  having  nothing  from  which  to  con- 
struct a  coffin,  the  httle  one  was  buried  in  its  cradle.  When  the  work- 
men on  the  Inland  Canal  were  digging  there  a  few  years  later,  the  re- 
mains of  the  cradle  with  its  skeleton  were  unearthed. 

The  temporary  settlement  in  this  town  of  Jedediah  Phelps  in  1798 
has  been  described  in  an  earlier  chapter.  He  had  located  at  Fort  Stan- 
wix  in  1784.  A  considerable  number  of  settlers  came  on  in  the  spring 
of  1798,  many  of  them  locating  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  where 
they  had  previously  bid  off  lands  at  the  auction  sale  of  tracts  in  the 
Oneida  Reservation  Among  the  arrivals  of  that  year  were  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Russell  Brooks,  Martin  Langdon,  Noah  Langdon,  Samuel  Avery,  Joseph  Eames, 
John  Bosworth,  Oliver  Pomeroy,  Ithamar  Day,  Eleazer  Ellis,  Fisher,  Ellis,  Stephen 
Benedict,  Jabez  Loomis,  Jonathan  Warren,  John  Tilden,  John  R.  Todd,  Levi  Skin- 
ner, Lieutenant  Billington,  Peter  Whelan,  Robert  Robbins,  Rodman  Clark,  Caleb 
Clark,  Solomon  Bishop,  Moses  Brown.  The  following  came  in  either  1798  or  not 
long  after:  Simeon  Parsons,  Joseph  Couch,  Benjamin  Blackman,  Achus  Rathbun 
Artemas  Brewer,  Nahum  Joslin,  Elias  Cagwin,  Daniel  B.  Cagwin,  Dr.  Alexander 
Whaley,  Joseph  Green  and  Gideon  Todd.  The  first  framed  house  in  town  was  built 
by  Robert  Robbins. 

Settlement  progressed  rapidly,  excepting  in  the  northern  and  north- 
western parts.  These  sections  filled  up  faster  after  the  opening  of  the 
middle  section  of  the  Erie  Canal.  Among  the  pioneers  living  in  the 
town-  in  1 802-4,  aside  from  those  previously  mentioned  are  the  follow- 
ing : 

Ell  Whelan,  Eleazer  Ellis,  Ale.xander  Beebe,  John  Bozworth,  Oliver  Pomerov, 
Keeler  Starr,  Dan  Bozworth,  Noah,  Joseph,  Martin,  and  Reuben  Langdon,  Daniel 
Hall,  Nathan  Ellis,  Thaddeus  Wilson,  Calvin  Giddins,  Robert  Robins,  Thomas  G. 
Day,  Ebenezer  Loomis,  Jabez  Loomis,  Simeon  Parsons,  Obed  Williams,  Enoch 
Hitchcock,  Richard  Brown,  Thomas  R.  Clark,  James  Bewel,  John  Gray,  Joseph 
Eames;  and  in  1805,  Stephen  Clark,  Epbraim  Robbins,  Samuel  Pratt,  Achus  Rath- 
bun,  Constant  Bozworth,  Samuel  Whaley,  Dr.  Alexander  Whaley,  Elias  Cagwin. 

Abel  Gillete  came  from  Hartford  county.  Conn.,  in  1806  and  settled 
on  a  farm  east  of  the  site  of  Verona  village,  where  his  son,  Justus  E. 
Gillett  afterwards  resided.  Noah  Leete  settled  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  Verona  village  in  1809  and  with  later  members  of  the  family  became 
prominent  in  the  town.      Solomon  Bishop,  from  Whitingham,  Vt,    set- 


582  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tied  first  in  Westmoreland  in  1797,  and  moved  to  Verona  in  1803, 
locating  finally  on  the  farm  where  his  grandson.  Calvin  W.  Bishop, 
resided  in  recent  years  The  latter  was  the  youngest  of  eleven  children 
of  Calvin  Bishop,  son  of  the  pioneer  and  who  passed  his  long  life  in  the 
town.  Achus  Rathbun,  a  Quaker,  settled  in  the  town  in  1802.  and 
was  father  of  Wells  Rathbun,  who  passed  a  long  life  here.  Orville 
Elmer,  L.  D.  Smith,  Henry  Bissell,  Peter  Whelan,  John  Bosworth, 
Alexander  Enos,  and  others  who  will  be  mentioned,  were  prominent 
settlers  of  this  town.  Eliphalet  Frazee  was  the  first  settler  on  the  site 
of  Durhamville,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town,  where  he  located  in 
181 1.  Shubael  Brooks  was  the  first  pioneer  at  Verona  village,  in  the 
fall  of  1797,  ?nd  Dr.  Brundage,  the  first  physician  in  the  town,  settled 
there  very  early.  Dr.  Alexander  Whaley.  father  of  Dr.  James  Whaley 
of  Rome,  and  grandfather  of  the  present  Dr.  James  H.  Whaley,  also  of 
Rome,  was  an  early  practitioner  in  Verona,  and  was  a  conspicuous  man 
in  his  profession,  and  a  leading  citizen.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  nearly 
ninety  two  years  and  died  in  Rome.  Samuel  Whaley,  brother  of  Dr. 
Alexander  Whaley,  was  also  long  a  resident  in  Verona. 

The  first  town  meeting  in  Verona  was  held  on  March  2,  1802,  at  the 
house  of  Martin  Langdon,  half  a  mile  west  of  the  site  of  Verona  village, 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected  : 

Supervisor,  Jedediah  Phelps;  town  clerk,  Eleazer  Ellis;  assessors,  Martin  Lang- 
don, Peter  Whelan,  Caleb  Clark  ;  collector,  Stephen  Benedict ;  poormasters,  Jonathan 
Warren,  Noah  Langdon;  commissioners  of  roads,  Isaac  Weld,  John  Bosworth,  Alex- 
ander Enos;  constable,  Stephen  Benedict;  overseers  of  highways,  Reuben  Langdon, 
David  Shed,  George  Seton,  Simeon  Parsons,  Isaac  Weld,  Thcmas  R.  Clark,  Eleazer 
Ellis,  Squier  Holmes,  Eliel  Nichols,  Park  Adams;  fence  viewers,  Jedediah  Phelps, 
Caleb  Clark,  Jabez  Loomis;  poundkeeper,  Joseph  Eames. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  this  town  from  1803  to  the 
present  time  : 

1803-6,  Jedediah  Phelps;  1807-19,  Stephen  Benedict;  1820,  Joseph  Grant ;  1821, 
Stephen  Benedict;  18-22-23,  Joseph  Grant;  .1824-25,  Stephen  Benedict;  1826,  Alex 
ander  Whaley,  M.  D.  ;  1827-31,  Nathaniel  Fitch;  1832,  Ichabod  Hand;  1833,  Alfred 
Patten;  1834-37,  James  J.  Carley ;  1838,  De  Witt  C.  Stevens;  1839,  James  O.  Gates; 
1840-41,  Justus  E.  Gillett;  1842-43,  Alfred  Patten;  1844,  no  record;  1845-46,  James 
S.  Whaley;  1847,  Willet  Stillman  ;  1848-49,  Thomas  G.  Halley;  1850,  Archibald  Hass; 
•1851,  James  S.  Whaley:  1852,  no  record;  1853,  Solomon  P.  Smith;  1854,  Calvin 
Bishop;  1855,  no  record;  1856,  Martin  Tipple;  1857-58,  Orson  Foote;  1859-60,  Sal- 
mon Tuttle;  1861-63,  George  Benedict;  1863-64,  J.  Piatt  Goodsell;  1865-66,   George 


Jf"jr      'ife- 


AMOS  F.   BREWSTER. 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERONA.  583 

H.  Sanford;  1867-69,  Henry  S.  Stark;  1870,  Willard  H.  Bennett;  1871-73,  Henry  S. 
Stark;  1874,  Delford  Patten;  1875-76,  William  Williams;  1877-78,  Henry  S.  Stark; 
1879-83,  Gottlieb  Merry;  1884-85,  Jacob  F.  Gettman ;  1886-89,  Carl  T.  Siebel ;  1890- 
91,  Joseph  M.  Palms;  1892-95.  H    H.  Miller;  1896,  Hugo  Keller. 

Records  of  the  early  schools  of  the  town  are  not  in  existence,  but  it 
is  probable  that  the  first  ones  were  taught  on  or  near  the  site  of  Verona 
village.  One  of  the  very  early  ones  was  at  Blackman's  Corners  and 
another  at  what  is  now  Verona  Station.  A  select  school  was  kept  sev- 
eral years  near  what  was  known  at  the  Bishop  place,  first  by  a  Mr. 
Ayres  and  afterwards  by  Miss  Phelps.  The  town  has  now  twenty- six 
school  districts  that  have  school  houses  in  the  county.  Verona  village 
constitutes  a  Union  Free  School  district,  for  which  a  handsome  school 
building  was  erected  in  1895  at  a  cost  of  $4,500.  A  principal  and  three 
teachers  are  employed.  There  is  also  a  Union  Free  School  at  New 
London,  a  hamlet  on  the  canal  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  where  a 
neat  two  story  brick  school  building  was  erected  more  than  twenty 
years  ago.  The  village  of  Durhamville  constitutes  a  Union  Free  School 
district  and  has  a  good  graded  school. 

As  an  agricultural  district  Verona  has  always  ranked  high  among  the 
towns  of  Oneida  county.  Miscellaneous  crops  were  grown  in  the  early 
years,  and  later  hops  were  largely  cultivated.  In  more  recent  years, 
dairying  has  come  into  greater  prominence  and  at  the  present  time  may 
be  considered  the  leading  industry.  There  are  eight  cheese  factories 
in  the  town,  which  take  the  milk  of  about  3,500  cows  and  manufacture 
200,000  pounds  of  cheese  annually.  Among  the  prominent  faimers  of 
Verona,  past  and  present,  may  be  mentioned  E.  E.  Brewer,  Charles  A. 
Pratt,  Charles  P.  Frisbie,  I.  L.  Amann,  J.  J  Loomis,  D.  Patten,  William 
M.  Peckham,  Charles  H.  Warren,  W.  B.  Osgood,  R.  H.  Barber,  J.  H. 
and  Thomas  Dunn,  Martin  Stevens,  G.  W.  Frisbie,  and  others. 

The  first  settlement  of  the  site  of  Verona  village  in  1797  has  been 
described.  The  place  is  situated  on  the  road  from  Rome  to  Oneida 
Castle,  and  was  known  in  early  years  as  Hand's  Village,  taking  that  name 
from  Capt.  Ichabod  Hand,  who  long  kept  a  popular  public  house  here. 
A  hotel  was  built  on  the  corner  in  1830  by  Calvin  and  Harrison  Bishop, 
brothers.  There  was  an  earlier  hotel  built  and  conducted  by  James 
Clark.  His  brother,  George  Clark,  owned  the  first  store  in  the  village; 
this  was  in  the  first  decade  of  the  century.      The  post-office  was  estab- 


584  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lished  very  early  and  one  of  the  pioneer  postmasters  was  a  tailor  named 
Hess,  who  kept  the  office  in  his  shop  in  the  western  part  of  the  village. 
There  are  at  the  present  time  two  hotels  here,  kept  respectively  by  A. 
Hinman  and  F.  C.  Phelps.  The  present  merchants  are  C.  E.  Crandall 
&  Son,  who  have  been  in  business  many  years.  H.  M.  Leete  bought 
out  the  store  of  A.  B.  Webber  in  1842,  conducted  it  successfully  many 
years  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  R.  B.  Leete;  the  present  firm  is 
R.  B.  Leete  &  Son.  W.  H.  Kline  deals  in  agricultural  implements. 
Gottlieb  Merry  is  the  present  postmaster.  The  Oneida  Canning  Com- 
pany has  a  canning  factory  on  the  railroad  near  the  station.  Verona 
Station  is  a  little  westward  from  the  village,  where  a  small  business  has 
been  carried  on  since  the  opening  of  the  railroad.  H.  H.  Miller  is  the 
present  merchant  and  postmaster  here  and  II.  C.  Arnott  conducts  a 
hotel. 

The  village  of  Durhamville  is  situated  in  the  southeast  part  of-  the 
town  and  is  a  station  on  the  Midland  railroad.  The  canal  passes  through 
it,  and  in  former  years  it  was  a  place  of  considerable  business  impor- 
tance. In  181 1  Eliphalet  Frazer  made  the  first  settlement  here  The 
village  took  its  name  from  Eber  Durham,  who  located  here  in  1826, 
coming  from  Manlius.  There  were  then  only  four  log  houses  on  the 
site  of  the  village,  indicating  that  its  later  growth  was  due  largely  to 
the  canal.  Mr.  Durham  leased  the  surplus  water  from  the  canal  and 
used  it  for  power  purposes  This  right  was  abolished  some  years  later. 
A  tannery  was  early  operated  here,  a  foundry,  and  several  mills,  all  of 
which  have  disappeared. 

In  1845  De  Witt  C.  Stephens  built  a  glass  factory  at  Durhamville 
and  operated  it  a  few  months,  when  it  passed  to  Fox,  Gregory  &  Co., 
who  had  a  factory  at  Sand  Lake,  N.  Y.  The  firm  became  Fox  &  Son, 
who  successfully  carried  on  the  business  many  years.  During  one 
period  sixty  to  seventy  hands  were  employed,  15,000  to  20,ooo  bushels 
of  sand,  1,000  bushels  of  salt,  100,000  pounds  of  German  clay  and 
20,000  pounds  of  Jersey  clay,  and  2,500  tons  of  coal  and  1,500  cords 
of  wood  were  used  annually  in  these  works.  After  the  formation  of 
the  United  Glass  Company,  which  controls  most  of  the  glass  works  of 
the  country,  this  factory  passed  under  its  control  and  in  pursuance  of 
the  policy  of  restriction  of  product,  was  closed  down  in  1890. 


CALVIN    BROWN. 


w 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERONA.  585 

A  pipe  factory  was  established  here  in  1877  by  E.  N.  &  G.  F.  Kelsey, 

hich  was  successfully  operated  about  ten  years.  The  village  suffered 
severely  from  fire  in  1886  and  again  in  1888,  and  this  factory  was  part 
of  the  property  destroyed.  It  was  not  rebuilt.  There  is  now  no 
manufacturing  in  the  place  aside  from  a  steam  grist  mill  built  in  1893 
by  Hugo  Keller,  who  also  conducts  one  of  the  two  stores  in  the  place. 
The  other  is  kept  by  Maher  &  Son.  Hotels  are  kept  by  Albert  Felts, 
Dennis  Megan,  and  Jacob  Schwartz. 

What  are  known  as  the  Dunbarton  Glass  Works  are  situated  on  the 
canal  about  four  miles  northerly  from  Durhamville.  This  was  also  at 
one  time  an  extensive  establishment,  employing  over  fifty  hands  and 
turning  out  30.000  boxes  of  glass  annually.  It  went  under  control  of 
the  United  Glass  Company  and  was  closed  down  in  1890.  There  is  a 
post  office,  but  no  business  at  Dunbarton. 

The  hamlet  of  New  London  is  situated  on  the  canal  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town,  where  Ambrose  Jones  was  the  first  settler  in  1824. 
He  afterwards  removed  to  Vienna.  A  post-ofiice  was  established  about 
1825.  Boat  building  was  formerly  extensively  carried  on  here  and  it 
was  a  shipping  point  of  importance.  A  store  is  kept  by  R.  B.  Wright 
&  Son  and  hotels  by  Thomas  Drummond  and  George  P.  Wright. 

Rathbunville,  better  known  in  later  years  as  Verona  Mills,  which  is 
the  name  of  the  post-office,  is  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the  town, 
where  settlement  was  commenced  in  1802  by  Achus  Rathbun,  a 
Quaker.  He  was  a  worthy  citizen,  as  also  were  later  members  of  his 
family.  His  son.  Solomon  Rathbun,  became  proprietor  of  extensive 
business  establishments,  including  a  large  flouring  mill,  a  store,  and  a 
woolen  factory.  The  grist  mill  was  burned,  and  the  present  one  has 
been  owned  and  operated  many  years  by  Williams  &  Bennett  A 
store  is  kept  by  E.  Lea. 

Higginsville  is  a  postal  hamlet,  George  B.  Fitch,  postmaster,  on  the 
canal  a  little  northerly  from  Durhamville,  and  was  built  up  on  the 
strength  of  canal  traffic.  A  small  mercantile  business  has  been  con- 
ducted there  and  stores  are  now  kept  by  Frederick  Wendt  and  Charles 
Ackerman.  One  of  the  cheese  factories  is  also  located  here.  A  hotel 
is  kept  by  Anthony  Berical. 

State  Bridge  is  a  post-office  on  the  canal  near  Durhamville.     A  store 
74 


686  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

is  kept  by  Webb  Potter  and  a  hotel  by  Michael  Dunn.  Other  hamlets 
in  the  town  are  Tilden  Hill  in  the  northeast  part,  where  Merritt  Clark 
settled  in  1798  and  kept  a  small  store.  John  Tilden,  from  whom  the 
locality  took  its  name,  came  in  1800.  It  is  now  no  more  than  a  farm 
neighborhood.  Sconondoa,  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner,  on  the 
creek  of  that  name,  was  the  site  of  an  early  cotton  factory,  operated 
by  Samuel  S.  Breese,  and  discontinued  about  1845.  F'sh  Creek  is  a 
post-office  and  hamlet  on  the  Midland  Railroad  near  the  shore  of  Oneida 
Lake,  with  a  small  collection  of  houses  and  shops.  A  store  is  kept  by 
John  Roberts 

Stacy's  Barn  is  a  postal  hamlet  on  the  canal  where  Ephraim  Jordan 
and  Thomas  Jordan  are  residents,  and  near  by  Captain  Weismantel 
and  Henry  Leight  carry  on  mercantile  business. 

A  Congregational  society  was  formed  in  this  town  August  5,  1803, 
by  Revs.  Peter  Fish  and  Timothy  Cooley,  missionaries,  one  of  whom 
was  of  the  Congregational  and  the  other  of  the  Presb\tcrian  faith  The 
number  of  members  of  this  society  was  twenty- three.  In  November, 
1806,  a  religious  society  was  organized  "to  provide  the  privileges  of 
the  gospel  for  themselves  and  families,"  and  sixty  five  heads  of  families 
signed  the  agreement.  In  the  fall  of  1805  a  Methodist  preacher  held  a 
revival  at  Lowell,  in  Westmoreland,  which  spread  over  into  this  town 
and  about  forty  were  added  to  this  church.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev. 
Israel  Brainard,  installed  September  23,  1807.  ^  church  was  built 
early  two  miles  east  of  Verona  village,  and  in  1828  the  society  divided 
and  a  second  Congregational  church  was  formed,  which  built  a  house  of 
worship  in  the  village.  This  condition  continued  until  1837,  when  the 
two  societies  reunited  and  thereafter  occupied  the  church  in  the  village. 
The  building  has  been  at  various  times  improved,  and  the  congregation 
now  worship  in  the  Presbyterian  faith. 

The  Methodist  church  at  Verona  village  was  organized  as  a  separate 
station  in  1833.  Previous  to  that  time  it  was  connected  with  the  old 
Westmoreland  Circuit,  for  which  a  church  was  erected  in  1830.  Since 
that  time  it  has  been  extensively  improved,  especially  between  1868 
and  1870.  The  society  also  owns  a  parsonage  and  has  a  vigorous  ex- 
istence. 

The  first  church  organized  on  or  near  the   site   of  Duarhamville  was 


THE  TOWN  OF  VERONA.  587 

the  Baptist.  In  1812  Eliphalet  Frazee,  the  first  settler  there,  joined 
with  Benjamin  Newcomb,  Dyer  D.  Ransom,  Roswell  Barker  and  a  few 
others,  and  began  public  religious  worship;  thi^  was  continued  to  1815, 
when  they  organized  a  church  with  twelve  members.  Mr.  Newcomb 
was  the  preacher  most  of  the  time  until  18 19,  and  in  that  year  was 
ordained  the  pastor.  In  1883  a  church  was  erected  which  is  still  in  use, 
but  has  been  much  improved  in  later  years. 

Durhamville  was  many  years  ago  a  missionary  station  of  the  Episco- 
pal church,  and  meetings  were  held  between  i860  and  1880  in  the  old 
Presbyterian  church  building,  that  society  having  declined  and  ceased 
to  hold  services.  This  building  was  taken  down  in  1886,  removed  to 
State  Bridge  by  the  Methodists  in  that  vicinity  and  there  rebuilt.  It  is 
still  used  by  that  society.  The  Episcopals  built  their  present  church 
on  the  Presbyterian  site  in  the  year  la.st  named. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  London,  was  in  existence 
prior  to  1843,  ^^  which  year  they  purchased  a  building  moved  it  and 
fitted  it  for  worship.  This  was  used  until  1888,  when  the  society  bought 
of  the  Lutherans  in  the  Churchville  neighborhood  near  Verona  Mills,  a 
church  building  and  removed  it  to  New  London,  near  the  site  of  the 
former  one.  The  adherents  of  the  Lutheran  faith  had  erected  two 
buildings  near  Verona  Mills,  one  of  which  is  now  used  by  them  and  the 
Baptists  in  union. 

A  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  Durhamville  prior  to  1850,  and 
is  still  in  existence. 

The  church  of  the  Franciscans,  near  Durhamville,  was  erected  nearly 
or  quite  forty  years  ago,  soon  after  the  organization  of  the  society.  The 
church  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Franciscan  Fathers  of  Syracuse. 

In  1808  the  families  of  Daniel  Williams  and  his  brother  Joshua,  num- 
bering about  twenty- four  persons,  and  living  near  Rathbunville,  but  in 
the  town  of  Rome,  formed  themselves  into  an  organization  "  for  re- 
ligious improvement  and  Sabbath  worship ;"  this  association  was  the 
nucleus  of  the  later  Seventh  Day  Baptist  organization,  which  was  formed 
in  1820  with  fifty-one  members.  A  reorganization  was  effected  in  1828 
as  the  "First  Seventh  Day  Baptist  Society  of  Rome  and  Verona."  A 
house  of  worship  was  erected  in  the  next  year.  Services  continued  un- 
til 1837,  when  the  Second  Seventh   Day  Baptist  church  of  Verona  was 


588  OUR  COUNTY  A^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 

organized  at  Durhamville  with  forty- one  members.  They  built  a  church 
a  mile  east  of  Durhamville  in  1850. 

In  1879-80  a  church  was  erected  near  Higginsville  and  dedicated  in 
January,  1880,  as  a  Presbyterian  church.  It  is  now  used  as  a  Union 
church. 

There  was  formerly  a  Baptist  church  at  Higginsville  and  another  at 
Verona  depot. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE  TOWN  OF  VIENNA. 

The  town  of  Vienna  is  situated  on  the  western  border  of  Oneida 
county,  upon  the  north  shore  of  the  eastern  end  of  Oneida  Lake.  The 
east  branch  of  Fish  Creek  forms  part  of  the  eastern  boundary,  and  Wood 
Creek  a  part  of  the  southern.  Other  smaller  streams  are  numerous, 
some  of  which  have  supplied  good  water  power.  In  the  southern  part 
the  surface  is  comparatively  level,  and  some  of  it  low  and  marshy  ;  in 
the  northern  part  it  is  broken  and  hilly.  The  soil  is  generally  sandy, 
with  alluvium  along  Fish  Creek  Good  building  stone  have  been 
quarried  in  the  east  part  and  bog  ore  has  been  found  in  the  marshy 
section  along  the  lake.  The  original  pine  and  hemlock  forest  tiiat 
covered  much  of  the  territory  developed  a  large  lumber  interest  in  early 
years. 

Vienna  was  formed  from  Camden  April  3,  1807,  with  the  name  of 
"Orange."  On  the  6th  of  April,  1808,  the  name  was  changed  to 
"  Bengal,"  which  title  was  retained  until  April  12,1816,  when  the  present 
name  was  adopted.  A  part  of  Annsville  was  set  ofif  in  1823,  leaving 
Vienna  with  an  area  of  38,102  acres.  The  town  includes  what  were 
townships  9  and  10  of  Scriba's  patent  and  is  part  of  the  Nicholas  Roose- 
velt grant ;  the  latter  not  complying  with  the  terms  of  sale,  a  large 
share  of  his  purchase  was  resold  to  George  Scriba,  and  the  remainder, 
which  included  the  territory  of  this  town,  was  acquired  under  chancery 
proceedings  by  Gen.    Alexander    Hamilton,  John   Lawrence,   and  John 


THE  TOWN  OP  VIENNA.  589 

B.    Church.      The   early    records  of  the  town   are   lost,  depriving  us   of 
much  of  its  history  down  to  1871. 

The  first  settler  in  the  town  was  Ephraim  Church,  who  located  prob- 
ably in  1797  on  the  farm  owned  in  recent  years  by  William  Bailey  and 
John  Humaston.  He  afterwards  sold  out  to  a  Mr.  Jarvis  Isaac  Cook 
came  probably  in  the  same  year  with  Church,  and  Timothy  Halstead, 
the  third  settler,  in  1798  or  1799.  The  latter  built  the  first  frame  house 
and  was  the  father  of  Henry  N.  Halstead  who  passed  his  life  in  the 
town.  Mr.  Halstead  was  from  the  town  of  Trenton,  and  the  next  year 
after  his  removal  from  there  to  Vienna  he  was  followed  by  Eliphalet 
Pierce  from  the  same  town.  Others  who  came  into  the  town  about  the 
beginning  of  the  century  were  Luther  Fisher,  Alexander  and  Jonathan 
Graves,  John  Tully,  Peter  Gibbons,  Isaac  Babcock,  a  Mr.  Kilbourne, 
and  a  Mr.  Smith,  a  blacksmith.  Two  children  of  Luther  Fisher  were 
about  the  first  to  die  in  the  town  and  Alexander  Graves  was  killed  very 
early  in  a  saw  mill  at  McConnellsville.  Mr.  Gibbons  settled  about  1803 
half  a  mile  below  McConnellsville,  on  a  farm  afterwards  owned  by 
Alanson  Tuttle.  Jonathan  Graves  built  the  first  frame  barn  and  Mr. 
Gibbons  the  second  on  this  farm.  Luther  Pike  settled  in  1815  on  the 
road  between  McConnellsville  and  North  Bay  ;  he  was  father  of  David 
Pike.  Andrew  Palms  located  above  McConnellsville  prior  to  18 12  and 
took  part  in  that  war.  Oramon  Tuttle,  who  settled  first  in  Camden,  re- 
moved to  this  town  in  181 5  and  settled  a  mile  above  McConnellssville, 
where  his  son  afterwards  lived.  John  Wheelock,  who  served 
seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  father  of  Otis  Wheelock, 
settled  in  18 13  near  Fish  Creek,  where  his  son  subsequently  lived  ;  the 
latter  came  into  the  town  in  1814  with  his  brother  Curtis.  At  the  time 
of  his  arrival  the  settlers  were  few  and  nearly  the  whole  town  was 
covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  hemlock.  At  that  time  George 
Haskins,  the  first  settler  on  Fish  Creek  in  that  vicinity ;  Roswell 
Seeley,  next  above  the  the  Wheelock  place,  Enoch  Strong,  Elisha 
Risley,  and  possibly  a  few  others  were  living  in  the  southeast  part.  Samuel 
Sawyer  lived  near  Otis  Wheelock's  late  residence  and  was  the  first 
settler  west  of  the  Humaston  place  ;  the  latter  kept  a  tavern  on  the 
main  road  to  Rome  near  the  bridge  over  Fish  Creek.  William  and 
John    Paddock   were  early    settlers  just    above    Vienna    post-office,    or 


590  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

"South  Corners,"  as  it  has  been  called.  This  place  in  1 813  had  a  tavern 
kept  by  Rufus  Kinne,  and  quite  a  settlement  gathered  about  it. 
Eliakim  Stoddard,  who  had  settled  in  Camden  in  1799,  removed  there 
in  1803  and  lived  five  years  on  the  site  of  the  present  tavern,  which  is 
opposite  the  old  stand.  He  was  the  first  supervisor  of  this  town,  but 
returned  to  Camden  in  1808.  Silas  Jewell  settled  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  town  in  1817  ;  he  came  from  Massachusetts.  Later  he  lived 
at  West  Vienna  village. 

These  pioneers  and  others  mentioned  further  on  and  in  Part  III  of 
this  volume,  were  instrumental  in  transforming  the  wilderness  into  the 
succeeding  prosperous  farming  region.  The  clearing  of  the  forest  gave 
them  and  many  others  an  ample  field  of  toil  for  many  years  Saw  mills 
were  built  at  every  available  point  and  at  one  time  there  were  thirty- 
seven  in  operation  in  the  town.  Most  of  these  have 'disappeared  and  it 
is  now  almost  impossible  to  locate  them.  Wild  beasts  were  numerous 
and  very  troublesome  in  early  years,  and  many  stories  have  come  down 
of  encoimters  with  them.  Wolves  were  "  thick  as  blackbirds,"  as  one 
old  resident  stated,  down  to  the  time  when  the  canal  was  finished,  and 
sheep  suffered.  The  following  anecdotes  of  early  hunting  experiences 
are  from  Jones's  Annals,  the  Halstead  referred  to  being  the  late  Henry 
N.  Halstead  : 

Messrs.  Halstead  and  Fisher,  on  a  certain  occasion,  were  hunting  bears.  They 
started  one  in  a  swamp  on  the  lake  shore,  and  after  following  it  a  short  distance, 
and  in  passing  a  place  made  hollow  by  the  roots  of  a  tree  partly  turned  over,  Mr. 
Halstead  broke  through  to  his  armpits,  when  out  sprang  the  bear.  They  succeeded 
in  killing  it  and  left,  but  had  not  proceeded  more  than  eighty  rods  when  they  found 
where  the  she  bear  and  two  small  cubs  resided,  under  the  roots  of  another  fallen 
tree.  They  effected  a  dislodgment  of  the  old  one,  who  shared  the  same  fate  as  its 
mate,  and  secured  the  two  little,  now  orphan,  cubs.  It  was  a  very  cold  day,  and  to 
preserve  the  lives  of  the  little  fellows  Halstead  placed  one  in  his  bosom,  and  Fisher 
the  other  in  his  pocket.  They  were,  however,  so  little  inured  to  the  cold,  that  be- 
fore the  hunters  reached  home  they  were  both  dead.  Our  hunters,  however,  con- 
soled themselves  with  the  reflection  that  they  had  four  less  of  those  trouble.some 
neighbors  than  in  the  morning. 

After  Mr.  Eliakim  Stoddard  had  removed  to  Camden,  he  and  one  of  his  neighbors 
started  to  go  to  the  widow  Jackson's  for  salt,  each  with  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  .sled,  as 
it  required  this  amount  of  team  to  draw  through  the  woods,  where  there  was  no  road 
or  track,  their  supply  of  this  necessary  article,— a  barrel  each.  They  struck  the  lake 
shore,  and  while  making  their  way  on  the  beach  saw,  directly  in  their  path,  as  they 
supposed,  a  fine  greyhound.     As  they  neared.the  animal  they  discovered  that,  in 


THE  TOWN  OF  VIENNA.  591 

stead  of  a  hound,  it  was  a  wolf,  which,  from  its  famished  appearance  and  the  dispo- 
sition it  showed  to  stand  its  ground,  they  concluded  intended  to  satisfy  its  craving 
appetite  at  their  expense.  All  the  weapons  they  had,  offensive  or  defensive,  were 
those  necessary  accompaniments  of  all  woodsmen — their  axes.  After  a  consultation 
it  was  decided  to  proceed,  and  try  titles  to  the  right  of  way  with  the  wolf,  and  fur- 
ther, that  upon  no  consideration  was  either  to  throw  his  axe,  but  to  retain  his  hold 
on  it  at  all  events.  As  they  came  nearer  the  wolf  it  commenced  an  angry  growl, 
and  was  evidently  at  the  point  of  springing  on  them  when  the  neighbor  let  fly  his 
axe,  without  at  all  disabling  the  animal,  and  the  only  perceptible  effect  was  to  ren- 
der it  more  savage.  Mr.  Stoddard,  now  seeing  that  he  must  rely  solely  on  his  own 
resources,  stood  on  the  defensive  until  the  wolf  had  got  within  striking  distance, 
when,  with  a  well-aimed  blow,  he  laid  his  adversary  at  his  feet,  and  by  a  quick  repe- 
tition deprived  him  of  life. 

In  1800  a  Frenchman  from  New  York  came  to  this  town  on  a  hunting  expedition. 
He  was  j^ossessed  of  the  two  most  necessary  articles  to  the  hunter,  a  valuable  dog 
and  a  good  gun.  He  stopjied  at  Barnard's  Bay,  and  his  first  essay  was  in  hunting 
deer.  He  went  into  the  woods,  and  had  not  proceeded  far  before  his  dog  discovered 
what  Mons.  Crapeau  supposed  to  be  a  fine  deer  in  a  tree-top.  He  shot  at  the  ani- 
mal, wounding  but  not  disabling  it.  It  leaped  from  the  tree,  and  on  reaching  the 
ground  was  grappled  by  the  dog.  A  furious  fight  ensued,  but  the  dog  was,  how- 
ever, soon  put  Iiors  dn  combat,  when  our  hunter  thought  it  time  to  interfere  to  save 
the  life  of  his  favorite.  He  had  nothing  but  his  unloaded  gun,  and  valuable  as  it 
was  it  did  not  come  in  competition  with  the  life  of  the  hound.  The  first  blow  broke 
it  in  two  at  the  breech,  without  in  the  least  stunning  the  doubly  infuriated  animal, 
now  disposed  to  make  fight  with  both  master  and  dog.  Our  hero,  naught  intimi- 
dated, and  having  a  good  clul)  in  the  breechless  gun  barrel,  gave  a  lucky  blow  which 
broke  the  "critter's"  back.  This  rendered  the  contest  far  less  doubtful,  and  the 
deer' s  life  was  soon  taken  by  repeated  blows.  The  Frenchman  now  started  for  his 
boarding-house  to  tell  his  wonderful  feat  in  deer  killing,  while  poor  Tray,  too  badly 
wounded  to  accompany  him,  was  left  with  his  fallen  foe.  Arriving  at  his  home,  the 
hunter  soon  spread  the  news  of  his  good  fortune,  when  all  hands  repaired  to  the 
woods  to  assist  in  bringing  home  the  venison.  At  the  place  of  the  exploit,  instead 
of  a  deer,  a  monstrous  panther,  measuring  nine  feet  from  "  tis  to  tip,"  lay  stretched 
before  them,  while  the  leaves  and  bushes  gave  indubitable  proof  of  the  fierceness  of 
the  death  struggle. 

The  first  school  in  this  town  was  taught  by  Lyman  Mathers  in  1 803-4 
a  short  distance  below  McConnellsville,  in  a  log  house  then  owned  by 
Isaac  Cook.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Fish  Creek  Landing  an  early 
school  was  taught  by  Phebe  Barker,  in  a  log  house  built  by  a  Mr. 
Graves,  which  was  afterwards  in  1807  purchased  by  William  Covell, 
who  had  built  a  new  house  while  the  school  was  in  progress  in  the 
other.  In  1 81  5-16  Otis  Wheelock  taught  a  school  in  a  log  house  that 
stood    near  his  late  residence,      A  few  years  earlier  than  this  a  brick 


592  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

school  house  was  built  at  the  "  South  Corners,"  and  there  were  a  few 
other  log  school  houses  in  the  town.  In  i860  the  town  had  nineteen 
districts;  the  number  at  the  present  time  is  nineteen,  with  a  school 
house  in  each 

The  village  of  North  Bay  is  situated  on  a  beautiful  site  on  the  north 
shore  of  Oneida  Lake.  It  is  a  station  on  the  former  Midland  Railroad 
and  has  become  well  known  as  a  summer  resort.  One  of  the  most  act- 
ive founders  of  the  place  was  Henry  J.  Myer,  who  erected  the  first  hotel 
there  on  the  site  of  the  late  Phalen  House.  This  hotel  was  burned.  He 
also  built  the  later  Tremont  House  and  many  other  of  the  early  struct- 
ures in  the  pla  e.  The  Myer  hotel  was  changed  to  the  Frisbie  House 
and  susbsequently  burned.  James  A.  Wooden  built  the  Phalen  House  in 
1873.  Alexander  Rae  was  also  one  of  the  early  and  active  promoters 
of  the  village,  and  also  his  brother  James.  The  first  store  in  the  place 
was  opened  by  James  Louden,  whose  brother  Joseph  carried  on  busi- 
ness at  a  later  date.  Other  prominent  merchants  have  been  Dexter 
Nichols,  who  was  in  trade  many  years,  anti  John  Thompson  Henry 
Woodward,  now  in  business,  is  an  old  merchant  and  the  present  post- 
master. The  post-ofifice  was  established  about  1840,  previous  to  which 
the  mail  for  the  village  was  obtained  at  Vienna.  The  first  postmaster 
was  Hiram  Higby  who  opened  a  store  where  Joseph  Louden  was  in 
trade.  After  the  opening  of  the  Black  River  Canal  in  185  I  the  village 
grew  rapidly  and  became  a  shipping  point  of  considerable  importance. 
Canal  boat  building  was  also  carried  on  extensively.  The  saw  mill  now 
run  by  Aaron  Bushnell  stands  about  where  one  has  been  in  existence 
many  years.     The  grist  mill  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  De  Long. 

The  present  North  Bay  Hotel  was  built  by  Josiah  Cleveland  and  is 
owned  and  kept  by  Peter  Cole.  The  property  was  in  the  Cleveland 
family  many  years.  Since  this  place  has  become  somewhat  noted  as  a 
summer  resort,  a  number  of  hotels  have  been  built  at  the  beach.  Among 
these  are  the  Butler  House,  built  and  kept  by  George  Butler;  the 
Brayton  House,  by  Michael  Brayton,  and  a  house  kept  by  John  Fiddler. 

Vienna  village  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  and  is  a  sta- 
tion on  the  railroad.  It  was  early  known  as  Parker's  Corners,  and  later 
as  South  Corners  A  tannery  was  established  here  at  an  early  day  by 
Rufus  Kinne  who   operated  it  many  years  and  sold  to   Rufus   Sawyer, 


THE  TOWN  OF  VIENNA.  593 

from  whom  it  passed  to  Walter  K  Cook.  The  business  has  been  aban- 
doned. Elias  Humaston  built  a  carding  mill  here  about  1 8 16, operated 
it  a  number  of  years  and  was  succeeded  by  several  others;  the  business 
was  finally  abandoned.  Mr.  Humaston  also  built  a  small  grist  mill  near 
the  village  at  an  early  day.  The  only  grist  mill  now  is  a  small  feed  mill 
by  Kinney  &  Meays.  J.  H.  Meays  runs  the  saw  mill  and  also  a  store. 
Another  store  is  kept  by  Mrs.  J.  C.  Brick.  One  of  the  earliest  saw  mills 
here  was  built  by  James  Cook,  who  sold  it  to  his  brother  Walter  A 
hotel  has  always  been  maintained  here  and  is  now  kept  by  M.  J.  Bailey. 
The  post-office  was  established  prior  to  1813  and  a  Mr.  Parker  carried 
the  mail  through  from  Utica  on  horseback  and  later  with  a  wagon. 
Rufus  Kinne  was  one  of  the  early  postmasters  and  perhaps  the  first. 

The  village  of  McConnellsville  is  situated  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  on  Fish  Creek.  It  takes  its  name  from  Joseph  McConnell,  an  early 
settler  at  this  point.  A  post-office  was  established  here  about  1812.  in 
which  William  Smith  was  probably  the  first  postmaster;  he  was  suc- 
ceeded previous  to  18 14  by  Friend  Morse.  Joseph  McConnell  became 
a  settler  in  October,  18 14,  and  was  also  one  of  the  early  postmasters, 
as  was  also  Dean  Wood.  Isaac  Cook  built  the  first  tavern  in  the  vil- 
lage, which  he  sold  to  Ambrose  Jones.  Mr.  Cook  also  sold  goods  in 
the  early  history  of  the  place,  but  the  first  merchant  of  much  impor- 
tance was  Harvey  Smith  ;  another  was  a  Mr.  Brookins.  A  store  is 
now  kept  by  Lansing  Tuttle.  The  old  Cook  tavern  was  a  double  log 
building  and  long  ago  disappeared.  The  hotel  on  the  old  site  is  now 
kept  by  Theodore  Christian.  A  saw  mill  was  built  here  in  1801  which 
was  owned  by  a  company  composed  of  William  Smith,  Timothy  Hal- 
stead  and  others  The  mill  was  erected  by  Mr.  Hammill,  who  also 
built  the  next  year  the  bridge  over  Fish  Creek  on  the  Rome  road. 
William  Smith  built  a  grist  mill  about  1804.  The  saw  mill  is  now  oper- 
ated  by  Charles  Harden  and  has  been  for  many  years.  Another  saw 
mill  near  by  is  carried  on  by  Hubbard  Bros.,  on  a  site  where  there  has 
been  a  mill  many  years.      It  was  and  now  is  operated  by  Lansing  Tuttle. 

A  small  wintergreen  distillery  was  established  here  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  which  is  now  operated  by  Theodore  Christian,  who  is  also 
postmaster.  A  large  chair  factory  was  established  here  about  ten  years 
ago  by  C.  Harden  &  Son,  and  is  now  operated  by  the  son,  F.  S.  Har- 
den.     Nearly  forty  hands  are  employed. 

75 


5<J4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

A  canning  factory  was  established  many  years  ago  by  Lansing  Tuttle. 
A  large  one  of  later  years  is  carried  on  by  Theodore  Christian. 

West  Vienna  village  is  situated  on  the  north  shore  of  Oneida  Lake  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  and  is  a  station  on  the  Midland  Railroad. 
Silas  Jewell  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  here,  coming  in  about  1822,  and 
built  the  hotel;  it  is  now  closed.  John  Bedell  came  here  from  Greene 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  on  a  farm.  He  built  the  first  store  in  the 
place  in  1838,  in  the  building  afterwards  occupied  as  a  dwelling  by 
Jacob  King.  There  is  only  one  store,  which  has  been  kept  many 
years  by  Zenas  J.  White.  Eliphalet  Jewell  was  an  early  settler  at  this 
point  and  built  a  grist  mill  before  18 17.  and  a  man  named  Merrill  soon 
afterward  built  the  saw  mill.  The  newer  grist  mill  was  built  by  J.  H. 
Bedell  and  with  the  saw  mill  is  now  operated  by  J.  C.  Mace.  The  old 
grist  mill  is  now  the  property  of  Le  Roy  Page,  son  of  Ira  Page. 

Fish  Creek  Landing  is  a  hamlet  to  the  southward  of  Vienna  village, 
which  was  in  former  years  a  place  of  considerable  importance  as  a  ship- 
ping point  for  lumber,  etc.  Before  the  railroad  was  opened  through  this 
town  most  of  the  lumber  from  a  large  section  was  brought  here  for 
shipment  by  boats  on  the  lake.  George  Covell  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  this  vicinity,  coming  in  1807  from  Berkshire  county,  Mass. 
He  was  accompanied  by  his  brother  William.  In  the  succeeding  June 
John  Babbitt,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  father  of  Mrs.  George  Covell, 
came  in  and  settled.  At  that  time  there  were  only  three  other  families 
in  that  vicinity — Elisha  Freeman,  a  Mr.  Buell  and  Mr.  Graves.  The 
latter  sold  out  to  William  Covell,  while  Buell  sold  to  John  Babbitt.  All 
the  business  at  this  point  long  ago  disappeared. 

Sylvan  Beach,  the  noted  summer  resort  which  is  partly  in  this  town 
and  partly  in  Verona,  has  gained  a  wide  reputation  within  the  past 
fifteen  years.  It  is  located  at  the  east  end  of  Oneida  Lake.  Many 
years  ago  some  of  the  members  of  the  Oneida  Community  went  there 
for  the  summer,  leased  some  land  and  erected  temporary  buildings; 
this  was  the  inception  of  the  settlement  there.  L.  C.  Spencer  at  a  later 
date  opened  a  small  grocery  for  the  accommodation  of  fishermen  and 
hunters  who  began  to  visit  the  locality.  At  a  still  later  date  a  citizen 
of  Oneida  purchased  the  most  desirable  tract  of  about  two  acres  which 
he  sold  within  a  few  years  for  $3,200,  clearing   $3,000.      L.  C.  Spencer 


I 


JAMES  D.  SPENCER. 


THE  TOWN  OF  VIENNA.  595 

built  the  public  house  called  Forest  Home  which  is  now  kept  by  his 
son  in-law,  F.  B.  Randall.  Other  hotels  that  have  rapidly  come  into 
use  to  accommodate  the  crowds  of  summer  patrons  are  the  Algonquin, 
built  by  Stoddard  &  Garvin;  the  Hotel  Oneida,  the  Sylvan  Beach  Ho- 
tel, the  Oneida  Lake  Hotel,  the  Lake  Beach  Hotel,  the  Riverside  Hotel, 
and  tlie  Sportsman's  Home,  built  in  1895.  Several  small  steamers  are 
kept  busy  at  the  place  during  summer  months,  and  C,  C.  Clifford  keeps 
a  store  and  is  postmaster. 

Some  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  this  town,  past  and  present,  are: 

Joseph  Halstead,  father  of  John,  Chauncey  and  George  Brodock,  Lansing  and 
Isaac  Seeley,  Otis  Wheelock,  Lansing  Baker,  Peter  Coats,  son  of  James,  John  and 
Allen  Nichols,  the  Yager  family,  James  Brown  Daniel  and  William  Bagnell,  George 
W.  Matthews,  William  Wright,  John  B.  Dixou,  Nathan  Auchard,  Henry  Nash, 
Lucius  Haskins,  Edward  McCormick,  William  Rae,  John  Hall,  Eaton  Beach,  J.  J. 
Dickinson,  George  Myers,  Henry  Manchester,  Joshua  Parker,  and  others. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  McConnellsville  was  the  out- 
growth of  preaching  in  early  years  by  Revs.  Stoddard  and  VVestcott, 
and  the  formation  of  a  class  ;  the  services  were  held  in  the  school  house. 
The  present  frame  church  was  built  in  1832,  and  the  timbers  for  it  were 
hewn  by  David  Pike.  It  was  thoroughly  rebuilt  in  the  interior  and 
much  improved  on  the  outside  in  iSSi. 

The  Baptist  church  at  North  Bay  was  formed  not  long  prior  to  1840 
and  was  admitted  into  the  Oneida  Baptist  Association  in  September, 
1841.  The  first  pastor  was  Elder  Samuel  Bloss.  The  frame  church 
was  built  not  long  after  the  organization  of  the  society.  The  building 
was  considerably  improved  in  1895. 

The  Methodist  church  at  North  Bay  was  in  the  West  Vienna  circuit 
in  1858,  and  there  was  a  small  organization  previous  to  that  date  at 
which  time  Rev.  J.  H.  Buck  was  in  charge.  In  later  years  the  society 
became  a  separate  charge.  The  frame  church  which  has  been  in  use 
many  years  was  improved  and  repaired  in  1894.  There  is  also  a  Meth- 
odist church  at  Elpis,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town,  which  has  at 
times  been  served  by  the  pastor  of  this  church. 

St.  John's  Catholic  church  at  North  Bay  was  organized  in  1837  by 
Rev  Father  Beecham  of  Rome,  and  the  frame  church  was  built  at 
about  the  same  time.  The  society  has  had  an  active  existence  ever 
since. 


59G  OUR  COUNTY  AKD  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  supervisors  of  this  town  from  1871  are  as  follows: 

1871,  Eri  Kmne;  1872,  Zeno  Dorland;  1873-4,  Henry  Nicholas;  1875,  S.  A.  Covell, 
jr.;  1876,  John  H.  Meays;  1877-78,  S.  A.  Covell;  1879-80,  John  H.  Bedell;  1881-82, 
John  P.  Mattoon;  1883-84,  Charles  Harden;  1885-88,  James  H.  Flanagan;  1889 
Albert  L.  Covell;  1890-95,  James  H.  Flanagan;  1896,  Albert  S.  Annis. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  TOWN  OF  WESTERN. 

This  town  is  situated  north  of  the  center  of  Oneida  county,  and  con- 
tained within  its  territory  a  part  of  the  Fonda  patent  of  40,000  acres, 
which  was  purchased  of  Jelles  Fonda,  the  patentee,  by  John  Lansing, 
jr.,  George  Clinton,  William  Floyd  and  Stephen  Lush,  and  also  part  of 
the  Oothoudt,  Banyar  and  Machin  patents,  as  shown  on  the  map  in  this 
volume.  The  town  is  well  watered  by  the  Mohawk,  the  Lansing  Kill, 
Stringer's  Creek,  Big  Brook  and  other  small  streams.  Aside  from  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk  and  small  tracts  on  some  of  the  other  streams,  the 
surface  of  the  town  is  very  hilly.  The  soil  of  the  valley  is  a  fertile  al- 
luvium, which  is  very  productive,  while  on  the  highlands  it  is  loam  and 
very  stony  in  places,  but  good  for  grains  and  grazing. 

The  town  of  Western  was  settled  several  years  before  it  was  set  off 
from  Steuben,  and  the  pioneers  were  much  hampered,  as  they  were  in 
other  localities,  through  their  inability  to  buy  and  secure  permanent 
titles  to  the  land.  The  patentees  adopted  the  pernicious  plan  of  leas- 
ing the  land  either  in  perpetuity  or  for  three  lives,  receiving  certain  an- 
nual rentals. 

Western  was  erected  from  Steuben,  March  10,  1797.  It  then  in- 
cluded what  is  now  the  town  of  Lee,  which  was  set  off  in  181  I.  The 
first  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  E.  (probably  Ezekiel)  Shel- 
don, on  the  4th  day  of  April,  1797,  and  the  following  officers  elected  : 

Supervisor,  John  Hall;  town  clerk,  George  Brayton ;  assessors,  Asa  Beckwith,  jr., 
Daniel  Spinning,  Charles  Offord;  collector,  William  Satchell;  poormasters,  Joshua 
Wells,  Nathan  Barlow;  commissioners  of  highways,  John  West,  Daniel  Reynolds, 
Daniel  Eames;  constables,  William  Satchell,  Richard  Smith ;  fence-viewers   Lemuel 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTERN.  597 

Beckwith,   Ezekiel  Cleveland,   Martin   Miller;  poundmaster,   Jonathan  Swan;  com- 
missioners of  schools,   Isaac  Aldin,  Edward   S.  Salisbury,  Jonathan  Swan. 

The  supervisors  of  this  town  since  1798  have  been  the  following  per- 
sons, viz.: 

1798-99,  John  Hall;  1800-24,  Henry  Wager,  esq.  ;  1825-31,  Benjamin  Rudd;  1832- 
33,  Arnon  Comstock;  1834,  Hervey  Brayton ;  1835-39,  David  Utley;  1840,  Henry 
Wager,  jr.,  1841-48,  David  Utley;  1849-51,  George  Hawkins;  1852-54,  Griffith  W. 
Jones;  1855-57,  John  Hawkins;  1858-60,  Squire  Utley;  1861-62,  Squire  W.  Hill; 
1863-69,  Nathaniel  D.  Bronson;  1870,  Joseph  French;  1871,  Nathaniel  D.  Bronson'; 
1872-73,  Joseph  French;  1874-75,  Ephraim  Dillenbeck ;  1876-77,  Joseph  French; 
1878,  J.  V.  Gue;  1879-80,  Seymour  Jones;  1881-82,  Frank  White;  1883-84.  John  O.' 
Jones;  1885,  Seth  Cornish;  1886-87,  R.  H.  Hews;  1888-89,  W.  F.  Fillmore;  1890,  D. 
E.  Dillenbeck;  1891,  W.  C.  Merrick;  1892,  D.  E.  Dillenbeck;  1893,  Williom  F.  Pill- 
more;  1894-96,  C.  Frank  Floyd. 

This  list  contains  the  names  of  several  of  the  pioneers.  The  first  per- 
manent settlers  in  the  town  were  Asa  Beckwith  and  his  four  sons,  Asa, 
jr.,  Reuben,  Wolcott  and  Samuel.  They  located  on  the  Mohawk  River 
and  were  the  first  settlers  in  this  county  north  of  the  Mohawk,  their 
nearest  neighbors  being  for  some  time  at  Fort  Stanwix.  But  they  were 
not  long  alone.  The  fertile  lands  along  the  Mohawk  were  attractive 
and  other  settlers  came  in  rapidly.  Henry  Wager  followed  closely  upon 
the  first  settlers  and  became  a  prominent  citizen  ;  held  the  ofhce  of  su- 
pervisor twenty  four  years,  and  was  otherwise  honored  by  his  towns- 
men. George  Brayton  and  Jonathan  Swan  (the  latter  an  uncle  of  Gus- 
tavus  Swan,  now  of  Westernville),  settled  on  the  site  of  the  village  of 
Westernville,  and  opened  the  first  store  in  town,  on  the  site  where  mer- 
cantile business  has  been  carried  on  ever  since.  Mr.  Swan  afterwards 
removed  to  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Braytons  continued  in  business,  as 
described  further  on. 

David  Utley  was  the  first  permanent  settler  on  the  site  of  North 
Western  (three  miles  north  of  Westernville),  where  he  purchased  200 
acres  of  land  about  1795.  It  was  the  farm  afterwards  occupied  by  his 
son,  Squire  Utley.  (See  biography  in  this  volume.)  A  man  named 
John  Clear  had  squatted  on  a  part  of  this  farm  about  a  year  before  Mr. 
Utley  came  in.  He  had  no  title  and  Mr.  Utley  permitted  him  to  retain, 
and  remain  on,  fifty  acres  of  land,  so  that  he  might  get  a  start,  and  at 
a  later  date  Mr.  Utley  purchased  the  land  back  from  him. 

Jonathan  Waldo  built  a  saw  mill   here  in  1800  and  a  little  settlement 


598  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

fathered  about.  One  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  Hillside  section 
(now  Leila  post-office)  was  a  Mr.  Gillett ;  and  David  Sweet  settled  there 
at  an  early  day,  and  kept  a  tavern  in  1 805-6, 

In  the  neighborhood  known  as  Frenchville,  between  Westernville  and 
North  Western,  the  first  settlers  were  Jonah  and  Hezekiah  Wells,  father 
and  son,  who  located  previous  to  1795.  The  neighborhood  took  its 
name  from  a  family  named  French  who  settled  there ;  among  them  was 
David  French. 

David  Hill  settled  in  Western  about  1800,  bought  a  farm,  and  took 
part  in  the  war  of  1812  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  His  son,  Henry  R  Hill, 
was  born  in  Western,  February  ii,  18 14,  and  became  a  prominent 
citizen,  and  operated  the  third  cheese  factory  in  Oneida  county. 

Levi  White,  with  his  son  Otis,  came  into  Oneida  county  from  Con- 
necticut in  1795.  Moses  Y.  White,  son  of  Otis,  was  born  in  Western 
in  1796.  and  passed  a  long  and  useful  life  there;  he  was  a  deacon  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  for  twenty  years. 

The  Halleck  (formerly  Hallock)  family  has  been  prominent  in  the 
town  of  Western.  The  ancestor  of  the  family  was  Peter  Hallock,  who 
emigrated  from  England  to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1640.  Deacon 
Jabez  Halleck  (spelled  with  an  "  e  ")  was  born  on  Long  Island  in  March, 
1 761.  Through  the  influence  of  General  Floyd,  he  settled  in  Western 
in  1799.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Westernville  in  1818,  and  lived  to  the  great  age  of  102  years,  dying 
September  17,  1863. 

Joseph  Halleck  was  the  oldest  son  ot  Deacon  Jabez,  and  came  to 
Oneida  county  with  his  father.  He  married  Catherine,  daughter  of 
Henry  Wager,  the  pioneer,  and  they  had  thirteen  children.  He  served 
as  lieutenant  in  the  war  of  18 12,  served  as  magistrate  thirty  years,  and 
was  member  of  assembly  in  1841.  He  died  June  22,  1857.  Among 
their  children  was  Henry  Wager  Halleck.  the  distinguished  general  in 
the  Civil  war,  who  was  born  in  Western,  January  16,  18 14.  He  at- 
tended Union  College  and  in  1835  went  to  West  Point  Military  School, 
where  he  graduated  in  1839.  His  later  career  in  the  service  of  the 
government  is  familiar.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  ap- 
pointed major  general,  and  placed  in  command  of  the  Western  Depart- 
ment.     In  July,  1862,  he  was  appointed  general- in- chief  of  the  United 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTERN.  599 

States  army,  succeeding  General  McClellan.  He  served  in  that  capacity 
until  March,  1864.  In  April,  1865,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Military  Department  of  the  James,  with  headquarters  at  Richmond. 
The  following  August  he  was  transferred  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  in 
March,  1868,  to  Louisville,  where  he  died   January  9,   1872. 

Gen.  William  Floyd,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  a  large  land  owner  in  Western,  settled  here  in  1803.  He 
was  born  in  Long  Island,  December  17,  1734  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Provincial  Assembly,  and  in  1774  was  a  delegate  from  this  province 
to  the  first  Continental  Congress.  In  1777  he  was  elected  senator.  In 
October,  1778,  he  was  elected  member  of  congress  by  the  State  Legis- 
lator and  reappointed  in  1789.  The  British  victory  on  Long  Island 
caused  the  family  to  flee  to  Connecticut,  where  they  remained  nearly 
seven  years.  He  was  of  course  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  town,  and  many  anecdotes  are  preserved  in  the  Jones  Annals 
and  elsewhere  of  his  career.      He  died  August  24,  1 82  I. 

William  Floyd,  grandson  of  the  general,  was  born  in  New  York  city 
and  removed  to  Western  in  18 16,  where  he  attended  to  liis  grand- 
father's affairs  until  the  death  of  the  latter  He  was  for  a  time  in  a 
store  at  Westernville,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  long  life  there. 
General  Floyd  built  a  large  frame  house  in  extensive  grounds,  which 
was  completed  in  1804,  ^"d  is  still  in  good  condition,  and  now  occupied 
by  Julia  Floyd,  daughter  of  the  grandson  of  the  general. 

Other  early  settlers  of  this  town  were  John  Hall,  Benjamin  Rudd, 
Arnon  Comstock,  David  Brill,  Jeptha  Brainard,  Chester  W.  and  Joel 
Porter. 

Westernville  is  the  principal  village  in  this  town.  Mercantile  business 
was  carried  on  here,  succeeding  the  old  firm  of  Brayton  &  Swan,  by 
H.  M.  &  G.  Brayton.  sons  of  the  Hon.  George  Brayton  This  was  for 
many  years  the  only  store  of  note  between  Rome  and  Boonville. 
Brayton  &  Ely  were  later  merchants  on  that  site,  the  latter  of  whom 
(P>astus  Ely)  is  still  living.  Still  later  the  establishment  was  conducted 
as  a  union  store,  and  is  now  occupied  by  Thomas  R.  Rees.  A  second 
store  is  kept  by  John  O.  Jones  &  Son. 

The  hotel  at  the  lower  end  of  the  village,  on  the  site  of  a  still  earlier 
one,  was   rebuilt   by   George  Hawkins,  who   had  then   kept  it   for  some 


600  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years.  After  his  death  it  was  kept  for  a  time  by  his  widow.  It  is  now 
in  the  hands  of  T.  L.  Crill.  The  Westernville  Hotel  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  village  has  been  kept  for  sixteen  years  by  Charles  Bork,  who  suc- 
ceeded Charles  Wentworth,  son  of  Eliphalet  Wentworth,  who  had  also 
kept  it.  The  post-office  was  established  as  early  as  1812,  with  George 
Brayton,  postmaster.  He  officiated  a  long  time,  and  his  sons,  Henry 
and  Milton,  were  also  in  charge  of  the  office  in  later  periods. 

The  little  village  of  North  Western  was  partially,  at  least,  an  out- 
growth of  the  Black  River  Canal,  although  a  small  hamlet  had  gathered 
about  the  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  of  Jonathan  Waldo  already  described. 
The  present  mill  is  on  the  site  of  the  former  one,  and  was  built  about 
1840  by  Paul  Macomber.  It  is  now  operated  by  Thomas  Candee, 
Abram  Horton  runs  a  saw  mill  which  is  owned  by  John  O.  Jones,  and 
another  is  operated  by  Jerome  V.  Gue.  who  has  also  manufactured 
cheese  boxes,  etc.  While  the  canal  was  being  constructed,  one  of  the 
Bissells  of  Rome  opened  a  small  store  here  for  the  benefit  of  the  labor- 
ers. David  Brill  kept  the  first  store  of  importance.  He  settled  on  a 
farm  in  183 1,  managed  the  second  cheese  dairy  in  the  town,  the  first 
one  having  been  owned  by  Robert  Michel.  Mr.  Brill  eventuall}'  pur- 
chased most  of  the  land  formerly  owned  by  David  Utley  (including  the 
village  site),  moved  upon  it  in  1844,  and  laid  out  village  streets.  He 
also  built  the  Half  Way  House  about  1850,  the  first  hotel  in  the  village, 
which  was  subsequently  burned.  In  the  same  year  Ira  Waldo  built  the 
Northern  Hotel.  Charles  Wauful  is  the  present  landlord  ;  two  other 
small  houses  are  kept  here.  A  tannery  was  in  existence  many  years 
ago,  but  it  was  abandoned  and  burned. 

The  neighborhood  called  Frenchville  had  a  shoe  peg  factory  and  a 
saw  mill  in  former  years,  established  by  a  man  named  French  ;  but  at 
the  present  time  no  business  of  any  kind  is  carried  on  here. 

Hillside  (now  the  post-office  of  Leila)  is  situated  on  the  Mohawk 
above  North  Western.  The  grist  mill  which  has  existed  here  many 
years  is  now  a  part  of  the  estate  of  Michael  Hogan  who  previously  op- 
erated it.  A  store  is  kept  by  Walter  Cummings.  There  are  two  other 
post-offices  in  the  town — Big  Brook  and  Dun  Brook. 

What  was  probably  the  first  regular  school  in  the  town  was  taught  in 
Westernville  at  about  the  beginning  of  the  century.     As  early  as  1805 -6 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTERN.  601 

Amy  Williams  taught  here  in  a  frame  school  house.  A  change  was 
made  in  the  district  and  a  later  school  was  taught  near  the  residence  of 
Henry  Wager.  Westernville  village  is  now  Union  Free  School  District 
No.  12,  the  principal  of  which  is  Harmon  Van  Arman  ;  he  has  one  as- 
sistant. 

Anong  the  prominent  farmers  of  this  town  past  and  present,  may  be 
mentioned  Henry  Wager,  Francis  and  Stewart  Van  Dresar,  sons  of  Ezra 
Van  Dresar,  John  W.  Harris,  Samuel  Aukin,  S.  M.  Nisbet,  son  of  Robert 
Nisbet,  John  Warcup,  Jimes  Boyd,  James  Olney,  Asa  Beckwith,  David 
and  Lemuel  French,  Asa  Carmichael  and  the  Wells  family.  Under  the 
management  of  the  many  excellent  farmers  of  this  town,  the  dairying 
interest  has  in  recen";  years,  become  a  prominent  industry.  At  the 
present  time  there  are  four  cheese  factories  in  operation. 

In  the  old  cemetery  in  the  rear  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  West- 
ernville, among  the  many  memorials  of  the  dead  are  those  bearing  rec- 
ords of  the  following  : 

William  Martindale  of  Petersham,   Mass.,  came  to  Oneida  County  in  1817;  died 
Feb.  12,  1870,  aged  92. 

Lydia,  his  wife,  died  Jan.  12,  1851,  aged  74. 
Henry  Wager,  died  Aug.  9,  1840,  aged  76. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  county,  having  lived  on  the  farm  where  he  died  over 
rt fty  years. — Inscription. 

Letitia,  his  wife,  died  March  29,  1839,  aged  74. 

John  Hawkins,  died 1810,  aged  40. 

Bridget,  his  wife,  died  March  19,  1853,  aged  71. 
Joseph  Halleck,  Esq.,  died  June  23,  1857,  aged  73. 

The  above  Joseph  Halleck,  son  of  Jabez  Halleck,  and  grandson  of  Major  Peter  Halleck,  of 
Southold,  Long  Island,  N.  Y  ,  was  born  at  Southold,  October  16,  1784,  and  emigrated  to  Oneida 
County,  with  his  father,  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  age. — Inscription. 

Catherine  Wager,  his  wife,  died  Feb.  20,  1868,  aged  73. 
Rev.  John  Arnold,  died  April  24,  1872,  aged  91. 
Deacon  Jabez  Halleck,  died  Sept.  17,  1863,  aged  103. 
Sarah,  his  wife,  died  Nov.  29,  1834,  aged  72. 
Rebecca,  his  wife,  died  April  10,  1861,  aged  89. 
Jabez  Halleck,  jr.,  died  Aug.  20,  1873,  aged  74. 
Achsa,  his  wife,  died  Feb.  21,  1841,  aged  42. 
Joseph  Parke,  died  Feb.  6,  1833,  aged  87. 
William  Cleveland,  died  July  24,  1833,  aged  67. 
Elizabeth,  his  wife,  died  Nov.  8,  1832,  aged  61. 
Ezra  Clark,  died  Aug.  21,  1867,  aged  84. 
Lydia  Parke,  his  wife,  died  Feb.  21,  1862,  aged  73. 
76 


602  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Jacob  Wiggins,  died  Sept.  30,  1839,  aged  79. 

Freelove,  his  wife,  died  June  8,  1827,  aged  56, 

John  Smith,  died  Sept.  14,  1873,  aged  91. 

Mary,  his  wife,  died  Oct.  5,  1849,  aged  62. 

David  Hill,  died  July  11.  1856,  aged  77. 

Laura,  his  wife,  died  Dec.  30,  1866,  aged  78. 

Orange  Hayden,  died  July  31,  1872,  aged  79. 

Polly,  his  wife,  died  Aug.  31,  1849,  aged  56. 

Ephraim  Potter,  died  Aug.  16,  1832,  aged  72. 

Elizabeth,  his  wife   died  April  29,  1830,  aged  6<). 

John  Paddock,  died  Dec.  28,  1866,  aged  82. 

Polly,  his  wife,  died  April  21,  1840,  aged  52. 

David  Fanning,  died  June  17,  1826,  aged  49. 

Elizabeth,  his  wife,  died  May  24,  1830,  aged  58. 

James  Boyd,  died  Sept.  2,  1870,  aged  90. 

Mahetable,  his  wife,  died  March  21,  1833,  aged  50, 

John  Ely,  native  of  New^  Jersey,  died  April  14,  1842,  aged  66. 

George  Brayton,  died  March  5,  1837,  aged  65. 

Sarah,  his  wife,  died  May  8,  1841,  aged  64. 

John  Swan,  died  June  12,  1849,  aged  82. 

Mary,  his  wife,  died  Jan.  26,  1859,  aged  86. 

John  Harris,  who  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  from  1826,  died  August 

10,  1860,  aged  75. 
James  Olney,  died  Feb.  22,  1862,  aged  78. 
Lucy,  his  wife,  died  June  4,  1876,  aged  86. 
William  Olney,  esq.,  died  Dec.  22,  1846,  aged  90. 
Mary,  his  wife,  died  Dec.  13,  1818,  aged  57. 
Aaron  Ismond,  died  April  7,  1813,  aged  51. 
Nathaniel  Turner,  died  June  8,  1830,  aged  84. 
Mary,  his  wife,  died  Sept.  23,  1826,  aged  78. 
Seth  Church,  died  Dec.  20,  1852,  aged  73. 
Clarissa,  his  wife,  died  Dec.  28,  1850,  aged  65. 
Ruth  Park,  died  May  6,  1873,  aged  93. 

The  first  religious  organization  in  the  town  of  Western,  was  formed 
in  1798  by  the  Baptist  denomination,  with  about  sixty  members.  It 
was  in  existence  many  years,  but  never  had  a  regular  settled  pastor, 
and  finally  became  extinct. 

Succeeding  this  organization  the  Methodists  formed  a  society  and 
have  established  several  churches.  Two  of  these  were  near  "  Big 
Brook"  post-office,  each  with  a  small  membership.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  North  Western  was  built  about  1839.  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  society  having  taken  place  at  the  same  time. 

At  Westernville  a  Methodist  church  was  built  about  1855,  which  was 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTMORELAND.  603 

extensively  improved  within  a  few  years  past.  It  has  maintained  a 
progress  of  interest. 

A  Welsh  Methodist  society  was  formed  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  town  in  early  years  and  a  frame  church  was  built  in  1877. 

The  Presbyterian  society  in  VVesternville  was  incorporated  in  181 8, 
the  organization  having  been  effected  on  August  15  of  that  year.  The 
old  union  church  built  in  1817  had  then  a  large  debt  laying  over  it,  and 
the  property  including  the  old  cemetery  in  the  rear  was  purchased  by 
George  Brayton,  who  deeded  it  to  the  society.  That  church  has  been 
in  use  ever  since,  but  has  undergone  extensive  changes,  remodeling 
and  other  improvements.  The  original  membership  of  this  society  was 
fifteen  For  three-quarters  of  a  century  past  this  society  has  had  a 
prosperous  existence. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

THE  TOWN  OF  WESTMORELAND. 

The  town  of  Westmoreland  lies  south  of  the  center  of  Oneida  county, 
and  was  set  off  from  Whitestown  on  April  10,  1792.  When  Oneida 
county  was  organized  in  1788,  a  small  portion  of  Whitestown  was  added 
to  Westmoreland  ;  this  originally  included  the  town  of  Verona  and  a 
part  of  Vernon,  both  of  which  were  taken  off  in  1802.  A  small  tract 
was  set  off  to  the  town  of  Kirkland  in  1855,  leaving  Westmoreland  with 
its  present  area  of  25,741  acres.  The  western  part  of  the  town  was  in- 
cluded in  the  original  Oneida  Reservotion,  from  which  tracts  were 
granted  to  Dean,  Bleecker,  Wemple,  and  others.  The  eastern  part  of 
the  town  is  in  the  Coxe  patent  and  a  small  portion  of  the  Oriskany  pat- 
ent lies  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  as  shown  on  the  map  here- 
in. James  Dean  located  his  tract  in  the  fall  of  1786,  taking  a  deed  of 
it  from  the  Indians.  After  naming  the  Indians  who  signed  the  deed, 
the  document  proceeds  as  follows : 

Sachems  and  Chief  Warriors  of  the  Oneida  Nation — By  and  with  the  advice  and 
consent  of  the  said  Nation,  in  Consideration  of  the  great  and  important  Services 


G04 


OUR  COUNTY  AISD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


rendered  to  us  by  Mr.  James  Dean,  our  Friend  and  Brother,  and  as  a  Token  of  our 
Esteem  and  Affection  for  him,  have  given  and  granted,  etc. 

This  deed  was  confirmed  by  the  State  on  the  6th  of  February,  1787, 
according  to  an  act  passed  May  5,  1786.  By  this  same  act,  also, 
Wemple's  patent  was  granted,  comprising  one  mile  square  of  land,  to 
be  located  south  of  Dean's. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Dean  settled  on  his  patent  before  the  sale 
was  ratified  by  his  deed.  He  was  confident,  doubtless,  that  this  would 
be  done,  and  accordingly  set  forth  with  his  brother,  Jonathan  Dean  and 
the  wife  and  children  of  the  latter,  for  their  new  home.  That  woman, 
Mrs.  Eunice  Dean,  was  the  first  white  woman  to  settle  in  the  town  of 
Westmoreland.  They  of  course  encountered  many  hardships  and  it  is 
recorded  that  for  six  weeks,  neither  she  nor  her  family  tasted  bread. 
Their  principal  food  was  meat  and  fish,  which  were  plenty.  Imme- 
diately after  James  Dean's  marriage  he  returned  with  his  wife  and  began 
housekeeping.  The  old  Dean  homestead  was  occupied  in  recent  years 
by  John  L.  Dean,  son  of  Luke  C.  Dean,  and  grandson  of  the  judge. 
Another  son  of  the  judge,  John  Dean,  lived  a  short  distance  south  of 
the  homestead,  on  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  his  son  George.  Judge 
Dean's  daughter.  Electa,  became  the  wife  of  Joshua  A.  Spencer,  the 
early  and  eminent  Oneida  county  lawyer  and  judge. 

Soon  after    his  arrival  Judge  Dean  constructed  a  hand  grist  mill   on 
the  creek,  to  which  he  attached  a  small  water  wheel,  which  saved  sub 
sequent  hand  labor.      Although  it  was  a  small  affair,  it  was  probably 
the  first  example  of  a  grist  mill  in  Oneida  county. 

Silas  Phelps  came  into  this  town  in  the  fall  of  1786  and  built  a  log 
cabin  on  the  lot  adjoining  Jonathan  Dean's  on  the  east.  He  came  from 
New  Marlborough,  Mass.,  and  was  followed  in  January,  1787,  by 
Eohraim   Blackmer  and  Nehemiah  Jones. 

The  general  surface  of  the  town  of  Westmoreland  is  rolling  or  hilly, 
and  the  soil  is  very  fertile.  It  is  watered  by  the  Oriskany,  Dean's 
Creek  and  other  small  tributaries  to  these  creeks  and  the  Mohawk,  Iron 
ore  has  been  found  within  the  town  in  considerable  quantities,  and  used 
in  the  numerous  furnaces  that  have  been  operated  in  that  vincinity 

The  minutes  of  the  first  town  meeting  are  lost,  but  it  known  that 
Capt.  Isaac  Jones  was  chosen  supervisor  and  Alexander  Parkman,  town 


ARTHUR  D.   LEE. 


The  town  of  Westmoreland.  605 

clerk.     The  following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors  of  the  town   from   its 
organization  to  the  present  time  : 

1794,  Captain  Isaac  Jones;  1795  James  Dean;  1796,  not  given;  1797,  Dan  Chap- 
man; 1798-99,  James  Dean;  1800-1803,  Joseph  Jones;  1804-1805,  Jared'chittenden ; 
1806-15,  Roderick  Morrison;  1816-17,  Thomas  Holbert,  jr.  ;  1818,  Roderick  Morrison! 
1819,  Thomas  Holbert,  jr.;  1820-23,  Roderick  Morrison;  1824-33,  Truman  Enos! 
1834-35,  Warren  Converse;  1836-38,  Parker  Halleck;  1839-40,  James  B.  Drummondi 
1841,  John  Nicholson;  1842-43,  Pomroy  Jones;  1844,  Almon  Beardsley ;  1845-46,' 
Warren  Converse;  1847-48,  James  J.  Curtiss;  1849,  John  Park;  1850-51,  Zenas  m' 
Howes;  1852,  Jonathan  Rose;  1853-54,  John  Wylie;  1855,  Jeptha  Skinner;  1856, 
Abel  B.  Buell;  1857,  Arthur  F.  Brown;  1858,  Joseph  L.  Mansfield;  1859.  Grant 
Adams;  1860,  Morris  W.  Halleck;  1861,  John  Wyhe;  1862,  John  B.  Nicholson;  1863, 
Nehemiah  F.  Metcalf;  1864,  Jacob  J.  Massy;  1865,  Nehemiah  F.  Metcalf;  1866-68, 
John  L.  Dean;  1869-71,  Philander  Shedd;  1872-76,  Joseph  K.  Schuyler;  1877-79^ 
William  S.  Fuller;  1880-82,  William  Brill;  1883-85,  Ezra  A  Knapp;  1886-89,  Thomas 
J.  Olney;  1890-91,  Fred  S.  Brill;  1892-93,  Hiram  S.  Kellogg;  1894  (elected  for  two 
years),  Arthur  D.  Lee;  1896-98,  Andrew  J.  Pine. 

Relative  to  the  settlement  of  Judge  James  Dean,  the  following  is 
quoted  from  the  Annals  of  Oneida  Couri^y  : 

James  Dean,  the  first  settler  of  Westmoreland,  was  born  at  Groton,  Connecticut, 
in  the  month  of  August,  1748.  Of  his  early  youth  nothing  is  known,  excepting  that 
he  was  destined  as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  was 
sent  to  reside  at  Oquago,  on  the  Susquehanna,  with  an  Indian  missionary  named 
Mosely,  who  was  then  laboring  with  a  branch  of  the  Oneida  tribe,  located  at  that 
place.  He  soon  became  master  of  the  Oneida  tongue,  and  was  adopted  by  a  female 
native  as  her  son.  To  this  mother  he  ever  manifested  an  ardent  attachment.  His 
acquisition  of  the  language  was  of  great  use  to  him  and  his  country  in  after  life. 
Learning  it  when  thus  young,  while  the  organs  of  speech  were  flexible,  he  was  en- 
abled to  speak  the  language  most  fluently.  The  Oneidas  said  he  was  the  only  white 
person  whom  they  had  ever  known  who  could  speak  their  language  so  perfectly  that 
they  could  not  at  once  detect  him,  although  he  might  be  hid  from  view,  but  him  they 
could  not  detect.  How  long  he  resided  in  Oquago  is  unknown,  but  in  those  few 
years,  undei;  the  instruction  of  Mr.  Mosely,  he  fitted  himself  to  enter  college.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  class  which  formed  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth.  His 
freshman  year  in  that  instijtution  was  before  the  completion  of  a  building  for  the  use 
of  the  students,  and  the  class  used  to  study  and  recite  in  a  rude  shelter  formed  by 
placing  slabs  against  the  trunk  of  a  large  prostrate  pine.  In  this  poor  apology  for 
a  college  dormitory  young  Mr.  Dean  studied  and  slept  the  first  summer  he  spent  in 
his  collegiate  course.  He  graduated  just  previously  to  the  commencement  of  the 
war  of  the  Revolution. 

In  1774  the  leading  citizens  of  each  colony  were  endeavoring  to  ascertain  the  sen- 
timents of  all  classes  of  people  relative  to  the  portending  contest;  and  the  peculiar 
fitness  and  qualifications  of  Mr.  Dean  recommended  him  to  the  Continental  Congress, 
then  just  assembled,  as  a  suitable  person  to  ascertain  those  of  the  Indians  in  New 


60G  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

York  and  Canada,  and  the  part  they  would  probably  take  in  the  event  of  a  war  with 
the  mother  country.  In  order  to  disguise  the  object  of  his  mission,  it  was  arranged 
that  he  should  assume  the  character  of  an  Indian  trader,  and  he  was  accordingly 
furnished  with  such  goods  as  were  then  carried  into  the  Indian  country  for  the  pur- 
poses of  trade.  He  was  also  for  that  purpose  furnished  with  letters,  invoices,  and 
other  papers  from  a  well-known  house  in  Boston,  then  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade. 
Thus  fitted  oiit,  he  commenced  his  expedition  to  the  Six  Nations  and  their  branches, 
and  the  tribes  connected  with  them,  living  in  Canada.  In  the  course  of  his  travels 
in  Lower  Canada,  he  was  arrested  by  the  British  authorities  as  a  spy,  and  taken  to 
Quebec,  where  he  underwent  a  most  rigid  examination.  His  self  possession  was 
equal  to  the  crisis,  and  aided  by  his  papers  he  secured  his  release. 

For  his  services  the  Oneidas  gave  Mr.  Dean  a  tract  of  land  two  miles  square,  the 
title  to  be  confirmed  and  ratified  by  the  State.  This  was  probably  in  1783.  He  chose 
for  its  location  a  tract  upon  the  north  side  of  Wood  Creek,  in  the  present  town  of 
Vienna.  In  the  spring  of  1784  he  left  Connecticut,  in  company  with  Jedediah  Phelps 
and  Andrew  Blanchard,  to  commence  the  settlement  of  his  land.  The  day  of  start- 
ing is  not  known,  but  they  left  Schenectady  the  3d  of  May,  and  arrived  at  Wood 
Creek  the  13th.  Without  knowing  it,  they  undoubtedly  passed  Judge  White  while 
he  and  his  son  were  engaged  upon  the  Shoemaker  farm  in  planting  their  crop  of  corn. 
After  Mr.  Dean  and  his  party  arrived  at  Wood  Creek,  they  built  a  log  house  and  a 
shop  for  Mr.  Phelps,  who  was  a  brass  founder  and  silversmith,  and  intended  to  work 
for  the  Indians.  During  the  summer  they  made  a  small  clearing,  and  although  now 
covered  with  a  second  growth  of  timber,  it  still  retains  its  name  of  "  Dean's  place.' 
In  the  spring  of  1785  the  place  became  inundated  to  such  an  extent  that  for  three 
weeks  they  were  obliged  to  live  in  the  garret  of  their  log  cabin,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  cooking  their  meals  they  descended  from  their  loft  into  a  canoe  by  a  ladder,  and 
then  rowing  to  the  shop,  used  the  forge  as  their  only  fireplace  above  high-water 
mark.  On  the  subsiding  of  the  water  the  party  were  fully  satisfied  that  the  selection 
was  an  unfortunate  one,  and  unfit  for  the  commencement  of  a  settlement.  Mr.  Dean 
stating  this  to  the  Indians,  they  agreed  he  might  change  the  location  to  any  point 
upon  the  west  side  of  the  "  line  of  property,"  between  Brothertown  upon  the  Oris- 
kany  and  the  Wood  Creek.  He  selected  his  land  so  as  to  include  the  falls  of  the 
creek,  since  known  as  Dean's  Creek.  To  render  such  location  certain,  the  survey — 
as  appears  from  the  description  of  his  patent — of  the  east  line  of  the  patent  com- 
menced in  the  creek,  and  thence  ran  north  and  south  to  the  north  and  south  bounds 
of  the  tract.  He  located  his  patent  in  the  fall  of  1785,  and  settled  upon'  it  in  Febru- 
ary, 1786.  At  this  time  he  was  unmarried,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  visited 
Connecticut,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  Camp  on  the  11th  of  October. 

Mr.  Dean's  energies  were  now  directed  to  clearing  a  farm,  inducing  settlers  to  re- 
move to  his  patent,  and  in  building  mills  for  their  accommodation.  Success  crowned 
his  efforts,  and  it  was  but  a  few  years  before  every  lot  ofl'ered  for  sale  was  "  taken 
up  "  by  an  actual  settler. 

In  January,  1787,  Ephraim  Blackmer,  esq.,  and  Captain  Nehemiah  Jones  removed 
from  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  to  Dean's  Patent.  Esquire  Blackmer  came  in  advance, 
with  a  horse-team,  bringing  the  families,  consisting  of  their  wives,  Esquire  Black- 
mer's  two  children,  and  Captain  Jones'  one,  some  beds,  bedding,  and  clothing,  while 
Captain  Jones  followed  more  slowly  with  an  ox  team,  with  such  furniture  and  pro- 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTMORELAND.  607 

visions  as  were  supposed  necessary  to  commence  housekeeping  among  the  Indians, 
as  their  New  England  friends  were  pleased  to  term  the  location  of  the  settlers  in 
Deansville.  Esquire  Blackmer  stayed  the  last  night  of  his  journey  at  Oriskany,  a 
distance  of  about  ten  miles  from  Judge  Dean's.  The  next  morning  he  took,  to  use 
the  teamster's  phrase,  an  early  start,  that  is,  before  sunrise,  well  knowing  it  would 
consume  the  whole  day  to  travel  the  distance,  and  wishing  to  get  through  before 
dark.  Probably  they  would  have  looked  incredulously  at  the  idea  of  a  railroad's 
being  constructed  in  the  then  next  half -century,  over  a  part  of  their  route,  carrying 
passengers  at  the  rate  of  fifteen,  twenty,  and  even  thirty  miles  per  hour.'  There 
was  no  road  on  any  part  of  the  distance,  nor  track,  except  that  of  the  Indian  snow 
shoe,  which  rather  impeded  their  progress  than  otherwise.  It  was  a  bitter  cold  day, 
the  snow  about  eighteen  inches  deep.  By  dint  of  untiringperseverance  our  travelers 
had,  by  a  little  past  the  middle  of  the  day,  kenned  their  way  to  the  spot  near  where 
the  village  of  Hampton  now  stands.  In  crossing  the  creek  a  little  north  of  said 
village,  the  stream  being  but  partially  frozen,  the  sleigh  unluckily  turned  over,  turn- 
ing the  women  and  children  into  the  water,  the  youngest,  a  child  of  Mrs.  Jones,  less 
than  one  year  of  age,  going  completely  under  water.  Happily,  the  water  was  not 
deep  enough  to  endanger  them  from  drowming.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  all  safe 
on  shore,  but  in  such  a  plight!  or,  I  might  have  said,  "in  such  a  pickle !"  the  women 
and  children  to  a  considerable  extent  drenched  in  water,  without  a  shelter  or  fire 
nearer  than  Judge  Dean's,  a  distance  of  about  four  miles,  which  would  cost  more 
than  that  number  of  hours  to  reach,  with  the  thermometer,  if  one  could  have  been 
consulted,  ranging  near  zero.  Would  not  our  modern  delicate  females  rather  shud- 
der at,  the  thought  of  being  placed  in  such  a  situation,  and  under  such  circumstances? 
But  our  settlers  had  no  idea  of  being  disheartened  or  discouraged.  "Necessity  is 
the  mother  of  invention."  Fortunately  the  chest  of  bedclothes  had  escaped  the 
drenching.  The  seats  were  removed  from  the  sleigh,  and  dry  clothes  sj^read  over 
the  bottom  of  it.  The  women  and  children  then  placed  themselves  on  them,  the 
brandy-jug  was  then  introduced,  and  each  one  drank  what  he  could  bear,  without 
being  too  far  intoxicated,  and  some  two  quarts  of  it  sprinkled  over  them.  In  those 
days  alcohol  was  used  to  keep  people  warm  in  winter  and  cool  in  summer.  A  large 
amount  of  dry  bedding  spread  over  them  completed  their  arrangements  for  the  rest 
of  their  journey.  After  the  first  half-hour  all  fear  of  freezing  gave  way  to  the  equally 
disagreeable  one  of  suffocation.  First  the  water,  and  then  the  brandy,  caused  such 
a  profuse  perspiration  that  our  travelers  could  not  liken  the  appearance  of  their 
sleigh  to  anything  more  appropriate  than  a  traveling  coal-pit.  To  conclude,  they  all 
safely  arrived  at  Judge  Dean's  a  little  before  dark. 

This  Capt.  Nehemiah  Jones  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  died  December  19, 
1838.  He  was  father  of  the  Hon.  Pomroy  Jones,  who  passed  his  long 
life  in  Oneida  county.  The  latter  was  one  of  a  company  of  soldiers 
who  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  has  honorably  perpetuated  his  name 
through  the  authorship  of  the  well  known  Annals  of  Oneida  County. 

1  Sixty  to  seventy  miles  an  hour  in  1896. 


608  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  Ephraim  Blackmer  before  mentioned  married  Mary,  sister  of 
Captain  Jones.  Mr.  Blackmer  died  in  February,  1796,  and  his  was  the 
first  Masonic  funeral  ever  held  in  this  county. 

Not  lung  after  1787  Isaac  Jones,  who  had  been  engaged  during  most 
of  the  Revolutionary  period  in  transporting  military  stores,  located  in 
Clinton,  and  moved  soon  afterwards  to  Westmoreland.  He  died  in  the 
town  of  Vernon  in  1808,  and  was  the  first  supervisor  of  this  town.  His 
brother,  Joseph  Jones,  came  to  Westmoreland  in  the  spring  of  1787, 
and  lived  for  many  years  at  Lairdsville.  He  was  supervisor  four  years, 
justice  of  the  peace  more  than  twenty  years,  and  postmaster  and  town 
clerk.      He  died  in  Vernon  in  1835. 

Another  veteran  of  the  Revolution  who  settled  in  this  town  in  1790 
was  Capt.  Stephen  Biigham  ;  still  another  who  settled  in  the  same  year 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town  was  John  Townsend,  from  w  horn  the 
level  lands  in  that  locality  were  called  the  Townsend  Flats. 

Joseph  Blackmer,  sr,  was  father  of  Ephraim  already  mentioned,  and 
of  Joseph,  jr.;  the  latter  removed  from  this  town  in  1808  and  died  in 
Monroe  county  in  1848 

Roderick  Morrison,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  a  native  of  Hebron, 
Conn.,  came  to  Westmoreland  in  1797.  For  fifty  years  he  was  a 
prominent  citizen,  held  the  office  of  supervisor  fifteen  years  ;  was  many 
years  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  member  of  assembly  in  1816  He  died 
in  1843. 

William  Dean,  a  younger  brother  of  Judge  Dean,  came  into  the 
town  probably  in  the  spring  of  1 787  with  a  large  family.  In  1788 
Samuel  Laird  came  from  New  Marlborough,  Mass.,  and  settled  on  the 
site  of  Lairdsville,  and  soon  afterwards  opened  a  public  house  in  his 
log  building.  For  some  years  this  was  one  the  most  noted  taverns 
west  of  Albany.  In  that  year  also  came  Pelatiah  Rawson  and  Deacon 
John  Blair ;  the  latter  was  the  first  to  settle  in  the  town  outside  of 
Dean's  patent 

Several  years  previous  to  1800,  Jared  Chitenden,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, and  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  settled  in  Whitestown.  A  few 
years  later,  and  previous  to  1800,  he  located  in  Westmoreland,  where 
he  became  prominent.  He  held  the  offices  of  supervisor  and  justice  of 
the   peace.      Capt.   Phineas    Bell,   another   Revolutionary   veteran,   and 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTMORELAND.  609 

one  of  those  who  sufifered  in  the  Sugar  House  prison  on  Long  Island, 
became  a  settler.      He  died   May  13,  1845. 

Other  arrivals  of  the  year  1789  were  Nathaniel  Townsend,  Benjamin 
Blackman,  Capt.  John  Vaughan,  Josiah  Stillman,  Nathan  Loomis, 
Adonijah  Strong  (Mr.  Strong  bought  his  place  of  Nathan  Loomis,  built 
a  house  and  barn  and  afterwards  sold  it  to  Captain  Peabody.  The 
transaction  was  the  cause  of  a  long  and  lengthy  litigation).  Joshua 
Green,  John  Morse,  Daniel  Seeley,  and  a  Mr.  Blodgett  came  also  in 
1789.  The  latter  was  the  first  settler  on  the  site  of  Hampton  (West- 
moreland) village,  where  Elijah  Smith  and  Samuel  Starr  also  were  set- 
tlers Such  distinguished  men  as  Gov.  George  Clinton  and  Gen. 
George  Washington  were  large  land  owners  in  this  town,  and  a  num- 
ber of  tieeds  are  in  existence  transferring  their  lands  to  purchasers. 
Some  of  these  were  given  to  John  Baxter,  Joseph  Blodgett,  Daniel 
Babcock.  Asa  Turner,  Stephen  Hutchinson,  John  Babcock  and  Ebe- 
nezer  R    Fitch,  all  in  Westmoreland. 

The  first  settler  on  McKesson's  patent  in  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
including  the  site  of  Lowell  village,  was  Stephen  Stilson,  who  located 
in  1802.     Doddridge  Loomis,  John  Tuttle,  whose  farm  included  the  site 

of  Lowell,   Zebulon   Tuttle,    Caleb  Thurston,   Adams  and   David 

Stilson,  all  probably  came  in  that  year,  1802.  In  the  following  year 
Sullivan  and  Abel  Brigham,  Silas  Rice,  Isaiah  Shedd,  Joseph  Perkins, 
Ezekiel  Miller,  James  Hempstead,  Amos  Smith,  Nathan  and  Park 
Adams,  all  settled  in  that  section  in  1803. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town  the  early  settlers  were  Sherman 
Patterson  and  his  sons  Thomas  and  Josiah,  Isaac  Goodsell,  William  and 
Ebenezer  Cheever,  George  and  Consider  Law,  Elijah  Waters,  Thomas 
Barnum,  Ebenezer,  Ephraim  and  Haman  Besse,  George  Williams,  Al- 
fred Richardson,  Samuel  Bailey,  John  Nicholson,  Henry  Hallock,  Peter 
Doolittle,  Captains  Lay  and  Lee,  and  the  Peckham,  Bicknell  and  Barker 
families,  all  of  whom  came  in  the  last  years  of  the  last  century  and  the 
early  jears  of  the  present  one.  On  and  near  the  road  between  Hamp- 
ton and  Hecla  Furnace,  Walter  Cone,  William,  Josiah  and  Jonathan 
Patton,  John  Bowen,  Stephen  Hutchinson,  Stephen  Brigham  and 
Daniel  Babcock  were  the  early  settlers.  East  of  Hampton  the  first 
comers  were  Chester  Stillman,  Samuel  Collins,  Benjamin  Waters, 
Nathan  Thompson,  and  John  Baxter. 
77 


610  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Judge  Dean  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  town  in  1787  or  '88,  and  a 
grist  mill  a  year  later.  These  mills  succeeded  the  hand  mill  before  de- 
scribed. The  first  run  of  stones  used  in  the  grist  mill  were  made  from 
a  large  granite  rock  found  near  Samuel  Laird's  dwelling  by  Edward 
Higbee.  Mr  Higbee  soon  afterwards  built  another  grist  mill  on  the 
same  stream  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town. 

The  first  death  in  this  town  was  that  of  Orin  Jones,  an  infant  son 
of  Capt.  Nehemiah  Jones,  who  died  March  20,  1778.  As  no  coffin 
could  be  procured  it  was  buried  in  the  sleigh  box,  in  which  they  had 
removed  from  Massachusetts,  Esquire  Ephraim  Blackmer  making  out 
of  it  a  very  decent  coffin.  The  first  death  of  an  adult  was  that  of 
Peletiah  Rawson,  who  resided  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  Hecla  Works, 
who  died  very  suddenly  in  the  summer  of  1789.  The  first  marriage 
was  that  of  Samuel  Hubbard,  of  Clinton,  and  Miss  Mary  Blair,  eldest 
daughter  of  Deacon  John  Blair,  who  has  been  mentioned.  The  cere- 
mony was  performed  by  Rev.  John  Sargeant,  the  Indian  missionary, 
March  25,  1790,  in  the  log  cabin  of  the  settler,  which  stood  near  the 
first  frame  house,  on  the  Hampton  road.  After  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bradley 
was  settled  he  married  the  following  persons  at  the  dates  given  :  Octo- 
ber 17,  1793,  Mather  Bosworth  and  Bathsheba  Deming ;  February  24, 
1794,  Daniel  Williams  and  Levina  Hovey  ;  May  8,  1794,  Peter  Pratt 
and  Dolly  Smith;  August  17,  1794,  Samuel  Cornwell  and  Hannah 
Finney;  November  12,  1794,  Asahel  Porter  and  Abigail  Smith.  Very 
probably  these  were  the  only  marriages  in  the  town  during  the  first 
eight  years  of  its  settlement, 

Westmoreland  village  is  "situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  and 
for  many  years  was  called  Hampton.  Confusion  arising  from  the  fact 
that  there  was  another  post-office  of  that  name  in  this  State,  the  name 
of  the  post-office  was  changed  to  correspond  with  that  of  the  town.  A. 
L  Fitch  is  postmaster.  Some  of  the  former  merchants  and  tradesmen 
of  the  village  were  W.  J.  Brockett  (now  of  Rome),  Benjamin  Stevenson 
and  J.  L.  Clyde  (firm  of  Stevenson  &  Clyde),  N.  ¥.  Metcalf,  tinner.  Dr. 
Beckwith,  drugs,  etc.  Thomas  Hughes  has  a  general  store  which  he 
has  conducted  for  over  twenty  years,  succeeding  A.  F.  Brown  ;  Nathan 
F.  Graves  and  E.  J.  Carr  also  have  general  stores.  Arthur  D.  McEntee 
carries  a  hardware  stock  on  the  site  formerly  occupied  by  Townsend  & 
BHss  and  later  by  Smith  Brothers. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WESTMORELAND.  611 

The  old  hotel  which  was  kept  many  years  by  various  landlords  was 
closed  April  i,  1896.  The  only  hotel  is  the  Monroe  House,  kept  by 
John  Monroe. 

There  has  been  little  manufacturing  here,  aside  from  the  early  saw 
mills  in  the  vicinity,  until  the  estabHshment  of  the  Westmoreland 
Malleable  Iron  Company.  In  1850  Smith,  Buell  &  Co.,  erected  and 
started  this  plant  and  continued  its  successful  operation.  In  1857  Mr. 
Buell  withdrew  and  removed  to  Oriskany,  and  James  M.  Clark  became 
president  of  the  company.  Several  changes  took  place  in  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  company  and  in  the  spring  of  1896,  F.  M.  Metcalf  and  E. 
C.  Metcalf  purchased  all  the  stock  of  the  company  not  already  held  by 
them  and  are  sole  owners.  From  seventy- five  to  100  hands  are  em- 
ployed on  general  malleable  iron  production 

Schuyler  &  Lattimore  (J.  K.  Schuyler,  a  former  successful  farmer 
and  cheesemaker  and  Fred.  Lattimore)  carry  on  a  large  coal  and  lum- 
ber trade.  Mr.  Lattimore  is  town  clerk  and  station  agent  on  the  rail- 
road. 

Lairdsville,  the  site  of  the  early  settlement  of  Samuel  Laird,  is  a  ham- 
let and  post-office  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town.  Laird's  log  hotel 
and  a  later  one  kept  by  Isaac  Jones  gave  this  little  place  considerable 
prominence  in  the  days  of  the  old  stages.  The  post-office  was  estab- 
lished about  1 820  through  the  effiDrts  of  Judge  Dean  and  Pomroy  Jones. 
The  first  postmaster  was  probably  Salmon  Cushman,  who  was  then 
landlord  of  a  public  house.  With  the  building  of  canals  and  railroads, 
the  activity  of  the  place  declined,  and  the  only  business  of  the  place  is 
a  store  kept  by  George  Steele. 

What  has  been  known  as  Hecla  Works  is  situated  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  town.  Here  the  Westmoreland  Furnace  was  estab- 
lished in  1800,  by  Russell  Clark,  Joel  Bradley,  Bradford  Seymour,  Asa 
Seymour,  Isaac  Seymour  (brothers)  and  George  Langford.  Ore  was 
used  that  was  found  in  that  vicinity,  but  its  quality  did  not  prove  as 
good  as  had  been  anticipated,  and  in  later  years  it  was  brought  from 
Verona  and  elsewhere.  The  business  finally  declined  through  competi- 
tion and  the  foundry  was  converted  into  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill.  These 
are  now  operated  by  T.  J.  Olney.  Frank  Wilson  is  postmaster  and 
conducts  a  general  store.      The  post-office  was  opened  in  185  i. 


612  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Lowell  is  a  hamlet  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  with  stage  con- 
nection with  Rome.  The  post-office  was  established  many  years  ago 
under  the  name  of  Republican,  and  the  hamlet  was  long  called  Andover. 
There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  business  here  and  a  store  is 
now  kept  by  Charles  Cleveland.  A  fire  in  September,  1875,  burned  a 
store  and  the  old  brick  Union  Hotel. 

Bnrtlett  is  a  post-ofifice,  with  Mark  Cheney,  postmnster,  and  a  station 
on  the  Rome  &  Clinton  Railroad  The  post  office  was  opened  in  1871 
and  the  place  was  named  from  the  then  president  of  the  railroad. 

Dix  post  office  is  also  situated  on  the  railroad,  but  has  no  business 
interests. 

The  town  of  Westmoreland  comprises  an  excellent  agricultural  dis- 
trict. Hops  have  been  extensively  raised  in  past  years,  but  the  great 
depression  in  prices  of  this  product  has  alread}^  caused  a  decline  in  the 
quantity  grown.  Dairying  is  a  prominent  industry  and  will  be  further 
developed.  Among  the  leading  farmers  of  this  town  may  be  mentioned 
A  D.  Groves,  Amos  Barnes,  David  Parks,  Halsey  Stillman,  all  deceased, 
and  David  Bryden,  H.  H.  Tyler,  C.  H.  Tyler,  Malachi  Ellis,  C.  S. 
Lyman,  William  Poyle,  S.  P.  Graves,  Samuel  G.  Smith,  William  Jones, 
A.  L.  Fitch  and  others. 

Tlie  first  schoolin  this  town  was  taught  in  a  log  school  house  which 
was  built  as  early  1792,  a  short  distance  west  of  the  site  of  Lairdsville. 
The  teacher  was  Calvin  Butler.  An  aunt  of  Pomroy  Jones  also  taught 
there. 

From  the  Jones  Annals  the  following  is  taken  : 

In  1793  a  log  school  house  was  built  in  Lairdsville,  and  some  time  in  1794  a  teacher 
was  hired  for  a  year.  He  was  competent,  and  his  pupils  advanced  rapidly,  but  after 
seven  or  eight  months  of  his  year  had  elapsed  it  was  discovered  that  he  was  intem- 
perate, and  that  he  was  occasionally  partially  intoxicated  in  school  hours.  For  sev- 
eral days,  upon  one  occasion,  he  carried  about  one  of  his  eyes  all  the  hues  of  the 
rainbow,  received  in  a  drunken  brawl  at  a  neighboring  public  house.  In  the  spring 
of  1795,  a  number  of  the  patrons  of  the  school  believing  that  such  examples  to  their 
children  should  be  no  longer  tolerated,  a  meeting  was  notified  to  take  the  matter 
into  consideration.  The  meeting  was  a  protracted  one,  part  of  the  district  strongly 
advocating  the  continuance  of  the  school,  while  the  other  part  were  tenacious  for 
dismissing  a  teacher  whose  walk  before  his  pupils  was  so  irregular.  The  arguments 
pro  and  con  having  been  exhausted,  it  was  found  upon  taking  the  vote  upon  the  mo- 
tion for  dismissal  that  there  was  a  tie.  The  vote  not  being  carried  to  dismiss  the 
teacher,  the  advocates  for  continuing  the  school  moved  an  adjournment,  which  was 


THE  TOWN  OF  AVESTMORELAND.  613 

carried,  and  they  dispersed  to  their  homes.  Not  so  with  the  opponents  of  the  school. 
Some  of  the  leading  spirits  passed  round  the  word  to  their  friends  to  remain  after 
the  adjournment.  They  did  so,  and,  after  the  teacher's  friends  had  all  left  and  were 
out  of  sight,  they  carried  out  the  books  and  stationery  to  a  secure  place,  and  then 
kindled  a  fire  in  the  building,  and  did  not  retire  until  the  destroying  element  had  .so 
far  progressed  as  to  preclude  all  possibility  of  its  being  quenched,  thus  most  effectu- 
ally dismissing  the  drunken  school  teacher. 

In  the  winter  of  1819-20  school  was  first  taught  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Friends'  settlement — their  meeting-house,  completed  that  fall, 
being  used  as  a  school  house,  and  the  teacher  being  one  of  their  society 
— Abigail  Tucker.  Daniel  Peckham  now  living  in  the  vicinity,  then 
nineteen  years  of  age,  attended  that  school 

East  of  this,  at  "  Nicholson's  Corners,"  a  school  was  taught  shortly 
before  or  soon  after;  another  had  been  kept  at  Bartlett  previous  to 
either  of  these. 

In  Hampton  village  a  school  house  was  built  between  July  and  Oc- 
tober, 181 1,  which  was  the  second  one  in  the  place.  It  stood,  accord- 
ing to  the  records.  "  between  the  meeting  house  and  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  green  ;  the  north  side  of  said  house  on  the  line  of  James  Lee- 
worthy's  south  fence,  partly  standing  on  the  green,  remainder  on  Lee- 
worthy." 

There  are  now  seventeen  districts  in  the  town  with  a  school  house  in 
each. 

A  "society  for  the  maintenance  of  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel"  was 
organized  in  this  town  on  September  5,  1791.  probably  through  the 
efforts  of  Revs.  Bingham  and  William  Bradford,  missionaries  from  Con- 
necticut. That  society  had  fifty-five  members  and  January  28,  1792, 
elected  Josiah  Stillman.  Isaac  JcMies,  Jolm  Blair.  Stephen  Binj^ham, 
Samuel  Collins,  Silas  Phelps  and  George  Langford,  trustees.  A  new 
covenant  was  adopted  January  17,  1793,  to  which  were  signed  eighty- 
one  names.  A  dispute  having  arisen  over  a  site  for  a  church  edifice, 
two  were  built,  one  at  "  Hampton,"  (as  the  village  was  long  known),  and 
the  other  on  South  street  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town.  The  former 
was  erected  in  1 798  and  the  other  within  a  short  time,  and  was  sold  in 
1803  to  the  Methodists. 

The  First  Congregational  church  of  Westmoreland  was  organized  in 
September,    1792,   and    celebrated   its  centennial    anniversary  in    1892. 


614  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

For  more  than  a  hundred  years  it  has  maintained  an  active  existence. 
An  Independent  Congregational  society  was  formed  at  Lowell  about 
1820  and  a  church  built  about  1824.  After  a  few  years  of  activity  the 
numbers  declined  and  in  1850  the  building  was  sold  and  taken  down. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Society  was  organized  soon  after  1795,  and 
services  were  held  at  intervals  by  itinerant  preachers,  meeting  in  private 
houses  until  1803,  when  they  purchased  the  South  street  church  as  be- 
fore stated.  This  was  used  until  1835,  when  an  edifice  was  erected  at 
Westmoreland  village  and  another  at  Lairdsville.  Both  of  these  socie- 
ties are  still  in  existence. 

A  Baptist  church  was  organized  March  17,  1803,  the  fifth  one  of  this 
denomination  in  Oneida  county,  its  predecessors  being  at  Whitestown, 
Deerfield,  Paris  and  Sangerfield.  From  the  old  society  sprang  in  later 
years,  the  Second  Westmoreland  church,  and  those  at  Vernon,  Vienna, 
and  Clinton.  Ora  Butler  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  old  sr  ciety,  begin- 
ning in  1804.  It  finally  became  extinct  The  Second  Baptist  church 
was  organized  February  21,  1818,  and  is  located  at  Bartlett.  A  small 
church  was  built  in  18 19.  In  1836  some  of  the  members  of  this  society 
withdrew  and  organized  the  Old  School  Baptist  church,  north  of  Bart- 
lett, which  built  a  frame  church.  This  society  went  out  of  existence, 
but  the  former  one  continues. 

Gethsemane  Episcopal  church,  Westmoreland,  was  organized  in  1842, 
and  for  a  time  was  supplied  with  preaching  by  Rev.  Stephen  McHugh, 
of  Oriskany  Rev.  Mr.  Spaulding  was  a  late  pastor  and  had  charge  of 
the  De  Lancey  Institute,  a  school  near  Westmoreland  mineral  spring. 
The  church  of  this  society  was  erected  in  Westmoreland  in  1858. 

A  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  Lowell  many  jears  ago,  and 
built  a  modest  frame  church.  This  was  in  use  until  1895,  when  the 
present  new  edifice  was  erected. 

What  is  known  as  the  Friends'  Meeting  House  was  built  in  18 19, 
soon  after  the  organization  of  a  society  by  John  Wright.  Lawton 
Barker  (who  were  the  first  settlers  in  that  neighborhood)  and  the  family 
of  Nathan  Peckham.  Alfred  Richardson  and  wife  settled  there  early. 
In  1852  Mary  A.  Peckham,  wife  of  Daniel  Peckham,  was  settled  as  the 
first  "recommended  minister."  The  first  frame  meeting  house  was  in 
use  until  1872,  when  the  present  one  was  erected. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  615 


CHAPTER  LII. 

THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN. 

This  town  was  formed  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  March  7, 
1788,  with  the  following  boundary: 

Easterly  by  a  line  running  north  and  south  to  the  north  and  south  bounds  of  the 
State,  and  crossing  the  Mohawk  river  at  the  ford  near,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the 
house  of  William  Cunningham,  and  which  line  was  the  western  boundary  of  the 
towns  of  Herkimer,  German  Flats  and  Otsego;  southerly  by  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  west  and  north  by  the  bounds  of  the  State. 

William  Cunningham's  house  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Gene- 
see street  Utica  and  near  its  foot.  These  boundaries  therefore  show  that 
the  original  Whitestown  comprised  nearly  half  of  the  area  of  the  State, 
and  that  it  is  eminently  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  the  mother  of  towns. 
Upon  the  formation  of  Oneida  county  in  1798  the  limits  of  Whitestown 
were  extended  eastward  about  two  miles  to  the  present  line  of  Herkimer 
county.  Meanwhile  the  town  was  divided  in  April,  1792,  and  the 
towns  of  Westmoreland,  Steuben,  Paris,  Mexico,  and  Peru  erected. 
On  March  5,  1795,  parts  of  Whitestown  and  Paris  were  taken  to  form 
the  new  town  of  Cazenovia,  and  when  Oneida  county  was  formed  that 
part  of  the  town  of  Frankfort  which  came  within  its  limits  was  annexed 
to  Whitestown.  From  this  territory  Augusta  was  formed  and  the  re- 
mainder of  Whitestown  within  the  Oneida  Reservation  was  annexed  to 
Westm'oreland.  On  April  7,  1817,  the  town  of  Utica  was  erected  from 
Whitestown,  and  on  April  12,  1827,  the  town  of  New  Hartford  was 
formed  from  it,  leaving  Whitestown  with  an  area  of  about  thirty  square 
miles 

The  Mohawk  River  forms  the  northeastern  boundary  of  the  town, 
and  into  it  flow  the  Oriskany  Creek  across  the  central  part  of  the  town, 
and  the  Sauquoit  Creek  across  the  southeast  corner  ;  other  smaller 
streams  give  the  town  good  drainage  Southwesterly  from  the  Mohawk 
extends  abroad  and  level  intervale,  from  which  the  surface  of  the  town 


616  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

rises  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  and  stretches  back  in  a  roUing  upland,  fer- 
tile and  picturesque. 

The  reader  has  learned  in  early  chapters  of  this  volume  of  the  stirring 
and  tragic  events  which  took  place  far  back  in  the  past  on  the  territory 
of  this  town,  giving  it  historical  importance  greater  than  almost  any 
other  locality  in  Central  New  York.  The  battle  of  Oriskany  alone, 
considered  by  many  as  the  turning  point  in  the  great  struggle  of  which 
it  was  a  part,  and  the  scene  of  which  is  now  marked  by  an  imposing 
shaft,  was  sufficient  to  give  the  region  an  immortal  name.  In  this  con- 
nection it  will  surprise  some  to  learn  that  an  attempt  was  made  long  be- 
fore permanent  settlement  was  begun  in  the  town  to  manufacture  salt 
here.  The  journal  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  this  State  records 
under  date  of  February  7,  1777,  that  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
take  steps  towards  starting  the  manufacture  of  the  great  necessity,  a 
sample  of  which  was  furnished  them. 

Of  the  water  of  certain  springs  at  Oriskie,  about  ten  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Fort 
Schuyler  (Stanwix),  and  reported  that,  from  information,  it  appears  to  the  committee 
that  nine  gallons  of  water  will  make  two  quarts  of  salt. 

Resolved,  That  said  committee  devise  ways  and  means  to  make  further  experi- 
ments in  order  to  ascertain  the  quality  of  said  water  at  Oriskie;  and  if  they  are  of 
the  opinion  that  salt  can  be  manufactured  to  advantage,  that  they  proceed,  without 
delay,  to  procure  materials  and  employ  proper  persons  to  carry  on  the  same.   ' 

It  is  probable  nothing  was  ever  accomplished  in  this  direction. 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  first  permanent  settlement  in  this  State 
west  of  the  German  settlements  on  the  Mohawk  River,  V'"as  made  on 
the  present  territory  of  Whitestown.  The  fame  of  the  beauty  of  this 
region  and  the  fertility  of  its  soil  had  been  carried  eastward  b\-  the  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  of  the  British  army  in  the  old  French  and  Indian  war, 
as  well  as  by  those  of  the  Revolution,  and  early  turned  the  attention  of 
hardy  pioneers  in  this  direction  The  first  permanent  settler  was  Hugh 
White  and  we  can  do  no  better  than  quote  the  following  story  of  his 
coming  from  the  Jones  Annals: 

Hugh  White  removed  from  Middletown,  Connecticut,  in  May,  1784,  and  arrived  in 
what  is  now  Whitestown  on  the  5th  of  June.  He  came  by  water  to  Albany,  crossed 
by  land  to  Schenectady,  where  he  purchased  a  bateau,  in  which  he  made  passage  up 
the  Mohawk  River  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sauquoit  Creek.  His  four  sons,  a  daughter, 
and  daughter-in-law  accompanied  him.  When  he  left  Middletown  he  sent  one  of  his 
sons  with  two  yokes  of  oxen  by  land  to  Albany,  who  arrived  there  about  the  same 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  617 

time  as  did  his  father.  As  the  family  proceeded  up  the  Mohawk  in  the  boat  their 
teams  kept  even  pace  by  land,  and  when  they  arrived  at  Shoemaker's,  a  few  miles 
below  Utica,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  they  found  many  of  the  farms  in  that 
vicinity  unoccupied,  and  the  charred  remains  of  dwelling  houses  and  outbuildings 
told  a  fearful  tale  of  the  ravages  committed  by  the  Tories  and  savages.  Judge 
White,  looking  to  the  means  for  the  future  subsistence  of  his  household,  stopped  at 
this  place,  tilled  one  of  the  vacated  fields,  and  planted  it  with  corn.  At  the  proper 
season  the  father  and  sons  returned  from  their  new  home  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sau- 
quoit  and  hoed  this  field  of  corn,  and  in  the  fall  they  were  repaid  for  their  labor  with 
a  bountiful  crop.     It  was  harvested  and  brought  up  in  their  boat. 

Judge  White  was  born  February  15, 1733,  making  him  fifty-one  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  removal.  It  was  not,  therefore,  the  ardor  and  restlessness  of  youth  that 
induced  him  to  emigrate,  but  that  spirit  of  enterprise  and  perseverance  which  looked 
forward  to  the  future  prosperity  of  himself  and  family.  The  precise  time  at  which 
he  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  field  of  corn  was  planted  cannot  now  be  ascertained, 
but  it  was  just  before  "pinkster"  (Whitsunday),  a  movable  feast  which  comes  six 
weeks  after  "paas,"  or  "poss," — /.  e.,  Easter  day, — which  would  bring  his  arrival 
there  at  about  the  20th  of  May. 

Immediately  after  the  Revolution  Judge  White  became  one  of  the  purchasers  of 
Sadaqueda  Patent,  jointly  with  Zephaniah  Piatt,  the  father  of  the  late  Judge  Jonas 
Piatt,  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  and  Melancthon  Smith.  By  an  agreement  between  the 
proprietors  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  meet  on  the  land  in  the  summer  of  1784, 
and  make  a  survey  and  partition.  Upon  the  arrival  of  Judge  White  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Sauquoit,  a  bark  shanty  was  erected  for  a  temporary  residence.  During  the 
summer  the  patent  was  surveyed  into  four  sections,  and  the  particular  section  of 
each  owner  was  decided  by  lot.  The  section  drawn  by  Judge  White  being  all  inter- 
vale, he  purcha.sed  of  Smith  the  lot  drawn  by  him  in  its  rear,  which  extended  to  the 
south  line  of  the  patent  upon  "the  hill.  By  this  last  purchase  the  judge  became  the 
owner  in  all  of  about  fifteen  hundred  acres,  comprehending  all  the  land  on  both  sides 
of  Sauquoit  Creek,  from  the  corner  formed  by  the  road  to  the  Oneida  factories,  and 
the  Utica  Road  where  Lewis  Berry  resided  for  many  years  in  Whitesboro',  and  ex- 
tending back  on  the  hills  more  than  a  mile  from  the  village. 

After  the  judge  had  obtained  this  division  and  purchase,  he  at  once  proceeded  to 
locate  a  site  for  a  dwelling.  The  place  selected  was  upoii  the  bank  which  forms  the 
eastern  termination  of  the  village  green  in  Whitesboro',  and  about  six  rods  southerly 
from  the  Utica  road.  The  house  erected  was  peculiar.  He  dug  into  the  bank  so 
that  the  lower  story  was  underground,  and  then  the  upper  was  built  in  true  primi- 
tive log  house  style.  The  ridge  pole  for  the  support  of  the  roof  was  upheld  by  forked 
trees,  cut  and  set  in  the  ground,  and  the  roof  was  composed  of  slabs,  split  for  that 
purpose  from  logs.  This  was  the  first  house  erected  on  the  Indian  and  military  road 
between  Old  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica)  and  Fort  Stanwix. 

With  the  arrival  of  several  relatives  of  Mr.  White,  from  Middletown, 
with  others  who  were  induced  to  come  on,  the  new  settlement  of 
Whitestown  soon  became  a  stirring  neighborhood  and  the  central  des- 
tination and  stopping  place  of  most  of  the  later  New  England  pioneers 

78 


618  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to  the  west.  They  were  a  hardy  and  a  fearless  band,  and  faced  the 
hardships  and  dangers  of  their  wilderness  home  with  fortitude  and  hero- 
ism. The  nearest  mill  was  then  at  Palatine,  forty  miles  away ;  the  for- 
ests were  overrun  by  wild  animals,  and  danger  from  the  Indians  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolution  was  feared  and  with  reason.  But  Mr.  White's 
sagacity  and  his  fair  treatment  of  the  natives  soon  made  them  his 
firm  friends.  On  one  occasion,  it  is  recorded,  a  chief  demanded  of  him 
as  a  test  of  his  confidence,  that  he  would  permit  the  chief  to  carry  to 
his  wigwam  a  little  granddaughter  then  playing  about  the  house  and 
keep  her  until  the  next  day.  The  child  was  entrusted  to  him,  and  tow- 
ards the  close  of  the  following  day,  when  the  mother  had  become  al- 
most frantic  with  fears  of  treachery,  the  little  one  was  safely  returned 
decked  out  with  Indian  ornaments  and  garments.  This  incident  is  said 
to  have  been  instrumental  in  creating  friendship  and  confidence  be- 
tween the  settlers  and  the  natives.  In  any  event  Judge  White  himself 
became  extremely  popular  with  the  Indians  and  after. much  solicitation 
on  their  part,  they  made  him  a  member  of  the  Oneida  nation.  This 
carried  with  it  a  share  of  the  salmon  caught  at  the  first  fishing  of  the 
season  at  Fish  Creek.  The  judge  and  several  of  his  sons  were  duly 
notified  in  the  spring  following  his  adoption  and  attended  the  fishing, 
where  he  and  each  member  of  the  family  received  their  share  of  the 
salmon. 

It  will  be  seen  that  ver}'  much  of  the  food  of  these  pioneers  was  for  a 
time  the  fish  of  the  streams  and  the  game  of  the  forest  The  Indians 
and  tories  had  destroyed  all  stock,  and  grain  had  not  yet  been  grown. 
But  these  conditions  did  not  long  continue,  and  many  new  settlers  were 
induced  to  migrate  by  the  samples  of  wheat,  corn  and  oats  sent  east  by 
Judge  White,  and  by  his  enthusiastic  commendation  of  the  INIohawk 
valley.  The  grain  early  grown  by  the  community  was  much  of  it 
pounded  in  the  well  known  stump  mortar,  rather  than  carry  it  the  long 
journey  to  mill. 

After  a  long  and  useful  life  Judge  White  died  April  17,  1812,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years.  His  familiar  title  was  acquired  through  his 
appointment  to  the  office  of  judge  upon  the  formation  of  Herkimer 
county,  and  he  held  the  position  also  in  Oneida  county.  He  was  twice 
married,  but  his  ten  children  were  all  by  his  first  wife.      His  eldest  son, 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITBSTOWN.  G19 

Col.  Daniel  Clark  White,  accompanied  his  father  to  Whitestown  and 
was  father  of  the  first  white  female  child  born  in  Oneida  county  ;  she 
was  Esther  White,  born  March  15,  1785.  She  became  the  wife  of 
Henry  R.  Storrs,  an  eminent  attorney  of  this  county,  a  judge  and  mem- 
ber of  congress.      (See  biography  of  White  Family  in  Part  II). 

Hugh  White,  jr.,  third  son  of  the  judge,  served  honorably  in  the 
Revolution,  accompanied  his  father  to  Whitestown,  but  removed  to 
Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  and  there  died.  The  fifth  son,  Philo  White,  was  a 
merchant  in  Whitestown  and  at  Tioga  Point. 

Fortune  Clark  White,  son  of  Daniel  C.  White  and  grandson  of  the 
judge,  was  born  in  Whitestown  July  10,  1787.  He  became  a  lawyer 
and  was  five  years  first  judge  of  Oneida  county.  He  died  in  1866. 
Canvass  White,  son  of  Hugh  White,  jr.,  served  in  the  army  in  the  war 
of  18 12,  was  one  of  the  early  engineers  on  the  Erie  Canal;  he  died  in 
Florida. 

Philo  White,  LL.D.,  son  of  Philo  and  grandson  of  the  judge,  was  born 
in  Whitesboro  June  23,  1799.  He  was  liberally  educated  and  worked 
a  few  years  in  the  office  of  Columbian  Gazette  in  Utica.  In  1820  he  went 
to  North  Carolina  where  he  was  editor  and  owner  of  the  Western  Caro- 
linian, and  later  of  the  North  Carolina  Standard  in  Raleigh.  From  1837 
to  1844  he  was  paymaster  in  the  U.  S.  navy.  He  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin early  in  its  territorial  existence,  where  he  held  high  political  station. 
In  1854  he  was  made  minister  to  Ecuador,  where  he  remained  until 
1858.      He  died  in  Whitesboro. 

Jonas  Piatt  was  an  early  settler  in  Whitestown,  settling  at  Whitesboro 
prior  to  1791,  in  which  year  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  Herkimer  county. 
Upon  the  organization  of  Oneida  county  he  was  made  the  first  clerk  ; 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1809,  and  in  18 14  was  appointed 
judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York.  As  a  lawyer  and  judge  he 
gained  high  repute.      He  finally  removed  to  Plattsburg  and  died  there. 

Gen.  George  Doolittle  was  among  the  Whitestown  pioneers.  He  had 
served  in  the  Continental  army  in  the  Revolution  and  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade.  Locating  in  Whitestown  in  1786,  he  engaged  in  tanning, 
currying  and  shoemaking.  He  was  the  first  brigadier-general  of  militia 
in  Oneida  county,  was  supervisor  of  the  town  more  than  twenty  years, 
and  served  in  the  State  Legislature.      He  died  in  1825. 


020 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Thomas  R.  Gold  was  a  very  early  comer  to  Whitesboro,  and  for 
many  years  stood  among  the  first  lawyers  in  Central  New  York.  He 
represented  this  district  in  Congress  six  years  and  from  1796  to  1800 
was  in  the  State  Senate.  He  was  prominently  identified  with  the  found- 
ing of  the  First  Presbyterian  church. 

Reuben  Wilcox,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution,  came  from  Middletown, 
Conn.,  about  1791,  and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Whitesboro.  He 
purchased  a  farm  a  mile  west  of  Jeptha  Brainard,  paying  two  shillings 
an  acre.  His  wife  and  two  daughters  came  on  with  him,  their  slender 
store  of  goods  being  drawn  by  an  ox  team.  They  were  the  parents  of 
Reuben    and   Morris  Wilcox,  both   of  whom   passed   long  lives  in   the 

town. 

Col.  Gerrit  G.  Lansing,  who  served  with  distinction  in  the  Revolution, 
came  into  the  town  in  1802  and  purchased  400  acres,  including  the  site 
of  Oriskany  village,  the  early  existence  of  which   was  largely  due  to 

him. 

Among  other  settlers  in  the  town  may  be  mentioned  William  G. 
Tracy,  Seth  Capron,  John  Green  (who  purchased  400  acres  on  the  south- 
east side  of  the  creek  at  Oriskany  and  was  father  of  a  family  of  several 
sons),  William  M.  Cheever,  Benjamin  S.  Walcott  and  his  family,  Capt. 
Needham  Maynard,  Dr.  Elizur  Moseley,  Alvan  Bradley,  Uriah  Stevens, 
and  many  others  of  whom  sketches  are  found  in  Part  HI  of  this  volume. 

The  poll  of  the  first  general  election  for  Whitestown  was  opened  at 
Cayuga,  and  adjourned  from  there  to  Salina  villege,  thence  to  Rome, 
and  closed  at  Whitestown.  These  adjournments  were  necessary  to  ac- 
commodate the  voters  who  were  scattered  over  the  great  town.  As  the 
town  records  were  burned  on  Tuesday,  December  17,  1861,  we  can  only 
adopt  the  language  of  the  Jones  Annals  in  describing  the  proceedings 
of  the  first  town  meeting,  as  follows  : 

The  first  town  meeting  held  in  the  district  (town)  of  Whitestown  was  convened 
at  the  house  of  Capt.  Daniel  C.  White,  in  said  district,  on  Tuesday,  the  7th  day  of 
April,  1789,  "agreeable  to  warning,"  and  "it  being  more  convenient,"  the  meeting 
adjourned  to  the  barn  of  Hugh  White,  esq.,  at  which  time  and  place  they  "  pro- 
ceeded as  foUoweth:  1st,  chose  Col.  Jedediah  Sanger  supervisor;  2d,  chose  Elijah 
Blodget  town  clerk;  3d,  chose  Amos  Wetmore  first  assessor;  4th,  chose  James  Bron- 
son  second  assessor;  5th,  chose  Ephraim  Blackmer,  third  assessor;  6th,  chose  Oliver 
Collins  collector;  7th,  chose  Hugh  White,  esq.,  and  Capt.  Moses  Fort  poormasters; 
8th,  chose  George  Doolittle,  Jedediah  Sanger,  and  Ephraim  Blackmer  commissioners 


THE  TOWN  OP  WHITESTOWN.  621 

of  highways;  9th,  chose  Jedediah  Phelps,  Joseph  Sowle,  Salmon  Butler,  Amos 
Kellogg,  Nehemiah  Jones,  and  Alexander  Parkman  constables;  10th,  chose  Major 
Gilbert  Willett,  Amos  Ives,  Ebenezer  Butler,  jr.,  Alexander  Parkman,  Joseph  Jones, 
Joseph  Jennings,  overseers  of  roads;  11th,  chose  Lemuel  Levenworth,  Rice  Haw- 
ley,  Lemuel  Cook,  Seth  Ranney,  Barnabas  Pond,  fence-viewer^;  12th,  chose  Ebe- 
nezer Butler,  jr.,  Daniel  C.  White,  poundkeepers ;  13th,  voted  to  let  swine  run  at 
large,  yoaked  and  ringed ;  14th,  voted  that  the  supervisor  appoint  "the  place  for  hold- 
ing the  next  annual  meeting.     Then  that  .said  meeting  be  dissolved." 

The  second  town  meeting  in  Whitestown  was  held  at  the  barn  of 
Captain  Needham  Maynard,  on  the  road  leading  from  Whitesboro  to 
Middle  Settlement,  April  6,  1790. 

The  following  persons  were  elected:  Major  William  Colbraith,  supervisor;  Elijah 
Blodget,  town  clerk;  Joshua  Morse,  Capt.  Daniel  C.  White,  Lieut.  Isaac  Jones,  Col. 
Jedediah  Sanger,  Rozel  Fellows,  assessors;  Oliver  Collins,  collector;  Capt.  Amos 
Wetmore,  Capt.  James  Casset3^  overseers  of  the  poor;  Capt.  Moses  Foot,  James 
Dean,  esq.,  George  Doolittle,  commissioners  of  highways;  Samuel  Ensign,  Bill 
Smith,  Rufus  Blodget,  Solomon  Kellogg,  Joseph  Jones,  constables;  Silas  Phelps, 
Samuel  Laird,  Raphael  Porter,  Samuel  Wells,  Samuel  Winch,  Ashbel  Beach, 
Amok  Miller,  William  Satchel,  Darius  Sayles,  Jedediah  Phelps,  overseers  of  high- 
ways; John  Tillotson,  John  Barsley,  George  Langford,  Aaron  Kellogg,  fence- 
viewers;  Lemuel  Levenworth,  Barnabas  Pond,  pound-keepers. 

"Voted  to  reconsider  the  whole  votes  that  have  been  received  as  null  and  void, 
when  the  inspectors  adjourned  the  meeting  till  tomorrow  morning  at  10  o'clock." 
"Wednesday  morning  at  ten  o'clock  April  7,  1790,  met  according  to  adjournment. 
Chose  first,  Jedediah  Sanger,  supervisor;  second,  Ashbel  Beach,  town  clerk;  third, 
Joshua  Morse,  Capt.  Daniel  C.  White,  Lieut.  Isaac  Jones,  Ensign  John  Tillotson, 
and  Ebenezer  Wright,  assessors;  fourth,  Oliver  Collins,  collector;  Capt.  Amos  Wet- 
more  and  James  Bronson,  overseers  of  the  poor;  James  Dean,  George  Doolittle, 
John  Tillotson,  commissioners  of  highways;  Samuel  Ensign,  Bill  Smith,  John  Bullen, 
Hezekiah  Rice,  Joseph  Jones,  Nathaniel  Townsend,  constables;  Silas  Phelps, 
Samuel  Laird,  John  Young,  Joseph  Farewell,  Samuel  Wells,  Samuel  Winch,  Jason 
Parker,  Ashbel  Beach,  William  Clare5%  Amok  Miller,  Seth  Steel,  William  Satchel, 
overseers  of  highways:  John  Barsley,  Lemuel  Levenworth,  Barnabas  Pond,  pound- 
keepers." 

It  is  of  course  impossible  now  to  say  how  many  of  these  early  officers 
were  resident  in  what  is  now  Whitestown,  but  many  of  them  were.  At 
the  town  meeting  in  1791  Colonel  Sanger  was  elected  supervisor  ;  Ash- 
bel Beach,  town  clerk  ;  Ebenezer  Butler,  collector  ;  James  Wadsworth, 
Trueworthy  Cook,  Jeremiah  Gould,  and  some  others,  overseers  of  high- 
ways. On  account  of  the  burning  of  the  records,  we  can  give  the  list 
of  supervisors  back  to  1862  only,  as  follows: 

1862,    George    Graham:    1863-64,    Samuel    Campbell;  1865-66,    George   Graham; 


622  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1867-68,  Robert  B.Soules;  1869,  George  Graham;  1870,  R.  B.  Soules;  1871,  George 
Graham;  1872,  Charles  L.  Balis;  1873,  George  Graham;  1874,  Charles  L  Balis; 
1875-76,  Lyman  L.  Wight;  1877-80,  Seward  W.  Baker;  1881,  Edward  Kernan ; 
1882-88,  Joseph  Ackroyd ;  1884-88,  Robert  A  Jones;  1889,  William  S.  Reeder;  1890, 
R.  A.  Jones;  1891-92,  Robert  Jamison;  1893,  Federick  L.  Black;  1894-96,  George  H. 
Graham. 

One  of  the  first  important  duties  of  Judge  White  and  some  of  his 
associates  was  to  provide  mills  for  the  new  community,  which  would 
save  them  from  the  necessity  of  long  journeys  or  laborious  pounding  of 
grain  in  a  stump  mortar.  The  first  mill  in  Oneida  county  was  built  in 
1788  on  Sauquoit  Creek,  on  the  Whitesboro  and  Utica  road.  Judge 
White,  Amos  Wetmore  and  John  Beardsley  were  associated  in  its  erec- 
tion and  it  was  long  known  as  Wetmore's  mill.  It  was  a  great  boon  to 
the  pioneers.      A  saw  mill  was  built  in  the  same  year. 

A  military  spirit  was  manifested  early  by  the  citizens  of  the  town, 
and  within  a  few  years  from  the  arrival  of  Judge  White  it  was  deemed 
expedient  to  raise  a  company  of  militia.  Gov.  George  Clinton  was  ap- 
plied to  for  commissions  for  the  necessary  officers,  and  he  informed 
them  that  if  a  company  of  thirty  men  was  enrolled  the  commissions 
should  be  forthcoming.  The  names  were  soon  procured,  and  the 
names  of  the  prospective  officers  were  forwarded  by  the  advice  of  Colo- 
nel Staring,  who  commanded  the  regiment  to  which  the  company  was 
attached.  William  Colbraith,  the  first  sheriff  of  Oneida  county,  was 
chosen  captain,  and  Daniel  Clark  White,  ensign.  Both  of  these  officers 
rose  to  higher  stations  in  the  militia.  Whitesboro  was  an  important 
point  until  after  the  war  of  1812,  and  a  number  of  citizens  joined  the 
army  and  navy.  Among  those  who  received  appointments  as  midship- 
men in  that  war  from  this  town  were  Samuel  Breese,  William  Inman, 
Antle  Lansing  and  Edward  and  Benjamin  Carpenter. 

A  religious  society  was  formed  in  Whitestown  in  1786,  and  a  minister 
was  employed  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Dr.  Hillyer,  of  Orange.  N.  J.  This 
was  the  first  religious  society  formed  in  the  State  west  of  Albany.  The 
first  regular  church  was  of  the  Presbyterian  faith  and  was  organized  at 
a  meeting  held  April  i,  1793,  in  Judge  White's  barn.  A  constitution 
was  drawn  by  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Aaron  Clark,  George  Doohttle,  Jonas 
Piatt,  Stephen  Potter,  Joseph  Root,  Reuben  Wilcox,  and  David  Will- 
iams.     The  name  adopted  was  "The   United    Presbyterian   Societies  of 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  623 

Whitestown  and  Old  Fort  Schuyler."  The  society  was  soon  incorpo- 
rated with  the  following  trustees:  Jonas  Piatt,  Joseph  Root.  Thomas  R. 
Gold.  Amos  Wetmore,  David  Williams,  John  Post,  Elizur  Mosely, 
Stephen  Potter,  Enoch  Story,  Reuben  Wilcox,  Arthur  Breese,  Erastus 
Clark,  and  Silas  Clark.  Of  these  Messrs.  Post,  Potter,  and  perhaps 
others,  resided  at  Old  P^ort  Schuyler  (Utica),  and  the  others  in  Whites- 
town.  Rev  Bethuel  Dodd  was  the  first  settled  pastor  and  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  the  public  house  of  Col.  DanielC.  White,  on  August  20, 
1794.  Mr.  Dodd  died  here  April  12,  1804,  and  his  funeral  was  held  in 
the  new  church  which  was  built  in  1803  ^"cl  dedicated  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  death.  Prior  to  that  time  for  ten  years  meetings  were  held  in 
houses,  barns  and  schools  houses.  The  second  pastor  was  Rev.  James 
Carnahan,  who  continued  until  October,  181 2  The  old  church  was  dis- 
placed by  the  present  brick  edifice  in  1834,  which  has  been  extensively 
improved.  The  sc^ciety  was  divided  in  1813,  fifty-seven  members  going 
with  the  Utica  society  In  March,  1830,  forty-four  members  were  dis- 
missed to  form  a  church  at  New  York  Mills,  and  in  1832  the  organization 
of  the  Oriskany  society  took  away  fifty  members.  In  December,  1837, 
fifty- nine  withdrew  and  formed  a  Congregational  society  in  Whitesboro. 

The  village  of  Whitesboro  increased  rapidly  in  population  during  the 
first  ten  years  after  the  first  settlement,  and  for  a  considerable  period  it 
was  a  rival  of  Utica  and  of  Rome.  One  of  the  earliest  merchants  of 
importance  was  William  G  Tracy,  who  carried  on  a  large  business  and 
bore  the  reputation  of  being  an  honest  man. 

In  January,  1794,  the  Western  Centinel  was  founded  in  Whitesboro 
by  Oliver  P.  Eaton  ;  it  was  the  first  newspaper  in  Oneida  county  and 
lived  about  six  years.  It  is  further  described  in  another  chapter  of  this 
volume. 

On    the   9th   of  April,     :8ii,   was   passed   an    act   incorporating  the 

"  Village  of  Whitehall  Landing."     This  name,  however,  did  not  seem  to 

suit  a  majority  of  the  citizens  of  the  place,  and,  after  further  discussion 

of  the  subject,  an  act  was  passed    March  26,  18 13,  entitled   "  An  Act  to 

vest  certain  powers  in  the  Freeholders  and  Inhabitants  of  the  Village  of 

Whitesborough,    and    for  other   purposes."     The  bounds  of  the  village 

were  fixed,  and  Section  i  read  as  follows  : 

Be  it  eiuu'ted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,    that  the  district  of  country  comprehended  within  the  following  bounds, 


624  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

to-wit:  Beginning  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mohawk  River,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Sadaqueda  Cree_^ ;  thence  running  southerl}-  on  the  west  line  of  Cosby's  Manor  to  a 
point  opposite  the  southerly  line  of  the  lot  on  which  stands  the  Oneida  Cotton 
Factory;  thence  northwesterly  along  said  line,  and  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
house-lot  of  Arthur  Breese;  from  thence  northerly  to  the  intersection  of  the  road 
leading  from  the  house  of  Jesse  Dodge  to  the  old  Genesee  road;  from  thence 
northerly  until  the  line  strikes  a  point  on  the  west  side  of  the  main  road  leading  from 
Whitesboro'  to  Rome,  where  the  west  line  of  the  Sadaqueda  Patent  intersects  said 
road,  thence  northerly  on  the  line  of  said  point  to  the  Mohawk  River;  thence  down 
said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  continue  to  be  known  and  distinguished  as 
the  Village  of  Whitesborough. 

No  trustees  were  chosen  under  this  act,  and  that  having  been  deemed 
just  reason  for  the  act  becoming  invalid,  a  third  act  was  passed  February 
23,  1 82 1,  reviving  the  old  charter,  and  reincorporating  the  "  village  of 
Whitesborough."  The  Erie  Canal  was  then  just  completed  through  the 
village.  A  fourth  act  was  passed  April  23,  1829,  amending  the  previous 
charter,  no  village  officers  having  been  in  the  mean  while  elected.  May 
I,  1847,  ^"  ^^^  w^s  passed  amending  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  vil- 
lage— changing  it  to  Sauquoit  Creek. 

The  first  village  officers,  elected  June  15,  1829,  were  the  following, 
viz:  Trustees,  S.  Newton  Dexter.  Benjamin  S.  Walcott,  Alvan  Brad- 
ley, Willard  Camp,  William  Eels  ;  treasurer,  Jesse  C.  Wetmore ;  col- 
lector. Samuel  B.  Ferguson. 

S.  Newton  Dexter  was  appointed  president,  John  Stryker  village 
clerk,  and  Lewis  Berry  street  commissioner.  At  a  meeting  of  the  board, 
June  26,  1829,  a  code  of  by-laws  was  read  and  adopted. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  in  early  years,  from  1S02  to  1850, 
Whitestown  was  one  of  the  two  half  shires  of  Oneida  county,  and  in 
1802  and  thereafter  courts  were  held  alternately  at  the  two  places. 
The  building  of  the  court  house  and  jail  has  been  fully  described.  The 
jail  was  finished  in  1801  and  the  court  minutes  for  December  of  that 
year  contain  the  following  entry  : 

Charles  C.  Brodhead,  sheriff  of  this  county,  having  informed  the  court  that  in  pur- 
suance of  a  law  passed  the  last  session  he  had  accepted  of  and  actually  removed  his 
prisoners  to  the  gaol  lately  built  for  the  county  in  the  village  of  Whitesboro',  it  is 
therefore  ordered  that  from  and  after  the  second  day  of  January,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  two,  instead  of  the  present  liberties  of  the  gaol  in  and  for  the  county 
of  Oneida,  as  established  by  the  rules  of  this  court,  the  following  shall  be  and  are 
hereby  established  for  the  liberties  of  the  gaol  of  said  county,  to  wit:  (here  follow 
the  boundaries)  containmg  three  acres  of  land,  agreeable  to  a  map  thereof  on  file, 
and  made  by  Robert  Bordwell. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  625 

The  lot  in  the  village  on  which  the  court  house  and  jail  were  built 
was  donated  for  that  purpose  by  Hugh  White,  the  original  proprietary- 
settler,  on  the  condition  that  the  realty  should  revert  to  him  or  his  heirs 
in  the  event  of  a  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  the  village.  The  con- 
tinsjency  finally  occurred,  and  in  the  absence  of  Philo  White,  later  a  re- 
sident of  the  village,  the  buildings  were  sold  under  a  decree  in  chancery 
for  partition  among  the  heirs.  On  the  return  of  Mr.  White  in  1859, 
at  which  time  he  took  up  his  permanent  residence  there,  the  case  was 
laid  before  him.  As  it  was  evident  that  his  grandfather's  intention  had 
been  that  the  donation  of  the  ground  to  the  public  should  be  irrevoc- 
able, Mr.  White  took  the  necessary  steps  to  secure  the  property,  and 
in  i860  donated  it  to  the  town  and  village  for- their  use  as  a  town  hall 
and  council  chamber.  The  conditions  of  this  conveyance  provided  that 
the  portion  of  the  Public  Green  infront  of  the  edifice  should  be  improved 
and  taken  care  of,  and  afterwards  Mr.  White  donated  the  remainder  of 
this  Green,  on  condition  that  the  municipal  authorities  should  improve 
it  by  laying  out  walks,  etc.,  and  make  it  a  park  for  the  free  admission  of 
promenaders,  "  and  the  exclusion  of  all  cattle,  and  the  like."  He  after- 
wards erected  a  neat  fence  around  the  open  portion  of  the  lot,  and  re- 
served the  right  to  keep  the  plat  free  from  weeds  and  rubbish.  The 
corporate  authorities  inclosed  the  Green  with  a  neat  and  substantial 
fence  which  was  subsequently  removed,  and  the  present  park,  with  its 
shade- trees  and  grass-plats,  adds  much  to  the  natural  beauty  of  the 
village.  The  early  settlers  planted  shade-trees  along  both  sides  of  the 
main  street  of  the  village,  and  these,  grown  tall  and  large,  their  branches 
almost  interlocking,  are  stately  sentinels  along  the  broad  way,  which  is 
lined  with  elegant  dwellings  and  beautiful  lawns.  The  "  Old  Court 
House  "  has  been  repaired  to  a  considerable  extent,  and,  aside  from  its 
uses  as  a  town  and  village  hall,  it  is  the  place  of  many  public  meetings 
and  social  gatherings.  Whitesboro  was  a  place  of  much  business  when 
the  settlement  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler  (now  Utica)  was  scarcely  worthy 
of  notice  ;  but  by  subsequent  enterprises  being  established  at  the  latter 
place,  and  from  various  causes  which  helped  to  build  it  up,  Whites- 
boro became  finally  a  beautiful  suburb  of  the  flourishing  city  of  Utica. 

The  first  post  office  was  named  Whitestown  and  was  established  as 
early  as  1796.  Dr.  Elizur  Moseley  was  the  first  postmaster  and  held 
79 


626  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  office  many  years.  He  was  probably  the  first  physician  to  perma- 
nently settle  in  the  village.  In  1798  he  was  appointed  sheriff  of  the 
county,  and  later  he  was  an  assistant  justice.  Some  of  those  who 
held  the  office  of  postmaster  in  later  years  were  W.  A.  Hobby,  Dr. 
Whiting  Smith,  Wm.  C.  Champlin,  Alvin  Bradley,  William  O.  Merrill, 
John  G.  Grain,  Charles  E.  Smith,  Ellis  Ellis,  and  others.  The  present 
postmaster  is  Edward  Kernan. 

Whitesboro  has  had  a  fire  department  since  1831,  if  not  before,  and 
two  years  later  there  is  record  of  the  purchase  of  an  engine  of  some  de 
scription  which  cost  $150.  An  engine  was  also  kept  at  Yorkville, 
which  was  used  at  Whitesboro  as  occasion  demanded  and  it  was  finally 
purchased  by  the  latter  village  Other  apparatus  was  bought  from  time 
to  time,  and  in  1876  a  Silsby  rotary  steam  fire  engine  was  purchased 
at  a  cost  of  about  $1,200.  This  with  hook  and  ladder  apparatus  are 
still  in  use. 

There  is  very  little  existing  record  from  which  to  compile  an  account 
of  the  schools  of  this  town.  The  destruction  of  the  town  records  ren- 
ders the  task  an  impossible  one.  For  many  years  the  town  was  divided 
into  thirteen  districts,  with  a  school  house  in  each.  Twelve  districts 
are  now  reported,  with  a  union  free  school  in  both  Whitesboro  and 
Oriskany. 

The  following  fragment  was  written  some  years  ago  by  Leander  S. 
Wood,  of  New  York  Mills,  and  is  worthy  of  preservation: 

The  strip  of  land  lying  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Sadaqueda  Creek,  from  its  mouth 
to  the  distance  of  three  miles,  was  settled  immediately  after  the  settlement  of  Whites- 
boro, by  the  Wetmores  and  Leavenworths.  Within  its  limits  are  now  included  the 
villages  of  Yorkville  and  New  York  Mills,  the  upper  part  of  the  latter  being  in  the 
township  of  New  Hartford.  Very  soon  after  the  settlement  was  made  a  school  dis- 
trict was  organized,  embracing  the  wTiole  of  the  above  and  some  adjacent  territory, 
and  a  school  opened.  Soon  another  district  was  organized,  embracing  the  extreme 
southern  portion  of  this,  with  some  more  adjoining  territory,  which  now  forms  the 
flourishing  district  at  the  Upper  Mills- -that  is  Nos.  3  and  4  in  New  Hartford.  In 
1826  the  New  York  Mills  district,  or  No.  4  District  of  Whitestown,  was  taken 
from  the  original  district,  and  some  twenty  years  after  the  Yorkville  district,  or  Dis- 
trict No.  6,  of  Whitestown,  was  taken  off,  thus  leaving  the  original  district,  No.  3, 
of  Whitestown,  with  about  100  children  of  school  age.  This  includes  New  York 
Mills,  No.  1.  There  are  now  flourishing  schools  in  all  four  districts,  employing 
regularly  six  teachers. 

Whitesboro   Union   Free   School    has    been   under   the   care   of  the 


I 


f 


ROBERT  ABLETT. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  627 

Regents  since  December,  1891.  The  principal  is  Frank  B.  Van  Or- 
mun,  under  whom  are  six  teachers.  The  trustees  are  Rev.  M.  E.  Dun- 
ham, George  H.  Haynes  and  William  Gates. 

Among  the  early  manufactures  of  Whitesboro  was  a  tub  and  churn 
factory  established  in  1824  by  Watkins  &  Griswold  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  village.  It  was  transferred  to  Ellis  &  Co.  in  1840,  and  was 
burned  in  1844.  A  new  factory  was  built  in  the  lower  portion  of  the 
village  and  the  business  was  carried  on  by  Watson,  Ellis  &  Co.  until 
1873,  when  the  firm  again  became  Ellis  &  Co.  The  business  was 
abandoned  some  years  ago. 

The  manufacture  of  weaver's  reeds  was  begun  here  in  1858  by  James 
Brierly,  and  is  still  continued  by  his  sons,  William  and  Gilbert. 

Several  tanneries  have  had  an  existence  in  or  near  the  village,  but 
they  have  all  disappeared  with  the  failure  of  the  bark  supply.  The  last 
one  was  established  by  William  Benedict  in  1850. 

A  saw  and  planing  mill  was  started  in  1869  by  Williams  &  Co.,  who 
carried  on  a  successful  business  many  years  in  the  manufacture  of  sash, 
doors,  blinds  and  specialties.  The  mill  finally  passed  to  Denton  & 
Waterbury,  who  are  now  operating  it. 

Sutton  &  Ouigley  began  the  manufacture  of  furniture  more  than 
twenty  years  ago.  The  firm  soon  became  W.  B.  Quigley  &  Co.  The 
business  was  continued  on  a  large  scale  until  the  present  year,  when 
the  concern  went  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  Business  is  now  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  the  Quigley  Furniture  Company. 

B.  T.  Babbitt's  Whitesboro  Iron  Works  were  established  in  i87i,and 
extensive  brick  buildings  erected.  A  general  foundry  and  machine 
business  was  carried  on  and  about  one  hundred  hands  were  employed 
for  a  time.  John  Leroy  Babbitt  accepted  the  superintendency  of  the 
of  the  works  in  1874,  which  position  he  has  since  retained.  He  has 
served  the  village  several  terms  as  trustee  and  one  term  as  president. 

The  Anchor  Knitting  Mill  was  started  in  1890  by  Robert  Ablett,  in 
the  old  seminary  building,  which  he  purchased  of  the  Ellis  estate.  The 
business  has  been  very  successful,  and  large  additions  have  been  made 
to  the  building.  The  product  is  knit  underwear  in  cotton  and  wool 
and  about  250  hands  are  employed. 

General  stores  are  kept  in  Whitesboro  by  G.  A.  Kirkland  and  H.  H. 


628  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Victory.  Edward  Pickett  is  in  the  hardware  trade,  and  James  Kelly 
sells  boots  and  shoes. 

The  two  hotels  are  the  Central,  kept  by  John  Moehle,  and  the  Park 
House,  kept  by  Corbitt  &  Goodwin. 

The  hamlet  and  post-office  of  Yorkville  lies  between  Whitesboro  and 
New  York  Mills  and  is  substantially  a  continuation  of  the  latter.  It 
was  here  that  the  first  grist  mill  was  built,  as  before  noted,  but  it  long 
ago  disappeared.  There  has  always  been  a  small  mercantile  business 
done  here,  and  at  the  present  time  John  N.  Cole  carries  on  an  extensive 
business.  Robert  Cooper  has  a  general  store,  Charles  P.  Stone  con- 
ducts a  millinery  business,  and  G.  M.  Relyea  a  hardware  store. 

The  village  of  New  York  Mills  is  known  throughout  the  State  as  the 
site  of  the  celebrated  cotton  mills  bearing  that  name.  Benjamin  Stuart 
Walcott  was  a  native  of  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  and  was  a  descendant  in  the 
fifth  generation  from  Capt.  Jonathan  Walcott  who  resided  in  Salem  from 
1655  to  1669.  Benjamin  Stuart  Walcott  was  born  July  27,  1755,  and 
became  engaged  in  the  erection  of  cotton  mills  for  himself  and  others. 
Early  in  1808  he  was  invited  by  Dr.  Scott  Capron,  who  with  others 
contemplated  the  erection  of  mills  in  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  to 
come  here  and  superintend  the  work.  Mr.  Walcott  was  at  that  time 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  mill  in  his  native  place  and  also  of  the  mill 
at  Rehoboth,  and  was  personally  engaged  in  managing  the  mill  at  Cen- 
tral Falls.  Associated  with  him  was  his  son  Benjamin  S.  Walcott,  jr., 
who  was  left  in  charge  of  the  latter  mill  while  the  father  came  on  to 
Whitestown.  Arriving  here  in  May,  1808,  a  partnership  was  at  once 
formed  under  the  name  of  Walcott  &  Company.  Mr.  Walcott  returned 
to  Rhode  Island  in  1809,  his  place  in  Whitestown  being  occupied  by 
his  son,  Benjamin  S.  Walcott,  jr.  The  father  was  a  man  of  excellent 
natural  abilities,  with  inventive  genius  of  a  high*  order.  He  died  in 
Seekonk,  Mass.,  May  15,  1824.  His  son,  just  mentioned,  was  born  in 
Cumberland,  R.  I.,  September  29,  1786.  By  act  of  the  Legislature 
March  17,  1809,  the  factory  in  Whitestown  had  its  agents,  superintend- 
ents and  workmen  exempted  from  serving  as  jurors  ;  this  is  probably 
the  only  instance  where  such  action  was  taken  by  the  Legislature.  This 
cotton  factory  was  the  first  one  established  in  this  State.  On  the  9th 
of  March,  1810,  the  members  of  the  firm  of  Walcott  &  Company  were 
incorporated  under  the  title  of  the  Oneida  Manufacturing  Society. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  629 

From  1808  to  1825  there  was  no  communication  with  Albany  except 
by  team,  and  in  winter  cotton  and  supplies  were  hauled  from  New  York 
at  a  cost  of  one  dollar  per  hundred  pounds.  After  the  opening  of  the 
canal  a  boat  owned  by  this  company  transported  for  years  goods  to 
Albany  and  returned  with  cotton  and  supplies.  In  18 13  Benjamin  S. 
Walcott,  jr.,  in  connection  with  Gen  George  Doolittle,  whose  daughter 
he  married,  organized  the  Whitestown  Cotton  and  Woolen  Mill.  This 
company  at  once  occupied  the  grist  mill  known  as  the  Buhr  Stone  Fac- 
tory, which  was  in  operation  until  1878,  when  it  was  taken  down.  In 
1839-40  there  was  erected  near  this  building  a  mill  of  stone,  now  known 
as  Mill  No.  3.  In  1825  Mr.  Walcott  still  further  extended  his  opera- 
tions by  forming  a  partnership  with  Benjamin  Marshall,  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant of  New  York,  under  the  style  of  Marshall  &  Walcott.  In  this 
year  another  factory  was  erected  which  now  forms  part  of  the  group  of 
the  New  York  Mills.  On  the  ist  of  June,  1839,  Mr.  Marshall  sold  to 
Benjamin  S.  and  William  D.  Walcott  part  of  his  interest  in  the  middle 
and  upper  group  of  mills,  the  lower  group  being  owned  and  operated 
by  them  and  for  about  forty  five  years  afterwards  by  the  Oneida  Man- 
ufacturing Society.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1847,  Mr.  Marshall  con- 
veyed his  entire  remaining  interest  in  the  mills  and  business  to  Benja 
min  S.  and  William  D.  Walcott.  On  the  same  date  Benjamin  S  Wal- 
cott conveyed  a  part  of  his  interest  to  his  second  son,  Charles  D.  Wal- 
cott, and  at  the  same  time  V^  illiam  D.  and  Charles  D.  conveyed  a  part 
of  their  interest  to  Samuel  Campbell,  the  firm  at  that  time  consisting  of 
Benjamin  S.,  William  D..  and  Charles  D  Walcott  and  Samuel  Camp- 
bell. Its  style  was  the  New  York  Mills.  Charles  Doolittle  Walcott  was 
born  in  Whitestown  September  14,  1818.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  upper  mill  and  thus  continued  until  his  death  September  15,  1852. 
On  the  1st  of  May,  1856,  Benjamin  S.  Walcott  sold  his  interest  in  the 
upper  mill  to  William  D.  Walcott  and  Samuel  Campbell  and  on  the 
same  day  they  formed  a  new  copartnership  under  the  style  of  Walcott 
&  Campbell,  but  retaining  as  the  trade  mark  of  their  fabrics,  the  New 
York  Mills.  On  the  12th  day  of  May,  1856.  Benjamin  S.  Walcott, 
William  D.  Walcott  and  Samuel  Campbell,  executors  under  the  will  of 
Charles  D.  Walcott,  deceased,  conveyed  the  interest  of  his  estate  to  Will- 
iam D.  Walcott  and  Samuel  Campbell.      Benjamin  S.  Walcott  died  Jan- 


630  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

uary  12,  1862,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year,  leaving  a  high  reputation  for 
business  abihty  and  lofty  moral  principles. 

In  1870  Samuel  R.  Campbell  and  W.  Stuart  Walcott,  sons  of  the  two 
members  of  tiie  firm,  received  each  an  interest  in  the  business.  Samuel 
Robert  Campbell,  son  of  Samuel  Campbell,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills 
village  May  27,  1838.  He  was  well  educated  and  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een years  entered  the  machine  shop  of  the  New  York  Mills  to  learn  the 
machinist's  trade.  After  becoming  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  con- 
struction and  operation  of  cotton  machinery  he  was  successively  placed 
in  charge  of  different  departments  of  work  and  in  i860  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  middle  g'oup  of  mills  now  known  as  Mill  No.  2. 
In  1865  by  the  advice  of  his  father  he  went  to  Europe  for  about  four 
years.  He  was  United  States  consul  at  Geneva,  Switzerland  and,  at 
Munich,  Bavaria,  and  learned  to  speak  French,  Spanish  and  German 
with  facility.  After  traveling  extensively  he  returned  and  resumed  his 
active  connection  with  the  business. 

William  Stuart  Walcott,  son  of  William  D.  Walcott,  was  born  at  New 
York  Mills  February  i  i,  1843.  He  was  liberally  educated  and  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  volunteered  in  the  76th  Regiment  and  was 
commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  Co.  B.  In  consequence  of  illness  he 
resigned  after  one  year  of  service  and  returned  home.  In  the  upper 
group  of  mills  he  worked  in  the  different  departments  until  he  was  fitted 
for  the  active  business  of  cotton  manufacturing.  In  1865  he  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  that  group  of  mills.  The  business  of  the 
upper  two  groups  of  mills  was  continued  under  the  style  of  Walcott  & 
Campbell  nearly  twenty-eight  years.  During  the  same  period  that  of 
the  lower  group  was  conducted  as  the  separate  interest  of  the  Oneida 
Manufacturing  Society,  by  the  same  men  as  trustees.  On  the  12th  of 
February,  1884,  a  charter  having  been  obtained  January  22,  1884,  to  a 
corporation  under  the  style  of  The  New  York  Mills,  the  whole  property 
pertaining  to  the  three  establishments  was  conveyed  to  the  said  corpor- 
ation by  one  deed,  the  grantors  being  William  D.  Walcott,  and  Samuel 
Campbell,  owners  of  the  upper  two  roups  of  mills,  and  the  Oneida 
Manufacturing  Society  by  its  surviving  trustees,  W.  D.  Walcott  and 
S.  Campbell.  The  corporation  was  organized  by  the  election  of  Will- 
iam D.  Walcott,  president ;    Samuel    Campbell,    treasurer ;    Samuel   R. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  631 

Campbell  and  W.  Stuart  Walcott,  secretaries.  Mr  Campbell  was  at 
one  period  greatly  interested  in  raising  blooded  cattle  and  with  W.  D. 
Walcott  was  the  owner  of  the  finest  herd  of  short  horn  cattle  in  the 
world.  Samuel  Campbell  died  September  22,  1885.  He  was  dis- 
tinguished as  a  manufacturer,  an  efficiect  promoter  of  all  good  works. 
He  served  in  the  State  Senate  with  ability  and  credit ;  his  mental  qualifi 
cations  were  unusual  and  his  manhood  true  on  all  occasions.  He  was 
sympathetic,  hospitable,  and  firm  in  his  friendships.  He  was  the  natural 
leader  of  the  community,  beloved  and  trusted  by  all. 

On  the  death  of  Mr  Campbell  his  son,  Samuel  R.,  was  elected  treas- 
urer of  the  New  York  Mills  and  continues  in  the  office.  The  business 
of  this  great  company  continued  without  other  notable  event  until  the 
death  of  the  president,  William  D.  Walcott,  which  took  place  April  i, 
1890.      The  Utica  Herald  spoke  of  him  as  follows: 

He  was  ever  the  true  friend  of  the  educational  interests  of  this  section,  he  ajijire- 
ciated  the  influence  of  educated  minds,  and  was  ever  ready  to  contribute  to  any 
cause  which  had  for  its  object  the  culture  of  the  people.  During  the  war  for  the 
Union  his  patriotism  was  manifested  in  liberal  contributions  to  the  equipment  of  the 
officers  and  men  who  volunteered  and  in  assisting  and  caring  for  their  families.  In 
1881  the  beautiful  Walcott  Memorial  Presbyterian  church  was  erected.  In  1862  his 
father  left  §10,000  for  building  a  church  and  the  son  contributed  §20,000  to  complete 
the  edifice.  Mr.  Walcott  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  and  had  been  a 
member  of  it  more  than  sixty  years.  He  was  a  notable  type  of  the  Christian  gentle- 
man. His  abilities  were  large,  he  had  the  power  to  grasp  the  details  of  a  great  busi- 
ness, so  that  his  judgment  was  unerring  upon  all  questions  that  came  before  him  in 
relation  to  it. 

W.  Stuart  W'alcott  was  elected  president  of  the  corporation  upon  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  which  office  he  still  continues.  As  heretofore  in- 
dicated these  mills  are  in  three  groups.  Mill  No  i,  the  lowest  down 
on  the  stream  is  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  original  Oneida  Mill.  That 
structure  was  of  wood  and  65  by  35  feet  in  size,  three  stories  high.  It 
was  burned  about  the  year  18 13,  and  a  larger  and  more  substantial 
structure  of  stone  erected  on  the  site.  In  1879  it  was  determined  to 
replace  it  with  a  mill  better  adapted  to  modern  machinery.  In  order 
that  business  might  not  be  interrupted  the  new  mill  was  erected  in  rear 
of  the  old  one  ;  it  was  finished  in  1880,  and  fully  equipped  with  the  best 
of  machinery.      Its  product  is  standard  shirtings  a  yard  wide. 

The  original  New  York  Mill  was  extended  northward  in  1852,  uni- 
form in  height  with  the  old  structure.      In    1884  another  extension  was 


632  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

made  in  th;  same  direction  The  mill,  or  range  of  mills,  now  known 
as  No.  2  has  an  aggregate  length  of  5  12  feet,  and  is  still  devoted  to  the 
manufacture  of  fine  shirtings. 

The  original  mill  of  the  Whitestown  Cotton  und  Woolen  Manufactur- 
ing Company  was  superseded  in  1840  by  a  mill  of  stone  220  feet  long 
and  40  feet  wide,  three  stories;  it  is  now  known  as  Mill  No.  3,  and  its 
product  is  cottonades  and  similar  fabrics.  Adjoining  this  on  the  north 
is  Mill  No  4,  erected  of  brick  in  1870,  250  by  67  feet,  five  stories  and 
attic.  In  it  are  manufactured  sheetings  of  all  widths  and  superior 
quality. 

The  village  that  has  grown  up  around  these  mills  is  a  community  of 
employees,  and  is  a  model  of  temperate  and  thrifty  prosperity.  No 
where  in  the  United  States  can  be  found  a  factory  village  which  excels 
New  York  Mills  in  the  quality  of  its  homes,  the  excellence  of  its  schools, 
the  prosperity  of  its  churches  or  the  contented  intelligence  of  its  people. 

John  P.  Campbell,  oldest  son  of  Samuel  R.  Campbell,  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  middle  group  of  mills.  He  took  a  course  in  mechanical 
engineering  at  Cornell  and  afterwards  made  a  tour  of  Europe.  Return- 
ing he  worked  in  the  various  dedartments  of  the  mill  to  gain  a  thorough 
mastery  of  the  business. 

The  oldest  son  of  VV.  Stuart  Walcott  is  Frederick  C.  VValcott,  who  is 
superintendent  of  the  upper  group  of  mills.  He  graduated  from  Yale 
University  in  1891  and  after  a  foreign  tour  returned  and  took  a  course 
of  practical  work  in  all  departments  of  the  mill,  according  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  family  for  five  generations. 

George  H.  Warner,  son-in  law  of  the  late  Samuel  Campbell,  is  su- 
perintendent of  the  lower  group  of  mills  and  the  bleachery. 

General  stores  are  now  kept  in  the  village  by  E.  W.  Jones  and  John 
J.  Langdon.  Reese  &  Williams,  Joseph  Hepworth,  Joseph  Ackroyd, 
Paul  Wagner  and  A.  McCarthy  conduct  groceries;  Robert  Eraser  is 
dealer  in  dry  goods  and  M.  E.  Hastings  in  hardware. 

The  founding  of  the  village  of  Oriskany  by  Col.  Gerritt  G.  Lansing 
has  been  noted.  Born  in  Albany  December  11,  1760,  Colonel  Lansing 
entered  the  army,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  and  served  until  its 
close;  was  preseni  at  several  important  battles,  and  atYorktown,  under 
Colonel  Hamilton,  he  led  the  forlorn  hope  as  lieutenant.      In  1802  this 


i 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  633 

gallant  soldier  and  true  gentleman  of  the  old  school  settled  at  Oriskany, 
and  lived  there  on  his  pension  and  his  patrimony  until  his  death,  on  the 
27th  of  May,  1831.  Both  in  the  army  and  after  his  removal  to  Oneida 
county,  Colonel  Lansing  was  distinguished  for  his  high  integrity  and 
his  patriotism,  as  well  as  for  his  ability  and  his  enterprise.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Col.  Edward  Antill,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  but  an 
officer  of  the  Revolutionary  army  high  in  the  confidence  of  General 
Washington.  After  her  husband's  death,  she  lived  in  Utica  until  her 
own  death,  on  the  24th  of  August,  1834.  She  possessed  in  an  emi- 
nent degree  the  qualities  that  adorn  true  womanhood. 

Colonel  Lansing  purchased  400  acres  of  land  extending  southwest 
from  the  Mohawk  and  on  the  northeast  side  of  Oriskany  Creek.  About 
1 8 10  he  erected  a  grist  mill  on  the  site  of  the  later  mill  and  near  by 
built  a  saw  mill.  This  property  afterwards  passed  to  the  Bleeckers,  who 
built  the  stone  mill.  The  machinery  was  put  in  by  B.  E.  Williams  of 
Oriskany,  whose  brother  was  agent  for  the  Bleeckers  at  the  time.  These 
mills  were  ultimately  burned. 

An  early  manufacturing  industry  at  this  place  was  the  factory  of  the 
Oriskany  Manufacturing  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  181 1.  It 
was  established  to  aid  in  rendering  "  this  country  independent  of  Eng- 
land for  a  supply  of  clothing,"  consequent  upon  the  scarcity  occasioned 
by  the  war  of  18 12.  Among  those  who  were  identified  with  the  under- 
taking were  Seth  Capron,  Jonas  Piatt,  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Newton  Mann, 
Theodore  Sill,  Nathan  Williams,  William  G.  Tracy,  De  Witt  Clinton, 
Ambrose  Spencer,  John  Taylor  and  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer.  Gerritt 
G.  Lansing  was  made  president  of  the  company.  Buildings  were 
promptly  erected,  and  according  to  the  Annals  of  Judge  Jones  "  the 
satinetts  made  by  this  company  sold  readily  at  $4  a  yard,  and  their 
broadcloths  from  $10  to  $12  a  yard;  but  to  counterbalance  these  prices, 
for  the  first  four  years  after  they  commenced  operations  they  paid  an 
average  of  $1.12  per  pound  for  their  wool."  Over  1 00  hands  were  em- 
ployed and  the  product  reached  100,000  yards  annually.  After  various 
successes  and  periods  of  reverse  the  company  closed  its  business  in  1854, 
after  which  the  buildings  were  purchased  by  A.  B.  Buell  and  adapted 
for  a  furnace.  After  carrying  on  this  business  for  a  time  he  put  in  cot- 
ton machinery.  This  factory  passed  to  Thomas  Wood  and  eventually 
so 


634  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  machinery  was  taken  out.  The  firm  of  H.  Waterbury  &  Sons  was 
formed  in  1880  and  was  later  incorporated  under  the  style  of  the  H. 
Waterbury  &  Sons  Company,  for  the  manufacture  of  paper  makers' 
felts.  They  bought  the  property  above  described  of  the  Wood  estate ; 
a  part  of  the  buildings  had  been  temporarily  occupied  by  the  Oriskany 
Malleable  Iron  works  (which  see).  The  business  of  the  Waterbury  com- 
pany is  large  and  successful. 

The  Oriskany  Malleable  Iron  Company,  limited,  originated  with  H. 

C.  Buell  and  a  Mr.  Merriman,  who  began  business  in  the  old  factory 
above  described  Later  the  company  built  their  present  large  works 
on  the  canal.  The  company  was  incorporated  in  i  879  ;  George  Gra- 
ham, president ;  W.  P.  Locke,  vice  president;  George  H.  Graham,  sec- 
retary and  treasurer.  The  capital  is  $41,000.  About  125  hands  are 
employed. 

T.  F.  Walbran  established  a  knitting  mill  in  1891,  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  men's  half  hose  ;   twenty  hands  are  employed. 

The  post  office  in  Oriskany  was  established  prior  to  1821,  with 
Colonel  Lansing,  postmaster  ;  the  present  official  is  George  A.  Baer. 
A  frame  school  house  was  erected  here  about  18 12,  where  school  was 
taught  in  18 16  by  David  Wood.  The  village  now  comprises  Union 
Free  School  District  No.  i,  with  R.  W.  Hoffman,  principal;  he  has 
three  assistants.  The  present  school  building,  erected  in  1892,  cost 
over  $13,000  and  stands  on  the  old  school  site. 

The  mercantile  firm  of  Sweet  &  Baer  is  composed  of  Herman  Sweet 
and  George  Baer,  who  carry  a  general  stock.  Another  store  is  kept  by 
M.  M.  Carbitt.  S.  D.  Jones  has  an  excellent  drug  store,  and  Leonard 
Cross  a  hardware  store. 

There  are  three  hotels  in  Oriskany,  kept  respectively  by  M.  N.  Carr, 

D.  G.  Snyder,  and  Skelly  Brothers. 

Walesville  is  a  hamlet  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  on  Oriskany 
Creek,  where  considerable  manufacturing  has  been  carried  on.  A  cot- 
ton mill  was  formerly  operated  here  by  the  Clark  Mills  Cotton  Com- 
pany, which  was  many  years  ago  stripped  of  its  machinery  and  aban- 
doned. A  paper  mill  was  established  many  years  ago  and  has  been 
operated  most  of  the  time  since  ;  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Hoffman 
&  Thompson,  who  are  doing  a  large  business  principally  in  the  manu- 


THE  TOWN  OF  WHITESTOWN.  635 

facture  of  different  grades  of  manila  paper.  The  hotel  is  kept  by  C. 
W.  Snyder,  and  a  small  store  by  J.  Hall.  A  wadding  mill  was  formerly 
operated  here,  but  was  burned  many  years  ago. 

Coleman's  Mills  is  a  hamlet  on  Oriskany  Creek  near  the  center  of  the 
town,  where  a  saw  and  grist  mill  are  operated  by  William  S.  Reeder, 
who  also  has  a  store.  A  small  shoddy  mill  is  carried  on  by  W.  N. 
Chrisman. 

At  what  was  known  as  Pleasant  Valley,  a  mile  above  Oriskany,  was 
formerly  the  woolen  factory  of  the  Dexter  Manufacturing  Company. 
It  was  a  large  establishment  and  began  operations  in  1832.  Fine 
grades  of  cloth  and  shawls  were  made.  It  was  burned  many  years 
ago  and  not  rebuilt. 

The  first  Baptist  minister  to  visit  this  town  was  Rev.  Stephen  Par- 
sons, who  came  from  Connecticut  early  in  1796.  In  June  of  that  year 
he  came  again  and  on  the  i8th  of  that  month  organized  the  First 
Baptist  society  with  seven  members.  Caleb  Douglass  was  chosen  the 
first  clerk  and  deacon  and  was,  in  January,  1802,  ordained  elder  and 
the  second  pastor  of  the  church.  In  March,  1803,  six  members  were 
dismissed  to  form  a  church  at  Westmoreland  This  society  has  ever 
since  maintained  an  active  and  vigorous  existence  and  celebrates  its  cen- 
tennial this  year.  The  church  edifice  has  recently  been  furnished  with 
with  new  windows  and  otherwise  improved. 

St  John's  Episcopal  church  of  Whitestown  was  organized  chiefly 
through  efforts  of  S.  Newton  Dexter,  and  Rev.  Benjamin  W.  Whitcher 
was  appointed  the  first  deacon  in  1844.  In  1853  Philo  White,,  then 
residing  in  Wisconsin,  met  in  New  York  city  Rev.  William  A.  Matson, 
who  solicited  him  for  aid  to  build  a  church  in  his  native  village.  Mr. 
White  made  a  liberal  subscription  and  the  corner  stone  of  the  edifice 
was  laid  June  19,  1855.  St.  John's  parish  was  organized  August  i, 
1844.     The  society  has  continued  its  existence  to  the  present  time. 

A  Methodist  class  was  formed  in  Whitesboro  in  connection  with  New 
York  Mills  in  November,  1876.     The  legal  organization  was  effected  in 
December  following  with  about  forty  members.      A  building    was  pur 
chased  and    fitted    up   for  services.      The  present  beautiful  brick  edifice 
was  erected  in  1891. 

The  Methodist  church  of  New  York  Mils  was  first  organized  in  1826, 


636  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

meetings  having  been  previously  held  in  various  places  in  the  village. 
It  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  class  formed  in  the  previous  year  by  Rev. 
William  N.  Pearne,  who  was  then  bookkeeper  in  the  mills.  The  hand- 
some brick  church  was  built  about  1872,  its  predecessor  having  been 
burned  in  the  previous  year.     The  society  is  prosperous. 

As  early  as  18 18  a  Presbyterian  Sabbath  school  was  started  in  New 
York  Mills  by  Ezra  Wood,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Whitesboro.  Benjamin  S.  Walcott  took  an  active  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  school  and  the  succeeding  church,  as  before  related.  The 
Presbyterian  society  was  formed  in  March,  1830,  with  forty-four  mem- 
bers from  the  church  at  Whitesboro.  The  first  elders  were  Benjamin 
S.  Wolcott  Ambrose  Coan  and  Ezra  Wood.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev, 
George  Foote,  installed  March  23,  183 1.  A  frame  church  was  built 
about  that  time  and  was  burned  in  February,  1834.  A  brick  building 
was  erected  on  the  site.  The  erection  of  the  present  memorial  church 
occurred  in  188 1. 

The  Welsh  Congregational  church  at  New  York  Mills  was  formed 
about  1852,  and  a  frame  church  erected  in  the  north  part  of  the  village. 

St.  Peter's  Episcopal  church,  Oriskany,  was  incorporated  in  May, 
1830,  under  the  administration  of  Rev.  Marcus  A.  Perry.  The  brick 
church  was  erected  in  1833-4  ^"d  has  several  times  been  remodeled 
and  improved,  the  last  time  about  ten  years  ago. 

The  Presbyterian  church,  Oriskany,  was  organized  August  14,  1831, 
with  thirteen  members.  A  frame  church  was  finisiied  and  dedicated 
December  30,  1835.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Samuel  Wells,  who  was 
installed  March  9,  1836. 

A  Methodist  church  was  formed  at  Oriskany  in  early  years  and  a 
frame  edifice  built  by  them  ;  this  was  afterwards  used  by  a  Welsh 
Methodist  society.     The  former  organization  is  still  in  active  existence. 

A  Methodist  church  had  an  early  existence  at  Coleman's  Mills,  but  is 
now  extinct.  A  Baptist  church  was  formed  at  Walesville  in  1850,  with 
Elder  John  M.  Shotwell  in  charge  A  small  church  was  erected  soon 
after  the  organization.     The  society  is  still  active. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


EDMUND  MUNSON. 

The  original  American  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  and  the  founder 
of  th3  family  in  the  New  World,  was  Thomas  Munson,  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
who  became  a  resident  of  Hartford,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  as  early  as  1637,  in 
which  year  he  participated  with  Mason's  army  in  the  Pequot  war.  He  was  subse- 
quently commissioned  as  a  lieutenant,  and  in  recognition  of  his  services  was  granted 
100  acres  of  land  in  the  present  city  of  Hartford.  He  became  a  prominent  member 
of  the  colony,  serving  as  selectman,  as  deputy  to  the  General  Assembly,  as  town 
treasurer,  as  captain,  etc.,  of  the  militia,  as  adjuster  of  estates,  etc.  He  died  May  7, 
1685,  aged  seventy-three.  His  only  son,  Samuel,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Walling- 
ford,  served  as  selectman,  as  rector  of  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School,  as  town  treas- 
urer, as  an  officer  in  the  militia,  etc.  He  died  in  1693,  being  the  father  of  ten 
children.  He  had  a  son  Samuel,  who  had  a  son  Waitstill,  who  had  Samuel,  who  had 
Ephraim,  who  had  Samuel,  who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Ephraim  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  but  served  only  a  few  months,  and  was 
a  carpenter,  millwright,  and  mill  owner,  residing  in  Barkhamsted,  Conn.  Samuel, 
the  eldest  son  of  Ephraim,  was  born  August  17,  1777,  resided  in  Barkhamsted,  and 
died  May  20,  1844.  He  owned  a  grist  mill,  a  saw  mill,  and  a  large  farm,  represented 
his  town  in  the  General  Court  five  sessions,  being  in  the  Legislature  in  1816,  when 
the  Blue  Laws  were  abolished,  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  1824  and  1825. 
November  13,  1800,  he  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Whitehead  Howe,  of  Center 
Hill,  Conn.,  who  died  February  9,  1854.  Their  children  were  Ephraim,  born  August 
22,  1801,  who  assisted  his  uncle  in  Utica  in  the  manufacture  of  millstones,  married 
Phebe  daughter  of  Rev.  Ozias  Eells,  first  pastor  at  Barkhamsted,  and  died  December 
7,  1826;  Edmund,  the  subject  of  this  memoir;  Laura  (Mrs.  Owen  Case),  born  July  14, 
1808,  died  March  12,  1871;  Hannah  (first  the  wife  of  Dr.  David  Phelps  and  afterward 
Mrs.  Ezekiel  Hosford),  born  in  1816,  died  February  12,  1858;  and  Whitfield  Talley- 
rand, born  May  6,  1812,  died  May  22,  1883. 

Edmund  Munson  was  born  in  Barkhamsted,  Conn.,  May  2,  1805,  and  during  a  few 
years  of  his  youth  received  the  slight  advantage  of  a  district  school  education.  At 
the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  his  father's  mill,  where  he  received  the  rudiment- 
ary instructions  which  laid  the  foundation  of  his  subsequent  usefulness  and  success 
in  business  life.  In  1829  he  built  a  flouring  mill  in  his  native  village  comprising 
four  runs  of  stone,  which  he  made.     Six  years  later  he  left  Connecticut  with  the  in- 


4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tention  of  moving  to  Peoria,  111.,  but  upon  reaching  Utica,  then  a  most  prosperous 
community,  decided  to  remain  and  become  a  permanent  resident.  This  was  in  1835. 
His  uncle,  Alfred  Munson,  had  settled  in  Utica  in  1823,  and  established  the  first 
French  buhr-millstone  manufactory  in  this  country.  Edmund  Munson  was  made 
superintendent  of  this  establishment,  which  at  this  time  had  developed  into  exten- 
sive proportions.  In  the  spring  of  1843  he  removed  to  Brownville,  Jefferson  county, 
where  he  supervised  the  erection  of  a  large  flouring  mill,  equipped  with  six  sets  of 
stone,  which  was  then  considered  one  of  the  best  mills  in  the  State.  Returning  to 
Utica  in  the  spring  of  1847  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  C.  Hart  and  engaged  in 
the  mill-furnishing  business,  which  became  one  of  the  largest  enterprises  of  the  kind 
in  the  country.  August  7,  1849,  he  received  letters-patent  for  a  turn-table  for 
balancing  and  finishing  millstones,  and  July  19,  1853,  he  was  granted  letters-patent 
for  an  improvement  in  hangings  for  millstones,  known  as  Munson' s  patent  eye-driver 
and  spindle.  Both  these  appliances  proved  inestimably  valuable,  and  their  necessity 
has  ever  since  been  universally  conceded.  An  extension  of  the  latter  patent  was 
obtained  July  18,  1867.  April  3,  1860,  he  had  patented  a  portable  mill,  which  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  best  inventions  achieved  for  the  milling  public.  The  suc- 
cess of  this  appliance  is  attributed  to  the  fact  that  in  its  construction  Mr.  Mun.son 
had  in  view  a  mill  which  would  grind  all  sorts  of  grain,  plaster,  starch,  hydraulic 
cements,  etc. 

The  firm  of  Hart  &  Munson  was  dissolved  in  1869,  and  Mr.  Munson  associated 
with  himself  in  the  mill-furnishing  business,  his  three  sons,  Edmund,  jr.,  Alfred  H., 
and  Counteil,  under  the  style  of  Munson  Brothers.  This  firm  has  ever  since  con- 
ducted a  large  and  prosperous  business.  The  extensive  works  on  Broadway  include 
a  millstone  manufactory  and  a  machine  shop,  both  well  arranged  and  commodious. 

As  a  manufacturer  and  inventor  Mr.  Munson  made  it  a  life  study  to  attain 
the  highest  possible  perfection  in  mill  machinery,  and  whatever  point  he  aimed  at 
was  invariably  reached.  He  was  pre-eminently  practical,  but  also  manifested  a  keen 
enthusiasm  in  his  plans  and  experiments,  and  the  two  qualities  won  for  him  his  great 
success.  The  perfection  and  durability  of  the  manufactured  article  were  equally  a 
theme  of  admiration.  In  stature  he  was  well  proportioned  and  of  venerable  appear- 
ance, his  large,  noble-looking  head,  his  regularly  formed  and  highly  expressive 
features,  indicating  that  natural  intelligence  and  force  of  character  which  dis- 
tinguished the  man.  He  was  a  critical  observer  of  events,  thoroughly  informed  in 
business,  courteous  in  all  his  intercourse,  and  ranked  among  the  foremost  of  our 
American  manufacturers.  He  was  kind,  considerate,  hospitable,  and  enterprising, 
charitable  towards  all,  and  an  enemy  of  none.  No  man  ever  won  a  fairer  reputa- 
tion. During  a  long  and  successful  business  life  he  accumulated  a  handsome  com- 
petency, but  left  to  the  community  a  better  heritage  than  wealth  in  the  record  of  an 
honorable  career.  He  was  an  earnest  believer  in  the  faith  of  the  Universalis! 
church,  a  constant  attendant  upon  its  public  service,  and  died  in  Utica  on  the  14th  of 
March,  1872. 

Mr.  Munson  married,  first.  May  10,  1829,  Miss  Elizabeth  Stuart,  who  was  born 
July  34,  1812,  and  who  died  July  20,  1837.  She  was  a  granddaughter  of  Waitstill 
Munson,  a  grandson'  of  the  Waitstill  mentioned  in  the  beginning  of  this  article. 
They  had  three  children:  Henry  E.,    born  July  28,   1830.   died   October  30.   1837; 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  5 

Ephraim,  born  June  2,  1832,  died  August  31,  1837;  and  Hannah  Wetmore,  born 
September  10,  183 J,  who  married  June  9.  1849,  Edward  Wendell  Crosby,  a  manufac- 
turer of  Albany,  N.  Y.  October  13,  1838,  Mr.  Munson  married,  second.  Miss  Sarah 
Gardner,  who  died  November  25,  1872.  They  had  five  children ;  Helen  Elizabeth, 
born  November  30,  1840,  died  April  15,  1862;  Sarah  L.,  born  February  20,  1842,  who 
married  Dr.  W.  G.  Tucker,  of  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  and,  second,  William  H.  Blodgett, 
of  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington;  Edmund,  born  December  26,  1844,  in 
Brownville.  N.  Y.  ;  Alfred  Hooper,  born  February  14,  1846;  and  Counteil,  born  Feb 
ruary  22,  1849. 


EDWARD    NORTH. 

Edward  North,  fourth  son  of  Reuben  and  Huldah  (Wilcox)  North,  was  born  in 
Berlin,  Conn.,  March  9,  1820,  and  belongs  to  the  eighth  generation  from  John  North, 
one  of  the  original  proprietors  and  settlers  of  Farmington,  Conn.,  in  1653.  He 
united  with  the  Second  Congregational  church  of  Berlin,  December  4,  1881.  His 
preparation  for  college  began  with  Principal  Ariel  Parish,  of  the  Worthington  Acad- 
emy in  Berlin,  and  was  completed  in  1837  with  Rev.  Salmon  Strong,  principal  of  the 
Clinton  Grammar  School.  He  was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1841,  with 
the  Valedictory  Oi-ation.  He  began  the  work  of  a  teacher  as  principal  of  the  Clin- 
ton Grammar  School,  and  was  one  year  a  private  tutor  in  the  family  of  Roswell 
Colt,  of  Paterson,  N.  J.  In  December,  1843,  he  \vas  elected  Dexter  professor  of 
Greek  and  Latin  in  Hamilton  College,  as  the  successor  of  Professor  J.  Finley  Smith. 
In  1862  he  was  elected  professor  of  the  Greek  language  and  literature,  and  Rev. 
William  N.  McHarg  was  elected  professor  of  the  Latin  language  and  literature.  In 
1869  the  resignation  of  Professor  McHarg  was  followed  by  the  election  of  Rev.  Abel 
G.  Hopkins,  who  still  occupies  the  Latin  chair.  In  1844  Profes.sor  North  received 
the  degree  of  A.M.  from  the  trustees  of  Brown  University;  in  1869  the  degree  of 
L.  H.  D.  from  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York ;  and  in  1887 
the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  trustees  of  Madison  (now  Colgate)  University. 

Since  1852  Professor  North  has  been  one  of  the  five  trustees  of  the  Clinton  Gram- 
mar School;  since  1855  a  trustee  of  the  Clinton  Cemetery  Association,  and  necrolo- 
gist of  the  Society  of  Hamilton  Alumni.  He  has  edited  a  dozen  editions  of  the  "  Cat- 
alogus  Collegii  HamiUoiieiisis''  and  has  had  charge  of  the  department  of  "  Alum- 
niana  "  in  the  Hamilton  Literary  Monthly,  since  that  periodical  was  founded  in  1806 
In  1865  he  was  president  of  the  New  York  State  Teachers'  Association;  in  1865  he 
was  elected  one  of  the  nine  ruling  elders  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Clinton,  and 
has  been  twice  sent  to  the  General  Assembly  as  a  commissioner  from  the  Utica  Pres- 
bytery, viz.:  in  1870  and  1876.  He  has  also  been  a  commissioner  of  Auburn  Theo- 
logical Seminary  for  three  terms.  Since  1870  he  has  been  secretary  of  the  Epsilon 
Chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  in  Hamilton  College.  In  1866  he  was  president  of  the 
associated  Chapters  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Fraternity. 

In  1871  Professor  North  visited  Athens  as  the  companion  of  Hon.  John  M.  Francis, 
then  United  States  minister  to  the  kingdom  of  Greece.  In  1874-75  he  was  chairman 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  University  Convocation.     He  is  a  member  of  the 


6  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

New  York  Historical  Society,  the  Albany  Institute,  the  Oneida  Historical  Society, 
the  American  Philological  Association,  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  the  Hel- 
lenic Philological  Syllogos  of  Constantinople,  and  other  similar  associations.  He 
has  delivered  addresses  or  read  papers  before  the  Oneida  Historical  Society,  the  Na- 
tional Teachers'  Association,  the  University  Convocation  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
the  Albany  Institute,  the  American  Institute  of  Instruction,  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society,  the  New  York  State  Teachers"  Association.  In  1864  he  deliv- 
ered the  Annual  Poem  before  the  Society  of  Hamilton  Alumni.  Since  January, 
1881,  he  has  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  Houghton  Seminary  in  Clinton,  and  since 
June,  1881,  one  of  the  twenty-eight  trustees  of  Hamilton  College.  After  the  death 
of  President  Darling,  April  20,  1891,  Professor  North  was  appointed  acting  presi- 
dent of  Hamilton  College  by  its  Executive  Committee,  a  most  unwelcome  office,  in 
which  he,  however,  continued  to  officiate  until  his  successor.  Dr.  M.  Woolsey  Stryker, 
was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1892. 

Since  his  election  in  1843,  Professor  North  has  given  instruction  in  the  Greek  lan- 
guage and  literature  to  fifty-two  successive  classes,  and  upwards  of  2.000  students, 
many  of  whom  in  the  later  classes  have  been  sons  of  those  who  were  students  in  the 
earlier  classes.  An  army  of  men  in  every  walk  of  life  have  profited  by  his  broad 
learning  and  culture  and  remember  him  with  respect  and  love.  He  has  been  aided 
and  encouraged  in  his  work  by  many  substantial  tokens  of  good  will,  notably  by  the 
prize  funds  received  from  the  relatives  of  the  late  Col.  Henry  H.  Curran,  '62,  of 
Utica;  the  late  Martin  Hawley,  '51,  of  Baltimore,  and  the  Hon.  Chauncey  S.  Truax, 
'75,  of  New  York  city. 

Professor  North  was  married  July  31,  1844,  to  Mary  Frances  Dexter,  only  daughter 
of  Hon.  S.  Newton  Dexter,  of  Whitesboro.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children, 
and  died  May  27,  18()9,  aged  forty-six  years  and  ten  months.  Her  four  surviving 
children  are: 

1.  Mrs.  Laura  Dexter  (North)  Reed,  who  was  married  July  29,  1S74,  to  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Reed,  now  pastor  of  the  Memorial  Presbyterian  church  in  Troy.  Their 
children  are  Ruth  Dexter  Reed,  Edward  North  Reed,  Laura  Lansing  Reed,  and 
Sarah  Allen  Reed.  William  Vanderheyden  Reed,  born  May  17,  1889.  died  January 
12,  1890. 

2.  Simon  Newton  Dexter  North,  now  secretary  of  the  National  Association  of 
Wool  Manufacturers,  Boston,  Mass  ,  was  married  July  8,  1875,  to  Lillian  Sill  Corn- 
stock,  daughter  of  Hon.  Calvert  Comstock,  of  Rome.  Their  children  are  Edward 
North,  Gladys  North,  Eloise  Comstock  North,  and  Dexter  North. 

3.  Edward  Simeon  North. 

4.  Mary  Hulda  North. 

5.  James  Summerville  North,  born  May  10,  1861;  died  May  10,  1863. 


CLAUDE  WILSON,   M.    I). 

Dr.  Claude  Wilson  was  born  January  6,  1850,  in  Palmer,  Mass.,  where  his  father. 
Rev.  Thomas  Wilson,  was  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church,  but  afterwards 
removed  to  Stoughton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  settled  for  twenty  years.     He  then  be- 


&- 


CLAUDE  WILSON,  M.   D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  7 

came  pastor  for  fifteen  years  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Eaton,  Madison  countv, 
N.  Y.  Claude,  his  eldest  son,  fitted  for  college  in  the  High  School  at  Stoughton] 
in  its  first  class,  that  of  1867.  He  then  entered  Amherst  College,  and  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1871.  For  the  next  succeeding  three  j^ears  he  taught  in  the  Asy- 
lum for  the  Blind  in  Columbus,  Ohio.  He  then  decided  to  adopt  the  medical  pro- 
fession and  thereupon  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New 
York,  and  graduated  from  that  institution  in  March,  1876.  He  was  induced  by 
friends  to  settle  in  Waterville,  and  his  first  and  last  professional  work  was  done 
there.  He  was  then  a  bright  young  man  of  broad  and  thorough  education  and  equip- 
ment for  successful  work  in  his  profession,  and  above  all  possessed  the  qualities  of 
mind  and  character  that  won  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  people  with  whom  he 
had  elected  to  make  his  home.  Therefore  he  at  once  entered  into  a  prosperous  prac- 
tice, and  through  the  twenty  years  of  his  professional  life  there  was  the  recognized 
leader  among  the  physicians.  He  was  endowed  with  a  kindly  heart  and  Christian 
manhood,  that  always  made  his  personality  felt  along  the  higher  plane  that  leads  to 
the  betterment  of  one's  condition  in  life,  and  just  to  this  degree  too,  he  was  conscien- 
tious and  honorable  in  his  professional  life,  rendering  the  kind  of  .service  that  made 
him  all  the  more  missed  when  he  ceased  to  administer  to  the  physical  ills  of  those  who 
sought  his  aid. 

In  social  life  he  enjoyed  the  same  degree  of  esteem  from  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
associates.  In  business  channels  he  had  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  community. 
At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  April  22,  1896,  he  was  a  director  in  the 
National  Bank  of  Waterville  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  was  a 
valued  and  influential  member  of  Sanger  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  and  the  Waterville 
Council  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  was  also  an  active  member  of  the  Pickwick 
Club,  and  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  educational  and  literary  advancement  of 
Waterville. 

Dr.  Wilson  had  one  brother,  Daniel  W.  Wilson,  who  resides  in  Chicago,  and  ore 
.sister,  the  wife  of  Rev.  James  F.  Pettee,  who  is  a  missionary  in  Okayama,  Japan. 
Rev.  Thomas  Wilson,  the  father,  now  resides  in  Waterville. 

June  5,  1877,  Dr.  Wilson  married  Anna  Atherton  Hodges,  daughter  of  Leonard 
and  Jane  (Atherton)  Hodges,  of  Stovighton,  Mass.  Mr.  Hodges  was  a  large  manu- 
facturer and  influential  citizen  of  that  place.  Mrs.  Wilson  received  her  education  in 
her  native  State.  Possessing  a  brilliant  mind  and  a  broad  education  and  culture, 
she  became  not  only  a  good  wife,  but  an  enjoyable  companion  for  her  husband. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  them,  all  of  whom  survive:  Anabel,  Janet,  Mar- 
garet, Claude  and  Leonard. 


SILAS    ADAMS. 

Silas  Adams  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  July  4,  1809.  His  education  was 
received  at  the  common  schools  of  Vernon,  where  he  turned  to  the  best  account  pos- 
sible the  advantages  afforded  by  those  crude  institutions  of  learning.  His  education 
did  not  stop,  however,  at  the  quitting  of  school  for  his  active  mind  and  eager  desire 
for  further  knowledge  found  opportunity  for  acquiring  broader  practical  education 


8  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

as  he  made  his  way  under  difficulties  through  life.  His  early  days  were  spent  upon 
his  father's  farm,  and  it  was  through  those  years  that  the  habits  of  thrift  and  in- 
dustry were  established  that  have  since  contributed  so  largely  to  his  marked  success 
in  his  chosen  life  occupation.  He  was  the  next  oldest  of  a  family  of  six  children.  His 
father,  Isaac  Adams,  was  born  in  Shutesbury,  Mass.,  in  1779,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  came  to  Oneida  county  settling  in  the  towm  of  Sangerfield.  In  1806  he 
married  Eunice,  daughter  of  Abram  Webster,  of  Lebanon,  N.  Y.  They  soon  after 
removed  to  Vernon  and  were  first  among  the  settlers  to  adopt  the  industry  of  dairy 
farmmg,  an  occupation  they  pursued  for  forty  successive  years.  By  his  untiring  in- 
dustry Mr.  Adams  was  foremost  in  changing  the  then  wilderness  into  productive 
fields,  from  which  he  accumulated  a  large  estate.  He  died  in  December,  1860,  and 
his  wife,  who  had  been  as  faithful  and  devout  in  all  things  that  went  to  build  up  and 
improve  the  community  in  which  they  lived,  died  in  August,  1874,  In  early  life 
Silas  Adams  purchased  a  farm  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Vernon,  upon  which  he 
lived  twenty  years.  Then  selling  that  property,  he  bought  what  was  known  as  the 
"  Indian  Butternut  Orchard  farm,"  situated  near  Oneida  Castle,  where  he  still 
resides.  This  place  he  soon  transformed  into  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  country, 
and  one  of  the  pleasantest  residences  along  the  Seneca  turnpike  between  Oneida 
Castle  and  Vernon  village. 

Mr.  Adams  is  still  active  and  vigorous  and  takes  great  pleasure  in  conducting  this 
large  fruit  and  dairy  farm.  As  the  result  of  his  keen  judgment,  coupled  with  energy, 
he  has  amassed  a  considerable  fortune,  standing  among  the  first  successful  farmers 
in  the  county. 

Mr.  Adams  married  for  his  first  wife,  in  1834,  Alvira  Snow,  of  Vernon.  She  died 
in  1860.  His  second  wife  was  Frances  O.  Allen,  of  Oneida,  whom  he  married  in 
1863.  She  survived  sixteen  years,  dying  in  1878.  For  his  third  wife  Mr.  Adams 
married  in  1887,  Amanda  Tobey  of  Virginia,  who  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Adams  has  had  four  sons,  two  of  whom  are  living.  Seymour  F.,  the  eldest,  and 
one  of  the  surviving  sons,  born  July  3,  1839,  is  a  successful  lawyer  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Albany  Law  School  in  1861,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  the  same  year. 

He  served  with  distinction  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
returned  to  this  State  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  sub- 
sequently district  attorney  of  Lewis  county,  which  office  he  resigned  and  located  \n 
Cleveland,  O. 

Charles  T.,  the  second  son,  was  born  August  29,  1840.  He  also  served  three  years 
during  the  war.  After  his  return  he  was  for  a  time  in  business  in  Cleveland,  but 
soon  engaged  in  the  mercantile  line  in  Ottawa,  111.  He  finally  removed  to  Howard, 
Kan.,  where  he  built  up  a  large  business.     He  died  there  in  1881. 

Silas  Hobart  Adams,  the  third  son,  was  born  January  15,  1845.  He  was  graduated 
from  Hamilton  College  and  then  entered  the  Rochester  Theological  Seminary  to 
prepare  for  the  ministry,  but  before  completing  his  course  he  was  stricken  with 
pneumonia  and  died  in  1870,  thus  ending  what  promised  to  be  a  brilliant  career. 

Francis  Eugene,  the  fourth  son,  was  born  May  6,  1852.  He  was  educated  at  Whites- 
town  Seminary  and  Amherst  College,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1878. 
After  completing  his  education  he  went  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  held  a  profess- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  9 

orship  in  the  Honolulu  College  for  three  years.  In  1881  he  returned  to  the  United 
States  and  lived  for  a  time  in  Humbolt,  Iowa.  He  removed  in  1890  to  Pomona,  Cal- 
ifornia, where  he  is  now  engaged  in  fruit  raising. 


HENRY  FARMAN. 

Henry  Farman,  of  Knoxboro,  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  New  Haven,  Oswego 
county,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  was  born  March  14, 1828.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Zadok  Far- 
man,  who  lived  in  the  town  of  New  Haven  from  the  time  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  April  9,  1854.  Roswell  Farman,  father  of  Zadok  and 
grandfather  of  Henry,  came  from  Bath,  N.  H.,  in  1803,  to  the  town  of  Augusta, 
where  he  resided  only  three  years.  He  then,  accompanied  by  his  oldest  son,  Zadok, 
went  to  Oswego  county,  undergoing  much  hardship  and  suffering  great  distress  and 
loss  of  property  while  struggling  to  establish  a  home.  Roswell  Farman  died  in  New 
Haven  October  17,  1839.  Zadok  Farman,  father  of  Henry,  married  in  1814  Martha 
Dix,  daughter  of  Charles  Dix  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county.  She  died  in  New  Haven 
December  23,  1863.  They  had  six  children,  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
the  second.  The  others  were  Charles  Dix  (taking  the  latter  name  from  his  mother's 
maiden  name),  born  November  11,  1820;  Elbert  Eli,  born  April  23,  1831;  Samuel 
Ara,  born  December  6,  1835,  and  two  doughters,  one  who  died  in  infancy  and  the 
other  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 

Elbert  Eli  Farman  is  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  our  time.  He  has  for  years  been 
eminent  as  a  jurist  and  diplomatist,  and  has  been  honored  by  appointment  to  some 
of  the  mo.st  important  posts  within  the  gift  of  the  president  of  the  United  States.  He 
was  formerly  diplomatic  agent  and  consul  general  at  Cairo,  Egypt,  and  subsequently 
judge  of  the  mixed  Tribunals  or  International  Courts  of  that  country.  Besides  this 
he  has  served  with  marked  ability  in  many  other  State  and  National  offices.  The 
Farmans  have  an  ancestry  that  goes  back  in  this  country  to  1674,  when  Robert  Fore- 
man (as  the  name  was  then  spelled),  settled  near  Annapohs,  Md.  He  was  a  planter 
there  in  the  early  history  of  that  State.  What  Henry  Farman  has  accomplished  in 
his  life  forcibly  demonstrates  what  can  be  achieved  against  many  discouraging 
difficulties,  when  the  right  sort  of  metal  and  character  dominates  and  guides  one's 
course.  He  attended  the  common  school  of  his  native  town  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
taught  his  first  term  of  school  at  that  place.  In  the  spring  after  attaining  his  major- 
ity he  came  to  Knoxboro  and  entered  the  employ  of  Riley  Shepard  as  a  farm  hand, 
the  wages  being  §10  per  month,  for  a  period  of  six  months.  After  completing  this 
service  he  returned  to  New  Haven  and  taught  another  winter's  term  of  school.  The 
next  spring  found  him  back  on  Mr.  Shepard's  farm  where  he  worked  another  season. 
At  this  early  period  in  this  career  he  resolved  to  lay  by  at  least  one  hundred  dollars 
a  year,  a  principle  he  has  rigidly  followed  through  all  hislife,  only  the  sum  increased 
as  his  accumulations  became  larger.  Mr.  Farman  continued  to  teach  for  seven 
winters,  the  times  being  those  when  he  "boarded  around  "  and  took  care  of  the  school 
house  himself. 

In  the  mean  time  he  was  acquiring  knowledge  of  books  and  business  and  law, 
which  in  face  of  his  struggle  to  get  on  required  study  and  perseverance  in  no  small 

B 


10  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

degree.  This  knowledge  has,  however,  stood  him  in  good  stead  during  the  years 
.since  that  time,  for  he  has  been  legal  adviser  for  scores  of  people  in  his  adopted  town 
and  has  been  entrusted  with  the  settling  up  of  numerous  estates,  many  of  which 
have  been  large  and  required  keen  judgment  and  the  most  careful  management  to 
guard  and  protect  the  interest  of  those  concerned.  Mr.  Farman  was  also  justice  of 
the  peace  for  two  terms,  and  his  decisions  on  cases  brought  before  him  were  so  cor- 
rect and  equitable  that  no  appeal  from  them  was  ever  taken.  Besides  all  these 
he  has  been  notary  public  for  forty  years  By  his  energy  and  industry  he  has 
accumulated  a  large  property,  not  only  in  realty, 'but  also  in  bank  stocks  and  vari- 
ous other  lines  of  investment.  In  the  mean  while  Mr.  Farman  has  never  neg- 
lected opportunities  in  the  interest  of  charity.  This  has  been  evidenced  both  in 
respect  to  individuals  and  church  societies.  He  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  sup- 
porters of  the  Methodist  Society  of  Knoxboro  and  has  twice,  largely  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, enlarged  and  improved  the  Augusta  cemetery.  He  ha;i  all  through  life  been  an 
earnest  Republican  in  politics  and  has  been  active  in  the  councils  of  the  party  both  in 
the  town  and  county.  While  Mr.  Farman  has  been  devoted  to  business  he  has  also 
found  time  for  study  and  travel.  He  has  traveled  extensively  through  Europe  and 
the  Orient,  visiting  Egypt,  Pompeii,  and  many  other  hisioric  places.  He  now  pos- 
sesses some  rare  paintings  and  alabaster  pieces,  procured  while  in  Florence. 

He  married  Fanny  Shepard,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Riley  Shcpard  of  Knox- 
boro. They  have  had  three  sons,  two  of  whom  are  dead.  Samuel  H.,  the  surviving 
son,  married,  in  June,  1892,  Lena  B.  Whitcomb,  of  Knoxboro.  They  now  reside  at 
that  place  and  have  one  daughter. 


JON  J.    LOOM  IS. 

Jon  J.  LooMis  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  May  (i,  182(5.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  Oneida  Castle  Academy.  He  taught  school  nine  terms, 
was  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  for  a  time,  then,  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Burhans,  he 
manufactured  sole  leather  two  years  in  Lewis  county.  He  next  went  to  Brooklyn 
as  a  clerk,  and  was  for  two  years  with  Potter  Palmer,  of  Chicago;  in  1856  he  returned 
to  Verona  and  has  been  engaged  in  hop  growing  and  general  farming  since.  In 
1859  he  married  Annice  Ferguson,  of  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Lizzie  M.,  who  married  John  S.  Leonard,  and  has  one  daughter,  Annice. 
Mrs.  Loomis  died  in  1865,  and  in  1876  he  married  Jane  P.  Owen,  of  Wisconsin,  by 
whom  he  has  one  son,  John  R.,  who  is  a  student  at  school.  John  Loomis,  his  father, 
was  born  in  Columbia  county  in  1789.  He  married  twice,  first  to  Catherine  Plass, 
by  whom  he  had  one  son,  William,  who  died  in  1862.  She  died  in  1814.  In  1815  he 
married  Betsey  McDonald  of  his  native  county,  and  they  had  three  children:  Cath- 
erine (died  in  1879),  Eli  (died  in  1890),  and  Jon  J.  The  family  came  to  this  county  in 
1820.  Mr.  Loomis  died  April  24,  1878,  and  his  wife  October  12,  1882.  The  grandfather, 
John  Loomis,  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Mrs.  Loomis's  father,  John  R.  Owen,  was  born  in  Anglesea,  North  Wales,  Great 
Britain,  January  8,  1815,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man  locating 
near  Rome,  in  1836.     In  1843  he  married  Elizabeth  Jones,  sister  of   Thomas  and 


JON.  J.  LOOMIS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  H 

Benjamin  Jones,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  William  E.,  who  is 
the  largest  individual  stock  dealer  and  shipper  of  Wisconsin ;  and  Jane  P.  Mr.  Owen 
died  in  1S93  and  his  wife  m  1849.  The  family  are  of  English,  German,  Scotch,  and 
Welsh  descent. 


CALVIN  BROWN. 

Calvin  Brown  was  born  in  Rome.  N.  Y.,  September  24,  1826.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  and  Oneida  Castle  Academy,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
February  27,  1850,  he  married  Mary  J.  Morton  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children:  Alice  J.,  Sarah  P.,  Leander  M.,  Electra  L.,  Lizzie  A.,  Minnie, 
Emma  G.,  and  Ernest  C.  Mrs.  Brown  died  August  24,  1867,  and  April  7,  1869,  Mr. 
Brown  married  Elilabeth  Hillock,  of  the  town  of  Y'ienna,  by  whom  he  had  five  chil- 
dren:  Eunice  H.,  Carrie  E.,  J.  Edward,  Maria  E.,  and  Luther  G.  Mr.  Brown's 
father,  Chauncy  Brown,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Coventry,  Conn.,  December  29, 
1793,  and  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents  in  1800,  He  married  Electra  Talcott, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Leander,  Gregory,  Calvm,  as  above,  Electra  L., 
Luther  M.,  and  Albert  B.  Mr.  Brown  died  in  December,  1878,  and  his  wife  in  1872. 
Mrs.  Brown's  father,  James  Hillock,  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland  in  1795,  and 
came  to  this  continent  when  a  young  man.  He  married  Catherine  Wiseman,  of  his 
native  country,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children:  Edward,  Robert,  Ann,  James,  John, 
William,  Elizabeth,  as  above,  and  Thomas.  Mr.  Hillock  died  in  Canada,  and  the 
balance  of  this  family  came  to  this  State  in  1837.  Mrs.  Hillock  died  in  1854.  Mr. 
Brown's  grandfather,  Richard  Brown,  owned  the  Brown  homestead  in  Rome  as 
early  as  1796.     The  ancestrj'  of  the  family  is  English,  Irish,  and  Scotch. 


JAMES  D.   SPENCER. 

James  D.  Stencek  was  born  in  Amsterdam,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  December 
27,  1813,  and  when  two  years  of  age  his  mother  moved  to  Providence,  Saratoga 
county,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  When  thirteen  years  of  age 
his  mother  died,  he  was  taken  to  West  Monroe,  Oswego  county,  where  he  stayed 
with  his  oldest  living  brother,  and  at  fifteen  years  of  age  became  a  clerk  in  a  general 
store.  He  has  married  three  times,  first  to  Freelove  Raymond,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children:  Reuben  J.,  Lyman  C,  Houghton  A.,  and  Millie  A.,  who  died  at  thirty 
years  of  age.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Elizabeth  Fisher,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:  Cathei'ine,  who  died  at  four  years  of  age,  and  B.  Lamont.  Mrs. 
Spencer  died  in  1886,  and  for  his  third  wife  he  married  Mrs.  Margaret  A.  (Raymond) 
Williams.  Mr.  Spencer  has  resided  near  Sylvan  Beach  fifty  years,  and  is  the  original 
owner  and  founder  of  Sylvan  Beach.  He  began  life  virtually  an  orphan  boy,  and 
through  industry  and  good  judgment  has  secured  a  competency.  The  Raymond 
family  is  one  of  the  oldest  families,  dating  b&cti  to  the  fifth  century. 


12  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

WILLIAM  P.  LOCKE. 

William  P.  Locke  was  born  at  Watefville,  where  he  still  resides,  April  28,  1842. 
He  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  man  and  woman- 
hood. One  of  these  is  now  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  one  in  California,  one  in  Pierre,  S.  D., 
one  in  Ithaca,  N.Y.,  two  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  three  in  Waterville,  viz. :  Mrs.  A.  J. 
Hale,  George  N.  Locke,  and  W.  P.  Locke,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  portrait 
herewith  presented.  Horace  P.  Locke,  the  father,  came  to  Waterville  in  1809,  being 
then  only  four  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  Peterboro,  N.  H.,  October  26,  1805. 
His  father  had  died  soon  after  Horace  P.  Locke  was  born,  so  that  he  had  gone  to 
live  with  an  aunt  and  uncle,  Captain  Ford.  Captain  Ford,  in  1809.  came  to  Sanger- 
field  and  bought  of  the  government  a  farm,  about  one  mile  east  of  Sangerfield  Center. 
Horace  P.  remained  with  the  Fords  till  the  Captain's  death,  when  the  farm  fell  to 
him.  Mr.  Locke  continued  to  carry  on  the  farm  until  he  finally  returned  to  Water- 
ville, where  he  died.  He  married  in  1825,  Mary  Gilmore,  mother  of  the  twelve 
children.  Besides  this  she  bore  her  share  of  the  struggle  in  developing  the  farm  and 
accumulating  the  property.     She  died  in  1872. 

The  Lockes  were  descended  from  William  Locke,  of  Stepney  Parish,  London,  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  in  1634,  when  only  six  years  old.  He  came  alone  on 
the  "Planter,"  at  least  with  only  friends  to  care  for  him.  He  settled  in  Massachusetts 
where  he  spent  his  life. 

William  P.  Locke,  after  completing  his  education,  remained  at  home  till  1866,  at 
which  time  he  married  Helen  F.  Bates,  daughter  of  John  W.  Bates,  of  Utica,  N.  Y. 
He  received  his  education  at  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Locke  bought  a  farm  adjoining  the  homestead,  and  a  little  later 
bought  of  his  father  the  latter  place.  These  farms  he  still  owns,  besides  several 
others  in  the  county,  the  product  from  them  being  mostly  hops.  From  1865  to  1889 
Mr.  Locke  was  engaged  in  hop-buying,  carrying  on  an  extensive  business  in  that  line 
during  most  of  those  years.  He  was  at  one  time  the  largest  hop  producer  in  the 
State,  and  has  at  present  about  seventy  acres  devoted  to  that  industry.  His  enter- 
prises are  not  all  confined  to  this  county  or  State  either,  for  he  is  largely  interested 
in  grape  culture  in  Florida,  and  a  member  of  the  Ponce  de  Leon  Wine  Co.,  at  Moul- 
trie, near  their  vineyards.  In  addition  to  this  Mr.  Locke,  in  1889,  was  one  of  a 
company  to  build  the  large  hotel  at  Pierre,  S.  D.,  known  as  the  "  Hotel  Locke,"  the 
finest  hotel  in  that  thriving  young  city.  This  place  has  since  become  famous  the 
world  over  on  account  of  the  mineral  springs  connected  therewith.  The  government 
has  for  some  time  had  a  similar  well  at  the  Indian  school  about  two  miles  distant, 
which  became  a  mecca  for  invalids  as  the  curative  properties  of  the  water  became 
known.  The  influx  to  this  place  was  finally  prohibited  by  the  government,  and  this 
led  to  the  putting  down  of  the  well  in  the  town.  The  water  stands  at  nearly  100 
degrees  and  possesses  such  healing  powers  for  skin  diseases,  rheurriatism,  kidney  and 
liver  troubles,  that  hundreds  now  visit  it  every  year.  The  hotel  is  a  large  structure, 
accommodating  several  hundred  guests. 

Mr.  Locke  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  party's 
welfare. 

They  have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz. ;  Emma  B.  and 
Edward  G. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  13 

JAMES   A.    DOUGLASS. 

James  A.  Douglass  is  a  native  of  Oneida  county  and  has  spent  his  life  within  its 
borders.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  October  23,  1837,  and  his  early  days 
were  spent  on  his  father's  farm,  the  winters  finding  him  an  attendant  at  the  district 
school.  After  quitting  the  district  school  he  entered  the  Whitestown  Seminary,  re- 
maining at  that  institution  for  some  time.  He  then  took  a  short  course  at  the  Al- 
bany Norma)  School,  after  which  he  adopted  the  occupation  of  teaching,  being  engaged 
in  the  school  of  his  native  town,  also  Stockwell,  Sangerfield,  and  finally  from  1863  to 
1866  as  principal  of  the  Oriskany  Falls  public  school.  The  vacations  in  the  mean 
time  were  spent  at  farm  work,  and  thus  by  prudent  foresight  and  energy  the 
foundation  was  laid  for  what  has  since  proved  to  be  a  successful  business  career. 

His  father,  George  Douglass,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  where  his 
parents  resided  for  a  short  time.  His  mother,  wife  of  Daniel  Douglass,  died  when 
George  was  in  infancy,  so  that  the  grandfather.  Captain  Fuller,  brought  him  up. 
He  married  Lusina  Ward,  a  native  of  Floyd.  After  occupying  their  farm  for  more 
than  twenty- five  years  they  moved  to  Holland  Patent,  living  there  until  Mr.  Douglass's 
death,  which  occurred  May  1,  1891.  His  wife  survived  him  one  year,  and  died  at 
Oriskany  Falls  June  5,  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight. 

While  acting  as  principal  of  the  Oriskany  Falls  school  in  1864  James  A.  Douglass 
married  Elouis  M.  Bush,  of  Sangerfield.  She,  too,  was  a  teacher,  having  been  edu- 
cated at  a  private  school  in  Waterville  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  They  both  con- 
tinued to  teach  at  the  Falls  for  the  next  two  successive  years,  when  Mr.  Douglass 
retired  from  the  school  and  bought  a  large  warehouse  on  the  bank  of  the  old  Che- 
nango Canal,  engaging  in  the  lumber  and  produce  business. 

In  1867  he  entered  into  partnership  with  E.  A.  Hamlin,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Douglass  &  Hamlin,  the  firm  carrying  the  same  line  of  business  till  1877.  At  that 
time  Mr.  Hamlin  retired  from  the  firm,  the  business  having  since  been  conducted  by 
Mr.  Douglass. 

In  1883,  in  company  with  Herman  Morgan,  he  bought  the  old  Oriskany  Falls 
brewery  which  had  a  wide  reputation  for  its  line  of  product.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued till  1894,  when  Mr.  Douglass  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Morgan  and  is 
now  carrying  on  that  business  with  his  various  other  industries. 

In  1888  Mr.  Douglass  built  a  large  canning  factor}^  which  is  now  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  C.  L.  Douglass  &  Co.  (the  C.  L.  Douglass  being  the  son).  Mr. 
Douglass  has  been  married  twice.  His  second  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1892,  was 
Mrs.  Flora  Hubbard  Smith,  of  Chittenango,  Madison  county,  N.  V.  Through  all  his 
career  Mr.  Douglass  has  been  an  ardent  Republican  and  has  been  active  and  in- 
fluential in  both  town,  county  and  State  politics.  He  has,  too,  been  honored  by  his 
party  with  many  offices  of  importance.  He  has  been  president  of  his  village,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature  and  since  1890  has  represented  his  town  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  As  a  member  of  that  board  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  one  of  the 
most  competent  representatives  the  town  has  ever  had.  That  this  has  been  recog. 
nized  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  board  elected  him  its  chairman  in  1893,  and  in 
1891  and  1892  chairman  of  the  miscellaneous  committee  and  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  in   1893  when   the  sale  of  the  old  county  house  buildings  at  Rome 


14  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  a  new  site  bought  and  new  buildings  erected.  It  was  due  mainly  to  his  busi- 
ness sagacity  that  this  sale  at  a  large  figure  was  brought  about,  and  new  and 
much  more  elaborate  structures  built  for  an  amount  considerably  less  than  what  was 
received  for  the  property  sold.  With  him  an  office  is  a  public  trust  in  the  strictest 
sense.  Mr.  Douglass  has  had  two  children,  one  son,  Clinton  L.,  born  January  3, 
1869,  and  Anna  L.,  born  July  13,  1870.     She  died  December  26,  1885. 


REUBEN   TOWER. 

Rkiben  Tower,  agriculturist,  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1829. 

He  is  of  the  seventh  generation  from  John  Tower,  who  emigrated  from  Hingham, 
m  Norfolk,  England,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Hingham,  Massachusetts,  in  1637; 
and  whose  long  line  of  descendants  had  been  eminent,  first  in  conspicuous  services  in 
wars  with  the  Indians;  the  French  and  Indian  war  and  the  Revolution;  and  in  .sub- 
duing the  wilderness,  as  well  as  in  various  lines  of  business,  science  and  the  learned 
professions. 

Reuben  Tower,  father  of  tbe  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at  Rutland,  Mass., 
February  15,  1787.  He  married  Deborah  Taj'lor  Pearce,  of  Little  Compton,  Rhode 
Island,  February  15,  1808,  at  Paris,  Oneida,  count)-,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  in  Sanger- 
field,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.     He  died  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  March  14,  1832. 

His  business  was  that  of  a  general  merchant,  and  his  life  was  marked  by  an  in- 
terest in  all  concerns  of  public  welfare  and  the  development  of  his  adopted  State, 
especially  in  the  projection  and  completion  of  the  Chenango  Canal.  He  was  an  hon- 
orable and  able  member  of  the  New  York  Legislature  of  1828. 

His  family  embraced  eight  children,  of  whom  the  eldest  was  Charlemagne,  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  College  in  the  Class  of  1S30,  and  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  capi- 
talist of  Philadelphia. 

Reuben,  the  youngest  son,  commenced  his  educational  career  at  old  Oxford  Acad- 
emy and  continued  his  preparation  for  college  with  three  years  at  Phillips  Exeter 
Academy  at  Exeter,  N.  H.  He  was  admitted  into  the  Freshman  Class  at  Harvard 
University  in  1848,  but  illness  forced  him  to  abandon  his  university  career  at  the 
close  of  his  sophomore  year. 

He  then  turned  his  attention  to  business  affairs,  and  before  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  was  conducting  a  flourishing  enterprise  in  the  manufacturing  of  alcohol 
and  also  fattening  cattle,  and  his  business  ability  and  success  are  well  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  at  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  had  accumulated  a  capital  of  $23,600. 

A  natural  love  of  agriculture  led  him  to  direct  his  energies  and  mind  toward  the 
science  of  land  tillage,  and  there  is  no  phase  of  agriculture  that  has  not  engaged  his 
attention,  and  no  department  in  which  he  has  not  achieved  success. 

As  a  stock  breeder  his  reputation  is  well  nigh  national,  and  he  has  raised  herds  of 
blooded  cattle,  and  a  score  of  high  bred  horses,  that  would  do  credit  to  a  Kentucky 
stock  farm,  the  colts  selling  at  from  8400  to  $2,000  each. 

One  permanent  mark  of  his  enterprise  as  an  agriculturist  is  worthy  of  conspicuous 
mention,  namely,  the  splendid  reservoir  and  system  of  water  works  which  he  con- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  15 

structed  on  the  farm  of  Charlemagne  Tower,  over  which  he  had  supervision.  This 
system  of  water  works  is  far  superior  to  that  which  supplies  the  adjoining  village. 
The  reservoir  covers  two  and  two-thirds  acres  of  ground,  with  an  average  depth  of 
seven  and  one  half  feet,  and  attracts  many  visitors. 

But  while  Mr.  Tower  has  achieved  a  high  reputation  as  an  agiiculturist,  he  has 
made  an  impress  upon  the  village  of  Waterville  that  shall  herald  his  name  for  many 
generations.  Indeed,  so  long  as  the  village  exists  it  will  proclaim  his  spirit  of  enter, 
prise  and  advancement  in  its  streets  and  environments  Here  truly,  he  has  made 
himself  a  part  of  Oneida  county,  and  set  his  seal  upon  it. 

His  fellow  citizens  could  not  but  see  the  value  of  a  man  both  educated  and  prac- 
tical and  they  elected  and  re-elected  him  president  of  the  village  of  Waterville  for  a 
long  series  of  years,  and  during  all  this  he  threw  the  same  energy  and  zeal  into  his 
official  duties  that  he  always  manifested  in  his  private  affairs.  He  was  not  satisfied 
to  perform  simply  absolute  and  routine  duties.  The  point  with  him  was,  not  how 
little  he  could  do,  but  his  constant  anxiety  was  to  plan  and  perfect  some  new  methods 
of  benefiting  the  village.  One  street  required  filling,  another  needed  cutting  down, 
another  to  be  curbed;  none  were  neglected.  Some  changes  and  repairs  were  costly 
ones,  but  the  progressive  village  president  did  not  wait  for  public  funds  to  be  pro- 
vided. He  gave  more  from  his  own  private  purse  than  he  asked  from  the  village 
treasury,  and  also  furnished  many  laborers  from  his  own  individu.il  force. 

So  it  came,  that  the  handsome  village  of  Waterville  bears  testimony  throughout 
its  length  and  breadth,  to  years  of  vigilance  and  self-sacrifice  on  the  part  of  a  presi- 
dent who  had  striven,  not  always  without  opposition  from  weli-meaning  fellow- 
townsmen,  to  improve  and  beautify  the  place,  which  shall  forever  hold  his  name,  in 
the  grand  "  Tower  Avenue  "  that  owes  its  attractive  length  and  breadth,  as  well  as 
its  name  to  him. 

But  it  was  not  in  the  welfare  of  the  corporation  alone,  that  he  took  delight.  Citi- 
zens of  Waterville  to-day  attest  that  nothing  seemed  to  give  him  so  much  pleasure  as 
to  see  the  working  men  com.e  in  on  Saturdays  and  get  their  pay. 

Mr.  Tower  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Supervisor  of 
Sangerfield  five  successive  years,  and  always  by  large  majorities,  notwithstanding 
the  party  vote  was  very  clo.se.  It  was  a  striking  case  of  the  office  seeking  the  man, 
for  Mr.  Tower  never  solicited  a  vote,  nor  pulled  a  wire,  and  yet  he  sometimes  re- 
ceived a  two-thirds  majority.  His  services  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors  were  on  the 
line  of  economy,  good  legislation  and  honest  work.  A  leader  among  Democrats, 
he  was  awarded  a  prominent  place  in  the  board,  where  his  rare  judgment,  sterling 
integrity,  and  genial  temper  were  thoroughly  appreciated  and  fully  recognized. 

Not  only  was  he  appointed  on  the  most  important  committees,  but  as  a  special 
evidence  of  the  high  regard  of  his  fellow-members,  he  was,  at  one  time,  the  recipient 
of  a  handsome  and  valuable  gold  headed  cane  from  the  board. 

With  no  self  vanity  to  gratify,  with  none  of  the  petty  views  of  the  small  politician, 
he  despised  every  form  of  wickedness  and  meanness,  and  his  friends  consider  the 
intrinsic  worth  of  his  dignity  and  ability  deserving  of  almost  any  office. 

Mr.  Tower's  residence  is  the  most  interesting  feature  of  Waterville  to  visitors,  and 
one's  attention  is  immediately  drawn  to  it  by  its  famous  "chime  of  bells." 

His  reception  room  is  nearly  one  hundred  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide,  and   fifteen 


16  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

feet  high,  with  Axminster  rug  of  wondrous  size,  nearly  hiding  the  hard  wood 
floor.  Beautiful  wainscoting  in  massive  paneled  oak  extending  half  way  to  the  lofty 
ceiling  from  the  sides  of  the  room.  Costly  pictures  adorn  the  walls,  not  the  least 
prized  of  which  are  half  a  dozen,  representing  high  bred  horses  of  his  own  raising. 
The  room  is  heated  by  a  mammoth  fire-place,  of  pressed  brick,  the  expense  of  which 
must  have  been  fabulous.  Here  huge  birch  logs  blaze  on  andirons  of  "  ye  olden 
tyme." 

Windows  set  high  in  the  walls  invite  views  of  neat  outbuildings,  j'^ard,  fields  and 
village  street,  while  from  the  observatory,  which  crowns  the  building,  one  holds  the 
vast  expense  of  Oriskany  Valley  within  his  easv  scope. 

The  bell  tower  is  one  hundred  and  three  feet  in  height,  and  its  "chime"  of  ten 
large  bells  makes  the  music  of  the  village,  and  wafts  the  time  to  all  the  country  for 
miles  around.  The  smallest  bell  weighs  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds,  the 
largest  one  over  a  ton.  This  tower  is  also  embelished  with  the  large  illuminated 
dials  of  a  village  clock,  which  strikes  both  the  quarters  and  the  hour,  with  echoing 
melody. 

The  social  characteristics  of  Mr.  Tower  are  admirable.  In  family  relations  his 
attachments  are  most  ardent,  and  there  is  always  a  charming  atmosphere  of  geni- 
ality and  good  spirits  in  his  presence  and  conversation.  Faithfulness  to  duty  and 
steadfastness  in  friendship  are  traits  in  his  character  that  have  ever  won  the  admi- 
ration of  all.  A  cultured  man  of  superior  intellect,  he  is  generous  both  in  mind  and 
heart,  liberal  in  his  estimate  of  his  fellow  men  and  kindly  just  in  all  his  dealings  with 
them.  Gifted  with  a  fine  presence,  and  natural,  easy  dignity,  he  is  a  grand  type  of 
the  thorough  gentleman. 


AMOS  O.  OSBORN. 

Amos  O.  Osborn  was  born  December  12,  1811,  and  is  sixth  in  descent  from  his 
English  ancestor  Richard,  who  came  from  England  to  Hingham,  Mass.,  in  \G'S5  and 
went  from  there  to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  16:39  where  he  became  a  free  planter  and 
shared  in  the  division  of  land  in  1643. 

His  father,  Amos  Osborn,  born  November  30,  1764,  was  a  native  of  Trumbull,  Fair- 
field county.  Conn.  He  came  to  Waterville  in  1802,  where  he  engaged  in  distilling, 
and  in  1810  purchased  the  farm,  part  of  lot  39,  where  he  and  his  son  have  ever  since 
lived,  of  Benjamin  White,  who  m  turn  had  bought  it  of  Col.  Marinus  Willet,  one  of 
the  original  proprietors.  He  was  a  man  of  industry  and  integrity,  which  with  frugal 
living  and  wise  management  of  affairs  brought  him  a  handsome  competence  later  in 
life.  He  married  Rosanna,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Swetland,  a  soldier  of  the  Rev- 
olution. Of  the  six  children  born  to  them  Amos  O.,  the  fourth,  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  He  received  his  early  education  in  Waterville  and  at  the  private  school  of 
Rev.  Ely  Burchard  at  Paris  Hill.  Later  he  went  to  Hamilton,  which  had  already 
become  a  noted  school  centre,  and  after  fitting  there,  was  for  two  years  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1836  of  Yale  College.  After  leaving  college  he  studied  law  with  his 
brother-in-law,  the  Hon.  Levi  D.  Carpenter,  of  Waterville,  and  with  Judge  Joshua 
Spencer  of  Utica.     In  the  fall  of  1837  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon  after 


f-^^^Vi 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  17 

opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Westfield,  Chautauqua  county, 
N.  Y.     After  two  years  he  returned  to  Waterville  to  engage  in  the  same  profession. 

Mr.  Osborn  was  a  Whig  in  politics  and  has  always  been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  In  the  years  1845  and  1846  he  was  elected  supervisor  and  for 
thirteen  years  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  while  his  party  in  Sangerfield  was  greatly 
in  the  minority.  He  also  represented  his  district  and  was  a  useful  member  of  the 
two-session  Assembly  in  1853.  For  forty-five  years  he  was  a  director  in  the  Bank  of 
Waterville.  In  1840  he  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  Grace  church,  Water- 
ville, and  for  fifty-three  years  has  been  its  senior  warden  and  a  most  liberal  sup- 
porter. In  185B  he  with  his  father-in-law.  Deacon  Joseph  Moss  of  New  Berlin,  Che- 
nango county,  N.  Y.,  built  at  their  own  expense  its  rectory. 

It  was  by  his  suggestion  and  effort  that  the  Waterville  Cemetery  Association  was 
formed  and  it  has  been  greatly  by  his  aid  that  it  has  since  become  one  of  the  finest 
village  burial  grounds  in  the  State.  Mr.  Osborn  has  been  its  president  and  chairman 
of  its  executive  committee  ever  since  its  incorporation. 

The  diary  kept  during  the  ninety  days  at  sea  of  a  journey  to  Australia  in  1855  and 
1856,  at  which  time  he  circumnavigated  the  globe,  and  the  notes  of  places  visited  both 
in  Australia,  on  the  Continent  and  in  this  country,  show  his  quick  habit  of  observation 
and  the  readiness  with  which  he  grasped  and  made  use  of  points  of  special  interest. 

Throughout  all  his  life  Mr.  Osborn  has  been  a  student  m  literature  and  the  sciences 
and  a  man  of  extensive  research  and  learning.  His  large  and  well  selected  library, 
chiefly  of  books  of  reference  and  works  on  science,  shows  his  ardent  love  of  nature 
which  has  ever  found  in  tree  or  flower,  bird,  insect  or  rock,  something  to  study  and 
admire,  so  that  his  life,  seemingly  one  of  leisure,  has  been  a  very  busy  and  a  very 
happy  one.  He  has  been  much  interested  in  geology  and  his  studies  and  discoveries 
in  that  line  have  been  of  special  interest  and  value  to  science.  His  collection  of  fos- 
sils is  extensive  and  especially  full  from  the  series  of  rocks  in  his  own  neighborhood. 
He  has  also  devoted  much  time  and  attention  to  the  historical  study  of  his  own  town. 
He  prepared  the  chapter  on  the  town  of  Sangerfield  in  Judge  Jones's  Annals  of 
Oneida  county,  and  has  in  preparation  a  fuller -history,  not  yet  published,  in  which 
are  genealogical  notices  of  over  three  hundred  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  which 
he  has  studied  and  arranged  with  great  care.  While  thus  untiring  in  self-develop- 
ment he  has  been  greatly  interested  in  the  advancement  of  Sangerfield,  especially 
earnest  in  his  views  of  right  and  law  that  should  govern  corporations  and  municipal- 
ities as  well  as  individuals.  His  genial  smile  and  cordial  manner,  his  generous  aid 
in  case  of  need,  his  quick  response  of  sj^mpathy  in  joy  or  sorrow,  his  unvarying  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  the  public  as  well  as  its  individual  members,  his  public  spirit 
always  manifest  in  everything  promising  progress  or  improvement,  have  won  for 
him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  public  in  the  community  which  gave  him  birth 
and  which  has  strengthened  and  grown  with  his  advancing  years. 

He  is  a  life  member  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  of  the  State  of 
New  York ;  a  life  member  of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Society ;  a  member  of  the 
American  As.sociation  for  the  Advancement  of  Science ;  a  life  member  and  fellow  of 
the  Geological  Society  of  America  and  a  life  member  and  councilor  of  the  Oneida  His- 
torical Society. 

Mr.  Osborn  married  for  his  first  wife  on  May  23,  1838,  Harriet N.,  youngest daugh- 
c 


18  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ter  of  the  late  Joseph  Moss  and  Rhoda  Griffith  of  New  Berlin,  Chenango  county,  N. 
Y.  She  died  March  27,  1861.  Four  daughters  were  born  to  them.  Rosanna,  who 
died  in  early  childhood;  Rosalie,  wife  of  the  artist  Albert  Bierstadt;  Mary,  wife  of 
Charles  C.  Hall  of  New  York,  and  Esther,  the  only  one  now  living,  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam G.  Mayer  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and  later  a  leading  lawyer  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  On 
July  1,  1863,  Mr.  Osborn  married  for  his  second  wife  Adaline,  youngest  daughter  of 
the  late  Ellis  Morse  and  Adaline  Bagg  of  Eaton,  Madison  county,  N.  Y. 


JAMES  G.   HUNT,   M.  D. 

The  ancestry  of  Dr.  James  G.  Hunt,  of  Utica,  belongs  to  the  "  Northampton  line  " 
and  is  traced  backward  through  several  generations  to  Rev.  Robert  Hunt  and  Jon- 
athan Hunt,  who  emigrated  to  America  from  Northampton,  England,  in  the  year 
1660,  and  settled  in  Connecticut.  It  is  claimed  by  many  of  the  family  that  there 
were  four  (some  say  three)  brothers  who  came  to  this  country  together.  Jonathan 
afterward  settled  in  what  is  now  Northampton,  Mass.,  and  Rev.  Robert  in  the  town- 
ship of  New  London,  Conn.  Among  their  descendants  was  Timothy  Hunt,  who  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  under  General  Abercrombie  in  an  attack  on 
Fort  Ticonderoga,  and  who  finally  located  in  Tryon  county  (now  Florida,  Montgom- 
ery county),  N.  Y.,  where  he  died.  During  the  Revolutionary  period  Timothy  Hunt 
and  his  family  were  among  the  sufferers  by  the  Tories  and  Indians  under  the  lead- 
ership of  William  Butler  and  Joseph  Brant,  a  Mohawk  sachem.  On  the  morning  of 
November  12,  1778,  after  the  Indians  had  accomplished  the  destruction  of  Cherry 
Valley  and  the  surrounding  country,  they  finally  reached  the  settlement  of  Chuck- 
tenunde  Creek  in  the  town  of  Florida.  Mr.  Hunt's  buildings  were  burned  and  most 
of  his  stock  was  killed,  the  remainder  escaping  to  the  forest,  while  himself  and  family 
were  saved  by  concealing  themselves  in  a  neighboring  ravine,  closely  filled  with 
elders,  willows,  and  thick  vinderbrush.  His  wife,  Susanna  Vermilia,  was  of  French 
descent,  and  of  their  ten  children — five  sons  and  five  daughters — Isaac,  who  was 
born  in  Florida,  Montgomery  county,  married  Polly  Kinney,  of  the  same  place.  Rev. 
Robert  Hunt,  2d,  son  of  this  Isaac  and  grandfather  of  Dr.  James  G.,  was  born  in 
that  town  November  25,  1792,  being  one  of  twelve  children.  He  married  Margaret 
Johnson,  of  Columbia,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  began  preaching  in  the  Free 
Will  Baptist  denomination  as  soon  as  he  reached  manhood,  first  in  Warren,  Her- 
kimer county,  and  afterward  in  Columbia,  Schuyler  Lake,  Whitmantown  and  South- 
ville.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Troy,  O.,  and  in  1853  to  China,  Wyoming  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  twelve  years.  His  health  failed  and  he  subsequently  made 
his  home  in  Hudson,  Mich.  In  1871  he  came  to  the  home  of  his  son.  Dr.  Isaac 
J.  Hunt,  of  Utica,  where  he  died  December  7,  1872.  Rev.  Robert  Hunt  had  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  were  sons,  and  all  of  them  became  physicians.  One  of  these. 
Dr.  Isaac  J.  Hunt,  father  of  Dr.  James  G..  was  born  in  Warren,  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y.,  March  27,  1820,  and  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Ingersoll,  a  farmer  and 
manufacturer  of  Ilion,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Castleton 
(Vt.)  Medical  College,   became  a  successful  physician,   and  practiced  his  profession 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  19 

for  nearly  thirty  years  in  the  city  of  Utica,  where  he  died  January  25,  1875.  He  had 
two  sons:  Dr.  James  G.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Loton  S.,  who  was  born  in 
Utica  in  1852,  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Harrison  United  States  consul  to  Guelph,  Canada,  whence  he  was  subsequently 
transferred  to  Palmerston,  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  still  resides  and  officiates  in 
that  capacity. 

Dr.  James  G.  Hunt  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  21st  of 
June,  1845.  His  boyhood  experience  was  not  materially  different  from  that  of  a 
large  majority  of  American  youths,  though  he  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  devote 
nearly  the  whole  of  his  early  life  to  study.  Beginning  with  the  district  school  he 
continued  until  he  was  graduated  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy  at  a  comparatively 
early  age.  Shortly  afterward  he  became  assistant  bookkeeper  in  the  IHon  Bank  at 
Ihon,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  there  for  a  year  or  more,  until  1866,  when  he  accepted  a 
desirable  position  in  the  Utica  post-office.  In  1867  he  went  to  Buffalo  as  bookkeeper 
for  Andrews  &  Whitney,  with  whom  he  remained  one  year.  Returning  to  Utica  in 
1868  he  began  preparation  in  his  father's  office  for  the  profession  that  was  to  be 
his  life  work.  Indeed  it  may  be  said  that  he  grew  up  surrounded  by  the  atmosphere 
of  the  medical  profession.  After  about  four  years  of  industrious  study  under  the 
careful  instruction  of  his  father  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  took  two  courses  of  lectures  and  a  course  in  the 
laboratory  of  analytical  and  applied  chemistry.  These  were  followed  by  a  third 
course  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated on  the  13th  of  March,  1871.  At  the  time  of  his  graduation  one  of  the  daily 
papers  spoke  of  him  as  follows:  "He  received  the  largest  number  of  diplomas  for 
clinical  instruction  in  medicine  and  surgery  from  the  Quiz  Association  connected 
with  Jeft'erson  Medical  College  of  any  one  in  his  class."  During  the  same  year 
(1871)  he  attended  a  course  of  clinical  lectures  in  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  (Blockley), 
and  also  a  course  of  lectures  in  anatomy,  operative  surgery,  bandaging,  and  fractures 
in  the  Philadelphia  School  of  Anatomy. 

Returning  to  Utica  Dr.  Hunt  entered  immediately  into  practice  in  association  with 
his  father.  This  partnership  continued  until  1874,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced 
alone,  meeting  with  an  unusual  degree  of  success.  In  attempting  to  note  the  ele- 
ments of  this  success  it  may,  perhaps,  be  justly  said  that  they  consist  chiefly  of  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  profession,  gained  by  persistent  and  judicious  study, 
supplemented  by  constant  reading  of  the  later  developments  that  have  been  re- 
corded throughout  the  range  of  medical  literature,  coupled  with  a  temperament  and 
manner  which  happily  fit  him  for  his  work.  His  capacity  for  professional  labor  is 
almost  unbounded,  and  he  never  spares  his  energies  in  his  devotion  to  his  duties. 

Dr.  Hunt's  professional  standing,  as  well  as  the  position  he  occupies  in  the  com- 
munity, may  be  judged  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  various  calls  that  have  been  made 
upon  him  to  stations  of  honor  and  responsibility.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Phi 
Society,  Iota  Chapter  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  1869,  and  of  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College  Alumni  Association,  1871 ;  was  made  a  member  of  the  Oneida 
County  Medical  Society  on  October  7,  1872;  is  a  member  of  the  Utica  Medical 
Library  Association  and  was  its  president  in  1886 ;  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Oneida  County  Microscopical  Society  on  June  19,  1881 ;  is  a  member  of  the  American 


20  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Medical  Association  and  the  New  York  vState  Medical  Association,  and  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  American  Public  Health  Association  on  December  7,  1880;  was  ap- 
oointed  by  Gov.  A.  B.  Cornell  as  commissioner  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  and 
served  from  1880  to  1885;  is  physician  to  and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children,  organized  February  1,  1881 ;  is 
a  life  member  and  trustee  of  the  Utica  Mechanics  Association ;  was  appointed  sur- 
geon of  the  Board  of  United  States  Pension  Examiners  on  March  30,  1889;  was 
made  a  trustee  of  the  Utica  Female  Academy  on  February  6,  1888,  and  still  holds 
that  position;  and  is  a  director  of  the  Globe  Woolen  Mills.  Dr.  Hunt  has  also 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  fraternal  organizations  and  is  prominent  as  a  Mason,  having 
taken  the  32%  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  It  is 
much  to  his  professional  credit  that  he  was  chosen  a  surgeon  for  the  Delaware, 
Lackawanna  and  Western  Railroad  Company  in  1885,  The  New  York,  Ontario  and 
Western  Railway  in  1886,  and  is  acting  in  that  capacity  at  the  present  time;  he  also 
held  a  similar  position  on  the  New  York,  West  Shore  and  Buffalo  Railroad  from 
1886  to  1889.  On  May  2,  1891,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Railway  Surgeons  and  on  March  8,  1892,  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Association  of  Railway  Surgeons.  He  was  physician  and  surgeon  in  charge  of  the 
Masonic  Home  at  Utica  from  its  opening  until  two  years  ago,  when  a  medical  staff 
was  formed,  since  which  time  he  has  been  chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  staff.  He  has  also  filled  the  posts  of  chief  surgeon  in  Faxton  Hospital  (1880 
to  1886)  and  surgeon  at  St.  Luke's  Hospital  (1883  to  1893)  and  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospit- 
al (1888  to  1894),  and  is  now  surgeon  on  the  staff  of  Faxton  Hospital.  He  has  held 
the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  in  the  44th  Separate  Company  National  Guard  and 
assistant  surgeon  of  that  organization,  and  was  president  of  the  Utica  Citizens 
Corps  in  1886,  1887,  and  1888.  It  is  just  to  say  that  in  all  these  various  positions 
Dr.  Hunt  has  shown  his  fitness  and  capacity  for  the  capable  discharge  of  their  duties, 
and  earned  the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 

In  politics  Dr.  Hunt  is  a  Republican.  In  November,  1873,  he  was  appointed,  by 
Gov.  John  A.  Dix,  coroner  of  Oneida  county  to  fill  a  vacancy  and  was  elected  to  that 
office  three  consecutive  terms,  serving  in  all  nearly  ten  years.  On  June  12,  1874,  he 
was  appointed  health  officer  of  the  city  of  Utica,  in  which  capacity  he  served  most 
efficiently  for  nearly  twenty  years.  In  passing  the  Civil  Service  examination  for  that 
position  the  Albany  Evening  Argus  of  August  18,  1885,  said:  "  Health  officer  Hunt, 
of  LTtica,  was  one  of  the  three  highest  who  passed  the  Civil  Service  examination, 
his  standing  being  92  9-10  out  of  a  possible  100.  The  doctor  is  an  adept  at  determin- 
ing knotty  questions,  and  his  brilliant  record  is  no  more  than  might  be  expected." 

Other  newspapers,  in  commenting  at  length  upon  his  record  as  a  health  officer, 
etc.,  said: 

"  As  health  officer  he  ranks  among  the  first  in  the  State  of  New  York." 

"  He  has  also  contributed  largely  to  the  annual  reports  of  the  State  Board  of 
Health  articles  of  great  interest  on  public  matters.  Among  hia  best  efforts  in  this 
respect  is  his  report  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Institutions  in  the  first 
annual  report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  New  York  for  the  year  1880.  This  is 
a  very  lengthy  report,  and  the  doctor  presents  the  results  attained  in  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  i:seful  public  buildings,  the  New  York  State  Hospital,  in  a  verv 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  21 

able  and  scientific  manner,  touching  upon  the  system  of  ventilation,  heating,  drain- 
age, and  water  stipply." 

In  the  second  annual  report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  New  York,  for  the 
year  1881,  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Institutions,  Dr.  Hunt  is  thus 
spoken  of  in  the  introduction :  "He  presents  an  outline  of  results  of  personal  in- 
spection and  exact  inquiry  into  the  present  condition  and  sanitary  wants  of  school- 
houses,  as  shall  fitly  serve  the  purposes  of  the  board  to  institute  and  induce  needed 
sanitary  improvements  in  our  school  houses  and  in  the  schools  themselves,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  suggest  and  stimulate  local  concern  in  this  matter." 

"His  lectures  to  the  school  of  nurses  at  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  of  Utica,  for  the 
past  number  of  years  have  been  very  instructive  to  the  nurses,  and  have  been 
read  by  thousands  of  those  who  have  made  pubhc  health  a  study;  he  is  known 
far  and  near  throughout  the  United  States  on  all  questions  pertaining  to  public 
health." 

In  1887  Dr.  Hunt  was  strongly  urged  for  the  mayoralty  of  the  city  of  Utica, 
and  received  the  unanimous  nomination  of  the  convention,  but  for  personal  reasons 
was  compelled  to  decline  the  honor. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1874,  Dr.  Hunt  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  R.  Middleton, 
daughter  of  Robert  Middleton,  president  and  superintendent  of  the  Globe  Woolen 
Company  of  Utica.  They  have  four  children:  Gertrude  May,  Mabel  Lillian,  Robert 
Middleton,  and  Ella  Louisa. 


ISAAC  R.   SCOTT. 

The  Scott  family  from  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  descended  was  founded 
in  America  by  three  brothers  who  came  from  Scotland  and  first  settled  in  Boston, 
Mass. ,  in  the  seventeenth  century.  One  of  them  finally  located  m  Bellingham,  Mass. , 
while  the  other  two  went  with  Roger  Williams  to  Rhode  Island  and  took  up  land  on 
the  Blackstone  River.  Their  descendants  have  for  generations  been  prominent  fac- 
tors in  the  civil,  social  and  commercial  life  of  New  England  and  are  numbered  among 
the  most  progressive  and  substantial  citizens.  Earned  Scott,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
the  father  of  Isaac  R.,  was  born  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  and  became  a  mill  architect 
and  engineer  of  considerable  note.  He  erected  many  of  the  older  mills  in  New 
England,  among  them  being  one  in  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  the  Atlantic  Delaine  Mills  in 
Providence,  and  Lonsdale  mill  No.  3  in  Lonsdale,  R.  I.  In  1832  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  Lonsdale  and  established  a  machine  shop,  and  there  his  wife,  Joanna  C. 
Clark,  a  native  of  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  died  in  1833.  His  death  occurred  in  Provi- 
dence in  1852.  They  had  three  children:  Isaac  R.  of  Utica,  and  William  L.  and 
Mary,  both  deceased. 

Isaac  Raze  Scott,  eldest  son  of  Earned  and  Joanna  C.  (Clark)  Scott,  was  born  in 
Cumberland,  R.  I.,  August  5,  1817,  and  inherited  the  sturdy  and  thrifty  traits  of 
character  that  distinguished  his  ancestors.  He  received  a  common  school  education 
in  his  native  town  and  in  addition,  while  the  family  were  in  Lonsdale,  attended  an 
academy  in  Wrentham,   Mass.,  for  a  period  of  six  months.     As  a  boy  he  showed 


22  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

great  aptitude  for  mechanics,  and  during  the  intervals  of  school  and  work  spent 
much  time  in  the  shop  of  his  father.  This  sort  of  play,  this  fondness  for  the  use  of 
tools,  helped  him  to  acquire  under  his  father's  eye  a  practical  knowledge  of  mechan- 
ical wcrk  before  he  began  to  learn  his  trade.  About  1835  he  entered  his  father's 
shop  and  commenced  the  active  application  of  his  trade  of  machinist,  but  the  next 
year  went  to  Woonsocket  as  foreman  in  the  repair  shop  of  one  of  the  textile  mills. 
In  the  spring  of  1839  he  w^ent  to  Newton  Upper  Falls,  Mass.,  to  take  charge  of  the 
repair  shop  of  a  plant  then  known  as  the  Eliot  Mills,  a  cotton  manufactory,  where 
he  remained  until  October.  1844.  Soon  after  going  there  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Otis 
Pettee,  whose  shops  were  shortly  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Pettee  then  bought  the 
Eliot  mills  and  Mr.  Scott's  sphere  of  action  was  greatly  enlarged,  he  having  been 
made  foreman  of  the  shops  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  work  of  erecting  new  ma- 
chinery as  well  as  doing  repairing.  In  1844  he  became  mechanical  agent  of  the 
Boston  Manufacturing  Company  at  Waltham,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  for  twenty- 
eight  years,  or  until  1872.  This  company,  besides  manufacturing  cotton,  then  built 
machinery  and  did  considerable  repair  work,  and  after  about  two  years  in  charge  of 
the  machine  shop  Mr.  Scott  was  made  superintendent  of  the  entire  plant.  In  1860 
he  became  the  agent,  succeeding  Ebenezer  Hobbs.  When  Mr.  Scott  first  went  to 
the  company  the  plant  consisted  of  11,000  spindles,  while  the  bleachery  had  a  capacity 
of  two  tons  of  coarse  cotton  cloth  per  day ;  the  stock  was  valued  at  about  §600  per 
share,  par  $750.  When  he  left  it  the  plant  contained  48,000  spindles,  the  bleachery 
and  dye  house  had  a  capacity  of  fourteen  tons  of  a  greater  variety  of  product  per 
day,  and  the  stock  could  not  be  bought  for  less  than  §1,410,  the  par  value  in  the 
meanwhile  having  been  raised  to  $1,000  from  the  earnings  of  the  mill.  He  gave  the 
directors  six  months'  notice  of  his  desire  to  resign  ;  at  their  request  this  wase-xtended 
a  month  and  the  board  sent  him  a  most  complimentary  letter  besides  presenting  him 
with  a  check  for  $5,000. 

During  the  next  ten  years  Mr.  Scott  made  Waltham  his  home,  enjoying  more 
pleasure  than  ever  before  in  his  life,  yet  remaining  pretty  active,  serving  as  an  ex- 
pert before  the  courts  on  mechanical  cases,  particularly  those  connected  with  water 
works,  and  in  this  capacity  he  was  employed  by  the  city  of  Boston  for  one  year. 
Immediately  after  resigning  the  agency  of  the  Boston  Manufacturing  Company  he 
constructed  the  Waltham  water  works  under  contract.  On  the  14th  of  March,  1882, 
Mr.  Scott  came  to  Utica  to  erect  and  superintend  the  equipping  of  the  lirst  mill  of 
the  Skenandoa  Cotton  Company.  This  mill,  known  as  No.  1,  had  10,000  spindles, 
running  altogether  on  hosiery  yarns,  and  upon  the  completion  of  the  work  Mr. 
Scott,  who,  in  the  opinion  of  one  of  the  directors  (a  man  widely  known  in  cotton- 
mill  circles  in  this  country  and  in  Europe),  was  one  of  the  most  successful  mill  man- 
agers he  ever  met,  was  invited  to  take  the  entire  management  of  the  plant.  Mill 
No.  2  was  completed  in  1887  and  contains  over  13,000  spindles;  No. '3  was  built  in 
1893  and 'contains  more  than  25,000  spindles:  the  entire  spindlage  of  the  plant  is 
about  51,600  spindles.  The  original  capital  of  $200,000  has  been  increased  to 
$600,000. 

To  Mr.  Scott's  practical  ability  and  active  management  as  superintendent  is  largely 
due  the  wonderful  success  of  this  great  corporation.  He  is  a  man  of  wide  experience, 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  ablest  active  mill  managers  in  the  country.     From  the 


BIOGEAPHICAL.  23 

first  he  has  given  his  attention  to  the  practical  operation  of  the  mill  and  until  1893 
performed  the  entire  work  of  supervision  alone ;  he  was  then  given  an  assistant  in 
the  person  of  D.  W.  Gray,  formerly  of  Lonsdale,  R.  I.  Mr.  Scott  also  attends  tothe 
buying  and  selling,  and  in  performing  this  work  travels  on  an  average  1,000  miles 
each  month.  His  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  mills,  and  by  close  application  to  the 
practical  mechanical  parts  of  his  work,  and  later  to  the  business  end,  he  has  steadily 
advanced  through  every  stage  to  the  highest  post  in  his  calling.  His  career  has 
been  one  series  of  successes,  and  all  have  been  attained  by  his  own  efforts.  He 
possesses  a  natural  inclination  for  mechanics  and  an  ambition  to  master  every  detail. 
The.se  qualities,  combined  with  great  executive  ability  and  sound  judgment,  and  a 
rare  power  of  concentration,  led  him  eventually  into  his  present  position — the  man- 
ager of  a  mill  erected  and  equipped  under  his  superintendence,  attending  to  the 
practical  operation  of  the  plant,  and  buying  everything  that  goes  into  it  and  selling 
its  product,  which  amounts  to  over  a  million  dollars  annually.  To  combine  these 
duties  certainly  calls  for  a  rare  combination  of  intellect  and  ability,  and  this  ability, 
in  all  its  strength,  in  a  man  seventy-nine  years  of  age,  is  extremely  rare.  In  politics 
Mr.  Scott  was  originally  a  Whig  and  since  about  1856  he  has  been  an  unswerving 
Republican.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for  William  Henry  Harrison  for  president  in  1840. 
During  the  war,  while  a  resident  of  Waltham,  Mass.,  he  took  an  active  part  in  rais- 
ing a  company  of  volunteers  and  served  as  chairman  and  treasurer  of  the  committee 
which  had  charge  of  the  recruiting.  Twice  he  visited  this  organization  in  the  field 
and  looked  after  its  interests  during  its  term  of  service.  He  is  a  member  of  Fort 
Schuyler  Club  of  Utica,  and  since  taking  up  his  residence  here  has  manifested  a  keen 
interest  in  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Scott  was  married  in  December,  1838,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Patty  Whipple,  all  natives  of  Smithfield,  R.  I.  They  have  had  two  children: 
Edward  S.  Scott,  of  Rogers,  Ark.,  and  Mary  C,  who  married  William  S.  Hall,  of 
Perth  Amboy,  N.  J.,  and  died  in  1895. 


WATSON    T.    DUNMORE. 

The  ancestry  of  Hon.  W.  T.  Dunmore,  of  Utica,  dates  back  to  the  colonial  period, 
and  for  several  generations  has  occupied  a  prominent  sphere  in  the  history  of  their 
respective  communities.  His  pa'ernal  grandfather,  Larry  Dunmore,  jr.,  son  of  Larry 
Dunmore,  sr. ,  of  Scotch  descent,  was  born  near  Johnstown,  N.  Y. ,  about  1770,  and 
married  Irene  Fairchild,  daughter  of  Matthew  Fairchild.  About  1793-94  they 
were  living  in  Canandaigua,  where  five  children  were  born,  viz.:  Lovisa,  about 
1796;  Larry,  jr.,  1798;  John,  1800;  Ann,  1803;  and  Irene,  1805.  Soon  after  the  birth 
of  the  latter  the  family  returned  to  Johnstown  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Duanesburg,  Schenectady  county,  where  Matthew,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  1813.  They  had  in  all  ten  children  who  grew  to  maturity,  the 
others  being  Kate,  George,  Sherman  and  Jane.  Of  these  George  Dunmore  became 
an  early  and  a  prominent  missionary  to  Turkey.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  he  returned  to  America,  became  chaplain  of  the  1st  Wisconsin  Cav., 


24  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  was  killed  in  Arkansas  in  the  first  engagement  of  his  regiment.  Larry  Dun- 
more,  the  father  of  these  children,  served  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  afterward  moved  his  family  to  Auburn,  Susquehanna  county.  Pa.,  and  thence 
to  Rush,  an  adjoining  town,  where  he  established  a  family  homestead.  He  died  in 
the  State  of  New  York.  Matthew  Dunmore,  the  son  above  mentioned,  died  in  1863, 
on  the  old  farm  in  Rush,  which  he  purchased  when  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He 
was  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  town  and  served  for  several  years  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  married  Sarah  S.  James,  who  died  in  May,  1847.  Their  children 
were  Evander,  deceased;  Delphme  (Mrs.  Norman  Sterling),  of  Meshoppen,  Pa.  ;  Ar- 
villa  (Mrs.  James  R.  Hay),  deceased;  and  Watson  T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

On  his  mother's  side  Judge  Dunmore  is  descended  from  David  James,  of  Welsh 
ancestry,  who  served  eight  years  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  honorably  dis- 
charged June  5,  1783.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Capt.  John  N.  Cummings's  Com- 
pany, 2d  Battalion,  2d  Establishment,  New  Jersey  Continental  line,  and  served  with 
the  New  Jersey  brigade  in  the  Indian  campaign  in  Western  Pennsylvania  in  1779. 
He  also  served  as  private  and  sergeant  in  Capt.  Cyrus  D' Hart's  Company,  2d  Regt., 
New  Jersey  Continental  Line,  was  in  the  Virginia  campaign  in  1781,  and  was  at  the 
battle  of  Yorktown,  Va..  and  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  in  October,  1781. 
Besides  this  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Three  Rivers,  Brandywine.  German- 
town  and  Monmouth,  and  remained  in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  when  he  received  a  badge  of  merit  for  eight  year.s'  faithful  service.  He  died 
July  18,  1834,  aged  seventy-seven  years,  six  months  and  twenty  days,  and  was  buried 
on  the  20th  in  the  Presbyterian  churchyard  in  Deerfield,  N.  J.  On  December  (5, 
1784,  he  married  Philothea  Watson,  and  of  their  children  David,  jr.,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 26,  1785,  and  died  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  November  5,  1816;  Thomas  Watson  was 
born  October  20,  1777;  and  Lewis  Mulford  was  born  September  15.  1789.  Thomas 
Watson  James,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Dunmore,  was  married  September  2,  1812, 
to  Hannah  Smith,  and  their  children  were:  William  W.,  born  July  28,  1813,  died 
January  29,  1815;  Sarah  S.,  born  February  28,  1815;  David,  born  April  10,  1817; 
Thomas  S.,  born  February  17,  1819;  Hannah  Maria,  born  February  7, 1821 ;  Lewis 
M.,  born  January  2,  1823,  died  December  31,  1827;  Abijah  S.,  born  October  2.  1824; 
Caroline  Loiza,  born  January  29,  1827;  and  Theodore  C,  who  occupies  the  home- 
stead in  Auburn,  Pa.  Mr.  James  moved  on  to  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Auburn,  Sus- 
quehanna county.  Pa.,  and  died  there,  the  homestead  being  still  in  the  family.  He 
was  an  early  settler  and  prominent  in  the  history  of  Susquehanna  county,  where  he 
was  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers.  When  he  first  came  there  he  walked  to 
Wilkesbarre,  fifty  miles,  for  his  mail.  A  number  of  his  descendants  have  become 
prominent  in  special  fields,  notably  a  grandson,  Arthur,  who  is  a  professor  in  Wes- 
leyau  University  in  Connecticut;  Rev.  David  M.  James,  D.D.,  for  twenty-five  years 
a  prominent  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Bath,  Pa.;  George  W.,  another  grandson, 
is  principal  of  the  public  schools  in  Wilkesbarre;  Benton  E.,  a  third  grandson,  was 
formerly  superintendent  of  schools  of  Susquehanna  county,  and  is  now  principal  of 
the  High  school  at  Montrose,  Pa.  ;  Rev.  W.  H.  James,  D.D.,  for  more  than  twent}-- 
fiveyearsa  Presbyterian  clergyman  in  Springdale,  Ohio;  and  Thomas  A.,  still  an- 
other grandson  is  a  leading  physician  in  Wilkesbarre. 

Hon.  Watson  Thomas  Dunmore,  the  youngest  of  the  four  children  of  Matthew  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  25 

Sarah  (James)  Dunmore,  was  born  in  Rush,  Susquehanna  county,  Pa.,  March  28, 
1845,  and  inherited  from  his  ancestors  those  sturdy  and  thrifty  characteristics  which 
distinguished  the  race.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Wyoming  Seminary  in  Luzerne 
county,  Pa.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1868  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity at  Middletown,  Conn.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degreeof  B.A. 
in  1871,  with  membership  in  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  society.  Two  of  his  classmates 
were  Hon.  Theodore  E.  Hancock,  the  present  attorney-general  of  the  State,  and 
Rev.  A.  P.  Palmer,  pastor  of  the  South  Street  church,  Utica.  Leaving  college  he 
taught  school  for  a  time,  being  principal  of  the  High  school  in  Bradford,  Vt.,for  two 
years.  He  then  read  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Roswell  Farnham,  ex-governor  of 
Vermont,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that  State  in  June,  1874.  In  the  following 
autumn  he  became  principal  of  the  graded  school  in  Susquehanna  Depot,  Pa.,  and 
during  his  first  term  there  he  was  invited  by  the  people  of  Hornellsville,  N.  Y. ,  to 
come  to  that  city  as  superintendent  of  their  schools.  At  the  close  of  the  term  he  ap- 
plied for  and  received  a  release  and  accepted  the  position  offered  him  in  this  State, 
which  he  ably  and  satisfactorilj'  filled  until  the  end  of  the  school  year  1875.  As  a 
teacher  Judge  Dunmore  attained  an  excellent  reputation  and  met  with  unusual  suc- 
cess, and  at  the  same  time  acquired  a  valuable  practical  knowledge  of  both  books 
and  human  nature;  but  his  inclination  was  the  practice  of  law,  for  which  he  was 
peculiarly  adapted  and  fitted.  In  the  fall  of  1874  he  had  entered  his  name  in  the 
Law  School  of  Hamilton  College  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the 
cla.ss  of  June,  1875,  keeping  up  his  .studies,  as  was  the  rule  in  those  days,  in  the  leis- 
ure of  his  active  duties.*  In  1875  he  came  to  Utica  and  formed  a  copartnership  with 
Smith  M.  Lindsley,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lindsley  &  Dunmore,  which  continued 
about  seven  years.  Following  this  he  practiced  alone  and  in  various  partnerships 
until  May  1,  1888,  when  the  firm  of  Dunmore  &  Sholes  was  organized.  On  March  1, 
1898,  this  became  Dunmore,  Sholes  &  Ferris,  which  still  continue.s. 

Judge  Dunmore  has  always  been  an  active  Republican,  and  has  frequently  con- 
tributed to  the  success  of  his  party.  In  1886  he  was  elected  special  county  judge 
and  served  in  that  capacity  for  three  years,  when,  in  1889,  he  was  re-elected  for  an- 
other term  of  three  years.  In  the  second  election  he  led  his  ticket  in  the  county 
by  about  200  votes,  receiving  1,500  majority,  which  was  the  highest  received  by 
any  candidate,  the  lowest  being  beaten  by  over  2,000.  In  1892  he  was  elected  county 
judge  of  Oneida  county  for  a  full  term  of  six  years  beginning  January  1,  1893.  In 
these  capacities  as  well  as  in  all  others  he  has  officiated  with  dignity,  credit,  and  sat- 
isfaction, and  has  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  not  only  his  constituents,  but 
the  public  at  large.  As  a  lawyer  he  ranks  among  the  foremost  practitioners  of  Cen- 
tral New  York.  As  a  jurist  he  has  evinced  sound  judgment,  a  clear  grasp  of  legal 
complications,  rare  executive  ability,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law.  Out- 
side of  his  profession,  however,  he  is  not  without  honors.  He  has  always  taken  a 
keen  interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  Utica,  and  is  prominently  identified 
with  many  of  its  leading  institutions.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  in  February, 
1884,  of  the  Homestead  Aid  Association  of  Utica,  which  is  now  one  of  the  largest 
local  associations  in  the  State,  having  an  invested  capital  of  between  $600,000  and 
$700,000.  As  attorney  he  has  always  directed  its  legal  affairs,  and  for  a  time  served 
as  one  of  the  directors.     In  January,  1896,  he  succeeded  George  Dimon  as  president 

D 


26  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  in  this  capacity  he  is  ably  guiding  the  association  along  the  lines  of  public  bene- 
faction and  general  usefulness,  especially  to  the  wage-earner  and  home-builder, 
whom  it  is  designed  most  to  assist.  Judge  Dunmore  is  also  a  director  in  the  Utica 
Knitting  Company,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Utica  Business  Men's  Associa- 
tion, and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  State  League  of  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciations, of  which  he  was  the  first  treasurer,  an  office  he  held  for  several  years.  He 
was  president  of  the  League  in  1892,  and  a  member  of  its  executive  committee  from 
the  organization  until  after  he  was  elected  county  judge,  when  professional  and 
other  duties  compelled  him  to  resign.  He  was  a  representative  of  the  New  York 
State  League  to  the  World's  Congress  of  Buildmg  and  Loan  Associations  held  at 
Chicago  in  1894,  and  was  one  of  the  five  Americans  selected  to  prepare  an  address 
to  that  congress  on  the  subject  of  building  and  loan  association  work.  The  judge's 
efforts  in  elevating  and  placing  these  enterprises  on  a  sound  financial  basis  have 
been  signally  successful,  and  rank  him  among  the  foremost  promoters  of  building 
and  loan  associations  in  the  country.  Judge  Dunmore  also  takes  an  active  interest 
in  fostering  and  promoting  fraternal,  benevolent,  and  social  organizations,  and  is 
himself  a  member  of  several  of  them.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar,  holding  membershij) 
in  Utica  Lodge  No.  47,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Council  R.  & 
S.  M.,  and  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.  T.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge, 
No.  70,  L  O.  O.  F.,  a  past  noble  grand,  and  for  several  years  its  treasurer;  also  of 
Tri-Mount  Encampment,  No.  24,  L  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  has  held  all  the  chairs.  He 
is  a  member  of  Excelsior  Lodge  K.  P.  and  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club,  and  a  charter 
member  of  Fort  Schuyler  Lodge,  R.  A.  Both  he  and  his  family  are  members  of 
Westminster  Presbyterian  church. 

Judge  Dunmore  was  married  on  July  9,  1878,  to  Miss  Minnie  E.  Goodier,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Clarissa  (Treadway)  Goodier,  of  LTtica.  They  have  six  children : 
James  S.,  Watson  T.,  jr.,  Clara  T.,  Russell  G.,  Earl  W. ,  and  Delia. 


ARTHUR  C.   WOODRUFF. 

Arthur  Cleveland  Woodruef,  son  of  Dr.  Hurlbert  H.  and  Calista  (Abbott)  Wood- 
ruff, was  born  in  the  village  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  13,  1851.  His 
maternal  grandfather,  Eben  Abbott,  held  the  commission  of  captain  and  major  in 
the  War  of  1813,  and  soon  after  1840  settled  in  Camden,  where  he  died.  Dr.  Wood- 
ruff was  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  North  Salem,  Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  removed  in  1850  to 
Camden,  where  he  opened  the  first  drug  store  in  the  village.  He  practiced  his  pro- 
fession here  with  marked  success,  and  also  temporarily  in  Washington,  D.  C,  for  a 
time,  and  died  in  Camden  on  November  2,  1881,  at  the  age  of  fiftj'-six.  His  wife's 
death  occurred  here  November  27,  1895,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  her  age. 

Arthur  C.  Woodruff  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  academy  of  his  native 
village,  in  Union  Academy  in  Belleville,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  from  Lowville 
Academy  m  1870.  Immediately  after  completing  his  literary  studies  he  entered 
the  office  of  the  late  Hon.  George  K.  Carroll,  in  Camden,  and  read  law  there  until 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  27 

his  admission  to  the  bar  at  Buffalo  general  term  June  13,  1873.  He  then  formed  a 
copartnership  with  his  legal  preceptor  under  the  style  of  Carroll  &  Woodruff,  which 
continued  for  three  years.  Mr.  Woodruff  then  practiced  his  profession  alone  until 
1883,  when  his  brother,  Eben  C,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  became  his  law  part- 
ner under  the  name  of  A.  C.  &  E.  C.  Woodruff.  This  partnership  continued  success- 
fully until  January  1,  1895  when  it  was  dissolved.     Since  then  he  has  practiced  alone. 

Mr.  Woodruff  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Oneida  county  bar  and  has  always 
enjoyed  an  extensive  professional  business.  As  a  lawyer  he  has  been  almost  in- 
variably successful,  and  as  counselor  and  legal  adviser  he  has  won  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  a  large  clientage.  He  has  alwa3's  been  a  staunch  Democrat.  In  pol 
itics  he  early  became  a  prominent  and  an  influential  factor,  especially  in  his  native 
village,  which,  although  Republican,  has  frequently  placed  him  in  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibility.  He  was  village  magistrate  for  twelve  successive  years,  president 
of  the  village  in  1891,  member  of  the  water  commission  five  years,  and  village  trus- 
tee several  terms,  and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  education, 
of  which  he  is  now  the  secretary.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Camden 
Upera  House  Company,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder,  and  for  the  last  twenty  years 
has  served  as  vestryman  of  Trinity  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Woodruff  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of  the  village  of  Camden, 
favoring  such  important  public  improvements  as  the  water  works,  electric  light, 
town  hall,  etc.,  and  to  all  matters  affecting  the  general  welfare  he  lends  his  unquali- 
fied support.  Public  spirited  and  enterprising  he  is  in  every  respect  a  prominent 
and  an  influential  man. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Theresa  A.  Carroll,  daughter  of 
his  legal  preceptor,  Hon.  George  K.  Carroll,  and  Caroline  F.  Linkfield,  his  wife,  by 
whom  he  has  two  sons:  George  Carroll,  born  February  9,  1885,  and  Laurence  Abbott, 
born  November  25,  1888.  George  K.  Carroll  was  a  leading  lawyer  in  Camden  for 
about  twenty  years,  a  member  of  Assembly,  and  a  prominent  factor  in  the  Demo- 
cratic politics  of  Oneida  county. 


STEPHEN  CROMWELL. 

Stephen  Cromwell,  for  more  than  forty  years  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Camden,  was 
born  in  Carlisle,  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  September  18,  1815.  With  a  limited  com- 
mon school  education  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  seventeen  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
West,  and  for  two  years  was  employed  on  the  Mississippi  river  steamboats.  He 
spent  another  two  years  in  the  South  and  then  went  to  Ohio,  where  he  read  law  with 
his  brother,  teaching  school  at  the  same  time  as  a  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Ohio  bar  in  1842,  but  in  the  following  year  returned  to  New 
York  and  in  1844  was  admitted  to  the  courts  of  this  State.  He  then  located  perma- 
nently in  Camden,  Oneida  county,  and  entered  the  office  of  D.  Minor  K.  Johnson,  to 
whose  legal  business  he  soon  succeeded.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  had  as  his 
partner  Ivers  Monroe,  a  former  law  student.  Mr.  Cromwell  continued  in  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  until  1887,  when  he  retired,  being  succeeded  by  George  F. 


2§  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Morss,  also  a  former  student.     He  built  the  house  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  North 
Park  streets  in  Camden  in  1860  and  died  there  July  7,  1895. 

Mr.  Cromwell  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Oneida  county  bar  and  conducted 
an  extensive  professional  business  for  many  years.  He  was  well  versed  in  the  science 
of  the  law,  possessed  a  good  analytical  mind  and  a  wonderfully  retentive  memory, 
was  a  student  and  a  scholar,  and  seldom  lost  a  case  in  the  appellate  courts.  In  this 
latter  respect  he  was  very  successful.  He  was  blunt  in  argument  and  of  a  nervous 
temperament,  and  before  a  jury  lacked  the  expression  and  tact  which  his  talents 
really  warranted  and  demanded.  But  as  an  office  lawyer  and  counselor  he  had  no 
superior  in  the  county.  He  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  had 
professional  relations,  and  among  a  wide  acquaintance  was  highly  esteemed  for  his 
many  excellent  quahties  of  head  and  heart.  He  was  a  staunch  Republican  and  in 
local  politics  became  quite  a  prominent  factor,  yet  he  never  sought  nor  had  any 
desire  for  public  preferment.  He  served  as  village  president  and  trustee  and  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  served  several  years  each,  and  always  supported 
and  encouraged  every  movement  which  promised  benefit  to  the  community.  He  was 
identified  with  the  tanning  industry  in  West  Amboy,  Oswego  county,  and  with  his 
son  was  at  one  time  heavily  interested  in  the  salt  and  lumber  business  in  Saginaw, 
Mich.  He  was  also  connected  with  the  old  Camden  Bank.  A  devoted  churchman 
he  was  for  over  forty  years  a  vestryman  of  Trinity  church,  Camden,  in  the  prosperity 
of  which  he  took  great  pride.  He  traveled  extensively,  visiting  nearly  every  State 
in  the  Union,  and  was  well  informed  on  all  matters  of  general  interest. 

January  1,  1845,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jeannette  Gifford,  daughter  of  Elihu  and 
sister  of  H.  W.  Gifford,  of  West  Camden,  Oneida  county,  who  bore  him  three  chil- 
dren: James  G.,  of  Glen  Ellen,  Cal. ;  William,  deceased;  and  Charles,  who  died  in 
infancy.  She  died  January  27,  1884,  and  on  September  12,  1887,  he  married  Mrs. 
Susan  (Brownell)  Owens,  of  Utica,  who  survives  him  and  resides  in  the  Cromwell 
homestead  in  Camden. 


ROBERT  ABLETT. 

Robert  Ablett,  of  Whitesboro,  strikingly  represents  the  type  of  men  in  this  country 
whose  mental  force  and  keen  sagacity  have,  in  the  material  sense,  made  themselves  and, 
too,  the  leading  industriesof  the  United  States.  Fie  possesses  that  element  which  rarely 
fails  of  success;  he  has  a  thorough  grasp  of  his  business  in  every  detail,  every  branch 
and  step  has  been  learned  by  careful  study  and  experience,  and  these  backed  up  by 
energy  and  rigid  busmess  habits.  He  began  life  a  poor  boy,  with  whatever  of  success 
that  might  come,  to  be  carved  out  by  his  own  personal  efforts.  Mr.  Ablett  was  born 
February  22,  1839,  in  Easton,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  but  only  the  first  five  years 
of  his  life  were  spent  at  that  place.  His  parents  then  moved  to  Schaghticoke, 
Rensselaer  county,  and  a  little  later  to  Cohoes,  in  Albany  county.  The  son,  Robert,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  all  these  towns  during  the  period  of  residence  thereat,  till  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age.  Then  he  began  on  a  self-supporting  basis,  with  an  ambi- 
tion that  stimulated  him  through  a  long  term  of  apprenticeship.  His  first  service  was 
in  the  cotton  mills  in  Schaghticoke,  where  he  learned  the  business  of  making  cotton 


!W*P^ 


i\ 


THOMAS  D.  PENFIELD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  29 

fabrics.  He  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  eleven  children,  a  fact  which  may  have  had 
some  influence  in  the  matter  of  his  ambition  to  thus  early  in  life  become  self- 
dependent.  His  parents,  Daniel  and  Mary  Ablett,  came  from  England  and  .settled 
in  Easton,  as  stated  above.  They  have  ever  since  been  identified  with  the  agricul- 
tural interests  of  that  part  of  the  State,  and  are  now  residing  in  Cohoes.  Robert  Ablett 
continued  for  several  years  in  service  in  the  cotton  mills  at  Cohoes;  then  he  became 
connected  with  a  large  knitting  mill,  operated  by  the  Troy  Manufacturing  Company 
of  Cohoes,  in  which  he  acted  as  superintendent  till  1881.  This  long  experience 
made  him  thoroughly  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  business.  At  that  time  he 
went  to  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  and  formed  a  company  under  the  style  of  Ablett,  Mac- 
kinnon  &  Co.  and  started  the  Anchor  Knitting  Mills.  This  enterprise  proved 
eminently  successful  through  the  years  up  to  1887,  when  the  other  members  of  the 
company  having  retired,  Mr.  Ablett  conducted  the  business  in  Little  Falls  until  1889, 
when  he  moved  the  same  to  its  present  location.  One  hundred  hands  were  employed 
in  the  making  of  men's,  ladies'  and  infants'  underwear.  At  that  time  the  village  of 
Whitesboro  offered  him  strong  inducements  to  move  there  and  engage  in  the  same 
industry.  As  a  result  of  this  he  bought  the  main  building  which  formerly  comprised 
the  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  a  little  later  removed  his  business  from  Little  Falls. 
The  building  was  a  large  structure,  yet  the  growth  of  his  business  has  compelled 
him  to  make  several  extensive  additions  thereto  to  keep  pace  with  the  increase.  It  is 
said  to  be  now  one  of  the  most  complete  and  best  equipped  mills  in  the  State.  The 
special  line  of  goods  manufactured  consists  of  ladies',  children's  and  infants'  under- 
wear, for  the  making  of  which  250  operatives  are  employed.  Mr.  Ablett's  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business,  together  with  his  sagacious  business  methods,  has  carried 
him  through  the  depressed  times  with  remarkable  success.  In  politics  Mr.  Ablett  is 
an  ardent  Republican,  giving  to  the  party  his  earnest  influence  because  he  believes 
in  its  principles.  Has  repeatedly  been  elected  trustee  of  the  village  and  is  now  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity.  Socially,  he  is  pleasant  and  courteous,  enjoying  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  all  who  come  in  contact  with  him.  In  1860  Mr.  Ablett  married  Caroline 
D.  Murray,  a  native  of  England.  They  have  had  two  sons  and  daughter,  Lillie 
Adella  the  only  one  surviving.  She  married  Charles  A.  Powell,  of  Little  Falls.  Mr. 
Powell  is  associated  with  Mr.  Ablett  in  business. 


THOMAS    D.    PENFIELD. 

Hon.  Thomas  De  Mii.t  Pkni-ield,  son  of  Fowler  and  Jane  (De  Milt)  Penfield,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  November  22,  1813,  and  there  are 
still  visible  on  a  hillside  about  two  miles  west  of  the  village  the  ruins  of  a  small  log 
cabin  which  formed  his  birthplace.  His  grandfather,  Jesse  Penfield,  of  English  de- 
scent, entered  the  Revolutionary  army  at  the  age  of  seventeen  and  distinguished 
himself  by  serving  over  seven  years,  participating  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains  and 
many  others ;  after  the  war  he  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Camden,  N.Y.,  where  he 
lived  to  a  good  old  age.  Fowler  Penfield,  second  son  of  Jesse,  took  part  in  the  War 
of  1812,  serving  as  waiter  to  Colonel  Johnson  at  Sackett's  Harbor.     In  1807  he  mar- 


30  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

rid  Jane  De  Milt,  a  native  of  Cow's  Neck,  L.  I.,  who  came  to  Camden  with  her  par- 
ents very  early  in  this  century.  She  was  of  French  and  Holland  descent,  of  the 
families  bearing  the  names  of  De  Milt  and  Wormsley,  who  fled  from  the  persecu- 
tions instituted  against  the  Christians  and  landed  on  Manhattan  Island  in  the  days 
of  New  Amsterdam.  Benjamin  De  Milt,  a  member  of  her  family  and  a  man  of  un- 
bounded liberality,  donated  an  extensive  library  and  a  large  sum  of  money  to  the 
Mechanics'  Library  of  New  York  city,  while  his  maiden  sisters  bequeathed  much  of 
their  estate  to  benevolent  institutions  and  a  dispensary  in  New  York  bears  their 
name.  Fowler  and  Jane  Penfield  first  settled  in  Oneida  county  on  a  farm  two  miles 
west  of  Camden  village,  the  present  Carleton  farm  ou  the  Mexico  road,  where 
Thomas  was  reared  and  educated.  Fowler  Pc>nfield  subsequently  moved  to  West- 
chester county. 

Thomas  De  Milt  Penfield  spent  his  youth  upon  the  parental  acres,  where  he  ac- 
quired those  sterUng  traits  of  character,  those  well-rounded  habits  of  thrift  and  self- 
reliance,  which  have  marked  his  long  and  eventful  career.  Before  he  reached  his 
majority  he  came  to  Camden  village  to  learn  the  trade  of  boot  and  shoemaker,  which 
he  followed  several  years.  In  18B7  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Main  street  on  the 
site  he  has  ever  tince  occupied  and  in  1850  he  built  his  present  dwelling.  In  1854  he 
purchased  of  Gen.  Lyman  Curtis,  ex  sheriff  of  Oneida  county,  his  interest  in  the 
flouring  and  grist  mills  in  Camden  and  became  a  partner  of  F.  H.  Conant,  who, 
two  years  later,  sold  out  to  Thomas  Stone,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Penfield.  This 
firm,  styled  Penfield  &  Stone,  continued  business  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Stone  in 
1861.  A  few  years  afterward  Hon.  Benjamin  D.  Stone,  a  son  of  Thomas,  became 
a  partner  and  ever  since  then  the  firm  has  carried  on  large  and  successful  milling 
operations  under  the  name  of  Penfield  &  Stone.  About  1848  he  was  made  one  of 
the  sviperintendents  for  the  construction  of  the  Rome  and  Oswego  plank  road,  and 
for  two  years  after  its  completion  had  charge  of  that  portion  between  Rome  and 
the  "  Checkered  House"  in  Williamstown. 

In  politics  Mr.  Penfield  has  always  been  an  ardent  and  consistent  Democrat,  and 
for  many  years  was  an  active  and  influential  leader  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  He 
was  elected  school  commissioner  of  Camden  in  1842,  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
for  eight  years  and  as  justice  for  the  Oneida  General  Sessions  two  years;  and  be- 
tween 1851  and  1886  rejjresented  his  town  eleven  terms  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors, 
serving  one  year  as  chairman.  Although  a  staunch  Democrat  he  was  elected  super- 
visor in  a  stronghold  of  Republicanism,  and  as  a  member  of  the  board  distinguished 
himself  by  invariable  fairness  and  unswerving  fidelity  to  his  constituents.  His  con- 
scientious labors  won  for  him  universal  approval  and  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances 
and  friends  in  both  parties.  In  1879,  when  not  serving  as  supervisor,  he  was  one  of 
a  committee  of  four  appointed  by  the  board  to  visit  every  town  in  the  county  and 
equalize  the  assessed  valuation  of  real  estate.  His  colleagues  in  this  important 
labor  were  Harvey  Head,  Col.  Nehemiah  Pierce,  and  Mr.  Evans,  one  from  each  of 
the  four  assembly  districts.  In  1856,  1857,  1862,  and  1879  he  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly,  where  he  served  one  year  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  villages  and 
as  member  of  such  important  committees  as  those  on  canals,  on  commerce  and 
navigation,  etc. 

He  was  a  War  Democrat,  noted  for  his  independence  and  the  courage  of  his  con- 


BIOaRAPHICAL.  31 

victions,  and  on  one  occasion  was  the  only  Democratic  member  of  the  Legislature 
who  voted  in  favor  of  a  resolution  for  amending  the  United  States  Constitution 
prohibiting  slavery  in  the  vStates,  which  resolution  was  enacted  into  a  law  in  April, 
1865,  when  eleven  of  his  party  colleagues  voted  with  it.  His  patriotism,  his  sense 
of  justice,  his  conviction  of  duty,  and  his  great  admiration  for  Lincoln  made  him 
steadfast  in  upholding  tlie  Union  and  the  war  policy  of  the  government.  He  served 
four  years  in  the  Assembly,  and  at  one  time  was  offered  the  chairmanship  of  the 
committee  on  canals,  but  declined  in  favor  of  John  Snow,  of  Madison  county.  Dur- 
ing the  civil  war  of  1861-65,  Judge  Doolittle,  Samuel  Campbell  and  Mr.  Penfield 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  raise  troops  for  the  Union  army,  and  through  their 
personal  efforts  and  at  their  own  expense  raised  two  regiments  in  Oneida  county, 
one  of  which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Jarred.  Mr.  Penfield  was  for  many  years 
prominently  identified  with  Oneida  County  Agricultural  Society  and  served  one 
term  as  its  president.  He  was  town  commissioner  of  highways  four  years,  president 
of  the  village  nine  terms,  and  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  for 
three  years.  In  1883  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Oneida  county  and  served  a  term  of 
three  years,  and  while  acting  in  that  capacity  executed  in  August,  1883,  at  the  old 
Mohawk  jail  in  Utica,  the  notorious  William  Henry  Ostrander,  whose  trial  for  the 
murder  of  his  brother  created  considerable  excitement  throughout  the  country. 
During  the  erection  of  the  new  town  hall  in  Camden  in  1894-95  he  was  chairman  of 
the  building  committee.  In  1872  he  was  nominated  for  Congress  by  the  Democratic 
convention,  with  the  assurance  of  election,  but  refused  to  go  upon  the  ticket. 

Mr.  Penfield,  from  a  poor,  industrious  boy,  has  lived  a  career  of  marked  usefulness 
and  activity  and  become  a  substantial  citizen  of  large  means  and  varied  interests. 
He  is  emphatically  a  self-made  man,  endowed  with  rare  ability,  perseverance,  and 
energy,  and  now  at  the  age  of  over  eighty-two  is  well  preserved  in  body  and  mind. 
He  was  long  a  prominent  factor  in  the  local  and  county  Democracy,  which  honored 
him  with  several  important  offices,  but  probably  his  last  public  acts  are  embodied  in 
the  service  he  rendered  as  chairman  of  the  building  committee  of  the  new  Camden 
town  hall,  in  which  he  takes  great  pride.  He  has  been  a  member  and  trustee  of  the 
Camden  M.  E.  church  many  years  and  was  for  a  time  chairman  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees, especially  during  the  erection  of  the  M.  E.  parsonage  in  1890.  Public  spirited, 
enterprising,  and  benevolent,  always  good  natured,  kind  hearted,  and  liberal,  he 
has  ever  manifested  a  keen  interest  in  religious,  educational,  agricultural,  and  busi- 
ness matters  and  in  the  prosperity  of  his  town  and  village,  which  have  always  been 
his  home.  He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Gov.  Horatio  Seymour  and  also  of 
Gov.  Lucius  Robinson,  who  spoke  of  him  as  a  "  man  who  always  voted  on  the  right 
side." 

September  6,  1837,  Mr.  Penfield  married,  first,  Joanna  P.,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Eliakim  Stoddard,  a  local  Methodist  preacher  and  father  of  the  M.  E.  church  in  Cam_ 
den ;  he  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1779  and  died  here  in  1860,  after  a  long  and  use. 
ful  ministerial  life.  She  was  born  in  Camden  on  June  6,  1811,  and  died  in  1854. 
Their  children  were  Samuel  D.  1st,  born  September  3,  1839,  died  aged  two  years; 
and  Samuel  D.  2d,  born  November  28,  1844,  died  October  15,  1877,  leaving  one 
daughter,  Joanna  Stoddard  Penfield.  In  1855  Mr.  Penfield  married,  second.  Miss 
Lucintha  Curtiss  Stoddard,  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife  and  a  daughter  of  Judge  Israel 
Stoddard,  of  Camden.  They  have  one  son,  Israel  Stoddard  Penfield,  born  Jnne  17, 
1857. 


32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

JOHN  B.   WELLS. 

John  Breed  Wells,  the  youngest  of  five  children — four  sons  and  one  daughter — 
of  Henry  and  Sophia  (Breed)  Wells,  was  born  in  Colchester,  Conn.,  August  24,  1816. 
His  father  was  born  in  1776  and  died  in  1845.  His  mother's  death  occurred  in  1852. 
About  1820  the  family  moved  to  Stockbridge,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  where  the 
boyhood  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  passed  on  a  farm  and  in  attending  the 
district  school.  His  early  advantages  were  necessarily  limited,  yet  in  the  alternat- 
ing routine  of  farm  work  in  summer  and  of  study  during  the  winter  months  he 
acquired  not  only  an  enduring  physique,  but  the  rudiments  of  a  practical  education, 
both  of  which  in  a  measure  fitted  him  for  the  subsequent  duties  of  an  active  business 
life.  He  inherited  those  thrifty  characteristics  of  native  New  Englanders  and  be- 
came imbued  with  an  enterprising  spirit,  and  while  yet  a  mere  youth  decided  upon  a 
commercial  career.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  firm  of  Owen 
&  Hurlburt,  extensive  paj^er  manufacturers  of  South  Lee,  Mass.,  and  entering  the 
general  supply  store  of  this  firm  remained  with  them  for  seven  years.  Here  he  re- 
ceived a  valuable  business  training  and  imbibed  those  principles  which  invariably 
characterize  the  successful  man.  On  reaching  his  majority  he  purchased  of  his 
employers  the  stock  of  goods  contained  in  this  store  and  profitably  conducted  the 
business  .for  one  year.  But  his  enterprising  spirit  and  excellent  judgment  led  him 
into  larger  fields  of  activity,  which  he  was  eminently  fitted  by  nature  and  experience 
to  fill. 

In  1839  Mr.  Wells  made  a  trip  to  the  Western  Reserve,  a  portion  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  where  his  father  and  older  brothers  had  settled  on  a  large  tract  of  land.  Not 
finding  an  opening  in  the  mercantile  line  in  that  frontier  region  he  returned  to 
Utica,  where  his  cousins  A.  L.  &  R.  H.  Wells,  were  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness at  No.  76  Genesee  street.  Mr.  Wells  entered  their  employ  and  remained  for  two 
years.  In  1841  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Lewis  Bailey  of  Utica,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bailey  &  Wells,  and  carried  on  a  successful  dry  goods  trade  for  five 
years,  the  first  two  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  the  remainder  in  Utica,  where  Mr.  Wells 
permanently  settled  in  1843.  In  Utica  their  store  was  located  at  88  Genesee  street. 
In  1846,  the  partnership  having  expired,  Mr.  Wells  started  in  business  on  his  own 
account  at  the  same  location,  and  in  1856  moved  to  the  store  No.  56  Genesee  street, 
in  the  Marble  block,  then  newly  built.  In  1865  he  removed  to  79  Genesee  street, 
where  the  original  store  was  in  1871  extended  back  to  Franklin  street  to  accommo- 
date his  constantly  increasing  trade.  In  1879  what  was  known  as  the  "  Boston 
Store  "  adjoining  on  the  north  and  in  1886  the  old  Buckley  &  Co.  stores  on  the  south 
became  vacant,  and  Mr.  Wells  promptly  extended  his  business  and  occupied  both 
estabhsbments,  taking  Nos.  77,  79,  and  81  Genesee  street  and  Nos.  11,  13,  and  15 
Catharine  street.  In  these  commodious  quarters  the  business  has  since  been  con- 
ducted, and  for  many  years  it  has  enjoyed  a  foremost  place  among  the  largest  dry 
goods  concerns  in  Central  New  York.  In  1865  John  S.  Capron  became  a  partner 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  B.  Wells  &  Co.  and  in  1873  Edward  L.  Wells,  the  only 
surviving  son  of  Mr.  Wells,  was  admitted,  the  firm  being  since  known  as  J.  B.  Wells, 
Son  &  Co.  On  May  9,  1893,  the  firm  sustained  a  .serious  loss  from  fire,  the  interior 
of  the  store  being  almost  completely  burned  out.     The  loss  aggregated  nearly  $150,- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  33 

000,  but  the  firm  quickly  recovered  and  soon  opened  another  stock  more  valuable 
than  the  one  destroyed. 

Mr.  Wells's  business  experience  covered  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century,  fifty 
years  being  spent  in  Utica.  He  was  a  man  of  unswerving  integrity,  honorable,  up- 
right, and  conscientious,  and  never  was  a  breath  of  suspicion  aimed  against  him. 
He  bore  throughout  life  an  untarnished  reputation  and  a  name  that  was  universally 
respected.  His  unceasing  kindness  to  his  employees,  his  warm  friendship  and  active 
interest  in  their  welfare  and  advancement,  his  noble  and  self-sacrificing  example, 
and  his  treasured  advice  and  words  of  encouragement  are  enduring  monuments  to 
his  devotion,  fidelity  to  principle,  and  correct  judgment.  He  was  emphatically  a 
self-made  man,  his  education  beyond  that  afforded  by  the  small  district  school  being 
self-acquired.  He  attended  this  common  school  only  four  months  of  each  year  dur- 
ing four  or  five  winters,  yet  by  persistent  reading  and  study  during  such  leisure 
moments  as  he  occasionally  obtained  from  the  hours  of  labor  he  stored  his  retentive 
mind  with  valuable  information,  and  this  together  with  critically  observing  people 
and  events  enabled  him  to  successfully  cope  with  men  whose  early  educational  ad- 
vantages greatly  exceeded  his  own.  He  owed  his  success  to  his  individual  efforts. 
Endowed  with  marvelous  energy,  with  an  almost  unlimited  capacity  for  work,  with 
excellent  judgment  and  sound  common  sense,  and  with  a  nature  which  was  both 
broad  and  companionable,  he  won  the  utmost  esteem  and  confidence,  and  displayed 
in  his  daily  rounds  a  comprehensive  grasp  of  detail  and  thoroughness  of  purpose 
which  distinguished  him  in  all  the  affairs  of  life.  He  was  a  firm  friend,  a  safe  coun- 
selor, and  a  generous  employer.  In  his  business  dealings  he  was  always  honest, 
honorable,  and  just,  and  the  confidence  and  respect  that  were  accorded  him  are 
glowing  tributes  to  his  exemplary  career. 

Mr.  Wells  did  not  confine  his  time  and  talents  solely  to  the  dry  goods  business, 
but  devoted  a  large  share  of  his  attention  and  means  to  the  benefit  of  shis  fellow  citi- 
zens. He  was  prominently  interested  in  several  large  corporations,  either  as  an  officer 
or  as  a  stockholder,  and  brought  to  these  the  same  clear  judgment,  energy,  and 
ability  that  characterized  the  conduct  of  his  personal  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  incorporators  and  the  largest  stockholder  of  the  Skenandoa  Cotton 
Company  in  1882,  and  served  as  its  vice-president  until  1886,  when,  on  the  death  of 
A.  J.  Williams,  he  was  elected  president.  This  enterprise  was  started  with  a  capital 
of  $200,000  and  with  a  mill  two  stories  high,  275  by  100  feet,  erected  for  the  purpose. 
The  equipment  consisted  of  about  10,000  spindles  and  other  necessary  machinery  for 
the  manufacture  of  fine  hosiery  yams  for  the  use  of  manufacturers  of  knit  goods. 
So  successful  did  the  venture  prove  that  in  1888  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to 
$300,000  and  another  two  storj^  mill,  equal  in  size  to  the  first,  erected.  In  1892  the 
capital  was  again  increased  to  8600,000  and  a  third  mill,  three  stories  high,  350  by 
100,  added,  thus  giving  the  company  a  plant  of  nearly  55,000  spindles  and  a  pi'oduct- 
ive  capacit}^  five  times  as  large  as  the  original.  The  company  has  paid  regular  divi- 
dends, and  besides  expending  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars  on  its 
plant  has  accumulated  a  handsome  surplus,  and  its  stock  commands  a  high  premium. 
The  success  and  permanent  usefulness  of  this  enterprise  are  in  a  large  measure  due 
to  the  sagacity  and  business  ability  of  Mr.  Wells,  who  not  only  gave  his  best  efforts  to 
its  development,  but  invested  heavily  of  his  means  at  a  time  when  its  future  was 

B 


34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

anything  but  promising.  He  stood  by  it  when  others  were  timid  and  boldly  advo- 
cated a  progressive  policy,  and  by  his  courage  and  persistence  demonstrated 
the  soundness  of  his  principles,  which  he  insisted  should  be  applied  to  the  conduct 
of  the  business  of  the  company.  As  president  he  ably  guided  its  affairs  from  1886 
until  his  death,  when  the  concern  had  secured  an  enormous  business  and  a  very  strong 
financial  condition.  He  was  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills,  the 
Utica  Willowvale  Bleaching  Company,  and  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills.  For  ten 
years  he  was  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank.  In  the  progress  and  develop- 
ment of  these  important  institutions  he  labored  with  a  zeal  that  was  both  marvelous 
and  inspiring. 

But  it  was  as  a  public  benefactor,  as  a  citizen  who  was  intensely  and  unselfishly 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  community,  that  Mr.  Wells  won  a  warm  place  in  the 
hearts  and  affections  of  not  only  his  associates,  but  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
intimately  identified  with  various  charitable  and  religious  organizations  of  Utica,  and 
gave  to  these  self-sacrificing  devotion  and  substantial  support.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  from  the  time  of  his  settlement  in  Utica  in  1843 
until  his  death,  and  served  it  as  an  elder  for  thirty  years  and  as  a  deacon  for  ten 
years.  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and 
from  1887  until  his  decease  served  as  president  of  its  board  of  trustees.  In  the  con- 
struction of  the  handsome  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  on  the  corner  of  Bleecker  and  Char- 
lotte streets  he  was  particularly  interested,  his  gifts  to  it  surpassing  those  of  any 
other  citizen.  He  gave  liberally  to  his  own.  and  to  other  churches,  to  missionary 
and  educational  enterprises,  and  for  many  years  maintained  a  missionary  in  western 
fields.  In  all  movements  for  improvement  or  reform,  in  benevolent  and  charitable 
work  both  in  the  city  and  elsewhere,  he  was  especially  generous.  He  contributed 
freely  to  asylums  and  hospitals,  and  from  1887  until  his  death  officiated  as  treasurer 
of  the  Home  for  the  Homeless. 

The  corner-stone  of  his  prosperity  was  industry,  watchfulness,  and  honesty.  His 
uncompromising  integrity,  prudence,  sagacity,  and  tact  won  for  him  a  brilliant  rec- 
ord in  all  the  affairs  of  life.  He  was  public  spirited,  progressive^  and  conscientious, 
and  above  all  a  true  gentleman.  He  died  in  Utica  November  27,  1891,  and  from 
friends  and  business  associates  from  all  parts  of  the  country  came  tender,  touching 
letters  of  condolence,  letters  which  spoke  volumes  for  the  exalted  esteem  and 
reverence  in  which  the  memory  of  Mr.  Wells  was  held.  The  several  institutions 
with  which  he  had  been  connected  also  passed  appropriate  resolutions,  expressing  in 
glowing  terms  the  appreciation  of  his  personal  qualities  and  business  ability.  Dur- 
ing the  hour  of  his  funeral  many  of  the  business  houses  of  the  city  were  closed.  The 
obsequies  were  conducted  by  Rev.  R.  L.  Bachman,  D.  D.,  who  said:  "  He  was  not 
a  man  of  many  words,  but  of  many  and  good  deeds." 

Mr.  Wells  was  married  in  Lyme,  Conn.,  on  October  18,  1841,  to  IMiss  Roxanna  Hill 
Lee,  daughter  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  who  preached  for  many  years  in  the 
church  on  Grassy  Hill  in  the  town  of  Lyme,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Rev. 
Oliver  Brown.  She  was  born  in  Lyme,  April  12,  1818,  and  died  in  Utica  January 
10,  1879.  Their  children  were  Mary  Louise,  John  H.  (who  died  in  Utica  November 
17,  1865,  aged  eighteen),  Helen  E.,  Edward  L.,  and  Anna  S.  Helen  Elizabeth,  the 
second  daughter,  was  born  June  21,  1850,  was  married  at  Utica  on  April  5,  1893,  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  35 

Dr.  Eugene  Grove  Carpenter,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  moving  with  her  husband  to 
the  latter  city  died  there  on  August  25th  of  the  same  year.  She  had  been  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Utica  and  a  teacher  in  its  Sun- 
day school ;  she  had  also  been  a  teacher  in  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum  Sunday  school 
and  for  a  time  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Home  for  Aged  Men  and 
Couples.  Edward  L.  Wells  was  born  in  Utica  March  1,  1852,  was  graduated  from 
the  Utica  Free  Academy  in  1870,  and  in  September  of  that  j^ear  entered  his  father's 
dry  goods  establishment,  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  connected.  He  is  a 
director  in  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Skenandoa  Cotton  Company,  the  Stand- 
ard Harrow  Company,  The  Roberts  Wicks  Company,  and  Utica  Mechanics  Associa- 
tion, and  is  president  of  the  Olympian  Knit  Goods  Company,  all  of  Utica,  and  the 
Yonkers  North  End  Land  Company,  of  New  York. 


ELLIOTT  S.   WILLIAMS. 

Mk.  Williams  was  born  at  Clinton,  Oneida  county',  N.  Y.,  July  5,  1845.  His  father, 
Othniel  S.  Williams,  moved  to  Clinton  in  1814.  His  mother  is  Delia  Avery,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Charles  Avery,  for  many  years  a  professor  in  Hamilton  College.  The  line  has 
been  traced  to  Sir  William  de  Allot,  who  entered  England  with  William  the  Con- 
queror in  1066.  Mr.  Williams  prepared  for  college  at  Dwight's  Rural  High  School  in 
Clinton.  He  entered  Hamilton  College  when  eighteen  yearsof  age  under  the  presidenc}^ 
of  Dr.  Fisher  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1867.  At  the  close  of  his  college  term 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  his  father,  Othniel  S.  Williams,  and  graduated  from  the 
Hamilton  College  Law  School  under  Dr.  Ellicott  Evans  in  January,  1868.  In  1870  he 
was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Kirkland  which  office  he  held  for  three  years.  In 
1880  he  was  appointed  assistant  treasurer  of  Hamilton  College  under  the  late  Publius  V. 
Rogers,  of  Utica,  and  held  the  position  for  a  number  of  years,  and  until  Dr.  Thomas 
B.  Hudson  was  chosen  treasurer  of  the  college.  He  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  of 
the  village  of  Clinton  a  number  of  times  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  chosen 
president  of  the  village  board.  He  succeeded  his  father  as  a  director  in  the  Utica, 
Chnton  and  Bingham  ton,  and  the  Rome  and  Clinton  Railroads,  and  held  the  office 
of  secretary  of  the  Clinton  Cemeterj'^  Association  for  ten  years  and  upward,  of 
which  organization  he  is  at  present  a  trustee.  Mr.  Williams  has  also  acted  as  one  of 
the  water  commissioners  for  the  village  of  Clinton  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Will- 
iams was  early  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  his  native  town,  and 
has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  that  body,  which  has  resulted  m  a 
thorough  and  complete  free  school  system  for  Clinton,  with  one  of  the  most  con- 
venient and  finest  school  buildings  in  the  State,  a  result  for  which  the  people  of 
Clinton  may  be  and  are  justly  proud.  In  February  of  the  present  year  Mr.  Williams 
was  chosen  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Charles  M.  Everett,  esq.  In  March,  1896,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  for  the  town  of  Kirkland,  and  is  also  at  the  present  time  police 
justice  for  the  town  of  Clinton. 

Mr.   Williams  had  charge  and  care  of  the  work  attending  the  celebration  of  the 


36  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

centennial  exercises  of  the  village  of  Clinton  in  July,  1887,  when  President  Cleve- 
land visited  Clinton,  the  success  of  which  celebration  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  of  Oneida  county.  He  has  always  resided  in  Clinton  and  since  leaving 
college  has  devoted  his  time  to  the  practice  of  law  and  to  the  insurance  business. 
He  has  always  taken  great  interest  in  the  village  of  Clinton,  constantly  speaking  in 
its  favor,  extolling  its  beauties  and  advantages  and  healthfulness  as  a  place  of  resi- 
dence and  the  great  inducements  held  out  by  it  as  a  centre  of  education. 


J.   ARTHUR  SMITH,   V.   S. 

J.  Arthur  Smith,  V.  S.,  was  born  and  reared  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida 
county.  He  now  owns  and  occupies  the  homestead  of  both  his  father  and  grand- 
father. They  came  to  the  town  in  1842  and  purchased  the  farm  lying  southwest  of 
Rome  in  the  most  fertile  and  attractive  part  of  the  county.  They  came  from  Chester, 
England,  and  were  from  the  most  intelligent  and  thrifty  stock  of  that  country-.  James 
Smith,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  portrait  herewith,  was  also  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon  before  coming  to  this  country,  having  attained  an  advanced  standing 
in  the  profession,  being  a  member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons 
of  London.  He  continued  in  the  practice  during  his  life  in  Westmoreland  and 
was  counted  one  of  the  most  successful  in  Oneida  county.  He  was  well  known 
throughout  a  wide  region  of  territory.  Besides  this  he  was  among  the  foremost 
farmers  of  the  State.  He  was  industrious,  prudent  and  prosperous,  and  moreover 
an  upright,  respected  citizen.  His  ideas  of  thrift  in  farming,  which  had  been  a  part 
of  his  education  in  England,  were  applied  in  the  same  line  here,  with  the  result  that 
he  made  and  developed  one  of  the  finest  and  most  valuable  farm  properties  to  be 
found  among  the  many  attractive  farm  realties  in  the  town.  He  was  also  an  exten- 
sive dealer  in  horses,  and  invested  considerable  money  in  the  business.  He  married 
Mary  Ann  Gypson,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons,  WillardR.,  Charles 
G.,  and  James  Arthur.  Willard  R.  is  a  resident  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Charles  G. 
is  in  business  in  Chicago.  Dr.  James  Smith,  the  father,  died  in  1891  ;  Mis.  Smith, 
his  wife,  is  still  living. 

Dr.  J.  Arthur  Smith  was  born  on  this  homestead  Mry  11,  1861,  where  he  has  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  received  the  rndiments  of  his  education  at  the  district 
school  in  Westmoreland  and  afterwards  took  a  course  at  the  old  Whitestown  Semi- 
nary. Subsequently  he  attended  the  New  York  Veterinary  College  with  the  view  to 
continuing  the  profession  in  which  both  his  father  and  grandfather  had  achieved 
success.  He  has  therefore  grown  up  in  the  practice,  and  this  long  experience  and 
thorough  knowledgeof  the  science  has  given  him  the  foundation  for  his  unusual  suc- 
cess. But  in  addition  to  this  he  carries  on  the  farm  with  quite  as  much  or  more 
ability  as  those  who  devote  themselves  to  that  one  industry. 

Dr.  Smith  is  an  earnest  Republican  in  politics  and  always  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
the  party's  behalf. 


J.  ARTHUR  SMITH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  37 

TIMOTHY  JENKINS. 

The  Hon.  Timothy  Jenkins  was  a  native  of  New  England,  a  descendant  from  the 
hardy,  conscientious,  devout  first  settlers  of  that  seminal  part  of  our  country.  He 
was  born  January  29,  1799,  in  the  town  of  Barre,  State  of  Massachusetts,  of  parents 
whose  genealogy  showed  them  to  be  allied  to  the  early  Puritans  of  Plymouth.  They 
were  farmers,  and  intended  for  their  son  no  other  occupation  in  life,  It  was  their 
wish  that  he  and  his  only  brother  should  own  and  till  the  same  farm  which 
had  been  bequeathed  them  by  their  father.  Ere  he  had  attained  his  sixteenth  year 
his  father  had  been  removed  by  death.  From  that  day  he  was  left  to  maintain  him- 
self, mark  out  and  pursue  his  own  plan  of  life.  He  soon  determined  to  seek  a  higher 
intellectual  culture,  to  penetrate  some  of  the  I'egions  of  science  and  learning  of  which 
he  had,  in  his  elementary  studies,  caught  some  glimpses.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
Mr.  Jenkins  removed  to  Washington  county,  this  State;  there  he  resided  two  years, 
attending  the  academies  at  Salem  and  White  Creek.  During  that  time  he  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  the  attainment  of  classical  and  scientific  learning.  He  then 
entered  upon  and  pursued  for  three  years  the  honorable  employment  of  school- 
teacher, in  the  prosecution  of  which  he  was  continually  extending  and  perfecting  his 
acquaintance  with  several  sciences  and  classical  literature.  At  that  time  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law,  the  practice  of  which  he  had  determined  should  be  the 
profession  of  his  life.  Afterwards,  having  prosecuted  his  legal  studies  the  required 
term  under  two  distinguished  lawyers  in  Utica,  Mr.  Jenkins  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1825.  Soon  after  he  opened  an  office  in  the  adjoining  village  of  Vernon,  and  m 
1832  he  removed  and  settled  himself  at  Oneida  Castle,  where  he  continued  to  live 
till  his  death. 

From  that  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  24,  1859,  he  was  con- 
stantly engaged  in  an  ever-increasing  legal  business,  extending  into  adjacent  counties, 
and  often  into  more  di.stant  parts  of  the  State. 

In  1840  Mr.  Jenkins  was  appointed  the  prosecuting  attorney  of  Oneida  county,  and 
he  held  that  responsible  office  five  j-ears.  During  his  term  of  service  the  criminal 
business  of  the  county  was  unusually  large,  but  his  onerous  duties  were  discharged 
with  signal  ability,  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  legal  brethren  and  of  the 
people  generally. 

For  ten  years,  under  the  appointing  power  of  the  State,  Mr.  Jenkins  held  the  office 
of  attorney  to  the  Oneida  Indians,  and  to  this  remnant  of  a  once  noble  tribe  of  the 
aboriginals  of  our  country  he  faithfully  extended  the  benefits  of  his  talents  and  in- 
fluence. In  1844  he  was  elected  a  representative  to  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States ;  also  in  1846,  and  again  in  1850.  During  tho.se  six  years  in  that  exalted  but 
often  desecrated  station,  Mr.  Jenkins  served  his  constituents,  his  State,  the  republic, 
and  the  cause  of  humanity  with  a  fidelity  to  principle  and  independence  of  party 
that  gained  for  him  universal  respect,  and  made  him  a  still  greater  favorite  of  the 
people.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  one  of  those  who  devised  the  "  Wilmot  Proviso." 
If  he  did  not  originate  the  measure  he  was  early  in  the  counsels  of  those  who  did. 
He  supported  it  with  great  earnestness,  although  he  knewit  was  displeasing  to  many 
of  his  own  party.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  from  early  life  a  Democrat  in  his  political  belief; 
he  nevertheless  opposed  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Act  of  1854,  which  repealed  the  Mis- 


38  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

souri  Compromise.  In  1856  he  joined  the  Fremont  movement,  and  ever  after  acted 
with  the  Republicans.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  delegate-at-large  to  the  convention  which 
met  in  Philadelphia  in  1856  to  form  the  Repubhcan  party. 

Mr.  Jenkins  was  a  man  positive  in  intellect,  disposition,  and  in  heart.  He  com- 
menced life  under  disadvantageous  circumstances,  but  there  was  no  man  who  en- 
joyed more  entirely  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  whole  community.  He  was 
highly  distinguished  for  his  learning  and  industry  in  his  profession,  his  great  per- 
sonal resolution  and  perseverance,  and  he  maintained  aposition  in  the  very  first  rank 
at  the  bar.  Although  not  an  orator  as  that  term  is  generally  understood,  his  speeches 
were  always  sound,  logical  and  to  the  point,  and  in  the  preparation  of  his  causes  he 
had  no  superior.  In  his  religious  convictions  he  was  earnest  and  decided,  and  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  formation  of  a  Unitarian  society  in  Vernon  and  the  erection 
of  an  edifice.  To  those  who  knew  him  slightly  he  appeared  cold  and  distant,  but  a 
better  acquaintance  showed  him  genial  and  communicative,  with  a  heart  brimful  of 
love  and  kindness  to  all. 

In  1822  Mr.  Jenkins  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Florilla  Tuttle,  of  Vernon, 
which  marriage  was  terminated  by  the  death  of  the  wife  about  a  year  afterwards. 
In  18-9  Mr.  Jenkins  married  Miss  Harriet  Tuttle,  a  sister  of  his  deceased  wife,  who 
still  survives  him.  She  was  a  sharer  of  his  earlier  struggles  and  a  partaker  of  his 
later  successes.  B)^  his  second  marriage  he  had  four  children:  Charles  M.,  also  a 
lawyer,  who  died  aged  twenty-six;  Hiram  T.,  also  a  lawyer,  who  died  in  186S,  aged 
thirty-five;  he  was  also  district  attorney  of  Oneida  county  for  three  terms;  Florilla. 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Hickox,  and  one,  Albert,  who  died  in  infancy. 


JOHN  WELLINGTON  BOYLE. 

Born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  August  6,  1851,  John  Wellington  Boyle  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  this  country  in  his  infancy,  and  nearly  his  entire  life  has  been 
passed  in  Utica  and  vicinity.  He  is  the  youngest  child  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Sharpe) 
Boyle.  The  father  had  been  thoroughly  trained  in  the  cotton  industry,  and  on 
reaching  America  found  employment  at  New  York  Mills,  where  the  family  settled, 
and  where  the  mother,  a  woman  of  great  strength  of  character  and  rare  personal 
attainments,  died  in  1808. 

During  his  childhood  the  boy  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  village,  but  at  the 
close  of  the  civil  war  when  labor  was  in  demand  and  wages  high,  he  obtained  a  posi- 
tion in  the  cotton  mills,  and  while  accumulating  the  means  for  further  education, 
acquired  also  that  habit  of  persistent  effort  and  industry  which  has  been  so  potent  a 
factor  in  his  subsequent  success.  As  soon  as  his  means  warranted  he  entered  Whites- 
town  Seminary,  and  was  fortunate  in  being  enrolled  as  a  pupil  of  that  institution 
during  the  most  flourishing  period  in  its  history.  He  then  commenced  the  study  of 
the  law  in  the  office  of  Doolittle  &  Swan,  in  Utica,  and  subsequently  entered  the 
Albany  Law  School,  pursuing  his  studies  in  term  time  and  working  through  the  vaca- 
tions until  1872,  when  he  graduated.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  returned  to  Utica  to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  39 

For  the  first  three  years  he  was  associated  with  the  firm  of  Waterman  &  Himt,  but 
since  1875  he  has  practiced  alone,  making  a  specialty  of  corporation  and  commercial 
law,  and  counting  among  his  clients  numerous  corporations  and  some  of  the  oldest 
and  most  reliable  firms  in  the  State.  He  has  also  been  connected  as  attorney  or 
counselor  with  many  well-known  cases,  notably  the  Woodford  litigations,  growing 
out  of  the  burning  of  the  village  of  Canastota,  which  remained  in  the  courts  thirteen 
years,  and  proved  one  of  the  most  stubbornly  fought  legal  battles  in  the  history  of 
Central  New  York.  It  drew  into  its  several  trials  some  of  the  best  forensic  talent  in 
the  State.  As  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  Mr.  Boyle  eventually  won  every  point  in- 
volved and  secured  verdicts  aggregating  about  twenty- seven  thousand  dollars. 

It  is  in  railroad  litigation  and  affairs,  however,  that  he  has  been  especially  promi- 
nent and  successful.  In  1886  the  street  railways  of  Utica,  formerly  operated  by  the 
Clinton  and  Binghamton  Company  as  horse  railroads  changed  hands,  and  Mr.  Boyle 
became  connected  with  the  management  as  attorney  for  the  new  company.  After 
securing  valuable  franchises,  extending  the  old*  lines  and  constructing  new  ones 
throughout  the  city,  the  controlling  interest  in  the  Utica  Belt  Line  Street  Railroad 
Company  was,  in  1889,  sold  to  a  New  York  syndicate,  one  of  the  conditions  of  the 
sale  being  the  immediate  equipment  of  the  property  with  electricity. 

Mr.  Boyle,  as  vice-president  and  general  counsel  under  the  new  management,  still 
continued  to  represent  the  local  minority  mterest.  Early  in  1890  the  change  of  motive 
power  in  all  its  details  was  completed ;  but  this  was  accomplished  only  after  many 
serious  obstacles  and  innumerable  injunction  cases  had  been  successfully  met  and 
defeated,  in  all  of  which  Mr.  Boyle  bore  an  active  and  prominent  part,  displaying 
tact,  skill,  excellent  judgment  and  large  executive  ability.  But  the  road  under  the 
control  of  non-resident  owners  had  become  financially  involved,  and  in  January,  1892, 
its  embarrassments  culminated  in  the  appointment  of  a  receiver. 

At  this  juncture  Mr.  Boyle  again  came  to  the  front.  With  the  interests  of  the  road 
itself  at  heart,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Utica  stockholders  whom  he  represented,  he 
most  skillfully  piloted  the  property  through  its  many  legal  complications  and  financial 
difficulties,  and  in  Augu.st,  1894,  successfully  effected  a  favorable  and  satisfactory  I'e- 
organization.  His  services  now  met  with  their  merited  reward  in  his  election  to  the 
presidency  of  the  reorganized  company,  and  bj^  his  appointment  as  trustee  of  the 
entire  property  for  a  term  of  years,  which  positions  he  still  holds,  and  whose  duties 
he  discharges  with  pre-eminent  success.  It  is  due  to  his  tireless  energy  and  un- 
swerving faith  in  the  future  possibilities  of  Utica  and  the  Belt  Line  property,  that 
the  city  possesses  to-day  an  electric  railway  system  second  to  none  in  the  State. 

In  politics  Mr.  Boyle  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  while  devoting  but  little 
time  to  the  subject,  he  is  nevertheless  regarded  a  shrewd  adviser  in  political  affairs. 
An  excellent  judge  of  human  nature  he  quickly  knows  men  and  with  almost  unerring 
accuracy  discovers  their  actuating  motives.  For  a  modern  politician,  however,  he 
perhaps  possesses  too  much  boldness,  individuality  and  independence  of  character. 
Mr.  Boyle  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  having  been  for  three  consecutive  terms 
elected  Eminent  Commander  of  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.  T.,  and  for  seven  years 
prior  to  December,  1895,  was  Illustrious  Potentate  of  Ziyara  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  and  declined  a  re-election  to  that  position  on  account  of  pressing 
business  duties.     By  special  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1894,  New  York,  he  was  made 


40  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  trustee  of  the  Imperial  Council,  Nobles  of  the  M.  S., 
for  North  America.     He  is  also  a  member  of  its  committee  on  jurisprudence  and  law. 
Mr.  Boyle  was  married  in  February,  1879,  to  Miss  Harriet  E.  Combs,  daughter  of 
Lucivs  and  vSarah  (Holmes)  Combs,  of  Whitesboro. 


THEODORE  S.   FAXTON. 

The  ancestor  of  the  Faxon  family  in  America  was  Thomas  Faxon,  a  native  of 
England,  who  came  to  Massachusetts  with  his  wife  and  three  children  before  the 
year  1647.  He  was  a  man  of  means,  and  represented  Braintree  in  the  General 
Assembly  in  1669.  From  him  descended  (1)  Richard,  (2)  Josiah,  (3)  Thomas,  (4) 
Thomas,  and  (5)  Thomas.'  Thomas  Faxon  (4),  son  of  Thomas  and  Ruth  (Webb) 
Faxon,  was  born  in  Braintree,  Mass.,  February  19,  1724,  and  died  in  Deerfield, 
Mass.,  in  June,  1792.  He  married  Joanna  Allen,  daughter  of  Abijah  and  Joanna 
(Bolter)  Allen  and  a  descendant  of  Samuel  Allen,  the  immigrant.  He  was  a  private 
in  Capt.  Joseph  Stebbins's  company  of  Col.  David  Wells's  regiment  in  1777,  and  also 
in  a  body  of  six  months  men  from  Deerfield,  Mass.,  in  1780.  His  son  Thomas  (5) 
was  born  in  Braintree.  Mass.,  February  19,  1755,  settled  as  a  farmer  and  shoemaker 
in  Cunway,  Mass.,  and  moved  thence  about  1802  to  Whitestown,  Oneida  county, 
whence  he  removed  about  1822  to  York,  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died 
January  3,  1827.  He  was  married,  first,  to  Rachel,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Rachel 
(Sheldon)  Davis,  of  Somers,  Conn.  She  was  born  April  15,  1756,  and  died  in  Con- 
way, Mass.,  in  January,  1794.  Their  children  were  Fanny  (Mrs.  Justus  Sackett), 
Alpheus,  Rachel  (Mrs.  Ira  Cook),  Abigail  (Mrs.  John  Parsons),  Mary  (Mrs.  Willard 
C.  Conkey),  Isaac  Davis,  and  Theodore  Saxton.  Mr.  Faxon  married  second,  Debo- 
rah, daughter  of  Prince  and  Jane  (Delano)  Toby,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.  They 
had  eight  children,  of  whom  Thomas  J.,  Emily,  Ezra  T.,  Josiah  G.,  and  an  infant 
daughter,  deceased,  were  born  in  Whitestown. 

Theodore  Saxton  Faxton  i  was  born  in  Conway,  Mass.,  January  10,  1794,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  seven  children  of  Thomas  and  Rachel  (Davis)  Faxon.  His  early 
educational  advantages  were  limited  to  the  common  schools  of  the  period,  supple- 
mented by  six  months  at  Clinton  soon  after  taking  up  his  residence  in  Utica  in  1812. 
In  1813  he  became  a  driver  on  the  stage,  and  for  four  years,  except  the  previously 
mentioned  six  months,  held  the  reins  of  a  four-in-hand  every  day.  After  1817  he 
mounted  the  box  only  occasionally,  yet  such  was  his  acknowledged  skill  as  a  reins- 
man  that  on  occasions  of  ceremony,  or  when  something  extraordinary  was  required, 
he  was  invariably  selected  to  do  honor  to  the  service.  When  Lafayette  visited  Utica 
in  1825  Mr.  Faxton  secured  six  dashing  gray  horses,  harnessed  them  with  silver- 
plated  harness,  borrowed  the  old  Van  Rensselaer  carriage,  and  drove  to  Whitesboro, 
where  the  distinguished  guest  was  to  be  received.  After  General  Lafayette  had  left 
the  boat  and  entered  the  carriage  Mr.  Faxton  felt,  as  he  expressed  it,  grander  than 

1  According  to  a  History  of  the  Faxon  family  Theodore  S.  Fa.xton  was  the  first  to  insert  the 
"  t  "  in  his  name;  he  adhered  to  this  style  of  orthography  in  writing  his  name  throughout  life. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  41 

Napoleon.  After  the  year  1817  he  had  charge  for  a  considerable  period  of  a  portion 
of  the  stage  business  of  Jason  Parker  and  a  little  later  was  offered  an  interest  in  the 
concern  on  the  condition  that  he  should  pay  for  his  share  as  fast  as  the  profits  would 
permit.  In  1823  he  became  a  partner,  together  with  Silas  D.  Childs,  in  the  firm  of 
Jason  Parker  &  Co.  Notwithstanding  the  competition  of  the  new  Erie  Canal  the 
stage  business  through  Central  New  York  continued  very  large  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Parker  in  1828  there  were  eight  daily  lines  running 
through  Utica  east  and  west  and  four  lines  north  and  south.  The  firm  successfully 
managed  this  vast  and  intricate  business  for  ten  years  after  the  death  of  the  senior 
member,  and  Messrs.  Faxton  and  Childs  continued  in  partnership  some  time  longer. 
Together  they  erected  the  Exchange  building  on  the  site  of  the  old  Canal  Cott'ee 
House,  and  collected  the  rents  of  this,  the  Eagle  Tavern,  and  other  real  estate  which 
they  held  in  common.  Mr.  Faxton  also  joined  with  John  Butterfield,  Hiram  Green- 
man,  and  others  in  running  a  line  of  packet  boats  on  the  Erie  Canal,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  Alfred  Munson  and  associates  he  organized  the  first  American  line  of 
steamers  on  the  River  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Ontario,  and  for  several  years  was 
one  of  the  managing  directors.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Utica  and 
Black  River  Railroad,  paid  a  larger  subscription  than  any  other  man,  and  for  a  long 
time  served  most  efficiently  as  president  of  the  company. 

Mr.  Faxton  always  took  a  just  pride  in  developing  the  village  and  city  of  Utica, 
and  through  various  enterprises  contributed  largely  to  its  material  prosperity.  He 
gave  the  first  $100  to  found  the  Utica  Mechanics  Association  and  held  the  office  of 
president  several  terms.  With  Willett  H.  Shearman  and  Anson  Dart  he  was  one  of 
the  commissioners  who  completed  the  erection  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital  (then  the 
State  Lunatic  Asylum)  in  1843,  and  in  1852  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee 
of  the  First  Presbytarian  church.  He  was  also  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Utica 
Water  Works  Company,  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  and  the  Second  National 
Bank,  and  served  the  last  two  named  corporations  as  president;  and  was  interested  in 
the  Globe  Woolen  Mills,  of  which  he  was  president  from  April,  1856,  until  his  death. 
In  1845  he  became  a  conspicuous  factor  in  developing  and  adapting  to  wider  use  the 
then  greatest  invention  of  the  century,  the  telegraph,  and  in  this  respect  he  will  forever 
merit  particular  credit.  From  the  very  first  he  was  attracted  to  the  possibilities  of  the 
wonderful  invention,  and  .soon  after  the  success  of  the  first  line  from  Baltimore  to  Wash- 
ington he  visited  the  latter  city  for  the  purpose  of  personally  investigating  for  him- 
self and  the  few  others  who  shared  his  confidence.  He  had  learned  from  experience 
im  his  Telegraph  line  of  stages— a  line  fitted  out  by  his  company  to  carry  a  small 
number  of  passengers  at  the  greatest  possible  speed,  and  which  had  been  so  popular 
that  every  seat  was  spoken  for  days  in  advance  of  departure— that  men  loved  speed 
and  would  encourage  and  patronize  the  fastest  stages,  the  fastest  boats,  and  the 
fastest  means  of  transmitting  intelligence.  While  absent  he  secured  the  right  to 
establish  a  telegraph  line  between  New  York  and  Buffalo,  the  owners  of  the  patent 
to  have  one- half  of  the  stock  of  the  company  when  the  line  was  complete.  On  his 
return  to  Utica  he  united  with  John  Butterfield,  Hiram  Greenman,  Mr.  Livingston, 
Mr.  Wells,  and  others,  and  formed  a  company  with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  and  with 
himself  as  president  and  superintendent,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  to  act  for 
seven  years.     The  company  strung  the , first  wire  between  New  York  and  Buffalo;  it 

F 


42  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  of  copper  and  cost  about  $60  per  mile.  His  attention  was  called  to  the  wire 
fence  which  had  been  in  use  on  Colonel  Walker's  grounds  for  twenty-five  years,  and 
he  concluded  that  if  iron  was  good  for  fences  for  such  a  length  of  time  it  would  also 
do  for  telegraphing  purposes.  The  copper  wire  was  taken  down  and  sold  for  enough 
to  put  up  the  two  iron  wires,  which  cost  only  $18  per  mile.  Mr.  Faxton  labored 
hard  against  much  opposition  to  make  the  enterprise  a  success,  which  it  proved  to  be. 

He  never  took  a  very  active  part  in  politics,  but  was  frequently  called  to  positions 
of  honor  and  trust.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  village  of  Utica  in  1831,  and  served  as 
alderman  of  the  city  in  1836  and  as  mayor  in  1864.  In  1848  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Whig  National  Convention  which  nominated  Zachary  Tajdor  for  president.  In  1842 
he  became  sheriff  of  Oneida  county,  but  held  the  office  only  a  few  weeks  when  he 
was  displaced  by  the  governor  purely  for  political  reasons.  His  enterprise,  public 
spirit,  and  generous  benefactions  not  only  built  up  stage,  packet,  steamboat,  railroad, 
and  telegraph  lines,  banks,  manufactories,  etc.,  which  have  added  wealth  and  pros- 
perity to  Utica,  but  established  other  monuments  which  perpetuate  his  name  and 
honor  his  memory.  These  are  the  Old  Ladies'  Home  on  Faxton  street,  Faxton  Hos- 
pital, and  Faxton  Hall  at  the  junction  of  Varick  and  Court  streets  for  the  education 
of  the  children  of  factory  operatives  by  day  and  night.  He  was  the  founder  of  each 
of  these;  and  also  of  Faxton  Lodge,  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  was  a  man  of  strict  in- 
tegrity, of  marked  sociability,  and  of  great  kindness  of  heart,  and  was  possessed  of 
unusual  business  and  executive  ability. 

Mr.  Faxton  was  married  on  August  21,  1828,  to  Irene  Miller  Alverson,  daughter  of 
William  and  Chloe  (Starr)  Alverson.  She  was  born  in  Utica  June  14,  1802,  and  died 
April  29,  1868.     Mr.  Faxton's  death  occurred  November  ;50,  1881. 


ALBERT  M.   DICKINSON. 

Albert  Murton  Dickinson,  was  born  January  10,  1861,  in  the  county  of  Hastings, 
Ontario,  Canada.  His  parents  were  Americans,  his  father.  John  A.  Dickinson,  be- 
ing a  native  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  his  mother  Lima  B.  (Reynolds)  Dickin.son,  having 
been  born  in  Michigan.  Albert  M.  Dickin.son  was  educated  at  the  Newburgh  Acad- 
emy at  Newburgh,  Ont.,  and  learned  the  printer's  trade  at  an  eai'ly  age.  From  1878 
to  1881  he  taught  school  with  much  success  on  the  Bay  of  Quinte  and  at  Switzerville, 
Ont.  In  May.  1881,  Mr.  Dickinson  married  Joanna  N.  Dickson,  of  the  Bay  of  Quinte 
district,  and  they  have  three  children.  In  November  of  that  year  he  removed  to 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  for  a  few  months  he  was  employed  on  the  L'tica  Herald.  In 
March,  1882,  he  left  the  "  Herald"  and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  •'  Press," 
doing  local  work  for  that  paper.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Dickinson  ac- 
cepted a  position  on  the  staff  of  the  Saturday  Globe,  then  in  its  infancy,  where  he 
has  remained  ever  since,  working  his  way  up  round  by  round  until  in  1888  he  became 
its  managing  editor. 

Mr.  Dickinson  is  a  true  knight  of  the  pencil,  is  ever  ready  to  trail  a  cyclone,  to  in- 
vestigate the  ravages  of  flood  or  fire,  and  mingle  with  bandit  men  in  .searching  out 
material  for  "  specials"  to  his  paper.     His  style  of  writing  is  graphic,  and  his  port- 


i 


B.  P.  ALLEN,  M.  D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  43 

rayal  of  scenes  and  incidents  excites  the  interest  of  his  readers  and  holds  their  at- 
tention. Mr.  Dickinson  was  one  of  the  two  newspaper  men-from  Central  New  York 
who  visited  the  scene  of  the  Johnstown  flood  immediately  after  the  disaster.  He 
was  present  at  the  capture,  trial,  and  execution  of  Frank  Almy,  the  infamous  New 
Hampshire  bandit  and  murderer.  He  has  tested  the  mystic  powers  of  negro 
voodooism  in  the  south  and  spent  several  weeks  among  the  White  Caps  of  Kentucky 
and  Indiana  during  the  reign  of  terror  in  those  States.  And  on  those  and  other 
topics  of  note  he  has  given  to  the  constituents  of  the  "Globe"  from  time  to  time 
the  benefit  of  his  rare  experiences.  Mr.  Dickinson  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member 
of  the  Utica  Typographical  Union. 


BION  PEMBERTON  ALLEN,   M.   D. 

Dr.  Bion  Pemberton  Allen,  of  Oriskany,  is  one  of  the  young  physicians  of  Oneida 
county,  who,  by  his  thorough  knowledge  and  conscientious  methods,  backed  up  by 
a  large  amount  of  native  ability,  has  already  taken  an  advanced  place  in  the  profes- 
sion. He  is  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  the  latest  ideas  and  developments  in  the 
science  of  medicine,  and  brings  to  its  aid  a  careful  well  trained  mind.  All  these 
qualifications  have  contributed  to  the  marked  success  which  he  has  achieved. 

Dr.  Allen  was  born  at  Oriskany  Falls,  Oneida  county,  December  22,  1866.  He 
was  born  and  raised  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  and  there  imbibed  the  princi- 
ples of  industry  and  energy,  which  are  as  essential  to  a  successful  physician  as  to  any 
other  calling.  He  is  a  son  of  Emmet  J.  Allen,  who  has  all  his  life  been  actively 
identified  with  the  agricultural  industry  of  the  county.  He  too  is  a  native  of  Oris- 
kany Falls,  being  a  son  of  James  H.  Allen,  an  old  and  prominent  citizen  of  the 
county.  The  ancestry  originally  came  from  English  stock  and  were  among  the  early 
settlers  in  New  England.  Emmet  J.  Allen  married  Florence  E.  Holmes,  daughter 
of  Leonard  and  Betsey  (Parlin)  Holmes,  of  Oriskany  Falls.  They  have  five  sons  and 
three  daughters.  Dr.  Allen  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  educated  at 
the  public  school  in  Oriskany  Falls  and  Fairfield  Seminary.  At  eighteen  he  began 
teaching,  his  first  experience  being  in  a  district  school  in  the  town  ;  then  for  one  year 
he  taught  in  the  Union  graded  .school  in  Oriskany  Falls,  and  the  following  year  was 
principal  of  the  Westmoreland  village  school,  By  this  time  he  had  concluded  to 
adopt  the  medical  profession  as  his  life  work,  and  with  that  end  in  view  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Vermont,  remaining  there  through  one 
term.  The  opportunity  for  a  more  thorough  education  seeming  to  be  better  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  therefore  he  shifted  to  that  institution  in  the  fall  of  1890, 
and  spent  three  years  there,  graduating  in  1893.  After  passing  the  New  York  State 
medical  examination  in  June  of  that  year  he,  in  July  following,  went  to  Oriskany 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  Dr.  George  R.  Taylor,  the  leading  physician  of 
that  place.  This  partnership  continued  until  November,  1894,  when  Dr.  Taylor  re- 
tired from  the  partnership  and  moved  to  Clinton,  N.  Y.  This  left  Dr.  Allen  the  only 
resident  physician  in  the  village,  thus  placing  upon  him  a  responsibility  which  many 
physicians  of  much  longer  experience  would  hesitate  to  assume.     But  his  success  has 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

been  achieved  in  this  field  which  demanded  skill  and  ability;  and  this  has  made  him 
popular  and  esteemed  by  all  who  have  come  to  know  him.  He  is  always  courteous 
and  obliging,  with  a  kindness  of  heart  so  necessary  to  a  true  family  doctor.  Dr. 
Allen  is  an  active  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  also  the  Medi- 
cal Library  Association.  His  portrait  presented  herein  indicates  a  keen,  earnest 
mind  that  will  give  to  his  clientage  the  benefit  of  good  judgment  and  honest  service. 


THOMAS  S.   JONES. 

Thomas  S.  Jonks,  one  of  the  leading  trial  lawyers  of  the  city  of  Utica,  is  a  son 
of  Samuel  T.  Jones,  a  well-known  farmer  and  landscape  gardener,  and  was  born  in 
Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  August  23,  1840.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  village,  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  at  Fairfield  Academy. 
At  a  comparatively  early  age  he  decided  upon  the  law  as  a  profession,  for  which  he 
was  well  qualified  by  nature.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of  George  W.  Smith  and 
later  with  H.  R.  Hadley,  both  of  Boonville,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Albany 
Law  School  in  1862,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  in  the  same  year.  Im- 
mediately after  his  graduation  he  commenced  active  practice  m  Forestport.  Oneida 
county,  but  a  few  months  afterward  returned  to  Boonville,  where  he  formed  a  co- 
partnership with  Hon.  Walter  Ballou  under  the  firm  name  of  Jones  &  Ballou.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  1872  and  Mr.  Jones  became  a  partner  of  Hon.  Henry 
W.  Bentley,  who  was  afterward  elected  to  Congress  and  also  surrogate  of  Oneida 
county.  In  January,  1887,  Mr.  Jones  removed  to  Utica  and  associated  himself  in 
practice  with  William  Townsend,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jones  &  Townsend,  and 
on  January  1,  1896,  Joseph  Rudd,  jr.,  was  admitted  under  the  style  of  Jones, 
Townsend  &  Rudd. 

Mr.  Jones  has  been  for  many  years  an  ardent  and  active  Democrat,  and  has  fre- 
quently been  the  standard  bearer  of  his  party.  He  represented  his  district  on  the 
Democratic  State  Committee  during  the  years  1881,  1882,  and  1883.  He  was  twice 
elected  district  attorney  of  the  strong  Republican  county  of  Oneida,  first  in  the  fall 
of  1886  by  a  majority  of  73  and  again  in  November,  1889,  by  the  handsome  ma- 
jority of  2,200.  He  won  the  reputation  of  being  a  vigorous  prosecuting  officer  and 
was  conspicuous  in  a  number  of  noted  trials.  During  his  two  terms  as  district  at- 
torney he  secured  the  conviction  of  two  persons  indicted  for  murder  in  the  first  de- 
gree, and  both  were  executed.  He  also  prosecuted  and  convicted  the  noted  train 
robber,  Chael  Roark,  who  attacked  and  shot  Express  Messenger  Leak  on  the  West 
Shore  Railroad.  Roark  received  the  maximum  sentence  for  robbery  in  the  first  de- 
gree, which  was  twenty  years.  During  this  period  Mr.  Jones  was  also  retained  by 
the  American  Express  Company  to  assist  the  district  attorneys  of  Wayne  and  Her- 
kimer counties  in  prosecuting  another  notorious  train  robber,  Oliver  Curtis  Perry. 
In  all  these  capacities  as  well  as  in  the  capacity  of  a  lawyer  Mr.  Jones  has  demon- 
strated rare  ability  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  in  every  case  his 
duties  have  been  discharged  with  great  credit  and  satisfaction.  At  present  his  time 
is  devoted  principally  to  the  trial  of  cases  and  especially  to  the  practice  of  fire  in- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  45 

surance  law.  He  is  one  of  the  recognized  leaders  of  the  Oneida  county  bar,  and 
locally  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all  public  affairs.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason. 

October  7,  1874,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Clarke,  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick T.  and  Mary  (Taylor)  Clarke,  of  Boonville.  She  died  April  11,  1895,  leaving 
one  son,  Thomas  S.  Jones,  jr.,  born  November  6,  1882. 


HENRY  HAGEDORN. 

Henry  Hagedorn,  of  Prospect,  Oneida  county,  was  born  November  15,  1838,  in 
Hamilton  county,  N.  Y.  His  home  was  in  Morehouseville,  where  he  spent  most  of 
his  life  up  to  1878.  The  district  school  at  Morehouseville  supplied  the  foundation 
for  his  education,  and  a  subsequent  course  at  the  Prospect  Academy  completed  his 
school  life.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  decided  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  for 
at  that  time  the  building  and  progress  of  the  northern  part  of  New  York  was  active. 
Mr.  Hagedorn  became  one  of  the  leading  contractors  and  builders  in  that  section, 
a  business  which  proved  both  profitable  to  himself  and  satisfactory  to  those  with 
whom  he  did  business. 

In  1863  Mr.  Hagedorn  regarded  New  York  city  as  a  more  advantageous  point  in 
which  to  carry  on  his  line  of  work,  so  he  removed  to  that  city  and  entered  into  build- 
ing and  pattern  making  on  a  large  scale.  This  continued  profitably  for  three  years, 
when  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  Morehouseville.  He  then  remained  in  the  latter 
place  till  1879,  when  a  change  in  business  affairs  took  him  to  Prospect,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  At  that  time  he  bought  the  Watkins  grist  mill  property  and  at  once 
assumed  active  control  of  the  plant.  Although  a  new  experience  Mr.  Hagedorn 
readily  adapted  himself  to  the  new  conditions  and  requirements  which  resulted  in 
his  building  up  one  of  the  best  mill  properties  in  the  northern  part  of  Oneida  county. 
The  mill  in  1886  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  Mr.  Hagedorn  at  once  replaced  it  with  a 
complete  Munson  Bros.'  milling  outfit,  so  that  it  is  now  one  of  the  leading  mills  of  the 
county.  Besides  this  Mr.  Hagedorn  owns  the  Bagg  Hotel  at  Prospect,  which  is  well 
suited  for  a  haven  for  those  seeking  a  summer  outing. 

Mr.  Hagedorn  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  an  earnest,  consistent  supporter  of  the 
party's  principles.  For  several  years  he  represented  his  town  in  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, and  for  many  years  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  County  Committee,  be- 
sides the  many  delegations  of  which  he  formed  an  important  part.  Mr.  Hagedorn 
has,  however,  retired  practically  from  political  work,  choosing  lather  to  devote  his 
whole  energies  to  his  growing,  prosperous  business.  He  does  step  aside,  though, 
in  the  interests  of  the  Red  Men,  for  to  that  organization  he  is  a  devoted  member, 
always  zealous  in  aiding  its  advancement. 

Mr.  Hagedorn's  father  was  also  Henry  Hagedorn,  who  came  from  Germany  and 
settled  in  Morehouseville  in  1837,  being  one  of  the  early  farmers  there.  He  died  in 
1868.  His  wife  was  Margaret  A.  Mesloh,  a  native  of  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many. She  died  in  1890.  Henry  Hagedorn,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  three 
children  born  to  them,  Andrew  and  Helen  being  the  others.  Andrew  died  at  More- 
houseville in  1891.     Helen  married  Thomas  Williams,  of  Grey,  N.  Y. 


46  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Hagedorn  married,  in  1877,  Amelia  Colwell,  of  Ohio,  Herkimer  county.     They 
have  one  daughter,  Catherine,  who  is  living  at  home. 


SAMUEL  J.   BARROWvS. 

The  first  American  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  John  Barrus,  who 
came  with  his  wife  Anna  from  Yarmouth,  England,  in  1637,  and  settled  in  Salem, 
Mass.  His  and  several  succeeding  generations  rendered  the  name  Barrus,  but  like 
many  other  family  names  has  become  Americanized  into  Barrows,  which  has  pre- 
vailed for  the  last  hundred  years.  John  Barrus,  by  his  second  wife,  Deborah,  had 
three  children :  Joshua,  Beniger,  and  Ebenezer,  and  died  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  in 
1692.  Ebenezer  Barrus  married  Elizabeth  Lyon,  settled  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  and  was 
the  father  of  Abraham,  who  was  born  there  February  11,  1714.  Abraham  Barrus 
removed  to  Cumberland,  R.  L,  where  all  his  children,  nine  in  number,  were  born. 
In  1765  he  moved  to  Richmond,  Cheshire  County,  N.  H.  His  son,  Jeremiah  Barrus, 
was  born  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  October  17,  1756,  married  Prudence  Shaffer  on  De- 
cember 4,  1783,  lived  mainly  in  Richmond,  N.  H.,  had  nine  children,  and  fought  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Continental  army  at  the  battles  of  Bunker  Hill,  Trenton,  Princeton, 
and  Bennington.  He  was  the  last  of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  who  died  in  the 
town  of  Richmond,  his  death  occurring  October  25,  1850,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four. 
He  was  a  member  of  Capt.  Oliver  Capron's  militia  company  from  Richmond,  N.  H., 
which  joined  Col.  Ephriam  Doolittle's  regiment,  being  commissioned  at  Cambridge 
June  12,  1775.  The  roll  of  this  company  appears  in  the  return  there  of  October  6, 
1775,  when  stationed  at  Winter  Hill  in  Cambridge,  and  may  be  found  in  the  Adju- 
tant-General's office  in  Boston,  and  is  probably  the  only  record  of  the  company  now 
extant.  The  company,  soon  after  this  return  was  made,  returned  to  their  homes, 
with  the  exception  of  some  who  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army,  among  whom  was 
Jeremiah  Barrus.  Mellen  Barrows,  son  of  Jeremiah  and  father  of  Samuel  J.,  was 
born  in  Warwick,  Franklin  county,  Mass.,  February  29,  1786,  but  spent  his  early  life 
with  the  family  in  Richmond,  N.  H.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  being  stationed 
at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  drew  a  pension  for  many  years  before  his  death,  as  did 
also  his  father  for  services  in  the  Revolution.  August  12  1810,  he  married  Lucy, 
daughter  of  Ichabod  and  Chloe  (Kempton)  Whipple,  jr.,  of  Richmond,  whose  great- 
grandfather, Nathaniel  Whipple,  came  there  from  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  in  1767. 
About  1815,  after  the  last  war  with  Great  Britian  had  closed,  Mellen  Barrows  moved 
with  his  family  to  McDonough,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  October  31, 
1877,  and  where  his  wife's  death  occurred  about  1875.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  staunch 
Democrat  of  the  Jeffersouian  school,  a  man  of  decided  character,  and  liberally  en- 
dowed with  the  ennobling  qualities  of  native  New  Englanders.  His  wife  was  an 
exemplary  Christian  woman,  and  both  were  highly  respected  in  the  community 
where  they  spent  most  of  their  active  lives. 

Hon.  Samuel  Jones  Barrows,  son  of  Mellen  and  Lucy  (Whipple)  Barrows,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  McDonough,  Chenango  county,  and  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  parental 
farm,  helping  his  father  and  brothers  in  all  kinds  of  work  pertaining  to  farming  un- 


1 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  47 

til  he  reached  his  majority.  He  was  the  youngest  of  five  sons  and  represents  the 
sixth  generation  of  his  family.  His  education  was  obtained  at  odd  intervals  in  the 
district  and  select  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  the  knowledge  thus  acquired  was 
supplemented  by  a  few  months  in  the  Academy  at  Norwich,  N.  Y.  When  twenty- 
one  he  taught  a  district  school  in  an  adjoining  town  for  a  short  time,  and  in  1848 
came  to  Utica  to  read  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  Hon.  Joshua  A.  Spencer  and  Hon. 
Francis  Kernan.  He  had  decided  upon  entering  the  legal  profession  at  a  very  early 
age,  but  the  determination  formed  when  a  mere  lad  was  carried  out  by  him  only 
after  the  utmost  self-sacrifice  and  constant  effort.  His  father  being  in  moderate  cir- 
cumstances he  was  obliged  to  practice  economy  and  rely  solely  upon  his  own  re- 
sources. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  Utica  General  Term  in  1851  and  after- 
wards acted  as  managing  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  late  Judge  Ward  Hunt  for  one 
year.  In  1852  he  entered  actively  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica,  where 
he  has  ever  since  resided,  and  where  he  has  attained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of 
the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  county.  As  attorney  and  counsellor  he  has  been  uni- 
formly successful,  and  probably  no  practitioner  has  lost  a  smaller  number  of  cases,  a 
fact  which  well  illustrates  his  long  professional  career. 

Mr.  Barrows  was  elected  city  attorney  for  the  cit}^  of  Utica  in  1853  and  held  that 
office  for  one  term.  He  also  served  as  attorney  and  counsel  for  the  board  of  excise 
of  the  county  of  Oneida  from  1857  to  1870,  when  the  law  was  changed  from  county 
to  town  and  city  boards.  He  held  the  office  of  corporation  counsel  for  the  city  of 
Utica  for  five  consecutive  terms,  from  March,  1879,  till  March,  1884,  being  first  ap- 
pointed by  a  Republican  and  afterward  by  a  Democratic  council,  and  it  is  to  his 
credit  and  ability  as  a  lawyer  that  the  city,  while  he  was  its  counsel,  never  paid  any 
damages  or  costs  in  any  action  which  he  defended.  Mayor  James  Miller,  in  his 
valedictory  on  retiring  from  office  in  March,  1883,  said:  "It  is  sufficient  in  reference 
to  the  corporation  counsel  to  state  that  the  city  has  not  lost  a  suit  which  he  has  con- 
ducted. The  amount  expended  for  costs  and  fees  during  the  three  terms  he  has  held 
the  position  was  §176.17.  During  the  preceeding  three  years  it  was  $4,250.72.  These 
figures  require  no  comment."  The  costs  and  expenses  of  ruuning  the  office  during 
the  five  terms  of  Mr.  Barrows's  incumbency  amounted  to  about  $256.  After  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  office  the  Sunday  Tribune  said:  "It  is  an  undisputed  fact 
that  he  was  the  most  successful  corporation  council  that  the  city  has  ever  had."  In 
1889  he  was  elected  ma,yor  of  the  city  of  Utica  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  held 
that  office  one  term.  During  that  term  many  noteworthy  public  improvements  were 
made  or  inaugurated.  Asphalt  pavements  costing  over  $150,000  were  laid,  iron  pipe 
was  laid  under  the  Erie  canal  in  West  Utica  at  an  expense  of  about  $8,500,  the  Third  and 
Seventh  wards  sewer  outlet  in  West  Utica  was  constructed  at  a  cost  of  about  $50,000, 
the  motive  power  of  the  Utica  Belt  Line  Street  railway  was  changed  from  horse  to 
electricity,  and  the  abandoned  Chenango  canal  lands  were  sold  for  $23,236,  leaving 
about  $6,000  above  expenses  with  which  to  deepen  Nail  creek,  build  some  bridges 
and  replenish  the  city  fund.  The  total  amount  of  public  improvements  during  his 
term  as  mayor  was  about  $270,000,  and  in  all  of  these  Mr.  Barrows  labored  unstint- 
ingly  for  the  best  interests  of  the  city  and  its  future  welfare.  He  manifested  a  pro- 
gressive spirit,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  municipal  affairs,  and  an  honest  desire  to 
give  an  able,  economical,  and  business  administration.     That  his  efforts  have  proven 


48  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

successful  are  evident,  for  time  has  demonstrated  the  soundness  of  his  advice  and 
the  efficacy  of  his  achievements. 

All  these  offices  came  to  Mr.  Barrows  unsought,  and  after  serving  for  the  periods 
mentioned,  he  declined  re-election  or  appointment.  He  retired  from  official  life  to 
devote  his  entire  attention  to  the  general  practice  of  the  law  and  resume  those 
professional  duties  which  had  been  temporarily  interrupted.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  April  25,  1887.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, his  jsresent  wife  being  Mrs.  Isabella  Grace  Lowery,  daughter  of  John  Gourley, 
deceased,  late  of  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. 


ROBERT  MIDDLETON. 

Robert  Middleton,  president  of  the  Globe  Woolen  Company,  of  Utica,  is  the 
third  son  in  a  family  of  eight  children  born  to  Robert  and  Marjory  (Burnett)  Middle- 
ton,  both  natives  of  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  and  was  born  in  that  university  city  on  the 
25th  of  May,  1825.  His  father,  who  was  a  manufacturer  while  in  Scotland,  came  to 
America  with  his  family  m  1839  and  settled  in  Middle  Granville,  Washington  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a  farmer,  dying  in  1876,  aged 
eighty-six  years.  His  wife's  death  occurred  in  185(5  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  They 
were  liberally  endowed  with  those  Scotch  characteristics  of  probity  and  respect- 
ability which  invariably  distinguish  the  race,  and  transmitted  to  their  children  those 
attributes  of  thrift  and  frugality  that  enabled  them  to  lead  unusually  successful 
lives. 

The  educational  advantages  which  Robert  Middleton  enjoyed  were  confined  to  the 
common  schools  of  Granville,  N.  Y.,  where  he  made  the  best  of  his  opportunities 
until  be  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  then  .spent  six  years  in  the  employ  of  the 
Lowell  Carpet  Company,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  the  succeeding  seven  years  as  as- 
sistant superintendent  of  the  mills  of  the  Merrimac  Woolen  Company.  In  these 
capacities  he  acquired  not  only  a  wide  practical  experience,  but  found  an  occupation 
which  he  liked,  and  which  was  the  foundation  of  the  life-work  in  which  he  has  been 
more  than  ordinarily  successful.  He  familiarized  himself  with  every  detail  incident 
to  the  manufacture  of  woolen  fabrics  and  thoroughly  learned  each  branch  of  the 
business.  In  April,  1857,  he  was  invited  to  visit  the  Utica  Woolen  Mills  with  the 
view  of  accepting  the  agency  of  the  same,  and  after  a  personal  interview  with  the 
late  Theodore  S.  Faxton,  then  president  of  the  company,  and  an  examination  of  the 
mill  property,  he  was  engaged  as  agent  and  superintendent  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  such  upon  the  10th  of  May.  1857.  He  has  ever  since  been  connected  with 
this  establishment,  and  to  him  is  mainly  due  the  success  of  the  company.  The 
Globe  Mills,  as  they  were  then  called,  had  been  in  existence  for  several  years,  as  re- 
lated in  an  earlier  chapter  of  this  volume,  but  as  a  business  enterprise  they  had 
been  unsuccessful.  In  1854,  just  before  the  approach  of  the  severest  financial 
struggle  the  country  has  ever  experienced,  the  company  failed  and  the  stockholders 
were  assessed  ninety-eight  per  cent,  to  pay  outstanding  debts,  and  the  mill  was  sold 
at  auction.  On  August  1,  1855,  a  new  company  was  organized  under  the  name  of 
the  Utica  Woolen  Mills.     The  panic  of  1857  having  been  safely  passed  through  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  49 

prosperous  season  began,  and  under  the  able  management  of  its  president  and 
Robert  Middleton  as  agent  the  mill  gained  large  profits  for  its  shareholders,  paid 
the  first  dividend  it  had  ever  made,  and  established  a  repute  for  its  fabrics  that  was 
second  to  none  in  the  country.  The  capital,  which  had  been  §70,000  in  the  begin- 
ning, was  in  1868  increased  from  the  earnings  to  §300,000;  new  buildings  were 
erected  and  the  old  machinery  wholly  replaced;  and  the  name  was  changed  to  the 
Globe  Woolen  Company. 

Mr.  Middleton's  excellent  practical  qualifications  and  his  natural  executive  ability 
found  ample  scope  for  exercise,  and  he  gave  his  best  energies  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  company.  The  product  was  greatly  improved  in  quality  under  his  skillful 
direction,  and  other  reforms  were  inaugurated  which  soon  placed  the  concern  on  a 
firm  and  permanent  foundation.  The  product  of  the  mills  was  formerly  sold  by 
commission  houses,  but  on  January  1,  1864,  a  salesroom  was  established  by  the  com- 
pany in  New  York  city  and  the  entire  product,  amounting  to  §1,200,000,  is  sold  from 
there.  When  Mr  Middleton  assumed  charge  of  the  mills  the  output  was  not  more 
than  one-fifth  the  present  quantity  while  the  quality  of  the  goods  manufactured  has 
advanced  still  more  rapidly,  and  at  the  present  time  cloths  are  made  that  are  not 
excelled  in  the  country.  On  September  6,  1871,  the  entire  property  of  the  com- 
pany was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  the  mills  were  at  once  rebuilt  and  in  1886  a  worsted 
mill  was  added  to  the  plant.  It  is  eminently  proper  to  state  that  the  stockholders  of 
the  company  attribute  a  large  share  of  the  credit  for  the  success  of  their  mills  to 
Mr.  Middleton,  who  for  nearly  forty  years  has  devoted  his  time,  his  great  execu- 
tive ability,  and  his  best  energies  to  their  management.  In  1868  his  son,  Walter 
D.  Middleton,  entered  the  offices  of  the  company  m  a  subordinate  capacity,  and  has 
risen  by  various  promotions  to  the  superintendency,  which  position  he  now  fills. 
On  January  19,  1883,  Mr.  Middleton  succeeded  the  late  Theodore  S.  Faxton  as 
president,  which  office  he  has  since  held,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  lifetime 
of  Mr.  Faxton  he  was  Mr.  Middleton's  faithful  friend  and  trusted  adviser. 

Outside  of  his  regular  business  connections  Mr.  Middleton  is  a  public  spirited 
citizen.  He  possesses  a  large  fund  of  general  information,  and  has  always  will- 
ingly and  liberally  aided  every  movement  for  the  good  of  the  community.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  prominently  connected  with  the  local  banking  interests  and 
with  various  j^rivate  business  undertakings,  all  of  which  are  the  gainers  through 
his  counsel  and  material  participation.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  but 
throughout  life  has  held  himself  aloof  from  active  work  in  political  fields.  He  is  a 
man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  courteous,  affable,  and  sympathetic,  broad-minded, 
charitable,  and  keenly  alive  to  the  needs  of  the  community.  During  his  long  and 
successful  career  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  fabrics  he  has  not  only  won  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  his  business  associates  but  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  come  in  contact,  and  especially  of  those  in  his  employ,  who  owe  him  many  a 
debt  of  gratitude  for  valuable  counsel  and  advice. 

Mr.  Middleton  was  married  in  1849  to  Miss  Lucy  Ann,  daughter  of  Ira  Cummings, 
of  Greenfield,  N.  H.  She  died  August  26,  1882,  leaving  four  children:  Walter  D., 
superintendent  of  the  Globe  Woolen  Company;  Ella  R.,  wife  of  Dr.  James  G. 
Hunt,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Utica;  Mary,  wife  of  Fred- 
erick Gebhard,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J.  ;  and  Florence,  wife  of  Dr.  Cha,rles  W.  Pil- 
grim, superintendent  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

G 


50  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

PUBLIUS  V.   ROGERS.'' 

PuBLius  ViRGiLius  RoGERS  was  bom  at  Antwerp,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
ber 30,  1824.  He  was  the  eldest  child  of  Ralph  Rogers,  M.  D.,  a  native  of  Acworth, 
N.  H.,  who  removed  in  early  life  to  Antwerp,  N.  Y.,  and  soon  afterward  to  Water- 
town,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Rogers  received  his  medical  education  in  the 
Medical  College  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  and  practiced  medicine  at  Antw^erp  until  1833, 
when  he  removed  to  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  a  leading  member  of  his  pro- 
fession up  to  the  time  of  his  decease,  February  21,  1872,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his 
age.  Mr.  Rogers's  mother,  Sarah  Corse,  was  a  native  of  Duxbury,  Vt.  She  died 
at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  September  19,  1875,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  her  age. 

Publius  V.  Rogers  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Rogers,  who  was  one  of  the 
105  immigrants  in  the  Mayflower.  Through  a  grandmother  he  was  a  descendant  of 
John  Alden  and  Priscilla  Mullens.  Among  his  ancestors  in  the  Province  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  were  many  influential  pastors  and  preachers.  One  of  his  ancestors  was 
Capt.  James  Rogers,  a  vigorous  Indian  fighter.  Captain  Rogers  removed  to  Nut- 
field,  N.  H.,  as  Londonderry  was  then  called.  For  two  or  three  generations  his 
family  resided  there  until  their  removal  to  Acworth,  N.  H.  One  of  his  maternal 
ancestors  was  Captain  Corse  of  the  British  Army.  Many  of  the  Corse  family  were 
officers  and  soldiers  in  the  colonial  wars.  An  ancestor  of  Mr.  Rogers,  Elizabeth 
Catlin,  was  the  wife  of  James  Corse,  a  scout.  Mrs.  Corse  lived  at  Deerfield,  Mass., 
and  was  captured  wnth  her  daughter  by  the  Indians.  She  died  in  captivity  on  her 
way  to  Canada,  leaving  one  daughter,  who  married  and  died  in  Canada,  and  two 
sons.  Four  ancestors  of  Mr.  Rogers  served  their  country  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Three  of  them  were  officers  of  the  army. 

Publius  V.  Rogers  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  schools  of  Antwerp 
and  Watertown.  One  of  the  teachers  of  his  boyhood  at  Watertown  was  the  late 
Judge  Charles  Mason.  He  was  afterward  a  student  in  the  Watertown  Academy, 
while  the  late  Judge  Mullen  was  its  principal.  He  was  prepared  for  college  in  the 
"  Black  River  Literary  and  Religious  Institute  "  of  Watertown,  under  the  instruction 
of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  James  R.  Boyd.  He  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Hamilton 
College  in  1843  and  was  graduated  in  1846.  Among  his  classmates  in  college  were 
the  Rev.  Isaac  H.  Brayton,  afterward  a  lecturer  in  Hamilton  College  and  a  professor 
in  the  College  of  California;  Henry  P.  Bristol,  tutor  of  Hamilton  College  and  father 
of  Prof.  George  P.  Bristol  of  Cornell  University;  John  N.  Hungerford,  a  member  of 
Congress,  trustee  and  benefactor  of  Hamilton  College,  and  a  prominent  banker  at 
Corning,  N.  Y. ;  Gustavus  A.  Kellogg,  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Spencer  Kellogg,  of 
Utica;  Dr.  Horace  Lathrop,  tutor  in  Hamilton  College  and  long  an  eminent  physi- 
cian in  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.  ;  Perry  H.  Smith,  of  Chicago,  in  memory  of  whose  be- 
neficence the  library  building  of  Hamilton  College  is  named;  Alexander  Spaulding, 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  New  York  city.  Of  Mr.  Rogers's  work  in  college 
one  of  his  instructors  writes  with  discrimination  and  emphasis:  "  While  Mr.  Rogers 
was  one  of  the  youngest  of  his  class,  his  manliness  and  maturity  of  character  were 
beyond  his  years.     He  was  prompt  and  faithful  at  the  post  of  duty.     His  mind  and 

'  Contributed  by  Rev.  Anson  J.  Upson,  D.  D.,  chancellor  of  the  University  of  the  State  of 
New  York. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  51 

attainments  were  well  balanced,  so  that  the  outcome  of  his  under- graduate  studies 
was  a  well-rounded,  generous  culture." 

Soon  after  his  graduation  Mr.  Rogers  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Skm- 
ner  &  Brown  at  Adams,  N.  Y.,  spending  an  hour  each  day  in  bookkeeping  at  the 
Hungerford  Bank.  Afterward,  he  contmued  his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  Judge 
George  C.  Sherman  at  Watertown.  During  the  summer  of  1848  he  took  part  in  the 
survey  of  the  Rome,  Watertown  and  Ogdensburg  railroad.  On  the  organization  of 
the  Watertown  Bank  and  Loan  Company  by  Judge  Sherman,  January  1,  1849,  Mr. 
Rogers  was  placed  at  the  head  of  its  management  as  cashier.  He  filled  this  position 
very  acceptably  for  some  months,  and  in  September,  1850,  was  appointed  cashier  of 
Fort  Stanwix  Bank  at  Rome,  N,  Y.,  and  in  September,  1853,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of 
Utica.  This  appointment  was  due  largely  to  the  influence  of  the  late  Hon.  Hiram 
Denio.  In  the  litigation  of  certain  cases  in  which  the  Fort  Stanwix  Bank  was  a 
party.  Judge  Denio  had  observed  the  thorough  knowledge  of  banking  and  of  the 
laws  appertaining  thereto  which  Mr.  Rogers  possessed.  When  the  directors  of  the 
Bank  of  Utica  decided  to  appoint  a  new  cashier,  on  his  recommendation  Mr.  Rogers 
was  elected.  The  appointment  of  so  young  a  man  to  be  the  principal  manager  of  so 
old  and  influential  a  bank,  having  so  large  a  capital  and  so  many  stockholders  and 
customers,  was  a  very  high  compliment  to  the  ability,  integrity,  and  trustworthiness 
of  Mr.  Rogers.  Soon  after  entering  upon  his  official  duties  the  new  cashier  discov- 
ered that  the  capital  of  the  bank  had  been  impaired  to  the  extent  of  one-sixth  of  its 
amount — §100,000.  With  the  concurrence  of  the  directors  he  had  the  courage  to 
suspend  the  payment  of  dividends  until  this  loss  should  be  made  good.  Under  his 
administration  the  capital  was  gradually  restored  to  its  full  amount ;  and  since  its 
restoration  the  bank  has  paid  semi-annual  dividends  with  the  regularity  of  the 
periods  and  has  accumulated  a  surplus  of  $400,000.  That  Cashier  Rogers  fully  met 
the  expectations  of  the  directors  was  shown  by  his  election  as  president  of  the  bank 
in  1876,  as  the  successor  to  Benjamin  N.  Huntington,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  Throughout 
a  long  life  he  maintained  his  early  reputation  for  financial  abihty  and  strict  integ- 
rsty.  For  a  continuous  period  of  forty-two  years  he  was  cashier  or  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Utica.  Guided  by  his  sound  judgment,  and  under  his  able 
administration,  the  bank  became  a  permanent  source  of  sure  income  to  its  many 
stockholders,  and  a  very  important  factor  in  the  business  affairs  of  Central  New 
York.  With  a  mind  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  banking  profession,  supplemented  by 
collegiate  and  legal  training  and  business  experience,  Mr.  Rogers,  in  his  financial 
work,  exemplified,  to  a  high  degree,  inflexible  integrity,  wise  sagacity,  persevering 
industry,  and  a  keen  intelligence.  As  a  financial  adviser  of  individuals  and  institu- 
tions his  advice  was  frequently  sought  and  was  as  highly  valued  as  it  was  freely  and 
generously  given.  In  the  business  community  his  standing  was  very  high  and  most 
enviable. 

How  widely  he  was  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Utica  and  Central 
New  York  will  appear  from  a  simple  enumeration  of  the  corporations  with  which  he 
was  influentially  connected.  From  1872  to  1895,  when  he  died,  he  was  a  director 
and  from  1875  to  his  death  he  was  the  treasurer  of  the  Utica  Water  Works  Company. 
From  its  organization  to  his  death  he  was  a  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Mo. 
hawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills.     For  many  Jyears  he  was  a  director  in  the  Utica  Steam 


52  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Cotton  Mills,  the  Skenandoa  Cotton  Company,  and  the  Utica  Willowvale  Bleaching 
Company.  For  some  years  Mr.  Rogers  was  also  a  director  in  the  Utica  Gas  Light 
Company.  In  all  these  business  relations  for  more  than  forty  years  it  is  the  simple 
truth  to  say  he  deserved  and  received  many  tokens  of  respect,  confidence,  and 
triendly  regard  of  his  business  acquaintances.  It  has  been  truly  said  of  him  by  one 
who  knew  hmi  well  that  ' '  he  was  the  soul  of  honor ;  he  dealt  fairly  with  every  man. 
Such  positions  as  he  occupied  required  the  exercise  of  wise  judgment  and  often  firm- 
ness; yet  so  courteous  was  he,  and  so  kindly,  that,  while  seldom  receding  from  a 
position  once  taken,  he  gave  no  offence  to  rankle  as  the  result  of  a  necessary  refusal. 
In  all  financial  matters  he  was  thoroughly  informed,  and  his  conclusions,  carefully 
reached,  were  usually  right,  and  were  so  accepted  by  those  who  had  sought  his 
guidance." 

But  the  activities  of  Mr.  Rogers's  life  were  not  limited  to  business  affairs,  numer- 
ous and  important  as  were  these,  requiring,  as  they  did,  continuous  and  laborious 
attention;  he  was,  besides,  generous  and  helpful  in  many  directions.  His  benefi- 
cence was  self-sacrificing.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Soldiers' 
Aid  Association,  which  raised  by  subscription  a  large  sum  of  money  to  provide  for 
the  families  of  those  who  had  gone  to  the  front.  The  distribution  of  this  money  in 
small  amounts  required  careful  attention.  As  treasurer  of  the  fund  to  aid  sufferers 
in  Nebraska  he  was  equally  pains-taking  and  public  spirited.  As  a  trustee  of  the 
Utica  Art  Association  he  did  much  to  promote  the  success  of  the  fine  art  exhibitions 
which,  in  successive  winters,  gave  so  much  enjoyment  and  culture  to  the  citizens  of 
Central  New  York.  Mr.  Rogers  was  actively  interested  in  the  organization  of  the  Fort 
Schuyler  Club,  serving  as  one  of  its  governors  for  several  years,  and  as  its  president 
from  1889  until  his  decease.  For  many  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Home  for  the 
Homeless,  succeeding  Judge  William  J.  Bacon  as  president  of  that  most  beneficent 
charity.  For  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Rogers  was  a  faithful  and  useful  trustee  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  church,  and  was  one  of  the  committee  who  had  charge  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  present  edifice  on  Genesee  street  after  the  former  house  of  worship,  on 
the  same  site,  had  been  destroyed  by  fire. 

In  1881  Mr.  Rogers  was  appointed  bj^  the  governor  and  Senate  of  the  State  of  New 
York  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  and  in  1885  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  board  as  the  successor  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  Campbell. 
For  nearly  fifteen  years  he  served  the  State  in  this  high  and  most  responsible  office. 
It  was  for  him  no  sinecure.  He  visited  the  institution  nearly  every  week,  and 
through  personal  inspection  and  conversation  with  the  superintendent  and  other  offi- 
cers he  gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  its  condition.  To  the  financial  affairs  of 
the  Bank  of  Utica,  or  to  his  own  business  transactions,  he  gave  no  more  careful  at- 
tention. As  chairman  of  the  building  committee  for  many  years  he  supervised  new 
work  and  extensive  repairs.  He  was  seldom  or  never  absent  from  a  monthly  meet- 
ing of  the  managers,  even  when  his  health  was  endangered  by  his  attendance.  He 
was  a  model  presiding  officer,  observant,  patient,  and  impartial.  "The  aggregate 
of  the  hours  thus  spent  in  this  beneficent  work,  without  other  reward  than  the  con- 
sciousness of  discharging  honorably  a  public  duty,  would  be  months  if  they  could  be 
counted."  During  his  service  in  the  board  the  hospital  was  investigated  several 
times  by  a  legislative  committee.     "The  investigators"  were  often  simply  profes- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  53 

sional  politicians,  spoilsmen,  to  whom  it  was  inconceivable  that  so  much  time  and 
valuable  service  could  be  given  to  the  institution,  gratuitously,  by  managers  actu- 
ated only  by  benevolence  and  public  spirit  with  no  selfish,  ulterior  purpose.  They 
did  their  utmost  to  excite  suspicion  and  to  discredit  the  management.  This  indig- 
nity was  very  trying  to  a  sensitive  high-minded  gentleman  like  Mr.  Rogers.  Rather 
than  submit  to  it  he  might  have  resigned  his  office.  But  conscious  of  the  rectitude 
of  his  motives,  with  a  high  sense  of  duty,  and  exhaustless  patience,  although  by 
nature  keenly  sensitive,  he  could  endure  more  than  most  men.  "He  could  hear 
much  and  say  little."  Every  investigation  increased  public  confidence  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  hospital.  So  that  when  Mr.  Rogers  appeared  officially  before  the 
governor  or  the  Legislature  to  present  its  wants,  his  statements  were  never  doubted. 
After  the  death  of  the  eminent  Dr.  John  P.  Gray,  who  had  been  the  successful 
superintendent  for  thirty-five  years,  it  was  natural  that  changes  in  the  management 
of  the  institution  should  be  proposed.  These  proposals  excited  opposition.  But  so 
ready  was  President  Rogers  to  recognize  needful  changes  required  by  the  growth  of 
the  hospital,  such  was  his  tact  and  good  sense,  and  such  was  his  acknowledged  fore- 
sight, that  serious  difficulties  were  prevented,  and  the  increasing  needs  of  the  insti- 
tution were  provided  for  wisely. 

A  graduate  of  Hamilton  College  in  184G,  for  nearly  fifty  years  he  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantageous results  of  early  collegiate  training.  He  appreciated  thoroughly  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  collegiate  education  to  a  business  man.  He  had  no  patience  with 
those  who  depreciated  or  denied  them.  One  day,  in  his  office,  when  the  writer  of 
this  article  said  to  him  that  he  was  giving  much  time  and  anxious  thought  to  the 
college,  he  replied,  with  moistened  eyes:  "There  is  not  a  week  in  which  I  do  not 
realize  in  my  business  here  the  value  of  my  college  training.  I  use  here  the  same 
mental  processes  in  which  I  was  trained  there.  I  can  never  do  too  much  for  the  col- 
lege." This  appreciation  and  these  grateful  feelings  made  him  so  ready  to  serve  the 
college  as  trustee  for  twenty-six  years,  from  1869  to  1895,  and  to  hold  the  office  of 
treasurer  from  1880  to  1887.  As  treasurer  he  gave  to  the  institution  the  benefit  of 
his  long  financial  experience  and  his  executive  ability  at  a  time  when  its  pecuniary 
afi:airs  required  special  care.  This  he  did  absolutely  without  compensation.  It  was 
this  grateful  loyalty  to  the  college  which  induced  him,  as  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  trustees,  to  give  so  much  of  his  time  to  its  meetings  held  in  his  office. 
He  attended  to  every  duty  and  accepted  every  resj^onsibility,  in  this  connection, 
willingly  and  cheerfully.  As  a  financial  adviser  his  judgment  was  of  the  highest 
value  to  the  college  board  of  trust;  and  his  membership  in  the  board 'greatly 
strengthened  the  confidence  of  the  alumni  and  friends  of  the  college  in  the  wisdom 
and  integrity  of  its  management.  He  never  forgot  the  friends  of  his  youth  and  the 
associations  of  his  college  days.  He  did  not  think  that  such  remembrances  were  un- 
manly. He  never  lost  his  interest  in  the  Sigma  Phi  fraternity,  of  which  he  was  a 
member.  In  the  University  Club  of  New  York,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  he  found 
many  congenial  as.sociates.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  his  friends  to  remember  that  dur- 
ing the  last  week  of  his  life  he  so  greatly  enjoyed  the  i-eunion  of  old  friends  at  the 
college  commencement  of  that  year,  and  rejoiced  with  them  in  the  assured  stability 
of  the  college  and  in  its  rapidly  increasing  prosperity. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  too  sincerely  patriotic  to  take  no  interest  in  public  affairs.     He 


54  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  a  Republican,  but  not  a  partisan.  Though  ready  to  serve  the  public  in  many 
ways,  he  would  never  accept  poUtical  office.  He  greatly  enjoyed  foreign  travel, 
twice  spending  some  months  abroad,  but  he  found  his  highest  happiness  in  his  home 
and  m  his  family.  There,  his  sympathy,  his  kindness,  his  gentleness,  and  his  hospi- 
tality were  unfailing.  For  nothing  in  his  public  and  private  life  was  he  more  re- 
markable than  for  his  dignified  and  gracious  courtesy.  This  was  his  distinctive 
characteristic.  The  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Utica  knew  him  inti- 
mately for  years,  and  their  official  announcement  of  his  decease  is  evidently  as  sin- 
cere as  it  is  sympathetic.  In  this  announcement  they  use  these  tenderly  significant 
words:  "That  through  life  he  bore  himself  as  a  high-minded  citizen,  a  cultivated 
gentleman,  a  kind  neighbor,  and  a  loyal  friend,  all  who  have  ever  known  him  do 
bear  their  sorrowing  testimony." 

Mr.  Rogers  had  not  enjoyed  robust  health  for  some  years,  yet  the  end  of  his  earthly 
life  came  suddenly  at  the  last.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Utica,  July  2,  1895.  It  was 
ordered  providentially  that  the  clergyman  who  had  been  his  intimate  friend  since  his 
college  days,  who  had  officiated  at  his  marriage  and  in  the  baptism  and  marriage  of 
his  only  son,  should  also  be  permitted  to  officiate  in  the  funeral  services. 

September  11,  1861,  Mr.  Rogers  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Butler,  daughter 
of  the  late  Chauncey  Sage  Butler,  of  Sauquoit,  N.  Y.  His  wife  .survives,  as  does  also 
his  only  son,  Charles  Butler  Rogers,  who  has  succeeded  his  father  as  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Utica  and  as  a  manager  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital.  Charles 
B.  Rogers  was  married  January  31,  1894,  to  Miss  Susan  Brayton,  of  Utica.  Mr. 
Rogers  left  also  a  sister,  Mrs.  Murray,  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  and  two  brothers-in-law, 
John  Milton  Butler  and  Charles  A.  Butler,  and  a  sister  in-law,  Miss  Henrietta 
Butler,  of  Utica. 


EPHRAIM  CHAMBERLAIN. 

Ei'HRAiM  Chamberlain  was  nearly  fifty  years  prominently  associated  with  the 
leading  manufacturing  interests  of  Utica.  Coming  here  a  friendless  boy  of  twenty 
he  gradually  rose  to  the  highest  and  most  honored  spheres  of  citizenship,  and 
throughout  a  useful  career  enjoyed  universal  respect  and  esteem.  His  paternal  an- 
cestors emigrated  from  England  to  this  country  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century  and  settled  at  what  is  now  Biddeferd,  Me.  In  the  line  of  descent  at  least 
six  generations  have  had  an  Ephraim  among  them,  and  through  tho'^e  bearing  that 
name  from  the  original  immigrant  to  the  subject  of  this  memoir  there  has  passed 
from  generation  to  generation  a  small  souvenir,  which  is  valued  by  the  family  as  a 
precious  heirloom.  Clark  Chamberlain,  his  father,  came  from  New  England  at  an 
early  day  and  settled  in  Burlington,  Otsego  county,  whence  he  removed  with  his 
family  about  1829  to  the  adjoining  town  of  Pittsfield. 

Ephraim  Chamberlain  was  born  in  the  town  of  Burlington,  Otsego  count)-,  on  the 
2d  day  of  January,  1825,  and  when  about  four  years  of  age  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Pittsfield,  where  he  lived  until  1841,  attending  in  the  mean  time  a  common  school, 
receiving  some  private  tutelage,  and  finishing  his  education  with  an  academic  course 
of  two  terms.     By  dint  of  perseverance  and  constant  application,   by  studying  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  55 

night  under  the  flickering  rays  of  a  candle,  he  secured  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
ordinary  English  branches  than  many  boys  of  the  day  acquired,  and  having  com- 
pleted his  schooling  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  upon  the  active  duties  of  a 
business  life.  He  first  became  a  clerk  in  the  country  store  of  his  uncle,  Ephraim 
Chamberlain,  at  West  Edmeston,  Otsego  county,  where  he  remained  until  1845, 
when  he  came  to  Utica  as  a  clerk  in  the  canal  collector's  office.  He  continued  in 
that  capacity  until  1849,  excepting  one  year  spent  in  the  employ  of  a  dry  goods  store 
in  the  city.  In  February,  1849,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  bookkeeper  for  the 
newly  organized  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills  of  which  the  late  Alfred  Munson  was  the 
first  president.  This  corporation  had  been  formed  in  January,  1847,  with  Theodore 
S.  Faxton,  Silas  D.  Childs,  Alfred  Munson,  Charles  A.  Mann,  Edmund  A.  Graham, 
Andrew  S.  Pond,  and  Horatio  Seymour  as  trustees,  and  the  legislative  act  creating  it 
took  effect  February  17,  1848.  The  first  building  was  still  unfinished  when,  late  in 
the  latter  year,  Mr.  Chamberlain  applied  in  person  to  President  Munson  for  the 
position,  and  after  giving  his  references  and  answering  some  questions  left  with  the 
impression  that  his  chances  for  securing  it  were  very  slight  indeed  because  of  the 
numerous  applicants  who  had  preceded  him.  But  a  few  weeks  later  he  was  offered 
the  place,  which  he  accepted,  thus  connecting  himself  with  a  corporation  with  the 
success  of  which  he  was  ever  afterward  associated. 

In  1854  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  company  and  in  1859  be- 
came also  its  secretary,  and  continued  in  these  two  capacities  for  many  years. 
Under  his  efficient  management  the  financial  affairs  of  the  concern  were  conducted 
upon  a  sound  and  prosperous  basis,  and  to  him  is  largely  due  its  long  career  of  suc- 
cess. In  1882  he  was  elected  a  trustee,  in  1889  the  vice-president,  and  in  January, 
1890,  president,  which  latter  office  he  held  until  his  death  on  September  17,  1895. 
He  administered  the  duties  of  these  several  positions  with  the  highest  efficiency,  won 
the  entire  confidence  of  all  his  associates,  and  made  the  establishment  one  of  the 
most  profitable  of  the  kind  in  the  State.  His  business  ability  was  universally  ac- 
knowledged, his  integrity  was  rever  questioned.  He  was  a  man  of  great  force  of 
character,  enterprising,  public  spirited,  and  just,  energetic,  and  companionable. 

He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  and  an  original  director  of  the  Mohawk  Valley 
Cotton  Mills  and  the  Utica  Willowvale  Bleaching  Company,  and  became  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  both  corporations.  He  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Utica  Savings  Bank,  having  been  elected  to  that  position  in  1866;  in 
1875  he  was  elected  its  second  vice-president,  in  1888  first  vice-president,  and  in  1889 
succeeded  the  late  Judge  Bacon  as  president.  He  was  also  for  many  years  a  director 
and  vice-president  of  the  Oneida  National  Bank.  In  politics  he  was  a  lifelong 
Democrat.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  from  the  old  Third  ward  in 
1856-57  and  in  1869  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Utica,  being  for  several  years 
before  his  death  the  oldest  living  ex-mayor.  His  life  was  one  of  rare  completeness. 
He  possessed  the  highest  attributes  of  citizenship,  and  proved  that  one  born  amidst 
humble  surroundings  may  reach  the  loftiest  pinnacle  of  usefulness  and  successful 
attainment. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  was  first  married  on  June  20,  1850,  to  Emma  L.  Green,  of  New 
Berlin,  N.  Y.,  who  died  December  7,  1858.  September  13,  1860,  he  married,  .sec- 
ond, Theresa  W.  Carpenter,  of  New  York  city,  who  with  one  son,  Frederick  G.,  and 


56  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  grandchild,  Priscilla  Chamberlain  (born  May  15,  1887),  survives  him.  His  eldest 
son,  Frank  C,  died  in  1885  while  engaged  in  business  in  New  York.  Frederick  G. 
Chamberlain  was  formerly  secretary  and  assistant  treasurer  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cot- 
ton Mills  and  assistant  treasurer  of  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills. 


ADDISON  C.  MILLER. 

Addison  C.  Miller  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Sylvester  Miller,  and  was  born  in  Lowville, 
Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  November  12,  1831.  He  was  educated  in  Lowville  Academy 
and  afterward  read  law  with  William  Collins,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  January 
1,  1854.  The  following  year  he  came  to  Utica,  where  he  formed  a  law  partnership 
with  John  H.  Edmonds,  which  continued  until  1872,  when  Mr.  Edmonds  retired. 
January  1,  1877,  Frederick  G.  Fincke  was  associated  as  a  partner,  and  November  1, 
1887,  John  E.  Brandegee  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  the  name  being  changed  to 
Miller,  Fincke  &  Brandegee.  In  November,  1892,  Mr.  Miller  retired,  except  as 
counsel   and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Charles  A.  Miller. 

Mr.  Miller  was  largely  interested  personally  in  the  leading  manufactures  of  the 
city  of  Utica.  He  was  counsel  for  the  Globe  Woolen  Company  from  its  organiza- 
tion and  a  trustee  from  1875.  He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills 
from  1866  until  a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of 
the  Mohawk  Valley  Mill,  which  was  founded  in  1880.  He  was  also  a  stockholder  in 
the  Skenandoa  Yarn  Mill  and  the  Utica  Water  Works  Company,  and  a  stockholder 
and  trustee  of  the  Utica  Female  Academy.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Forest  Hill 
Cemetery  Association  and  one  of  its  board  of  trustees  for  many  years.  From  1868 
Mr.  Miller  had  been  a  trustee  of  The  Savings  Bank  of  Utica.  Stalham  Williams  was 
treasurer  of  this  bank  from  1839  until  his  death  in  1875,  when  Mr.  Miller  was  chosen 
treasurer,  a  position  he  held  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  As  financial  adviser  and 
counselor  Mr.  Miller  superintended  the  erection  of  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum,  and 
the  funds  of  the  institution,  which,  at  the  time  of  his  resignation  \n  1888,  amounted 
to.$163,000,  were  always  entrusted  to  him  for  investment.  Mr.  Miller  was  in  party  faith 
a  Republican,  but  was  too  thoroughly  devoted  to  business  affairs  to  be  caught  in  the 
whirlpool  of  professional  politics.  He  was  on  one  occasion  defeated  for  mayor. 
Mr.  Miller  was  ever  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  cit}'  and  its  institutions. 
In  1873  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Charities  which  Utica  had,  and 
in  the  following  year  he  was  re-elected  for  a  full  term  of  three  years.  A  contem- 
porary said  of  him,   "  he  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  honor  in  every  way." 

Mr.  Miller  displayed  marked  ability  in  various  branches  of  business  life  during  an 
active  career  of  more  than  forty  years  in  Utica.  He  was  a  successful  lawyer  and 
banker,  and  one  of  the  prominent  manufacturers  of  the  State.  As  a  lawyer  he  was 
grounded  in  the  law  and  practice  in  surrogates'  courts,  and  many  of  the  large 
estates  of  the  county  which  appeared  on  the  records  of  that  court  during  the 
past  thirty  years  were  entrusted  to  his  care  for  settlement.  It  is  but  a  just  tribute  to 
his  memory  to  say  that,  whether  as  guardian,  trustee,  or  manager,  he  was  as  suc- 
cessful and  conscientious  in  the  management  of  the  property  of  others  as  in  the  con- 


^^-  I^z-^i&f^j^s^^r:— 


M 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  57 

duct  of  his  own   affairs.     Mr.   Miller  died  in  Utica  on  the  18th  of  December,  1894, 
widely  esteemed  and  respected. 

April  29,  1863,  Mr.  Miller  married  Miss  Cynthia  J.  Brayton,  daughter  of  Hervey 
Brayton,  of  Rome.  His  wife  and  one  son,  George  H.,  died  in  1890.  He  left  surviv- 
ing three  children:  Charles  A.,  Howard  C,  and  Theodora,  also  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary 
L.  Wood,  all  of  Utica. 


CHARLES  H.   PHILO. 

Charles  Henry  Philo,  son  of  Elisha  and  Phoebe  (Newell)  Philo,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  October  3,  1845,  and  is  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  John  Fillow,  a  French  Huguenot  and  a  colonial  settler  of  Connecticut  before 
1700.  Elisha  R.  was  born  in  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  October  23,  1812,  and  died  at 
West  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county,  November  9,  1864.  His  wife,  Phoebe,  a  native 
of  Frankfort,  died  in  Washington  Mills,  Oneida  county,  in  1884,  aged  sixty-eight. 
Her  father,  Edward  Newell,  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  her  mother  died  in 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  at  the  great  age  of  103. 

Charles  H.  Philo  is  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  at  Whitestown  Seminary.  His  father 
was  for  many  years  engeged  in  canal  boating  and  it  was  but  natural  that  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  should  first  seek  that  employment.  When  only  eleven  years  of  age  he 
began  active  canal  life,  which  he  followed  summers  until  his  father's  death  in  1864. 
Afterward  he  was  engaged  in  boating  alone  until  1872,  when  he  sold  his  boats  and 
moved  to  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  where  purchased  a  farm  and 
stone  quarry.  Three  years  later  he  sold  the  farm  and  purchased  the  old  stone  store 
at  Washington  Mills,  where  he  carried  on  a  successful  general  mercantile  business 
for  eight  years.  Meanwhile  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  120  acres  in  the  south 
east  corner  of  the  town,  where  he  has  twenty  acres  of  hops  and  also  conducts  a  large 
dairy  business. 

In  1885  Mr.  Philo  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Utica  Tool  Company,  located  at 
Washington  Mills,  and  has  since  been  connected  with  that  successful  enterprise, 
being  now  the  treasurer.  This  business  was  founded  at  Unadilla  Forks,  N.  Y.,  by 
Henry  H.  Babcock,  in  1840,  when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  hoes  by  hand  on  an 
anvil.  Later  Charles  B.  Brown  and  others  became  interested  with  him  under  the 
firm  name  of  Babcock,  Brown  &  Co.  In  1865  the  concern  was  moved  to  Washington 
Mills  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  where  the  works  were  enlarged 
and  forks  and  rakes  added  to  the  production.  In  1871  Porter  S.  Huntley  and  Mr. 
Babcock,  under  the  firm  name  of  Huntley  &  Babcock,  became  the  sole  owners  and 
continued  the  business  until  1883,  when  the  Huntley  &  Babcock  Agricultural  Com- 
pany, Lmtd.,  was  incorporated.  This  name  was  changed  to  the  Lewis  &  Babcock 
manufacturing  Company  in  1887  and  that  to  the  present  Utica  Tool  Company 
in  1892.  The  works  cover  an  area  of  ten  acres  and  employ  from  seventy-five  to  100 
skilled  mechanics,  while  the  mechanical  appliances  and  equipment  of  the  factory  are 
such  as  to  insure  rapid  and  perfect  production,  which  is  shipped  throughout  the 
United    States    and     to    all    parts    of    the    world.       The    Utica    Tool    Company 


58  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

has  a  world-wide  reputation  as  manufacturers  of  the  best  grades  of  coke, 
coal,  oyster,  manure,  spading,  barley,  hay  and  stone  forks;  planters',  cotton, 
street,  mortar,  field,  onion,  weeding,  meadow,  sprouting  and  cultivator  hoes ;  turf 
edgers,  walk  cleaners,  ice  chisels,  coal,  garden  and  lawn  rakes,  potato  hooks,  manure 
drags,  clam  hooks,  corn  knives,  floral  sets,  garden  cultivators,  hollow  tine  forks,  self- 
closing  fruit  and  vegetable  supports,  etc.  The  active  management  of  the  company's 
affairs  is  under  Charles  H.  Philo  and  Ladd  J.  Lewis,  treasurer  and  secretary  respect- 
ively, and  both  representative  and  influential  business  men. 

Mr.  Philo  is  an  active  Republican,  and  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  of  New 
Hartford,  was  for  six  years  postmaster  at  Washington  Mills,  and  for  two  years 
served  the  town  as  supervisor.  For  several  years  he  has  been  a  valued  member  of 
the  Board  of  Equalization  for  the  county.  In  all  these  capacities  he  has  distinguished 
himself  for  his  thorough  business  management  and  executive  skill  and  ability.  He 
is  public-spirited,  enterprising,  and  progressive,  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  No  worthy  object  escapes  his  liberal  support  and 
encouragement.  He  is  a  member  of  Amicable  Lodge,  No.  664,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of 
the  M.  E.  church,  both  of  Washington  Mills. 

Mr.  Philo  was  first  married  in  December,  1869,  to  Miss  Lina,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Hulser,  of  Frankfort,  N.  Y.,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Hudson  River  by  falling  over- 
board from  his  canal  boat  in  June,  1871.  She  left  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy 
soon  afterward.  In  September,  1873,  he  married,  second.  Miss  Mary  J.,  daughter  of 
Nicholas  and  Mary  Ann  (Sterling)  Staring  of  Frankfort,  and  they  have  six  children: 
Lena  E.,  Lotta  R.,  Virgie  E.,  James  C,  Grace  A.,  and  Addie  S. 


ROBERT  J.    HELMER. 

RoiiERT  J.  Helmek  was  born  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  May 
13,  1847.  He  was  a  son  of  Adam  Helmer,  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the  town. 
His  farm  stretched  over  a  wide  area  of  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  being  one  of 
the  best  developed  valuable  farms  in  the  northern  part  of  Oneida  county.  He  was 
one  of  Oneida  county's  prosperous  agriculturists,  from  which  he  accumulated  a 
large  estate.  His  wife  was  Catherine  Bargey  of  Frankfort,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y. 
They  had  two  sons,  George  H.  and  Robert  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Adam 
Helmer  died  in  1884  and  his  wife  in  1890.  George  H.,  the  son,  also  died  in  1881.  The 
Helmers  originally  came  from  Germany,  and  were  frugal,  industrious,  and  upright  in 
character.  Jacob  Helmer,  the  father  of  Adam,  came  from  Herkimer  county  (where 
Adam  was  born),  into  Oneida  county  in  the  earliest  days  of  its  settlement,  giv- 
ing many  years  of  his  life  to  improving  the  land.  Robert  J.  was  educated  at 
the  Whitesboro  Seminary  and  Fairfield  Military  Institute.  The  next  two  years 
were  spent  in  teaching  in  the  town  of  Boonville.  Then  with  Benjamin  Beynon 
he  entered  into  business  at  Alder  Creek,  conducting  a  general  store.  This  busi- 
ness connection  continued  ten  or  twelve  years  when  the  death  of  Mr.  Beynon 
terminated  the  copartnership.  Mr.  Helmer  bought  the  interest  of  his  partner  and 
carried  on  the  business  in  the  same  place  for  the  next  five  years.     At  that  time, 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  59 

1886,  he  built  a  larger  store  better  adapted  to  his  largely  increased  trade.  From 
that  time  forth  Mr.  Helmer  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  county.  He  was  conservative,  careful  and  withal  conscien- 
tious and  straightforward  in  business  affairs.  At  the  time  of  his  death  in  May  8,  1896, 
he  was  engaged  in  several  lines  of  business  in  connection  with  the  other  line.  The 
saw  mill  at  Alder  Creek  was  one  of  the  adjunct  enterprises  which  he  conducted  with 
marked  success. 

Although  Mr.  Helmer  had  never  been  an  office  holder  he  was  always  one  of  the 
staunchest  and,  at  the  same  time  influential,  members  of  the  Democratic  party.  He 
devoted  much  time  to  advancing  its  interest  in  the  town  and  county. 

In  1875  Mr.  Helmer  married  Sophia  L.,  daughter  of  John  T.  and  Mary  (Owens) 
Jones,  of  the  town  of  Steuben.  Mrs.  Helmer  was  one  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom 
are  now  living:  Ellen,  Louisa,  Ann  and  Margaret.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helmer  have  had 
one  son,  George  Cleveland,  and  one  daughter,  Maude  Louise,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Boonville  High  school. 


ARTHUR  D.   LEE. 

Arthur  D.  Lee  is  one  of  the  men  of  Westmoreland  who  has  made  his  own  way 
successfully  in  a  material  .sense,  but  has  been  active  and  influential  in  the  general 
advancement  of  his  town's  best  interests.  When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  serving  his  apprenticeship  with  R.  E.  Lee,  at  that  time  one  of  the  lead- 
ing contractors  and  builders  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  This  service  continued  through  a 
period  of  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  subject  of  this  sketch  returned  to 
his  native  place  where  he  has  continued  more  or  less  actively  in  building  and  car- 
penter work  since.  He  was  born  in  Bartlett,  Oneida  county,  January  25,  1845,  and 
received  his  early  education  at  the  common  school,  supplementmg  this  with  a  course 
at  the  Whitestown  Seminary.  The  Lees  are  among  the  oldest  and  most  conspicuous 
residents  in  Westmoreland.  Nathan  Lee,  grandfather  of  Arthur  D  ,  came  from 
Connecticut  in  1806  and  settled  in  the  town  and  engaged  in  farming  till  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1845.  The  early  records  of  the  town  show  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most  important  factors  in  the  permanent  advancement  of  the  community. 

Isaac  B.  Lee,  his  son,  born  in  1819,  is  the  father  of  Arthur  D.  Lee,  and  has  also 
been  identified  with  the  agricultural  industry  of  Westmoreland.  He  now  owns  the 
old  homestead  which  Nathan  Lee  bought  at  the  time  of  his  coming  here  in  1806. 
He  married  Harriet  Lay,  of  Rome,  who  died  in  1885.  They  had  three  sons,  of 
whom  Arthur  D.  is  the  oldest.  The  others  are  Newell  D.,  now  living  in  Westmore- 
land, and  Damon  A.,  a  resident  of  Alabama. 

Rowland  Lay,  grandfather  of  these  three  named  and  father  of  their  mother,  was 
one  of  the  hotel  men  of  note  in  the  early  history  of  the  county.  He,  during  the 
period  of  the  Erie  canal  construction,  kept  a  hotel  near  Stanwix,  where  from  time 
to  time  he  entertained  many  men  of  high  social  and  official  standing.  He  also  at 
one  time  owned  all  of  the  land  upon  which  the  city  of  Saratoga  is  now  .situated. 
They  have  all  been   people  of  upright  character,  industry  and  successful  financier.s. 

Arthur  D.  Lee  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican  who  has  devoted  a  consider- 


60  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

able  time  to  the  party's  interest  in  the  town  and  county.  This  service  has  been 
recognized  and  appreciated  by  the  citizens,  for  he  has  been  honored  with  several  im- 
portant political  trusts.  He  was  for  several  years  made  a  member  of  the  county 
committee,  and  for  two  years  represented  his  town  in  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors. While  there  Mr.  Lee  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  members  in  watching  and 
caring  for  the  interest  of  his  constituents.  In  1895  he  was  made  chairman  of  the 
judiciary  committee,  and  was  on  the  committee  on  footing  the  assessment  roll,  and  on 
that  of  the  county  buildings.  State  loans,  and  ratio  and  apportionment,  besides  that 
of  coroners  and  physicians. 

Mr.  Lee  married  Nettie  C,  daughter  of  Samuel  A.  and  Jane  (Richardson)  Isbell  of 
of  Westmoreland.  Mr.  Isbell  was  for  many  years  extensively  engaged  in  contract- 
ing in  the  town  of  Westmoreland  and  surrounding  towns.  He  built  a  saw  mill  at 
Bartlett,  and  carried  on  a  large  lumber  trade,  using  a  good  part  of  the  manufactured 
product  in  the  construction  of  work  under  his  own  supervision.  During  the  years 
he  was  also  directing  a  part  of  his  energies  to  farming,  with  the  success  which 
always  follows  intelligent,  industrious  effort.  He  accumulated  a  large  estate,  yet 
devoted  a  considerable  amount  to  charities,  and  aids  to  deserving  people.  They  had 
three  daughters,  of  whom  Mrs.  Lee  was  the  second.  The  others  were  Hattie  P., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  Jessie  I.,  who  married  Mr.  Joseph  Burrell  of 
Westmoreland.  Mr.  Isbell  died  in  1893  and  his  wnfe  in  1.S85.  In  the  matter  of 
societies  Mr.  Lee  has  given  his  whole  interest  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which 
order  he  is  active  and  influential. 

Mr.  Lee  has  one  son,  Warren  Isbell  Lee.  who  is  a  student  at  Hamilton  College. 


JOSIAH  PERRY. 

JosiAH  Perry,  the  eldest  of  five  sons  of  Rev.  Owen  F.  and  Jane  (Powell)  Perry, 
was  born  in  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  March  22,  1851.  His  father,  a  native  of 
North  Wales,  Great  Britain,  came  to  America  in  1847,  and  for  about  forty  years  was 
the  beloved  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Bardwell  near  Remsen.  He  still  lives  in 
the  village  of  Remsen.  The  mother  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  Powell,  early 
settlers  of  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  coming  from  Connecticut  stock.  Their 
children,  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  were  Newton  Perry,  who  died  in  Kansas 
in  1887 ;  Rev.  George  Powell  Perry,  pastor  of  a  flourishing  Baptist  church  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  ;  Lincoln  Perry,  a  successful  merchant  in  Boonville,  N.  Y.  ;  and  John  O. 
Perry,  of  L^tica. 

Josiah  Perry  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm  and  in  attending  the  district 
schools  at  Remsen.  In  these  two  spheres  he  received  a  thorough  rudimentary  train- 
ing,  and  both  acquired  and  inherited  those  thrifty  traits  of  character  which  distin- 
guish the  successful  man.  He  subsequently  spent  one  term  at  Fairfield  Seminary, 
afterwards  attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  Cortland,  also  Madison  (now  Colgate) 
University,  and  after  completing  his  education  taught  school  for  a  time.  In  1874  he 
entered  the  office  of  Risley,  Stoddard  &  Matteson,  of  LTtica,  as  a  student  at  law,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  L^tica  General  Term  in  1877.  The  same  year  he 
began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica,  where  he  has  since  resided.     In 


4 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  61 

1881  he  became  the  junior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Risley,  Brown,  Quinn  &  Perry, 
and  thus  continued  until  Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  State  Dairy  Commissioner  and 
Mr.  Quinn  removed  to  New  York  city,  when  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Risley  & 
Perry.  This  copartnership  was  dissolved  in  February,  1892,  and  Mr.  Perry  has  since 
practiced  alone. 

Mr.  Perry  has  been  for  several  years  a  prominent  and  influential  factor  in  the  Re- 
publican party  of  Oneida  counter.  He  is  an  orator  of  ability,  a  pleasing,  forcible 
speaker,  and  on  the  platform  commands  the  closest  attention.  In  1886  he  was 
the  Republican  candidate  for  district  attorney  of  the  county  of  Oneida,  and  was 
defeated  by  only  seventy-five  votes.  He  was  corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of 
Utica  in  1891  and  1893,  and  in  this  capacity  rendered  valuable  services  to  the  public. 
He  is  a  careful  and  conscientious  student,  and  as  a  lawyer  is  one  of  the  strongest 
advocates  of  the  Utica  bar.  His  defense  of  the  Chinaman,  Fong  Yon,  charged  with 
murder  in  the  first  degree,  gave  him  celebrity  as  a  skilled  criminal  lawyer,  while  his 
connection  with  many  other  noted  trials  has  given  him  a  wide  reputation.  He  is  a 
member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Skenandoah  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Impe- 
rial Council,  R.  A.,  and  of  the  Arcanum  Club.  He  is  also  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Cymrogyddion  Societ3%  an  organization  for  the  promotion  of  Welsh  literature 
and  music  which  conducts  the  famous  "Eisteddfod"  held  at  L^tica  every  New 
Year's 

Mr.  Perry  was  married  first  in  November,  1878,  to  Miss  Ella  Williams,  daughter  of 
Hugh  Williams,  of  LTtica,  who  died  in  November,  1883,  leaving  one  daughter,  Edith. 
In  December,  1888,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Nellie  Gaylord,  daughter  of 
ex-sheriff  Lewis  Gaylord,  of  Rome,  and  they  have  one  son,  Josiah  Gaylord  Perry, 
born  August  4,  1895. 


GEORGE  RALPH. 

George  Ralph  was  the  only  son  of  George  and  Harriet  (Cooper)  Ralph,  and  was 
born  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  on  the  11th  of  November,  1826.  His  mother  died  in  his 
native  town  and  in  1839  he  came  to  Utica.  He  received  a  common  school  education, 
and  early  developed  those  sterling  traits  of  character  which  marked  his  after  life  and 
made  him  the  successful  man  of  affairs.  His  first  venture  in  business  was  in  Bing- 
hamton,  N.  Y.  In  1859  he  removed  to  Elmira  and  engaged  in  brewing  ale  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Bevier,  Briggs  &  Co.  These  enterprises  gave  him  a  valuable 
experience  and  also  proved  successful  in  a  financial  way.  In  1862  he  returned  to 
Utica  and  with  his  father  founded  the  Columbia  Street  Brewery,  which  was  after- 
ward consolidated  with  the  Oneida  Brewery,  then  owned  by  Stephen  Thorn  and 
Francis  Midlam,  the  building  being  erected  in  1832.  The  new  firm  was  styled  Ralph, 
Midlam  &  Co.,  and  in  1874  was  succeeded  by  George  Ralph,  jr.,  &  Co.,  the  company 
consisting  of  Mr.  Ralph's  three  sons,  Dr.  William  L.,  George  Frederick  and  Henry 
J.  This  name  was  retained  until  1886,  when  the  Oneida  Brewing  Company  was 
incorporated  with  Mr.  Ralph  as  president,  George  Frederick  Ralph,  as  treasurer  and 
manager,  and  Henry  J.  Ralph,  as  secretary.  Mr.  Ralph  remained  at  the  head  of  the 
concern  until  his  death  on  February  3,  1889,  when  he  was  succeeded  as  president  by 


6^  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

his  son,  Dr.  William  L.,  who  has  since  served  in  that  capacity.  The  business  man- 
agement has  been  most  ably  administered  by  George  Frederick  Ralph,  who  still  holds 
the  above  named  offices,  and  al.so  that  of  secretary.  Henry  J.  Ralph  withdrew  from 
the  company  in  1889. 

Mr.  Ralph  was  one  of  the  best  known  brewers  in  the  country,  having  been  engaged 
in  the  business  upwards  of  forty  years.  He  was  highly  esteemed  and  respected  by 
his  contemporaries  and  served  as  president  of  the  Oneida  County  Brewers'  Associa- 
tion from  its  organization  until  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  character, 
energetic,  prompt,  and  enterprising,  and  forcibly  impressed  his  strong  personality 
upon  every  project  with  which  he  was  connected.  He  was  possessed  of  rare  business 
ability,  was  exact  in  every  detail  of  his  work,  and  persevered  until  he  was  successful. 
The  predominating  traits  of  his  character  were  his  unswerving  integrity,  truthful- 
ness and  candor.  He  abhorred  hypocrisy,  duplicity,  and  deceit  in  every  form,  and 
by  his  honesty  and  straightforwardness  commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the 
community  in  an  unusual  degree.  His  frequent  charities  were  always  unostenta- 
tious. He  was  long  a  member  of  the  Utica  club,  and  his  loyalty  to  friends  made  his 
friendship  something  more  than  a  name. 

In  the  Masonic  fraternity  Mr.  Ralph  was  especially  prominent.  He  was  one  of  the 
oldest  members  of  Utica  Lodge  No.  47,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  its  master  in  1869-70. 
He  was  also  a  member  and  in  1871  high  priest  of  Oneida  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  a  mem- 
ber of  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.  T.,  and  a  charter  member  of  Yahnundahsis  Lodge 
of  Perfection,  A.  &  A.  S.  R.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of  Oneida  Lodge  No.  70, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  Tri-Mount  Encampment,  and  occupied  all  the  chairs  and  impor- 
tant positions  in  the  order.  Mr.  Ralph  took  an  active  interest  in  these  fraternal 
organizations,  and  especially  in  the  location  of  the  Masonic  Home  in  Utica,  to  which 
he  was  one  of  the  largest  contributors.  He  was  interested  also  in  the  advancement 
of  the  city,  and  by  his  enterprise  aided  materially  in  its  general  welfare.  He  was  a 
lifelong  Democrat,  but  eschewed  politics,  as  he  had  no  taste  nor  desire  for  public 
life,  yet  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  municipal  government  he  gave  a  loya|  citizen's 
support  for  the  good  of  a  corrimon  cause.  He  was  often  urged  to  accept  political 
office,  but  invariably  declined,  preferring  to  give  his  attention  mainly  to  his  large 
business  interests. 

Mr.  Ralph  was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Mary  Catharine  Wells,  of  Holland  Patent, 
Oneida  county,  who  with  their  three  sons  previously  mentioned  survives  him.  She  is 
descended  from  an  old  and  respected  Connecticut  family.  Dr.  William  L.  Ralph, 
their  eldest  son,  was  born  in  Holland  Patent,  June  19,  1851;  George  Frederick,  the 
second  son,  was  born  in  Holland  Patent  on  May  29,  1853;  and  Henry  J.,  the  third 
son,  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  May  30,  1861.  All  three  live  in  Utica.  George  F.  was  mar- 
ried April  14,  1875,  to  Miss  Cornelia  Marion,  daughter  of  Sylvester  Wallace  and 
Cornelia  Augusta  (Chevalier)  Barnes,  and  has  three  children:  Cornelia  Chevalier, 
George  Arthur,  and  Wilbur  Booth. 


PHILIP  McGUIRE. 

Philip  McGuire,  of  Forestport,  Oneida  county,  died  Octobor  15,  1894.     There  was 
no  man  in  Forestport  and  few  in  the  county,  in  fact,  who  had  more  thoroughly  im- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  63 

pressed  the  community  with  their  character  and  usefulness  His  life  of  unusual  suc- 
cess had  been  so  gradually  developed  that  he  had  grown  to  be  a  marked  business 
man  without  ostentatious  demonstration  or  slow  in  the  conduct  of  his  large  and 
varied  business  affairs.  Philip  McGuire  began  life  a  poor  young  man,  with  nothing 
but  his  own  merits  as  a  resource.  He  possessed  honesty,  ambition  and  strong  capa- 
bilities which,  against  many  obstacles  won  for  him  more  than  an  ordinary  achieve- 
ment of  success. 

He  came  from  Ireland  to  this  country  at  twenty  years  of  age  and  engaged  at  farm 
work  at  Johnstown,  N.  Y. ,  for  about  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Hawkinsville, 
town  of  Boonville,  where  he  served  two  years  as  a  laborer  in  a  tannery.  This  was 
followed  by  a  year's  experience  in  lumbering  at  Lyon's  Falls,  N.  Y.  It  was  immedi- 
ately after  this  experience  that  Mr.  McGuire  settled  permanently  in  Forestport  and 
entered  into  the  lumber  business,  at  first  on  a  moderate  scale.  This  was  about  1863. 
He  was  born  February  2,  1837,  and  was  therefore  about  twenty-six  j-ears  old  when 
he  began  his  business  career  at  Forestport.  For  the  first  three  years  his  line  of  in- 
dustry was  confined  mostly  to  the  getting  out  of  bark  and  logs.  Later  in  1866  he 
began  getting  out  spars,  which  were  shipped  by  canal  to  New  York  and  sold  for 
ship  masts  and  similar  uses.  This  proved  to  be  profitable  business  and  was  contin- 
ued during  his  life. 

In  addition  to  this  he,  in  1874,  built  the  grist  mill  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  at 
Forestport,  which  he  conducted  in  connection  with  a  large  feed  store.  At  the  end 
of  three  years  he  sold  the  mill  to  W.  R.  Stanburgh,  and  in  1881  built  another  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river.  This  latter  mill  he  conducted  till  1886  when  he  sold  it  to 
George  Farley. 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  McGuire  built  near  the  village  a  large  wood  pulp  mill,  which 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  stable  manufacturing  industries  of  the  town.  This  property 
was  sold  in  1896.  In  1890  Mr.  McGuire  built  a  cheese  factory  at  Forestport  which 
he  operated  until  his  death.  In  1892  he  purchased  a  tannery  at  Bardwelltown  in  the 
town  of  Remsen,  which  he  also  operated  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Besides  attending  to  these  many  enterprises  he  yet  found  time  to  accept  in  1889 
the  contract  for  building  the  State  dam  on  the  Black  River  above  Forestport.  This 
involved  the  expenditure  of  over  §45,000.  In  the  mean  while  he  built  and  put  in  ope- 
ration a  large  hub  factory,  the  mill  owned  since  1893  by  the  Forestport  Lumber  Com- 
pany. These  various  industries  furnished  employment  to  a  large  force  of  men  and 
contributed  in  a  large  degree  to  the  prosperity  of  Forestport  and  vicinity.  His 
various  lumber  interests  grew  to  such  an  extent  that  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
owned  50,000  acres  of  timber  land,  extending  many  miles  north  from  Forestport. 
And  aside  from  these  Mr.  McGuire  derived  great  pleasure  from  carrying  on  his  large 
farm  of  300  acres,  lying  adjacent  to  the  village.  On  this  farm  he  kept  as  many  as 
125  cows  and  twenty-five  horses,  with  large  numbers  of  stock  fatted  for  the  market. 
It  was  his  large  capacity  to  carry  on  at  the  same  time  the  many  difi:'erent  business 
enterprises  that  brought  his  marked  success  and  made  him  more  valuable  to  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  always  an  earnest  Republican  and  took  a 
keen  interest  in  the  party's  success.  He  never  sought  office  because  his  mind  and 
time  were  occupied  with  business  affairs. 

In  1864  Mr.  McGuire  married  Mary  A.  Coughlin,  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine 


64  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Coughlin,  of  the  town  of  Boonville.     Mrs.   Coughlin  died  in  1891;  Mr.   Coughlin  is 
still  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGuire  have  had  seven  children:  Anna,  Catherine,  Mary,  Frank, 
Grace,  Frances,  and  Bertha.  Anna  died  in  1882.  Frank  was  educated  at  Manhat- 
tan College,  and  Mary,  Grace,  and  Frances  are  graduates  of  St.  Peter's  Academy, 
Rome,  N.  Y. 


FRANK  F.   LAIRD,   M.   D. 

This  gentleman,  one  of  the  foremost  homoeopathic  physicians  of  Utica,  was  born 
on  the  farm  known  as  the  "  Old  Townsend  Homestead,"  situated  between  the  towns 
of  Trenton  and  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  April  15,  1856,  being  the  j'oungest  child  of 
William  O.  and  Sarah  A.  Laird.  He  is  a  great-grandson  of  Samuel  Laird,  for  whom 
Lairdsville,  N.  Y.,  was  named,  and  whose  father  came  from  Scotland  to  New  Eng- 
land in  the  early  history  of  this  country.  Samuel  Laird  was  a  native  of  New  Marl- 
boro, Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  but  moved  to  Lairdsville  in  1788  with  his  son  Salmon, 
grandfather  of  the  s;  bject  of  this  sketch,  then  seven  years  of  age  and  there  died 
May  21,  1820.  William  O.  Laird,  son  of  Salmon  and  father  of  Dr.  Frank  F..  became 
a  dentist,  married  Sarah  A.  Townsend,  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  and  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy-eight  is  still  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. The  doctor's  maternal  ancestors  originally  resided  in  Rainham  Castle, 
County  Norfolk,  England.  His  great-grandfather,  Nathan  Townsend,  came  to 
Oneida  county  from  Hancock,  Mass.,  in  1801,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the 
town  of  Floyd,  where  his  son  William  was  for  twenty-four  years  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  renowned  for  "having  peaceably  settled  more  quarrels  than  he  made." 

Dr.  Laird  inherited  the  sturdy  characteristics  and  native  energy  of  his  New  Eng- 
land ancestry,  and  during  his  boyhood  life  on  the  farm  acquired  those  habits  of 
thrift,  frugality,  and  activity  which  mark  the  successful  man.  He  pursued  his  pre- 
paratory studies  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  where  he  completed  the  course  in  1873. 
While  in  that  institution  he  took  constant  tuition  in  elocution  under  H.  Sam  Dyer 
and  Rev.  John  R.  Lewis,  and  won  prizes  in  declamation  and  oratory  which  distin- 
guished him  as  a  tihorough  scholar,  talented  and  ambitious.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he 
entered  the  Freshman  class  of  Hamilton  College,  where,  during  the  course,  he  was 
appointed  first-year  prize  speaker  and  won  the  first  prize  in  essay-writing ;  secured 
the  first  honorable  mention  in  essay -writing  during  the  Sophomore  year ;  won  the 
Hawley  medal  for  excellence  in  classical  studies  in  the  Junior  year ;  and  in  the  Senior 
year  was  appointed  to  represent  Hamilton  at  the  Inter-Collegiate  Oratorical  contest 
held  in  the  Academy  of  Music,  New  Y''ork  city,  in  January,  1876,  winning  the  second 
consecutive  victory  for  his  college.  He  was  graduated  in  June,  1877,  being  the  third 
in  his  class,  with  membership  in  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  of  "  honor-men,"  and 
delivering  the  class-day  oration.  He  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  course  from 
Hamilton  College  in  1880. 

Dr.  Laird  pursued  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  supervision  of  his  brother,  Dr. 
William  T.  Laird,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia  in  1880,  taking  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  65 

highest  general  average  save  one  (that  of  Prof.  W.  B.  Van  Lennep)  ever  obtained  at 
that  institution,  and  winning  the  position  of  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  imme- 
diately began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  but  in  the  follow- 
ing autumn  located  in  Augusta,  Me.  There  the  climate  proved  too  severe,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1881  he  removed  to  Utica,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  Dr.  Laird 
very  soon  won  a  foremost  place  among  the  medical  men  of  the  city  and  rapidly  built 
up  an  extensive  practice.  He  has  been  uniformly  successful  and  to-day  ranks  with 
the  leading  practitioners  of  homoeopathy  in  Central  New  York.  As  a  citizen  he  is 
widely  respected,  enterprising  and  progressive,  and  manifests  a  keen  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  commuuity. 

He  is  medical  director  of  the  Commercial  Travelers  Mutual  Accident  Association 
of  America,  and  of  the  Homoeopathic  Hospital ;  is  a  member  and  ex-president  of  the 
Oneida  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  was  elected  first  vice-president  of  the 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  1889  and  served  by  ap- 
pointijient  as  chairman  of  its  Bureau  of  Materia  Medica  for  three  years.  He  be 
came  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  in  1887.  He  is  a  fluent 
speaker,  always  ready  in  debate,  and  was  orator  on  the  occasion  of  the  Masonic 
Jubilee  held  in  Utica  in  April,  1890. 

Dr.  Laird  is  a  successful  general  practitioner  and  particularly  skillful  in  treating 
the  diseases  of  children,  in  which  he  has  wide  experience.  In  the  application 
of  homoeopathic  remedies  he  rejects  Hahnemann's  theories  of  immaterial  dosage, 
believing  that  the  curative  efficacy  of  a  drug  is  confined  to  the  limit  of  materiality. 

He  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  current  medical  journals  and  transactions  of 
articles  of  great  value,  which  have  attracted  considerable  attention  and  favorable 
comment.  Among  his  contributions  to  the  department  of  Materia  Medica  are 
"  Physiological  Action  of  Belladonna  in  its  Relations  to  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics," 
"Analytical  Studies  of  Hydrastis,"  "  Lycopus  Virginicus,"  "  Guaiacum,"  "Ammo- 
nium Muriaticum,"  and  "  Naphthalin."  His  contributions  to  the  department  of 
Clinical  Medicine  include  "The  Reflex  Sj-mptoms  of  Phymosis,"  "  The  Aetiology, 
Pathology,  and  Treatment  of  Diabetes  Insipidus,"  "  Lithaemia,  Its  Aetiological  and 
Pathological  Relations,"  "The  Therapeutics  of  Spinal  Irritation,"  and  "Obscure 
Reflex  vSymptoms  in  Chronic  Diseases." 

In  1883  Dr.  Laird  married  Miss  Annie  C,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  W.  B.  Tay- 
or,  of  Utica,  ex-State  engineer.  She  died  May  21,  1895,  leaving  two  children, 
Frank  T.  and  Mary  Louise.  June  23,  1896,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Ella 
M.  Pixlee,  of  Seattle,   Wash. 


GEORGE  M.  STUDOR. 

George  M.  Studor  was  born  in  Hawkinsville,  town  of  Boonville,  Oneida  county, 
January  28,  1857.  Jacob  Studor,  his  father,  came  from  Germany  in  1852,  and  settled 
in  the  above  place.  He  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  continued  in  that  line 
for  the  succeeding  seven  years.  Like  most  thrifty,  industrious  Germans  Mr.  Studor 
made  his  labor  in  the  lumber  country  result  profitably  to  him,  so  that  at  the  end  of 
that  time  he  had  accumulated  considerable  of  a  nucleus  for  a  start  in  business  in 


66  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  New  World.  He  also  had  the  courage  then  to  move  farther  north  to  White  Lake 
and  buy  a  farm  in  the  then  almost  wholly  undeveloped  North  Woods.  He  cleared 
and  improved  there  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  farm  realty  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State.  He  became  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  that  part  of  Oneida  county,  being 
identified  with  every  movement  looking  to  the  improvement  and  building  up  of  the 
community.  He  was  one  of  those  who  founded  the  German  Lutheran  church  at 
White  Lake  Corners,  and  throughout  his  life  was  one  of  its  most  Hberal  supporters. 
His  family,  for  a  time,  made  up  a  good  part  of  its  congregation.  Mr.  Studor  pros- 
pered in  his  agricultural  pursuit,  becoming  one  of  the  leading  men  financially  as  well 
as  religiously  and  socially.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Snider,  also  of  German  birth. 
They  had  six  children,  namely,  Philip,  Lena,  Henry,  Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  George 
M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.     Mr.  Studor  died  in  1887  and  his  wife  m  1885. 

George  M.  Studor  was  educated  at  the  district  school  and  at  the  Poughkeepsie 
Business  College.  At  the  age  of  twenty  six  he  began  business  on  his  own  account 
by  purchasing  a  large  farm  at  White  Lake  Corners.  Besides  this  he  has  since  carried 
on  the  livery  business  in  connection  with  the  farm,  both  the  business  enterprises 
having  proved  successful  in  no  ordinary  degree.  Mr.  Studor  is  an  ardent  Republican 
and  is  always  active  in  advancing  the  party's  best  interest.  Few  conventions  or 
councils  have  been  held  in  the  past  ten  years  in  which  Mr.  Studor  has  not  been  a 
factor.  In  1892  he  was  chosen  by  Speaker  Husted  as  his  private  messenger,  a  posi- 
tion he  was  well  qualified  to  fill. 

In  1892  Mr.  vStudor  married  Helen,  daughter  of  James  Goodrich  of  Lewis  county, 
N.  Y.     They  have  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 


RUFUS  P.  BIRDSEVE. 

The  Bird.seye  family  in  America  had  its  origin  in  the  person  of  John  Birdseye, 
who  came  from  England  to  Stratford,  Fairfield  county.  Conn.,  in  the  early  days  of 
that  colony.  He  finally  removed  to  Middlefield,  Conn.,  and  died  in  1694,  aged  seventy- 
four,  leaving  two  children,  John,  jr.,  and  Joanna.  His  wife  was  Phillippa,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Henry  Smith,  of  Weatherslield,  Conn.  John  Birdseye,  jr.,  was  born  in  Strat- 
ford March  28,  1641,  married  Phebe,  daughter  of  William  Wilcoxson,  December  11, 
1669,  and  died  January  9,  1697.  Joseph,  their  fifth  child,  was  born  February  22, 
1681,  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Ambrose  Thompson,  and  died  June  25, 1757.  Their 
children  were  Dinah,  Joseph,  and  Rev.  Nathan.  Rev.  Nathan  Birdseye  was  born 
on  Lord's  day,  at  noon,  August  8,  1714,  married  Dorothy,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Hawley,  of  Ridgefield,  Conn.,  April  17,  1789,  and  died  January  28,  1817,  aged  103 
years,  five  months,  and  nine  days.  His  wife's  death  occurred  September  21,  1807, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  Ezra  Birdseye,  their  fifth  child,  was  born  in  Stratford,  Conn., 
January  28,  1749,  married  Phebe  Curtis,  and  died  December  28,  1832.  Their  third 
child  was  Ezra,  jr.,  who  was  born  at  Stratford,  May  19,  1773,  married  Lovina, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Clement)  Martin,  of  Martinsburg,  Lewis  county,  N. 
Y.,  April  14,  1797,  and  died  in  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  November  5,  1830.  He  was 
probably  the  first  to  manufacture  silk  hats  in  Trenton,  and  successfully  carried  o;i 
that  business  there  during  his  active  life.     His  fifth  child,  Joseph  Birdseye,  was  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  G7 

in  that  village  September  17,  1813,  and  learned  and  followed  his  father's  trade.  In 
1833  he  came  to  Utica,  where  he  subsequently  settled  with  his  family,  where  he  man- 
ufactured hats  and  caps  for  many  years  for  the  wholesale  trade,  and  where  he  died 
March  30,  1887.  He  was  married  August  30,  1839,  to  Helen  E.,  daughter  of  Asa  and 
Theodocia  Pomeroy,  who  survives  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine. 

Rufus  Pomeroy  Birdseye,  onlj^  son  and  child  of  Joseph  and  Helen  E.  (Pomeroy) 
Birdseye,  was  born  in  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  August  17,  1843,  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  Utica,  where  he  spent  his  youth  attending  the  public  schools  and  academy 
of  the  city.  Leaving  the  academy,  where  he  had  shown  great  proficiency  in  mathe- 
matics and  the  English  branches,  he  went  to  New  York  and  entered  the  canal  trans- 
portation office.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Utica  and  became  bookkeeper  for 
R.  V.  Yates  &  Son,  wholesale  clothiers,  and  subsequently  held  similar  positions  with 
H.  J.  Wood  &'  Co.  and  Oatley  Brothers.  Afterwards  he  was  bookkeeper  for  Rey- 
nolds Brothers,  shoe  manufacturers,  for  a  time,  and  in  April,  1871,  entered  the  Sav- 
ings Bank  of  Utica  in  the  same  capacity.  Here  he  has  risen  bj^  promotion  to  teller, 
to  assistant  treasurer  April  30,  1879,  to  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  [July  31, 
1889,  and  treasurer  in  charge  December  26,  1894,  and  still  holds  the  last  two  named 
positions.  He  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  bank  in  1888  and  has  since  been  a  valued 
member  of  the  board.  Mr.  Birdseye  has  been  connected  with  the  bank  a  little  more 
than  twenty-five  years,  and  during  that  period  he  has  established  a  reputation  for 
being  one  of  the  ablest  financiers  in  Central  New  York.  Under  his  thorough  and 
efficient  management  as  treasurer  this  old  institution,  chartered  in  1839,  has  never 
been  in  a  better  condition  nor  exerted  a  wider  usefulness  in  the  community. 

Mr.  Birdseye  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Fort  Schuyler,  Arcanum,  and  Masonic 
Clubs  and  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Utica.  He  is  a  32  Mason,  holding  mem- 
bership in  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies,  and  in 
politics  is  a  staunch  Republican.  He  takes  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs  and  in 
the  progress  and  welfare  of  the  community,  and  liberally  encourages  all  worthy  and 
benevolent  enterprises. 

On  April  9,  1867,  Mr.  Birdseye  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
James  F.  and  Eunice  (Wendell)  Crosby,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  They  have  two  sons, 
both  born  in  Utica,  viz. :  James  Crosby  Birdseye,  born  October  29,  1869,  and  Philip 
Wendell  Birdseye,  born  April  5,  1874. 


JOHN  C.   HIEBER. 

John  C.  Hieker,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  John  C.  Hieber  &  Co.,  the  leading 
wholesale  dry  goods  dealers  of  Utica,  was  born  in  Bopfingen,  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, December  23,  1837,  and  received  a  good  practical  education  in  the  national 
schools  of  his  native  country.  In  June,  1852,  when  a  boy  of  but  fourteen  years  of 
age,  he  came  to  America  to  seek  a  wider  field  for  the  exerci.se  of  those  talents  which 
subsequently  formed  the  chief  elements  of  his  business  career.  He  was  thoroughly 
imbued  with  the  fundamental  ideas  of  liberty  and  freedom,  with  ambition,  progress 
and  advancement,  and  with  characteristic  energy  turned  his  hand  to  the  first  employ- 
ment that  was  offered.     He  went  to  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  and  worked  at  dressing  buck- 


68  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

skins  for  about  one  year.  In  1853  he  came  to  Utica  and  for  three  years  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  in  the  retail  grocery  store  of  A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.  These  occupa- 
tions enabled  him  to  become  acquainted  with  customs  and  habits  in  the  land  of  his 
adoption,  and  also  to  develop  that  patriotic  spirit  which  has  ever  since  been  a  pre- 
dominating factor  in  his  commercial  and  other  relations.  In  1856  he  returned 
to  Johnstown  and  learned  the  trade  of  glove-cutting  which  he  followed  there  during 
the  next  four  years.  He  returned  to  Utica  in  1860  and  became  a  salesman  in  the  dry 
goods  house  of  E.  T.  Manning  &  Co.,  the  predecessors  of  Hugh  Glenn  &  Co.,  with 
whom  he  continued  until  1864.  In  these  vai-ious  capacities  Mr.  Hieber  developed  a 
rare  business  ability  and  won  the  entire  confidence  of  his  employers  and  associates.  At 
the  same  time  he  gained  a  wide  experience  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  business 
affairs  which  combined  to  form  the  proper  base  for  the  career  upon  which  he  was 
now  to  enter. 

In  1864  Mr.  Hieber,  in  partnership  with  William  Gries,  under  the  firm  name  of 
William  Gries  &  Co.,  engaged  in  the  retail  dry  goods  trade  in  Utica,  This  name 
was  changed  in  1867  to  Gries  &  Hieber,  and  in  1869  Mr.  Hieber  purchased  his 
partner's  interest.  He  then  formed  a  copartnership  with  John  A.  Roberts,  under 
the  style  of  John  C.  Hieber  &  Co.,  and  contmued  the  business  until  1871,  when  the 
firm  sold  out.  A  reorganization  was  then  effected  under  the  name  of  Hieber, 
Roberts  &  Jones  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  wholesale  dry  goods  trade,  which 
proved  a  success  from  the  start.  In  1874  Mr.  Hieber  purchased  the  interests  of  his 
partners  and  thus  became  sole  owner;  soon  afterwards,  however,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  David  E.  WiUiams  and  William  O.  Hewitt  under  the  name  of  John 
C.  Hieber  &  Co.  This  continued  until  1881  when  Mr.  Hieber  again  became  sole 
proprietor  of  the  constantly  growing  business. 

In  1882  the  present  firm  of  John  C.  Hieber  &  Co.  was  organized,  the  individual 
partners  being  Mr.  Hieber,  David  E.  Williams,  J.  Frank  Day  and  Isaac  O.  Roberts. 
Mr.  Hieber' s  business  career  covers  a  period  of  thirty-four  years,  all  of  it  being 
spent  in  Utica.  Coming  to  this  country  a  stranger,  without  money  or  friends,  but 
with  great  energy,  courage  and  laudable  ambition,  he  has  by  his  own  efforts  forged 
ahead  and  stands  to-day  among  the  foremost  merchants  of  the  State.  He  is  pre- 
eminently a  self-made  man.  His  success  is  due  chiefly  to  indefatigable  idustry,  in- 
domitable perseverance,  close  attention  to  details  and  great  executive  ability.  By 
practicing  economy  he  was  enabled  to  start  in  business  for  himself  at  a  time  when 
others  endowed  with  less  foresight  would  have  been  content  to  work  for  nominal 
salaries.  He  had  carefully  studied  human  nature  and  the  elements  of  business 
affairs  and  with  characteristic  zeal  had  grasped  those  principles  of  trade  which 
invariably  lead  to  successful  ends.  As  a  retail  dealer  he  met  the  needs  of  the  public 
with  commendable  enterprise,  and  in  this  capacity  added  to  his  already  large  experi- 
ence. In  the  wholesale  line  he  found  a  wider  field  for  the  e.Kercise  of  his  business 
ability,  his  native  energy  and  his  enterprising  spirit.  To  him  was  mainly  due  the 
success  attained  during  the  earlier  years  of  the  firm,  and  to  him  is  almost  wholljf  due 
the  building  up  and  continuance  of  the  largest  and  most  complete  dry  goods  estab- 
lishment not  only  in  Utica  and  Oneida  coanty,  but  in  Central  New  York. 

In  1893  he  built  the  present  handsome  and  commodious  brick  block  on  Main  street 
for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  business. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  69 

Mr.  Hieber  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  public  affairs  and  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  city,  but  his  extensive  business  interests  have  never  admitted  of  his  accepting 
political  office.  He  is  public-spirited  and  progressive,  and  above  all  patriotic,  and  is 
one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Utica.  He  is  a  member  and  for  several  years  has  been 
a  trustee  of  the  English  Lutheran  Church  of  the  Redeemer  and  is  also  a  well-known 
Mason,  holding  membership  in  Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  and  Oneida  Chapter 
R.  A.  M.     He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  the  Business  Men's  Exchange  of  Utica. 

On  September  22,  18G2,  Mr.  Hieber  was  married  to  Miss  Barbara  Neeger,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Neeger,  of  Marcy,  Oneida  county.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with 
nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  living,  Theodore  W. ,  Eugene  A.,  George  M.,  Lena, 
Flora  E.,  and  Matilda  C.  Theodore  W.,  and  Eugene  A.  are  associated  with  their 
father  in  the  business. 


LADD   J.   LEWIS. 

Ladd  John  Lewis  was  born  in  the  town  of  Orangeville,  Wyoming  county.  N.  Y., 
December  22,  1845,  and  is  the  third  child  and  eldest  son  of  John  L.  and  Lois  (Squier) 
Lewis,  natives  of  Rhode  Island  and  this  State  respectively.  Members  of  the  Lewis 
family  were  somewhat  prominent  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  one  of  whom  was  a 
member  of  General  Washington's  staff,  and  have  always  borne  active  parts  in  local 
affairs.  The  lineage  dates  back  to  1661,  when  John  Lewis  settled  in  Westerly,  R.  L, 
coming  there  presumably  (which  is  quite  well  verified)  from  Wales  via  Boston  and 
Newport.  The  line  is  as  follows:  1  John,  2  Samuel,  3  Jonathan,  4  Jonathan,  5 
Jonathan,  6  Moses,  7  John  Ladd,  and  8  Ladd  John.  John  Ladd  Lewis  (7)  was  born 
in  Exeter,  R.  I.,  May  1,  1811,  in  the  same  house  in  which  was  born  his  father  and 
grandfather.  This  historic  homestead  was  built  about  1740  by  his  great-grand, 
father,  Jonathan  Lewis,  of  the  fourth  generation  in  America,  and  is  still  standing 
and  occupied  as  a  residence.  John  L.  died  January  24,  1889,  in  Johnsonsburg,  Wyom- 
ing county,  N.  Y.,  having  been  a  resident  of  that  town  (Orangeville),  except  one 
year,  since  1818.  His  wife  Lois,  born  near  Fosterville,  Cayuga  county,  August  27, 
1819,  was  a  daughter  of  Gurdon  and  Dolly  (Foster)  Squier,  and  is  living  in  Warsaw. 
N.  Y.  Jonathan  Foster,  father  of  Dolly  (Foster)  Squier,  fought  at  Bunker  Hill  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  while  her  husband,  Gurdon  Squier,  served,  prior  to  their  mar- 
riage, in  the  war  of  1812,  being  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  at  Queenston  with 
General  Scott,  carried  to  Quebec,  and  exchanged.  Dolly  (Foster)  Squier  lived  to  be 
almost  ninety-nine  years  of  age.  She  was  three  times  married,  Lois  (Squier)  Lewis 
being  a  daughter  by  the  second  marriage.  John  L.  and  Lois  Lewis  had  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  attained  maturity,  married,  and  had  families. 

Ladd  J.  Lewis  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  on  the  parental  farm,  helping  his 
father  during  the  summer  months  and  attending  the  district  school  during  the  win- 
ters. The  homestead  was  small,  and  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  the 
younger  sons  were  old  enough  to  render  such  assistance  as  was  necessary  to  carry 
on  the  place.  He  therefore  sought  and  obtained  employment  by  the  month,  and  for 
four  summers  worked  for  farmers  in  the  neighborhood.  His  winters  were  spent  in 
school,  one  term  being  passed  in  Genesee  Seminary  at  Alexander,  N.  Y.     Before 


70  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

reaching  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  teaching  school  and  continued  during  three 
winter  terras.  When  twenty,  being  desirous  of  a  practical  business  education,  he 
entered  Eastman's  Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  1865.  Early  in  the  year  1866  he  became  shipping  clerk  and  assistant 
bookkeeper  for  S.  A.  Millard  &  Co.,  manufacturers  of  agricultural  implements  at 
Clayville,  Oneida  county,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1869. 

Mr.  Lewis  then  moved  to  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  and  accepted  a  position  as  cashier 
and  bookkeeper  for  Henry  S.  Smith,  a  manufacturer  of  agricultural  implements, 
with  whom  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  in  1873  under  the  firm  name  of  Henry  S. 
Smith  &  Co.  Mr.  Lewis  early  became  identified  with  the  school  interests  of  that 
city  and  in  1876  was  elected  in  a  strong  Democratic  ward,  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  consisting  of  seventeen  members  including  the  mayor.  He  was  asso- 
ciated with  that  body  for  six  years,  or  three  successive  terms,  and  for  two  years 
served  as  its  president.  While  officiating  in  that  capacity  he  twice  refused  the  nomi- 
nation for  mayor  of  the  city  and  once  declined  an  election  to  the  State  Assembly. 
These  honors,  coming  as  they  did  entirelj^  unsought,  aud  when  he  was  but  thirty-one 
years  of  age,  well  illustrate  Mr.  Lewis's  high  standing  in  the  community  and  the 
esteem  and  confidence  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  had  won  the 
respect  of  not  only  the  adherents  of  his  own  party,  the  Republican,  but  of  his  political 
opponents  as  well,  and  was  conspicuous  for  his  impartiality,  honesty,  integrity,  and 
uprightness. 

In  1884  Mr.  Lewis  sold  out  his  business  interests  in  Grand  Rapids  and  removed  to 
New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  where  he  has  smce  resided.  Here  he  had  purchased 
an  interest  in  and  in  the  fall  of  1888  became  one  of  the  incorporators  of  what  is  now 
the  Utica  Tool  Company,^  located  at  Washington  Mills,  and  from  that  time  until  the 
present  has  served  either  as  its  treasurer  or  secretary,  holding  now  the  latter  office. 
Here  he  has  become  prominently  identified  with  the  town,  of  which  he  was  elected 
supervisor  March  8,  1896.  Prior  to  this  he  served  for  six  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  village  of  New  Hartford.  He  is  a  member  of  Amicable 
Lodge,  No.  664,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Washington  Mills,  of  Imperial  Council,  No.  70,  R.  A., 
of  Utica,  and  of  the  New  Hartford  Pi-esbyterian  church.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  generous 
promoter  of  every  project  having  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  community  at 
heart  and  is  actively  interested  in  town  and  public  affairs.  For  several  years  he  has 
been  engaged  in  preparing  a  genealogy  of  his  family  and  after  much  research  has 
traced  the  lineage  back  to  1661,  as  previously  mentioned.  He  has  a  large  amount  of 
valuable  matter  relating  to  the  subject  which  he  expects  soon  to  have  published. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  married  on  September  32, 1870,  to  Miss  Alice  M.,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel S.  and  Samantha  Bailey  (Gill)  Eldridge,  of  Warsaw,  Wyoming  county,  and  they 
have  had  six  children:  Ladd  J.,  jr.,  Nellie  L.,  Alice  Louise,  and  Frances  E.,  who  are 
living,  and  Helen  L.,  and  Eldridge  E.,  deceased. 

'  A  sketch  of  this  industry  appears  in  the  article  devoted  to  Charles  H.  Philo,  which  see. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  71 

EDWARD  CURRAN. 

Edward  Curran,  a  life-long  citizen  of  Utica,  was  not  only  a  prominent  business 
man, 'but  a  public  benefactor  whose  memory  wnll  forever  illuminate  local  annals  and 
shed  its  wholesome  influence  upon  coming  generations.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Henry  Curran,  was  born  in  Millnisgay,  Ireland,  the  youngest  child  of  Dennis  and 
Ann  (Weldon)  Curran,  and  was  reared  and  bred  a  tanner.  About  1780  he  married 
Ann  Kelly  in  his  native  village,  and  some  years  later  emigrated  to  America,  pur- 
chasing an  unbroken  farm  in  Williamstown,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. ,  and  settling 
thereon  about  the  year  1800.  There  his  son  Edward,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  was  born  November  10,  1803.  The  country  then  was  an  almost  unbroken 
wilderness,  and  after  several  years  of  persistent  toil  and  no  little  adversity  incident 
to  frontier  life  the  family  removed  to  Lansingburg,  N.  Y.,  where  during  the  next 
years  their  fortunes  were  retrieved.  Thence  they  returned  to  the  original  farm  in 
Williamstown,  where  the  pioneer  Henry  died  August  20,  1860,  aged  nearly  100.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  lived  a  consistent  Christian  gentleman. 
He  had  ten  children,  of  whom  Edward,  sr.,  was  the  youngest.  The  latter  learned 
the  trade  of  tanner  and  currier  in  Waterford,  Saratoga  county,  and  when  nineteen 
came  to  Utica  as  foreman  in  charge  of  the  large  tannery  of  David  P.  Ployt.  where  he 
remained  several  years.  In  1829  he  formed  a  co-partner.ship  with  Hon.  Alrick  Hub- 
bell  and  commenced  business  for  himself.  The  firm  of  Hubbell&  Curran  continued 
successfully  as  dealers  in  hides  and  leather  until  March  1,  1855,  when  Mr.  Curran 
purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  carried  on  the  establishment  until  his  death  on 
June  27,  1856.  Edward  Curran  sr.,  married  first,  Amanda  Minerva  Hamilton  Bart- 
lett,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Esther  (Reed)  Bartlett,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass., 
January  13, 1807,  and  who  died  in  Utica  December  31,  1837.  They  had  five  children : 
Celia  Frances,  born  April  26,  1829;  Charles  Carroll,  born  October  9,  1830,  died  Sep- 
tember 9,  1858;  Amanda  Maria,  born  February  1,  1833,  died  November  13,  1838; 
Edward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Horatio  Bartlett,  born  October  2,  1837. 
Mr.  Curran  married,  second.  May  7,  1839,  Mary,  daughter  of  George  and  Chloe 
(Sweetihg)  Langford,  and  a  native  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county.  Their 
children  were  George  Langford,  born  March  10,  1840,  of  Utica;  Henry  Hast- 
ings, born  September  27,  1841,  who  left  Hamilton  college  in  1861  to  enlist  in  the 
146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness  May  5,  1864;  Philip  Clinton,  born  June  28,  1843,  who  in  August, 
1861,  after  completing  his  sophomore  year  in  college,  enlisted  as  sergeant  in  Co.  B, 
146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health  March  11,  1863,  and  died 
in  Utica  December  17,  1877;  Mary  Langford,  born  March  9,  1846;  and  John  Elliott, 
born  May  25,  1848,  w^ho  became  a  magazine  writer  of  considerable  note,  and  died  in 
Englewood,  N.  J.,  May  18,  1890. 

Edward  Curran,  the  fourth  of  the  five  children  of  Edward  and  Amanda  M.  H. 
(Bartlett)  Curran,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.Y.,  February  25,  1835,  his  father's  home  at  that 
time  being  on  Main  street,  near  the  site  of  the  present  New  York  Central  depot.  His 
education  was  obtained  in  the  advanced  school  and  academy  of  the  city,  at  the  De 
Lancey  Institute  in  Hampton,  and  at  the  Ellington  (Conn.)  Academy.  On  leaving 
the  latter  institution  he   entered  Hamilton  College,   from  which   he  was  graduated 


72  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

with  high  honors,  and  with  membership  in  Alpha  Delta  Phi,  in  1856.  It  was  his  in- 
tention to  enter  the  ministry,  for  which  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  by  nature,  but  the 
death  of  his  father  immediately  after  his  graduation  materially  changed  his  plans. 
The  old  hide  and  leather  business  founded  by  Edward,  sr.,  in  1829  was  at  this  time 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Curran  &Son,  the  junior  partner  being  Charles  C. 
Upon  his  father  s  death  Mr.  Curran  went  into  the  store,  forming  the  firm  of  Edward 
Curran's  Sons,  a  name  that  has  ever  since  been  retained.  After  the  death  of  Charles 
C.  in  1858  another  brother,  George  L.,  succeeded  him  and  still  continues  the  business. 
The  house  has  always  handled  hides,  leather  and  shoemakers'  findings.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  and  best  known  in  the  State,  and  among  the  most  interesting  landmarks 
of  the  city.  Its  business  operations  have  from  the  first  extended  not  only  through- 
out New  York,  but  into  adjoining  States  and  the  West,  and  to  the  various  details 
Mr.  Curran  brought  an  intimate  knowledge,  rare  executive  ability,  and  great  energy. 
In  his  dealings  he  won  universal  confidence  and  respect,  and  was  always  regarded 
as  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  uprightness  of  purpose. 

But  it  was  outside  of  his  commercial  relations  and  among  the  people  of  his  native 
city  that  Mr.  Curran  left  the  most  indelible  impress  of  his  true  character  and  manly 
worth.  He  was  best  known  and  appreciated  by  those  who  were  the  least  aware  of 
his  private  business  affairs,  for  in  these  he  was  largely  brought  into  contact  with 
men  at  a  distance.  At  home  he  was  pre-eminently  a  public  benefactor,  taking  a 
lively  and  an  active  interest  in  all  important  projects  which  promised  general  ad- 
vancement and  permanennt  good.  He  was  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  First 
National  Bank  and  from  1888  until  his  death  its  vice-president,  and  was  also  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Utica  Savings  Bank  and  a  member  of  its  e.xecutive  committee.  In  all 
these  capacities  he  manifested  a  rare  knowledge  of  financial  affairs  and  ably  assisted 
in  directing  them. 

Mr.  Curran  was  the  founder  of  the  Homestead  Aid  Association  of  Utica,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  organizations  in  the  country  for  the  benefit  of  the  local 
wage-earner  and  home-builder.  The  idea  of  developing  this  field  was  suggested  to 
him  by  F.  Leroy  Smith,  who  was  familiar  with  its  operations  in  other  eastern  cities, 
but  the  inception,  maintenance,  and  success  were  due  to  his  indomitable  efforts  and 
sagacious  management.  He  was  its  father,  its  prime  mover,  and  its  watchful  guard- 
ian, and  upon  him  during  the  first  ten  years  of  its  existence  devolved  the  heaviest 
duties  and  proper  direction.  To  its  development  he  devoted  his  best  efforts,  and 
that  they  were  entirely  unselfish  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  they  were  without  re- 
muneration or  hope  of  reward  other  than  that  which  came  from  doing  good.  In  its 
interests  he  labored  early  and  late ;  he  was  its  staunchest  champion ;  his  advice  and 
counsel  guided  its  affairs  and  the  actions  of  his  associates;  and  often  he  advanced 
payments  for  worthy  men  who  through  misfortune  were  unable  to  make  them  them- 
selves. The  association  was  organized  by  himself  and  others  in  February,  1884,  and 
he  served  as  its  president  from  that  time  until  his  death,  performing  much  of  its  de- 
tail work,  and  conscientiously  guarding  its  ever  growing  interests.  He  contributed 
numerous  articles  in  its  behalf  to  local  newspapers  which  were  widelj^  copied  by 
journals  devoted  to  .savings  and  loan  organizations.  The  association  has  now  an 
invested  capital  of  $700,000,  and  during  its  career  has  proved  inestimably  valuable 
to  many  a  small  property  owner.     In  the  prayers  that  have  gone  up  from  the  large 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  73 

number  of  little  homes  which  this  noble  man's  labor  builded  there  is  a  volume  of  un- 
written gratitude  and  reverence,  which  in  the  hfearts  of  those  benefited  is  a  living 
monument  to  the  memory  of  the  association's  founder. 

It  was  one  of  Mr.  Curran's  chief  ambitions  to  make  others  happy.  To  the  poor 
and  unfortunate  he  unostentatiously  gave  liberally  and  cheerfully  of  his  not  over 
abundant  means,  and  in  this  respect  no  man  enjoyed  a  brighter  record.  He  was 
well  known  for  his  charitable  acts,  and  equally  well  known  for  his  kindness,  consid- 
eration, and  good  deeds.  He  was  a  wise  giver,  possessing  a  keen  discrimination 
between  the  worthy  and  unworthy.  In  1880  he  was  elected  a  charity  commissioner, 
an  office  to  which  he  was  three  times  re-elected,  and  served  with  signal  abilitv  and 
universal  satisfaction.  In  this  capacity  he  resolutely  stood  for  economy,  but  as 
firmly  for  justice  and  right.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  president  of  the  Utica 
Free  Dispensary,  one  of  the  first  officers  of  Faxton  Hospital,  and  secretary  of  the 
Home  for  the  Homeless  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  ad- 
visory board  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Association,  and  the  first  president  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  with  which  he  was  long  actively  and  prominently 
identified.  During  the  early  history  of  the  last  named  institution  he  was  not  only  its 
guiding  officer,  but  one  of  its  chief  and  most  liberal  supporters.  Mr.  Curran  was 
always  fond  of  athletic  sports,  and  at  one  time  the  firm  established  on  the  top  floor 
of  their  place  of  busine.ss  a  finely  appointed  gymnasium,  where  they  were  wont  to 
admit  schoolboys  in  considerable  numbers,  and  where  he  often  participated  in  their 
exercises  with  the  keenest  enjoyment.  He  was  a  member  and  for  several  years  an 
elder  of  Westminster  Presbyterian  church,  and  was  activelj^  interested  in  its  Sunday 
school.  His  devotion  to  church  work  was  akin  to  that  displayed  in  the  interests  of 
charity,  and  his  influence  in  both  was  of  the  purest,  noblest,  and  most  elevating 
character.  He  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  a  man  whose  Christian  spirit  spoke 
in  his  deed  and  action — a  model  citizen,  a  kind,  afl:ectionate  husband,  and  an  indul- 
gent yet  firm  father. 

In  politics  he  was  a  staunch  Republican,  but  steadfastly  refused  to  accepted  polit- 
ical office.  Without  his  solicitation  he  was  often  urged  to  go  upon  his  party's  ticket, 
particularly  for  mayor  of  Utica,  but  he  invariably  declined.  He  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Cleveland  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  without  opposition  as  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital,  but  declined  the  honor  on  account  of  other 
duties.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  civil  service  examiners 
at  Utica.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  and  on  Jvme  6,  1890, 
was  elected  a  member  of  Epsilon  Chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  of  Hamilton  College. 
He  died  in  Utica,  where  he  had  spent  his  entire  life,  on  the  4th  of  June,  1894,  widely 
mourned  and  universally  respected.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  family  lot  in 
Forest  Hill  Cemetery.  Touching  resolutions,  glowing  tributes  to  his  memory,  were 
passed  by  every  organization  with  which  he  had  been  connected,  and  in  addition 
scores  of  letters  were  received  by  the  family  from  persons  all  over  the  country,  each 
bearing  a  tender  encomium  of  his  rare  worth  and  high  personal  character. 

Mr.  Curran  was  married  on  October  20,  1864,  to  Miss  Lucy  Helen  Doolittle,  who 
was  born  in  Utica  October  36,  1836,  and  who  survives  him.  Her  father,  Charles  R. 
Doolittle,^  was  born   in  Whitestown,  August  4,  1799,  and  died  in   Utica  October  9, 

'Gen.  George  Doolittle,  father  of  Charles  R.,  was  born  in  Wallingford,  Conn.,Jiine  13,  1T59, 
J 


74  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1841.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Abigail  Pickard  Obear,  was  born  in 
Beverly,  Mass.,  March  26,  1811,  and  died  in  Utica  July  27,  1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cur- 
ran's  wedded  life  was  peculiarly  a  happy  one.  Their  home  was  the  center  of  tender- 
ness, affection,  and  Christian  influence,  and  from  its  sacred  precints  radiated  those 
virtues  which  elevate  and  inspire  men  to  noble  action.  They  were  the  parents  of 
two  sons:  Richard  Langford  Curran,  born  September  26,  1865,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  general  advertising  business  in  New  York  city;  and  Sherwood  Spencer  Curran, 
born  September  12,  1867,  who  is  secretary  of  the  Homestead  Aid  Association  of 
Utica,  succeeding  William  P.  Carpenter  on  the  latter's  death  in  May,  1895. 


DAVID  CURTIS  STODDARD. 

The  first  of  the  Stoddard  family  in  America  was  John  Stoddard,  who  appears  on 
record  as  a  landowner  in  Westfield,  Conn.,  as  early  as  June  18,  1645.  Two  years 
before  this  he  had  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Foote.  Their  descendants 
became  conspicuous  in  the  civil  and  commercial  life  of  New  England,  and  for  gener- 
ations were  acknowledged  leaders  in  the  affairs  of  their  communities.  From  them 
descended  Aaron  Stoddard,  the  great-grandfather  of  David  C,  who  was  born  July 
15,  1739.  He  enlisted  in  Capt.  Bezaleel  Beebe's  company  from  Litchfield,  Conn  ,  and 
served  m  the  Revolutionary  war  until  his  death  on  January  12,  1777.  His  only  son, 
David  Stoddard,  was  born  in  Litchfield  November  15,  1773,  was  married  in  1793  to 
Dorcas  Kent,  and  in  1803  moved  to  De  Ruyter  (now  Otselic),  Chenango  county,  N.Y., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  also  in  buying  and  driving  cattle.  Dorcas,  the 
wife  of  David,  died  in  Otselic  October  11,  1830,  while  his  death  occurred  in  Groton, 
N.  Y.,  May  5,  1848.  Their  son,  David  D.  Stoddard,  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn., 
October  1,  1795,  and  was  married  in  Otselic.  N.  Y.,  on  October  19,  1823,  to  Mary 
Salome  Warner,  who  was  born  in  Ballston  Springs,  N.  Y.,  August  15,  1795.  David 
D.  Stoddard  was  originally  a  Whig  in  politics,  but  very  early  became  an  active  abo- 
litionist, and  in  1840  cast  the  only  vote  of  that  party  in  his  town.  In  November, 
1859,  he  moved  to  Mazeppa,  Minn.,  where  he  died  June  1,  1870.  His  wife  died  there 
in  1878.  Their  children  were  William  Harmon,  born  September  12,  1824,  deceased; 
Albion,  born  February  14,  1826,  of  South  Shore,  S.  Dak.  ;  Eliza  Ann,  born  October 
29,  1827,  died  in  1892;  Salome  Jane,  born  July  13,  1829,  of  Mazeppa,  Minn.  ;  David 
Curtis,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Lyman,  born  January  19,  1833,  killed  in  the  army 

enlisted  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  in  response  to  Washington's  first  call  for  troops  in  1776,  in  the 
8th  company,  Capt.  Joseph  Churchill,  3d  battallion,  Connecticut  line,  and  served  in  and  about 
New  York  and  Long  Island,  being  caputured  by  the  British  in  the  retreat  September  1,5,  177(i. 
On  May  1,  1778,  he  re-enlisted  in  the  6th  Conn.  Regt.,  regular  line,  raised  to  serve  three  years  or 
during  the  war.  He  was  with  the  main  army  under  Washington  at  White  Plains  and  during  the 
year  1779  served  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River,  participating  in  the  battle  of  Stony  Point 
July  1.5th.  Three  or  more  of  his  brothers  also  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  January  1, 
1783,  he  was  made  adjutant.  Aboiit  1787  he  removed  to  Whitestown  and  became  the  first  com- 
missioned officer  of  militia  in  Oneida  county.  He  died  here  February  21,  IH'.'.i.  He  married  Grace, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Amos  Wetmore,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  in  Colonel  Comfort's  regiment  Con- 
necticut line.  She  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  December  3,  1766,  and  died  in  Whitestown 
August  27,  1836,  being  the  mother  of  twelve  children. 


D.  C.  STODDARD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  75 

December  28,  1«62;  Mary  Caroline  (Mrs.  Charles  Duncan),  born  October  17,  1834, 
deceased;  Emil5%  born  June  8,  1838,  died  Jannar}^  7,  1854;  and  Charlotte,  born 
August  18,  1843,  died  August  21,  1849. 

David  Curtis  Stoddard  was  born  August  3,  1831,  in  the  town  of  Otselic,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.,  upon  a  farm  his  father  had  subdued  from  the  primeval  forest,  and 
which  was  surrounded  in  part  by  the  same  unbroken  wilderness.  It  was  a  rough, 
hilly,  stony  country— hard  to  clear  of  timber  and  hard  to  cultivate  afterwards- 
producing  not  bountifully  in  the  best  seasons,  and  very  scantily  often,  with  long 
cold  and  severe  winters  in  which  was  consumed  all  the  product  of  the  summer. 
Educational  facilities  were  very  scant  in  quantity  and  quality;  the  school-house  was 
half  built  and  poorly  furnished ;  seats  were  made  of  slabs  or  planks,  unplaned  and 
without  backs ;  the  stove  or  fireplace  was  supplied  \Vith  wood,  green  and  just  cut  and 
hauled  from  the  forest,  which  the  fire  refused  to  feed  upon,  but  the  well-seasoned 
and  oft  used  rod  of  the  master  often  supplied  the  heat  the  fire  should  have  made. 
It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  he  received  what  education  this  school  could 
give ;  Vjut  when  grown  to  a  young  man  he  added  to  this  three  or  four  terms  at  select 
or  private  schools,  with  two  terms  in  an  SLcadeTny,  so  that  at  nineteen  years  of  age 
he  commenced  the  teaching  of  these  district  schools  in  the  winters.  These  advant- 
ages only  resulted  in  fairly  perfecting  him  in  the  common  branches  of  learning 
without  the  benefit  of  a  higher  culture.  Books  were  scarce,  and  but  for  the  little 
district  library  just  before  established,  would  have  been  few  indeed,  as  those  hard- 
working men  and  women  had  to  struggle  for  bread  and  could  spare  nothing  for 
books.  What  books  could  be  reached  he  thoroughly  read  and  they  have  been  of 
great  advantage  to  him,  but  he  has  always  felt  the  want  of  an  early  education,  and 
the  want  of  books  of  general  information  at  that  time  in  his  life. 

In  early  manhood  he  became  a  Whig  in  feelings  and  at  majority  cast  his  first  vote 
for  General  Scott  in  the  presidential  election  of  1852,  and  at  each  election  sustained 
it  by  his  vote  until  its  disappearance  in  the  Republican  party,  which  he  has  sup- 
ported and  sustained  till  the  present  time.  In  January,  1853,  he  commenced  to  study 
law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Sidney  T.  Holmes,  the  county  judge  of  Madison  county,  and 
finished  his  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Utica,  N.  Y. ,  in  January,  1853, 
commencing  at  once  the  practice  of  law  at  that  city,  which  he  continued  until  Sep- 
tember,  1861. 

After  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  and  the  call  for  500,000  volunteers  immediately 
thereafter,  although  knowing  nothing  of  militarj^  matters,  like  thousands  of  other 
young  men  in  those  stirring  times,  he  resolved  to  do  what  was  in  his  power  to  aid  his 
conntrv  to  put  down  that  cruel  rebellion  against  the  best  government  the  world  had 
then  seen.  He  associated  with  George  Klinck  and  John  S.  Hunt  («on  of  Hon.  Ward 
Hunt)  to  recruit  and  have  mustered  into  service  an  artillery  company,  which  was 
done  in  the  short  time  of  two  weeks,  and,  on  the  organization  the  company,  was 
chosen  and  then  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  said  company  which  formed  Co. 
E  of  the  2d  N.  Y.  H.  A.  Vols.,  and  was  soon  afterwards  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
in  place  of  Hunt.  Early  in  the  next  November  this  regiment  was  at  the  front  and 
formed  part  of  the  garrison  of  the  chain  of  forts  defending  Washington  from  the 
south  side  of  the  Potomac  River,  where  it  remained  (except  taking  part  in  the  battle 
of  Second  Bull  Run)  drilling,  making  forts  and  perfecting  itself  as  a  regiment  until 


76  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

May   1864,  when  it  had  2,000  men  in  its  twelve  companies  of  first-class  officers  and 
soldiers,  it  was  ordered  to  join  General  Grant  in  that  celebrated  campaign  against 
Richmond ;  and  the  dead  bodies  of  these  brave  men  were  left  upon  every  battlefield 
from  the  Wilderness  to  Appomattox  Court  House.     On   arriving  at  the  front  the 
regiment  was  attached  to  and  formed  a  part  of  the  First  Brigade  (commanded  by 
Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles,   now  commander-in-chief  of  the  U.    S.    A.),   First   Division 
(commanded  by  Gen.  Francis  C.  Barlow),  Second  Corps  (commanded  by  Gen.  Winfield 
Scott  Hancock),  all  then  and  ever  since  celebrated  as  brave  and  superior  officers. 
He  served  with  this  company  and  "regiment,  participating  in  all  its  battles,  long 
marches  and  hardships  until  his  discharge  in  October,  1864,  by  reason  of  expiration 
of  term  of  service,  and  during  his  whole  service  in  the  army  was  not  obliged  to  go 
to  a  hospital.     In  August,   1864,  he  received  a  commission  as  captain  in  the  regi- 
ment, but  his  health  being  temporarily  impaired  by  the  hardships  of  that  summer, 
he  declined  to  muster  under  it  and  was  honorably  discharged  after  three  years  of 
service.     Returning  to  his  family  and  home  his  health  improved  rapidly  and  with 
strength  came  the  desire  to  return  to  the  army.     He  could  not  content  himself  with 
business,  and  in  December,  receiving  a  commission  from  the  secretary  of  war  as 
first  lieutenant  in  the  1st  Regt.    U.  S.  Vet.  Vols.  (Hancock's  Corps),  he  again  en- 
tered the  service  and  was  stationed  at  Utica  to  recruit  veteran  soldiers  who  had 
served  at  least  two  years  and  were  physically  sound ;  and  during  the  following  win- 
ter recruited  150  veterans  who  were  mustered   into  the  service  and  formed  part  of 
the  20,000  veterans  which  General   Hancock  was  authorized  by  the  war  department 
to  raise  throughout  the  United  States  and  to  command  in  the  field.     Early  in  March 
he  was  ordered  to  join  his  regiment,  then  serving  in  the  Shenandoah  \'alley,  and 
on  arriving  immediately  took  part  in   an  expedition  against  General   Mosby,  the 
celebrated  guerrilla  of  the  Blue  Mountains  of  Virginia,  and  here  he  heard  the  last 
hostile  bullet  in  a  short  skirmish  with  this  brave  and  daring  leader.     After  the  sur- 
render of  Lee  his  regiment  was  sent  to  the  Wilderness  to  collect  the  bones  of  the 
unburied  dead  of  that  fierce  struggle  and  bury  them,  mark  the  graves  of  the  dead 
there  and  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and  then  returning  to  Washington  was 
the  guard  inside  the  prison  at  the  execution  of  Mrs.   Surrat,  Harold  and  others  for 
the  assassination  of  the  lamented  Lincoln.     In  July  he  was  ordered  to  Baltimore 
and  promoted  to  be  captain  of  Co.  C  of  the  same  regiment.     He  was  in  command  of 
Fort  Federal  Hill  and  Camp  Distribution  in  that  city,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
at  the  muster  out  of  service  of  his  company  and  regiment  in  February,  186"). 

Returning  to  Utica,  after  long  and  valiant  service  in  the  army,  Mr.  Stoddard  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law,  and  in  1871  formed  a  copartnership  with  Edwin  H.  Risley, 
which  continued  until  1884.  Since  then  he  has  practiced  his  profession  alone. 
Having  been  elected  in  the  fall  of  1871  he  qualified  and  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
district  attorney  of  Oneida  county  on  January  1,  1872,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  a  term  of  three  years.  Among  the  many  important  trials  which  he  conducted  as 
prosecuting  officer  was  that  of  Josephine  A.  McCarthy  for  shooting  and  killing  Henry 
H.  Hall,  of  Ogdensburg,  while  riding  in  a  Genesee  street  car  in  Utica.  This  was 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  cases  in  the  criminal  annals  of  the  State  and  lasted  three 
weeks,  and  out  of  it  grew  the  indictment,  trial,  and  conviction  for  libel  of  the  editor 
of  the  Daily  Bee  for  printing  an  attack   upon  the  presiding  justice.     In  1878  Mr. 


BIOaRAPHICAL.  77 

Stoddard  was  candidate  for  surrogate  on  the  Republican  ticket,  but  owing  to  an 
organized  effort  to  carry  the  office  to  Rome  he  was  defeated  by  Stephen  Van  Dreaser 
by  a  very  small  majority.  After  this  he  retired  permanently  from  politics  and  devoted 
his  attention  wholly  to  his  profession,  in  which  he  has  won  brilliant  achievements 
and  a  wide  reputation. 

Mr.  Stoddard  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge.  No.  47,  F.  &  A  M.,  and  Oneida  Chap- 
tor,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  and  a  charter  member  of  Yah-nun-dah-sis  Lodge  of  Perfection 
Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite.  He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  Post  Bacon, 
No.  53,  G.  A.  R.,  and  has  served  as  its  quartermaster  and  commander  two  terms 
each.  For  a  time  he  was  judge  advocate-general  on  the  staff  of  General  Barnum, 
Department  Commander  State  of  New  York.  He  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  m  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  city  of  Utica,  where  he 
occupies  a  prominent  place  both  as  citizen  and  lawyer. 

July  13,  1859,  Mr.  Stoddard  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  B.,  daughter  of  Leonard 
Gibbs,  of  Utica.  She  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1833.  Their  children  are  David 
Curtis,  jr.,  born  March  6,  1863,  and  George  Lyman,  born  May  26,  1869,  both  of 
Utica. 


THE  WHITE    FAMILY. 

In  preparing  the  history  of  the  County  of  Oneida  it  becomes  necessary  to  outline 
briefly  the  history  of  the  White  family,  and  the  proprietary  settlement  of  this  county 
by  this  family  and  the  development  of  the  commerce  of  the  State  through  its  water 
ways  by  Canvass  White,  one  member  of  the  family,  and  a  similar  development  of  its 
commerce  bj^  railroads  by  William  Clark  Young,  another  member  of  the  family ;  and 
in  fact  the  family's  continuous  association  with  the  growth  and  development  of  Cen- 
tral New  York  ever  since  the  original  settlement  here,  June  5,  1784. 

The  family  trace  their  descent  from  Elder  John  White,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Cambridge  in  Massachusetts,  of  Hartford  in  Connecticut  and  of  Hadley  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Elder  John  White  landed  in  Boston,  Mass.,  on  the  good  ship  Lyon,  Sep- 
tember 16,  1632,  and  his  home  lot  was  on  the  street  called  "  Cowyard  Row  "  not  far 
from  Gore  Hall,  where  the  beautiful  library  building  of  Harvard  University  now 
stands.  The  standing  of  the  family  was  that  of  the  well  to  do  middle  class,  their 
home  life  in  England  had  been  one  of  comfort,  and  their  departure  for  this  country 
was  on  account  of  religious  intolerance. 

John  White  and  his  family  moved,  as  one  of  the  followers  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  to  what  is  now  the  city  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  assisted  in  founding 
the  settlement,  and  where  he  died  in  1684  about  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  He 
held  several  offices  of  importance,  such  as  magistrate,  selectman,  member  of  the 
General  Court  (Legislature),  and  lived  an  active,  useful  and  Christian  life,  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  the  founder  of  a  numerous  family,  many  of  whose 
members  became  prominent  and  influential  factors  in  civil,   social  and  business  af- 


78  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

fairs.     His  descendants,  without  exception  have  held  high  rank  in  their  respective 
communities,  and  are  numbered  to-day  among  the  most  patriotic  and  useful  citizens. 

HUGH    WHITE. 

Hugh  White,  the  pioneer  settler  of  Whitestown,  was  the  fifth  in  descent  from 
Elder  John  White  above  mentioned;  he  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  January 
25,  1733,  and  married  Mary  Clark  of  the  same  town,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children, 
two  daughters  dying  in  infancy,  and  his  five  sons  and  two  daughters  came  with  him 
and  settled  Whitestown.  Hugh  White  served  during  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a 
quartermaster,  and  in  that  capacity,  with  the  self  sacrificing  devotion  of  the  many 
heroes  in  that  first  struggle  of  the  country  for  national  independence,  expended  his 
fortune  for  the  maintenance  of  the  army,  receiving  in  its  place  continental  paper 
money  that  became  worthless  in  his  possession. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  joined  in  the  purchase  of  Sadaquada 
Patent  with  Zephaniah  Piatt,  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  Melancthon  Smith  and  General 
William  Floyd,  the  last  being  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  Mr.  White  was  sent  to  make  the  preliminary  settlement  and  survey  of  the  new 
purchase.  The  trip  was  made  from  Albany  up  the  Mohawk  River  in  flat  bottom 
boats,  which  were  propelled  by  means  of  poles.  When  they  reached  German  Flats, 
a  few  miles  east  of  Utica,  where  there  was  a  small  clearing,  they  halted  long  enough 
to  plough  the  ground  and  plant  corn,  and  then  proceeded  up  the  river  until  they 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Sauquoit  Creek,  where  they  landed  and  a  clearing  was  at 
once  started  from  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  toward  the  present  site  of  the  Whitestown 
village  square ;  that  fall  they  returned  to  German  Flats  and  harvested  the  corn  which 
they  planted  in  the  spring  time,  and  the  following  spring  Mr.  White  and  his  sons 
were  joined  by  their  wives  and  families,  and  the  settlement  of  Whitestown  was 
completed. 

The  Legislature,  by  an  act  passed  March  7,  1788,  among  other  things,  created  the 
town  of  Whitestown  in  the  county  of  Montgomery.  This  town  was  laid  out  on  a 
magnificent  scale ;  its  boundary  was  a  straight  line  crossing  the  river  a  short  distance 
below  Genesee  street  bridge  at  a  log  house  then  standing  there,  and  running  thence 
due  north  to  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  and  also  due  south  to  a  small  stream  near  Penn- 
sylvania, and  down  that  stream  to  the  Pennsylvania  line,  all  parts  of  the  State  lying 
west  of  that  line  were  constituted  the  town  of  Whitestown.  It  contained  more  than 
twelve  million  acres  of  land,  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Mohawk,  the  Delaware, 
the  Susquehanna  and  the  Ohio  rivers,  the  Salt  Springs  of  Onondaga,  the  chain  of 
the  Finger  lakes  and  the  Oswego  river,  the  entire  valley  of  the  Genesee,  with  its 
upper  and  lower  falls,  and  also  the  grand  cataract  of  the  Niagara.  Its  frontage  of 
great  lakes  and  rivers  was  not  short  of  four  hundred  miles  in  length.  After  the  ar- 
rival of  the  judge's  family,  and  his  children  and  their  families,  he  purchased  of  Will- 
iam Floyd  his  interest  in  Sadaquada  Patent,  the  various  interests  having  been 
allotted  to  the  partners  in  the  enterprise  by  lot,  and  General  Floyd's  portion  being 
that  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sauquoit  creek  where  is  now  situated  the  village  of 
YorkvUle  and  New  York  Mills.  The  price  paid  for  this  land  by  Mr.  White  was  three 
pipes  of  wine,  which  was  sent  to  the  general  at  his  house  in  Western,  a  short  dis- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  79 

tance  from  Rome,  but  the  general  having  no  bottles  in  which  to  place  the  wine  at 
that  time,  sent  to  England  and  had  the  bottles  blown  with  his  initials  and  the  date, 
and  some  of  these  bottles  are  now  in  possession  of  the  descendants  of  the  general  in 
the  old  mansion  at  Western. 

At  the  time  of  Hugh  White's  arrival  the  Indian  complications  on  the  frontier  were 
in  a  very  delicate  condition,  the  Indians  having  been  under  large  pay  from  the  English, 
and  hostility  focused  against  the  settlers  during  the  entire  war.  It  needed  a  pecul- 
iar strength  to  gain  their  friendship  and  trust.  Hugh  White  was  a  fearless,  yet 
cautious  leader,  and  exerted  a  powerful  and  wholesome  influence  upon  the  entire 
community.  He  was  especially  a  firm  friend  of  the  Indians  who  had  possessions  on 
all  sides  for  miles  around,  it  being  the  home  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  the  Iroquois 
Confederacy.  Forewarned  of  the  craft  and  treachery  of  these  tribes,  he  sought  to 
conciliate  their  good  will  by  frankness  and  fair  dealing,  and  by  unaffected  assurances 
of  friendship  for  the  well  being  of  their  tribes,  oft  times  accompanying  these  pro- 
fessions by  kindly  offices  and  with  gifts  judiciously  distributed  to  their  women  and 
little  ones.  Yet  a  latent  incredulity  seems  to  have  clouded  the  leading  chief  of  the 
Confederacy,  Han  Yerry,  as  to  the  sincerity  of  these  friendly  advances,  and  on  one 
of  his  frequent  visits  to  the  family  of  the  patriot  of  the  Pale  Faces,  this  chief  asked 
to  be  allowed  the  favor  of  carrying  an  interesting  little  girl,  a  granddaughter  of 
Judge  White's,  home  to  his  squaws  at  their  tribal  wigwam  as  they  would  be  delighted 
to  see  and  handle  the  papoose  of  the  Pale  Faces.  Defining  that  the  crafty  purpose 
of  the  chief,  was  to  obtain  a  hostage  as  a  pledge  of  the  good  favor  of  the  Whites' 
friendly  regard  toward  the  natives  of  the  forest,  the  judge  decided  that  the  child 
should  go;  the  mother  was,  of  course,  frantic  at  the  bare  idea  of  her  tender  offspring 
being  carried  off  by  the  savages,  and  the  father  of  the  child,  Joseph  White,  son  of 
the  judge,  protested  that  the  shock  would  be  either  the  death  of  his  wife  or  drive  her 
into  lunacy,  but  the  judge  was  firm  in  his  purpose,  and  told  his  son'  that  the  child 
must  go,  and  it  was  intimated  to  his  son  that  he  should  lock  up  his  wife  until  the 
child  be  brought  back.  The  child  was  carefully  carried  off  by  the  chief  who  pledged 
his  word  to  bring  her  back  on  the  morrow.  The  grief  of  the  mother  can  be  better 
imagined  than  described,  and  it  was  a  night  of  anxiety  to  her  and  her  husband, 
and  most  of  the  following  day  wore  away  without  bringing  relief  to  their  doubts 
whether  the  child  would  ever  be  restored  to  them  alive.  It  was  not  until  the  sun 
was  on  its  western  decline  and  near  the  horizon  setting  across  the  pathway  leading 
over  the  bluff  from  Oriskany,  that  the  chief  with  a  retinue  of  chiefs  and  squaws,  were 
discovered  wending  their  way  along  the  forest  trails  in  all  their  native  dignity,  and 
with  them  the  beautiful  little  waif  perched  high  on  the  chief's  shoulders  decked  out 
in  all  the  splendor  of  barbaric  feathers  and  wampum,  and  thus  decked  the  little 
hostage  was  safely  restored  by  the  elated  chieftain  to  its  mother.  The  heroine  of 
this  adventure  afterwards  married  Captain  Ells  of  Whitestown. 

This  policy  of  Judge  White's  triumphed,  and  he  and  his  neighbors  ever  afterwards 
enjoyed  the  unswerving  friendship  of  the  Indians  whose  deeds  of  kindness  to  the 
settlers  are  matters  of  history.  It  was  this  incident  that  gained  for  the  white  people 
the  entire  confidence  of  their  untutored  neighbors,  and  perhaps  no  white  man  who 
lived  among  the  Six  Nations  at  this  time  shared  their  confidence  more  widely  or  ex- 
ercised a  more  civilizing  influence  over  them  than  Judge  White.     His  active  sym- 


80  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

pathies  for  them  and  neighborly  offices  dispensed  to  their  tribal  households,  begot 
their  full  confidence  in  him  as  a  man,  a  neighbor  and  a  counsellor. 

There  was  one  other  incident,  however,  that  perhaps  entitled  him  to  the  above 
influence  more  than  his  implicit  trust  and  confidence  in  the  fairness  of  the  Indian 
dealings,  and  this  was  the  solution  of  a  question  as  to  his  muscular  fitness  for  their 
highest  tribal  distinction :  and  as  a  test  of  his  manliness  in  this  regard  they  chal- 
lenged him  on  one  occasion  to  wrestle  with  their  champion  athlete.  In  view  of  his 
prestige,  he  could  not  do  otherwise  than  accept  the  challenge,  and  the  trial  came 
off  in  due  time.  The  judge  was  past  fifty-six  years  of  age  and  had  been  quite  an 
athlete  in  his  youth,  but  of  late  years  had  not  had  his  hand  in  at  trips,  and  besides 
he  was  inclined  to  be  corpulent,  weighing  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds, 
though  nearly  six  feet  in  height.  He  was  ever  noted,  however,  for  his  alertness 
of  mind  and  motion,  and  to  this  he  was  mainly  indebted  to  a  victory  over  his  more 
agile  combatant.  Immediately  after  they  had  fairly  clinched,  the  judge  by  a 
quick  and  skillful  trip,  succeeded  in  throwing  the  Indian.  As  he  saw  him  fall- 
ing, in  order  to  prevent  the  necessity  of  ever  making  another  trial  of  his  powers 
or  of  receiving  any  new  challenges,  he  managed  to  fall  with  his  whole  weight  upon 
the  Indian  which  drove  all  of  the  breath  out  of  the  poor  fellow's  body,  and  it  was 
some  moments  before  he  could  get  up;  at  length  he  slowly  arose,  shrugged  his 
shoulders  with  an  emphatic,  "Ugh!  You  good  fellow,  too  much."  The  judge  was 
never  called  on  again  for  a  test  of  his  strength.  The  Oneida  Indians  were  so  pleased 
with  his  prowess,  that  at  the  suggestion  of  Skenandoah,  Han  Yerry  and  another 
Indian  called  Good  Peter,  they,  together  with  the  other  chieftains,  appeared  at  the 
residence  of  the  judge,  and  with  much  pomp  and  mystery,  he  was  duly  adopted  into 
the  Oneida  tribe  of  Indians,  with  all  the  rights  of  perpetual  succession.  One  of  the 
Oneida  customs  was  their  annual  visit  to  Oneida  lake  and  Fish  creek  for  the  tribal 
catch  of  salmon ;  this  Judge  White  attended  on  one  occasion  after  his  adoption  to 
the  tribe,  and  ever  after  that  during  his  life  a  portion  of  the  catch  was  set  aside  and 
sent  him  on  account  of  his  tribal  privileges. 

Hugh  White  was  not  a  seeker  of  public  position,  but  he  was  appointed  justice  of 
the  peace;  afterwards  the  governor  appointed  him  one  of  the  judges  of  the  county, 
and  he  served  several  years  as  such  judge  with  approbation  and  honor. 

The  town  that  he  founded  was  the  gate-way  to  what  was  known  as  the  garden 
lands  of  New  York  State,  and  the  prominence  of  Judge  White  soon  drew  around  him 
in  the  village  the  leading  clergymen,  lawyers  and  merchants,  and  it  was  well  rec- 
ognized for  years  that  the  bar  of  the  town  of  Whitestown  was  the  most  distinguished 
bar  west  of  Albany.  Judge  White  was  the  master  spirit  of  Whitestown,  and  at  one 
period  there  were  living  no  less  than  fifty-five  grandchildren  of  this  Whitestown 
pioneer.  He  having  apportioned  his  land  into  seven  farms,  five  for  his  sons  and 
two  for  his  sons-in-law,  dividing  them  in  distances  from  his  own  home  at  the  ea'stend 
of  the  Whitestown  Green  according  to  the  age  of  the  child  to  whom  they  were  given. 
He  retained  the  title  of  these  farms  in  himself  until  his  death.  They  were  located 
on  what  is  now  known  as  Hart's  Hill.  He  died  on  the  16th  of  May,  1812,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Whitestown  Cemetery  on  an  eminence  overlooking  the  Mohawk  valley, 
and  the  town  of  his  settlement ;  the  following  is  the  inscription  from  his  tomb 
stone: 


Ju^i 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  81 

Here  sleep  the  remains  of 

Hugh  White 

Who  was  born  5th  Feb.  1733,  at  Middletown, 

in  Connecticut,  and  died  April  16,  1812. 

In  the  year  1784  he  removed  to  Sadequada, 

now  Whitestown,  where  he  was  the  first  white 

inhabitant  in  the  State  of  New  York  west  of  the 

German  settlement  on  the  Mohawk. 

He  was  distinguished  for  energy 

and  decision  of  character,  and  may  be  justly  regarded 

as  a  patriot  who  led  the  children  of  New  England 

into  the  wilderness. 

As  a  magistrate,  a  citizen  and  a  man, 

his  character  for  truth  and  integrity  was  proverbial. 

A  hundred  years  after  Judge  White's  settlement  in  Whitestown,  the  advent  was 
deemed  so  important  by  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  that  they  erected  in  June, 
1884,  on  the  village  green,  a  granite  shaft  to  commemorate  the  first  settlement  of 
Whitestown  by  Hugh  White  and  family. 

The  generation  succeeding  the  pioneer's  children  were  so  occupied  in  overcoming 
the  crudities  of  the  wilderness  that  it  does  not  become  necessary  for  us  to  take  up 
their  history  with  any  particularity  until  the  succeeding  generation  when  we  find 
five  grandsons  of  the  pioneer  worthy  of  especial  mention  in  the  county ;  one  of 
them,  the 

HON.   HUGH  WHITE, 

was  born  in  Whitestown,  December  25th,  1798;  he  was  seventh  in  lineal  descent 
from  the  Elder  John  White,  and  was  a  son  of  Hugh  White,  Jr.,  the  third  son  of  the 
pioneer  who  was  for  three  years  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  for  a 
while  on  board  of  a  privateer.  Hon.  Hugh  White  was  a  worthy  descendant  of  the 
illustrious  founder  of  Whitestown.  He  inherited  in  full  measure  the  noble  charac- 
teristics of  the  race.  He  was  upwards  of  six  feet  in  height,  weighed  about  250 
pounds,  with  a  flashing  black  eye  and  strong  manly  bearing.  His  earlier  education 
in  the  common  schools  was  interspersed  with  hard  labor  on  the  parental  farm,  and 
this  occupation  in  those  days  meant  labor  such  as  the  present  generation  scarcely 
comprehend.  He  remained  at  home  enjoying  a  quarter's  schooling  each  winter 
until  1819,  when  he  commenced  a  continuous  routine  of  instruction,  partly  under  the 
counsel  and  encouragement  of  his  elder  brother,  Canvass  White,  who  was  at  the  time 
of  his  death  the  leading  engineer  in  the  construction  of  canals,  and  who  was  the 
originator  of  the  Croton  water  system  for  New  York  City.  Hugh  White  prepared 
for  college  under  the  guidance  of  his  distinguished  brother.  Canvass,  and  was 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1823,  after  the  customary  four  years  in  a  full 
classical  course.  After  graduating  at  Hamilton  College,  he  fitted  for  the  bar  in  the 
office  of  Col.  Charles  G.  Haines  of  New  York  city,  having  as  a  fellow  student  John 
A.  Dix.  He  soon  turned  his  attention,  however,  to  business  pursuits,  and  in  1825 
was  located  in  Chittenango,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  a  water  lime  called 
K 


82  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

White's  Water  Proof  Cement,  it  being  the  first  cement  made  in  America;  this  he 
afterwards  manufactured  at  Rondout  in  Ulster  county ;  later  he  built  up  the  Rosen- 
dale  Cement  Works  where  he  manufactured  much  of  the  cement  used  on  the  Croton 
Aqueduct.  He  was  also  largely  interested  and  engaged  in  the  development  of  the 
water  power  of  Cohoes  on  the  Mohawk.  In  1844  he  was  chosen  representative  to 
Congress  where  he  served  three  terms.  He  was  then  active  with  the  Litchfields, 
D.  B.  St.  John,  Gov.  Hunt,  John  Stryker  and  others  in  building  the  Michigan  South- 
ern and  Northern  Indiana  Railroads  which  were  carried  to  a  successful  conclusion. 
In  1830  he  moved  to  Cohoes.  Saratoga  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  6,  1870.  Mr.  White  was  also  engaged  in  other  enterprises 
of  a  manufacturing  and  business  nature.  He  took  and  executed  large  private  con- 
tracts, and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  somewhat  extensively  all  his  life.  He  was 
a  man  of  strict  integrity,  honest,  upright  and  broad  minded,  and  won  honorable  dis- 
tinction ;  he  was  persistent  in  pursuit  of  a  purpose,  though  impassionate  in  his  man- 
ner of  obtaining  it.  He  conscientiously  respected  the  rights  and  privileges  of  others 
and  aided  many  a  struggling  man  on  the  road  to  success  and  prosperity.  No  person 
ever  left  a  fairer  name  or  a  more  unblemished  record.  He  was  of  a  frank  and  patri- 
otic nature,  always  acted  with  the  Whigs  and  Republicans,  and  while  in  Congress, 
though  not  gifted  as  a  parliamentary  debater,  yet  he  exercised  an  important  influence 
on  legislation  in  the  House  and  held  prominent  places  among  the  committees.  As  a 
climax  to  his  legislative  career,  it  was  well  understood  in  Washington  that  on  his 
retirement  from  Congress  he  was  to  be  appointed  United  States  minister  to  Spain, 
but  the  early  demise  of  President  Taylor,  and  the  succeeding  of  Vice-President  Fill- 
more to  the  presidency,  disappointed  him  and  his  friends  and  supporters. 

Hugh  White  was  born  a  business  man,  his  plans  were  broad  and  comprehensive, 
his  mind  was  analytical,  and  his  intellectual  grasp  of  methods  was  marvelous;  he 
was  persistent  and  practical,  and  was  possessed  of  an  indomitable  will  with  rare  ex- 
ecutive talent;  he  was  also  experienced  as  a  financier  He  was  president  of  the 
Saratoga  County  National  Bank  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  religion  he  was  a  life- 
long Presbyterian,  and  was  a  liberal  benefactor  and  an  active  promoter  of  all  public 
enterpri.ses.  Mr.  White  was  married  in  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  to  Maria  Mills 
Mansfield,  daughter  of  William  Punderson  Mans;field  of  Kent,  Conn.  She  was  a 
lady  of  much  education  and  refinement  and  of  exemplary  womanly  graces,  a  mother, 
helpmate  and  friend  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  terms,  and  died  in  July,  1888.  Only 
two  children  survive  them ;  a  son,  William  Mansfield  White,  whose  sketch  appears 
in  this  volume,  and  Isabel,  wife  of  Hon.  W.  W.  Niles,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  New 
York  city. 

CANVASS   WHITE. 

Adapted  from  "Lives  and   Works  of  Civil  and  Military  Engineers  of  America,"  by  Charles  B. 

Stuart,  C.  E.,  1871. 

The  most  conspicuous  of  the  grandsons  of  Pioneer  White  was  Canvass  White,  also 
a  son  of  Hugh  White  above  mentioned,  and  an  elder  brother  of  Hon.  Hugh  White 
just  above  spoken  of.  He  was  born  in  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  September  8, 
1790.  His  mother  was  Tryphenia  Lawrence  of  Canaan,  Conn.,  of  Puritan  descent, 
and  from  his  Puritan  parents  he  derived  those  traits  of  integrity,  indefatigable 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  83 

industry,  and  purity  of  character  of  which  his  pubhc  life  was  so  distinguished  an 
example. 

Canvass  White  had  a  feebleness  of  constitution  that  caused  his  early  years  to  be  a 
constant  struggle  between  disease  and  health.  His  mother  was  a  delicate  lady  un- 
used to  the  rough  exposure  incident  to  pioneer  life,  and  died  when  he  was  ten  years 
old.  At  an  early  age  he  began  to  display  a  talent  for  invention  and  a  genius  for 
improvements  that  resulted  in  the  construction  of  several  domestic  and  agricultural 
implements,  which  were  in  use  for  many  years  on  the  paternal  homestead  and  in  the 
neighborhood.  His  minority  was  spent  mainly  on  his  father's  farm,  with  such  ad- 
vantages only  for  acquiring  an  education  as  the  very  limited  common  schools  of  that 
period  afforded;  and  it  was  not  until  the  winter  of  1813  that  an  opportunity  occurred 
for  him  to  pursue  those  studies  essential  to  success  in  the  profession  he  had  chosen. 
In  February,  1803,  he  entered  Fairfield  Academy  and  there  studied  mathematics, 
astronomy,  chemistry,  mineralogy  and  surveying  until  he  completed  the  course, 
after  which  he  continued  these  studies  under  Dr.  Josiah  Noyes,  of  Clinton,  N.  Y. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Colonel  Carpenter, 
where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1811,  during  which  period  he  gained  the  entire 
confidence  of  his  employer  and  became  a  general  favorite  with  all  his  acquaint- 
ances. At  this  time,  his  health  became  precarious,  a  sea  voyage  was  advised  as  a 
means  of  restoration.  He  therefore  shipped  as  super-cargo  on  board  a  merchant 
vessel  bound  for  Russia,  and  did  not  return  until  October,  1812.  The  captain,  while 
in  Russia,  remained  ignorant  of  the  declaration  of  war  and  commencement  of  hos- 
tilities between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  and  took  in  an  assorted  cargo 
and  sailed  for  Hull,  England.  He  was  unaware  of  the  war  until  they  entered  the 
English  port,  when  they  were  made  prisoners  and  their  ship  and  its  cargo  seized. 
For  some  unexplained  reason  the  captain  and  crew,  however,  were  released,  per- 
mitted to  discharge  their  ship,  take  in  another  lading,  and  continue  their  homeward 
voyage.  The  ship  had  scarcely  cleared  the  mouth  of  the  Humber  when  a  violent 
storm  and  high  tide  drove  them  ashore,  leaving  the  vessel,  when'  the  tide  receded, 
sixty  rods  from  the  sea.  An  inspection  of  the  bottom  of  the  ship  disclosed  the  fact 
that  much  of  the  planking  was  completeh'  rotten.  Young  White  advised  that  new 
planks  be  substituted  and  a  channel  opened  through  the  sand  that  would  admit  the 
tide  to  the  stranded  boat.  A  few  days  later  the  ship  was  on  her  way  to  New  York, 
where  she  arrived  in  the  latter  part  of  September. 

Mr.  White's  health  was  materially  improved  by  the  voyage,  and  on  his  return 
he  again  entered  the  employ  of  his  former  patron  and  friend,  Colonel  Carpen- 
ter, where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1814  when,  having  raised  a  company 
of  volunteers,  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant  in  Colonel  Dodge's  regiment,  and  took 
part  in  the  assault  and  capture  of  Fort  Erie,  opposite  Buffalo.  While  in  occupation 
of  the  fort,  with  his  command,  he  was  severely  wounded  by  a  shell  fired  from  the 
enemy's  redoubt  half  a  mile  distant.  Soon  after  his  recovery  an  opportunity  occurred 
for  revenging  himself  on  the  enemy.  A  reconnoitering  party  from  the  British  camp 
was  discovered  in  an  adjacent  wood,  and  Lieutenant  White  was  .sent  with  his  com- 
mand to  capture  or  disperse  them.  He  succeeded  in  capturing  the  whole  party,  kill- 
ing and  wounding  several  before  they  surrendered.  He  remained  with  his  regiment 
until  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service,  when  lie  returned  home  and  resumed  his 
studies. 


84  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Tn  the  spring  of  1816  Judge  Benjamin  Wright  was  forming  a  corps  for  prosecuting 
the  surveys  of  the  Erie  Canal.  Mr.  White  solicited  a  position  and  was  engaged  by- 
Judge  Wright  as  one  of  his  assistants.  During  this  and  the  siicceeding  season  he 
was  employed  in  taking  the  levels  westward  from  Rome.  In  this  duty  he  acquitted 
himself  so  well  that  he  very  soon  won  the  esteem  of  the  chief  engineer,  between 
whom  and  himself  there  ever  afterward  existed  a  firm  and  iiubroken  friendship. 
About  this  time  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Gov.  De  Witt  Clinton,  who  was  highly 
pleased  with  his  personal  qualities  and  professional  abilities.  At  j:his  early  day  the 
knowledge  of  canal  construction  among  the  engineers  of  the  country  was  very  lim- 
ited, and  Mr.  White,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Governor  Clinton,  determined  to 
visit  England  for  the  purpose  of  examining  public  works  and  procuring  the  most  im- 
proved instruments  in  use.  In  the  autumn  of  1817  he  carried  out  this  determination 
and  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  canals  of  the  United  Kingdom,  traveling  for 
this  purpose  more  than  2,000  miles  on  foot.  He  returned  the  next  spring,  bringing 
instruments  and  accurate  drawings  of  the  most  important  structures  on  those  works, 
and  much  valuable  information  for  the  benefit  of  the  State  in  the  construction  of  its 
canals.  About  this  time  there  was  much  discussion  on  the  subject  of  lock  construc- 
tion, some  favoring  wood,  and  others  stone,  or  a  combination  of  the  two.  It  was 
finally  decided,  however,  to  build  stone  locks,  using  quick-lime  mortar  for  the  ma- 
sonry, and  pointing  the  joints  with  hydraulic  cement,  then  imported  at  great  cost 
from  England.  Mr.  White  soon  discovered  a  valuable  lime  I'ock  near  the  route  of 
the  canal  in  Madison  county,  which,  after  repeated  experiments,  he  converted  into 
a  cement  equal  to  the  imported,  and  at  much  less  cost  to  the  State.  For  this  discov- 
ery he  obtained  a  patent,  but  permitted  its  use  under  the  promise  of  the  canal  com- 
missioners that  a  just  compensation  should  be  allowed,  not  only  for  it,  but  for  his 
expenses  and  services  while  abroad.  The  commissioners,  however,  failed  to  obtain 
the  necessary  authority  from  the  Legislature  to  fulfil  their  promise,  notwithstanding 
the  recommendations  of  the  governor  and  other  officers  of  the  State.  Gov.  De  Witt 
Clinton,  in  a  letter  to  a  committee  of  the  Legislature  in  1824,  said  "  that  Mr.  White 
had  been  of  great  use  in  his  operations  as  an  engineer,  and  that  his  skill,  industry, 
and  integrity  in  that  department  furnish  strong  recommendations  to  the  favorable 
notice  of  the  State."  Judge  Wright  stated  before  the  same  committee:  "  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  the  discovery  of  hydraulic  cement  by  Mr.  White  has  been 
of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  State,  and  that  it  is  a  discovery  which  ought,  in  justice, 
to  be  handsomely  remunerated."  Mr.  Flagg  reported  from  the  same  committee 
"  that  Mr.  White,  a  principal  engineer,  had  made  this  discovery  after  repeated  ex- 
periments and  received  a  patent  in  1820,  and  that  he  introduced  it  at  great  expense 
amidst  the  doubts  and  fears  which  operated  against  its  use." 

The  Canal  Commissioners,  in  their  report  of  February,  1820,  say:  "Between  the 
Seneca  and  Genesee  Rivers  Canvass  White,  engineer,  had  the  charge  of  a  party 
which  has  been  engaged  for  several  months  in  leveling  over  and  surveying  different 
routes  for  the  canal  line.  These  labors  he  has  performed  much  to  our  satisfaction, 
and  having  presented  a  view  of  them  to  a  meeting  of  our  Board  held  in  October,  at 
Utica,  we  thereupon  decided  in  favor  of  the  route  originally  explored  between  these 
rivers  in  the  year  1816."  The  canal  through,  and  eight  miles  east  of  Utica  was  com- 
pleted in  the  fall  of  1820,  Canvass  White  being  the  resident  engineer.     In  1820  Messrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  85 

Wright  (principal)  and  White  (acting)  engineer,  explored  the  country  thoroughly 
from  Little  Falls  to  the  Hudson,  and  pronounced  impracticable  the  route  from 
Schnectady  connecting  with  the  Hudson  at  Albany,  and  located  the  line  via  Co- 
hoes  and  Troy.  This  location  was  finally  fixed  upon  by  Mesrss.  Wright,  Geddes 
and  White.  Early  in  the  spri^g  of  1822  Canvass  White  was  sent  to  lay  out  the  Glens 
Falls  feeder,  and  in  that  year  he  planned  and  directed  the  building  of  the  lock  and 
dam  between  Troy  and  Waterford,  until  the  8th  of  June,  when  William  Jerome  took 
charge.     Judge  Wright,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Hosack  in  December,  1828,  says: 

"  Here  it  is  proper  that  I  should  render  a  just  tribute  of  merit  to  a  gentleman  who 
now  stands  high  in  his  profession  and  whose  skill  and  sound  judgment,  as  a  civil 
engineer,  is  not  surpassed,  if  equalled,  by  any  other  in  the  United  States.  The  gen- 
tleman to  whom  I  refer  is  Canvass  White,  Esq.,  who  commenced  as  my  pupil  in  181G 
by  carrying  the  target;  he  took  an  active  part  through  that  year  and  through  1817. 
In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  he  made  a  voyage  to  England  on  his  own  account,  and 
purchased  for  the  State  several  leveling  instruments,  of  which  we  stood  much  in 
need.  He  returned  in  the  spring  and  brought  with  him  much  valuable  information, 
which  he  has  usefully  developed,  greatly  to  the  benefit  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
To, this  gentleman  I  could  always  apply  for  counsel  and  advise  in  any  great  or  diffi- 
cult case,  and  to  his  sound  judgment  in  locating  the  line  of  the  canal,  in  much  of  the 
difficult  part  of  the  route,  the  people  of  this  State  are  under  obligations  greater  than 
is  generally  known  or  appreciated." 

Simon  Guilford,  who  was  Mr.  White's  assistant  civil  engineer,  related  the  follow- 
ing incident:  "When  that  portion  of  the  canal  along  the  Mohawk  River  between 
Little  Falls  and  Canajoharie  was  completed,  and  the  supply  of  water  was  turned  in, 
owing  to  a  very  porous  soil  over  which  a  considerable  portion  of  the  canal  was  made, 
the  supply  proved  inadequate,  which  was  fully  realized  as  the  first  boat  passed.  The 
question  was  as  to  how  the  difficulty  was  to  be  overcome.  Mr.  White  replied,  '  A  feeder 
must  be  obtained  from  the  river  at  this  place  '  (a  few  miles  above  Fort  Plain),  and  on 
being  asked  how  long  it  would  take  to  build  a  dam  across  the  river,  900  feet  long,  .so 
as  to  raise  the  water  nine  feet  above  the  ordinary  surface,  he  replied,  'A  few  weeks.' 
The  dam  was  completed  in  sixty  days,  inclusive  of  a  side-cut  and  bridge  connected 
with  it." 

Mr.  White's  professional  success,  scri:pulous  integrity,  and  modest  demeanor,  in 
all  transactions  of  life,  won  for  him  the  enduring  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  was 
associated.  For  these  admirable  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  he  became  widely 
known,  and  as  a  consequence  frequent  and  urgent  offers  were  tendered  him  for  en- 
gineering services  in  other  States.  He  continued,  however,  in  the  active  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  an  engineer  on  the  Erie  Canal  until  it  was  so  nearly  completed  that 
his  place  could  be  supplied  from  his  assistant  engineer,  when  he  succeeded  Loammi 
Baldwin  as  chief  engineer  on  the  Union  Canal  in  Pennsylvania.  He  continued  in 
that  position  until  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1826,  when,  in  consequence  of  a 
severe  illness  contracted  while  conducting  the  surveys  of  the  canal  west  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna River,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  resigned  his  connection  with  the 
company.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  called  to  New  York  to  examine  the  sources  of 
supply  for  pure  and  wholesome  water  for  the  city.  He  reported  that,  for  the  present 
need  of  the  city,  and  its  probable  requirements  for  twenty  years  thereafter,  a  suffi- 


86  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cient  supply  could  be  obtained  from  the  Rye  pond  and  the  Bronx  River  in  West- 
chester county,  "  but  after  the  city  should  extend  to  one- third  the  surface  of  Manhat- 
tan Island  it  would  be  necessary  to  add  the  Croton  River  to  their  other  resources." 
The  report  was  accompanied  with  full  details,  and  strongly  impressed  the  city  gov- 
ernment with  the  importance  and  feasibility  of  the  project. 

While  engaged  upon  these  two  enterprises  he  was  solicited  to  take  charge  of  the 
works  of  the  Schuylkill  Navigation  Company,  which  were  then  in  course  of  construc- 
tion. After  making  a  rapid  survey  of  the  ground  and  the  plans  of  the  company  he 
suggested  alterations  and  recommended  the  employment  of  Captain  Beach  as  their 
chief.  Mr.  White  continued  as  consulting  engineer  until  the  work  was  completed, 
and  was  at  the  same  time  consulting  engineer  for  the  Delaware  and  Chesapeake 
Canal,  Judge  Benjamin  Wright  being  the  chief  engineer.  The  success  and  reported 
profits  of  the  Erie  Canal  gave  an  impetus  to  canal  construction  in  that  day  that 
would  have  resulted  in  a  system  of  artificial  internal  navigation  as  universal  as  our 
present  railroad  system  could  the  capital  necessary  for  the  purpose  have  been  ob- 
tained. Projects  were  started  iii  various  parts  of  the  Union,  and  a  pressing  demand 
was  made  upon  the  time  of  the  few  engineers  then  in  the  country.  The  citizens  of 
Hartford  conceived  the  project  of  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  and  the  Windsor  locks  were  built  by  Mr.  White  as  chief  engineer.  Careful 
financial  men  were  led  away  by  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the  time,  and  large  amounts 
were  expended  upon  impracticable  enterprises.  Among  these  was  the  Farmington 
Canal,  constructed  from  New  Haven  to  Farmington  and  thence  up  the  Farmington 
River,  "as  money  could  be  found  to  prosecute  the  work."  Mr.  White  was  applied 
to  for  plans  and  surveys,  and  for  an  opinion  of  the  value  of  it  when  completed ;  he 
furnished  the  former  and  remained  consulting  engineer  during  the  construction  of 
of  the  work,  but  frequently  expres.sed  an  opinion  adverse  to  the  success  of  the  canal, 
which  ultimately  proved  correct.  In  the. spring  of  1827  he  was  appointed  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  Lehigh  Coal  and  Navigation  Company,  and  resumed  the  construction 
of  a  canal  along  the  Delaware  River  from  Easton,  Pa.,  to  navigable  waters  below. 
This  project  had  been  inaugurated  in  1825  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  com- 
pany's facilities  for  shipping  coal  from  Maunch  Chunk  to  Philadelphia,  and  a  canal 
one  mile  in  length,  with  five  locks  and  a  large  basin  at  Maunch  Chunk,  had  been 
built.  Mr.  White  prosecuted  the  work  with  such  diligence  that  the  first  boat  passed 
through  the  canal  in  July,  1829.  At  that  time  the  Lehigh  Canal  was  the  most  capa- 
cious work  of  the  kind  yet  undertaken  in  the  country,  and  was  considered  a  bold 
project.  In  the  summer  of  1825  Mr.  White  was  appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  Del- 
aware and  Raritan  Canal.  He  organized  a  party  for  preliminary  surveys  and  placed 
it  under  the  immediate  charge  of  John  Hopkins,  one  of  the  most  trusted  assistants. 
This  work  was  discontinued  in  the  fall  after  the  location  of  about  twelve  miles,  and 
was  not  resumed  again  until  the  spring  of  1831.  The  construction  of  the  canal  from 
the  Delaware  to  the  Raritan  Rivers  was  attended  by  many  difficulties  and  met  many 
obstructions,  all  of  which  were  successfully  overcome.  In  the  prosecution  of  this 
important  work  Mr.  White  always  acknowledged  with  becoming  gratitude  the  gen- 
erous and  wise  course  of  Commodore  Robert  F.  Stockton,  who  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  In  the  autumn  of  1834,  when  this  work  was  nearly 
completed,  Mr.  White's  health  was  so  much  impaired  that  his  physician  advised  him 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  87 

to  seek  a  more  genial  climate.  He  sailed  soon  after  for  St.  Augustine,  Florida, 
where  he  died  within  a  month  after  his  arrival.  His  remains  were  returned  to  New 
Jersey  and  lie  buried  in  the  church  yard  at  Princeton,  where  his  family  resided  at 
the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  White  was  personally  popular  with  all  who  were  favored  with  his  acquaint- 
ance. General  Bernard,  a  French  engineer  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  re- 
marked of  him,  "  that  as  a  civil  engineer  he  had  no  sujierior;  his  genius  and  inge- 
nuity were  of  a  surprising  magnitude;  his  mild  and  gentle  ways,  his  sweet  and 
amiable  temper,  his  modest  and  retiring  manners,"  won  universal  respect  and  con- 
fidence. When  the  project  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal  was  first  set  on  foot 
and  an  engineer  was  wanted  for  its  construction,  Henry  Clay  said:  "Get  Canvass 
White ;  no  man  is  more  competent ;  no  man  more  capable ;  and  while  your  faith  in 
his  ability  and  fidelity  increases,  your  friendship  will  grow  into  affection."  Mr. 
White,  in  his  day,  stood  at  the  head  of  American  canal  engineers,  and  his  strength 
lay  in  his  cool,  practical  judgment.  The  comprehensive  nature  of  his  mind,  through 
which,  at  a  glance,  he  grasped  the  salient  points  of  a  subject,  and  his  systematic 
habit  of  arranging  details,  enabled  him  to  accomplish  an  extraordinary  amount  of 
professional  work.  In  stature  he  was  five  feet  nine  and  one-half  inches,  and  weighed 
from  145  to  165  pounds.  The  most  prominent  and  striking  feature  in  the  general 
contour  of  his  person  was  an  unmistakable  impress  of  genius,  modesty  and  amia- 
bility. 

WILLIAM  CLARK  YOUNG. 

It  seems  rather  strange  to  chronicle  that  another  grandson  of  the  pioneer  White 
should  have  been  as  instrumental  in  the  development  of  the  railroads  of  the  State  of 
New  York  and  adjoining  States  as  Canvass  White  was  instrumental  in  developing 
the  canals  of  the  State.  In  fact  William  C.  Young,  born  November  25,  1799,  and  a  son 
of  Mary  Stone  White,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  White,  the  pioneer,  and  who  married  John 
Young,  the  founder  of  Youngstown,  has  been  as  instrumental  as  any  man  in  the  State  in 
the  practical  development  of  railroading.  He  received  his  education  in  Whitestown,  at- 
taining some  knowledge  of  Latin,  geometry  and  surveying,  aside  from  the  ordinary 
schooling  of  the  period.  At  si.xteen  years  of  age  he  was  as.sistant  surveyor  of  the  Is- 
lands of  Lake  Ontario  for  the  State  of  New  York ;  the  next  year  a  rod  man  locating  the 
Erie  Canal  and  participating  in  the  ceremony  of  "ground  breaking"  for  the  work  at 
Rome  July  4th,  1817 ;  the  next  year  he  was  a  cadet  at  West  Point  in  a  class  of  125  mem- 
bers, and  graduated  No.  twelve  in  his  class  in  1822.  After  four  years  given  to  army 
life  he  resigned  June  30th,  1826,  and  engaged  in  superintending  the  locating  and 
constructing  of  railroads  in  New  York  State.  In  1831  while  making  the  survey  of  the 
Saratoga  and  Schenectady  Railroad,  Mr.  Young  proposed  and  practically  intro- 
duced the  present  system  of  supporting  car  rails  on  the  road  bed,  and  introduced  the 
use  of  cross  ties  in  lieu  of  the  stone  blocks  and  foundations  which  formerly  sustained 
the  strip  of  railroad  iron  in  place  ;  the  advantages  gained  by  this  method  in  ex- 
pediting the  work  and  lessening  the  cost  of  construction  were  so  obvious  that  its 
general  adoption  was  immediate  and  constituted  a  marked  advance  in  the  his- 
tory of  railroad  construction.  He  was  subsequently  appointed  chief  engineer 
of  construction   and  superintendent  of    the   Utica  &    Schenectady    Road,    which 


88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

he  completed  after  sixteen  years  of  unremitting  toil.  In  1849  he  was  made 
chief  engineer  of  the  Hudson  River  Railroad,  which  ran  between  Albany  and 
New  York  city,  and  although  the  original  surveys  had  been  made  by  a  man 
of  no  less  prominence  than  J.  B.  Jervis,  and  on  Mr.  Jervis'  retirement  from  the 
position  of  chief  engineer,  he  had  enjoined  upon  the  management  that  under  no  cir- 
cumstances should  the  line  of  road  be  altered,  nevertheless  the  ability,  energy  and 
common  sense  of  Mr.  Young,  together  with  the  estimates  showing  a  less  cost,  en- 
abled Mr.  Young  to  re-survey  and  re-locate  two-thirds  of  the  road.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  in  October,  1851,  Mr.  Young  was  elected  president  of  the  Hudson 
River  Railroad  Co.  He  resigned  the  position  the  following  January,  as  his  profes- 
sional duties  m  out  door  work  were  more  to  his  ta.ste  than  the  confinements  of  rout- 
ine work  in  the  office.  He  had  already  spent  twenty-one  years  of  his  life  (from  1831 
to  1852)  in  locating  and  constructing  the  three  roads  above  mentioned,  aggregating  in 
length  about  250  miles.  In  1852  he  was  called  upon  by  the  president  of  the  Panama 
Railroad  Company  to  complete  that  road  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  which  he 
undertook  and  while  there  nearly  died  of  the  fever,  so  had  to  withdraw  from  the 
Isthmus.  In  1855  Mr  Young  had  charge  of  the  western  branch  of  the  New  York 
&  Western  Railroad  from  Rochester  to  BuiTalo,  some  200  miles  of  road,  and  a 
monthly  disbursement  of  $150,000,  which  he  continued  in  charge  of  for  about  two 
years  and  then  resigned.  There  were  numerous  other  important  railroad  surveys 
with  which  William  C.  Young  was  connected,  and  it  must  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion that  in  his  connection  with  the  building  of  the  Hudson  River  Railroad  from 
New  York  to  Albany,  it  was  looked  upon  in  his  day  as  the  most  foolish  venture  pos- 
sible, as  it  was  in  direct  competition  with  the  Hudson  River  the  entire  distance,  the 
theory  being,  that  railroads  might  pay  in  countries  where  it  was  impossible  to  operate 
canals,  but  they  never  could  paj^  in  direct  competition  with  water  ways.  Mr.  Young, 
speaking  of  his  cousin.  Canvass  White,  said:  "On  his  return  from  England  he 
brought  with  him  the  instruments  for  laying  out  canals,  the  plans  and  the  design  for 
the  canal  boats  and  became  the  most  practical  man  in  canal  making;  and  with  Judge 
Wright  co-operated  in  making  much  of  the  Erie  Canal."  It  is  fairly  evident  from 
the  work  of  these  two  men,  that  one  was  as  instrumental  in  the  developing  the  water 
ways  of  the  State  as  the  other  in  developing  the  steam  power  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Young  died  in  December,  1894,  having  been  for  four  years  prior  to  his  death  the 
oldest  living  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  entitled  by  reason  thereof  to  deliver  the 
annual  address. 

PHILO  WHITE. 

Another  grandson  of  Hugh  White,  the  pioneer,  was  Philo  White,  who  was  the  son 
of  Philo  White,  son  of  the  pioneer.  He  was  born  in  Whitestown  June  23,  1796,  and 
after  attaining  his  early  education  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  having  spent  some 
years  in  a  printing  office  in  Utica,  he  removed  to  North  Carolina  in  1820,  where  he 
located  at  Salisbury,  Rowan  county,  and  became  the  editor  of  the  Western  Caro- 
linian, which  he  conducted  until  1830,  when  he  was  appointed  U.  S.  Navy  agent  for 
the  Pacific  station.  Returning  home  in  1834,  he  established  the  North  Carolina 
Standard  at  Raleigh,  and  was  elected  State  printer.  Philo  White  removed  to  Wis- 
consin at  an  early  period  of  its  territorial  existence  and  fixed  his  residence  at  Racine. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  89 

He  was  the  editor  of  several  newspapers  at  different  periods.  In  1847  he  was 
chosen  one  of  the  Council  of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  State  Legislature.  As  chairman  of  the  Committee 
of  Education  he  shared  largely  in  devising  the  present  system  of  public  instruction 
in  that  State.  At  a  later  period  he  acted  in  the  founding  of  Racine  College  under 
the  auspices  ol  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of  that  diocese.  In  1852  he  was 
chosen  one  of  the  presidential  electors  of  Wisconsin.  In  1849  Mr.  White  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  consul  to  the  Hanseatic  republic  of  Hamburg,  and  resided 
there  for  one  or  two  years.  In  1853  he  was  appointed  by  President  Pierce  United 
States  minister  to  Ecuador  in  South  America,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  went 
with  his  family  to  Quito,  the  scene  of  his  diplomatic  duties;  receiving  from  the 
president  the  highest  office  in  his  gift,  which  is  literally  true,  as  the  geographical 
location  of  Quito  in  the  Andes  is  10,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  there  is 
no  other  city  of  national  government  that  is  conducted  at  such  a  high  altitude.  Mr. 
White  was  of  medium  height,  5  feet.  7  inches,  and  slight  build;  remarkably  active 
in  his  habits;  his  conversation  somewhat  rapid,  but  gracefully  intoned  and  full  of 
pleasant  recollections  and  acute  observations.  Mr.  White  returned  to  Whitestown 
in  1858,  and  in  1860  donated  to  the  town  the  original  plot  of,  ground  which  was 
donated  by  his  grandfather,  Hugh  White,  as  a  site  for  a  court  house  and  public 
green,  which  through  some  technicality  of  the  original  deed  had  reverted  to  the 
heirs ;  and  the  citizens  in  addition  to  accepting  the  gift  placed  in  the  hall  an  oil 
portrait  of  Philo  White  He  died  in  Whitestown,  February  15,  1883,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six  years. 

FORTUNE   C.  WHITE. 

Another  grandson  of  Hugh  White,  the  pioneer,  was  Hon.  Fortune  Clark  White, 
son  of  Col.  Daniel  Clark  White.  He  was  born  in  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  July  10,  1787. 
He  was  a  prominent  lawyer  in  the  county  of  Oneida,  having  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Jonas  Piatt,  and  for  nearly  half  a  century  maintained  a  prominent 
position  in  the  most  brilliant  bar  west  of  Albany  at  that  day.  He  was  elected  the 
first  chief  judge  of  the  Court  of  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  of  Oneida  county  from 
1837  to  1843,  and  attained  a  high  reputation  as  a  jurist  and  an  able  expounder  of  the 
law. 

Endowed  with  a  commanding  presence  and  a  proclivity  for  marshal  display,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  militia,  serving  in  two  campaigns  in  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  in  1812,  being  in  command  of  a  company  at  Sackett's 
Harbor  in  1813,  and  aide-de-camp  to  General  Collins  in  1814.  He  was  twice  a 
member  of  the  Legislature.  He  died  at  Whitestown  August  27,  186G,  leaving  four 
sons  and  one  daughter. 

WILLIAM  MANSFIELD  WHITE. 

William  Mansfield   White,  son  of  Hon.    Hugh  White  and  Maria  Mills  Mansfield 

White,   and  a  great-grandson  of  Judge   Hugh  White,  the  founder  of  Whitestown, 

was  born  in  Waterford,   Saratoga  county,   N.  Y.,  July  8,    1833.     He  was  a  worthy 

representative  of  the  Whitestown  pioneer,  and  bore  with  distinction  the  ennobling 

h 


90  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

characteristics  of  his  race.  When  twelve  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  Galway 
Academy,  then  under  the  charge  of  Prof.  Charles  Durkee,  a  leading  educator  at 
that  time.  In  the  autumn  of  1846  he  entered  the  Military  School  of  Professor 
Kinsley  at  West  Point,  where  he  spent  three  years.  There  the  drill  of  body  and 
mind  was  most  thorough,  and  the  morals  of  the  school  elevating  and  religious. 
Soon  after  leaving  that  institution  he  entered  the  Sophomore  class  of  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1854. 

His  father  owned  Sweet  Briar  Farm  in  the  town  of  Ossian,  Livingston  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  here  Mr.  White  spent  his  vacations  and  resided  during  his  early  married 
life.  Mr.  White  was  married  on  January  22,  1863,  to  Anna  Maria,  daughter  of  the 
late  William  Constable  Pierrepont,  of  Pierrepont  Manor,  N.  Y.,  the  ceremony  being 
performed  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  De  Lancey.  She  died  in  Utica,  on  September 
22,  1884.  Mr.  White  came  to  Utica  on  the  1st  of  September,  1882,  chiefly  to  give 
his  large  family  the  benefit  of  the  excellent  educational  advantages  to  be  had  in  this 
section  where  his  ancestors  had  figured  prominently  through  a  period  from  its 
earliest  settlement,  and  near  which  a  part  of  his  boyhood  had  been  spent  at  Hamil- 
ton College.  It  is  a  rather  curious  coincidence  that  Mr.  White  in  coming  to  Utica 
in  September,  1882,  with  his  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  arrived  ninety-eight  years 
after  the  original  settlement  of  Whitestown  by  Hugh  White,  the  pioneer,  who 
arrived  June  5,  1784,  with  his  five  sons.  It  was  but  a  very  short  time  after  Mr. 
White  took  up  his  residence  in  Utica,  that  he  was  looked  upon  as  one  of  her  leading 
citizens,  and  as  the  most  charitable  man  in  Utica.  His  magnificent  physique  was  a 
fitting  covering  for  the  noble  and  generous  heart  it  contained.  His  nature  was  that 
of  our  highest  idea  of  a  nobleman,  a  man  too  ennobling  to  even  allow  a  dishonest 
thought  to  enter  his  mind,  and  whose  sympathy  with  those  afflicted  with  earthly 
troubles  was  so  great  that  if  an  idea  of  their  needing  assistance  reached  him  he  did 
not  wait  to  be  asked,  but  went  out  of  his  way  to  give  it  without  the  asking.  People 
quickly  came  to  know  him  as  a  broad-minded,  progressive,  generous  and  noble 
man,  vigorous  and  sound  in  body;  he  became  identified  with  various  local  busi 
ness  interests,  and  became  a  guiding  spirit  in  each  and  all.  In  January,  1889, 
he  was  elected  without  his  knowledge  a  director  in  the  Second  National  Bank, 
and  on  the  death  of  its  president,  Edward  S.  Brayton,  he  was  unanimously 
elected  to  the  presidency,  a  position  he  held  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  LTnder 
his  management  the  present  handsome  block,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  banking 
buildings  in  Central  New  York,  was  built  in  1893  and  1894,  Mr.  White  being  the 
leading  member  of  the  building  committee.  He  was  vice-president  and  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Utica  Pipe  Foundry;  a  director  in  the  Utica  and  Mohawk  Street 
Railroad  Company ;  a  director  in  the  Jefferson  County  National  Bank  of  Watertown ; 
and  from  1871  until  his  death  a  director  in  the  Rome,  Watertown  and  Ogdensburg 
Railroad  Company,  being  one  of  the  oldest  officers  of  that  corporation.  After  the 
death  of  his  father-in-law,  the  late  William  C.  Pierrepont,  as  one  of  the  executors  of 
the  Pierrepont  estate,  he  had  the  active  charge  and  management  of  this  large  landed 
property  in  Northern  New  York.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Oneida  His- 
torical Society,  and  for  several  years  served  as  its  first  vice-president.  When  the 
village  of  Whitestown  celebrated  its  Centennial  anniversary,  June  5,  1884,  he  was 
selected  to  preside,  and  aided  in  erecting  a  monument  on  the  village  green  to  com- 
memorate the  event. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  yi 

In  politics  Mr.  White  was  an  ardent  Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for  John  C. 
Fremont  for  president,  and  for  some  time  was  a  prominent  political  factor  in  the 
southern  tier  of  counties  during  his  residence  at  Sweet  Briar  Farm.  He  never  de- 
sired public  office,  however,  but  frequently  acted  as  a  delegate  to  State  and  other 
conventions  of  his  party. 

He  was  pre-eminently  the  leading  layman  of  the  Episcopal  church  of  Central  and 
Western  New  York,  and  for  thirty  years  served  as  delegate  to  diocesan  conventions, 
and  for  fifte'en  years  attended  the  general  councils.  He  was  warden  of  Trinity 
church,  Canaseraga,  and  at  Zion  church,  Pierrepont  Manor,  succeeded  his  father-in- 
law  as  warden  there.  On  coming  to  Utica  he  was  chosen  vestryman  of  Grace 
church,  and  upon  the  death  of  Lucius  C.  Childs,  became  warden  in  his  place.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  standing  committee  of  the  Central  New  York  Diocese,  and 
was  appointed  lay  reader  by  Bishop  Huntington.  At  one  time  he  was  a  trustee  of 
Hobart  College.  He  was  president  of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society;  and 
ex  officio  trustee  of  Cornell  University.  He  was  a  liberal  supporter  and  for  several 
years  president,  of  St.  Luke's  Home  and  Hospital,  and  in  the  spring  of  1895  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  managers  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital.  He  was  also  a  director  of 
the  Utica  Female  Seminary ;  president  of  the  Utica  Country  Club ;  also  a  member 
and  for  three  years  one  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Fort  Schuyler  Club.  In  all 
of  these  positions  he  served  with  great  credit  and  ability,  and  won  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  every  one  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

He  was  the  soul  of  honor,  frank,  generous,  kind  and  courteous,  hospitable  and 
benevolent,  and  a  friend  and  promoter  of  charities,  hospitals,  churches,  educational 
and  business  enterprises.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  model  citizen,  public  spirited, 
enterprising  and  successful,  and  enjoyed  a  wide  acquamtance  and  a  host  of  warm 
friends.  In  his  own  home,  however,  he  found  his  chief  enjoyment,  and  it  was  his 
devotion  to  his  family  which  was  perhaps  the  strongest  trait  of  Mr.  White's  charac- 
ter. His  care  of  his  children,  his  interest  in  their  welfare,  the  indelible  impre.ss  of 
his  cheerful  nature  and  his  constant  utterances  imbuing  them  with  the  purest 
sense  of  manhood.  He  loved  freedom  and  progress,  and  in  all  the  affairs  of  life 
he  attained  a  degree  of  success  and  perfection  that  is  seldom  equaled.  He  died 
on  the  2d  of  January,  1896,  survived  by  his  eleven  children,  six  being  sons  and 
five  daughters.  The  oldest,  Hugh,  now  the  active  manager  of  the  Pierrepont 
landed  estate  in  Northern  New  York,  and  a  director  of  the  Utica  Pipe  Foundry ; 
William  Pierrepont,  a  graduate  of  the  Utica  Free  Academy  and  of  the  Columbia 
Law  School,  a  practicing  attorney  in  Utica,  a  director  of  the  Second  National 
Bank,  recording  secretary  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society,  secretary  of  the 
Fort  Schuyler  Club,  and  secretary  of  the  Oneida  County  League  for  Good  Roads; 
Anna  Maria;  H.  Lawrence,  a  director  and  assistant  superintendent  of  the  LTtica 
Drop  Forge  and  Tool  Company';  Florilla  Mansfield;  Mary  Pierrepont;  Cornelia  But- 
ler; Isabel;  De  Lancey  Pierrepont;  Charles  Carroll;  and  John  Dolbeare;  the  last 
four  of  whom  are  at  schools  preparatory  for  college. 

Mr.  White  was  of  a  commanding  and  perhaps  austere  appearance,  being  fully  si.x 
feet  in  height,  with  very  broad  shoulders,  and  weighing  2f)0  pounds.  His  hair  was 
brown  and  his  eye  blue,  and  he  always  wore  a  smooth  face. 


92  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

EDWIN  A.   HARVEY, 

Edwin  Augustus  Harvey  was  the  only  child  of  Ambrose  and  Sophronia  (Brace) 
Harvey  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  Oneida  county,  January  27,  1842.  He 
descended  from  an  old  Connecticut  family  whose  members  for  several  generations 
were  honored  citizens  of  East  Haddam,  and  from  a  family  which  has  furnished  gov- 
ernors of  the  States  of  Wisconsin,  Kansas  and  New  Hampshire,  a  general  of  the  U. 
S.  army,  and  several  justices  of  State  Supreme  Court.  Thomas  and  Jane  (Hunger- 
ford)  Harvey  lived  and  died  in  East  Haddam.  Their  fourth  child  was  Robert,  who 
was  born  there  December  26,  1731,  and  who  had  by  his  wife  Rachel  a  son  Jonathan, 
born  January  28,  1761,  who  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  army  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
rose  to  the  rank  of  a  sergeant  and  afterwards  became  a  Baptist  minister.  Jonathan 
married  Fannah  Burdick  and  had  children  as  follows:  Jonathan,  jr.,  born  December 
18,  1793;  Sylvanus,  born  June  17,  1795;  Silaborn  October  15,  1798;  Elnathan,  born 
May  9,  1801 ;  Asa,  born  April  30,  1803 ;  Ambrose,  born  October  30,  1805 ;  Robert, 
born  April  16,  1809 ;  and  Morris,  born  July  20. 1810.  Of  these  Jonathan,  jr. ,  Elnathan, 
Robert  and  Ambrose  came  to  the  town  of  Vienna  whfen  young  men  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives  as  farmers  in  Oneida  county.  Ambrose  Harvey  was  a 
native  of  Frankfort,  N.  Y.,  and  died  in  Camden,  Oneida  county,  February  18,  1876. 
July  15,  1840,  he  married  Sophronia,  daughter  of  Rial  Brace,  an  early  settler  from 
Connecticut  on  Preston  Hill  in  the  town  of  Camden.  She  was  born  here  February 
16,  1810,  and  died  January  16,  1886. 

Edwin  A.  Harvey  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Vienna,  and  spent  his  sum- 
mers in  agricultural  pursuits  and  his  winters  in  attending  the  district  school.  In 
these  alternating  occupations  he  acquired  not  only  a  robust  physique  and  a  sturdy 
constitution,  but  habits  of  thrift  and  a  fund  of  practical  knowledge  which  proved  in- 
dispensable in  after  life. 

These  elements,  combined  with  inherited  characteristics  of  a  high  order,  enabled 
him  to  engage  in  bu.siness  enterprises  of  more  than  ordmary  importance.  He  left 
school  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  but  remained  on  the  farm  until  he  was  fifteen,  with 
the  exception  of  a  short  period  spent  in  the  employ  of  Rev.  Elijah  Gaylord,  at  that 
time  a  manufacturer  of  hand  rakes  in  Camden. 

From  that  time  and  until  1864  he  was  engaged  in  various  occupations,  including 
three  years  in  a  shingle  mill.  In  1864  he  came  to  Camden  and  with  L.  S.  Sanford 
engaged  in  the  produce  and  grocery  business.  Twelve  months  later  he  purchased 
Mr.  Sanford' s  interest  and  successfully  continued  the  business  alone  until  1894,  when 
he  sold  out  and  retired  to  private  life,  largely  on  account  of  ill  health. 

To  his  stock  of  groceries  Mr.  Harvey  soon  added  a  complete  line  of  drugs  and 
combined  the  two  with  success  and  profit.  Mr.  Harvey  was  a  licensed  pharmacist  and 
during  one  year  was  elected  president  of  the  Oneida  County  Druggists'  Association. 
Mr.  Harvey  started  in  business  with  comparatively  no  capital,  but  by  industry  and 
careful  management  he  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  competency.  He  was  emphati- 
cally a  self-made  man.  From  a  farmer's  boy  with  limited  advantages  he  became 
one  of  the  largest  real  estate  owners  in  Camden,  and  several  handsome  blocks  and 
dwellings,  mainly  ei-ected  by  him,  are  the  result  of  his  enterprise. 

In  politics  he  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  but  his  varied  business  interests  generally 


HARRISON   LAMB. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  93 

prevented  him  from  accepting  public  office,  though  often  urged  to  do  so  by  his  fellow- 
citizens.  Locally,  however,  his  public  spirit  led  him  into  several  positions  of 
honor.  He  was  for  eight  terms  a  trustee  of  the  village  of  Camden  and  for  several 
years  a  valuable  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  was  for  four  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  and  during  the  whole  of  that  period  acted 
as  treasurer  of  the  board. 

He  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  treasurer  of  the  village  and  for  some  time  was 
a  trustee  of  the  M.  E.  church,  of  which  he  became  a  member  in  1872.  He  was  at 
one  time  actively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  canned  goods  in  Camden,  being 
a  member  of  the  firms  of  Harvey  &  Newland  and  Harvey  &  Godrey. 

He  was  a  prominent  member  of  Philanthropic  Lodge,  No.  164,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  for 
fourteen  years  was  its  treasurer. 

He  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  a  trustee  of  the  Camden  Cemetery  Association. 
Mr.  Harvey  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Camden  Jan- 
uary 13,  1885,  to  which  office  he  was  annually  re-elected  and  filled  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  In  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  village,  in  educational,  religious,  and 
all  moral  movements,  Mr.  Harvey  always  took  a  deep  and  frequently  an  active 
interest. 

He  was  public  spirited,  enterprising,  and  liberally  encouraged  every  worthy  project. 
As  a  citizen  he  took  a  just  pride  m  the  advancement  of  the  community,  and  as  a 
large  property  owner  he  generously  supported  those  enterprises  which  promise  the 
largest  amount  of  good.  His  loyalty  to  home  interests  was  most  commendable.  He 
died  in  Camden,  July  6,  1896.  The  Utica  Daily  Press  of  July  7,  said  of  him:  "  Mr. 
Harvey  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  honesty,  of  a  kind  and  generous  dis- 
position, as  many  who  have  received  substantial  aid  from  him  in  their  necessity  will 
remember.  To  those  in  his  employ  he  was  firm,  but  courteous,  and  he  always 
treated  them  as  though  they  were  his  equals  and  deserving  of  his  respect.  To  his 
family  he  was  the  kindest  of  husbands  and  most  affectionate  of  fathers.  He  was  of 
a  jovial  disposition  and  an  interesting  conversationalist." 

Mr.  Harvey  was  married  on  the  30th  of  March,  1861,  to  Miss  Caroline  P.,  daughter 
of  Artemus  and  Parthenia  (Cain)  Peck,  of  Camden,  and  they  had  five  children: 
Clara  Augusta  (Mrs.  William  I.  Stoddard),  Mary  Sophronia  (Mrs.  Selden  L.  Hard- 
ing), Edwin  Clinton  (a  law  student  with  Jones,  Townsend  &  Rudd,  of  Utica),  Mil- 
dred Edwina,  and  Chester  Danforth,  all  residents  of  Camden. 


HARRISON    LAMB. 

Harrison  Lamb  was  a  son  of  Silas  Lamb,  who  came  from  Massachusetts  in  1812. 
He  resided  for  a  short  period  in  Otsego  county,  but  finding  the  pro.spect  there  unin- 
viting he  concluded  to  push  on  further  west.  By  means  of  the  mode  of  travel  of 
those  days  he  made  his  way  to  Stockbridge,  Madi.son  county,  where  he  settled  and 
engaged  at  farming  until  1836.     He  was  a  pioneer  in   the  town  of  Stockbridge  and 


94  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  in  developing  and  aiding  in  the  progress  of  his 
adopted  town  and  county.  He  was  descended  from  English  stock  and  his  imme- 
diate ancestors  had  resided  a  sufficient  time  in  New  England  to  endow  him  with 
traits  of  industry  and  frugality,  and  these  coupled  with  good  management  con- 
tributed to  his  success  in  his  chosen  field  of  work.  In  1836  Mr.  Lamb  removed  to 
Scriba,  Oswego  county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1857. 

He  married  Lucene  Pratt,  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  shared  his  hard- 
ships and  devoted  her  energy  to  the  bringmg  forth  a  successful  result.  She  died  on 
the  same  day  as  did  her  husband,  and  they  went  to  their  final  rest  in  the  same 
grave.  Harrison  Lamb,  the  subject  of  portrait,  was  the  fifth  child  in  a  family  of 
ten,  and  was  born  in  1813.  He  received  his  education  at  the  common  schools  of 
Stockbridge,  and  when  his  school  days  being  ended  he  apprenticed  himself  to  a 
clo'thier,  of  whom  he  learned  the  trade  of  cloth  making.  After  learning  his  trade 
Mr.  Lamb  engaged  in  the  business  of  cloth  manufacture  at  Saloam,  Madison, 
and  continued  in  that  line  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age.  He  then  bought  a 
farm  in  his  native  town  which  he  carried  on  with  marked  success  until  1880.  At 
that  time  he  retired  from  active  work  and  removed  to  Oneida  Castle,  where  he 
now  resides.  While  a  resident  of  Madison  county  Mr.  Lamb  was  prominent  and 
earnest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  advancement  and  improvement  of  his 
town  and  county.  He  has  always  been  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  have 
had  his  acquaintance.  Mr.  Lamb  has  been  married  three  times,  his  third  and  pres- 
ent wife  being  a  native  of  Lenox,  Madison  county,  where  she  was  born  in  1829. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Fox.  She  married  a  Mr.  Bridge,  who  died  some 
years  prior  to  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Lamb  in  1880. 

Mr.  Lamb  has  three  children,  two  daughters  and  one  son.  His  daughter  Harriet 
E.  married  J.  F.  Holdridge,  now  living  in  Stockbridge,  and  Mary  A.  married  J.  F. 
Morrison,  a  prosperous  farmer  at  Sherrill,  Oneida  county. 


BENJAMIN  W.   DWICxHT. 

Among  the  foremost  educators  of  the  last  generation  in  the  State  of  New  York 
Benjamin  Woodley  Dwight  was  unquestionably  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  success- 
ful. He  possessed  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  element  which,  combined  with  other 
qualifications,  made  him  a  master  molder  and  developer  of  the  student  mind.  He 
was  a  man  of  large  mind  and  broad  education,  with  keen  perceptibilities  and  the 
faculty  of  inspiring  the  scholars  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  with  a  zeal  that  car- 
ried them  resolutely  into  the  work  in  hand,  and  over  all  the  obstacles  to  success. 
His  heart  and  mind  and  energy  entered  into  the  labor  as  only  those  can  who  have  a 
natural  adaptability  as  an  instructor.  Those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  come  un- 
der his  instruction  in  school  life  became  imbued  with  his  enthusiasm  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  they  carried  it  with  them  out  into  the  various  walks  of  life.  He  had  the 
reputation  among  them  of  being  the  "  livest  "  teacher  that  ever  led  a  class. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  95 

Mr.  Dwight  was  born  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  April  5,  1816.  He  graduated  at 
Hamilton  College  in  the  class  of  1835,  and  the  same  year  entered  the  New  Haven 
Theological  Seminary  to  prepare  for  the  ministry.  He  completed  his  course  there 
in  1838  and  the  following  year  returned  to  Hamilton  College  as  tutor,  which  position 
he  occupied  till  1842.  He  then  went  to  Joliet,  111.,  where  by  great  effort  he  founded 
the  Presbyterian  church,  remaining  there  two  years.  His  desire  to  teach  was  so 
strong,  however,  that  he  resigned  his  pastorate  and  came  east  to  Brooklyn,  where  he 
established  Dwight's  High  School.  This  he  conducted  with  signal  success  from  1846 
to  1858. 

Clinton  was  then  as  it  is  to-day  an  educational  center,  with  the  additional  stimulus 
of  beautiful  environments,  the  gift  of  nature.  Mr.  Dwight  decided  to  return  to  Clin- 
ton and  establish  a  school.  Therefore  in  the  fall  of  1858  he  opened  Dwight's  Rural 
High  School.  His  reputation  as  a  teacher  insured  him  success  from  the  start,  and 
from  that  time  to  1863  Dwight's  Rural  High  School  was  one  of  the  leading  educa- 
tional institutions  of  the  State. 

Prof.  Dwight  had  in  the  mean  while  been  an  earnest,  indefatigable  worker  in  the 
field  of  literature,  and  the  time  found  him  with  such  an  amount  of  this  kind  of  work 
on  hand,  he  retired  from  the  school  to  devote  him,self  to  literary  work.  The  school 
then  passed  into  the  hands  of  Prof   David  Holbrook. 

Prof.  Dwight  was  the  author  of  several  noted  works  in  various  fields  of  thought. 
His  work  on  Modern  Philology  is  one  of  the  standard  text  books  of  the  time. 
"  Higher  Christian  Education,"  "Woman's  Higher  Culture  "  and  the  "  True  Doctrine 
of  Divine  Providence"  were  among  the  later  publications.  Beside  these  he  wrote  a 
history  of  the  Dwight  family,  also  one  of  the  Strong  family,  the  latter  being  that  of 
his  mother.  He  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  Columbia  College.  His  father  was 
Dr.  Benjamin  Woolsey  Dwight,  born  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  Febrbary  10,  1780.  He 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1799  and  received  his  medical  education  in  Philadel- 
phia. Physical  disability,  however,  prevented  him  from  actively  prosecuting  his 
professional  work,  so  he  entered  into-business  in  New  Haven.  He  married,  in  1815, 
Sophia  Woodbridge,  daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  and  Sophia  (Woodbridge)  Strong.  They 
later  moved  to  Catskill  and  in  1831  to  Clinton.  Dr.  Dwight  was  for  nineteen  years 
treasurer  of  Hamilton  College.  He  died  May  18,  1850,  and  his  wife,  Sojohia  (Wood- 
bridge)  Dwight,  died  December  3,  1861. 

Prof.  Dwight  married  Charlotte  S.,  daughter  of  Townsend  and  Ann  Norris  Pari.sh 
of  Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island.  Mrs.  Dwight  was  educated  at  Willoughby,  Ohio,  and 
was  subsequently  for  several  years  principal  of  Ingham  University  at  Leroy,  N.  Y. 
She  is  a  lady  of  broad  intellect  and  extensive  culture.  She  has  one  daughter,  Bertha 
Woolsey,  who  is  at  home. 


WILLARD   J.   FRISBIE. 

WiLLARD  James  Fkisbie,  youngest  child  and  only  son  of  James  and  Julia  A.  Fris- 
bie,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  April  14,  1848.     His 


96  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

I 
parents  were  of  English  descent  and  of  New  England  lineage,  and  lived  in  Camden 
for  many  years.  His  father  died  in  1864  and  his  mother  April  29,  1895,  aged  re- 
spec'ively  sixty-four  and  eighty-four.  He  received  his  education  in  Camden  Acad- 
emy, and  immediately  after  leaving  that  institution  entered  the  banking-house  of 
A.  Curtiss  &  Carman  in  Camden  village,  where  he  remained  about  seven  years, 
filling  the  positions  of  clerk,  bookkeeper  and  teller.  He  then  formed  a  partnership 
with  William  H.  Stanfield,  under  the  style  of  Frisbie  &  Stanfield,  and  engaged  in 
the  retail  dry  goods  business  in  Camden,  which  was  successfully  continued  from 
December  t,  1873,  to  April  1,  1884,  when  they  sold  out  to  C.  A.  &  A.  C.  Phelps.  In 
1881  the  firm  of  Frisbie  &  Stanfield  commenced  the  manufacture  of  knit  goods,  and 
in  1883  built  the  factory  now  occupied  by  the  Corbin  Cabinet  Lock  Works  in  Cam- 
den village.  In  1887  they  purchased  the  old  Costello  tannery  property  and  water- 
power  on  the  south  side  of  Fish  Creek  and  converted  it  into  a  woolen-yarn  mill,  and 
in  March,  1891,  their  entire  establishment  was  moved  to  these  premises.  On  the 
latter  date  the  iirm  adopted  its  present  style  of  the  Camden  Knitting  Company. 
The  third  partner  in  the  concern  is  Charles  F.  Kendall,  a  practical  man,  who  has 
been  identified  with  the  business  from  the  start  and  as  an  active  member  since  1891. 
The  firm  manufactures  ladies'  and  children's  ribbed  underwear,  making  a  specialty 
of  ladies'  combination  suits,  and  from  mode.st  beginning  has  built  up  a  trade  which 
extends  throughout  the  United  States.  About  175  operatives  are  employed.  In 
1893  the  firm  established  a  branch  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  known  as  the  Syracuse  Knit- 
ting Company,  which  manufactures  large  (juantities  Of  knit  goods,  the  resident 
manager  being  Mr.  Stansfield.  In  December,  1895,  the  Kendall  Knitting  Company 
was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  §50,000,  the  board  of  directors  being  Charles  F. 
Kendall,  president;  William  H.  Stansfield,  vice-president;  George  A.  Frisbie,  secre- 
tary; Willard  J.  Frisbie,  treasurer,  and  Charles  A.  Byington.  resident  manager. 
This  corporation  was  named  in  honor  of  Mr.  Kendall,  and  began  active  operations 
on  January  1,  1896,  in  Utica,  where  the  old  Bailey  Scotch  Cap  factory  in  Broad 
street,  was  fitted  up  for  the  purpose.     The  company  employs  about  200  hands. 

Mr.  Frisbie  has  been  a  life-long  Republican,  and  for  two  terms  served  as  village 
trustee.  He  is  a  prominent  and  representative  business  man  of  Camden,  a  liberal 
contributor  to  all  local  movements  of  a  public  nature,  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in 
the  prosperity  and  welfare  of  his  native  town  and  village,  which  has  always  been 
his  home.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  in  1898  of  the  Camden  Opera  House,  be- 
came one  of  its  heaviest  stockholders,  and  has  continuously  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors. 

October  18,  1870,  Mr.  Frisbie  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  S.  Phelps,  daughter  of 
Albert  Phelps  of  Camden,  and  they  have  two  children:  George  A.,  a  graduate  of 
Colgate  Academy,  and  Ruth  L. 


DANIEL  WARDWELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  97 

DANIEL  WARDWELL. 

The  Wardwell  familj'  in  America  descends  from  a  name  prominent  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  and  in  Revolutionary  times,  and  numbers  among 
its  members  many  representatives  who  have  been  conspicuous  in  State  and  Nation. 
William  Wardwell,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1604,  immigrated  to  this  country 
with  the  Pilgrims  and  became  a  member  of  the  first  Congregational  church  of  Bos- 
ton, which  was  organized  in  1633.  His  son  Urial.  born  in  February,  1639,  settled  in 
the  town  of  Bristol,  R.  I.,  in  1681,  and  married  Grace  Giddings,  by  whom  he  had  a 
son  John,  who  married  Phebe,  daughter  of  Samuel  Howland,  on  October  11,  1741. 
Samuel  Howland  was  born  in  Bristol,  R.  I.,  May  24,  1686,  and  on  May  6,  1708,  was 
married  by  Rev.  Mr.  Sparhawk  to  Abigail  Cary.  Mr.  Howland' s  father,  Jabez,  born 
in  1649,  was  a  very  active  and  enterprising  officer  under  Captain  Church  in  King 
Philip's  war,  and  in  1681,  after  the  conquest  of  Mount  Hope,  settled  in  Bristol.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  Howland,  who  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Carver,  the 
first  governor  of  Massachusetts.  John  Howland  and  Governor  Carver  were  both 
members  of  the  immortal  band  of  Pilgrims  who  came  over  in  the  good  ship  Mayflower 
and  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock  on  December  22,  1620.  The  children  of  John  and 
Phebe  (Howland)  Wardwell  were  John,  born  in  June,  1742,  married  Sally  Swan ; 
Nathaniel,  born  March  29,  1744;  Joseph,  born  March  21,  1747,  married  Betsey  May; 
Phebe,  born  January  23,  1749,  married  James  Smith;  Susannah,  born  January  15, 
1751,  married  Daniel  Gladding;  Mary  (Mrs.  Sanford  Munroe  and  afterwards  Mrs. 
Jonah  Smith)  and  Elizabeth,  twins,  born  January  6,  1753;  Samuel,  born  April  25, 
1755;  Tabitha,  born  November  25,  1757,  married  Samuel  Bosworth;  Daniel,  born 
March  29,  1760,  died  at  sea;  Allen  Cary,  born  June  5,  1752;  and  Allen,  born  March 
1,  1765,  married  Abigail  Smith.  Of  this  large  family  Joseph,  the  third,  served  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  in  1803.  An  ardent  patriot  during  the  Revolu- 
tion his  name  appears  in  a  list  of  subscribers  to  a  fund  raised  by  the  people  of  Bristol, 
R.  I.,  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  in  Boston  caused  by  the  enforcement  of  the  Bos- 
ton port  bill.  Samuel,  the  eighth,  was  a  member  of  the  Rhode  Island  Assembly  in 
1791-93,  1793-97,  1809,  and  1810,  or  nine  years  in  all.  Subsequent  assemblymen 
bearing  the  name  were  Nathaniel  in  1821-23,  Hezekiah  C.  in  1849-51,  and  William 
T.  C.  in  1870-71  and  1875.     The  latter  was  State  senator  in  1872. 

Samuel  Wardwell,  above  mentioned,  father  of  Judge  Daniel  Wardwell,  enlisted  at 
the  age  of  twenty  in  the  Rhode  Island  militia  and  served  two  years  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  being  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  and  confined  in  a  prison  ship  in 
New  York.  After  the  war  he  became  prominent  in  the  military  service  of  Rhode 
Island.  In  June,  1794,  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  Bristol  Train  of  Artillery,  the 
charter  members  being  Mr.  Wardwell,  William  De  Wolfe,  Samuel  V.  Peck,  and  John 
Bradford,  and  at  the  first  election  of  officers  on  April  7,  1796,  Samuel  Wardwell  was 
chosen  captain  with  rank  in  the  militia  of  lieutenant-colonel.  This  company,  by  its 
charter,  was  made  independent  of  all  regiments;  when  in  active  service  it  was  to  be 
under  the  command  of  the  governor  of  the  State  only.  Its  members,  which,  exclusive 
of  officers,  "must  not  exceed  sixty-four  in  number,"  were  exempted  from  bearing 
arms  or  doing  military  duty  in  the  militia  of  the  State.  In  1797  two  brass  field- 
pieces,  said  to  have  been  captured  from  the  British  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne, 


98  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

were  presented  to  the  company  by  the  State,  "  to  be  fired  on  all  public  occasions," 
and  they  are  still  used  for  the  purposes  specified.  Col.  Samuel  Wardwell,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bourne  &  Wardwell,  was  also  prominently  identified  with  the  commerce 
of  Bristol  prior  to  the  beginning  of  this  century.  The  firm  owned  at  one  time  forty- 
two  vessels  and  for  many  years  carried  on  an  extensive  shipping  business.  The 
year  Oneida  county  was  formed  (1798)  Colonel  Wardwell  purchased  in  one  body  4,000 
acres  of  land  in  the  town  of  Ellisburg  (now  Jefferson)  then  in  the  county  of  Oneida. 
This  purchase  included  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Mannsville.  In  1812  he  set- 
tled at  what  is  known  as  the  "  Ridge  "  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  where  were  then  located  a 
grist  mill  and  saw  mill.  There  he  purchased  285  acres  of  land,  tore  away  the  old 
grist  mill  and  erected  a  new  one  (on  the  site  of  the  Rome  water  works),  which  stood 
until  18(58.  In  1815  he  sold  forty  acres  and  the  business  part  of  the  "  Ridge  Mills" 
to  David  Driggs,  and  the  remainder  of  his  land  to  the  grandfather  of  the  late  Dr.  M. 
Calvin  West. 

The  children  of  Col.  Samuel  and  Lydia  (Wardwell)  Wardwell  were  Nathaniel,  born 
September  20,  1778,  married  Dolly  Fales,  and  died  in  Ellisburg,  N.  Y.,  November 
16,  1857;  Nancy,  born  September  25,  1780,  married  John  M.  Bourne,  and  died  at 
Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1856;  Jonathan,  born  January  30,  1783,  died  at  sea  in  1805; 
Sarah,  born  January  21,  1785,  married  Thomas  Peckham;  Lydia,  born  September  10, 
1786,  married  Allen  Smith;  Samuel,  born  June  14,  1788,  married  Hannah  Monroe, 
and  died  at  Mannsville,  N.  Y.,  in  1857;  Mary,  born  November  28,  1789,  married 
Joseph  C.  Wood,  and  died  at  Elli.sburg,  N.  Y.,  in  June,  1819;  Daniel  the  subject  of 
this  memoir,  hereafter  mentioned ;  Henry,  born  July  9,  1792,  was  made  lieutenant 
on  board  the  privateer  "Yankee"  in  October,  1814,  in  the  war  of  1812-15,  and  died 
at  Havana,  Cuba,  in  August,  1816;  Abby,  1st,  born  September  17,  1793,  died  in  in- 
fancy; Abby,  2d,  born  December  31,  1794,  married  Henry  Wright;  and  three  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Hon.  Daniel  Wardwell  was  born  in  Bristol,  R.  I.,  May  28,  1791,  was  graduated 
from  Brown  University  in  his  native  State  in  1811,  and  in  1812  removed  with  his 
father  to  Rome,  Oneida  county,  where  he  entered  the  law  ofhce  of  Judge  Joshua 
Hathaway,  one  of  the  pioneer  lawyers  of  Fort  Stanwix.  In  1813  Mr.  Wardwell  be- 
came a  student  in  the  office  of  Gold  &  Sill,  of  Whitesboro;  in  1814  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Jefferson  county;  and  in  January,  1815,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  as  attorney.  In  those  years  he  was  residing  m 
Adams  and  Ellisburg,  looking  after  the  large  landed  interests  and  other  property  of 
his  father  in  that  part  of  Jefferson  county.  In  1816  he  became  a  resident  of  Rome 
village,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  during  that  year  and  1817.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Jefferson  county  and  remained  until  1821,  when,  in  January,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Supreme  Court  as  counselor.  Early  in  1821  he  opened  a  law  office  in 
Utica  and  in  August  was  admitted  as  counselor  to  the  U.  S.  District  Court.  In  1822 
he  took  up  his  permanent  residence  in  Mannsville,  N.  Y.,  where  he  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  Major  H.  B.  Mann,  erected  a  large  cotton  factory,  which  was  totally  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1827,  when  just  ready  to  begin  operation.  Its  destruction  entailed 
a  loss  to  the  owners  of  §10,000. 

In  1824  Mr.  Wardwell  was  appointed  by  Governor  Yates  side  judge  of  Jefferson 
county,  where  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1825,  1826,  and  1827.     In  1826  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  99 

caused  considerable  commotion  in  Albany,  New  York,  and  the  river  counties  by  in- 
troducing and  advocating  in  the  Assembly  a  resolution  favoring  the  removal  of  the 
State  capital  to  Utica  or  some  other  central  point.  In  1828  there  was  great  political 
and  anti-Masonic  excitement  in  this  State.  Gen.  Andrew  Jackson  was  running  for 
president,  De  Witt  Clinton  for  governor,  and  Judge  Daniel  Wardwell  for  State  sena- 
tor—all strong  Masons  high  in  the  order.  It  was  one  of  the  anti-Masonic  years. 
The  State  was  then  divided  into  eight  districts,  with  four  senators  from  each  district, 
and  one  senator  was  elected  in  each  district  every  year.  The  Fifth  district  then 
comprised  the  counties  of  Oneida,  Jefferson,  Herkimer,  Lewis,  Madison,  and  Oswego. 
The  term  of  Charles  Dayan,  of  Lewis  county,  as  senator,  expired,  and  in  1828  Judge 
Daniel  Wardwell  and  William  H.  Maynard,  of  Utica,  were  opposing  nominees.  Mr. 
Maynard  was  one  of  the  brightest  legal  luminaries  of  the  Oneida  county  bar ;  the 
anti-Masons  endorsed  him;  and  as  Judge  Wardwell  was  never  afraid  to  "wear  his 
principles  on  his  coat  sleeve,"  he  was  defeated  by  about  300.  In  return  the  Jefferson 
county  congressional  district  elected  him  to  Congress  for  three  successive  terms,  be- 
ginning in  1830.  He  had  as  his  colleague  during  his  entire  congressional  service  his 
first  fellow  law  student.  Hon.  Samuel  Beardsley,  with  whom  he  retained  a  warm 
personal  and  political  friendship  for  many  years,  especially  during  Andrew  Jackson's 
stormy  administration,  of  which  they  were  staunch  supporters,  both  being  warm 
personal  friends  of  the  president.  Judge  Wardwell  was  elected  for  the  fourth  time 
from  Jefferson  county  in  1837,  and  that  year  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  ways 
and  means.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Rome,  where  he  died,  universally  respected,  in 
March,  1878. 

In  politics  Judge  Wardwell  was  a  staunch  Democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  school  until 
the  division  of  the  Democracy  in  1848,  when  he  affiliated  with  the  "  Free  Soil "  wing. 
In  1856  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Pittsburg  convention  which  nominated  John  C.  Fre- 
mont for  president,  and  ever  after  was  as  firm  a  Republican  as  he  had  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  the  palmy  days  of  "  Old  Hickory."  Judge  Wardwell  was  not  a  legal  advo- 
cate, nor  did  he  engage  to  any  extent  in  the  argument  of  causes  in  courts;  but  he 
was  a  good,  sound  lawyer  and  a  safe  counselor,  one  whose  judgment  and  legal  advice 
were  sought  after  by  a  large  clientage  and  always  relied  upon  as  entirely  safe  to  fol- 
low. He  was  widely  known  and  esteemed,  not  only  for  his  profound  knowledge  of 
the  law,  but  also  for  his  many  attributes  of  head  and  heart.  His  integrity  was  never 
questioned.  As  a  legislator  he  always  labored  conscientiously  and  unceasingly 
for  the  interests  of  his  constituents  and  fully  merited  the  trust  and  confidence 
which  he  received  at  their  hands.  He  was  kind,  generous,  and  indulgent  to  the 
poor,  a  friend  whose  advice  and  counsel  were  often  sought,  and  a  man  upon  whom 
was  placed  the  utmost  reliance. 

Judge  Wardwell  was  married  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  on  July  20,  1815,  by  the  Rev. 
John  Frost,  to  Miss  Hetty  Mann,  daughter  of  Hon.  Newton  Mann  (whose  sketch  ap- 
pears in  this  work).  She  was  born  at  Attleboro,  Mass., December  16,  1796,  and  died 
at  Mannsville,  N.  Y.,  September  28,  1858.  Their  children  were  Abby  Mann,  born 
April  11,  1817,  married  Robert  B.  Doxtater,  and  died  in  1884  (Mr.  Doxtater  was  the 
first  superintendent  of  the  Rome  and  Watertown  railroad  and  held  that  position  until 
his  election  as  president  of  the  Michigan  Southern  railroad ;  while  riding  over  that  line, 
attending  to  his  duties,  he  was  stricken  with  apoplexy,  and  died  suddenly  at  La  Porte, 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Ind. ,  May  15,  1853,  aged  thirty-nine  years,  at  the  early  dawn  of  a  bright  and  auspicious 
future);  Henry,  born  July  11,  1819,  deceased;  Newton  Mann,  born  February  12,  1821, 
married,  first,  Elizabeth  Jones,  deceased,  and  second,  Mrs.  Antoinette  (Waite)  Sutton  ; 
Samuel,  born  November  14, 1822,  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1847,  married  Mary  A.  Stillman 
in  1848,  and  now  cashier  of  the  Farmers  National  Bank  of  Rome ;  Julia  Doolittle,  born 
January  13,  1828,  died  June  11,  1831;  Charles  Carroll,  born  December  4,  1829,  died 
May  7,  1859;  William  Wilberforce,  born  January  15,  1834,  married  in  January,  1860, 
Elizabeth  W.  Smith,  and  now  a  leading  hardware  merchant  in  Rome ;  John  How- 
land,  born  December  29,  1837,  married  Cornelia  Comstock ;  and  Edward  Herbert, 
born  April  28,  1841  married,  first,  Josephine  Hitchcock,  of  Utica,  deceased,  and 
second  her  sister  Harriet.  October  4,  1859,  Judge  Ward  well  married  for  his  second 
wife,  at  Adams,  N.  Y.,  Letitia  W.  Smith,  who  survives  him  and  resides  in  Rome. 


NEWTON  MANN. 

The  family  of  this  name  in  America  descends  in  an  unbroken  line  from  William 
Mann,  youngest  child  of  Sir  Charles  Mann,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1607.  At 
a  very  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  William  Mann  immi- 
grated to  this  country  and  settled  in  Cambridge,  where  he  married,  first,  Mary 
Jarred  in  1043  and,  second,  Alice  Tiel  on  June  11,  1657,  and  where  he  died  in 
1662.  Rev.  Samuel  Mann,  his  only  son,  was  born  there  July  6,  1647,  was  grad- 
uated from  Harvard  College  in  1665,  and  .soon  afterward  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry and  settled  over  the  Congregational  church  in  Wrentham,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death.  May  22,  1719.  He  is  recorded  as  both  a  "learned  minister  and  a 
great  man,"  and  was  the  paternal  ancestor  of  Horace  Mann,  the  celebrated  New 
England  educator,  whose  statue  graces  the  State  House  in  Boston.  May  19,  16  i3, 
he  married  Esther  Ware,  of  Dedham,  and  among  their  children  was  Samuel,  jr., 
who  was  born  August  18,  1675,  married  Zipporah  Billings,  and  died  in  1732.  Samuel 
Mann,  jr.,  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom  the  youngest  son,  Dr.  Bezaleel  Mann, 
was  born  at  Attleboro,  Mass.,  June  15,  1724,  and  died  there  October  3,  1796;  his 
wife,  Bede  Carpenter,  died  in  1793.  Dr.  Mann  was  an  eminent  physician  and 
amassed  large  wealth.  He  was  an  active  and  influential  patriot  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
Attleboro,  and  a  member  of  the  committee  to  report  upon  the  first  constitution  sub- 
mitted to  the  people  of  Massachusetts.  His  children  were  Dr.  Preston  Mann,  a 
graduate  of  Brown  University  and  a  skillful  physician  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  he 
entertained  Washington  and  La  Fayette  during  the  Revolution;  Dr.  J.  Milton  Mann, 
also  a  graduate  of  Brown  University,  a  physician  in  Attleboro,  Ma.ss.,  and  later  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  drowned  in  the  Hudson  River;  Mary,  who  married  Josiah  Draper 
and  was  the  mother  of  Virgil  Draper,  whose  portrait  and  biography  appear  in  this 
work ;  Dr.  Herbert  Mann,  a  graduate  of  Brown  University,  surgeon  on  the  privateer 
General  Arnold  during  the  Revolutionarj'^  war,  and  frozen  to  death  at  sea;  Newton 
Mann,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  subsequently  mentioned ;  and  Eunice,  who  mar- 


1 


NEWTON  MANN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL,  ]01 

ried  Dr.  Seth  Capron,  who  was  graduated  from  Brown  Universit^^  studied  medicine 
with  her  father,  and  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Newton  Mann  was  born  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  in  1770,  and  inherited  all  the  noble 
attributes  of  mind  and  body  which  distinguished  his  scholarly  ancestors.  He  early 
imbibed  those  underlying  principles  of  manhood  that  characterize  the  respected 
citizen.  His  education  was  obtained  in  his  native  town  where  he  remained  till 
about  1806,  when  he  came  with  Dr.  Seth  Capron  and  his  family  and  the  widow  of 
Dr.  J.  Milton  Mann  and  her  children  to  Whitesboro,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  for  the 
purpose  of  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods,  which  Dr.  Capron  had 
closely  studied  in  New  England.  With  Dr.  Capron,  Benjamin  S.  Walcott,  Theo- 
dore Sill,'  and  Thomas  R.  Gold,  he  at  once  organized  a  stock  company  and  erected 
on  Sanquoit  Creek,  on  the  site  of  the  present  New  York  Mills,  the  first  cotton  factory 
in  this  State.  Mr.  Mann  was  the  principal  stockholder.  The  Oriskany  Woolen 
Mill  was  subsequently  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $200,000  by  Chief  Justice  Am- 
brose Spencer,  Jovis  Piatt,  William  G.  Tracy,  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Theodore  Sill,  Mr. 
Mann,  and  De  Witt  Clinton.  This  company  imported  large  numbers  of  merino 
sheep  from  Spain,  many  of  them  costing  as  high  as  §600  and  §1,000  each.  These 
sheep  were  kept  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village,  mainly  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Mohawk  River,  and  one  of  their  farms  was  called  "  Mount  Merino."  The  com- 
pany continued  business  several  years  and  prospered  until  the  peace  of  1815 
opened  our  markets  to  a  flood  of  importations  Before  the  year  1825  Mr.  Mann 
withdrew  from  both  enterprises  and  moved  with  his  family  to  Mannsville,  Jefferson 
county,  a  village  named  from  his  son,  Major  Herbert  B.  Mann,  who  in  partnership 
with  Judge  Daniel  Wardwell  (whose  portrait  and  biography  appear  m  this  work) 
erected  a  large  cotton  mill  there,  which  was  burned  in  1827,  when  ready  to  begin 
operation.  There  Newton  Mann  resided  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  April  11, 
1860,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

Mr.  Mann  was  an  old  line  Whig  of  pronounced  convictions,  but  never  sought  nor 
accepted  public  office.  An  uncompromising  Abolitionist  himself  he  was  a  warm  per- 
sonal friend  of  Gerrit  Smith,  Alvin  Stewart,  and  other  noted  anti-slavery  advocates, 
and  during  the  great  abolition  movement  which  swept  over  the  country  prior  to  the 
Rebellion  he  was  a  powerful  and  an  active  factor.  For  many  years  he  was  in- 
timately acquainted  with  the  "  underground  railroad ;"  his  house  in  Mannsville  be- 
came a  noted  "  station,"  and  he  personally  assisted  in  passing  large  numbers  of 
slaves  on  to  Canada.  He  was  a  devout  Christian  and  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  throughout  life  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  all  charitable  and 
benevolent  objects,  to  which  he  liberally  contributed.  Kind-hearted,  enterprising, 
and  sagacious  he  merited  and  retained  the  confidence,  respect,  and  esteem  of  his 
fellowmen  and  bore  the  highest  reputation  for  honesty,  integrity,  and  moral  upright- 
ness. He  was  a  good  business  man,  a  shrewd  investor,  and  an  able  financier,  and 
realized  handsome  profits  from  his  various  investments. 

Mr.  Mann  was  married  in  1795  to  Miss  Abigail,  daughter  of  Josiah  Maxcey,  grand- 
daughter of  Lieut.    Josiah    Maxcey,    of  Attleboro,    Mass.,    and   sister   of  the    Rev. 

'  Theodore  Sill  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  Milton  Mann,   and  they  were  the   grand- 
parents of  Edward  Comstock,  of  Rome,  whose  portrait  appears  in  this  volume. 


102  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Jonathan  Maxcey,  D.D.,  successively  president  of  Brown  University,  Union  College, 
and  the  College  of  South  Carolina.  She  was  born  in  Attleboro  in  1766  and  died  at 
Mannsville,  N.  Y.,  November  17,  1860.  Lieut.  Josiah  Maxcey,  an  officer  in  the  old 
French  war,  was  the  owner  of  a  slave  named  Caesar,  whose  tombstone  is  standing 
in  the  graveyard  at  North  Attleboro,  Mass.,  and  upon  it  appears  the  following 
epitaph,  which  has  been  reproduced  in  most  of  the  magazines  of  the  country: 

Here  lies  the  best  of  slaves, 

Now  turning  into  dust; 
Csesar,  the  Ethiopian,  craves 

A  place  among  the  just; 
His  faithful  soul  has  fled 

To  realms  of  heavenly  light, 
And,  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  shed, 

Is  changed  from  black  to  white; 
January  1.5th  he  quitted  the  stage. 
In  the  77th  year  of  his  age. 
1780. 

Mr.  Mann  was  a  person  of  magnificent  appearance,  endowed  with  a  large  but 
graceful  physique,  and  in  stature  represented  almost  perfect  manhood.  Well- 
developed,  dignified,  and  of  elegant  and  commanding  physical  proportions,  he  was 
a  typical  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  The  likeness  of  him  reproduced  in  this  vol- 
ume was  taken  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty-five.  At  his  wedding  in  1795 
he  wore  a  blue  broadcloth  coat  with  crimson  velvet  collar  falling  below  the  point  of 
the  shoulders,  a  drab  waist-coat  and  knee  breeches,  silk  hose,  low  shoes  with  buckles 
containing  French  paste  stones,  and  hair  braided  in  a  cue  and  powdered.  His  bride 
was  attired  in  a  peach-blow  satin  dress  trimmed  with  brocaded  satin,  blue  satin 
petticoat,  peachblow  silk  hose,  white  .slippers,  and  lace.  These  were  elegant  but 
not  unusual  costumes  for  those  early  days,  and  indicate  the  high  and  dignified  posi- 
tions their  wearers  occupied  in  society.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mann's  married  life  of  sixty- 
five  years  was  an  uninterrupted  course  of  domestic  peace  and  happiness.  Their  love 
and  affection  were  simple,  pure,  and  ardent,  unmarred  by  the  slightest  infelicity,  and 
graced  by  a  constant  and  consistent  devotion  as  beautiful  as  it  was  enduring.  They 
were  almost  inseparable,  especially  during  the  latter  years  of  their  lives,  and  always 
found  the  highest  enjoyment  in  each  other's  society.  Their  children  were  Major 
Herbert  B.,  who  married  Julia  Doolittle  and  was  the  father  of  the  late  Dr.  John 
Preston  Mann,  the  celebrated  specialist  of  New  York  city ;  Hetty,  who  married  Judge 
Daniel  Ward  well,  whose  portrait  and  biography  appear  in  the  present  volume ;  and 
Abbv  Maxcey,  who  married  Dr.  Roswell  Kinney,  of  Mannsville,  N.  Y. 


ALFRED  ETHRIDGE. 

Alfred  Ethridge  was  born  in  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  July  29,  1817,  and  is  of  English 
descent.  His  father,  James  Ethridge,  was  a  hat  manufacturer  in  Little  Falls,  sub- 
sequently a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Herkimer,  and  latterly  a  hat  maker  in  Herkimer 
village.     Alfred  Ethridge  left  home  at  the  age  of  nine  and  spent  four  j^ears  on  a 


ALFRhD  hTHRIDGE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  103 

farm ;  he  was  then  at  home  for  three  years  and  the  following  year  began  learning 
the  cabinet  maker's  trade.  He  then  became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  in  Utica  at  §5 
per  month  and  board,  but  after  one  year  accepted  a  clerkship  with  Dj^gert  &  North- 
rup,  merchants,  of  Frankfort,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  four  years.  During  the 
next  two  years  he  was  manager  in  charge  of  the  store  of  Root,  Berry  &  Co.,  in  that 
village — a  firm  having  large  contracts  on  the  Erie  Canal  enlargement.  At  the  end 
of  that  period  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  old  employer,  Willet  Northrup,  under 
the  style  of  Northrup  &  Ethridge,  and  continued  the  mercantile  business  over  which 
he  had  presided  as  manager  until  1844.  During  his  early  career  Mr.  Ethridge's  edu- 
cation was  necessarily  limited  to  the  practical  affairs  of  life.  He  spent  very  little 
time  in  schools.  Thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  without  a  dollar,  but  endowed 
with  pluck  and  native  energy,  he  forged  ahead  and  succeeded  in  accumulating  a 
little  capital.  With  this  and  his  natural  qualifications  he  engaged  in  business,  which 
from  the  first  proved  generally  successful. 

In  1844  the  firm  of  Northrup  &  Ethridge  removed  their  goods  to  Rome  and  .started 
trade  on  the  east  side  of  James  street,  just  south  of  the  canal,  where  they  were 
burned  out  in  January  1856,  when  the  copartnership  was  dissolved.  Mr.  Ethridge 
succeeded  to  the  business  and  opened  a  store  on  the  northeast  corner  of  James  and 
Dominick  streets,  known  as  the  Merrell  Block,  where  he  continued  till  about  18(j5. 
In  the  latter  year  he  erected  the  present  Ethridge  block,  on  the  corner  of  Dominick 
and  South  Washington  streets,  and  moved  into  it.  After  several  years  Ackley  P.Tuller 
became  his  partner  under  the  style  of  A.  Ethridge  &  Co.,  and  later  Erwin  C.  Carpen- 
ter was  admitted  to  the  firm.  In  1875  Mr.  Ethridge's  eldest  son,  Franklin  A.,  was 
given  an  interest  and  soon  afterward  the  name  of  Ethridge,  Tuller  &  Co.,  was 
adopted.  January  1,  1879,  the  firm  dissolved,  Messrs.  Tuller  and  Carpenter  retir- 
ing. The  concern  was  reorganized  by  Mr.  Ethridge  and  his  son,  Franklin  A.,  under 
the  style  of  Alfred  Ethridge  &  Co.,  and  two  years  later  a  younger  son,  James  M., 
was  admitted.  Since  then  the  firm  has  remained  unchanged.  The  business  as 
originally  started  consisted  of  a  general  assortment  of  goods  for  the  retail  trade. 
Finally  a  jobbing  business  was  gradually  built  up,  and  about  1875  it  became  exclu- 
sively a  wholesale  industry,  with  groceries,  canned  goods,  coffees,  etc.,  as  leading 
specialties.  Their  trade  has  developed  from  modest  proportions  until  now  it  reaches 
out  into  a  wide  area  of  the  State  and  into  adjoining  States. 

Mr.  Ethridge  was  originally  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  and  for  many  years 
took  an  active  part  in  local  politics.  For  a  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors,  but  otherwise  never  accepted  public  oftice.  He  was  elected  supervisor 
against  a  strong  Democratic  opponent  in  the  Democratic  stronghold  at  Rome.  He 
always  manifested  a  keen  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the  city  and  contributed  in 
various  ways  towards  its  material  prosperity,  andespecially  to  charitable  and  benevo- 
lent objects.  Enterprising,  sagacious,  and  public  spirited,  he  has  throughout  a  long 
and  successful  career  retained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  everyone  with  whom  he 
has  had  business  or  social  relations.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  directors  of 
the  Merchants  Iron  Mill,  and  for  several  years  was  interested  in  many  other  corpora- 
tions. 

Mr.  Ethridge  was  married  November  5,  1851,  to  Miss  Abby  Murdock  House,  whose 
father,  Leonard,  son  of  Eleazer  and  Abigail  (Mo.seley)  House,  was  born  at  Glaston- 


104  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

bury,  Conn.,  August  24,  1787,  and  died  at  Houseville,  N.  Y.,  December  23,  1879. 
Her  mother,  Louisa  Murdock,  was  born  in  Sandgate,  Vt.,  January  12,  1788,  married 
Mr.  House  on  December  28,  1809,  and  died  at  Houseville,  N.  Y.,  July  6,  1870.  Mrs. 
Ethridge  was  born  July  10,  1824.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ethridge  had  four  children:  Frank- 
lin Alfred,  Isabella  (born  April  1,  1856,  died  February  29, 1872),  James  Murdock,  and 
George. 


M.   CALVIN  WEST,   M.  D. 

The  West  family,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  a  worthy  representative, 
is  of  English  origin,  and  for  generations  imbibed  the  noble  characteristics  of  their 
mother  country.  John  West,  sr.,  born  in  Shaftsbury,  Yt.,  April  25,  1770,  settled  in 
the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1790.  and  there  his  son,  John,  jr., 
was  born  December  26,  1796.  In  1816  the  family  moved  to  Rome,  N.  Y..  where  the 
pioneer  John  died  July  28,  1834.  His  wife,  Harriet  Stephens,  whom  he  married 
January  26,  1792,  was  born  in  Connecticut  on  November  11,  1768,  and  died  August 
31,  1818.  They  had  ten  children,  four  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  John,  jr., 
was  the  fourth  child  and  oldest  son.  November  26,  1821,  John  West,  jr.,  married 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John  Driggs,  who  was  born  in  Stafford,  Conn.,  January  22, 
1800,  and  who  died  January  30,  1882.  Mr.  Driggs  came  to  Rome  in  1804  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods,  having  a  satinet  factory  at  "Ridge 
Mills,'  and  also  operated  grain  and  lumber  mills  until  his  death  in  1855.  Mr.  West 
died  February  6,  1860. 

Dr,  M.  Calvin  West,  youngest  son  of  John  jr.,  and  Mary  (Driggs)  West,  was  born 
in  Rome  on  the  11th  of  September,  1834,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  and  Rome  Academy,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  For  a  few  years  thereafter  he  assisted  his  father  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
but  his  inclinations  soon  took  a  professional  turn.  In  1857  he  went  to  Hagerstown, 
Ind.,  and  read  medicine  in  the  office  of  his  paternal  uncle.  Dr.  Calvin  West.*  In 
1860  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  during  the  following  year  continued 
his  scientific  and  clinical  .studies  with  his  uncle  at  Hagerstown.  In  the  fall  of  1861 
he  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  where  he 
remained  until  1863,  when  he  settled  permanently  in  Rome.  While  in  Indiana  he 
was  a  prominent  member  and  for  a  time  president  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical 
Society,  and  prepared  and  read  before  that  body  a  practical  paper  on  "  Hypodermic 
Injection,"  which  was  published  in  the  Cincinnati  Lancet.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  a  delegate  to  the  New  York  State  Med- 
ical Society,  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  and  a  permanent 
member  of  the  American  Medical  Association.     In  1865  and  1866  he  was  one  of  the 

1  Dr.  Calvin  West,  born  in  Western.  Oneida  county,  Augu.st  9,  ISOG,  became  a  prominent  phy- 
sician in  Indiana  and  a  surgeon  in  the  Union  army  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  died  at  Hagers- 
town on  August  25,  1863. 


M.  CALVIN  WEST,  M.  D. 


JOHN  STRYKER. 


i 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  105 

faculty  of  Rome  Academy  and  delivered  a  series  of  lectures  on  physiology  and  kin- 
dred subjects. 

Dr.  West  was  a  physician  of  high  standing  and  rare  ability,  and  enjoyed  an  ex- 
tensive practice.  He  possessed  a  cheerful  and  restful  personality,  an  underlying 
current  of  humor,  a  keen  discrimination,  a  large  fund  of  information,  and  a  sense  of 
justice  which  carried  the  weight  of  conviction.  Tenacious  of  friendship  and  en- 
dowed with  great  kindness  of  heart,  he  won  universal  respect  and  the  confidence 
of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact;  careful,  shrewd,  and  wise  in  business  affairs 
he  was  generally  successful  in  everything  he  attempted.  He  early  won  professional 
recognition  from  his  associates  and  esteem  from  all  classes  of  citizens  and  held  them 
to  the  end.  His  advice  and  counsel  were  often  sought.  He  was  thoroughly  iden- 
tified with  the  prosperity  and  advancement  of  the  city  of  Rome  and  always  took  a 
lively  interest  in  public  affairs.  In  July,  1881,  he  was  made  a  member  by  Mayor 
Comstock  of  the  first  board  of  fire  commissioners  and  in  October  following  he  was 
elected  a  commissioner  of  the  Rome  free  schools,  and  held  each  position  three  years, 
being  president  of  the  board  of  education  a  part  of  the  time.  He  was  physician  to 
the  county  poor  house  during  the  term  of  Superintendent  Theodore  S.  Comstock, 
was  long  a  director  in  the  Central  National  Bank,  and  in  January,  1891,  became 
president  of  the  Rome  and  Carthage  Railroad  Company,  a  position  he  held  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Rome  on  October  20,  1891.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  Rome  Lodge,  No.  266,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  trustee  of  the  First  M.  E.  church 
of  this  city. 

Dr.  West  was  married  November  6,  1861,  to  Miss  Felicia  H.  Williams,  daughter  of 
Jesse  Williams,  the  father  of  the  cheese  factory  system  in  America  and  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  first  cheese  factory  in  Oneida  county  Their  children  were  Olive  D., 
Jessie  J.,  Dr.  Calvin  B.,  F.  May  and  Florence  Mar3\  Dr.  Calvin  B.  West,  born  in 
Rome,  March  29,  1867,  was  graduated  from  the  Rome  Academy  in  1885  and  from 
Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  Mass.,  in  1886,  spent  three  years  in  Amherst  College, 
and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  of  New  York  city  in  1893.  After  filling  the  position  of  house  physician  and 
surgeon  to  the  Paterson  General  Hospital  one  year  he  came  to  Rome  in  August, 
1894,  and  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession. 


JOHN  STRYKER. 

In  the  early  history  of  New  Amsterdam  the  name  of  Stryker  appears  somewhat 
conspicuously  in  connection  with  numerous  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.  It  is 
found  in  the  lists  of  high  sheriffs,  and  in  government  councils  as  well  as  in  business  and 
commercial  enterprises,  and  invariably  commanded  wide  respect  and  confidence. 
Originally  of  Holland  Dutch  etymology.  Van  Strycker,  it  came  in  time  to  be 
Americanized  and  contracted  into  Stryker,  the  form  under  which  several  genera- 
tions have  flourished  and  prospered.  Very  early  in  the  settlement  of  New  Amster- 
dam Jan  and  Jacobus  Gerritson  Strycker,  Dutch  burghers,  obtained  a  grant  of  land  on 
Manhattan  Island,  ^nd  from  them  descends  the  families  Ipearing  the  name  in  this 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

country  at  the  present  time.  The  line  from  Jan  (1)  is  Pieter  Strycker  (2),  Jan  Strycker 
(3),  Pieter  Strycker  (4),  John  Stryker  (5),  Daniel  Perrine  Stryker  (6),  and  John  Stryker 
(7),  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  October  25,  1673,  Jan  Strycker  (3)  was  chosen 
captain  of  a  company  that  was  raised  in  the  town  of  Midvvout  (Flushing),  to  respond 
to  the  call  for  troops  issued  by  Governor  Stuyvesant  to  resist  the  encroachments  of 
the  British.  In  1773  John  Stryker  (5)  was  commissioned  captain  of  a  troop  of  light 
horse  cavalry  in  Somerset  county,  N.  J.,  and  when  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out 
he  offered  his  services  to  his  native  State.  He  fought  with  his  company  all  through 
the  Revolution.  In  1863  his  lineal  descendant,  John  Stryker,  jr.,  became  a  captain 
of  New  York  State  volunteers  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Daniel  Perrine  Stryker 
(6),  a  merchant  in  New  York  city,  married  Harriet  Pierson  and  had  three  sons  and 
two  daughters,  of  whom  the  last  two  and  one  son  died  young.  Those  who  attained 
maturity  were  John  (7)  and  Rev.  Isaac  Pierson  Stryker.  The  latter  is  a  retired 
Presbyterian  clergyman  residing  in  New  Jersey  and  the  father  of  Melancthon  Woolsey 
Stryker,  president  of  Hamilton  College. 

Hon.  John  Stryker  (7)  was  born  in  Orange,  N.  J.,  December  7,  1808.  His  father 
died  a  few  years  later  and  at  the  age  of  seven  his  mother  brought  him  to  Whitesboro, 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the  local  academy.  He 
began  active  life  as  a  clerk  for  William  G.  Tracy,  a  leading  merchant  of  Whitesboro, 
but  soon  developed  decided  inclinations  for  a  professional  career.  He  read  law  with 
Thomas  R.  Gold  and  later  in  the  office  of  Storrs&  White,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Oneida  Common  Pleas  in  1829,  before  he  had  reached  his  majority.  In  the  same  year 
he  came  to  Rome,  N.  Y. ,  and  formed  a  copartnership  with  Allanson  Bennett.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  associated  in  the  practice  of  law  with  Hons.  Henry  A.  Foster, 
Calvert  Comstock,  Charles  Tracy,  B.  J.  Beach,  George  H.  Lynch,  and  other.s.  In 
1835  he  was  elected  member  of  assembly.  In  1837  he  was  appointed  surrogate  of 
the  county  and  held  that  office  ten  consecutive  years,  or  until  the  constitution 
of  1846  made  it  elective.  In  1847  he  discontinued  the  practice  of  law,  in  which  he 
had  been  very  successful,  and  thenceforward  devoted  his  attention  to  building 
up  railroads  and  other  important  enterprises.  He  was  one  of  the  original  movers  in 
the  Utica  and  Syracuse  railroad  project,  was  the  first  attorney  for  the  company,  was 
one  of  its  directors  until  the  lines  were  consolidated,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in 
securing  its  location  through  Rome  and  in  defeating  the  attempt  to  locate  it  through 
the  southern  part  of  the  county.  Afterward  he  was  closely  identified  with  many 
railway  lines,  including  the  Michigan  Southern  and  Northern  Indiana,  the  Terre 
Haute  and  Alton,  and  others,  pushing  them  to  completion  and  placing  the  corporations 
upon  a  sound  working  basis.  He  was  engaged  extensively  in  railroad  operations 
until  the  fall  of  1867,  when  he  suffered  a  stroke  of  paralysis.  He  died  at  his  home 
in  Rome  on  April  30,  1885. 

Mr.  Stryker  was  a  shrewd  business  man  and  investor,  one  of  the  foremost  railroad 
financiers  of  his  time,  and  intimately  associated  with  such  noted  men  as  Samuel  J. 
Tilden,  Erastus  Corning,  Dean  Richmond,  and  others  in  railway  projects.  His 
counsel  and  advice  were  regarded  as  reliable,  his  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond.  A 
man  of  great  business  capacity  and  of  unswerving  integrity  he  retained  through  life 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  every  one  who  knew  him.  He  was  heavily  interested 
jn  numerous  local  corporations  and  landed  investments,  and  being  public  spirited  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  107 

enterprising  always  took  a  jvist  pride  in  the  prosperity  of  the  city.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Rome  Locomotive  Works,  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  director 
of  the  Merchants  Iron  Mill,  a  director  in  the  Rome  Iron  Works,  and  one  of  the 
originators  and  for  some  time  president  of  the  Rome  Gas  Light  Company.  He  was 
a  director  in  several  banks  and  for  many  years  officiated  as  president  of  the  old  Bank 
of  Rome.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Deaf  Mute  Institute  of  Rome,  and  was 
espe.  ially  active  and  influential  in  securing  the  Black  River  Canal  and  in  changing 
the  course  of  the  Erie  Canal  for  the  benefit  of  the  city. 

In  politics  Mr.  Stryker  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  during  many  years  enjoyed 
a  wide  and  intimate  acquaintance  among  all  the  noted  politicians  of  the  United  States, 
and  especially  among  such  men  as  James  K.  Polk,  Gov.  William  L.  Marcy,  Governor 
Seymour,  Governor  Bouck,  Edwin  Croswell,  Silas  Wright,  and  other  equally  prominent 
statesmen  of  the  country.  He  was  remarkably  familiar  with  political  history.  His 
shrewd  management  as  a  leading  politician  was  manifest  far  and  near,  especially  in 
the  county  of  Oneida,  where  he  practically  controlled  his  party's  operations.  He  was 
long  the  center  of  the  famous  "Rome  Regency,"  which  represented  the  principal 
Democratic  influence  in  this  section  in  its  time.  But  he  did  not  seek  office ;  he  pre- 
ferred to  manage  politics  and  direct  his  party's  movements,  for  which  he  had  a 
natural  taste  and  ability  and  in  which  he  was  eminently  successful.  He  probably 
attended  more  district,  county,  state,  and  national  conventions  than  any  other  man 
of  his  day  in  New  York.  He  was  a  delegate  to  twelve  state  and  four  national  con- 
ventions and  for  ten  years  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Commit- 
tee. In  1867  he  ran  for  Congress  against  the  late  A.  H.  Bailey  and  was  defeated  in 
a  Republican  stronghold  by  a  very  small  majority. 

Mr.  Stryker  was  a  great  reader,  and  was  at  all  times  thoroughly  posted,  and 
possessed  a  wonderfully  retentive  memory,  especially  in  political  affairs.  Genial, 
kind,  and  generous  by  nature  he  was  a  liberal  benefactor  to  all  religious,  charitable, 
and  educational  objects,  and  for  twenty  years  was  one  of  the  wardens  of  Zion  Epis- 
copal church  of  Rome.  He  was  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune  and  wisely  em- 
ployed it  for  the  advancement  of  his  city.  His  family  homestead,  which  he  erected 
about  1839,  occupies  the  northeast  corner  of  the  historic  site  of  Fort  Stanwix  and 
stands  wholly  or  partly  on  the  site  of  the  old  blockhouse. 

In  1839  Mr  Stryker  married  Miss  Frances  Elizabeth  Hubbard,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Thomas  Hill  Hubbard,  of  Utica.  [Mr.  Hubbard  was  the  first  surrogate  (in  1809)  of 
Madison  county,  deputy  attorney-general  of  the  district  comprising  the  counties  of 
Oneida,  Otsego,  Chenango,  Herkimer,  and  Lewis  in  1816-18,  district  attorney  of 
Madison  county  in  1818-21,  member  of  congress  six  years,  and  presidential  elector 
in  1812,  1844,  and  1852.]  She  died  April  17,  1891,  aged  seventy  five  years.  Their 
children  were  John,  deceased;  Phebe,  of  Rome;  Harriet  P.,  wife  of  Edward  H. 
Butler,  a  banker,  and  ex-state  treasurer,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  ;  Grace,  wife  of  Rev.  E. 
Bayard  Smith,  rector  of  Trinity  Episcopal  church,  of  Troy,  N.  Y. ;  and  Thomas 
Hubbard  Stryker,  of  Rome. 


108  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

DAVID    UTLEY. 

The  Utley  family  is  of  English  extraction,  and  for  several  generations  imbibed 
those  sterling  habits  of  thrift  and  frugality  which  characterized  native  New  Eng- 
landers.  David  Utley,  sr.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut, and  came  from  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  to  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida 
county,  about  the  year  1795,  guiding  himself  through  the  wilderness  from  Fort 
Stanwix  by  the  aid  of  a  compass  and  blazed  trees.  An  ambitious  pioneer,  though 
broken  in  health,  he  managed  to  clear  a  farm,  and  died  there  when  comparatively  a 
young  man. 

David  Utley,  son  of  David,  sr.,  was  born  of  Quaker  parentage  in  Western  on 
February  12,  1802,  and  spent  his  youthful  life  upon  the  parental  acres,  attending  the 
district  schools  as  opportunity  afforded.  He  remained,  a  farmer,  in  that  town  until 
1847,  and  for  fifteen  consecutive  years  served  his  townsmen  as  supervisor.  In  this 
latter  capacity  he  was  one  of  the  influential  members  of  the  board  and  retained  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  In  1847  he  became  a 
permanent  resident  of  Rome,  where  he  originated  and  founded  the  Fort  Stanwix 
(now  the  Fort  Stanwix  National)  Bank,  which  commenced  business  in  December  of 
that  year  on  the  corner  of  James  and  Dominick  streets.  Mr.  Utley  was  elected  its 
first  president,  a  position  he  held  by  re- election  until  it  became  a  national  bank  m 
1865,  when  he  was  chosen  to  the  same  office  in  the  reorganized  institution,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  his  death  on  June  20,  1882.  He  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Harmon  G.  Utley,  who  had  entered  the  bank  as  teller  m  1847  and  subsequently 
became  also  its  vice-president.  Mr.  Utley  was  one  of  the  ten  founders  of  the  Rome 
Exchange  Bank  and  served  as  a  director  of  that  institution  and  its  successor,  the 
First  National  Bank,  for  many  years.  He  was  also  a  director  for  some  time  in  the 
City  Bank  of  Oswego  and  in  the  Rome  &  Watertown  and  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad 
Companies,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  location  of  the  R.,  W.  & 
O.  Railroad  shops  in  Rome.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  long  a  director  of  the 
Rome  Iron  Works  and  Merchants  Iron  Mill  and  for  many  years  a  member  and  ves- 
tryman of  Zion  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Utley  was  widely  recognized  as  an  able  financier  and  occupied  a  prominent 
position  among  leading  bankers  of  Central  New  York.  He  was  closely  identified 
with  various  measures  which  owe  a  large  measure  of  their  success  to  his  personal 
direction  or  valued  counsels.  He  was  shrewd,  sagacious,  and  somewhat  prophetic, 
a  man  of  excellent  business  ability  and  sound  judgment,  and  a  powerful  factor  as  a 
banker,  and  in  local  financial  affairs.  Unostentatious,  quiet,  and  mild-mannered, 
but  firm  and  decided  in  his  opinion,  he  was  a  close  student  of  human  nature,  a  good 
diplomatist,  a  man  of  even  temperament,  and  a  prosperous  and  influential  citizen. 
He  took  a  keen  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  city  and  was  always  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor to  charitable  and  benevolent  objects.  A  life-long  Democrat  he  never  sought 
public  office,  yet  in  Western  he  was  pressed  forward  by  his  townsmen  year  after 
year  to  the  highest  elective  position  within  their  gift. 

Mr.  Utley  was  married,  first,  to  Miss' Amy  Beckwith,  daughter  of  Lemuel  Beck- 
with,  the  first  settler  in  1789  of  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  where  she  died 
leaving  four  children,  of  whom  George  P.  and  Harmon  G.  (of  Rome)  survive.  His 
second  wife  was  Miss  Catherine  Marsh,  of  New  York  city,  who  died  without  issue. 


DAVID  UTLEY. 


^ 

^^E 


^ 


VIRGIL  DRAPER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  I09 

VIRGIL   DRAPER. 

The  first  American  ancestors  of  the  Draper  family  were  James  Draper  and  Miriam 
Stansfield,  his  wife,  of  Heptonstall  Parish,  Vicarage  of  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England, 
who  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Roxbury,  near  Boston,  Mass.,  about  1650. 
James  Draper  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  was  made  a  freeman  of  Roxbury  in  1690. 
The  line  of  descent  from  Thomas  to  the  subject  of  this  memoir  is  as  follows:  (1) 
Thomas,  (2)  James,  (3)  James,  (4)  James,  (5)  Josiah,  (6)  Josiah,  and  (7)  Virgil.  James 
Draper  (3)  was  born  in  Roxbury  in  1654,  married  Abigail  Whitney,  of  Dedham,  Mass., 
February  18,  1681,  and  died  April  30,  1698.  He  was  a  .soldier  in  King  Philip's  war 
in  1675.  James  Draper  (4),  son  of  James  (3),  was  born  in  1691,  married,  first,  Rachel 
Addis  and,  second,  Abigail  Child,  and  died  in  1768.  He  was  captain  of  the  Trained 
Bands  of  Militia  in  his  district.  Josiah  (5),  son  of  James  (4)  and  Abigail  (Child) 
Draper,  was  born  in  Stoughton,  Mass.,  September  12,  1727,  and  married  Sarah  Ellis. 
Their  son,  Josiah  (6),  was  born  in  Dedham,  Mass.,  October  14,  1753,  and  died  in 
Attleboro,  Mass.,  May  17,  1819.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Mann,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Bezaleel  Mann,  of  Attleboro,  and  sister  of  Newton  Mann,  whose  portrait  and  biog- 
raphy appear  in  this  work.  September  25,  1778,  he  enlisted  as  a  drummer  in  Captain 
Plympton's  company  of  Medfield,  jNIass.,  volunteers,  and  served  creditably  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.     He  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom  Virgil  was  the  eighth. 

Virgil  Draper,  born  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  January  4,  1789,  inherited  all  the  sturdy 
characteristics  of  his  long  line  of  worthy  New  England  ancestry,  and  besides  was 
liberally  endowed  with  those  native  attributes  which  make  the  successful  man.  He 
acquired  his  rudimentary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  birthplace,  interspers- 
ing It  with  a  practical  experience  which  proved  valuable  in  after  life.  In  1806  he 
came  to  Whitesboro,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  to  live  with  his  maternal  uncle.  Dr.  Seth 
Capron,  and  immediately  entered  the  newly  established  cotton  mills  there  to  learn 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  in  all  its  branches.  The  principal  owners  of  these 
mills  were  Dr.  Capron  and  Newton  Mann,  and  in  them  Mr.  Draper  remained  until 
1822,  when  he  came  to  Rome,  N.  Y. ,  as  superintendent  of  Dominick  Lynch's  mill. 
About  two  years  later  he  went  to  Stittville,  Oneida  county,  and  established  a  cotton 
mill,  which  he  sold  out  in  1827.  Returning  then  to  Rome  he  purchased  the  Lynch 
waterpower  and  mill  property  at  what  is  known  as  "  Factory  Village  "  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  on  an  extensive  scale,  having  also  a  general  store 
in  connection  with  the  establishment.  He  continued  this  business  with  marked  sue" 
cess  until  about  1840,  when  he  retired.  In  1827  he  also  purchased  the  property  on 
the  corner  of  Spring  and  Dominick  streets,  where  the  Lynch  residence  had  stood  and 
which  was  in  1825  destroyed  by  fire,  and  erected  the  present  dwelling,  which  is  occu- 
pied by  his  daughter  and  her  husband,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  K.  White.  The  Lynch 
house  was  the  first  structure  built  on  the  historic  site  of  Fort  Stanwix  after  that  mil- 
itary stronghold  had  been  demolished,  and  which  embraced  the  site  where  the 
Draper  homestead  now  stands. 

Mr.  Draper  always  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Rome,  to  which  he  liberally  contributed  through  various  important  enterprises.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Fort  Stanwix  (now  the  Fort  Stanwix  National)  Bank 
and  served  as  its  vice-president  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Rome  on  April  6, 


110  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1867.  He  was  heavily  interested  in  Rome  real  estate  and  numerous  business  proj- 
ects, which  materially  promoted  the  general  welfare  and  advancement.  He  was 
always  a  conspicuous  figure  in  local  elections  and  in  political  affairs,  not  for  the  pur- 
pose of  seeking  office,  for  that  he  steadfastly  refused,  but  for  the  good  of  his  party 
and  town.  Originally  a  Whig  and  subsequently  a  Republican  he  was  one  of  the  few 
who  contributed  towards  and  procured  the  establishment  of  the  Roman  Citizen  as  a 
Whig  newspaper  in  1840.  He  unflinchingly  stood  by  his  convictions,  and  possessed 
a  keen  discrimination  between  right  and  wrong.  He  was  a  constant  attendant  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  required  the  same  regular  attendance  of  his  family. 
Firm  in  friendship,  cautious  in  expressing  opinions,  an  earnest  advocate  of  temper- 
ance, and  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  uprightness  of  character,  and  singleness  of  pur- 
pose, he  was  successful  in  ever}^  sphere  of  life.  He  was  a  man  of  few  intimate 
friends  but  to  those  he  was  closely  attached.  Starting  without  a  dollar  he  accumu- 
lated by  his  own  industry  an  ample  fortune,  and  in  every  respect  was  a  self-made 
man. 

He  married  Miss  Eliza  Holmes,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Bullard)  Holmes,  of 
Attleboro,  Mass.,  who  died  July  3,  1872,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her  age.  They  had 
three  children-  Frances,  born  December  1,  1822,  married  Joseph  A.  Dudley  (died  in 
1884),  an  early  and  prominent  druggist  and  business  man  of  Rome  and  later  a  whole- 
sale druggist  in  New  York  city,  and  died  in  1872;  Mary,  who  married,  first,  Henry 
S.  Hill  (died  in  1854),  a  druggist  of  Rome,  and  second,  Henry  K.  White,  of  Spencer 
&  White,  one  of  the  oldest  drj^  goods  merchants  in  this  city;  and  Julia  H.,  who  mar- 
ried her  second  cousin,  Sidney  R.  Kinney,  grandson  of  Newton  Mann,  who  was  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  business  in  Rome  until  his  death  in  1861.  Mr.  Draper's  three 
sons-in-law— Messrs.  Dudley,  Hill,  and  Kinney — occupied  one  after  another  the  same 
drug  store  and  dwelling  house,  and  all  were  representative  business  men. 


EDWARD   HUNTINGTON. 

The  first  American  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the  Huntington  family  of  which 
there  is  any  authentic  record  was  Simon,  who  spent  his  youth  in  Windsor,  Conn., 
but  removed  to  Norwich  in  1660,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Ben- 
jamin Huntington,  one  of  his  descendants  and  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  April  19,  1736,  graduated  from  Yale  in  1761, 
and  soon  became  a  prominent  lawyer  in  his  native  town.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Continental  Congress  in  1780-84  and  1787-88  and  in  1789  was  chosen  from  Connecti- 
cut to  the  first  Congress  of  the  United  States.  From  1781  to  1790  and  from  1791  to 
1793  he  was  a  member  of  the  Upper  House  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature;  in  1784 
he  became  the  first  mayor  of  the  city  of  Norwich,  an  office  he  held  till  he  resigned  in 
1796.  In  1793  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  and  .served  in  that 
capacity  until  1798.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  rendered  valuable  service  to 
the  State  and  was  a  member  of  the  convention  held  at  New  Haven  for  the  regula- 
tion of  the  army.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  absence  from  home  of  Judge  Huntington, 
his  patriotic  wife,   in  response  to  a  pressing  call  on  the  part  of  the  army,  sent  all 


4 


EDWARD  HUNTINGTON, 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  Ill 

their  bedding  and  available  clothing  to  the  heroic  soldiers,  supplying  their  place  on 
the  bed  by  blankets  cut  from  carpets  on  the  floor.  His  son,  George  Huntington, 
was  born  June  5,  1770,  and  was  married  May  21,  1794,  to  Hannah  Thomas,  of  Nor- 
wich, Conn.  He  came  to  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  in  1792,  and  in  1793  removed 
to  Rome  (then  Fort  Stanwix),  where  in  partnership  with  a  brother,  Henry,  he  estab- 
lished the  first  store  at  Fort  Stanwix,  now  Rome,  opening  their  goods  for  sale  in  the 
tavern  of  John  Barnard,  which  stood  just  northeast  of  the  present  court  house. 
Both  were  natives  of  Connecticut.  In  1794  George  Huntington  built  a  frame  store 
and  dwelling  on  Dominick  street  and  the  firm  continued  mercantile  business  till 
about  1816.  He  was  the  first  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Rome  in  1796,  and  held  that 
office  also  in  1804,  1814,  and  1817.  In  1798  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  first  side 
judges  of  the  Common  Pleas  for  the  new  county  of  Oneida,  and  was  reappointed  in 
1801  and  1804.  In  1810  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  and  in  18;3  defeated  for  the 
office  of  lieutenant  governor  on  the  Federal  ticket.  In  1815  and  again  in  1822  he  ran 
for  State  senator,  but  was  defeated.  He  was  elected  to  the  assembly  in  1818,  1819, 
1820,  and  1821,  and  from  1797  to  1819  officiated  as  collector  for  the  Western  Inland 
Canal.  He  was  trustee  of  Rome  village  in  1820,  1821,  1822,  1826.  and  1827,  and  died, 
universally  respected  and  esteemed  September  23,  1841.  He  reared  a  family  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  Edward  was  the  youngest. 

Hon.  Edward  Huntington  was  born  in  Rome,  June  23,  1817,  and  died  here  April 
17,  1881.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Oliver  C.  Grosvenor's  school,  but  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  abandon  the  idea  of  a  collegiate  training  and  turn  his  attention  to 
civil  engineering  for  the  sake  of  outdoor  exercise.  In  this  occupation  he  found  an 
ample  field  for  the  development  of  his  talents  and  the  congenial  employment  of  his 
native  energy.  He  afterward  spent  some  time  in  Cuba,  where,  with  Benjamin  H. 
Wright,  he  was  engaged  on  railroad  surveys.  Returning  to  Rome  he  became  one  of 
the  engineers  on  the  Uticaand  Schenectady  Railroad  and  in  1839  was  made  chief  of  a 
corps  of  engineers  employed  on  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal,  with  headquar 
ters  at  Fort  Plain.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1841  he  resigned  this  position 
and  returned  to  Rome  to  look  after  the  large  landed  and  other  property  comprising 
the  estate,  which  with  his  own  interests  commanded  his  attention  ev^er  afterward. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1846  and  rendered  valuable 
service  in  that  important  body.  He  was  also  for  several  years  president  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Rome. 

In  ISoo'Mr.  Huntington  was  elected  president  of  the  Rome  Savings  Bank  to  suc- 
ceed the  late  Hervey  Brayton  and  held  that  position  until  he  resigned  in  1878.  Upon 
the  death  of  Robert  B.  Doxtater  in  1863  he  was  made  president  of  the  Rome  Ex- 
change (now  the  First  National)  Bank,  and  officiated  in  that  capacity  until  his  de- 
cease. He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  organizing  the  Rome  Iron  Works  Com- 
pany in  1866  and  served  as  its  president  till  his  death.  He  was  also  largely  instru- 
mental in  forming  the  Merchants  Iron  Mill,  of  which  he  was  continuously  a  valued 
trustee.  In  all  benevolent  and  charitable  enterprises  Mr.  Huntington  was  ever  a 
foremost  participant  and  in  every  movement  which  promised  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity his  name  was  conspicuous.  He  was  one  of  the  moving  spirits  in  founding 
the  Central  New  York  Institution  for  Deaf  Mutes  in  Rome  in  1875  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  its  board  of  trustees  from  the  organization  until  his  death.     He  was  also  a 


112  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

trustee  of  the  Rome  Cemetery  Association,  a  director  in  the  Rome  &  Clinton  Rail- 
road Company,  and  for  many  years  a  director  and  vice-president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Utica. 

Mr.  Huntington  always  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters  and  was 
especially  prominent  in  establishing  the  Rome  Academy,  of  which  he  was  long  a 
trustee.  He  was  also  influential  in  organizing  the  Rome  free  school  system  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Education,  a  position  he  filled  with  singular 
ability  and  universal  satisfaction.  He  was  a  faithful  friend  of  and  identified  with 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  from  its  inception,  being  its  first  president 
and  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors  until  his  death.  Throughout  life  he  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Edward  Huntington  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  a  man  of  quiet  and 
retiring  disposition,  and  neither  sought  nor  desired  public  oflRce,  yet  he  never  shirked 
responsibility.  He  discharged  everj^  duty  with  an  impartiality  and  fearlessness 
born  of  love  of  right  and  justice.  He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  unswerving 
fidelity,  and  of  great  uprightness  of  character.  A  devout  Christian,  a  life-long 
friend  of  popular  education,  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  moral  and  public  welfare,  he 
was  ever  a  generous  promoter  of  all  projects  which  promised  advancement  to  the 
community.  He  had  the  best  interests  of  Rome  at  heart,  and  contributed  of  both 
time  and  means  toward  building  up  the  city  and  furthering  its  prosperity.  He  was 
widely  respected  and  esteemed,  and  retained  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  into  contact.  Being  heavily  interested  in  real  estate  and  numerous  busmess 
enterprises  he  was  one  of  the  largest  taxpayers,  and  in  every  capacity  his  counsel 
and  advice  carried  the  prestige  of  conviction. 

September  4,  1844,  Mr.  Huntington  was  married  to  Miss  Antoinette  Randall, 
daughter  of  William  Randall,  of  Cortland,  N.  Y. ,  who  survives  him,  as  do  aLso  a  son 
and  four  daughters. 


ALBERT    SOPER. 

Alhert  SorRR  was  the  eldest  son  of  Philander  and  Jerusha  Martin  Soper,  and  was 
born  in  Rome,  in  Februarj%  1812.  His  father  had  settled  in  Rome  about  1809,  hav- 
ing emigrated  from  Long  Island.  His  mother  had  emigrated  from  Rhode  Island 
about  the  same  year. 

Albert  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  attending  the  common  school 
winters,  and  finishing  his  education  at  Mr. -Grosvenor's  Academy.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  several  years.  A 
little  later  he  began  contracting,  and  while  thus  employed  built  the  first  planing  mill 
erected  in  Rome.  His  earliest  partner  was  Adam  Van  Patten,  who  was  succeeded 
by  William  Simmons,  an  extensive  lumber  yard  having  been  added  to  the  business. 

The  financial  storm  of  1857  forced  the  firm  to  assign,  and  Mr.  Soper  continued  as 
manager  of  the  business  for  the  assignee  till  1865,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
when  with  characteristic  energy  he  threw  himself  into  the  flood  of  lumber  develop- 
ment and  w^s  soon  on  top.     The  firm  name  was  Park  &  Soper  until  1878,  when  Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  113 

Park  sold  his  interest  to  James  Soper,  the  younger  brother  of  Albert,  and  the  busi- 
ness was  continued  under  the  title  of  Soper  Bros.  &  Co.  until  1884,  when  it  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Soper  &  Pond  Co.,  and  incorporated  as  the  Soper  Lumber  Co., 
with  Albert  Soper  as  president,  with  mills  in  Michigan  and  extensive  yards  in 
Chicago.  The  business  grew  to  large  proportions,  their  trade  reaching  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  Colorado. 

Mr.  Soper  died  in  May,  1890.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  business  man,  devoting 
his  entire  attention  to  development  of  his  interests,  with  an  energy  that  was  tireless. 

He  was  an  excellent  citizen,  with  correct  and  comprehensive  views  on  law  and 
life,  and  established  a  most  honorable  name  in  the  business  world.  He  took  an 
ardent  interest  in  politics,  and  was  a  staunch  Whig  in  his  earlier  years,  and  a  Re- 
publican when  the  latter  party  was  organized.  He  never  sought  nor  held  a  political 
office. 

Mr.  Soper  was  for  many  years  a  director  of  the  Hide  and  Leather  National  Bank 
of  Chicago. 

In  18o6  he  was  married  to  Esther  Farquharson,  who  was  a  native  of  Cherry  Val- 
ley, in  New  York  State.  Mrs.  Soper  survived  her  husband  nearly  four  years. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  two  died  in  early  youth.  Of  the  re- 
mainder Arthur  W.,  the  eldest,  now  resides  in  New  York  city;  Mary  Adelaide,  wife 
of  George  Merrill,  died  in  Chicago  in  1890;  Alexander  C,  James  P.,  and  Etta  A. 
(wife  of  William  Penn  Smith),  now  reside  in  Chicago. 


ARTHUR  W.   SOPER. 

Arthuk  W.  Soi'ER,  eldest  son  of  Albert  and  Esther  Soper,  was  born  in  Rome,  N. 
Y.,  July  16,  1838.  He  was  educated  at  Rome  Academy  under  Prof.  Frank  Moore, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  began  work  in  his  father's  office  and  lumber  yard.  In 
1858  he  entered  the  railway  service,  beginning  as  clerk  in  the  Rome  freight  office. 
At  the  end  of  three  years,  he  was  appointed  Superintendent's  clerk.  This  position 
he  held  two  years,  when  he  was  made  a  passenger  conductor,  and  the  following  year 
appointed  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  R.  W.  &  O.  Ry.,  under  Addison  Day. 
Some  four  years  later,  Mr.  Day  was  called  to  St.  Louis  as  Superintendent  of  the  St. 
Louis,  Iron  Mountain  &  Southern  Ry.,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  there,  offered  Mr. 
Soper  the  office  of  Assistant  Superintendent,  which  he  accepted,  leaving  Rome  in 
February,  1871.  At  the  end  of  a  year,  Mr.  Day  resigned,  because  of  ill  health,  and 
Mr.  Soper  was  made  General  Superintendent,  and  afterwards  for  several  years, 
General  Manager. 

Under  his  efficient  and  energetic  management,  the  road  was  greatly  prospered, 
and  became  most  important  and  helpful  to  the  business  of  St.  Louis.  After  some 
ten  years  service,  Mr.  Soper  resigned  his  position  as  General  Manager,  to  engage  in 
business  in  New  York  City.  No  man  ever  had  more  sincere  friends  and  admirers 
among  the  leading  citizens  and  business  men  of  St.  Louis,  than  Mr.  Soper,  as  was 
evidenced  by  their  resolutions  accompanying  a  handsome  service  of  silver,  which 
they  presented  to  him  upon  his  retiring  from  active  railway  service. 
o 


114  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  New  York,  he  took  up,  with  characteristic  energy,  the  man- 
agement of  several  important  business  interests  in  connection  with  railroads,  which 
prospered  and  grew  rapidly  to  large  proportions. 

About  1889,  he  became  President  of  the  Safety  Car  Heating  cK;  Lighting  Co.  of 
New  York,  which  he  has  managed  with  remarkable  success. 

In  April,  1871,  he  married  Hettie,  daughter  of  Samuel  Wardwell,  of  Rome,  N.  Y. 
They  have  one  child,  Mary  Theresa. 

Mr.  Soper  was  endowed  with  unusual  force  of  character,  supported  by  extraordi- 
nary mental  and  physical  vigor.  With  these  are  united  personal  qualities  which 
endear  him  to  his  friends,  who  are  a  host  in  number.  Such  a  man  was  bound  to  be 
successful  in  any  career  he  might  have  chosen. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Republican,  but  has  never  sought  or  held 
office. 

Mr.  Soper's  two  brothers,  Alexander  C.  and  James  P.,  are  the  head  and  front  of 
the  Soper  Lumber  Co.  of  Chicago,  and  that  sagacity  and  energy  which  they  share 
with  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  have  made  their  firm  in  its  department  one  of  the 
foremost  representative  houses  of  the  West. 


SAMUEL  O.   SCUDDER,   M.  D. 

Samuel  Oshorne  Scudder,  M.  D.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Roxbury,  Delaware 
county,  N.  Y.,  March  31,  1818,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Rome.  N.  Y.,  March  2,  1895. 
His  grandparents  were  William  S.  and  Elizabeth  Scudder,  who  were  born  re.spect- 
ively  January  14  and  September  14,  1748.  David  Scudder,  his  father,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 3,  1783,  and  married,  first,  February  17,  1807,  Phebe  Osborne,  who  was  born 
July  7,  1788,  and  who  died  March  10,  1822.  Their  children  were  Elizabeth,  born 
April  5,  1809;  Cynthia,  born  March  16,  1812;  Abigail,  March  14,  1814;  Edalinah, 
Januarys,  1817;  Dr.  Samuel  O.,  the  subject  of  this  memoir;  Mary  Ann,  May  24, 
1820;  and  David  O.,  March  10.  1822.  He  married,  second,  February  17,  1823,  Mrs. 
Sally  (Patterson)  Yeomans,  who  was  born  May  31,  1795.     They  had   seven  children. 

Dr.  Scudder  remained  on  the  parental  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  when,  with  seventy-five  cents  in  money,  he 
started  out  into  the  world  to  seek  a  fortune.  Endowed  with  a  strong  constitution 
for  a  lad  of  his  years,  combined  with  pluck,  perseverance,  and  clear  ideas,  he  eagerly 
took  advantage  of  the  first  opportunity  to  increase  his  knowledge  as  well  as  his 
little  store  of  wealth.  He  learned  successively  the  trades  of  tinsmith,  hatter,  and 
furrier,  mastering  each  with  a  skill  and  rapidity  that  demonstrated  his  capacity  for 
learning.  All  this  time,  however,  he  cherished  an  ambition  for  something  higher, 
saved  every  penny  possible,  and  devoted  all  his  spare  moments  to  study  and  self- 
improvement.  Leaving  these  occupations,  one  after  another,  he  was  for  four  years 
a  clerk  in  a  general  store  in  Hudson,  N.Y.,  where  he  matured  plans  to  make  himself 
a  physician  and  surgeon.  He  went  to  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  the  office  of  Dr. 
Durfee  Chase,  an  eminent  practitioner  of  the  homcKopathic  school,  and  from  there 
he  became  a  student  during  the  winter  of  1846-47  in  the  medical  department  of  the 


SAMUEL  O.  SCUDDER,  M.   D. 


E.  J.  LAWTON,  M.  D. 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  115 

University  of  New  York  City,  in  which  the  noted  physician,  Dr.  Valentine  Mott,  was 
a  professor.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  of  Pennsyl- 
vania on  March  10,  1849.  He  contributedmany  valuable  papers  on  medical  subjects 
to  the  county  society,  and  was  the  first  of  the  class  of  six  graduates  (and  the  last 
survivor)  who  received  the  first  diplomas  granted  by  any  homoeopathic  institution 
in  this  country.  After  a  brief  residence  in  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  he  came  to  Rome, 
Oneida  county,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  a  period  of  nearly  forty-eio-ht 
years,  being  at  the  time  of  his  demise  the  oldest  physician  in  the  city. 

Dr.  Scudder  was  devoted  to  his  profession  and  probably  did  as  much  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  homteopathy  as  any  other  physician  in  Central  New  York.  His  prac- 
tice grew  to  extensive  proportions,  and  throughout  a  wide  section  of  the  county  he 
retained  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  be- 
came somewhat  celebrated  as  a  specialist  in  lung  and  throat  troubles,  in  the  treat- 
ment of  which  he  was  often  called  long  distances,  either  as  consultant  or  as  physi- 
cian in  charge.  He  laid  particular  stress  upon  the  importance  of  good  nursing,  and 
in  this  respect  he  acquired  a  reputation.  He  was  a  quick  and  almost  unerring 
diagnostician  and  possessed  a  keenness  of  perception  that  was  remarkable.  Kind, 
patient,  and  cheerful,  his  presence  in  the  sick  room  was  always  welcome,  while  his 
geniality  and  friendliness  made  him  a  desirable  companion.  He  joined  the  Oneida 
County  Homoeopathic  Society  on  June  21,  1859,  and  became  its  president  October  17, 
1865.  In  fact  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  homoeopathy  in  this  part  of  the  State. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  a  lifelong  member  of  the  New  York  State  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  and  during  the  war  and  afterward  served  as  United  States 
examining  surgeon  for  the  pension  department. 

As  a  financier  Dr.  Scudder  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputation  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  He  was  for  some  time  a  well  known  and  successful  operator  in  Wall  street, 
and  in  local  business  affairs  he  became  an  authority.  He  was  a  close  personal  friend 
of  John  B  Jervis,  the  noted  civil  engineer,  and  of  many  other  influential  men  of  his 
day.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  founding  the  Rome  Brass  and  Copper  Com- 
pany and  was  its  president  from  soon  after  the  organization  till  his  death.  Mainly 
through  his  able  management  it  was  placed  upon  a  sound  business  basis.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Champaign  (111.)  Water  Works  Company,  at  one  time 
its  president,  and  for  several  years  controlled  its  financial  affairs. 

Dr.  Scudder  was  married,  first,  on  December  24,  1845,  to  Miss  Harriet  Fidelia 
Chase,  daughter  of  his  clinical  preceptor,  Dr.  Dui'fee  Chase,  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y. 
After  her  death  he  married,  in  October,  1856,  Miss  Elizabeth  Crampton,  who  sur- 
vives him.  His  children  were  Mrs.  A.  B.  Southwick,  Dr.  Nelson  C.  Scudder,  and 
Miss  Elizabeth  C,  of  Rome;  Fred  B.  Scudder,  of  New  York;  and  Samuel,  deceased. 
Dr.  Nelson  C.  Scudder  was  born  August  14,  1853,  was  graduated  from  the  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College  of  Philadelphia  m  1879,  and  is  now  a  practicing  physician  in 
Rome. 


ELON  J.  LAWTON,    M.D. 

Elon  Joseph  Lawton,  M.  D. ,  was  a  descendant  of  George  Lawton,  who  emigrated 
from  England  early  m  the  seventeenth  century  and  settled  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.    On 


116  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  document  dated  April  30,  1639,  his  name  appears  among  those  of  other  residents 
of  that  place  who  swore  allegiance  to  King  Charles,  and  from  his  day  to  the  present 
many  members  of  the  family  have  filled  important  positions  in  civil  and  commercial 
as  well  as  in  social  and  professional  life.  The  history  of  not  only  New  England  but 
of  various  other  States  in  the  Union  bears  evidence  of  their  public  spirit,  patriotism, 
and  official  capacity,  while  the  annals  of  numerous  communities  contain  notices  of 
their  deeds  and  labors.  One  Robert  Lawton  was  for  several  years  a  deputy  from 
Portsmouth,  beginning  in  1781,  and  another,  George  Lawton,  who  served  in  Col. 
John  Cook's  regiment  from  Rhode  Island  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  was  wounded 
by  a  cannon-shot  from  a  British  ship  on  January  10,  1777,  while  on  duty  at  Fayland 
Ferry.  The  men  bearing  the  name  invariably  took  a  prominent  part  in  their  respect- 
ive localities  during  colonial  times  and  in  many  instances  attained  distinction  for 
excellence  in  their  chosen  callings.  Joseph  Lawton,  jr.,  eldest  son  of  Joseph  Law- 
ton,  sr.,  a  descendant  of  the  original  George  Lawton,  moved  from  Rhode  Island  to 
near  Stonington,  Conn.,  where  his  son  and  eldest  child,  Joseph,  was  born  February 
11,  1780.  The  latter  married,  October  6,  1801.  Nancy  Dennison,  who  was  born  in 
Stonington  in  October,  1782,  and  died  in  Albion,  Wis.,  June  18,  1854.  His  death 
occurred  in  Edgerton,  Wis.,  November  1,  1866.  He  came  to  Easton,  Washington 
county,  N.  Y.,  about  1802,  but  soon  removed  to  the  town  of  Verona,  Oneida  county, 
and  settled  near  Rathbunville.  Later  he  took  up  his  residence  at  what  was  long 
known  as  Lawton's  Bridge,  near  Higgiusville,  in  the  same  town,  where  he  was  both 
a  farmer  and  grocer.  His  eldest  child.  Dyer  Stanton  Lawton,  was  born  in  Easton, 
N.  Y.,  January  27,  1803,  followed  farming  and  mercantile  business  at  Higgiusville, 
and  died  in  Rome  on  May  11,  1855.  He  was  married,  first  on  December  31,  1829,  to 
Mary  Louisa  Higgius,  and  second,  after  her  death,  to  Sarah  Ann  Egleston,  on  Au- 
gust 29,  1833. 

Dr.  Elon  J.  Lawton,  son  of  Dyer  Stanton  and  Sarah  Ann  (Egleston)  Lawton,  was 
born  in  Higginsville,  Oneida  county,  September  9,  1835,  and  spent  his  early  life 
upon  the  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  district  .schools  of  his  native  town.  At  about 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  came  with  his  father  and  the  family  to  Rome,  where  he 
finished  his  education  at  the  local  academy.  Here  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  drug- 
store of  Dr.  Harold  H.  Pope  and  while  clerking  also  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, which  he  subsequently  continued  in  the  office  of  Dr.  James  M.  Sturdevant.  He 
took  lectures  at  the  Castleton  (Vt.)  Medical  College  and  the  University  of  Michigan 
at  Ann  Arbor,  and  in  1858  was  graduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  with  the 
degree  of  M.D.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  North  Western.  Oneida 
county,  and  two  years  later  removed  to  Verona,  where  he  remained  until  January, 
1870,  when  he  came  to  Rome.  Here  he  afterward  re.sided  and  practiced  medicine 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  April  18,  1895. 

Dr.  Lawton  was  a  lifelong  Republican  and  for  many  years  took  an  active  interest 
in  politics.  He  was  for  some  time  postmaster  at  Verona  and  in  1870  was  elected  cor- 
oner of  Oneida  county,  an  office  he  filled  with  honesty  and  ability  by  re  election  for 
four  successive  terms,  or  twelve  years.  In  1890  and  again  in  1893  he  was  elected  alder- 
man from  the  5th  ward  of  Rome,  and  while  holding  that  position  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee appointed  to  select  a  site  for  the  city  hall.  In  this  latter  capacity  he  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  locating  that  handsome  structure  upon  the  premises  it  now 


THOMAS  M.  FLANDRAU,  M.  D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  il7 

occupies.  While  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  he  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Republican  side  and  rendered  effective  service,  not  only  to  that  body,  but  to  his  con- 
stituents and  the  city  at  large,  and  although  a  Republican  his  fairness,  honesty,  and 
integrity  were  never  questioned.  He  was  quite  heavily  interested  in  real  estate  and 
in  .several  business  enterprises,  and  always  aided  in  promoting  the  advancement  and 
prosperity  of  the  community,  contributing  liberally  to  its  welfare  and  numerous 
charitable  and  benevolent  objects.  He  was  a  prominent  physician,  skillful  in  diag- 
nosis and  the  treatment  of  diseases,  and  in  North  Western,  Verona,  and  Rome  en- 
joyed a  wide  professional  business  as  well  as  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  a  man  of  pronounced  convictions  and  opinions, 
of  keen  discrimination  between  right  and  wrong,  conscientious,  genial,  kind,  sym- 
pathetic, and  friendly. 

August  9,  1870,  Dr.  Lawtcm  was  married  in  Verona  to  Miss  Clara  M.,  daughter  of 
Mason  Benedict,  of  that  village,  who  with  two  children — Mason  Benedict  Lawton 
and  Clarabelle  Benedict  Lawton — survives  him  and  resides  in  Rome. 


THOMAS  MACOMB  FLANDRAU. 

Thomas  Macomr  Fi.andrau,  son  of  Thomas  Hunt  and  Elizabeth  M.  (Macomb) 
Flandrau,  was  born  in  New  York  city  on  the  8th  of  July,  1826.  His  ancestry,  though 
French  and  Irish,  were  all  Protestants — rather  curiously,  as  both  countries  are 
strongly  Roman  Catholic  in  their  religious  tendencies.  Jaques  Flandreau,  the 
originator  of  the  family  in  this  country,  was  a  French  Huguenot  driven  from  France 
by  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV,  and  with  a  colony  of  his 
compatriots  settled  at  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y.,  about  1686,  naming  the  town  after  La 
Rochelle,  a  famous  Protestant  city  of  France.  His  descendants  still  live  at  New 
Rochelle,  but  are  not  very  numerous.  Dr.  Flandrau  is  the  only  physician  of  the 
name  in  the  United  States ;  his  branch  of  the  family  dropped  the  e  from  the  last 
syllable.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  (Macomb)  Flandrau  was  a  daughter  of  Alexander 
Macomb,  an  Orangeman  from  Belfast,  Ireland,  who  was  married  in  1773  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  remained  until  1785  when  he  moved  to  New  York  city.  There  he 
was  for  many  years  actively  engaged  in  business  as  a  shipping  merchant.  In  1788 
he  built  No.  39  Broadway,  which  was  occupied  in  1790  by  General  Washington  as 
the  President's  house,  and  which  in  later  years  was  Bunker's  Hotel.  In  1791  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  what  are  now  the  counties  of  Lewis,  St.  Lawrence, 
Franklin,  Herkimer,  Jefferson  and  Oswego,  the  southern  boundary  of  which  is  now 
the  northern  line  of  Oneida  county.  It  comprised  3,700,000  acres,  cost  eight  cents 
per  acre,  and  included  all  the  Thousand  Islands,  except  Carlton  Island,  on  which 
stood  Fort  Haldiman.  The  map  of  "Macomb's  Purchase"  and  the  documents 
relating  to  it  are  in  the  Documentary  History  of  New  York.  Mr.  Macomb  had  six 
sons  in  the  war  of  1812,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Maj.-Gen.  Alexander  Macomb,  was  the 
hero  of  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh  and  afterwards  commander-in-chief  of  the  United 
States  Army.  Thomas  Hunt  Flandrau,  a  native  of  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y.,  was 
educated  in  Oneida  county,  where  he  spent  the  most  of  his  life.     He  was  graduated 


118  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

from  Hamilton  College  in  1819,  became  a  prominent  lawyer,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage  and  the  birth  of  his  son,  Dr.  Flandrau,  was  a  law  partner  of  the  celebrated 
Aaron  Burr  in  New  York  city. 

Dr.  Thomas  Macomb  Flandrau  passed  his  youth  in  Georgetown,  D.  C,  and  was 
educated  in  the  private  schools  and  academies  of  Georgetown  and  Washington.  He 
studied  medicnie  with  Dr.  Benjamin  S.  Bohrer,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
National  Medical  College  of  Washington,  D.  C,  in  March.  1848.  After  practicing 
his  profession  a  short  time  in  Georgetown  he  removed  to  his  father's  home  at 
Whitesboro,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  but  on  January  1,  1853,  settled  in  Rome,  where 
he  was  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Arba  Blair  for  two  years.  In  1856  he  went  to  Brock- 
port,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  there  until  18(52,  when  he  again  took  up  his  residence  in 
Rome,  where  he  has  since  lived.  August  23,  1862,  Dr.  Flandrau  was  commissioned 
surgeon  of  the  146th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf..  with  rank  of  major.  This  regiment 
was  known  as  the  Halleck  Infantry  and  also  as  the  5th  Oneida,  and  many  of  its 
officers  and  men  were  citizens  of  Rome.  He  remained  with  the  organization  about 
a  year,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  surgeon -in-chief  of  the  3d  Brigade, 
2d  Division,  5th  Army  Corps.  On  the  7th  of  June,  1864,  he  was  agair.  promoted  to 
the  surgeoncy-in-chief  of  the  2d  Division,  5th  Army  Corps. 

The  146th  Regiment  is  entitled  to  honorable  mention  in  the  history  of  Rome. 
Lieut.-Col.  Jesse  J.  Armstrong,  Adjutant  Edward  Comstock,  and  Capt.  William  A. 
Walker,  besides  many  of  its  brave  soldiers,  were  residents  of  this  city,  and  having 
been  organized  on  the  camp  ground  in  West  Dominick  street  all  its  officers  and  men 
felt  a  profound  interest  in  the  city  of  its  birth.  The  regiment  participated  m  everj^ 
battle  fought  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg  in 
December,  1862,  tothe  final  surrender  of  the  Confederate  army  at  Appomattox  in  April, 
1865.  It  distinguished  itself  as  well  by  its  bravery  as  by  the  fearful  slaughter  of  its 
rank  and  file  in  many  engagements,  especially  in  the  Wilderness,  where  Col.  David 
Jenkins  and  Major  Henry  Curran  were  left  dead  upon  the  Held  with  a  large  number 
of  men.  As  surgeon.  Dr.  Flandrau  was  present  in  all  of  its  twenty-five  battles,  and 
fortunately  escaped  sickness  and  wounds  during  his  three  years'  .service  at  the  front. 
He  was  discharged  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  in  July,  1865,  and  was  made  brevet  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  U.  S.  Volunteers,  holding  a  commission  to  that  effect  "  for  meritorious 
services  in  the  field,"  signed  by  President  Andrew  Johnsoa",  and  the  great  secretary 
of  war,  Edwin  M.  Stanton.  The  Medical  and  Surgical  History  of  the  War  contains 
the  record  of  many  of  his  surgical  operations. 

In  1865  Dr.  Flandrau  purchased  his  present  residence  in  East  Dominick  street  and 
ever  since  then  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Rome.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  has  attended  several  International  Medical  Cougres.scs,  the 
last  in  1890  at  Berlin,  Germany,  when  he  made  an  extended  tour  through  France, 
Switzerland,  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Health  of  Rome  and  for  twelve  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  of  which  he  has  served  as  president  during  the  last  three  years.  He  has 
served  as  physician  to  the  Central  New  York  Institution  for  Deaf  Mutes  of  Rome 
since  its  organization  in  1874.  He  is  medical  director  of  the  Rome  Hospital  and  was 
prominent  in   its  foundation  and  establishment,  making  the  plans  and  designs  for 


C.  C.  REID,  M.  D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  119 

its  construction.  His  plans  were  adopted  with  very  slight  modification  by  the  archi- 
tect, George  Schillner,  who  brought  them  to  their  final  development  and  is  entitled 
to  the  credit  of  its  external  decoration. 

Dr.  Flandrau  ranks  high  among  the  eminent  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Central 
New  York,  and  during  his  long  and  active  practice  has  won  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  has  always  taken  a 
keen  interest  in  the  religious,  social,  and  educational  advancement  of  his  city,  con- 
tributing generously  to  these  and  kindred  objects,  and  encouragmg  every  worthy 
project  which  promises  benefit  to  the  communitj'.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  for  forty  years  and  for  over  twenty  years  has  served  as 
vestryman  and  warden  of  Zion  church,  Rome. 

In  1854  Dr.  Flandrau  was  married  in  Brockport,  N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Clarissa  J.  Foote,  a 
native  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  May  1,  1890.  vSJie  was  a  woman 
noted  for  her  energy,  tact,  and  charitable  sentiments,  and  contributed  largely  to  the 
building  and  success  of  the  Rome  Hospital,  where  her  name  and  good  work  are  com- 
memorated by  a  handsome  brass  tablet  erected  by  the  ladies  of  the  institution.  She 
left  three  daughters:  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Flandrau  and  Mrs.  Dr.  H.  C.  Sutton,  of 
Rome,  and  Mrs.  George  Ethridge,  cf  New  York  city. 


CHRISTOPHER  C.   REID,   M.  D. 

CaiusToi'HER  C.  RiED,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  We.stmoreland,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  November  1,  1838,  and  is  the  sixth  in  a  family  of  fifteen  children  of 
James  and  Rebecca  (Robinson)  Reid,  who  were  born  of  Scotch  parentage  in  the 
north  of  Ireland.  James  and  Rebecca  Reid,  after  their  marriage  in  their  native 
country,  came  to  America  about  1837  and  first  settted  in  Kirkland,  this  county,  but 
subsequently  moved  to  a  farm  in  Westmoreland.  Mrs.  Reid  died  in  1879,  aged  about 
seventy  years.  Mr.  Reid's  death  occurred  in  Albion,  Oswego  county,  in  November, 
1887,  at  the  age  of  eighty  seven.  Thirteen  of  their  children  attained  maturity. 
James  Reid  and  his  brother  Christopher  constituted  the  family  of  William  Reid 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Dr.  C.  C.  Reid  left  home  at  the  age  of  nine  years  to  live  with  his  uncle  Christopher 
in  Kirkland,  N.Y.,  where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He  was  graduated  from  Whites- 
town  Seminary  in  1862,  and  while  attending  that  institution  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Drs.  Henderson,  father  and  son.  After  his  graduation  he  went  to 
Albany,  read  medicine  under  Dr.  William  Bailey,  and  was  graduated  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1864.  The  same  j^ear  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  where 
he  remained  until  1870,  when  he  moved  to  Rome,  where  he  has  since  resided,  enjoy- 
ing a  wide  and  successful  professional  business. 

Dr.  Reid  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  has  always  been  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Associa- 
tion. He  is  the  first  president  of  the  Rome  Medical  Society,  which  he  was  largely 
instrumental   in   organizing  in   February,    1895.     For  twenty  consecutive  years,  or 


120  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

since  1876,  he  has  acted  as  examining  surgeon  for  the  N.  Y.  C.  &  H.  R.  R.  R.  Co. 
his  labors  in  this  capacity  extending  along  the  entire  line  and  frequently  outside  the 
State.  He  is  consulting  physician  to  the  Rome  City  Hospital,  a  director  in  the 
Rome  Brass  and  Copper  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  originators  and  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Washmgton  Street  Opera  House  Company,  serving  as  president  two 
terms  during  the  erection  of  the  handsome  opera  house  in  1889  and  1890.  He  joined 
the  Masons  in  Vienna  and  is  now  a  member  of  Rome  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  and  Rome 
Commandery  K.  T.  In  1879  he  visited  Europe  and  traveled  extensively  over  Great 
Britain  and  the  Continent,  visiting  not  only  the  chief  points  of  general  interest,  but 
many  hospitals  and  medical  institutions. 

Dr.  Reid  was  married  on  April  4,  1893,  to  Miss  Katherine  Melissa  Spencer,  daugh- 
ter of  Harvey  D.  Spencer,  of  Rome,  N.  Y. 


JOSEPH  I.  SAYLES. 

Descendants  of  the  Sayles  family  in  America  trace  their  lineage  to  John  Sayles, 
(1)  and  Mary  Williams,  his  wife,  who  were  married  in  Rhode  Island  in  1650,  settled 
in  Providence,  and  are  buried  in  the  Easton  burial  ground  in  Middletown  near 
Sachuest  Beach.  He  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1633,  his  father  being  of  Scotch  and  his 
mother  of  Irish  parentage,  and  died  in  1681.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  1638  and 
died  also  in  1681,  was  a  daughter  of  Roger  Williams,  first  governor  and  founder  of 
the  Rhode  Island  colony,  and  Mary,  his  wife.  Mr.  Sayles  was  made  a  freeman  in 
1655,  and  held  the  offices  of  commissioner,  town  clerk,  warden,  town  treasurer, 
auditor,  deputy,  and  councilman.  His  posterity  in  a  direct  line  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  as  follows:  John  (2),  born  August  17,  1654,  deputy,  tavern  keeper,  died 
August  2,  1727;  Richard  (3),  born  October  24,  1695,  died  in  1775;  Israel  (4),  born 
March  17,  1726;  Israel  (5);  Benjamin  B.  (6),  who  married  Polly  Strong;  and  Joseph 
I.  (7).  The  foregoing,  prior  to  Benjamin  B.  Sayles,  lived  in  Rhode  Island,  where 
many  of  the  name  occupied  responsible  positions  in  business,  social  and  official  life, 
manifesting  at  all  times  great  patriotism  and  individual  ability,  and  becoming  .sub- 
stantial and  useful  citizens.  Isael  (5)  came  to  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  early  in  1800,  and 
there  Benjamin  B.  (6)  was  born  and  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith.  Benjamin  B. 
Sayles  moved  to  the  town  of  Plymouth,  Chenango  county,  and  followed  fanning 
many  years.     He  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Joseph  I.  Sayles,  youngest  son  of  Benjamin  B.  and  Poll}-  (Strong)  Sayles,  was 
born  in  Plymouth,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  October  7,  1843,  and  remained  on  the 
parental  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seven- 
teen. He  inherited  in  full  measure  the  sturdy  characteristics  of  his  New  England 
ancestry,  and  supplemented  these  by  early  acquiring  those  habits  of  industry  and 
perseverance  which  irark  the  successful  man.  April  29,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  H, 
17th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf.,  as  a  private,  and  served  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from 
its  organization  till  after  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  participating  in  all  the  engagements 
on  the  peninsula.  At  Chickahomony  Swamp  he  was  taken  sick  and  sent  to  St- 
Elizabeth  Hospital  at  Washington,  where  he  was  honorably  discharged  August  9, 


JOSEPH  1.  SAYLES. 


'.■H- 
%■ 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  12i 

1862.  Returning  home  he  resumed  his  common  school  education  and  soon  began  to 
read  law  in  Norwich,  N.  Y.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School  in 
1866  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albany.  Im- 
mediately afterward  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Lee  Center, 
Oneida  county,  where  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  where  he  remained  until 
1870  when  he  moved  to  Rome.  Here  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Hon.  M.  D. 
Barnett,  which  continued  until  the  latter's  election  as  district  attorney  in  1876.  Mr. 
Sayles's  next  partnership  was  in  1887,  when  the  present  firm  of  Sayles,  Searle  & 
Sayles,  was  organized  by  the  admission  of  D.  F.  Searle  and  A.  F.  Sayles. 

Mr.  Sayles  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  president  in  1864.  He  represented  the  Fifth  ward  in  the  common  council 
three  years,  has  been  a  member  of  the  Rome  Water  Commission  four  years,  and  in 
March,  1894,  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Levi  P.  Morton  one  of  the  managers  of  the 
State  Custodial  Asylum  at  Rome  for  six  years,  being  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  that  institution.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Skillen  Post,  No.  47,  G.  A.  R. , 
and  for  ten  years  officiated  as  its  commander.  He  was  also  department  commander 
of  the  G.  A.  R.  for  the  State  of  New  York,  with  rank  of  major-general  in  1885,  and 
judge  advocate  of  the  department  three  terms.  In  1891  he  organized  and  has  since 
served  as  president  of  the  Jones  Elastic  Enamel  Paint  Company  of  Rome.  He  is 
heavily  interested  in  real  estate,  both  at  home  and  elsewhere,  and  has  for  many  years 
been  closely  identified  with  the  city's  growth  and  prosperity. 

But  it  is  as  a  trial  and  criminal  lawyer  that  Mr.  Sayles  stands  out  the  most  prom- 
inently in  his  career.  Without  the  adventitious  aids  which  wealth,  family  influence, 
and  scholastic  attainments  can  give  he  has,  by  courage,  industry,  perseverance,  m 
domitable  will  power,  and  his  own  unaided  ability,  worked  his  way  from  a  rustic 
school  boy  on  the  farm  to  the  front  rank  in  his  profession  as  a  trial  lawyer,  so  that  he 
stands  to-day  among  the  foremost  criminal  lawyers  in  the  State.  He  is  emphatically 
and  in  the  fullest  sense  a  self-made  man.  It  is  as  a  jury  advocate,  and  the  more 
especially  as  a  criminal  lawyer,  that  he  has  won  his  greatest  triumphs  and  established 
his  widest  reputation.  His  shrewdness  and  tact  m  the  management  of  trials, 
his  acciuaintance  witli  human  nature  which  enables  him  to  judge  how  oral  testimony 
will  strike  and  impress  the  average  juror,  his  experience  and  familiarity  with  the 
practice  and  intricacies  of  criminal  law,  and  above  and  better  than  all  his  skill  in  the 
examination  of  his  own  and  the  cross-examination  of  unwilling  and  evasive  witnesses 
all  thoroughly  equip  him  for  a  trial  lawyer  in  both  civil  and  criminal  trials,  and  make 
him  a  formidable  and  most  dangerous  antagonist.  He  has  tried  causes  in  every 
county  of  this  State  but  two,  and  has  defended  between  thirty  and  forty  prisoners 
(the  trials  taking  place  in  nearly  a  dozen  different  counties)  for  capital  offenses,  and 
in  none  of  them  has  the  prisoner  been  executed,  and  in  only  one  was  there  a  convic- 
tion for  the  higher  offense,  and  in  that  case  the  judgment  was  reversed  and  the 
prisoner  subsequently  acquitted.  It  is  said  of  him  that  "he  is  a  natural  trial 
lawyer." 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1873,  Mr.  Sayles  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Castle,  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Hon.  John  J.  Castle,  of  Lee,  who  in  1852  was  member  of  assembly  from 
Oneida  county.  She  died  July  7,  1877,  and  in  1878  he  married  Mrs.  Carrie  M.  Bond, 
daughter  of  George  Potter,  of  Lee,  by  whom  he  has  two  children :  Josie  Irene,  born 


122  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

January  10,  1880,  and  General  George  W.,  born  February  23,  1882.  The  first  born, 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  wrote  a  book,  worthy  of  one  double  her  years,  wh4ch  was 
printed  for  circulation  among  her  own  immediate  acquaintances  and  friends. 


EDWARD  COMSTOCK. 

Hun.  PvUwakd  Comstock,  son  of  Hon.  Calvert  and  Eliza  Mann  (Sill)  Comstock, 
was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  April  80,  1843.  He  first  decided  upon  a  legal  career  and 
read  law,  bu'  abandoned  this  to  become  lieutenant  and  adjutant  in  the  14()th  N.  V. 
Vols,  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  with  the  14()th  N.  Y.  Vols,  in  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg  and  Gettysburg.  Afterward  he  was  on  General  Ganard's  stafT, 
commanding  division  of  cavalry  attached  to  General  Sherman's  army  in  the  advance 
from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta.  Returning  to  his  home  in  Rome  he  engaged  in 
business  with  his  father  as  a  lumber  manufacturer.  In  1876  he  established  hmiself 
in  the  wholesale  and  retail  lumber  trade,  with  which  he  has  smce  been  identified. 

Mr.  Comstock  is  a  prominent  and  an  influential  factor  in  the  Democratic  party, 
and  like  his  respected  father  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  welfare  and 
prosperity  of  the  city  of  Rome.  He  was  twice  elected  mayor,  and  is  now  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education. 


CALVERT  COMSTOCK. 

Hon.  Calvert  Comstock  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  July  3, 
1813,  and  died  in  Rome,  N  Y.,  October  10,  18T7.  He  was  early  dependent  upon  his 
own  resources  for  both  a  livelihood  and  an  education,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  be- 
gan teaching  school.  In  the  intervals  of  this  occupation  and  farm  labor  he  prepared 
himself  for  college  and  in  1831  entered  Hamilton  College,  where  he  spent  two  years. 
There  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Society.  Compelled  by 
circumstances  to  relinquish  collegiate  life  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  his  cousin, 
Ichabod  C.  Baker,  in  Whitesboro,  and  in  1835  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  then 
formed  a  co-partnership  with  Mr.  Baker,  which  continued  until  1838,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Rome  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  firm  of  Foster  &  Stryker,  occasioned  by  the 
removal  of  Hon.  Charles  Tracy  to  Utica.  The  firm  became  Foster,  Stryker  &  Corn- 
stock  and  so  continued  until  January  1,  1841,  when  Judge  Henry  A.  Foster  retired 
upon  a  re-election  to  the  State  Senate.  The  firm  of  Stryker  &  Comstock  continued 
till  July  7,  1846,  when  Bloomfield  J.  Beach  became  a  member.  In  August,  1847,  Mr. 
Stryker  retired  and  Comstock  &  Beach  continued  until  January  1,  1855,  when  Mr. 
Comstock  retired  permanently  from  the  law,  and  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his 
friends  in  the  Democratic  party  removed  to  Albany  to  take  charge  of  the  Albany 
Argus,  then  the  State  organ  of  the  Hunker  wing  of  the  Democrats. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Comstock  distinguished  himself  in  his  profession,  and  during  his 
twenty  years  of  active  practice  won  a  high   reputation   among  both  associates  and 


CALVERT  COMSTOCK. 


\ 


EDWARD  COMSTOCK. 


BIOaRAPHTCAL.  123 

clients.  He  was  eminently  successful — a  man  of  honor,  candor,  courtesy,  ability, 
and  integrity,  of  discriminating  judgment,  sound  common  sense,  and  great  love  of 
justice.  In  1845  he  was  appointed  district  attorney  and  by  election  held  that  office 
until  1850,  when  his  extensive  law  business  compelled  him  to  resign.  He  was  a 
member  of  assembly  in  1845,  and  in  connection  with  the  State  Constitution  of  1846 
won  a  state-wide  reputation.  He  was  chairman  of  the  select  committee  on  that  sub- 
ject, and  took  the  ground  that  under  the  constitution  of  1821  the  Legislature  had  lio 
right  to  submit  to  the  people  the  question  of  calling  a  constitutional  convention.  On 
this  point  he  made  an  elaborate  report,  the  law  and  facts  of  which  stood  unchal 
lenged.  He  framed  such  amendments  to  the  constitution  as  in  his  judgment  were 
demanded,  and  urged  their  adoption  bj^  the  Legislature  and  subsequent  submission 
to  the  people,  but  he  was  beaten  by  a  combination  of  Barnburners  and  Whigs.  In 
the  end  his  judgment  was  vindicated,  for  lawyers  and  statesmen  conceded  that  the 
constitution  of  1846  was  inferior,  as  a  whole,  to  that  of  1821.  Mr.  Comstock  had  a 
large  journalistic  experience.  From  1838  until  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1840  he 
had  charge  as  editor  of  the  Rome  Sentinel.  In  1847  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  A.  J.  Rowley  &  Co.,  in  its  proprietorship,  the  editor  being  his  brother  Elon.  In 
July,  1852,  Calvert  and  Elon  Comstock  purchased  the  plant  and  established  the 
Rome  Daily  Seniinel,  which  they  successfully  conducted  until  1855,  when  they  sold 
it  to  D.  E.  Wager  and  D.  C.  Rowley.  Calvert  Comstock  then  went  to  Albany  and 
succeeded  Edwin  Croswell  as  editor  of  the  Argus.  The  Atlas,  then  edited  by  Will- 
iam Cassidy,  represented  the  other  wing  of  the  Democratic  party.  Shortly  after- 
ward the  uniting  of  the  two  factions  brought  about  the  consolidation  of  the  two  pa- 
pers and  Messrs.  Comstock  and  Cassidy  continued  in  partnership  until  the  former 
was  compelled  in  1860  to  retire,  his  constitution  having  suddenly  and  completely 
broken  down  under  the  strain  of  constant  labor.  He  returned  to  Rome  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Comstock  always  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  advancement  and  pros- 
perity of  Rome.  He  was  influential  in  the  construction  of  the  various  plank  roads 
which  in  1848  were  built  from  the  city  in  several  directions.  He  was  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  building  of  the  Rome,  Watertown  and  Cape  Vincent  railroad  and  for 
twenty  years  was  a  director  of  the  Rome,  Watertown  and  Ogdensburg  Railroad 
Company.  He  was  president  of  the  Boston,  Rome  and  Oswego  Railroad  Company, 
a  projected  railroad  intended  to  take  advantage  of  the  completion  of  the  Hoosac 
tunnel,  and  personally  superintended  the  entire  survey  of  the  line.  About  1849  he 
purchased,  in  connection  with  Hon.  Edward  Huntington,  a  large  tract  of  land  in 
Rome  from  George  Clarke  and  brought  it  into  market  as  building  lots.  He  was 
chiefly  influential  in  securing  the  charter  for  the  city  of  Rome  and  in  1870  was  elected 
the  first  mayor.  He  also  served  for  many  years  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. 

April  27,  1836,  Mr.  Comstock  married  Miss  Eliza  Mann  Sill,  eldest  daughter  of 
Gen.  Theodore  Sill,  of  Whitesboro,  the  law  partner  of  Thomas  R.  Gold.  Mrs.  Com- 
stock died  in  1808,  leaving  four  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  survived 
their  father. 


124  OtJR  COUNTY  A^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 

CAPT.   JAMES  S.   ABEEL. 

Capt.  James  Stillie  Abeel  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  (1)  Christopher  James  Abeel, 
who  was  born  in  1621  in  Amsterdam,  Holland,  whence  he  came  to  this  country  in 
1657  and  settled  at  Fort  Orange  (now  Albany),  where  he  engaged  in  trade  as  agent 
for  the  Dutch  West  India  Company.     The  line  of  descent  from  that  patroon  to  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  is  (2)  Johannes,  (3)  David,  (4)  James,  (5)  John   N.,   and  (6) 
James  S.     Johannes  Abeel  (2)  was  the  second  mayor  and  for  several  years  recorder 
of  the  city  of  Albany,   holding  the  first  named   office  two  terms.     David  (3)  was  a 
merchant  and  for  some  time  assessor  of  New  York  city.     James  Abeel  (4)  was  a 
colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  army  and  served  through  the  war  as  deputy  quarter- 
master-general on  the  staff  of  General  Washington,  under  General  Greene.     It  was 
largely  through  his  e.xertions  that  the  troops  were  provi.sioned  and  the  army  main- 
tained during  the  historical  winter  at  Valley  Forge,  and  a  number  of  letters  bearing 
his  name  are  still  e.Ktant.     He  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.   John  Neilson,  a  physician 
of  Belfast,  Ireland,  who  came  to  New  York  and  practiced  his  profession  with  success. 
Rev.  John  Neilson  Abeel  (5),  son  of  Colonel  James,  was  born  in  New  York  city  in 
1769,  was  graduated  from  Princeton  College  in  1787  and  read  law  with  Hon.  William 
Patterson,  LL.  D.,  in  New  Brunswick.     Later  he  studied  theology,  became  a  tutor  in 
Princeton,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1793;  twoyearsafterhebecameoneof  the  min- 
isters of  the  collegiate  church  (Dutch  Reformed)  of  New  York  and  remained  there  until 
his  death  in  1812.     In  1804  Harvard  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
Dr.  Abeel  was  a  trustee  of  Oueen's  and  Columbia  Colleges  and  in  1804.  with  eleven 
other  citizens,  founded  the  New  York  Historical  Society.     He  married,  January  20, 
1794,  Mary  Stillie,  who  died  January  13,   1826.     She  was  a  member  of  an  old  and  re- 
spected Swedish  family  of  Philadelphia  before  the  daj^s  of  William  Penn,  when  that 
city  was  known  as  New  Stockholm  and  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  as  New  Sweden. 
Of  their  five  children  two  daughters  died  in  infancy ;  the  others  were  James  S. ; 
Neilson,  born  in  1797,  married  Caroline  Lawrence,  and  died  in  1827;  and  Gustavus, 
born  June  6,  1801,  graduated  from  Union  College  in  1823  and  from  the  Theological 
vSeminary  in  New  Brunswick  in  1824,  and  died  in  September,  1887. 

Capt.  James  Stillie  Abeel  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  November  15,  1795,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  thegrammar  and  select  schools  of  New  York  city  under  Arthur 
Stansbury  and  John  Borland.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1812  he  entered  the 
counting  house  of  Robert  Lenox,  but  soon  entered  the  United  States  army  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  the  Niagara  frontier  in  the  war  of  1812-15.  May  3,  1813,  he  was 
made  third  lieutenant,  and  on  February  20,  1815,  President  James  Madison  commis- 
sioned him  first-lieutenant  in  the  23d  Regt.  Inf.,  to  rank  from  October  1,  1814,  at 
which  time  he  and  Gen.  J.  A.  Dix  were  the  youngest  officers  on  the  force.  He  was 
present  at  the  sortie  on  Fort  Erie  and  the  taking  of  Fort  George  and  was  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  where  it  was  subsequently  supposed  his  voice  became 
impaired.  At  the  close  of  the  war  in  December,  1815,  he  was  retained  as  second 
lieutenant  with  brevet  of  first  lieutenant  in  the  reorganized  army  and  transferred  to 
the  4th  Artillery.  April  20,  1818,  he  was  made  first  lieutenant  of  artillery,  his  com- 
mission signed  by  President  James  Monroe,  being  dated  July  10,  1820.  September  1, 
1829,  he  was  brevetted  captain  for  ten  years'  faithful  service  in  one  grade,  by  Presi- 
dent Andrew  Jackson,  to  rank  from  April  20.  1828. 


W) 


THOS.  G.   N'OCK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  125 

During  this  period  he  was  stationed  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  Portland,  Me.,  New  York 
city,  and  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va.  In  April,  1828,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
arsenal  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  December  31,  1834,  when  he  re- 
signed. At  this  time  he  had  been  ordered  to  rejoin  his  regiment  and  proceed  to 
Florida,  but  the  health  and  care  of  his  family  compelled  him  to  send  m  a  resignation. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming  near  Trenton  Falls  until  January  6,  1838,  when  upon  the 
recommendation  of  Generals  Scott,  Wood,  and  Worth,  he  was  appointed  military 
storekeeper  to  succeed  Capt.  Samuel  Perkins,  deceased,  in  charge  of  the  Rome 
arsenal,  his  commission  being  signed  by  President  John  Tyler  and  dated  May  30, 
1844.  He  held  this  post  until  May  7,  1855,  when  he  turned  over  the  arsenal  to  Capt. 
D.  B.  Sackett  for  a  recruiting  station.  Captain  Abeel  was  then  in  command  of  the 
Detroit  U.  S.  arsenal  at  Dearborn,  Mich. ,  till  April,  1863,  when  he  returned  to  Rome  and 
had  charge  as  military  storekeeper  of  the  arsenal  here  until  February  16,  1870,  when  he 
was  placed  on  the  retired  list.  Except  the  brief  period  spent  in  farming  he  served 
for  fifty-seven  years  in  the  military  service  of  the  U.  S.  government.  He  died  in  De- 
cember, 1871,  being  at  that  time  the  oldest  commissioned  officer  of  the  army. 

Captain  Abeel  was  an  excellent  soldier,  an  accomplished  musician,  and  a  man  of 
extensive  reading.  His  dignified  military  bearing  and  habits  of  precii^ion  made  him 
a  conspicuous  figure  wherever  he  went.  His  profession  was  that  of  arms,  yet  he 
possessed  a  natural  love  for  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  typical  gentleman  of 
the  old  school.  He  was  endowed  with  great  natural  wit  and  humor,  a  lively  artistic 
and  literary  conception,  and  all  the  tastes  of  a  warlike  imagination.  In  common 
with  nearly  all  men  trained  solely  to  army  life  he  was  ignorant  of  the  complications 
of  practical  business  affairs.  He  was  quite  popular,  although  noted  for  his  pro- 
nounced personality,  and  throughout  Central  New  York  enjoyed  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance and  the  respect  of  all.  In  person  he  was  very  particular,  even  fastidious,  and 
in  deportment  he  was  as  punctual  as  the  clock. 

November  16.  1826,  Captain  Abeel  was  married  in  New  York  city  to  Miss  Mary 
Powell  Seymour,  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Powell)  Seymour,  of  New- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  and  niece  of  Jacob  and  Thomas  Powell,  merchants,  of  that  place.  She 
died  December  28.  1888,  aged  eighty-three.  They  had  seven  children:  John  Neil- 
son  and  William  Seymour,  deceased;  Isabella,  of  Rome;  Thomas  Powell  and  Al- 
fred, of  Waco,  Texas;  Augusta,  wife  of  Lieut.-Col.  F.  H.  Parker,  ordnance  depart- 
ment U.  S.  A.  ;  and  James  M.,  deceased. 


THOMAS  G.   NOCK. 

TiioM.vsGiLL  NocK  was  born  at  Brierly  Hill,  near  Dudley,  Staffordshire,  England, 
February  14,  1829,  his  birthplace  being  his  maternal  grandfather's  home.  A  few 
weeks  later  he  was  baptized  in  the  parish  church  by  his  mother's  rector,  and  received 
the  name  of  his  mother's  father,  Thomas  Gill,  who  was  a  robust,  fine  appearing  man, 
active,  generous  hearted,  untiring  in  his  work,  and  a  firm  believer  in  God.  When 
fifty  years  of  age  Mr.  Nock  was  the  counterpart  of  Mr.  Gill — having  the  same  per- 
fectly shaped  head,  the  high  forehead,   the  intelligent  face,   the  business  foresight. 


126  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  untiring  energy,  the  unselfish  generosity.  When  three  years  old  the  child  left 
Brierly  Hill  with  his  parents  and  came  to  America.  In  his  eighth  year  he  returned 
to  England  with  h  is  father  on  a  visit  to  his  birthplace,  and  this  even  t  proved  a  memorable 
one  in  his  life,  making  a  lasting  impression  upon  his  then  youthful  mind.  When 
he  returned  to  his  home  at  Ramapo,  N.  Y..  he  was  sent  to  a  private  school  for  two 
vears,  after  which  a  tutor  was  brought  to  the  house  for  him.  This  teacher  was  James 
Stewart,  a  graduate  of  Edinburgh  University,  and  he  was  continued  in  this  capacity 
for  several  years.  When  fifteen  young  Nock  went  to  New  York  city  for  special  in- 
struction for  one  term  in  a  private  school.  Returning  to  Ramapo  he  entered  the  office 
of  a  cotton  mill,  where  he  remained  some  months.  His  life  in  Ramapo  was  really  one 
of  studying  the  manufacture  of  steel,  but  he  was  often  in  the  woods,  on  the  "Tuxe- 
do," and  along  the  mountain  streams  with  rod  and  gun.  He  loved  nature,  and  more 
than  once  climbed  the  noted  "Torn,"  but  he  was  learning  the  secret  of  the  earth's 
metals.  His  father,  George  Nock  a  man  of  great  ability,  of  strong  will  and  charac- 
ter, and  skilled  in  metallurgy,  helped  him  to  a  practical  knowledge  of  iron  and  steel. 
Thefatherwas  true  and  sincere  in  his  religious  life,  and  taught  his  children  and  all  men 
his  faith  and  practice  by  example.  The  son  learned  much  from  this  teaching,  and  slow- 
ly but  finally  strengthened  that  character  and  personality  which  in  the  man  were  so 
marked.  There  was  that  in  his  make-up  which  happily  mingled  the  characteristics  of 
his  maternal  and  paternal  ancestry.  Joseph  Nock,  his  paternal  grandfather,  was  a 
country  squire,  an  active,  positive,  and  determined  man  in  whatever  he  attempted. 
The  family  coat  of  arms  suggests  the  character  of  the  descendants.  On  the  shield  is 
a  bend  between  three  annulets,  or,  on  a  field  of  azure.  The  crest  is  a  dexter  hand 
brandishing  a  scimetar.     The  motto  is  "///  icttehris  ser7'a7-e fidein." 

Mr.  Nock  removed  in  early  life  from  Ramapo  to  Windsor  Locks,  Conn.,  where  he 
married  Miss  Caroline  M.,  only  daughter  of  Royal  Prouty,  who  survives  him.  There 
he  was  the  assistant  superintendent,  bookkeeper  and  paymaster  of  the  E.  G.  Ripley 
&  Co.  iron  and  steel  works,  which  position  he  held  until  he  removed  to  Syracuse,  N. 
Y.,  as  superintendent  of  a  large  iron  rolling  mill,  since  converted  into  the  present  Syra- 
cuse Tube  Works.  In  18(54  he  came  to  Rome,  Oneida  county,  to  supervise  the  erection 
of  the  Rome  iron  mill,  and  continued  as  its  general  superintendent  until  the  building 
of  the  New  York  Locomotive  works  in  this  city  in  1882,  when  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  that  corporation,  a  position  he  held  until  his  death  on  April  20,  1890.  The 
ground  for  the  locomotive  works  was  broken  September  17.  1881.  and  the  company 
was  formed  in  May,  1882.  Mr.  Nock  was  largely  instrumental  in  .starting  that  con- 
cern, which  carried  on  under  his  supervision  and  management  a  successful  business 
in  the  manufacture  of  railroad  locomotives  and  engines.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
executive  ability,  of  sound  judgment  and  foresight,  and  of  wonderful  force  of  char- 
acter. 

He  was  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death  the  president  of  the  First  National  Hank, 
a  director  in  the  Central  Bank,  and  in  fact  a  stockholder  in  all  the  banks  in  Rome. 
As  a  financier  his  ability  and  integrity  were  widely  recognized.  He  contributed 
materially  to  the  prosperity  and  general  welfare  of  the  city,  and  sustained  and  en- 
couraged every  beneficent  enterprise.  He  was  public  spirited  and  generous  to  a 
fault,  and  bore  the  confidence  of  the  entire  community.  A  Republican  in  politics  he 
took  a  lively  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party  and   never  failed  to  work  for  its  ad- 


I 


C.  D.  PRtSCOTT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  127 

vancement  He  was  the  first  fire  commissioner  appointed  in  Rome  and  served  con- 
tinually as  the  president  of  the  board  from  its  organization  until  his  death.  He  gen- 
erously supported  the  cause  of  religion  and  education,  and  in  all  matters  of  a  public 
nature  was  ever  foremost  and  active.  He  was  very  kind  hearted,  benevolent  to  the 
poor  and  needy,  and  never  missed  an  opportunity  of  aiding  the  unfortunate. 

Mr.  Nock  was  survived  by  three  brothers :  Revs.  Edwin  Gaines  and  Joseph  A.  Nock, 
Episcopal  clergymen  in  Philadelphia  and  Jersey  City  respectively,  and  George  F. 
Nock,  a  commission  merchant  of  New  York.  He  is  also  survived  by  four  sisters. 
Of- his  five  children  three  are  living,  namely:  Dr.  Thomas  G.,  jr.,  a  practicing 
physician,  one  of  the  coroners  o(  Oneida  county  for  several  years,  and  one  of  the  fire 
commissioners  of  Rome;  George  P.,  of  New  York  city;  and  Mrs.  Claude  C.  Coan,  of 
Clinton,  Iowa.     His  widow  resides  in  Rome. 


CYRUS  DAN  PRESCOTT. 

TiiK  first  American  ancestor  of  the  Prescott  family  of  which  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  lineal  descendant,  was  John,  a  grandson  of  Sir  James  Prescott  and  his 
wife,  daughter  of  Roger  Standish,  lord  and  lady  of  the  manor  of  Dryby  in  Lincoln- 
shire, P^nglaud.  John  Prescott,  (1)  settled  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1640  and  the  line  of 
his  posterity  is  as  follows:  (2)  Jonas,  (8)  Jonas,  (4)  Ebenezer,  (5)  Oliver,  (6)  Oliver,  (7) 
Jeremiah,  (8)  Cyrus  D.  Oliver  (5)  was  born  May  5,  1725,  married  Bethiah  Under- 
wood, served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  died  January  1,  1803,  Oliver  (6)  was 
born  in  Westford,  Mass.,  February  22,  1760,  married  Keziah  Howard,  and  moved  to 
Jeffrey,  N.  H.,  and  thence  in  1793  to  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased 500  acres  of  unbroken  forest  land.  He  wasa  lifelong  farmer,  and  died  in  that 
town  in  December,  1843.  Jeremiah  Prescott  (7  )was  born  in  New  Hartford  on  Au- 
gust 4,  1806,  was  first  a  farmer  and  subsequently  a  tin  and  iron  manufacturer,  and 
afterwards  admitted  to  practice  as  attorney  and  counselor  at  law  in  1864,  and 
died  there  May  12,  1872.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  about  thirty  years,  at  one 
tmie  under  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  held  several  other  local  offices.  His  wife,  Deb- 
orah Linnemann,  was  born  near  Amsterdam,  N.  Y  ,  December  15,  1805,  and  died 
May  5,  1874.  Her  father,  Johan  Linnemann,  was  born  in  Viele,  Denmark,  February 
16,  1759,  was  brought  to  America  in  1768,  and  settled  near  Amsterdam,  where  he 
died.  He  served  m  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  married  for  his  wife  Catherine  Six- 
berry,  who  died  in  Ohio,  December  19,  1863,  aged  101  years,  six  months  and  thirteen 
days. 

Hon.  Cyrus  D.  Prescott,  son  of  Jeremiah,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  on  the  15th 
of  August,  1836,  and  finished  his  literary  education  at  the  Utica  Free  Academy.  He 
then  >spent  about  one  year  each  in  the  law  offices  of  O.  G.  Kellogg  and  Hurd  &  Brown, 
in  Utica,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  entered  the  county  clerk's  office,  where  he  re- 
mained a  little  more  than  two  years  as  search  clerk.  In  1858  he  came  to  Rome  and 
resumed  hisleg^l  studiesin  the  office  of  Johnson  &Boardman,  which  firm  soon  became 
Foster,  Johnson,  Boardman  &  Lynch.  Mr.  Prescott  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
Syracuse  General  term  in  the  summer  of  1859,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profess- 


128  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ion  in  the  spring  of  1860  in  Rome  under  the  firm  name  of  Greene  &  Prescott,  which 
continued  until  January  1,  18C5.  After  spending  the  years  1865  and  1866  in  travel- 
ing through  the  South  and  West  he  went  to  New  York  in  January,  1867,  as  financial 
clerk  for  a  wholesale  establishment.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  returned  to  Rome  and 
in  June  formed  a  co-partnership  with  D.  Minor  K.  Johnson,  formerly  of  the  firm  of 
Foster,  Johnson,  Boardman  &  Lynch, under  the  style  of  Johnson  &  Prescott.  This 
firm  continued  a  large  law  practice  until  Mr.  Johnson's  death  in  July,  1886.  Mr. 
Prescott  remained  alone  till  August  1,  1895,  when  the  present  copartnership  of  Pres- 
cott &  Titus  was  formed  by  the  admission  of  Charles  T.  Titus. 

Mr.  Prescott  has  been  a  staunch  Republican  since  the  organization  of  that  party. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  and  has  frequently  been 
called  to  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  adjutant  of  the  101st  Regt. 
N.  Y.  State  Militia  for  a  time,  was  alderman  from  the  Fifth  ward  of  Rome  one  term, 
member  and  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  three  years,  and  in  ISIS  repre- 
sented this  district  in  the  assembly,  where  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
railroads.  In  the  fall  of  1878  and  again  in  1880  he  was  elected  to  Congress  by  hand- 
some majorities,  which  attested  his  popularity  throughout  this  congressional  district. 
In  the  46th  Congress,  during  his  second  term,  he  was  chairman  of  the  celebrated 
committee  on  apportionment  and  brought  in  the  bill  for  reai)portioning  the  member- 
ship of  the  various  States.  This  was  the  leading  feature  of  that  session,  and  the 
part  Mr.  Prescott  bore  in  the  long  and  bitter  fight  which  ensued  redounds  to  his 
lasting  credit.  So  far  as  New  York  State  was  concerned  his  bill  was  passed  without 
material  change.  He  drew  up  and  secured  the  passage  in  the  45th  Congre.ss  of  a 
V)ill  authorizing  the  appropriation  of  $5,000  for  the  construction  of  the  Oriskany 
monument  in  honor  of  General  Herkimer.  Among  the  various  important  com- 
mittees of  which  he  was  a  member  was  the  committee  on  the  impro\ement  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  in  this  connection  he  was  one  of  five  c<  mmissiuners  appointed 
by  Congress  to  inspect  and  report  upon  the  condition  of  the  levees  along  that  stream 
below  St.  Louis.  In  both  Congresses  he  had  charge  of  several  measures  affecting  his 
county,  all  of  which  became  laws.  His  legislative  career,  both  as  assemblyman  and 
as  representative,  was  characterized  by  untiring  faithfulness  to  public  trust  and  by 
continued  watchfulness  over  the  interests  of  his  constituents.  As  a  citizen  he  has 
always  '=!ncouraged  every  project  which  promised  benefit  to  the  community. 

June  21,  1867,  Mr.  Prescott  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  F.  Cady,  a  native  of  Madi- 
son county,  and  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Cady,  of  Yonkers,  N.Y.,  but  formerly  of  Rome. 
They  have  four  children:  G.  Linnemann,  a  graduate  of  the  Rome  Academy  and  now 
a  resident  of  Rome;  Elizabeth  C.  (Mrs.  Clifton  B.  White),  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  ;  and 
Mabelle  T.  and  Ruth  Andrea,  at  home. 


W.  J.   p.    KINGSLEY,    M.I). 

WiiLKv  J.  P.  KiN(;si.EV,  M.D.,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Rome,  X.  Y..  a  son  of  Obediah 
and  Lovina  (Tucker)  Kiugsley,  and  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Frankfort,  Herkimer 
county,  four  miles  east  of  Utica,  on  July  9,  1824.      His  grandfather,  Jedediah  Kings- 


W.  J.   P.   KINGSLEY,  M.  D. 


\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  •  129 

ley,  came  from  Rhode  Island  to  Utica  when  that  city  contained  but  one  frame  build- 
ing ;  he  soon  moved  to  Herkimer  county  and  died  there. 

Dr.  Kingsley  obtamed  his  education  by  his  own  efforts.  Reared  on  a  farm  amid 
the  deprivations  of  the  pioneer  life  of  those  early  days  his  advantages  at  district 
schools  were  necessarily  limited,  but  by  continued  exertion  he  was  enabled  to  attend 
Whitestown  Seminary,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  He  read  medicine  with  Drs. 
Charles  B.  Coventry  and  D.  G.  Thomas,  of  Utica,  and  took  a  two  years'  course  at 
the  Geneva  Medical  College.  In  March,  1855,  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
M.D.  from  the  New  York  Medical  College  and  the  same  year  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Utica.  In  the  spring  of  1856  he  came  to  Rome,  where  he  has  ever 
since  resided.  For  many  3'ears  he  was  engaged  in  a  large  general  surgical  practice, 
having  at  one  time  a  more  extensive  professional  business  than  any  other  physician 
in  the  city.  Finally  cancer  cases  presented  themselves  in  such  constantly  increasing 
numbers  that  he  was  obliged  to  devote  most  of  his  time  to  their  treatment,  and 
eventually  abandoned  his  family  practice  altogether.  He  now  confines  his  attention 
exclusively  to  the  treatment  of  cancer,  chronic  diseases,  and  to  surgery,  having  spe- 
cially equipped  hospitals  for  the  purpose.  He  has  treated  over  40.000  cancer  cases, 
and  enjoys  almost  a  world  wide  reputation  for  skill  and  success. 

Dr.  Kingsley  has  been  president  of  the  Farmers'  National  Bank  since  its  organiza- 
tion, and  was  president  of  its  predecessor,  the  Bank  of  Rome,  which  was  incorporated 
as  a  State  bank  in  1H65  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Central  New  York 
Institution  for  Deaf  Mutes  in  Rome  in  1875  and  served  as  its  vice-president  until 
1895,  when  he  was  elected  president.  He  was  president  of  the  old  Rome  Iron  Works 
and  is  now  vice-president  of  the  Rome  Brass  and  Copper  Company,  the  Rome  Cem- 
etery Association,  and  the  Jervis  Literary  Association.  He  was  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  locomotive  works,  and  is  heavily  interested  in'many  other  business  enterprises. 
He  is  the  largest  individual  tax  payer  in  the  city.  In  charitable  and  benevolent  move- 
ments he  is  always  a  prominent  factor,  and  no  project  promising  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity fails  to  receive  his  substantial  aid  and  encouragement.  Public  spirited,  en- 
terprising, liberal,  and  kind  hearted,  he  is  widely  respected  as  a  citizen  as  well  as  a 
successful  physician.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  City  Hospital,  and  numerous  other 
similar  objects,  as  well  as  nearly  every  important  commercial  or  manufacturing 
enterprise,  have  felt  the  impulse  of  his  aid  and  benevolence.  In  pohtics  he  has 
always  been  a  staunch  Republican,  but  has  never  sought  office  or  public  preferment. 
At  the  charter  election  in  March,  1895,  he  was  elected  maj'or  of  the  city  of  Rome, 
though  a  Democratic  stronghold,  by  a  handsome  majority,  and  his  service  in  that 
capacity  has  been  characterized  by  fidelity,  impartiality,  and  general  satisfaction. 

December  4,  1860,  Dr.  Kingsley  was  married  to  Miss  Georgeanna  M.  Vogel, 
daughter  of  Henry  C.  Vogel,  D.D.,  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Rome.  They  have  had  three  sons :  Burt  A. ,  who  died  aged  two  years,  three  months, 
and  thirteen  days;  George  L.,  who  was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1886  and 
from  Harvard  Medical  College  in  1890,  appointed  house  surgeon  to  the  Massachusetts 
General  Hospital,  and  died  there  September  25.  1890;  and  Willey  L.,  also  a  graduate 
of  Yale  College,  class  of  1886,  and  of  Harvard  Medical  College  in  1890,  who,  after 
receiving  his  diploma  as  M.D.,  formed  a  partnership  with  his  father  under  the  style 
of  W  J.  P.  Kingsley  &  Son,  which  still  continues.  In  1891  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Kingley 
Q 


130  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

erected  in  the  Rome  Cemetery  a  handsome  memorial  chapel,  and  in  the  same  year 
equipped  the  new  gymnasium  of  Yale  University  at  New  Haven,  Conn  ,  both  iu 
memory  of  their  deceased  son,  Dr.  George  L. 


GORDON  N.   BISSI:LL 

Gordon  Needham  BissELL  was  born  in  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  September  ]'( 
1806,  and  spent  his  early  life  at  Onondaga  Hollow  near  Syracuse,  where  his  father, 
Dr.  John  Devotion  Bissell,  was  a  pioneer  physician.  The  family  is  of  French  Hu- 
guenot descent,  and  immediately  after  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  in  1572  many 
of  the  name  fled  to  England  to  escape  persecution.  Their  coat  of  arms,  which  was 
of  a  religious  rather  than  of  a  warlike  character,  is  thus  described  in  Burke's  "Com- 
plete Armory:"  "Bissell,  Gn.  on  a  bend,  or.\  three  escallops,  .y^r.  Crt'J/,  a  demi- 
eagle  with  wings  displayed,  .y^?. :  charged  on  neck  with  an  escallop  shell,  or."  The 
first  and  only  one  of  the  name  known  to  have  come  to  America  was  John  Bissell, 
who,  tradition  asserts,  arrived  with  his  family  at  Plymouth.  Mass.,  from  Somerset- 
shire, England,  in  1628.  In  1639  he  was  one  of  a  prospecting  party  authorized  to 
select  a  site  for  a  colony  in  what  is  now  Connecticut  and  the  next  year  he  became 
one  of  the  founders  of  Windsor,  where  he  received  the  monopoly  of  the  Scantic  Ferry. 
He  was  the  first  settler  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut  river  and  died  in  1677, 
aged  eighty-six,  leaving  children  whose  posterity  are  numerous,  energetic,  and  re- 
spected unto  the  present  day.  The  ancestry  of  Gordon  N.  Bissell  is  as  follows;  (1) 
John,  the  pioneer;  (2)  John,  jr.,  died  1693;  (3)  Daniel,  born  1663,  died  1738;  (4)  Ezek- 
iel,  born  1705,  died  in  Torringford,  Conn. ;  (5)  Ebenexer,  born  1743,  married  Lucy 
Roberts;  (6)  Dr.  John  D.,  who  in  old  age  moved  to  Chicago.  111.,  and  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1856;  and  (7)  Gordon  N.  Dr.  Bissell  married  Elizabeth  Forman,  of  Onon- 
daga Valley,  whose  brother.  Judge  Joshua  Forman,  was  an  early  influential  citizen 
of  Onondaga  county,  and  the  maternal  grandfather  of  Gov.  Horatio  Seymour. 

Gordon  N.  Bissell  was  educated  at  the  Onondaga  Academy  and  spent  several 
years  of  his  early  manhood  with  Judge  Forman  in  North  Corolina.  In  1837  he  came 
to  Rome,  Oneida  county,  and  commenced  the  construction  of  the  Black  River  canal 
as  a  contractor,  and  two  years  later  removed  to  North  Western,  where  he  also  opened 
a  general  store.  In  the  fall  of  1842  work  was  suspended  on  the  canal  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1843,  Mr.  Bissell,  after  disposing  of  his  mercantile  business,  returned  to  Rome, 
where  he  purchased  the  drug  store  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Pope.  The  following  summer  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Benjamin  N.  Leonard,  under  the  style  of  Bissell  &  Leon- 
ard, and  consolidated  the  drug  business  of  Chesebro  &  Leonard  with  his  own.  In 
1844  the  firm  moved  to  what  is  now  117  West  Dominick  street,  where  the  establish- 
ment has  ever  since  been  located,  and  known  as  the  checkered  store.  After  Mr. 
Leonard's  death  in  June,  1853,  Mr.  Bissell  continued  alone  until  his  oldest  son, 
Charles  F.,  attained  his  majority,  when  the  firm  became  G.  N.  Bissell  &  Son.  In 
April,  1862,  Charles  F.  withdrew  and  another  son,  John  G.,  was  admitted.  In  1883 
Mr.  Bissell  retired  and  the  business  was  continued  by  John  G.  Bissell  and  James  A 
Owens,  as  J.  G.  Bissell  &  Co.,  until  July  1,  1895,  when  Mr.  Owens  withdrew,  leaving 
the  proprietorship  in  the  hands  of  John  G.  Bissell,  the  present  owner. 


GORDON   N.   BISSELL. 


JAMES  H.  SEARLES. 


BIOGRA.PHICAL.  131 

Mr.  Bissell  was  for  many  years  actively  identified  with  the  banking  interests  of 
Rome.  He  was  a  director  and  for  some  time  the  vice-president  of  the  old  Bank  of 
Rome  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Rome  Exchange  Bank  (now  the  First  National), 
of  which  he  was  several  j^ears  the  president.  He  was  for  many  years  president  of 
the  Rome  Savings  Bank  and  of  the  Rome  Gas  Light  Company,  holding  both  posi- 
tions at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  February  19,  1891.  He  was  one  of  the 
chief  promoters  and  organizers  of  the  Rome  Iron  Works  (now  the  Rome  Brass  and 
Copper  Compan}')  and  also  of  the  Rome  Cemetery  Association,  of  which  he  was  long 
a  trustee. 

In  all  public  improvements  and  enterprises  he  took  a  great  interest,  and  worked 
for  the  prosperity  and  advancement  of  the  city.  He  was  an  advocate  of  plank 
roads  in  early  days,  and  later  of  railroads,  manufacturing  industries  and  all  that 
promoted  the  welfare  of  the  town.  He  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
respected  citizens  of  Rome;  a  man  of  rare  personal  worth,  and  held  in  high  esteem. 
His  name  was  the  synonym  for  integrity,  honesty,  and  fair  dealing;  his  religion  he 
took  with  him  into  all  his  business  relations.  He  was  noted  for  his  earnestness,  his 
honesty  of  purpose,  his  perfect  candor,  and  his  fairness;  he  would  allow  no  imposi- 
tion upon  any  person  with  whom  he  did  business  or  came  into  contact.  He  repre- 
sented all  things  exactly  as  they  were,  and  rather  than  allow  his  customer  to  suffer 
he  would  himself  take  the  consequences. 

Mr.  Bissell  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  wanted  office,  although  he  was 
frequently  urged  to  accept  nominations.  His  only  public  position  was  that  of  village 
trustee.  He  was  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  Zion  Episcopal  church,  and  for  thirty 
years  was  vestryman  or  warden.  When  he  wished  to  retire  on  account  of  advancing 
years,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  his  colleagues,  in  recognition  of  his  judgment 
and  experience,  made  him  warden  emeritus. 

February  3,  1829,  Mr.  Bissell  married  Miss  Luthera  Ward,  daughter  of  William 
Ward,  a  pioneer  of  Manlius,  Onondaga  county.  She  was  born  February  3,  1808, 
and  died  September  20,  1856,  leaving  six  children  who  attained  majority,  viz. : 
Mary  L.,  Margaret  A.,  John  G.,  and  Laura  (Mrs.  Frank  B.  Haff),  of  Rome;  Charles 
F.,  of  Austin,  Texas;  and  William  W.,  of  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. 


JAMES  H.   SEARLES. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Belleville,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  August 
6,  1832.  He  was  the  son  of  Martha  Gott  Ransom  and  James  H.  Searles,  who  was  a 
leading  merchant  in  the  town  of  Ellisburgh  many  years.  Mr.  Searles  came  to  Rome 
January  1,  1867,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in  the  banking,  real  estate  and  insur- 
ance business.  A  zealous,  broad  natured  citizen,  always  in  sympathy  with  any  good 
and  able  enterprise  that  might  be  for  public  advancement. 

He  was  twice  married.  First,  to  Frances  Barrilla,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mol- 
lie  Stark  Webster,  June  19,  1859.  Three  children  were  born  by  that  union— James 
Webster  Searles,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  Katherine  Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  Jay  Hatha- 
way Utley.  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  Jenny  Frances,  born  April  29,  1860,  at 


132  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Kalamazoo  Mich.,  died  October  12,  1880.  Second  to  Eloise  Catherine,  daughter  of 
John  Milton  and  Mary  Abbott  Rumney,  April  18.  1872.  Four  children  were  born 
to  them-  John  Rumney  Searles,  Charles  Noble  Searles,  Elizabeth  Porter  Searles, 
and  Martha  Eloise  Searles.  born  February  4,  1879,  at  Rome,  died  February  28.  1880. 
Eloise  C.  Searles  is  a  grand  niece  of  Newton  Mann,  whose  portrait  appears  in  this 


work 


CHARLES  W.   DARLING. 

Gen.  Chaki.es  W.  Daki.inc,  was  born  in  New  Haven.  Conn.,  October  11,  1830. 
His  family  is  of  New  England  origin,  having  intermarried  with  the  families  of  Pier- 
pont,  Noyes,  Chauncey,  Ely,  Davis,  and  Dana.  His  great-grandfather,  a  graduate 
of  Yale,  was  Hon.  Thomas  Darling,  an  eminent  jurist  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  who 
married  Abigail  Noyes,  granddaughter  of  Rev.  James  Pierpont,  of  New  Haven,  one 
of  the  founders  of  Yale  College.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  Gen.  Charles  W.  was 
Dr.  Samuel  Darlmg,  of  the  same  city,  a  graduate  of  Yale  who  married  Clarinda, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Richard  Ely,  of  Saybrook,  Conn.  His  youngest  son,  the  father  of 
General  Darhng,  was  Rev.  Charles  Chauncey  Darling,  who  was  graduated  from 
Yale  College  and  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  and  having  entered  the  ministry 
subsequently  made  his  residence  in  New  York.  He  married  Adeline  E.,  daughter 
of  William  Dana,  of  Boston,  and  granddaughter  of  Major  Robert  Davis,  an  officer 
of  artillery  in  the  Revolution. 

The  boyhood  of  General  Darling  was  devoted  largely  to  study,  under  the  guidance 
of  a  private  tutor.  After  matriculating  at  the  classical  and  mathematical  department 
of  the  New  York  University,  he  passed  through  its  regular  curriculum,  and  subse- 
quently received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Hamilton  College.  He  entered 
as  clerk  a  mercantile  house  in  New  York  city,  and  several  years  later  he  be- 
came connected  as  secretary  with  an  incorporated  company  under  the  presidency 
of  Commodore  C.  K.  Garrison.  Shortly  afterward,  he  resigned  his  position  to  accept 
the  presidency  of  a  manufacturing  company,  with  which  he  was  associated  for  several 
years.  When  he  ceased  his  immediate  relations  with  business,  he  made  his  first  trip 
to  Europe,  to  gratify  those  literary  and  artistic  tastes  which  his  active  life  had  for- 
bidden. Returning  from  his  Continental  tour,  when  the  question  of  the  possible  se- 
cession of  the  South  from  the  Federal  Union  was  receiving  much  public  discussion, 
he  connected  himself  with  the  National  Guard  of  New  York,  and,  when  Hon.  Edwin 
D.  Morgan  was  elected  governor,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  his  staff  with  rank 
of  colonel.  He  also  identified  himself  with  political  matters,  and  was  president  of 
one  of  the  Republican  organizations  of  his  district.  By  his  decision  of  character  he 
united  many  discordant  elements  in  the  party,  subdued  the  passions  of  some,  deep- 
ened the  love  of  country  in  the  hearts  of  others,  and  preserved  order  frequently 
under  difficult  circumstances.  When  in  the  summer  of  1863  New  York  became  the 
scene  of  riots.  General  Darling  was  called  upon  to  perform  difficult  and  dangerous 
duties,  and  his  firm  stand  on  that  memorable  occasion  received  the  most  cordial 
approbation  of  the  military  as  well  as  the  civil  authorities. 

Early  in  1864  Colonel  Darling  received   the  appointment  of  additional   volunteer 


'LTblistmip  EcEBpravJr. 


Q/yn^^AAJ^cK 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  I33 

aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Maj. -Gen. Benjamin  F.  Butler,  then  in  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  James,  and  was  assigned  special  dvities  at  his  temporary  headquarters 
in  New  York.  At  this  time  the  draft  was  to  be  enforced.  As  it  was  known  that  the 
authorities  had  made  every  preparation,  and  16,000  men  under  larms  were  afloat  in 
the  harbor,  no  attempt  was  made  to  resist  the  enforcement  of  the  law.  When  Hon. 
Reuben  E.  Fenton  was  elected  governor  of  the  State  in  1865  Colonel  Darling  was 
recommended  for  the  position  of  head  of  one  of  the  military  departments.  His 
qualifications  for  the  important  trust  were  supported  by  recommendations  from 
Major-Generals  Butler,  Doubleday  and  Warren ;  Brigadier-Generals  Van  Vliet, 
Webb,  Davies,  Morris,  Gordon,  and  Granger;  and  twenty-one  commandants  of  reg- 
iments and  batteries  in  the  field.  A  large  number  of  influential  politicians  also 
joined  in  the  request,  among  whom  were  the  mayor  of  New  York,  the  collector  and 
surveyor  of  the  port,  the  postmaster,  the  chairman  of  the  Union  Central  Committee, 
and  several  members  of  Congress.  This  powerful  influence  had  its  eftect,  and  Col- 
onel Darling,  in  view  of  his  past  business  training  and  his  reputation  for  order  and 
integrity,  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  paymaster  general's  department,  which  at 
this  critical  period  was  of  the  first  importance.  As  many  of  the  soldiers  were  being 
mustered  out,  through  the  expiration  of  their  terms  of  enlistment,  no  little  watchful- 
ness and  executive  ability  were  required  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  brave  de- 
fenders of  their  country,  as  well  as  those  of  the  government. 

At  the  Union  State  Convention  of  the  Republican  party,  held  in  Syracuse,  Septem- 
ber, 1866,  among  the  delegates  from  the  city  of  New  York  was  General  Darling. 
When  the  roll  of  delegates  was  called,  it  was  claimed  that  the  delegates  sent  from  the 
Seventh  Assembly  District  represented  the  conservative  element  and  were  hostile  to 
the  radicals  who  called  the  convention.  It  caused  some  excitement:  a  recess  was 
called,  and  during  this  recess  General  Darling  with  wise  diplomacy  reconciled  op- 
posing factions  by  resigning  his  seat  in  favor  of  Sinclair  Tousey  upon  condition  that 
his  two  associates  should  compose  with  him  the  delegation.  This  arrangement  was 
acceptable  to  the  convention  and  the  renomination  of  Governor  Fenton  was  thus 
secured  beyond  a  doubt  and  made  unanirnous.  In  1866  Colonel  Darling  was  com- 
missioned as  commissary-general  of  subsistence,  which  brought  him  into  still  closer 
relations  with  Governor  Fenton  as  a  member  of  his  military  cabinet.  This  oflice  he 
held  until  January  1,  1867,  when,  on  the  re-election  of  the  governor,  General  Darling 
received  the  appointment  of  military  engineer-in-chief  ot  the  State  of  New  York 
with  the  rank  of  brigadier  general.  When  the  administration  of  Governor  Fenton 
was  Hearing  its  close  General  Darling  applied  for  and  obtained  leave  of  absence  to 
visit  Europe  again  on  a  tour  of  instruction  and  pleasure.  While  in  England  he  re- 
ceived many  courtesies;  among  the  various  invitations  extended  to  him  was  one 
from  Lord  Elcho  to  meet  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  and  be 
present  with  them  on  a  review  of  troops  at  Aldershot.  In  a  subsequent  trip  abroad 
with  his  wife  he  traveled  extensively  through  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  making  the 
trip  up  the  Nile,  through  Ethiopia  and  Nubia,  as  far  as  the  river  is  navigable.  Dur- 
ing this  time  many  articles  from  his  pen,  of  a  historical  and  political  character, 
appeared  in  our  various  magazines  and  new-spajjers. 

Having  means  at  his  command,  which  renders  him  independent  of  business  cares, 
General  Darling  has  beeii  able  to  gratify  to  the  utmost  his  literary  and  scientific 


134  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tastes.  Ten  years  of  his  life  have  been  devoted  to  foreign  travel  in  nearly'  every 
country  of  the  globe,  and  from  this  broad  experience  he  has  returned  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  national  manners  and  customs  and  a  fund  of  general  information  which  has 
been  of  great  value  in  his  writings.  Intensely  fond  of  historical  studies  he  has  pros- 
ecuted his  investigations  in  this  department  of  learning  with  unusual  diligence  and 
with  excellent  results.  His  writings  cover  a  wide  range  of  themes,  which  he  handles 
with  skill,  and  in  a  way  to  interest  both  the  specialist  and  the  general  reader.  His 
high  character,  scholarly  attainments,  and  distinguished  public  services,  have  given 
him  a  large  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  j^ublic  men  of  the  day  and  earned  for  him 
many  scientific  and  literary  honors. 

His  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  his  prominent  connection  with  some  of  the 
most  stirring  events  happening  in  his  time,  have  necessarily  made  him  to  a  certain 
extent  a  conspicuous  figure  among  his  fellow  citizens,  by  whom  he  is  held  in  universal 
esteem.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  has  persistently  held  aloof  from  politics, 
preferring  the  more  congenial  pursuits  of  literature  and  historical  research,  he  has 
several  times  been  asked  to  become  a  candidate  for  municipal  positions,  but  while 
appreciating  the  honor  he  has  declined  all  political  preferment.  His  work  is  per- 
formed quietly  among  his  books,  from  which  he  feels  that  nothing  save  the  gravest 
condition  of  public  affairs  can  separate  him.  For  several  years  he  held  the  office  of 
president  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Utica,  his  present  adopted 
home,  and  he  is  now  one  of  its  directors.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  past 
struggles  of  that  association  for  life,  concede  that  he  carried  it  through  the  most 
critical  period  of  its  history.  As  a  result  of  those  arduous  undertakings,  an  elegant 
structure  has  been  erected  for  the  Utica  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  by  its 
friends,  and  the  building  is  considered  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  ornaments  of  the 
city.  General  Darling  was  also  a  member  of  the  State  Executive  Committee  of  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations,  and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  in  1888,  he  was 
elected  one  of  its  trustees.  His  interest  in  religious  matters,  however,  is  not  confined 
to  affairs  with  this  department  of  Christian  work.  He  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Utica.  Through  his  conneetion  with  the  Oneida  Historical 
Society  he  has  cultivated  his  taste  for  historical  studies,  and  his  literary  productions 
are  numerous.  He  never  writes  for  pecuniary  compensation,  and  the  elegant  mon- 
ographs, brochures,  essays,  excerpta,  etc.,  which  he  frequently  sends  out,  are  printed 
for  private  distribution. 

On  the  21st  of  December,  1857,  General  Darling  married  Angelina  E.,  second 
daughter  of  Jacob  A.  Robertson,  a  wealthy  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  New 
York.  His  father  was  Archibald  Robertson,  the  Scotch  artist  who  painted  from  li'^e 
the  celebrated  miniatures  on  ivory  of  General  and  Martha  Washington,  during  the 
time  when  he  was  sojourning  as  a  guest  in  the  family  of  the  "  First  President."  His 
brothers  were  Andrew  J.,  Alexander  H.  (who  at  the  time  of  his  decease  was  grand 
master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  State  of  New  York), 
and  Anthony  L.  Robertson,  surrogate  of  New  York  in  1848,  and  chief  justice  of  the 
Superior  Court  in  1860-69.  A  sister  of  these  brothers  married  Henn-  Winslow, 
founder  of  the  banking  house  bearing  his  name.  Another  sister  married  Robert  N. 
Tinson  of  England  and  well  known  as  a  resident  of  New  York  city.  General  Darling 
has  no  children  to  inherit  the  honor  of  a  good  name,  but  his  fondness  for  the  little 
ones  makes  him  always  a  favorite  with  them. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  135 

General  Darling  was  also  a  member  of  the  advisory  council  of  the.  World's  Con- 
gress Auxiliary  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  on  historical  literature.  This 
congress  was  authorized  and  supported  by  the  Exposition  corporation  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bringing  about  a  series  of  conventions  of  the  leaders,  at  home  and  abroad,  in 
the  various  departments  of  human  progress  during  the  Exposition  season  of  1893. 
It  was  approved  and  recognized  by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  its 
general  announcement  was  sent  to  foreign  governments  by  the  Department  of  State. 
An  appropriation  on  account  of  its  expenses  was  made  by  an  act  of  Congress. 

General  Darling  is  a  hereditary  member  of  the  general  society  of  Colonial  Wars, 
S.  N.  Y.,  by  right  of  his  descent  from  John  Haynes,  governor  of  Massachusetts  in 
1635.  and  of  Connecticut  in  1639,  and  every  alternate  year  thereafter  until  1654,  when 
he  died. 

He  is  also  a  "  Son  of  the  Revolution  "  by  reason  of  his  being  a  great-grandson  of 
Major  Robert  Davis,  of  the  artillery  under  General  Washington.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Historical  Association,  Honorary  Fellow  of  the  Society  of  Science,  Letters, 
and  Art,  London,  England;  associate  member  of  the  Victoria  Institute;  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  Chautauqua  Society  of  Historj'  and  Natural  Science,  New  York;  Waterloo 
Historical  Society,  New  York;  New  Jersey  Historical  Society;  Alabama  Historical 
Society;  Mi.ssissippi  Historical  Society ;  Iowa  Historical  Society;  Alaska  Historical 
Society;  Pioneer  and  Historical  Society  of  Lansing,  Mich.  ;  Historical  Society  L^niver- 
sity.  Miss.  ;  Historical  Societies  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  ;  and  at  Charlestown,  W.  Va.  ; 
corresponding  member  of  the  American  Ethnological  Society ;  Academy  of  Anthrop- 
ology; American  Numismatic  and  Archccological  Society;  Buffalo  Historical  Society; 
Mohawk  Valley  Historical  Society,  and  the  Cayuga  County  Historical  So- 
ciety, all  of  New  York.  In  the  State  of  Maine  he  is  m  the  same  manner  connected 
with  the  Bangor  Historical  Society;  in  New  Hampshire,  with  the  Historical  Society 
of  Concord;  in  Vermont  with  the  Middlebury  Historical  Society.  In  Massachusetts, 
with  the  New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society ;  the  Dedham  Historical  So- 
ciety ;  the  Old  Colony  Historical  Society ;  and  the  Ipswich  Historical  Society.  In  Rhode 
Island,  with  the  Newport  Historical  Society.  In  Connecticut,  with  the  Connecticut 
Historical  Society;  the  New  Haven  Colony  Historical  Society;  the  Fairfield  County 
Historical  Society ;  and  the  Saugatuck  Historical  Society.  In  Ohio  with  the  State 
Archa^ilogical  and  Historical  Society;  and  the  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society. 
In  Pennsylvania  with  the  Numismatic  and  Antiquarian  Society;  the  Linnean  His- 
torical and  Scientific  Society;  and  the  Wyoming  Geological  and  Historical  Society. 
In  New  Jersey,  with  the  Burlington  County  Lyceum  of  History  and  Natural  Science. 
In  North  Carolina  with  the  Historical  Society  of  Chapel  Hill.  In  Indiana,  with 
the  Geological  and  Historical  Society  at  Indianapolis.  In  Maryland,  with  the 
Historical  Society  of  Baltimore.  In  Virginia,  with  the  Historical  Society  at  Richmond. 
In  Georgia,  with  the  Historical  Society  at  Savannah.  In  Tennessee,  with  the  Histori- 
cal Society  at  Nashville.  In  Wisconsin,  with  the  Historical  Society  at  Madison.  In 
Minnesota,  with  the  Historical  Society  at  St.  Paul.  In  Kansas,  with  the  Historical  So- 
ciety at  Topeka.  In  Nebraska,  with  the  Historical  Society  at  Lincoln.  In  California, 
with  the  Geographical  Society  of  the  Pacific,  at  San  Francisco ;  the  Historical  Society 
of  Southern  California ;  and  the  Historical  Society  at  San  Francisco.  In  Canada,  with 
the  Quebec  Literary  and  Historical  Society.     In  South  Carolina,  with  the  Historical 


I 


136  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Society  at  Charleston.  In  Washington,  with  the  Historical  Societies  at  Tacoma, 
Walla  Walla.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society,  at  Utica.  N.  Y., 
and  its  corresponding  secretary;  and  honorary  secretary,  at  Utica,  of  the  Egypt 
Exploration  Fund,  of  London,  England. 


DR.   SETH  CAPRON. 

Dk.  Seth  Cai-ron.  eldest  son  of  Elisha,  was  born  m  Attleboro,  Mass.,  September 
23,  1762.  Banfield  Capron,  his  great-grandfather,  was  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America.  In  the  year  1074  he  and  three  boy  schoolmates,  about  fourteen  years  of 
age,  agreed  among  themselves  to  leave  their  home  and  friends  in  England  and  seek 
their  fortune  in  the  New  World.  Finding  a  vessel  about  to  sail  they  concealed 
themselves  in  the  hold,  with  food  enough  for  a  few  days.  On  the  fourth  day  out 
they  were  discovered,  but  allowed  to  continue  the  voyage.  They  landed  in  Boston. 
Banfield  Capron  died  in  Attleboro.  Mass  ,  August  20,  1752,  aged  ninety-two  years. 
Of  his  twelve  children  Jonathan,  father  of  Elisha  and  grandfather  of  Dr.  Seth,  was 
the  sixth. 

Dr.  Seth  Capron  was  too  young  when  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out  to  be 
drafted  and  too  short  in  stature  to  pass  inspection.  At  the  time  of  the  country's 
greatest  peril,  it  is  known  that  in  order  to  pass  at  muster,  he  managed  to  ele- 
vate himself  on  his  toes,  and  so  enlisted  in  defense  of  his  country  at  the  age 
of  nineteen.  Shortly  afterward  he  was  at  the  siege  of  Newport,  attached  to  General 
La  Fayette's  corps  of  light  infantry.  It  was  there  he  first  heard  the  music  of  artillery 
and  where  a  cannon  ball  aimed  at  the  general  grazed  the  top  of  his  head.  Dr.  Ca- 
pron took  part  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains  and  was  then  transferred  to  headquarters 
at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  as  a  non-commissioned  officer  under  Washington.  There  he 
served  during  the  remainder  of  the  war,  commanding  the  barge  that  conveyed  the 
"  Father  of  his  country  "  to  Elizabethtown  Point,  and  was  the  last  man  to  receive 
the  general's  benediction. 

Immediately  after  returning  home  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Beza- 
leel  Mann,  an  eminent  physician  of  his  day,  and  whose  daughter,  Eunice  Mann,  he 
afterwards  married.  In  due  time  he  entered  upon  his  profession,  first  at  Cumber- 
land, R.  I.  In  1806  he  removed  with  his  wife  and  four  sons  to  Oneida  county,  N.  Y., 
and  located  at  Whitesboro,  at  that  time  a  small  village  three  miles  west  of  Utica. 
He  traveled  across  the  country  in  his  own  conveyance,  then  an  almost  unbroken 
wilderness  of  500  miles  with  here  and  there  a  settlement.  W'hitestown  was  at  that 
time  the  Gem  of  the  West,  being  composed  for  the  most  part  of  families  of  rare  cul- 
ture and  refinement.  There  by  diligent  attention  to  his  profession  he  acquired  a 
competency.  At  the  same  time  he  took  great  interest  in  the  establishment  of  manu- 
factories on  a  permanent  basis,  considering  it  indispensable  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
nation.  The  formation  of  the  first  company  and  the  building  of  the  first  factory 
met  with  much  opposition.  It  was  branded  as  visionary  and  ruinous,  and  would 
have  discouraged  most  men,  but  he  was  endowed  with  remarkable  foresight  and  in- 
domitable energy  and  perseverance.     To  these  qualities  must  be  ascribed  the  sue- 


SHTH   CAPRON,  M.  D. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


137 


cessful  effort  of  building  the  first  cotton  and  woolen  factories  in  the  State  of  New 
York. 

In  1823  Dr.  Capron  removed  to  Walden,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  and  built  up  the 
cotton  and  woolen  interests  in  that  now  flourishing  town.  He  was  the  originator  of 
the  scheme  which  resulted  in  the  building  of  the  cotton  and  woolen  mills  there,  and 
was  for  some  time  the  superintendent  and  manager. 

Dr.  Capron  died  in  Walden,  N.  Y.,  on  Friday,  September  4,  1835,  agen  seventy - 
four.     The  following  lines  on  his  death  were  written  by  Mrs.  Sophia  Cooke: 


"  Dust  unto  du.st,"  and  to  his  God, 
Earth  has  resigned  the  trust  He  gave; 

Yet  memory  shrines  the  burial  sod, 
And  marks  it  at  the  good  man's  grave. 

And  mourn  we  o'er  that  buried  one; 

Oh!  take  the  gath'ring  clouds  of  care, 
And  fling  them  round  life's  setting  sun, 

.\nd  lose  them  in  the  glory  there. 

(ilory,  that  needs  no  storied  pen 
Kt)r  one  wlio  never  asked  for  fame, 

Vet  winning  from  his  fellow  men 
The  glory  of  an  honest  name. 

Go  learn  it  at  the  cottage  hearth, 
And  in  the  peace  that  hovers  there; 

.\nd  when  night  lifts  tlie  thoughts  from  earth, 
'Tis  breathed  in  blessing  and  in  prayer. 

For  one  who  sought  the  erring  soul. 
And  led  it  from  guilt's  darkened  road, 


Winning  the  tempted  from  his  bowl 
Back  to  himself— his  home— his  God. 

And  yet  with  such  simplicity 
Of  heart,  w^as  action  bound  the  while. 

That  children  fondly  climb  his  knee 
To  meet  a  welcome  and  a  smile. 

And  when  they  heard  his  voice  no  more, 
In  little  bands  I've  seen  them  come 

And  point  the  stranger  to  his  door 
And  whisper,  "  That  was  once  his  home. 

He  lived  till  age  had  crowned  with  snows 
His  brow,  yet  like  the  Syrian  hill 

.Vmid  the  waste  of  life  he  rose, 
And  verdure  clasped  his  bosom  still. 

He  died  as  died  the  forest  tree, 
Round  which  the  deathless  ivy  twined. 

Scathed  by  the  stroke,  Mortality, 
Yet  foliaged  with  immortal  mind. 


The  following  is  from  a  periodical  of  that  da}': 

"  The  name  of  Dr.  Seth  Capron  will  be  identified  with  the  history  of  cotton  and 
woolen  manufacturers  in  the  State  of  New  York.  He  was  a  man  of  great  integrity 
and  moral  worth,  and  uncommon  ardor,  enterprise,  and  industry.  His  open,  manly, 
and  conciliating  and  determined  conduct  enabled  him  to  triumph  over  obstacles  that 
would  have  discouraged  most  men.  Indefatigable  in  promoting  sound  morals 
among  his  fellow  citizens  he  was  a  leader  in  the  temperance  cause,  the  first  to  ban- 
ish brandy  and  wine  from  his  sideboard.  His  mild  persuasive  manners  and  the 
honesty  and  goodness  of  his  purposes  were  manifest  in  all  his  conduct,  and  the  uni- 
form correctness  of  his  example  gave  him  a  wonderful  influence  over  the  villagers. 
Obedience  followed  his  will  as  if  he  had  been  invested  with  absolute  power,  and  the 
village  of  Walden  will  long  mourn  for  him  as  for  a  father." 

Dr.  Capron's  wife  was  Miss  Eunice  Mann,  a  sister  of  Newton  Mann,  esq.  whose 
portrait  and  biographical  sketch  appear  in  this  volume.  Their  sons  were  Newton, 
John,  Dr.  Seth,  jr.,  and  Gen.  Horace  Capron.  The  latter  was  at  one  time  United 
States  commissioner  of  agriculture,  and  was  afterwards  employed  by  the  Japanese 
government  in  the  same  capacity,  where  he  served  for  five  years.  All  are  dead.  One 
daughter  survives,  Mrs.  Louise  Kirwan  Capron  Thiers,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  who 
is  one  of  the  twelve  daughters  of  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  who  are  members  of  the 
Society  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 
B 


138  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ABIJAH  JEWEL  WILLIAMS. 

Abijah  Jewel  Williams,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Roger  Williams,  the  founder  of  the  commonwealth  of  Rhode  Island  in  1636,  and  a 
grandson  of  David  Williams,  who  was  born  in  Berlin,  Conn.,  in  1744,  and  died  at 
Clinton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1838.  David  Williams  married  Mindwell  Sage,  who 
was  born  in  Berlin,  Conn.,  and  who  died  March  9,  1818.  Their  son,  Levi  Will- 
iams, father  of  Abijah  J.,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  on  October  6,  1775,  and  died 
in  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  October  30,  1857.  On  October  31, 1800,  Levi  married  Chloe  Wilk- 
inson, who  was  born  in  Connecticut  on  November  3.  1783,  and  who  died  at  Oriskany, 
N.  Y. ,  January  3,  1864.  About  the  year  of  their  marriage  (1800)  Levi  and  Chloe  (Wilk- 
inson) Williams  moved  to  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  Whitesboro 
hills,  between  Whitesboro  and  Oriskany.  Thence  they  moved  to  Manchester,  now 
Kirkland,  in  the  same  county,  and  from  there  to  Coleman's  Mills,  on  the  Oriskany  hills, 
where  Abijah  Jewell  Williams  was  born  July  13,  1805.  Some  years  afterward  Levi  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  the  village  of  Oriskany,  where  he  and  his  wife  resided  un- 
til their  deaths  in  1857  and  1864,  respectively.  The  family  inherited  in  a  marked  de- 
gree the  ennobling  characteristics  of  native  New  Englanders,  and  implanted  in  the 
communities  where  they  resided  an  enduring  standard  of  civilization.  They  exerted 
a  wholesome  influence  in  the  early  history  of  this  section,  bore  with  fortitude  and 
exemplary  courage  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  and  left  a  name  untarnished  in  the 
annals  of  Oneida  county,  and  a  name  of  which  their  descendants  may  well  be  proud. 

Abijah  Jewel  Williams  I'eceived  such  educational  advantages  as  the  district  schools 
of  his  day  afforded,  and  early  in  life  devoted  himself  to  business  pursuits.  While  at 
Oriskany,  and  when  quite  young,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and 
woolen  factory  supplies,  such  as  reeds,  shuttles  bobbins,  spools,  twine  and  wire 
harness,  and  gradually  built  up  a  large  and  prosperous  business,  which  increased  so 
rapidly  that  he  finally  concluded  to  move  to  Utica.  The  city  was  then  springing 
into  prominence  as  a  manufacturing  center  and  offered  advantages  which  Mr.  Will- 
iams was  quick  to  comprehend.  In  April,  1841,  he  exchanged  his  house  and  lot  in 
Oriskany  with  Ezekiel  Bacon  (father  of  the  late  Judge  William  J.  Bacon)  for  the 
store  No.  215  Genesee  street,  L^tica,  and  the  shop  in  its  rear  on  Church  lane  (which 
was  torn  down  in  1889  by  his  son,  Irvin  A.  William.s,  who  erected  on  the  site  his 
present  fine,  large,  five-story  brick  block  fronting  on  Blandina  street).  He  then 
(April,  1841)  moved  his  family  and  machine  works  to  Utica  and  increased  his  busi- 
ness largely  by  adding  to  it  several  new  branches,  notably  card  clothing,  used  in 
factories.  About  this  time  he  invented  and  was  granted  a  patent  for  a  new  wire 
heddle,  which  superseded  all  other  heddles,  and  which  is  now  used  all  over  the 
world  in  cotton  and  woolen  mills.  He  also  received  a  patent  for  the  very  ingenious 
machine  which  makes  this  heddle.  He  added  to  his  business  a  large  machine  shop, 
in  which  all  of  the  first  looms  were  built  for  the  L'tica  Steam  Cotton  Mills.  Some 
considerable  time  before  his  death  he  transferred  this  business  to  his  sons,  James  H. 
and  Norman  A.  Williams,  and  engaged  in  other  lines  of  industry. 

Mr.  Williams's  business  had  brought  him  into  association  with  large  manufacturers 
throughout  the  different  States.  He  became  interested  in  almost  all  of  the  leading 
cotton  and  woolen  manufacturing  corporations  in   LTtica  and  vicinity,  and  was  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL,  139 

large  stockholder  in  them.  He  was  one  of  the  first  promoters  and  locaters  of  the 
Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  a  director  from  the  time  of  its  organization  to  his  death, 
July  27,  1886,  a  period  of  over  thirty  years,  and  the  largest  stockholder,  owning 
nearly  one-sixth  of  the  stock  of  the  company.  He  was  the  first  to  advocate  the 
manufacturing  of  yarn  and  the  building  of  the  Skenandoa  Cotton  Mills  in  Utica,  was 
one  of  the  largest  stockholders,  and  was  president  of  the  company  from  the  time  it 
was  organized  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first  promoters,  vice- 
president,  and  a  director  of  the  Willowvale  Bleaching  Company  from  its  organiza- 
tion to  the  date  of  his  death.  He  was  for  nine  years  president  of  the  Oneida  Na- 
tional Bank  and  a  director  for  more  tha.i  twenty  years  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
advocated  and  was  one  of  the  first  t ,  suoscribe  for  stock  to  build  the  Utica  and  Black 
River  Railroad  and  was  one  of  its  first  directors,  holding  the  office  until  his  decease. 
He  was  the  first  chairman  of  the  committee  of  organizers  and  a  director  of  the  Utica 
and  Chenango  Valley  Railroad,  and  was  connected  for  several  years  up  to  1860  with 
the  Utica  Globe  Woolen  Company,  being  one  of  its  directors  and  president.  In  1860 
he  sold  hi:  interest  in  the  Utica  Globe  Woolen  Company  and  with  two  other  capital- 
ists purchased  the  Empire  Mills  at  Clayville,  N.  Y  ,  which  had  been  laying  idle  for 
many  years.  They  started  the  mills  with  the  old  machinery  and  began  to  manufac- 
ture entirely  army  overcoatings.  After  the  war  they  put  in  new  machinery  and  ran 
the  mills  on  fine  cassimeres  and  worsteds  and  other  goods,  which  obtained  a  ready 
sale.  A  short  time  afterward  he  bought  out  his  two  partners  and  associated  with 
him  in  the  company  his  four  sons,  Aras  G.  Williams,  Irvin  A.  Williams,  James  H. 
Williams,  and  Norman  A.  Williams.  Before  his  death  two  of  his  sons,  Aras  G.  and 
Norman  A.  Williams,  died.  After  his  death  Irvin  A.  and  James  H.  Williams  were 
the  only  directors  remaining,  Irvin  A.  Williams  being  its  president. 

Abijah  J.  Williams  was  a  man  of  great  industry,  of  unquestioned  integrity  and 
uprightness  of  character,  and  was  fully  capable  of  grasping  and  executing  large 
plans,  usually  with  success.  He  always  gave  close  personal  application  to  business. 
Because  of  his  long  and  successful  business  career,  his  business  qualificatfons,  and 
his  sound  judgment  on  financial  and  commercial  matters  of  importance,  his  counsel 
was  often  sought  in  the  companies  with  which  he  was  connected  and  to  whose  pros- 
perity he  contributed  so  materially.  Public  spirited,  enterprising,  and  benevolent 
he  took  a  just  pride  in  the  city's  advancement  and  was  thoroughly  identified  with  its 
everv  interest.  In  politics  he  belonged  to  the  old  Whig  party  and  was  always  a  high 
tarift'  advocate.  In  later  years  he  affiliated  with  the  Republicans,  but  never  took  a 
very  active  part  in  political  aftairs.  In  1849  he  was  elected  the  first  alderman  from 
"  Cornhill,"  which  composed  a  portion  of  the  Fourth  ward,  and  which  is  now  the 
Seventh,  Tenth,  and  Twelfth  wards  of  Utica.  He  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  the  city  and  contributed  largely  to  it  and  its  charitable  institutions.  In  military 
matters  he  also  won  honors,  becoming  a  colonel  in  the  old  State  organization.  He 
was  one  of  the  eight  body  guard  selected  from  the  State  militia  to  escort  General 
La  Fayette  from  near  the  Oriskany  battle-ground  to  Whitesboro  when  that  distin- 
guished veteran  visited  this  country  in  1825,  the  year  the  Erie  Canal  was  opened. 

Mr.  WilHams  was  married  at  Whitesboro  by  Rev.  John  Frost,  on  November  4, 
1824,  to  Miss  Mary  Billington,  who  was  born  at  Stone  Arabia,  N.  Y.  (a  place  of 
Revolutionarv  fame  a  short  distance  below  Little  Falls),  on  March  26,  1805,  and  who 


140  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

died  in  Utica  on  January  2,  1882.  Mr.  Williams  died  in  Utica  on  July  27, 1886.  Mrs. 
Williams's  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Waggonor,  was  also  a  native 
of  Stone  Arabia  and  a  member  of  the  Waggonor  family  who  fought  with  General 
Herkimer  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  in  which  two  of  her  brothers  participated.  Mar- 
garet Waggonor  married  Peter  Billington.  His  father,  Samuel  Billington,  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Oriskany  and  was  one  of  the  four  Committee  of  Safety  of  Tryon 
County  who  volunteered  as  privates  and  were  all  killed  on  the  battle-field.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Williams  had  four  sons:  Aras  G.  Williams,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  at  one  time 
sheriff  of  Kings  county,  who  died  in  1880;  Irvin  A.  Williams,  the  well  known  loco- 
motive headlight  builder,  of  Utica;  James  H.  Williams,  who  has  carried  on  the 
manufacturers'  supply  business  founded  by  his  father  in  Utica,  and  Norman  A.  Will- 
iams, who  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1879  connected  with  his  brother  James  H. 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  H.  &  N.  A.  Williams  in  Utica.  The  family  home  and 
residence  of  Mr.  Williams  in  Utica  was  on  the  corner  of  Rutger  and  Steuben  streets 
and  was  torn  down  in  1894  to  make  room  for  the  new  State  armory,  which  now  oc- 
cupies the  site. 

Irvin  A.  Williams  was  born  in  Oriskany,  Oneida  county,  June  9,  1829,  came  with 
his  parents  to  Utica  in  April,  1841,  and  when  eighteen  began  to  learn  his  trade,  wood 
turning,  and  afterwards  the  trade  of  machinist,  in  his  father's  shop.  In  1851  he  com- 
menced experimenting  for  the  building  of  a  locomotive  head  light.  He  continued  a 
long  series  of  experiments,  both  in  the  shop  and  on  the  locomotives  while  in  motion 
on  the  railroad,  and  perfected  his  lamp  and  brought  out  a  model,  for  which  he  ob- 
tained his  first  patent  in  October,  1854.  Continuing  the  business  and  making  further 
improvements  another  patent  was  granted  to  him  October  27,  1857,  and  still  another 
on  April  29,  1862,  for  a  circular  hollow  wick  burner  to  burn  coal  or  kerosene  oil  in 
the  locomotive  head  light.  This  burner  is  now  in  general  use  in  all  circular  wick 
house  lamps,  and  has  superseded  all  other  burners  for  locomotive  headlights.  This 
patent  was  contested  by  suits  in  the  United  States  courts  and  the  patent  office,  at 
great  expense,  for  eighteen  years,  but  Mr.  Williams  triumphed  over  every  point. 
Since  then  he  has  received  several  other  valuable  patents  for  further  improvements 
on  his  headlights.  He  is  universally  recognized  as  the  pioneer  locomotive  headlight 
inventor  and  manufacturer  in  America,  and  is  thoroughly  and  practically  conversant 
with  every  branch  of  the  business.  In  1881  he  took  his  son,  Charles  I.  Williams, 
into  partnership,  under  the  firm  name  of  I.  A.  Williams  &  Co.,  and  in  1893  his 
youngest  son,  Aras  J.  Williams,  entered  the  firm,  which  still  retains  the  same  name. 
The  plant  comprises  the  five-story  brick  building  on  Blandina  street,  previously  men- 
tioned, and, the  sales  extend  throughout  the  world  wherever  the  American  type  of 
railroad  locomotive  is  iised. 


EDMUND  A.  GRAHAM. 

Edmund  Augustus  Graham,  son  of  Levi  Pawling  and  Elizabeth  (Banks)  Graham 
and  grandson  of  Lieut.  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Decker)  Graham,  was  born  in  New 
York  city  in  October,  1802,  and  died  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,   January  27,  1889.     He  was  of 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  141 

mingled  Scotch  and  Huguenot  descent,  and  inherited  those  sturdj^  characteristics 
which  made  his  ancestors  conspicuous  as  loyal  and  honored  citizens.  Daniel  Graham 
was  a  lieutenant  in  an  Ulster  county  regiment  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Levi  P. 
was  educated  in  Columbia  College  and  began  the  study  of  law  with  the  famous 
Samuel  Jones  in  New  York,  but  his  health  failed  and  he  gave  himself  to  business  as 
commercial  agent  in  Havana  and  elsewhei-e  in  the  West  Indies  for  New  York  mer- 
chants. He  finally  returned  to  his  home  in  Newburg,  Orange  county,  afterwards 
removing  to  Western  New  York  and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-four. 

Edmund  A.  Graham  spent  the  Hrst  five  or  six  years  of  his  life  in  the  metropolis. 
The  family  then  removed  to  Newburg,  where  he  received  an  academic  education  until 
twelve  years  of  age.  Afterward  for  about  two  years  he  mingled  farm  work  with  attend- 
ance at  school.  His  father  was  a  friend  of  such  men  as  De  Witt  Clinton,  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins,  and  Aaron  Burr,  and  the  lad  became  acquainted  with  all  these.  He  was 
invited  by  Burr  to  go  to  New  York  and  enter  his  office  for  the  study  of  law,  but  Mrs. 
Graham  objected,  and  he  went  instead  at  the  age  of  fifteen  to  Ogdensburgh,  N.  Y., 
under  the  care  of  his  uncle,  Louis  Hasbrouck,  who  was  a  prominent  lawyer  in  part- 
nership with  Judge  Fine  and  also  postmaster.  Mr.  Graham  entered  the  post-office 
and  soon  had  full  charge  of  the  mails,  and  during  his  leisure  read  law  in  the  office  of 
Hasbrouck  &  Fine,  where  he  had  a  fellow  student  named  Preston  King,  who  was 
destined  to  become  politically  famous.  Young  Graham  had  a  natural  preference  for 
the  law  and  in  due  time  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  at  once  began  a  profitable  law 
practice  in  Ogdensburg,  having  clients  in  New  York,  Albany,  and  Troy  as  well  as 
at  home.  He  was  made  the  attorney  of  the  Bank  of  Ogdensburg,  of  which  he  was  a 
director,  and  also  became  agent  for  David  B.  Ogden  to  manage  and  sell  large  tracts 
of  land  in  the  town  of  Oswegatchie.  He  was  clerk  of  the  village  in  1826,  1831,  1883, 
and  1834,  and  in  1830  was  one  of  the  originators  and  a  director  of  the  company  which 
ran  the  first  line  of  American  steamers  on  the  River  St.  Lawrence  and  the  lakes. 
This  enterprise  was  for  a  long  time  maintained  in  no  small  part  by  such  Utica  capi- 
talists as  Alfred  Munson,  Samuel  Farwell,  John  Butterfield,  and  Harvey  Barnard, 
whom  Mr.  Graham  enlisted  with  himself,  and  it  is  a  tradition  worthy  of  record  that 
the  first  steamer  of  the  line  was  built  from  his  designs.  While  in  Ogdensburg  he  was 
prominently  connected  with  the  old  State  militia  and  became  division  judge  advocate 
with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

In  1838,  owing  to  the  dangerous  illness  of  his  father-in-law,  Judge  Apollos  Cooper, 
Mr.  Graham  removed  to  Utica  to  manage  the  judge's  large  estate,  which  task  he  com- 
bined with  his  law  practice.  Judge  Cooper's  farm,  which  Mr.  Graham  laid  out  in 
streets  and  lots,  extended  from  the  Mohawk  River  to  Cornelia  street  and  from  Gene- 
see street  quite  a  distance  west.  The  homestead  still  stands,  somewhat  altered,  in 
Whitesboro  street.  The  present  generation  can  scarcely  appreciate  the  services  ren- 
dered by  Mr.  Graham  and  his  assistants,  who,  in  1845,  entered  upon  an  investigation 
of  the  feasibility  of  introducing  manufactures  by  steam  into  the  city  of  Utica.  The 
lack  of  water-power  was  keenly  recognized.  The  statutes  then  forbade  corporations 
with  a  larger  capital  than  $100,000,  while  the  use  of  steam  required  greater  invest- 
ments The  city's  population  had  decreased  from  12,000  to  10,000,  and  increase  of 
manufacturing  was  relied  upon  to  turn  the  tide.  At  a  public  meeting  Spencer  Kel- 
logg, Andrew  S.  Pond   and  Mr.  Graham  were   appointed  a  committee   to  visit  New 


142  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

England  and  report  on  the  subject.  Their  report  started  both  the  woolen  and  cotton 
factories  within  the  city.  Mr.  Pond  favored  the  organization  of  a  company  for 
woolen  manufacture  and  the  Utica  woolen  mills  were  built,  but  were  not  successful. 
Messrs.  Graham  and  Kellogg  recommended  investments  in  cotton  in  preference  and 
the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills  have  for  nearly  fifty  years  confirmed  the  wisdom  of 
their  choice.  In  order  to  permit  the  use  of  capital  to  the  amount  necessary,  and  to 
get  rid  of  full  liabihty  on  the  part  of  the  stockholders,  Mr.  Graham  drafted  what  be- 
came the  general  manufacturing  law  of  1848,  but  hard  labor  at  Albany  during  two 
legislative  sessions  was  required  to  secure  its  passage.  The  chief  work  of  raising  the 
capital  for  starting  the  cotton  mills  devolved  upon  Alfred  Munson,  Theodore  S.  Fax- 
ton,  Silas  D.  Childs,  and  Edmund  A.  Graham,  all  of  whom  met  with  many  difficul- 
ties before  success  was  assured.  Mr.  Munson  was  elected  president  of  the  company 
and  Mr.  Graham  was  chosen  .secretary  as  well  a  director.  Upon  the  latter  fell  the 
task  of  drawing  the  contracts  and  making  many  of  the  purchases.  He  continued  to 
give  attention  to  the  mills,  became  one  of  the  largest  stockholders,  and  for  many 
years  prior  to  his  death  was  president  of  the  company. 

Mr.  Graham  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  and  influential  promoters  of  the  original 
movement  in  behalf  of  the  Black  River  and  Utica  Railroad.  His  acquaintance  with 
Northern  New  York  enabled  him  to  see  the  need  of  the  line,  and  to  render  important 
service  in  its  organization  and  construction.  The  .struggle  between  Rome  and  Utica 
for  the  northern  alliance  constitutes  an  interesting  chapter  of  local  history,  in  which 
a  compromise  was  offered  by  Rome  to  the  effect  that  the  railroad  project  be  aban- 
doned by  both  cities.  Mr.  Graham,  in  co-operation  with  other  citizens,  devoted  much 
time  to  the  enterprise  in  behalf  of  Utica,  and  subscribed  §5,000  to  the  stock,  which 
was  all  lost.  He  was  attorney  and  counsel  for  and  adirector  in  the  original  company 
until  the  foreclosure  of  the  mortgage,  and  he  held  the  same  positions  until  1884  in  the 
corporation  which  bought  the  property.  For  a  long  period  he  was  vice-president  of 
Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad  Company  and  acted  as  president  for  three  or  four 
seasons  while  Mr.  Thom  was  abroad.  He  gave  personal  attention  to  the  building  of 
the  road  from  Lyons  Falls  to  Carthage  and  Philadelphia.  For  several  years  he 
owned  and  conducted  in  Sauquoit  the  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  white  paper  pre- 
viou.sly  operated  by  Savage  &  Moore,  but  the  introduction  of  wood  pulp  brought 
changes  which  finally  closed  that  establishment. 

Durmg  the  fifty  years  of  his  residence  in  Utica  Mr.  Graham's  career  was  one  of 
honor  and  continuous  business  succe.ss.  The  number  of  positions  of  trust  to  which 
he  was  called  was  many,  and  he  was  faithful  in  all  of  them.  He  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee to  prepare  amendments  to  the  city  charter,  and  at  his  suggestion  a  provision 
to  make  aldermen  personally  liable  for  excessive  expenditure  was  enacted.  He  was 
one  of  four  commissioners  appointed  to  secure  the  site  and  build  the  city  hall.  In 
1847  he  was  elected  a  director  of  the  Oneida  Bank  (afterward  the  Oneida  National 
Bank)  and  survived  every  one  of  his  associates  of  that  time.  From  1858  to  1872  he 
was  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital  and  gave  to  that  institution 
great  care  and  attention.  He  was  long  a  director  and  for  some  time  vice-president 
of  the  Utica  Gas  Light  Company.  Confirmed  in  St.  John's  church.  Ogdensburg,  he 
was  an  earnest  and  consistent  churchman,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Grace 
church,   Utica,   which  he  served   for  many  years  as  vestryman  and  warden.     As 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  143 

chairman  of  the  committee  he  superintended  the  enlargement  of  the  old  church  and 
was  one  of  the  building  committee  for  the  present  edifice.  Later  he  was  a  member 
of  the  vestry  of  the  mother  church,  Trinity.  He  was  often  a  delegate  to  diocesan 
conventions  and  a  trustee  of  the  fund  for  the  support  of  the  episcopate.  Politically 
he  was  first  a  Democrat,  but  after  the  Charleston  convention  of  1860  became  an 
ardent  supporter  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  ever  afterward  was  a  zealous  and  steadfast 
Republican  In  1848  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  for  the  Assembly,  but  was 
defeated  owing  to  divisions  in  the  party  and  his  refusal  to  give  pledges  on  the  excise 
question. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Graham  was  well  grounded  in  the  principles  of  his  profession. 
He  was  careful  in  his  preparation  and  accurate  and  persistent  in  his  work.  He  was 
connected  with  several  great  litigations.  In  the  long  contested  Bradstreet  cases, 
which  involved  a  large  amount  of  property,  he  was  the  attorney  who  studied  out  the 
law  and  dug  out  the  facts,  and  was  instrumental  in  carrying  the  cases  to  a  successful 
nd.  His  business  was  largely  in  chancery,  in  the  equity  side  of  the  Supreme 
Courts,  at  general  terms,  and  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  his  railroad  cases  were 
important  and  numerous.  Mr.  Graham  won  an  unquestioned  reputation  for  integ- 
rity. He  was  an  excellent  neighbor,  a  faithful  friend,  and  a  useful  and  enterprising 
citizen.  Unostentatious  and  patriotic  he  was  diligent  in  business  and  scrupulously 
honored  all  obligations.  The  record  of  such  a  life  as  his  is  its  own  best  commentary, 
and  the  community  in  which  he  lived  for  half  a  century  reveres  and  honors  his 
memory. 

Mr.  Graham  was  married  in  1835  to  Miss  Cornelia,  only  daughter  of  Judge  Apollos 
Cooper,  of  Utica,  who  survives  him.  They  had  two  children;  Louise  Cooper  (Mrs. 
Samuel  E.  Schantz),  and  Edmund  Banks,  who  died  in  1885. 

[Judge  Apollos  Cooper  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Cooper,  who  sailed  in  the 
Hopewell  for  America  in  1635,  first  settled  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  was  made  a  freeman  in 
Boston  in  1636,  soon  removed  to  Southampton,  L.  I.,  and  was  one  of  the  twenty 
heads  of  families  who  formed  the  association  for  the  settlers  of  Southampton  in  16.,7. 
Southampton  was  the  first  town  settled  by  the  English  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
John  Cooper  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  New  England  States.  In  1794 
Judge  Apollos  Cooper  purchased  from  James  S.  Kipp  115  acres  of  land,  being  a  part 
of  Cosby's  Manor,  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Utica.  A  small  house  was  on  the  land, 
but  the  judge  added  to  it,  and  the  dwelling  that  is  still  standing  on  Whitesboro 
street,  near  Liberty,  presents  as  to  the  building  the  same  appearance  as  when  Judge 
Cooper  resided  there,  which  he  continued  to  do  until  his  death  in  1839.  It  was  never 
as  pretentious  as  many  others,  but  partook  something  of  the  stern  simplicity  of  its 
Puritan  founder.  The  old  orchard  which  surrounded  the  house  until  quite  recently 
has  disappeared,  but  for  many  years,  in  its  time  of  flower  and  fruitage,  it  was  a 
thing  of  beauty  as  well  as  a  landmark.  The  Cooper  farm  extended  from  the  river 
on  the  north  to  Genesee  street  at  its  junction  with  Cornelia  on  the  southeast,  which 
street  the  judge  named  for  his  only  daughter.  The  farm  covered  most  of  the  city 
now  comprised  in  the  Third  ward.  Judge  Cooper  was  one  of  the  enterprising  pio- 
neers of  Central  New  York.  In  1793  he  left  his  birthplace  in  Southampton,  L.  I., 
"poled"  up  the  Mohawk  River  and  Fish  Creek  to  Oneida  county,  and  in  1784 settled 
"at   old  Fort  Schuyler."     He  was  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  held 


144  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

many  offices  of  public  trust.  A  former  resident  of  Utica  recently  spoke  of  him  as 
follows:  "  Of  the  men  who  one  hundred  years  ago,  in  1794,  came  fro/n  the  east  and 
drove  their  stakes  at  Old  Fort  Schuyler,  there  was  one  among  them— ApoUos  Cooper 
— whose  influence  through  himself  and  his  posterity  has  been  sovereign  all  through 
your  history,  and  even  to  the  present  day  is  benignly  felt.  To  ApoUos  Cooper  we 
owe  the  life  and  fame  of  one  of  the  brilliant  lawyers  for  whom  Utica  has  been  re- 
nowned." Mrs.  Graham,  the  judge's  only  daughter,  is  believed  to  be  the  oldest  na 
tive  born  resident  of  Utica.  From  early  youth  she  was  one  of  the  chief  promoters 
of  that  noble  charity,  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  its  first 
directress,  resigning  that  position  but  a  few  years  ago.] 


REV.   DAVID  A.   WARREN. 

Rev.  Da\  id  A.  Wauken  was  born  of  New  England  stock  and  English  ancestry  on 
the  Warren  homstead  in  the  town  of  Verona,  Oneida  county,  May  3,  1799,  and  died 
therein  February.  1860.  His  father.  Jonathan,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  all 
that  section,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  There  amidst  the  primeval 
forests  the  lad  was  reared  to  maturitj',  obtaining  such  education  as  he  could  at  the 
district  schools  and  developing  a  sturdy  constitution  in  laboring  on  the  parental 
farm.  His  advantages  were  limited,  yet  he  acquired  through  his  own  native  energy 
a  valuable  fund  of  knowledge  and  rose  in  the  community  to  a  foremost  position. 
He  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice,  but  subsequently  became  a  Presbyterian 
minister.  In  expounding  the  truths  of  the  Bible  and  the  doctrines  of  Christianity 
his  talents  were  brought  into  full  play,  and  he  won  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of 
his  hearers. 

Mr.  Warren  was  a  consistent  Christian,  and  by  his  exemplary  life  and  powers  of 
eloquence  turned  many  a  per.son  into  paths  of  uprightness  and  u.sefulness.  He  was 
charitable,  kind  and  benevolent,  just  in  all  his  actions,  energetic  and  methodical  in 
all  he  undertook,  regardful  of  the  rights  of  others,  though  fearless  in  expressing  his 
convictions,  and  zealously  encouraged  all  worthy  movements.  In  the  law  as  well  as 
in  the  ministry  he  won  both  success  and  respect. 

His  children  who  survived  were  Charles  H.,  Joseph  H.,  sr.,  James  Sayre,  and  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Barbour.  Joseph  H.  Warren,  sr.,  was  born  on  the  homestead  in  Verona 
about  18IM,  received  a  public  school  education,  and  first  engaged  in  farming.  Later 
he  went  to  New  York  city  and  became  a  business  partner  with  his  brother,  James 
Sayre  Warren,  who  for  eight  years  was  president  of  the  American  Wall  Paper  Manu- 
facturers' Association.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  97th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  was  promoted  first  lieutenant,  was  confined  in  the  hospital  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  was  afterward  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health.  He 
died  in  1870.  He  was  married  in  Pans,  France,  to  Miss  Marcella  Walsh,  of  New 
York  city,  and  they  had  one  son,  Joseph  H.,  jr.,  who  was  born  in  New  York,  August 
2,  1854,  was  educated  there  and  in  Paris,  France,  and  on  August  21,  1895.  married 
Miss  Dorothea  Richardson,  of  Ottawa,  daughter  of  Hugh  Richardson,  chief  Judge 
of  the  Northwest  provinces  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 


C  .Ou,'^-^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  145 

CHARLES  A.  NICHOLSON. 

The  Nicholson  family  in  America  descends  from  William  Nicholson,  who  came 
from  Yarmouth,  England,  to  Boston,  Mass.,  in  May,  1635.  One  of  his  descendants, 
Ephraim  Nicholson,  was  a  soldier  in  King  Philip's  war,  while  Nathan  Nicholson 
(grandfather  of  Charles  A.)  and  two  brothers  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
The  latter,  Nathan,  married  Mary  Hill,  and  their  youngest  son,  Ambrose,  was  born 
in  Hinsdale,  Mass.,  in  1804,  came  to  Herkimer  county  when  a  young  man,  and  died 
in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  March  2,  1878;  he  married  Maria  McElwain,  also  of  Hins- 
dale, Mass.,  whose  family  was  prominently  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the 
Methodist  church  in  New  England.  Ambrose  Nicholson,  familiarly  known  as 
Squire  Nicholson,  held  several  town  offices.  He  served  several  terms  as  supervisor 
of  Russia,  Herkimer  county,  as  justice  of  the  peace,  etc.,  and  did  considerable  busi- 
ness in  drawing  deeds  and  wills  and  settling  estates.  In  1856  he  came  to  Trenton, 
N.  Y.,  and  about  seven  years  later  removed  to  the'town  of  Marcy,  where  he  carried  on 
a  lumber  business  in  connection  with  a  sash,  blind  and  door  factory,  and  where  he 
died.  He  represented  the  fourth  Oneida  district  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1868. 
He  had  three  sons:  Nathan  D.  and  Timothy  M.,  both  deceased,  and  Charles  A.,  of 
Utica,  all  of  whom  served  with  distinction  in  Co.  A,  1st  N.  Y.  Lt.  Art.,  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  all  being  mustered  out  and  honorably  discharged  in  June,  1865. 
Nathan  D.  enlisted  in  1861,  and  after  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  was  transferred  to 
General  Peck's  headquarters  at  Beaufort,  S.  C.  Timothy  M.  and  Charles  A.  enlisted 
in  1868  and  went  to  the  front  together. 

Charles  A.  Nicholson  was  born  in  the  village  of  Poland,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y. , 
September  27,  1843,  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  chiefly  in  Tren- 
ton, Oneida  county,  fini.shingatWhitestown  Academy.  Before  reaching  his  twenty-sec- 
ond year  he  had  seen  two  years'hard service  at  the  front  in  the  Civil  war  and  attained 
the  honors  due  a  young  and  valiant  soldier.  Returning  from  the  army  he  went  to 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  was  engaged  for  one  year  as  a  dealer  in  musical  instruments 
He  then  returned  to  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  and  began  the  manufacturing  of  sash,  doors, 
and  blinds,  but  two  years  later  sold  out  the  business  which  he  had  successfully  estab- 
lished. His  brother,  Timothy  M.,  died  at  about  this  time  and  Mr.  Nicholson  re- 
moved to  the  homestead  farm  in  Marcy,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  1869 
he  went  to  Rome,  N.  Y.,  as  a  salesman  in  the  lumber  yard  of  the  late  G.  V.  Selden, 
with  whom  he  remained  nine  years,  or  until  1878. 

Meanwhile  the  telephone  had  been  invented  and  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  Ex- 
position in  1876,  and  at  once  created  great  interest  throughout  the  country.  In  Rome 
Mr.  Nicholson  and  his  friend,  Henry  H.  Sessions,  master  mechanic  of  the  Rome, 
Watertown  &•  Ogdensburgh  Railroad,  were  thefir.st  to  put  the  new  invention  to  prac- 
tical or  even  experimental  use,  and  it  may  be  safely  said  that  they  were  among  the 
very  earliest  in  Central  New  York  to  regard  it  as  feasible,  and  to  see  its  unlimited 
possibilities  from  a  useful  and  necessary  standpoint.  They  at  once  became  deeply 
interested,  and  at  their  own  expen.se  put  up  two  or  three  private  lines  in  the  city, 
which  were  the  wonder  of  the  time,  creating  no  little  amusement  and  affording  great 
convenience  to  the  owners.  From  this  beginning  Mr.  Nicholson  naturally  drifted 
into  the  business  with  an  energy  and  perseverance  which  marked  all  bis  undertakings. 
s 


146  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

The  business  was  started  in  Central  New  York  under  Mr.  Nicholson's  manage- 
ment, with  telephones  for  private  persons,  two  subscribers  only  having  the  use  of  a 
single  line.  There  was  no  central  office  or  connecting  point.  The  lines  were  scat- 
tered, and  confined  almost  entirely  to  business  uses.  Soon,  however,  a  central 
switching  system  was  adopted,  whereby  one  subscriber  could  be  connected  and  talk 
with  one  another  at  will.  New  lines  were  pushed  out  in  every  part  of  the  territory, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  every  city,  village,  and  hamlet  of  any  size  was  in  tele- 
phonic communication.  In  1880  he,  with  H.  L.  Storke,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  organized 
the  Mohawk  Valley  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company  and  Mr.  Nicholson  was 
elected  one  of  the  directors  and  its  general  manager.  This  corporation  covered  the 
counties  of  Delaware,  Otsego,  Chenango,  Madison,  Lewis,  and  Oneida  (with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  city  of  Utica).  It  proved  a  success  from  the  start  and  rapidly  built  up, 
under  Mr.  Nicholson's  able  management,  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  business. 
In  December,  1882,  the  company  w^as  consolidated  with  four  other  telephone  com- 
panies, covering  eleven  counties  in  the  central  part  of  the  State,  with  headquarters 
at  Utica,  N.  Y.  The  new  corporation  took  the  present  name  of  the  Central  New 
York  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company.  At  the  time  of  the  consolidation  Mr. 
Nicholson  was  elected  a  director  and  the  general  manager  of  the  company,  and  has 
since  held  these  positions. 

The  last  annual  report  of  this  telephone  company  (February  13,  1896),  shows  that 
it  is  caring  for  over  three  thousand  subscribers  in  fifteen  e.xchanges.  That  by  the 
construction  of  over  eighteen  hundred  miles  of  pole  lines  and  nearly  four  thousand 
miles  of  wire  it  has  linked  together  four  hundred  towns  and  villages.  The  number 
of  messages  passing  over  these  toll  lines,  and  exclusive  of  exchange  messages,  is 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  annually. 

He  is  a  member  of  Roman  Lodge  No.  223,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Fort  Stanwix  Chapter  of 
Royal  Arch  Masons  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club  of  Utica,  N.Y. 

In  August,  1864,  Mr.  Nicholson  was  married  to  Miss  lone  M.,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Wicks,  of  Trenton,  N.Y.  They  have  six  children:  Mabel  M.  (Mrs.  Nathaniel  Peck- 
ham),  Walter  W.,  Frances,  William  Sidney,  and  Harold  H.  and  Harriet  A.  (twins), 
all  of  Utica. 

Walter  W.  Nicholson,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  Jul)-  16,  1867,  was  educated  at  the 
Rome  Academy,  and  on  leaving  school  identified  himself  with  the  telephone  busi- 
ness under  his  father.  He  began  as  a  night  operator  and  rose  by  gradation  to  the 
post  of  general  superintendent,  on  January  1.  1891,  which  he  still  holds.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Institution  of  Electrical  Engineers,  the  New  York  Elec- 
trical Society,  and  the  Arcanum  Club,  and  treasurer  of  Calvary  church,  Utica.  April 
23,  1889,  he  married  Irene  E.,  daughter  of  Edwin  Peckham,  of  Utica,  and  they 
have  two  sons:  Charles  Ambrose  and  Howard  Peckham. 


EDWARD  TREVVETT. 

Edward  Trevvett,   the  originator  and    founder   of    the   Commercial   Travelers' 
Mutual  Accident  Association  of  America,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Humberston, 


EDWARD  TREVVETT. 


BIOGRA.PHICAL.  147 

Leicestershire,  England,  February  12.  1840,  received  his  education  in  that  country, 
and  came  to  America  in  1868,  settling  first  m  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  removed 
in  1877  to  Utica,  where  he  has  since  i-esided.  He  was  for  a  long  time  engaged  in 
the  tea  trade  as  a  traveling  salesman,  representing  D.  H.  Houghtaling  &  Co.  for 
twelve  and  one-half  years,  the  Nassau  Trading  Company  for  three  years,  and  Car- 
ter, Macy  &  Co.  for  four  years.  All  these  firms  were  located  in  New  York  city  and 
were  extensive  dealers  in  tea.  As  a  salesman  Mr.  Trevvett  was  uniformly  success- 
ful. He  built  up  a  large  trade  and  became  one  of  the  most  popular  "  Knights  of  the 
grip."  The  experience  he  acquired  as  a  commercial  traveler  led  him  into  a  field  of 
usefulness  in  which  he  has  won  a  wide  reputation.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  dis- 
cern the  need  of  an  organization  among  traveling  men  which  should  band  them  to- 
gether socially  and  fraternally  into  one  common  brotherhood,  with  mutual  interests, 
and  at  the  same  time  protect  their  families  in  case  of  accident  or  death.  He  studied 
the  question  carefully,  and  became  in  this  respect  a  public  benefactor. 

In  1883  there  was  in  Utica  Post  B,  of  the  Commercial  Travelers  Life  Association 
of  Syracuse,  whose  officers  met  every  four  weeks  in  the  Butterfield  House.  At  one 
of  these  meetings,  held  early  in  March,  Mr.  Trevvett  inti-oduced  the  subject  of  start- 
ing an  accident  association  here.  A  circular  was  issued,  signed  by  ten  or  twelve 
men,  and  the  next  week  fifty  persons  met  and  formally  adopted  a  constitution  and 
by-laws  which  Mr.  Trevvett  had  drafted.  On  March  20,  1883,  the  Commercial  Trav- 
elers' Mutual  Accident  Association  was  incorporated  with  forty-nine  charter  mem- 
bers, eight  being  non-resident,  the  name  of  Edward  Trevvett  heading  the  list.  The 
object,  as  set  forth  in  the  preamble,  was  "to  secure  voluntary  contributions  to  mem- 
bers of  our  brotherhood,  who,  through  accident,  have  sustained  bodily  injuries  which 
wholly  disables  them  from  following  their  occupation,  or  to  the  widow  and  orphans, 
or  such  other  beneficiaries  as  may  be  designated,  in  case  of  death  by  accidental 
means."  Henry  D.  Pixlej'  has  been  the  president  since  the  organization.  The  first 
secretary  and  treasurer  was  Edgar  H.  Wheeler,  who  died  in  July,  1883,  when  Edward 
Trevvett,  who  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  directors,  was  elected  to  the  posi- 
tion and  has  ever  since  filled  it  with  ability  and  satisfaction.  This  is  the  largest 
accident  association  in  the  world  for  a  distinct  set  or  class  of  men,  all  of  its  members, 
numbering  about  17,000,  being  bona  fide  commercial  travelers.  Mr.  Trevvett  was 
alone  in  the  inception  and  founding  of  the  institution,  and  to  him  is  mainly  due  the 
success  which  it  has  attained.  Through  its  thirteen  year.s'  existence  he  has  labored 
assiduously  and  in  the  face  of  trying  difficulties  for  its  welfare,  has  given  it  his  entire 
attention,  and  has  triumphantly  placed  it  upon  a  sound  and  lasting  basis.  Others 
have  been  instrumental  in  its  development,  but  his  personal  activity  and  business 
skill  have  carried  it  successfully  to  a  benevolent,  co  operative,  and  fraternal  end. 
During  the  thirteen  years  the  average  cost  of  insurance,  exclusive  of  entrance  fees, 
has  been  §6.75  per  year.  Its  permanent  home  is  in  Utica,  a  fact  which  eminently 
identifies  it  and  its  founder  with  the  history  of  the  county 

Mr.  Trevvett  is  president  of  St.  George's  Society  of  the  city  of  Utica,  which  was 
organized  February  4,  1858,  and  of  which  he  became  a  member  about  1880.  He  is 
also  president  of  the  North  America  St.  George's  LTnion  for  1895-7,  being  elected  to 
this  high  position  in  the  order  at  the  sixteenth  convention  held  in  Kingston,  Ontario, 
Canada,  August  20  to  23,  1895.     He  is  a  32d  degree  Mason,  holding  membership  in 


148  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Faxton  Lodge,  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M,,  Utica  Coun- 
cil, No.  28,  R.  S.  M.,  Utica  Commander3%  No.  3.  K.  T.,  Central  City  Consistory,  A. 
A.  S.  Rite,  and  Ziyara  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  junior 
warden  and  treasurer  of  St.  George's  church,  Utica,  and  treasurer  of  the  second 
convocation  or  missionary  district  of  the  diocese  of  Central  New  York,  which  em- 
braces all  of  Oneida  and  a  part  of  Madison  county. 

Mr.  Trevvett  married  the  youngest  daughter  of  Dr.  John  P.  Simpson,  of  Leices- 
tershire, England,  and  they  have  four  children  living,  viz. :  Florence,  of  Tacoma, 
Wash.  ;  Annie  (Mrs.  Charles  H.  Davidson),  of  Utica;  Herbert  E.,  special  traveHng 
agent  for  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  with  headquarters  at  Tacoma,  Wash.  ;  and 
Sidney  A.,  a  graduate  of  Cornell  University  and  ..ow  with  the  Union  Casualty  and 
Fidelity  Company  of  New  York  city. 


BENJAMIN  HALL. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Hali-,  son  of  Jason  C.  and  Permelia  llall,  was  born  near  Ingham's 
Mills,  Fulton  county,  N.  Y.,  March  9,  1846,  and  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until 
1870.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  inherited  those 
sterling  characteristics  which  mark  the  successful  man.  In  1874  he  removed  to 
Utica,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  where  he  established  in  the  same  year  his 
present  hide,  wool,  and  fur  business,  which  since  1880  has  been  located  on  the  corner 
of  Bleecker  and  John  streets.  Here  he  has  successfully  built  up  a  large  and  profit- 
able trade,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  dealers  in  this  line  in  the  city.  He  is  one  of 
Utica's  most  enterprising  business  men,  and  is  well  and  favorably  known  throughout 
the  county  and  State.  By  honest  dealing,  strict  attention  to  details,  and  continued 
industry  he  has  steadily  increased  his  establishment  until  now  it  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing hou,ses  of  the  kind  in  Central  New  York.  As  a  business  man,  and  socially,  too, 
he  is  held  in  high  esteem,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Hall  has  for  many  years  been  an  active  Republican,  and  in  the  councils  of  his 
party  is  a  recognized  leader.  In  1885  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  from  the  first 
district  of  Oneida  county  and  was  re-elected  in  188fi  by  a  largely  increased  majority. 
In  the  Legislature  he  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  constituents  and  to  the 
State  at  large,  and  was  classed  with  the  working  members  of  that  body.  His  jiru- 
dence  and  efiicienc\-  while  in  office  secured  for  him  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
Republican  in  his  district  who  was  nominated  and  elected  for  two  successive  terms. 
As  assemblyman  his  vote  and  influence  were  always  in  the  interests  of  wholesome 
legislation  for  the  elevation  of  society  and  the  promotion  of  good  government.  He 
served  on  many  important  committees,  being  chairman  of  those  on  canals  and  joint 
library,  and  introduced  about  fifty  bills,  most  of  which  became  laws.  He  was  well 
liked  by  his  associates,  and  his  counsel  was  often  sought  by  older  members. 

In  the  city  of  Utica  Mr.  Hall  is  prominently  connected  with  various  institutions 
and  societies.  He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter,  No. 
57,  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3,  K.  T.,  Utica  Consistory,  No.  2,  A.  &  A.  S. 
Rite,  and  Ziyara  Temple  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  32  \  Northern  jurisdiction. 


;.«>t^ 


BTOaRAPHICAL.  I49 

He  is  also  a  member  of  Imperial  Council  R.  A.,  and  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
the  Arcanum  Club  and  one  of  its  original  board  of  governors.  He  is  a  member  of 
Oneida  Lodge  I.  O.  O.  F.,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Utica  Citizens  Corps,  and  a 
member  of  the  Merchants  and  Manufacturers  Exchange  and  one  of  its  board  of  di- 
rectors. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  ITtica  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  of  the  Oneida 
Historical  Society.  In  all  these  as  well  as  the  general  prosperity  of  the  city  he  takes 
a  keen  interest.  Public-spirited  and  progressive  he  is  a  self-made  man,  and  owes 
his  success  in  life  almost  wholly  to  his  individual  efforts. 

Mr.  Hall  was  married  on  February  27,  1872,  to  Miss  Catherine  P.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Archibald  McDonald  Harrison,  of  Cressy,  Ontario,  Canada.  Mr.  Harrison 
was  distantly  connected  with  ex-President  Benjamin  Harrison  and  a  cousin  of  the  late 
Hon.  John  A.  McDonald,  who  for  many  years  was  at  the  head  of  the  Dominion  gov- 
ernment of  Canada. 


ALFRED  MUNSON. 

Alfred  Munsdn  was  a  son  of  Ephraim  (1753-1826)  and  Hannah  (Wetmore)  Mun- 
son  C1749-1815),  of  Berkhamstead,  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  a  grandson  of  Samuel 
Monson,  of  Northford,  New  Haven  county.  Conn.,  and  a  lineal  desendant  of  Lieut. 
Thomas  Monson,  the  first  of  the  name  in  America  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Plantation  Covenant  of  New  Haven.  Thomas  Monson  was  of  English  birth,  and 
came  to  the  New  World,  one  of  those  four  thousand  exiled  .servants  of  God,  between 
1629  and  1634  to  secure  liberty  of  conscience.  Alfred  was  born  in  Berkhamstead, 
Conn.,  May  21,  1793,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  Hartford  with  the 
Todds  lived  in  the  family  of  his  brother  Samuel  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty. 
On  June  29,  1813,  the  two  brothers  purchased  one-half  of  their  father's  farm  and 
buildings  and  two  years  later  they  bought  the  remaining  half  of  this  homestead  of 
their  brother  Reuben  J.  In  1817  they  purchased  of  their  father  a  one-half  interest 
in  a  saw  mill  and  six  years  afterward  one-half  of  a  grist  mill.  On  June  5,  1823, 
Alfred  sold  one-half  of  the  farm,  "  where  my  father  lives,"  with  one-half  of  the 
buildings,  to  Samuel  for  '$■)(}(),  one  half  of  the  saw  mill  with  eighty  acres  for  $700,  and 
one-half  of  the  grist  mill  for  §800.  He  immediately  removed  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  having 
with  his  wife  §2,900  in  money.  He  had  previously  visited  this  section  and  arranged 
for  business.  According  to  Samuel  A.  Munson  it  is  stated  that  while  one  of  the 
Munsons  was  on  a  journey  between  New  York  and  Hartford  he  came  upon  a  French- 
man who  claimed  that  he  "had  run  away  from  some  revolution  in  France."  As  he 
was  skilled  in  making  millstones  he  was  brought  to  Berkhamstead.  The  Munsons 
.set  him  to  work  on  buhr  stones,  which  were  brought  from  New  York  city.  The  first 
pair  was  used  by  themselves,  the  second  by  a  mill  in  Simsbury,  and  the  third  went 
to  New  Hartford.  Alfred  Munson  "  and  a  Hartford  man"  began  the  manufacture 
of  French  buhr  stones  in  Utica — the  first  establishment  of  the  kind  in  this  country. 
To  assist  in  disguising  the  material  employed  they  mingled  brimstone  with  the 
plaster  of  paris  which  was  used.  Mr.  Munson  was  engaged  in  this  business  in  Utica 
for  fifteen  years,  and  it  is  said  that  he  bought  up  all  the  canal  boats  on  one  section 


150  OUR  COUNTY  AiND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  that  he  and  his  partner  at  one  time,  perhaps  in  lf=«30-35. 
owned  all  the  steamboats  on  Lake  Ontario.  His  first  shop  was  in  the  basement  of 
the  Kirkland  block  on  the  corner  of  Liberty  and  Hotel  streets,  but  he  soon  removed 
from  there  to  the  east  side  of  Washington  street  where  it  crosses  the  canal.  With 
untiring  energy  he  steadily  enlarged  the  business  until  it  came  to  be  the  chief  de- 
pendence of  millers  throughout  a  wide  territory.  Martin  Hart  was  his  bookkeeper, 
partner,  or  executor  of  his  estate  for  upwards  of  forty  years. 

Mr.  Munson  was  from  boyhood  of  a  frail  constitution  and  suffered  much  from 
bodily  infirmities,  but  his  mind  was  unusually  active  and  clear.  He  was  prudent, 
penetrative,  and  sagacious,  and  was  possessed  of  sound  common  sense  discriminat- 
ing judgment,  and  remarkable  wisdom.  Bold,  foresighted,  and  eminently  calculat 
ing,  his  plans,  when  matured,  needed  only  will  of  execution — his  most  conspicuous 
and  commanding  trait  to  overcome  every  obstacle  and  insure  success.  He  was  in- 
fluenced bv  purity  as  well  as  vigor  of  purpose,  and  was  liberal  minded  and  public 
spirited.  He  loved  to  engage  in  large  but  strictly  legitimate  business  enterprises, 
and  especially  in  such  as  tended  to  promote  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  com- 
munity. The  rare  combination  of  business  elements  in  his  character — his  resolute 
determination,  his  constant  watchfulness,  his  self-reliance — lent  a  prestige  of  success 
to  every  scheme  in  which  he  embarked.  For  several  years  he  engaged  in  the  pass- 
enger traffic  by  canal  and  by  steamers  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  was  trustee  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Ontario  and  St.  Lawrence  Steamboat  Company  until  within  a  few  weeks 
of  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  builders  of  the  Utica  and  Schenectady,  the  Syra- 
cu.se  and  Utica,  and  the  Syracuse  and  Oswego  Railroads,  and  served  as  a  director  <  f 
the  first  named  corporation  from  1884  to  1844.  He  was  also  one  of  the  active  build- 
ers of  the  Utica  and  Binghamton  Railroad  and  held  the  office  of  president  at  the 
time  of  his  decease.  This  line  followed  very  nearly  the  course  of  a  State  road  which 
he,  as  one  of  the  commissioners,  had  laid  out  thirty  years  before  He  was  president 
of  the  Canton  Real  Estate  Company  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  also  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  iron  in  that  city.  Later  he  was  one  of  a  company  to  establish  iron 
works  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.  He  purchased  extensive  coal  fields  in  Pennsylvania  to  save 
himself  from  loss,  and  for  more  than  twenty-six  years  they  were  not  a  source  of  rev- 
enue, but  a  constant  drain  upon  his  estate.  He  foresaw  their  future  value,  however, 
and  enjoined  upon  his  heirs  to  keep  them. 

No  one  did  more  than  Mr.  Munson  to  promote  the  manufacturing  interests  of 
Utica.  By  the  application  of  his  means  he  early  became  the  efficient  advocate  of 
introducing  and  testing  the  value  of  steam  power  in  the  making  of  cotton  and  woolen 
goods,  and  was  the  first  president  of  the  original  boards  which  managed  the  Utica 
Steam  Cotton  and  the  Globe  Woolen  Mills.  He  was  one  of  the  instigators  and  early 
managers  of  the  Utica  Water  Works  Company,  the  Utica  Mechanics  Association,  and 
the  Utica  Female  Academy.  When  the  United  States  Bank  with  its  twenty-five 
branches  was  flourishing  he  was  a  director  in  1833  of  the  Utica  branch.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Oneida  Bank  and  held  the  office  for  seventeen  years.  From  its 
inception  he  was  a  manager  and  chief  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  New  York 
State  Lunatic  Asylum,  now  the  Utica  State  Hospital,  and  from  1842  until  his  death 
its  firm  and  generous  friend.  He  was  the  richest  man  in  Oneida  county  and  proba- 
blv  the  first  Munson  in  the  countrv  to  become  a  millionaire. 


,    BIOGRAPHICAL.  151 

In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Democrat  and  later  a  determined  Abolitionist,  but 
he  never  sought  and  only  twice  accepted  public  office — that  of  supervisor  in  1832  and 
1833.  Enterprising,  progressive,  and  public-spirited,  deeply  interested  in  every 
worthy  and  important  movement,  he  was  at  one  time  the  foremost  citizen  of  Utica. 
Through  his  beneficence  Grace  church  had  its  origin  and  present  edifice,  the  plans 
for  which  he  supervised  a  few  years  before  his  death.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
and  vestryman  of  this  society,  and  becjueathed  to  the  parish  $10,000  for  the  lot  and 
church  building,  $1,000  for  a  Sunday  school  room,  $500'for  a  Sundav  school  library, 
$1,500  for  a  church  organ,  $500  for  a  bell,  and  $500  for  church  furniture,  etc.  The 
church  has  received  from  his  estate  and  from  his  heirs  about  $31  500.  He  al.so  be- 
queathed to  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum  $5,000  for  the  erection  of  a  new  building, 
$25,000  for  an  endowment  fund,  and  his  coal  lands  in  Pennsylvania,  valued  at  $4,000. 
The  whole  amount  left  by  Mr.  Munson  for  charitable  and  religious  purposes,  and  in 
remembrances  of  remote  relatives,  aggregated  about  $60,000. 

Mr.  Munson  was  taller  than  his  father— "  was  tall  and  slim,  and  had  dark  eyes 
and  dark  hair."  His  very  long  nose  was  a  feature  which  would  commend  him  to 
the  favor  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte.  He  was  in  every  sense  the  architect  of  his  own 
fortune.  Though  not  possessing  the  advantages  of  a  finished  education  he  had, 
nevertheless,  talents  of  a  high  order  and  exerted  them  for  high  ami  useful  ends. 
Coming  hither  with  slender  means  he  worked  his  way  to  a  leading  place  among  the 
business  men  and  benefactors  of  Utica.  He  was  of  the  seventh  generation  from 
Thomas  Monson  (1612-1685),  a  carpenter,  a  civil  officer,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Pequot 
Indian  war  of  1647 — for  which  latter  service  he  received  a  land  grant  in  Hartford, 
Conn.  Lieutenant  Thomas  became  a  member  of  the  New  Haven  plantation  and  a 
member  of  the  first  church  thei'e  as  early  as  1640.  He  was  captain  of  the  New 
Haven  colony  soldiers  in  King  Philip's  war,  a  member  of  the  General  Council,  and 
one  of  the  leading  and  valuable  citizens. 

Alfred  Munson  died  in  Utica  on  the  6th  of  May,  1854.  May  29,  1823,  he  married 
his  cousin,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Asahel  and  Ruth  (Hart)  Munson,  of  Northford, 
Conn., — a  lady  whose  chief  characteristics  were  a  retiring  and  home-loving  disposi- 
tion, conscientiousness,  independence,  refinement,  industry,  and  economy.  She 
was  born  in  Branford,  Conn.,  December  23,  1798,  and  died  in  Utica  September  14. 
1870,  leaving  two  children:  Samuel  A.  Munson  and  Helen  E.,  widow  of  J.  Watson 
Williams. 


JOHN  MILTON  BUTLP:R. 

The  Butler  family,  of  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member,  descends  from 
Deacon  Richard  Butler,  who  came  from  County  Essex,  England,  with  the  so-called 
Hooker  company  in  1632,  and  first  settled'  in  Newtown,  near  Boston,  Mass.  His 
brother  William  emigra'.ed  to  America  about  the  same  time,  but  died  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. Before  1639  Richard  andWiUiam  Bntler  moved  with  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker  to 
Hartford,  Conn.,  of  which  Deacon  Richard  was  one  of  the  prominent  founders.  By 
his  integrity  he  held  several  offices  of  trust.     He  was  a  man  of  influence,  a  devout 


152  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Christian,  and  repeatedly  served  as  a  representative  to  the  general  court  of  the 
colony.  He  married  Elizabeth  Bigelow,  and  their  fourth  son,  Joseph  married 
Mary  Goodrich.  Benjamin,  the  second  son  of  the  latter,  wedded  Thankful  Sage, 
and  their  fourth  child,  Eli  Butler,  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  January  26.  1740, 
married  Rachel  Stocking,  of  the  same  place,  and  had  four  sons  and  seven  daughters, 
of  whom  Sylvester,  John,  and  Eli,  jr.,  have  descendants  living  in  Oneida  county. 
In  the  spring  of  1789  Capt.  Eli  Butler  visited  his  old  neighbor  and  kinsman.  Judge 
Hugh  White,  the  proprietary  founder  of  Whitestown,  and  before  returning  east  pur- 
chased lands  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Paris,  N.  Y.,  whereon,  in  the  fall  of  that 
year,  he  settled  three  of  his  sons,  Ashbel,  vSylvester,  and  John.  In  1793  Captain  Eli 
visited  these  sons,  with  another  son,  Eli,  jr.,  and  wa.<;  so  pleased  with  the  country  that 
he  bought  a  farm,  just  south  of  the  village  of  New  Hartford,  from  Solomon  Kellogg, 
the  deed  being  dated  April  17,  1795.  This  is  well  known  as  the  Butler  homestead,  and 
passed  succes.sively  to  Eli,  jr.,  and  the  late  Morgan  Butler,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  lat- 
ter's  widow.  Eli,  sr.,  was  a  captain  of  volunteer  cavalry  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
died  in  New  Hartford  April  19,  1802.  His  wife  was  born  January  29,  1743,  and  died 
September  1,  1805.  Their  children  were  Ashbel,  born  November  28,  1765,  married 
Sarah  Williams;  Sylvester,  born  April  18,  17C7,  married  Lydia  Wetmore;  John,  born 
March  28,  1769,  married  Hannah  Todd,  daughter  of  Capt.  Asa  Todd,  who  came  on 
horseback  from  Wallingford,  Conn.,  to  Oneida  county,  at  a  very  early  day,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Paris;  Eli,  jr.,  born  on  March  28,  1779,  married  Rachel 
Kellogg,  and  was  the  father  of  the  late  Morgan  Butler,  of  New  Hartford;  Rachel 
(Mrs.  Richard  Sanger),  born  April  10,  1774;  Lucy  (Mrs.  Benjamin  Morris);  Martha, 
who  married  her  cousin,  Jo.seph  Butler;  Clarissa  (Mrs.  James  Berthrong),  born  April 
3,  1785;  Sarah  (Mrs.  Asa  Eames),  born  March  4,  1781 ;  Percy,  born  jn  1788,  married 
Hezekiah  Eames,  twin  brother  of  Asa;  and  Chloe,  who  married  Moses  Maynard. 
John  Butler,  the  third  of  these  children,  was  one  of  the  builders  and  owners  of  the 
Franklin  cotton  factory.  He  also  built  and  owned  a  large  woolen  mill  and  was  an 
extensive  land  owner,  all  on  Sauquoit  Creek. 

Chauncey  Sage.Butler,  the  fourth  child  of  John  and  Hannah  (Todd)  Butler,  was 
born  in  Paris,  Oneida  county,  December  27,  1802,  became  a  civil  engineer  and  sur- 
veyor, and  located  most  of  the  mill  powers  along  Sauquoit  Creek-  When  twenty- 
one  he  purchased  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's  In  1843  he  built  a  house  in 
Sauquoit  which  he  occupied  until  his  death  on  March  25,  1893.  His  principal  busi- 
ness during  his  long  life  was  that  of  a  farmer.  When  Michigan  was  first  settled 
and  began  raising  wheat  he  spent  much  time  in  that  and  other  States  buying  wheat 
for  eastern  markets.  In  1853,  with  Charles  H.  Doolittle  and  others,  he  organized 
the  Oneida  County  Bank  in  Utica  and  was  its  vice-president  from  1855  until  his 
death,  and  the  last  of  the  original  stockholders.  He  was  highly  respected  by  his 
townspeople,  and  the  position  he  occupied  among  them  was  something  like  that  of  a 
country  squire  in  England.  His  counsel  and  advice  were  often  sought  in  business, 
and  though  not  a  lawyer  he  drew  many  wills,  deeds,  mortgages,  etc.,  settled  estates, 
and  frequently  acted  as  assignee.  In  1844  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  Washingtonian 
temperance  movement,  and  for  many  years  served  as  trustee  of  the  Sauquoit  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  was  for  ten  years  in  the  cavalry  arm  of  the  State  militia,  and 
by  Gov.   De  Witt  Clinton   was  commissioned  cornet  March  16,    1825,   second  lieu- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  153 

tenant  July  14,  1825,  and  captain  July  21,  1826,  and  by  Gov.  E.  T.  Throop,  lieuten- 
ant-colonel June  20,  1829,  and  colonel  January  21,  1831— all  in  the  6th  Regiment.  In 
1852  he  represented  the  second  Oneida  district  in  the  Assembly,  as  a  Whig.  Later, 
on  the  organization  of  the  party,  he  became  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was  public 
spirited,  progressive,  and  charitable,  and  long  gave  nearly  all  the  produce  from  his 
farm  to  the  poor.  May  9,  1826,  he  married  Elizabeth  Mosher,  of  a  French  Huguenot 
family,  Mosier,  who  died  March  29,  1836,  leaving  three  children:  John  Milton, 
Charles  A.,  and  Mrs.  P.  V.  Rogers.  October  3,  1844,  he  married  Julia  Sherrill, 
of  New  Hartford,  who  died  August  22,  1878,  leaving  one  daughter,  Julia  Henrietta. 

John  Milton  Butler  was  born  in  Sauquoit,  Oneida  county,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1827, 
and  inherited  from  these  worthy  ancestors  those  sterling  characteristics  which  dis- 
tinguish the  successful  man.  He  spent  his  youth  in  attending  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  town.  In  1844  he  entered  Hamilton  College  and  was  graduated  there- 
from with  honor  in  the  class  of  1848.  Two  years  later  he  obtained  his  first  business 
experience  as  a  partner  of  S.  A.  Millard,  of  Clayville,  Oneida  county,  in  the  manu- 
facture of  farm  tools,  but  this  continued  only  until  1852,  when  the  precarious  con- 
dition of  Mr.  Butler's  health  compelled  him  to  abandon  the  undertaking  and  seek 
rest  and  restoration  in  travel.  The  following  year  was  accordingly  spent  in  the 
South.  Returning  home  with  health  restored  he  was  invited  to  come  to  Utica  and 
accept  the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the  Oneida  County  Bank,  which  he  did  in  1853. 
In  1854  he  was  made  teller  and  in  the  succeeding  year  cashier;  he  held  the  latter 
office  thirty-two  years,  or  until  1887,  when  he  was  elected  president  of  the  institution, 
which  position  he  still  fills.  He  is  also  a  manufacturer  of  agricultural  tools  in  Clay- 
ville, having  succeeded  the  S.  A.  Millard  Manufacturing  company  in  1895,  and  is 
also  the  successor  of  the  Hubbard,  Babcock  &  Millard  Axe  Company  in  the  same 
place. 

The  year  1853,  the  date  of  the  organization  of  the  Oneida  County  Bank,  was  not  a 
very  auspicious  time  for  the  launchmg  of  a  financial  institution,  for  three  years  later 
saw  a  panic  such  as  has  not  since  been  experienced,  and  many  banks  which  were  ac- 
counted strong  went  down  in  the  crisis.  But  under  the  prudent  and  sagacious 
direction  of  Mr.  Butler  and  his  associates  this  bank  weathered  the  storm  safely,  and 
most  of  the  detail  and  a  large  share  of  the  general  management  of  the  bank  have 
since  that  time  fallen  directly  upon  Mr.  Butler's  shoulders.  He  appHed  from  the 
start  a  firm,  conservative  hand  to  the  conduct  of  the  institution,  has  enabled  it  since 
the  beginning  of  his  admmistration  to  accumulate  a  surplus  of  $225,000  on  a  capital 
of  $125,000,  and  has  always  made  it  pay  larger  dividends  than  most  banks.  The 
Oneida  County  Bank  did  not  pass  into  the  national  system  with  the  many  others 
which  adopted  that  course,  chiefly  because  it  had  been  uniformly  successful  as  it 
was,  leading  a  number  .of  directors  to  favor  its  remaining  a  State  bank,  although 
Mr.  Butler  favored  the  change. 

It  has  been  Mr.  Butler's  policy  and  belief  that  a  man  in  his  po.sition  should  give  his 
whole  time  and  energies  to  the  bank  of  which  he  is  manager,  and  carefully  watch 
over  its  interests.  His  life  is  an  excellent  example  of  faithfulness  to  duty,  and  he  has 
met  with  a  degree  of  success  which  giv6s  himself  and  his  friends  the  right  to  regard 
his  record  with  complacent  satisfaction.     He  has  never  married. 


154  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

OTHNIEL  S.   WILLIAMS. 

Othniel  S.  Williams  was  born  at  Killingworth  (now  Clinton),  Conn.,  November 
22,  1813,  and  moved  with  his  father,  Othniel  Williams,  to  Waterville,  Qneida  county, 
in  1814,  and  thence  to  the  neighboring  village  of  Clinton  in  1820.  His  mother  was 
Mary  Eliot,  daughter  of  George  Eliot,  of  Killingworth,  Conn.,  a  descendant  of  John 
Eliot,  "The  Apostle  to  the  Indians."  The  line  has  been  traced  to  Sir  William  de 
Aliot,  who  entered  England  with  William  the  Conqueror  in  1066.  Mr.  Williams's 
school  days  were  spent  in  the  Clinton  Academy.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered 
the  sophomore  class  in  Hamilton  College,  then  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Davis, 
and  was  graduated  in  1831.  In  college  he  was  a  great  reader,  a  student  of  ancient 
as  well  as  of  modern  languages,  and  his  wonderful  memory  enabled  him  to  retain 
to  the  close  of  his  life  the  rich  literary  and  historical  attainments  of  his  student 
days.  After  leaving  college  he  resided  as  private  tutor  for  two  years  in  the  family 
of  a  Mr.  Gibson  in  Virginia.  From  there  he  visited  Washington,  saw  the  great 
statesmen  of  that  day  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  and  heard  the  address  of  John  Quincy 
Adams  on  the  death  of  La  Fayette.  On  his  return  to  Clinton  he  was  admitted  in 
1837  by  Chief  Justice  Samuel  Nelson  to  practice  as  an  attorney  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  Three  years  later  he  received  his  diploma  as  counselor. 
In  1842  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  District  and  Circuit  Courts  of  the  United 
States  for  the  Northern  District  of  New  York.  Soon  afterward  he  was  chosen  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held  for  a  number  of  years.  For  one  year  (1837-88) 
he  gave  instruction  in  modern  languages  in  Hamilton  College  and  also  in  the  Young 
Ladies'  Seminary  at  Clinton.  In  1846  he  was  appointed  county  judge  and  in  1848  was 
chosen  surrogate  of  Oneida  county,  an  oflfice  he  held  for  eight  years.  In  1847  he 
was  chosen  a  trustee  of  Hamilton  College,  an  office  in  which  his  father  had  served 
before  him  from  1827  to  1832.  In  1850  he  became  treasurer  of  Hamilton  College,  a 
position  of  great  responsibility  in  which  he  served  with  unsurpassed  fidelity  and  de- 
votion to  the  close  of  his  life. 

The  history  of  Clinton  for  over  forty  years  was  clo.sely  identified  with  Mr.  Will- 
iams's life  and  labors.  He  was  deeply  interested  in  all  that  pertained  to  local  annals 
and  village  improvement.  He  made  almost  the  first  start  in  recording  the  beginning 
of  local  history  in  a  lecture  on  the  "Early  History  of  Clinton"  He  contributed 
much  toward  the  growth  of  the  village,  encouraging  building  and  improvements, 
and  opening  new  streets.  In  all  that  concerned  the  moral  and  material  welfare  of 
Clinton  his  advice  and  efforts  were  of  great  importance.  His  interest  in  the  church, 
college,  and  school  was  constant  and  practical,  nor  could  any  considerable  enterprise 
be  carried  on  without  his  co-operation.  Mr.  Williams  took  a  strong  position  from 
the  first  in  his  chosen  profession,  of  the  dignity  and  importance  of  which  he  had  a 
very  high  conception.  His  motto  was  "  Strive  to  do  everything  in  the  best  possible 
manner."  With  a  weak  voice,  a  deliberate  manner,  never  losing  himself  in  passion 
or  attempting  flights  of  oratory,  without  much  power  before  a  jury,  yet  none  of  his 
associates  surpassed  him  in  mental  acumen,  in  thorough  knowledge  of  his  case,  and 
in  clear  and  exact  definitions  of  law.  No  case  was  ever  so  trivial  as  to  be  slighted, 
nor  did  he  ever  enter  the  court  room  with  a  carelessly  prepared  brief.  It  was  the 
testimony  of  a  prominent  member  of  the  Oneida  county  bar  that  he  was  singularly 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  155 

careful  as  well  as  felicitous  in  his  choice  of  language  to  be  used  before  the  court. 
The  habit  of  his  mind  was  calm  and  judicial.  He  was  not  the  advocate  so  much  as 
the  judge.  Though  a  man  of  inten.se  convictions  and  strong  feelings,  his  profes- 
sional relations  were  always  marked  b}-  a  dignity  and  courtesy  which  it  is  common, 
unfortunately,  now-a-days,  to  speak  of  as  belonging  to  the  "  old  school."  In  1879, 
in  connection  with  the  very  important  business  of  the  Midland  Railroad,  Mr.  Will- 
iams was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  For  the 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life  Judge  Williams  was  actively  engaged  in  railroad  enter- 
prises. He  was  one  of  the  most  laborious  promoters  of  the  building  of  the  railroad 
from  Utica  to  Smith's  Valley,  its  point  of  junction  with  the  Midland.  The  road 
from  Utica  to  Smith's  Valley  was  completed  in  1870.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  director 
in  1866,  vice-president  in  1868-69,  and  from  1869  until  his  death  in  1880  was  its  presi- 
dent. During  all  these  years  his  burden  of  responsibility  was  very  great,  taxing 
extremely  his  health,  time,  legal  skill,  and  pecuniary  means.  Except  for  the  pow- 
erful advocacy  and  able  guidance  of  Mr.  WilHams  the  business  interest  of  this 
road  could  never  have  been  so  safely  conserved  nor  so  wisely  settled.  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  the  unremitting  labor  of  mind  and  body  in  connection  with  the 
settlement  of  this  delicate  and  important  business  made  those  serious  inroads  upon 
his  health  which  resulted  in  his  death  on  May  20,  1880. 

Judge  Williams  was  a  man  of  the  highest  business  integrity  and  honor.  Not  a 
farthing  intrusted  to  his  care  was  ever  lost.  He  maintained  the  interests  of  others 
even  to  the  prejudice  of  his  own  fortune.  His  judgment  was  wise  and  safe,  his  in- 
terest in  the  public  good  unselfish.  From  his  wide  and  generous  interest  in  all  pub- 
lic concerns,  and  owing  to  his  familiarity  with  local  history,  he  was  often  called  upon 
to  deliver  addresses  on  public  and  anniversary  occasions.  His  addresses  in  connec- 
tion with  the  "  Dedication  of  the  Clinton  Cemetery,"  the  dedication  of  the  Perry  H. 
Smith  Library  Hall,  the  dedication  of  the  Kirkland  Monument,  and  the  dedication 
of  the  Stone  Church  were,  each  one  of  them,  models  in  point  of  propriety,  literary 
form  and  historical  knowledge.  As  a  lawyer,  a  scholar,  a  citizen,  a  practical  phil- 
anthropist. Judge  Williams's  life  left  a  marked  impress  upon  his  generation,  and 
upon  the  moral  and  material  interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived  and  died. 


DANIEL  GORDON  DORRANCE. 

TiiK  Dorrance  family,  from  which  the  subject  of  this  memoir  descends,  is  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  About  1720  two  brothers.  Rev.  Samuel  and  James  Dorrance,  who 
were  born  in  Scotland  or  in  the  North  of  Ireland  of  Scotch  parents,  came  to  America 
and  settled  in  Voluntown,  Conn.  Rev.  Samuel  had  received  the  honors  of  the 
University  of  Glasgow  in  1709  and  had  been  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Dunbarton  in  1711.  He  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Voluntown  until  December  12, 
1770,  and  died  November  12,  1775,  aged  ninety  years.  James  came  to  America  with 
his  wife  Elizabeth,  and  their  son  Samuel  married  Rebecca  Gordon,  September  27. 
1764,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-five.  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Gordon)  Dorrance 
had   .several   children,    among  whom  were  John  and  Samuel,  jr..  twins,  born  in 


i56  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hampton,  Conn.,  June  19,  1778.  This  John  Dorrance  became  a  prominent  physician. 
In  1806  he  moved  from  Windham  county,  Conn.,  to  Peterboro,  Madison  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  died  October  11,  1857.  In  1810  he  married  Mary  Thompson,  who 
was  born  March  14,  1783,  and  died  July  2,  187:3.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Alpheus 
Thompson,  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 

Hon.  Daniel  Gordon  Dorrance,  son  of  Dr.  John  and  Mary  (Thompson)  Dorrance, 
was  born  in  Peterboro,  Madison  county,  March  13,  1811,  and  spent  his  early  life 
upon  a  farm  and  as  clerk  in  a  general  store  in  his  native  village.  He  inherited  those 
sterling  traits  of  thrift  and  frugality  which  characterized  his  New  England  ances- 
tors, and  combined  with  these  a  laudable  ambition  to  forge  ahead  and  take  ad- 
vantage of  every  opportunity.  When  nineteen,  having  finished  a  district  school 
education,  he  entered  Cazenovia  vSeminary  and  for  about  two  years  pursued  medical 
studies  with  a  view  of  becoming  a  physician,  but  he  soon  abandoned  this  profession, 
preferring  a  mercantile  life.  In  1832  he  went  to  Florence,  Oneida  county,  to  manage 
the  store  of  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan  and  Gerrit  Smith,  and  in  this  capacity  completed  the 
commercial  training  which  ever  afterward  made  him  conspicuous  in  business  affairs. 
In  1837  he  engaged  in  trade  as  a  country  merchant  in  Florence  and  successfully  con- 
tinued there  until  1859,  when  he  removed  to  Oneida  Castle,  in  the  town  of  Vernon, 
where  he  died  March  26,  1896,  aged  eighty-five. 

Mr.  Dorrance  was  for  many  years  extensively  interested  in  real  estate,  not  only 
in  New  York,  but  also  in  Western  States,  owning  and  handling  large  tracts  in 
various  sections  of  the  country.  From  1840  to  1859  he  was  the  land  agent  of  Hon. 
Gerrit  Smith.  The  grounds  occupied  by  his  residence  in  Oneida  Castle  comprised  a 
portion  of  the  site  once  occupied  by  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  who  came  as  a  mission- 
ary to  the  Oneida  Indians  in  1766.  'The  old  mi-ssion  house  formerly  stood  near  a 
corner  of.  his  garden.  Mr.  Dorrance  was  one  of  the  fourteen  organizers  and  incor- 
porators of  the  Fort  Stanwix  Bank,  of  Rome,  in  1848,  and  served  as  a  member  of  its 
board  of  directors  until  his  death,  being  the  last  survivor  of  the  original  company. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  continually  the  president  of  the  Oneida  Savings 
Bank  at  Oneida,  was  long  a  director,  vice-president,  and  president  of  the  Oneida 
Valley  National  Bank  at  Oneida,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  banking  firm  of  D.  G. 
&  J.  G.  Dorrance,  of  Camden,  and  president  of  their  successor,  the  First  National 
Bank.  As  a  financier  he  possessed  unusual  sagacity  and  foresight,  and  to  him  is 
largely  due  the  success  attained  by  the  institutions  with  which  he  was  connected. 
Endowed  with  thorough  knowledge  of  business  affairs,  honest,  careful,  and  con- 
servative yet  enterprising,  he  won  universal  confidence,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  eminent  bankers  of  the  county.  He  was  public  spirited  and  progressive 
and  quite  heavily  interested  in  various  other  enterprises,  especially  in  manufactur- 
ing. He  was  a  director  in  the  Rome  Brass  and  Copper  Company  at  Rome  and 
president  of  the  Westcott  Chuck  Company,  one  of  the  leading  industrial  concerns  at 
Oneida. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dorrance  was  originally  an  old  line  Whig  and  an  ardent  admirer  of 
Henry  Clay,  and  affiliated  with  the  Republicans  upon  the  organization  of  that  party 
in  1856.  He  was  very  active  in  political  affairs  and  a  staunch  supporter  of  his 
party's  principles,  working  zealously  at  the  polls  until  within  two  or  three  years  of 
his  death,  when  his  age  and  health  compelled  him  to  seek  retirement.     He  was  post- 


MYRON  W.   HUNT,  M.  D. 


Biographical.  157 

master  and  supervisor  of  Florence  for  several  years  and  in  1846  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  Assembly.  In  1854  and  1855  he  served  as  State  senator.  As  a  legisla- 
tor he  attained  that  eminence  which  is  characterized  by  unswerving  faithfulness  to 
constituents  and  strict  fidelity  to  public  interests.  He  was  a  member  and  trustee  of 
Cochran  Memorial  Pre.sbyterian  church  of  Oneida  Castle  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
and  always  led  a  consistent  Christian  life.  His  benefactions  were  numerous  and 
far  reaching.  He  liberally  supported  all  worthy  movements  and  was  recognized  as 
a  most  useful  citizen. 

Mr.  Dorrance  was  married  in  March,  1837,  to  Miss  Ann  Sparrow,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Palen)  Sparrow,  of  Florence,  Oneida  county.  His  wife  and 
her  parents  were  natives  of  Shropshire,  England.  She  died  December  17,  1891, 
aged  seventy-seven,'  leaving  three  sons  and  two  daughters;  John  G.,  William 
H.,  and  Daniel  G.,  jr.,  all  prominent  business  men  of  Camden,  N.  Y.  ;  Mary  A., 
wife  of  Dr.  M.  H.  Bronson,  of  Lowville,  N.  Y. ;  and  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Hon.  Charles 
L.  Knapp,  also  of  Lowville. 


MYRON  W.   HUNT,   M.   D. 

Myron  W.  Hunt,  M.  D.,  was  born  on  the  family  homestead  at  Lairdsville,  in  the 
town  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1857.  His 
ancestors  were  New  Englanders,  who  for  several  years  had  exerted  a  notable  influ- 
ence in  the  civil  and  business  life  of  the  colonies.  Capt.  William  Hunt,  the  grand- 
father of  Dr.  Hunt,  was  born  in  Vermont,  but  removed  in  early  life  to  Sharon, 
Conn.,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  tanner  and  currier.  In  the  winter  of  1813-14 
he  moved  with  his  family  to  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  where  he  settled  upon  a 
farm  on  which  he  died  in  1843,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  Here  he  followed  both 
tanning  and  farming.  Coming  here  when  the  couutry  was  new  he  experienced  all 
the  privations  incident  to  pioneer  life,  but  he  never  faltered  in  the  hard  work  neces- 
sary in  clearing  his  farm  and  prosecuting  his  trade.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  was 
called  with  his  company  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  where  he  was  stationed  as  captain  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812-15.  The  sword  he  carried  on  that  occasion  is  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  his  grandson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Captain  Hunt  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  ability.  Endowed  with  a  rugged  constitution  he  possessed  talents  of 
high  order  and  a  mmd  as  vigorous  as  it  was  broad  and  comprehensive.  He  exerted 
a  large  and  wholesome  influence  in  the  community,  where  he  was  highly  respected 
for  his  manv  excellent  qualities.  Being  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  he  took 
a  deep  interest  in  all  religious  matters  and  liberally  encouraged  every  movement 
which  advanced  the  cause.  His  home  was  always  open  to  the  old  circuit  riders — 
those  itinerant  preachers  who  formed  such  an  important  factor  in  frontier  life  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  ago.  He  married  Betsey  Calkins,  a  native  of  Sharon,  Conn., 
who  died  on  the  homestead  in  1848,  aged  seventy-three.  She  was  a  woman  richl}^ 
endowed  with  the  sterling  characteristics  of  New  Englanders,  and  like  her  husband 
wielded  a  marked  influence  in  the  community.  Of  a  lovable  disposition,  kind, 
benevolent,   and  charitable,  she  was  especially  the  friend  of  the  sick  and  needy,  to 


158  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

whom  she  ministered  with  a  liberal  hand.  Their  children  were  William,  who  died 
in  Kansas;  Elijah,  a  merchant,  who  died  in  Lowell,  Oneida  county;  Rev.  Isaac  L.,  a 
prominent  Methodist  clergyman  and  presiding  elder,  who  died  in  Adams,  N.  Y.,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six;  Dr.  Jacob,  bom  in  Hillsdale,  Conn.,  in  1811,  died  in  Utica  in 
April,  1887;  Luther  E.,  father  of  Dr.  Myron  W.  ;  Rev.  Ward  W.,  a  graduate  of 
Hamilton  College,  class  of  1843,  and  a  noted  clergyman,  who  died  in  Adams,  N.  Y., 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four;  Polly  (Mrs.  William  Potter),  who  died  in  Westmoreland; 
Betsey  (Mrs.  Joseph  Havens),  who  died  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  1875,  aged  seventy- 
seven  ;  Hettie  (Mrs.  Lowden  Brainard),  who  died  at  Lairdsville  in  1890,  aged  eighty- 
nine;  and  Almira  (Mrs.  George  Gardner),  who  died  in  Lowell,  Oneida  county.  Of 
these  Dr.  Jacob  Hunt  became  a  well  known  physician  and  surgeon.  He  practiced 
for  twenty  years  in  Lowell,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1852  settled  in  Utica.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Oneida  County  and  New  York  State  Medical  Societies,  a  delegate  to 
the  American  Medical  Society,  and  twice  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of 
the  M.  E.  church. 

Luther  E.  Hunt,  father  of  Dr.  M.  W.,  was  born  on  the  homestead  at  Lairdsville  on 
May  17,  1814,  and  spent  his  entire  life  there,  dying  April  9,  1895.  He  was  educated 
in  Cazenovia  and  Fairfield  Seminaries,  and  when  nineteen  became  principal  of  the 
Rochester  public  school,  which  position  he  filled  several  years.  He  held  a  similar 
position  in  Oswego  until  his  health  failed,  when  he  returned  to  Lairdsville  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  brooms.  He  was  a  staunch  Republican,  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  local  affairs,  and  enjoyed  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  entire  com- 
munity. He  was  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  Hampton  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  1846  he  married  Harriet  M.  Warner,  of  Amsterdam,  N.  Y., 
who  was  born  in  Cambridge  N.  Y.,  May  27,  1821,  and  who  died  April  11,  1895,  two 
days  after  her  husband.  She  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  a 
consistent  Christian  throughout  life,  and  a  devoted  wife  and  loving  mother.  They 
had  five  children,  of  whom  three  survived  them,  viz:  Dr.  Myron  W.,  of  Holland 
Patent;  S.  Olin,  of  Lairdsville;  and  Minnie  L.,  who  was  born  November  6,  1861,  and 
who  died  April  16,  1895,  making  the  third  death  in  the  family  within  a  period  of  one 
week,  all  of  pneumonia. 

Dr.  Myron  W.  Hunt  spent  his  early  life  on  the  family  homestead  and  in  attending 
the  district  schools.  In  1875  he  was  graduated  in  the  classical  course  from  Whites- 
town  Seminary  and  subsequently  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  at  Fort  Edward 
Collegiate  Institute.  Later  he  entered  the  class  of  1879  of  Syracuse  University,  but 
did  not  complete  the  course,  having  decided  in  the  mean  time  to  adopt  medicine  as 
a  profession.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  William  M.  James,  of 
Whitesboro,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  with  that  thoroughness  which  has  charac- 
terized all  his  undertakings.  Later  he  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Albert  Van  Da  Veer, 
a  noted  surgeon  of  Albanj',  and  was  graduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  on 
March  4,  1882.  He  immediatelj'  went  to  Burlington  and  took  the  spring  course  at 
the  Universit}^  of  Vermont,  graduating  therefrom  in  June  of  that  year.  Afterward 
he  took  a  special  course  in  diseases  of  the  heart  and  lungs  under  Dr.  George  M. 
Garland,  of  Boston.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Stittville  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  and  in  May,  1888,  moved  thence 
to  the  village  of  Holland  Patent,  in  the  same  town,  where  he  has  since  resided. 


A.    P.   ShAlON, 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  159 

Dr.  Hunt  has  successfully  built  up  an  extensive  general  practice  and  stands  well 
among  the  leading  physicians  of  Oneida  county.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Oneida  County  Medical  vSociety  and  out  of-town  physician  to  Faxton  and  St.  Eliza- 
beth's Hospitals  of  Utica.  He  has  also  been  health  officer  of  the  town  of  Floyd  for 
several  years.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  and  active  Republican,  and  in  the  councils 
of  his  party  is  one  of  the  recognized  local  leaders.  In  the  fall  of  1890  he  was  elected 
coroner  of  Oneida  county  by  a  majority  of  118,  and  three  years  later  was  re-elected 
to  thig  office,  running  ahead  of  the  ticket.  During  his  two  terms,  or  nearly  six  years, 
as  county  coroner  he  has  had  much  important  work,  his  territorial  jurisdiction  being 
the  largest  in  the  county.  Dr.  Hunt  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  Holland  Patent  since  1888  and  is  chairman  of  the  teachers'  committee.  He  is  an 
honorary  member  of  the  117th  regiment  N.  Y.  S.  V  ,  a  member  of  Remsen  Lodge, 
No  677,  F.  &  A.  M.,  member  of  LTtica  Lodge  No.  33,  P.  B.  O.  E.,  and  a  charter 
member  of  Trenton  Lodge,  No.  577,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Holland  Patent  Lodge,  No.  352, 
K.  of  M.  He  was  a  charter  member  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  Holland  Patent 
Lodge,  No.  291,  K.  of  P.,  is  district  deputy  chancellor  commander  of  the  66th 
district  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  was  the  organizer  and  is  past  chief  councillor  of 
Stittville  Council,  No.  279,  Order  of  the  LTnited  Friends.  He  also  organized  Oriskany 
Cov.ncil,  No.  291,  O.  U.  F.,  and  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
the  order.  Dr  Hunt  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  active  in  all  worthy  enterprises, 
and  is  actively  identified  with  the  prosperity  of  his  town  and  county.  He  stumped 
the  counties  of  Herkimer  and  Oneida  in  1892  and  has  delivered  numerous  addresses 
before  patriotic  and  other  gatherings.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  county,  district, 
and  State  political  conventions,  and  in  every  capacitj'  has  manifested  that  loyalty 
and  patriotism  and  public  spirit  which  characterize  the  respected  citizen.  He 
is  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church,  Holland  Patent,  and  a  member  of  the 
United  Friends  Club  of  New  York  city. 

On  August  7,  1884,  Dr.  Hunt  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  A.,  daughter  of  Joseph 
D.  Newton,  of  Lowell,  Oneida  county,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Newton  L.,  born 
October  20,  1885,  and  Isaac  L.,  born  April  16,  1891. 


ALBERT  P.   SEATON. 

Albert  P.  Seaton  is  the  youngest  child  of  John  and  Alice  (Hopkinson)  Seaton  and 
was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1844.  John  Seaton  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  March  17,  1809,  and  served  a  seven  years'  apprenticeship  at  the  tailor's 
trade  in  Leeds.  He  was  married  in  Hull  to  Miss  Alice  Hopkinson  and  in  1832  came 
to  America,  locating  first  in  Quebec,  Canada.  In  1833  he  settled  in  Utica.  where 
he  very  soon  entered  the  employ  of  Z.  &  P.  Lyon,  merchant  tailors,  with  whom  he 
remained  eighteen  years.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  removed  to  the  town  of  New 
Hartford  and  engaged  in  farming  on  East  Hill,  about  one  and  one-half  miles  east 
of  the  village.  Here  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  active  life,  and  here  his  wife  died 
in  October,  1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  In  the  spring  of  1879  he  removed  to  the 
village  of  New  Hartford,  where  his  death  occurred  in  June,  1885.     Mr.  Seaton  was  a 


160  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

man  of  sterling  character,  a  strong  Whig  and  later  an  ardent  Republican,  and  a 
prominent  member  of  St.  Stephen's  Episcopal  church,  which  he  served  for  many 
years  as  vestryman.  He  was  especially  active  in  church  work,  and  always  took  a 
keen  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  entire  community.  He  had  six  children:  Sarah 
and  Maria  (twins),  who  died  in  infancy;  Sarah,  2d,  who  married  Edward  B.  Stevens 
and  resides  in  Utica;  Anna  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Rigney,  both  deceased; 
and  John  W.  and  Albert  P.  of  New  Hartford. 

Albert  P.  Seaton  removed  with  his  parents  to  New  Hartford  in  1X50,  When  he  was 
six  years  old,  and  here  in  the  common  schools  he  received  his  education  Inheriting 
the  sturdy  characteristics  of  his  parents  he  made  the  best  of  his  lihiited  means  and 
advantages  while  a  youth,  and  on  the  farm  gained  a  rugged  constitution,  which  has 
carried  him  through  a  most  successful  career.  In  1861  he  began  learning  the  ma- 
chinist's trade  in  the  Remington  gun  factory  at  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
until  1865,  becoming  in  the  mean  time  a  sub-contractor.  His  skill  as  a  machinist 
had  now  attracted  the  attention  of  his  associates  and  he  was  invited  to  go  to  the 
Oneida  Community  and  accept  a  position  in  the  establishment  which  had  started  for 
the  purpose  of  manufacturing  machinery  for  the  new  silk  factory  there.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  capacity  about  two  years,  when  he  returned  to  Ilion,  and  became  a 
contractor  in  the  Remington  works.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  returned  to  the  pa- 
rental farm  in  New  Hartford,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  in 
the  milk  business.  In  the  spring  of  1879,  his  mother  having  died,  he  removed 
with  his  father  to  the  village,  where  he  now  lives,  occupying  a  valuable  farm  lying 
partly  within  the  corporate  limits. 

Mr.  Seaton  has  been  an  active  and  influential  Republican  for  many  years,  and  has 
frequently  been  called  by  his  party  to  positions  of  trust  and  honor.  In  1881  he  was 
elected  highway  commissioner  and  served  one  term.  He  was  president  of  the  village 
of  New  Hartford  for  five  years  between  1882  and  1888.  and  for  about  seven  years 
served  efficiently  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  being  its  president  from 
August,  1890,  until  the  .spring  of  1891,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  office  of  su- 
pervisor of  the  town.  He  was  supervisor  from  March.  1891,  until  March,  1896,  or  for 
five  successive  years,  and  was  chairman  of  the  board  in  1894  and  1895.  In  all  these 
positions  Mr.  Seaton  officiated  with  ability  and  great  credit.  He  has  been  very  act- 
ive in  political  affairs,  and  has  frequently  been  a  delegate  to  county,  district,  and 
State  conventions.  In  all  public  matters  and  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  commun- 
ity he  takes  an  active  interest,  and  liberally  encourages  every  movement  worthy  of 
a  loyal  citizen's  support.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  treasurer  of  the  New 
Hartford  Leather  Company  during  its  existence,  and  for  several  years  served  as 
vestryman  of  St.  Stephen's  church. 

On  September  6,  1875,  Mr.  Seaton  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  E.,  daughter  of 
Franklin  F.  and  Caroline  Brooks,  of  Utica.  She  died  February  8,  1895,  at  the  age 
of  forty-two,  leaving  six  children:  Alice  E.,  John  F.,  Carrie  M.,  Albert  P.,  jr.,  Jen- 
nie E.,  and  Franklin  F. 


JOHN   L.   BABBITT 


BIOGKAPHICAL.  161 

JOHN  LEROY  BABBITT. 

John  Lerov  Babbitt  was  born  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  May  17,  1835.  When  a  child  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Susquehanna  county,  Pa.,  where  his  father  followed  the 
occupation  of  peddler,  which  kept  him  from  home  the  greater  part  of  the  time. 
His  mother  was  a  seamstress,  and  was  employed  wherever  she  could  find  work  for 
her  needle;  as  a  result,  the  bo}\  John  L.,  was  deprived  of  a  permanent  home,  and 
lived  about  at  different  places  and  with  different  people,  doing  such  light  work  as 
his  age  and  strength  permitted,  and  obtaining  but  little  schooling. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen,  in  company  with  a  cousin,  he  started  west,  crossing  Lake 
Erie  on  the  sidewheel  steamer  Mayflower  from  Buffalo  to  Monroe  City,  Mich. 
From  the  latter  place  he  walked  fourteen  miles  to  an  Indian  settlement,  where  he 
obtained  employment  at  farming  and  lumbering.  After  a  limited  period  at  this 
labor  he  attended  the  Union  School  at  Tecumseh,  Lenawee  county,  Mich.,  and  later 
applied  himself  to  learning  the  machinist  trade  at  the  same  place. 

Having  finished  his  course  of  instruction  and  practice  in  the  machine  shop,  he 
was  employed  first  by  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  then  by  the  Terre 
Haute,  Alton  and  St.  Louis  Railroad  Company,  and  finally  by  the  New  York  and 
Erie  Company.  In  1860  he  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  became  the  chief  en- 
gineer in  the  immense  soap  factory  of  his  uncle,  B.  T.  Babbitt;  here  he  remained 
for  three  years,  and  then  accepted  the  position  of  chief  engineer  for  the  Glen  Cove 
Starch  Company,  at  Glen  Cove,  Long  Island.  For  eleven  years  he  satisfactorily 
filled  this  place,  during  which  time  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  of  the  State 
steam  boiler  inspector  for  that  congressional  district,  comprising  the  counties  of 
Queens,  Suffolk,  and  Richmond. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  Mr.  Babbitt  came  to  Whitesboro  as  superintendent  of  the 
iron  works  which  his  uncle,  B.  T.  Babbitt,  had  established  there,  a  position  he  still 
holds. 

Mr.  Babbitt  has  proved  himself  a  useful  citizen  in  the  village  of  his  adoption  in 
every  way  and  has  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  He  has 
served  the  village  of  Whitesboro  as  triistee  for  several  terms,  and  as  president  for 
one  term ;  he  has  been  trustee  of  the  United  Societ}-  of  Whitestown  several  years, 
also  president,  and  for  a  short  time  deacon.  In  1893  he  was  chosen  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Homestead  Aid  Association  of  Whitestown. 

Notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  and  hardships  of  his  early  life,  and  a  lack  of 
those  opportunities  which  give  to  youth  a  hopeful  view  of  the  future,  Mr.  Babbitt 
proved  his  natural  abilities  by  the  sturdy  energy  and  restless  ambition  to  succeed 
which  have  characterized  his  career  from  boyhood  to  middle  age. 

Mr.  Babbitt  was  married  on  June  2,  1869,  to  Miss  Lorinda  L.  Potter,  who  was 
born  at  Gibson,  Pa.,  December  21,  1836,  and  educated  at  Hartford  Academy,  Sus- 
quehanna county.  Pa.  They  have  had  two  children:  Willie  T.,  born  at  Glen  Cove, 
Long  Island,  November  27,  1871,  died  August  2,  1872;  and  Benjamin  Talbot,  born 
at  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  October  9,  1874,  who  is  now  a  student  at  Cornell  Univer- 
sity m  the  class  of  '97,  he  having  won  a  scholarship  in  that  institution  at  a  com- 
petitive examination. 

David  Babbitt,  father  of  John  L.,  was  the  oldest  son  of  Nathaniel,  of  Paris  Hill, 
u 


162  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Oneida  county.  He  was  born  in  1806,  and  died  at  Brockwayville,  Jefferson  county, 
Pa.,  January  29,  1868.  Remarried  Miss  Emma  Parmenter,  born  at  Westminster, 
Windham  county,  Vt.,  in  1804;  she  died  at  Whitesboro,  July  19,  1889.  John  L.  was 
their  eldest  son;  they  had  one  daughter,  Frances  Emma,  born  August  23,  1838,  and 
died  at  Gibson,  Pa.,  June  13,  1844.  John  L.  Babbitt  and  his  son,  Benjamin  Talbot, 
are  the  only  male  descendants  left  to  bear  the  family  name,  made  a  household  word 
for  many  years  by  B.  T.  Babbitt. 

Among  the  first  grievances  that  led  to  the  Revolutionary  war  was  the  duty  im- 
posed on  tea;  the  opposition  to  this  tax  culminated  in  a  public  meeting,  November 
29,  1773,  which  resolved  "  that  the  tea  should  not  be  landed,  that  no  duty  should  be 
paid,  and  that  it  should  be  sent  back  in  the  same  vessel."  Vessel  after  vessel  arrived 
in  Boston  harbor,  and  finding  they  could  not  unload,  desired  to  return  with  their 
cargoes  to  England;  but  Governor  Hutchinson  refused  to  grant  them  permission  to 
pass  the  castle.  Agitation  increased,  and  a  large  meeting  was  held  December  18, 
1773,  addressed  by  Josiah  Quincy.  In  the  evening  the  question  was  put,  "Do  you 
abide  by  your  former  resolution  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  tea  ?  '  The  vote  was 
unanimously  in  the  affirmative.  Application  was  again  made  to  the  governor  for  a 
"pass."  After  a  short  delay  his  refusal  was  communicated  to  the  assembly.  In- 
stantly a  person  in  the  gallery,  disguised  as  an  Indian,  gave  a  "  war  whoop."  At 
this  signal  the  people  rushed  out  and  hastened  to  the  wharves  About  twenty  per- 
sons, in  the  dress  of  Mohawk  Indians,  boarded  the  vessels  and,  protected  by  the 
crowd  on  shore,  broke  open  343  chests  of  tea  and  emptied  their  contents  overboard. 

Nathaniel  Babbitt,  the  great-grandfather  of  John  L.,  was  the  hero  of  the  war- 
whoop  and  one  of  the  twenty  "  Mohawks"  at  the  celebrated  "tea  party."  His  three 
sons,  Nathaniel,  jr.,  Benjamin  and  William,  all  served  in  the  Revolution.  William 
and  Nathaniel,  jr.,  settled  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Paris,  Oneida  county,  about 
1792.  Nathaniel  married  Miss  Betsey  Holman  and  settled  near  Holman  City,  and 
at  one  time  was  a  blacksmith  at  Paris  Hill  and  afterwards  kept  a  tavern  in  East 
Sauquoit  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Asher  Gallup,  and  later  worked  in  the 
Farmers'  Factory  Oil  Mill,  where  he  received  a  painful  injury  by  the  falling  of  a 
mill  stone  on  one  of  his  legs.  His  children  were  David,  George  R.,  Benjamin  Tal- 
bot, Rebecca  Howard,  Betsey  Gilson  and  Polly  Spaulding.  Benjamin  T. ,  the 
millionaire  soap  manufacturer,  and  proprietor  of  extensive  machine  shops  at  Whites- 
boro, is  the  only  descendant  of  a  Paris  pioneer  who  has  attained  to  a  colossal 
fortune. 

GENEALOGY    OF    THE    BABBITT    FAMILY. 

1.  Nathaniel  Babbitt,  a  resident  of  Boston,  Mass.,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and 
the  hero  of  the  "  war  whoop"  of  the  "tea  party"  in  Boston  harbor,  December  18, 
1773  His  sons  were  Nathaniel,  jr.,  William  and  Benjamin,  also  Revolutionary  sol- 
diers throughout  the  war. 

2.  Nathaniel  Babbitt,  jr.,  married  Betsey  Holman,  daughter  of  David  Holman, 
came  from  Middlesex,  Conn.,  about  1792,  and  settled  near  Holman  City.  Their  chil- 
dren were  David,  George  Reed,  Benjamin  Talbot,  Betsey,  Polly  and  Rebecca. 

3.  David  Babbitt,  born  in  Paris,  N.  Y.,  in  1806,  married  Emma  Parmenter, 
daughter  of  Charles  Parmenter  of  Vermont  in  1832.     He  died  at  Brockwayville, 


ROBERT  STANTON  WILLIAMS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL,  163 

Pa.,  January  39,  1868.  His  wife  was  born  at  Westminster,  Vt.,  in  1804,  and  died  at 
Whitesboro,  N.  Y. ,  in  July,  1889,  and  is  buried  at  Gibson,  Pa.  Their  children  were 
John  Leroy  and  Frances  Emma. 

4.  John  Leroy  Babbitt,  born  May  17,  18-^5,  at  LTtica,  N.Y.,  married  at  Gibson,  Pa., 
June  2,  1869,  to  Lorinda  L.  Potter,  daughter  of  JBuel  G.  and  Lydia  Potter. 
Frances  Emma,  born  at  LTtica,  N.  Y. ,  August  23,  1838,  died  at  Gibson,  Pa.,  June  13, 
1844,  and  buried  at  Gibson. 

5.  Willie  T.  Babbitt,  born  in  November,  1871,  at  Glen  Cove,  N.  Y.,  died  August 
2,  1872,  at  same  place;  buried  at  Gibson,  Pa.  Benjamin  Talbot,  born  August  9, 
1874,  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y. 


ROBERT  STANTON  WILLIAMS, 

Robert  Stanton  Williams,  youngest  surviving  child  of  Col.  William  and  Sophia 
Wells  Williams,  was  born  in  L''tica,  September  10,  1828.  After  the  sale  of  his  book 
store  Colonel  Williams  removed  in  1836  with  his  family  to  Tonawanda,  N.  Y.,  to  take 
charge  of  an  estate  of  which  he  was  part  owner  in  connection  with  Henry  Hunting- 
ton of  Rome.  Whatever  childhood  in  a  Western  village  may  be  to  the  imagination 
its  reality  in  the  case  of  Robert  S.  Williams  was  not  sufficiently  attractive  to  have 
crowded  his  memory  in  after  years  with  many  recollections  of  the  place.  Having 
passed  his  tenth  birthday  he  was  placed  with  Henry  Ivison  (his  father's  former  ap- 
prentice in  the  Utica  book-bindery),  at  that  time  a  prosperous  bookseller  in  Auburn. 
An  agreement  was  made  under  which  the  boy  was  received  in  the  family  of  his  em- 
ployer and  allowed  to  pay  for  the  cost  of  board  and  schooling  by  doing  odd  jobs  in 
the  store  and  learning  the  book-binder's  trade.  But  the  strain  of  over-many  duties 
presently  told  on  his  health,  and  by  the  summer  of  1842  he  was  compelled  to  seek 
the  rest  and  change  of  country  life.  During  the  two  following  years  he  lived  on  the 
farm  of  his  uncle,  James  Wells,  at  New  Hartford,  where  with  his  brother  Edward 
he  became  aquaiuted  with  the  approved  methods  of  Oneida  county  farming.  In 
1844  he  went  to  Brooklyn,  where  his  brother  Dwight  was  living,  and  there  attended 
school  for  a  term.  Returning  in  the  winter  to  Auburn  he  re-entered  Mr.  Ivison's 
employ,  remaining  with  him  until  September,  1846.  The  appetite  for  learning  was 
not  yet  appeased  in  spite  of  this  hopeful  opening  in  a  business  career.  He  entered 
the  Cortland  Academy  at  Homer,  then  under  the  management  of  Samuel  B.  Wool- 
worth,  afterward  secretary  of  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  in  this  institution  he  remained  until  March,  1848  nearly  completing  his 
preparation  for  college.  After  a  year  spent  in  Utica  he  received  an  appointment 
(July,  1849)  in  the  railway  mail  service  as  route  agent  between  Albany  and 
Buffalo.  The  work  was  fatiguing  in  the  extreme,  and  railway  travel  in 
that  day  was  not  only  tiresome,  but  rendered  dangerous  by  frequent  accidents. 
Early  in  1852  he  resigned  his  position  t-  attend  his  brother  James  dur- 
ing a  fatal  illness,  which  terminated  in  March  of  that  year,  and  with  his 
return  to  his  native  city  begins  Mr.  Williams's  permanent  and  intimate  association 
with   its  progress  and   interests.     Without   marked  predilection  for  any  particular 


164:  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

occupation  it  was  perhaps  an  accident  at  first  that  secured  him  a  place  as  bookkeeper 
in  the  City  Bank,  but  the  choice  once  made  was  most  fortunate  for  the  exercise  of 
his  abihties  to  the  best  advantage.  Emphatically  masculine,  robust,  and  sane, 
accomplishing  his  ends  by  share  force  of  honesty,  of  being  in  the  right  rather  than  by 
mere  cleverness,  he  soon  won  from  those  who  could  best  judge  his  course  that  confi- 
dence and  respect  which  constitute  the  necessary  moral  capital  of  every  successful 
banker.  While  in  his  subordinate  position  he  lost  no  opportunity  of  improving  his 
technical  knowledge.  To  this  end,  when  one  of  his  senior  fellow  clerks  became 
restless  by  being  kept  long  after  banking  hours,  he  induced  him  as  a  favor  to  teach 
him  the  method  used  in  his  department,  and  was  soon  able  to  take  care  of  part  of  his 
and  all  of  his  own  books,  while  his  friend  prolonged  his  restful  sessions  in  the  pur- 
suit of  Hterary  fame.  This  sort  of  devoted  dihgence  earns  its  reward  even  outside 
of  the  region  of  moral  fiction.  The  directors  of  the  Oneida  National  Bank  had,  it 
may  be  inferred,  a  pretty  definite  conception  of  his  working  capacity  when  they  in- 
dviced  him  to  enter  their  employ  in  October,  1854,  the  same  month  in  which  he  was 
married.  During  his  term  of  forty-two  years,  the  longest  service  of  any  individual 
in  this  bank,  Mr.  Williams  has  passed  successively  through  all  its  grades  and  concerned 
himself  heartily  in  its  welfare.  After  a  few  months  in  the  position  of  bookkeeper  he 
was  made  teller  in  February,  1855 ;  from  this,  in  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  the  chair 
of  managing  cashier  and  at  the  same  time  elected  a  director.  As  cashier  he  con- 
ducted for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  affairs  and  policy  of  the  bank,  which  he 
has  retamed  in  his  control  during  his  term  as  president,  an  office  given  him  upon 
the  death  of  A.  J.  Williams  in  1886. 

With  increasing  years  have  come  multiplying  opportunities  for  good  and  faithful 
service  in  many  fields.  His  performances  in  the  business  and  industrial  community 
have  lately  been  on  a  larger  scale,  but  they  are  of  a  piece  with  his  early  work  and 
have  fitly  crowned  it  with  success.  To  examine  these  in  detail  would  carry  us  into 
almost  every  important  industrial  concern  that  Utica  has  known  during  a  genera- 
tion. Before  them  all  in  his  own  estimation  would  come  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  and  Sunday  school,  the  church  of  his  father,  whose  successor  he  has  been, 
both  as  ruling  elder  and  Sunday  school  superintendent.  In  the  work  of  establishing 
mission  branches  in  Deerfield  and  East  and  West  Utica  he  has  displayed  the  same 
practical  zeal  which  characterized  both  his  parents  as  Christian  laborers  among  their 
fellow  citizens.  His  interest  in  educational  matters  has  engaged  him  actively  in  be- 
half of  both  public  and  private  schools.  Soon  after  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the 
Utica  Female  Academy,  in  1865,  he  was  elected  a  trustee  (a  position  he  still  holds) 
and  placed  upon  the  executive  committee  in  charge  of  erecting  the  new  building. 
As  an  expression  of  the  committee's  foresight  and  faithful  stewardship  the  building 
is  more  successful,  perhaps,  than  as  an  testhetic  ornament  to  the  town.  In  the 
progress  and  success  of  the  school  itself,  with  which  Mr.  Williams  has  ever  since 
been  closely  associated,  betakes  the  liveliest  satisfaction,  a  good  part  of  which  comes 
from  his  personal  share  in  calling  Mrs.  Piatt  to  her  felicitous  and  effective  career  as 
its  principal.  He  was  elected  in  1870  a  public  school  commissioner,  serving  three 
years,  at  a  time  when  the  board  exercised  its  discretion  in  deciding  upon  the  text 
books  and  studies  within  its  jurisdiction.  Among  other  innovations  he  advocated 
teaching  music  in  the  public  schools,  and  secured  for  this  end  the  permanent  employ- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  165 

ment  of  a  qualified  teacher.  During  two  terms  as  alderman,  from  1874  to  1878,  Mr. 
Williams  labored  for  economy  in  the  management  of  municipal  matters,  and,  though 
on  the  minority  side  of  the  council,  succeeded  simply  by  strength  of  integrity  in  car- 
rying out  some  reforms  of  lasting  benefit.  His  measures  as  chairman  of  the  finance 
committee  dealt  with  the  things  of  a  technical  rather  than  of  a  general  interest,  but 
in  his  resolute  effort  to  raise  the  City  Library  from  a  mere  assortment  of  juvenile 
literature  to  be  a  medium  of  substantial  benefit  to  the  whole  community  he  won  the 
thanks  of  every  citizen.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Utica  Public  Library 
and  has  served  as  president  since  its  organization.  He  also  strongly  advocated  and 
assisted  in  the  change  from  a  volunteer  to  a  paid  fire  department.  His  active  con- 
nection with  local  politics  terminated  in  1878,  when  he  became  a  candidate  for  the 
mayoralty.  He  accepted  the  nomination,  as  he  declared  in  a  card  announcing  his 
determination,  "  with  considerable  reluctance  and  at  some  personal  sacrifice,  solely 
in  behalf  of  strict  economy  and  honesty  in  every  branch  of  city  government."  His 
defeat  was  almost  wholly  due  to  his  unwillingness  to  bind  himself  by  pledges  of  any 
sort  to  political  managers,  who  were  so  impressed  with  his  fearlessness  and  inde- 
pendence as  to  prefer  to  see  a  candidate  of  the  opposite  party  elected.  Mr.  Williams 
has  also  served  as  one  of  the  railroad  commissioners  for  the  city  of  Utica,  being  ap- 
pointed in  1871  under  the  law  of  18G9  providing  for  the  municipal  aid  of  railroads.  In 
this  capacity  he  assisted  in  the  issue  of  8200,000  in  bonds  of  the  city  of  Utica,  in  aid 
of  the  Utica,  Clinton,  and  Binghamton  Railroad,  and  was  elected  in  1872  a  director 
of  this  road  to  represent  the  city's  interest.  In  1881  he  was  made  secretary  and 
treasure  of  the  company  and  has,  since  its  reoi'ganization,  been  prominent  in  its 
management.     He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  Utica. 

The  list  of  business  organizations  in  which  Mr.  Williams  has  been  more  or  less 
directly  concerned  is  much  too  long  for  comprehensive  notice;  there  remains  space 
to  indicate  only  a  few,  to  the  success  of  which  tiis  judgment  and  energy  have  largely 
contributed.  Since  1879  he  has  been  on  the  executive  committee  of  the  Utica  Ceme- 
tery Association,  which  induced  the  as.sociation  to  buy  the  tract  of  150  acres  adjoin- 
ing Forest  Hill  Cemetery  when  it  could  be  procured  at  a  reasonable  figure,  thus 
adding  to  its  beauty  and  insui'ing  room  for  its  enlargement  for  many  years.  In  1895 
he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  association.  Upon  the  first  introduction  of  the 
Edison  telephone,  in  1879,  Mr.  Williams,  with  others,  organized  a  company 
for  providing  telephone  service  within  a  fifteen-mile  circuit  about  Utica.  The 
license  for  five  years  obtained  by  this  company  was  in  1882,  in  connection  with 
similar  licenses  held  by  four  other  companies,  voluntarity  surrendered  in  exchange 
for  a  perpetual  license  from  the  Bell  Telephone  Company  covering  a  territory  of 
twelve  counties  in  Central  New  York,  and  a  new  company  was  formed  known  as  the 
Central  New  York  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company  with  a  capital  of  $500,000,  of 
which  Mr.  Williams  was  made  president.  Another  project  which  originated  at 
about  this  time  (1880),  when  after  the  resumption  of  specie  payment  money  was  com. 
paratively  plenty  and  capital  sought  employment,  was  the  "  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton 
Mills,"  a  companv  for  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth.  In  association  with  Messrs. 
T.  K.  Butler,  Ephraim  Chamberlain,  Addison  C.  Miller,  P.  V.  Rogers,  Nicholas 
E.  Kernan  and  others,  the  scheme  was  promptly  started  and  Mr.  Williams  elected 
vice-president.     In  1885  he  vVas  elected  president  of  the  company.     The  call  for  such 


166  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

legitimate  rnd  promising  investments  being  still  greater  than  the  supply  the 
"  Skenandoa  Cotton  Companj'"  was  organized  in  1881  by  nearly  the  same  gentlemen 
to  manufacture  yarn.  Its  success  has  been  due  principally  to  its  reputation  for  mak- 
ing the  best  possible  quality  of  goods,  and  in  the  second  place  to  its  practice  of  sell- 
ing directly  to  consumers.  Still  a  third  venture  of  this  sort,  the  "  Utica  Willowvale 
Bleaching  Company,"  originated  under  the  same  auspices  in  1881  and  likewise  num- 
bers Mr.  Williams  among  its  directors.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  in  1895 
Mr.  Williams  was  elected  president  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  corporations  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  The  same  year 
he  became  a  director  in  the  Globe  Woolen  Company,  of  Utica. 

This  is  but  the  bare  enumeration,  indeed,  of  some  of  the  chief  lines  of  his  activity, 
omitting  from  the  list  many  other  movements,  like  those  of  the  street  I'ailways,  the 
gas  and  water  works,  the  Oneida  Historical  Society,  etc.,  in  which  he  has  at  one 
time  or  another  borne  his  share  of  the  risk  or  effort.  His  private  library,  one  of  the 
largest  collections  in  the  city,  is  the  accumulation  of  many  years  and  represents 
pretty  accurately  the  subjects  of  general  and  particular  interest  with  which  he  has 
'  stored  his  mind. 

Mr.  Williams  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Abby  Ober,  eldest  daughter  of  Charles 
R.  Doolittle,  and  they  have  had  three  children  who  attained  maturity — two  sons  and 
a  daughter.  The  eldest  son,  George  Huntington  Williams,  was  graduated  from 
Amherst  College  in  1878,  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  Heidelberg  University, 
Germany,  in  1883,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  July  12,  1894,  was  professor  of  inor- 
ganic geology  at  Johns  Hopkins  University,  president  of  the  Society  of  American 
Geologists,  a  member  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  and  the  author  of  more  than 
sixt}?^  boooks  and  papers  on  subjects  connected  with  his  profession.  The  youngest 
son,  John  Camp  Williams,  is  now  vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the  West- 
ern Tube  Company,  of  Kewanee,  111.,  a  concern  that  employs  from  1,400  to  1,800 
men  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  steel  pipe. 


WILLIAM  H.  CLOHER,  JR. 

William  H.  Clohek,  Jr.,  eldest  .son  of  William  H.  Cloher,  sr. ,  and  Mary  Conliu, 
his  wife,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  Oneida  county,  October  24,  1852,  and 
has  been  all  his  life  identified  with  cotton  manufacturing.  His  father,  who  was  born 
in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  1827,  came  to  Kirkland  in  September,  1852,  and  now  resides 
in  Utica.  He  was  well  educated,  became  a  noted  penman,  and  won  many  prizes  in 
the  Spencerian  system,  even  to  wresting  on  one  occasion  the  championship  of  the 
State  of  New  York  from  Paul  D.  May. 

William  H.  Cloher,  jr.,  as  a  mere  lad,  not  onl)-  supported  himself,  but  became  one 
of  the  chief  supports  of  the  family,  which  consisted  in  all  of  four  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter. He  was  schooled  in  the  practical  operations  of  weaving,  etc..  and  the  experi- 
ence thus  gained  made  him  both  self-reliant  and  progressive.  When  only  eight 
years  of  age  he  took  a  position  in  the  New  York  Mills.  Later  he  went  to  work  in  the 
Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  where,  on  account  of  his  small  stature,  a  platform  was 


W.  H.  CLOHER,  JR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  167 

built  to  enable  him  to  reach  the  machine.  Here  he  earned  |1  per  day,  his  wages 
being  regularly  paid  over  by  him  to  his  mother  for  the  support  and  education  of  the 
younger  children.  In  1862  his  father  enhsted  in  the  army  and  remained  about  three 
years,  and  during  this  period  young  Cloher  administered  to  the  family's  needs  and 
also  finished  his  own  studies  in  the  public  schools  of  Utica,  graduating  from  the  ad- 
vanced department.  His  ambition  was  precocious,  yet  his  energy  and  good  judg- 
ment, combined  with  a  determination  to  master  every  detail,  led  him  while  a  lad 
into  useful  and  promising  fields  of  activity.  With  unusual  foresight  he  saw  great 
possibilities  in  the  cotton  industry,  in  whi'ch  he  had  already  obtained  a  limited  ex- 
perience. Leaving  school  when  less  than  fourteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Utica  Cotton  Company  at  New  Hartford,  or  Capron,  as  the  locality  is 
known,  and  received  at  first  37^  cents  per  day.  His  object  was  to  begin  at  the  bot- 
tom and  work  up,  mastering  every  detail  of  the  various  grades  of  manufacture  and 
acquiring  that  practical  knowledge  which  was  deemed  essential  to  success.  He  soon 
rose  to  the  position  of  overseer  of  the  cardmg  room  and  thence  through  the  several 
departments  of  cotton  manufacturing  to  assistant  bookkeeper  and  in  charge  of  the 
store,  which  at  that  time  was  an  important  auxiliary  to  every  large  factory.  These 
latter  positions  he  accepted  with  the  view  of  thoroughlj^  fitting  himself  for  the  post 
of  superintendent  and  manager.  Later  he  became  chief  bookkeeper  of  the  entire 
establishment  and  in  1876  was  appointed  assistant  superintendent.  In  1882  he  was 
made  agent  and  manager  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  the  .same  year  he  tore 
down  the  old  mill  and  erected  the  present  substantial  brick  structure,  filling  it  with 
the  most  approved  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  various  kinds  of  cotton  fabrics. 
The  concern  employs  about  250  operatives. 

When  Mr.  Cloher  accepted  the  agency  and  management  of  the  Utica  Cotton  Com- 
pany in  1882  he  was  reported  by  the  Cotton  and  Wool  Manufacturers  of  Boston  to  be 
the  youngest  man  who  ever  took  charge  of  a  cotton  mill  of  that  magnitude  in  the 
country.  That  he  has  worthily  discharged  the  important  trust  and  great  rcsponsi 
bilities  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  value  of  the  property  has  increased  fourfold, 
while  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  product  has  been  proportionately  augmented. 
Tho  company  consists  of  William  P.  Taber,  president,  and  Henry  M.  Taber,  treas- 
urer, both  of  New  York  city,  and  Mr.  Cloher,  and  as  illustrating  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  the  subject  of  this  sketch  it  may  be  stated  that  these  officials  seldom  vi.sit 
the  establishment  and  never  take  an  active  part  in  the  business  affairs.  In  1891  Mr. 
Cloher  became  a  heavy  stockholder  and  director  in  the  company.  As  manager  of 
the  establishment  he  has  won  a  wide  and  enviable  reputation,  and  the  record  he  has 
made  is  one  of  which  any  man  might  well  be  proud.  He  has  passed  by  successive 
promotions  through  every  branch  of  the  manufacture,  mastering  in  each  position 
every  detail,  and  learning  by  practical  experience  the  needs  and  requirements  of  the 
entire  business.  While  filling  the  position  of  chief  bookkeeper  he  spent  his  leisure 
in  learning  telegraphy  and  shorthand  and  became  quite  an  expert  in  these  branches. 
This  illustrates  his  studious  turn  of  mind  and  shows  how  carefully  and  profitably  he 
has  utilized  his  advantages. 

Mr.  Cloher  is  also  interested  in  various  other  enterprises.  He  was  instrumental  in 
securing  a  postoffice  at  Capron  under  President  Harrison's  administration  and  was 
appointed  the  first  postmaster,  which  office  he  still  holds.     He  also  secured  a  station 


168  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

there  on  the  New  York.  Ontario  and  Western  Raih'oad  and  is  the  agent.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  incorporators  in  January,  1898,  of  the  Capron  Knitting  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  the  treasurer,  his  brother  Charles  E.  being  president  and  super- 
intendent. This  establishment  manufactures  men's  underwear  and  employs  about 
fifty  hands.  The  firm  of  Henry  M.  Taber  &  Co.,  of  New  York  does  an  extensive 
business  through  the  Utica  Cotton  Company  in  storing  cotton  at  Capron  for  supply- 
mg  mills  in  this  vicinity  and  throughout  the  vState,  and  all  this  passes  through  Mr. 
Cloher's  hands  as  agent.  Mr.  Cloher  was  also  one  of  the  founders  and  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  New  Hartford  Canning  Company,  organized  in  1888,  whose  goods  have 
a  wide  reputation.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  Electric  Manufacturing  and  Supply 
Company  of  Utica  and  was  one  of  its  originators.  He  is  an  extensive  owner  of  real 
estate,  is  interested  quite  heavily  in  various  other  enterprises,  and  is  one  of  the 
foremost  business  men  of  Utica  and  New  Hartford.  Public  spirited  and  progressive, 
endowed  with  wonderful  energy,  possessing  sound  judgment  and  keen  foresight,  he 
takes  an  active  part  in  furthering  and  encouraging  all  worthy  projects  and  liberally 
sustains  those  institutions  which  elevate  and  educate  the  masses.  He  is  a  thinker, 
not  an  imitator.  His  efforts  are  directed  into  channels  which  promise  the  greatest 
amount  of  general  good. 

Mr.  Cloher  is  a  38  Mason,  and  has  always  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  fra- 
ternity. He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  '.224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Oneida 
Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  and  of  the  latter  has  been  for  several  years  a  trustee.  He 
is  a  member  of  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3,  K.  T.,  and  served  as  its  commander  in 
1890  and  1891.  He  was  the  youngest  man  ever  elected  co'rimander  of  this  body.  Li 
the  location  of  the  Masonic  Home  in  Utica  he  bore  an  active  part  and  contributed 
liberally  for  the  purpose.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fort  Schuyler,  Ma.sonic,  and  Ar- 
canum Clubs  of  Utica. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cloher  is  an  active  Republican  of  the  stalwart  type,  and  in  the  days 
of  Conkling  was  an  ardent  admirer  of  that  eminent  statesman.  He  is  one  of  the 
town  auditors  of  the  city  of  Utica  and  for  four  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
equalization  committee  of  the  county.  He  now  holds  the  appointment  under  Gov. 
Levi  P.  Morton  as  one  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  State  Custodial  Asylum  at 
Rome.  He  has  often  been  a  delegate  to  local  and  State  political  conventions  and 
alternate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention,  and  for  some  time  served  as  county 
committeeman.  His  interest  in  politics  is  akin  to  that  manifested  in  all  his  business 
and  other  relations.  He  is  enthusiastic,  progressive,  and  a  man  of  unswerving  in- 
tegrity, and  at  all  times  a  loyal  and  enterprising  citizen. 

Mr.  Cloher  was  married,  first,  on  October  18.  1876,  to  Miss  Caroline  E.,  daughter 
of  Harvey  Strong,  of  Laurens,  Otsego  county.  She  died  April  13,  1888,  leaving  one 
son,  William  Strong  Cloher,  born  April  10,  1888.  He  married,  second,  September  1, 
1892,  Miss  Alice  De  Etta,  daughter  of  John  M.  Graham,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  two 
children:     Lois  De  Etta  and  an  infant  son. 


ISAAC  WHIFFEN. 

Isaac  Whiffen  was  born  in  Kimbolton,   Huntingdonshire,   England,  October  10, 
1817,  and  died  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  June  24,  1889.     He  received  his  education  mainly  in 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  169 

his  native  country,  where  as  a  lad  he  developed  those  sturdy  characteristics  which 
mark  the  successful  man.  His  elder  brother,  Uridge  Whiffen,  a  gentleman  of  schol- 
arly attainments,  had  become  professor  of  Greek  and  mathematics  in  Bartlett's  high 
school  in  Utica,  and  this  led  the  family  to  emigrate  to  America  and  settle  in  this  city 
in  September,  1833,  when  Isaac  was  scarcely  fifteen  years  of  age.  But  he  soon  left 
Utica  and  shipped  on  a  whaling  steamer,  remaining  away  three  years,  mainly  for 
his  health.  Returning  to  Utica  he  engaged  in  the  milk  business  with  his  brother 
John.  In  1843  he  established  a  meat  market  on  the  corner  of  John  and  Jay  streets 
and  here  he  laid  the  foundation  for  his  successful  business  career.  He  remained  on 
these  corners,  in  trade,  until  his  death,  and  the  business  was  continued  there  by  his 
sons  till  April,  1893,  a  period  of  fifty  years. 

Mr.  Whiffen,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  the  oldest  butcher  and  meat  dealer  in 
Utica,  and  w^as  known  all  over  the  State.  At  first  he  confined  his  operations  to  the 
retail  trade.  Gradually,  however,  an  increasing  wholesale  business  was  added,  the 
two  branches  being  combined  with  unusual  success.  In  1886  he  admitted  his  sons, 
George  I.  and  B.  Allen,  to  partnership,  under  the  firm  name  of  Isaac  Whiffen  & 
Sons,  and  upon  Mr.  Whiffen's  death  in  1889  they  succeeded  to  the  business,  taking 
the  present  firm  name  of  Isaac  Whiffen's  Sons.  In  1892-93  they  erected  on  Bleecker 
street,  opposite  Chancellor  Square,  a  large  and  commodious  brick  block,  into  which 
they  moved  in  April,  1893,  occupying  the  entire  lower  floor.  Here  both  wholesaling 
and  retailing  of  meats  are  carried  on  extensively,  and  here  the  business,  established 
on  the  corner  of  John  and  Jay  streets  fifty  three  years  ago,  has  an  api^ropriate 
home. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Whiffen  was  energetic,  enterprising,  and  public  spirited,  and  dur- 
ing his  long  and  successful  career  won  universal  respect  and  confidence.  He  was  a 
man  of  unswerving  integrity,  true  to  his  convictions,  steadfast  in  his  friendship,  and 
unfailing  in  the  discharge  of  his  obligations.  Plain,  substantial  and  honest,  he  was 
a  model  citizen,  and  always  took  a  just  pride  in  advancing  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  for  many  years  a  director  of  the  Utica 
and  Mohawk  street  Railroad  Company.  Early  in  life  he  became  interested  in  farm- 
ing, and  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Central  New  York  Farmers'  Club.  He  was 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Central  New  York  Agricultural,  Horticultural,  and 
Mechanical  Association,  and  a  Hfe  member  of  the  Utica  Mechanics  Association.  He 
was  one  of  the  oldest  members  and  at  one  time  president  of  St.  George's  Society, 
long  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge,  No.  47,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  and  president  of 
the  Utica  Curling  Club.  In  politics  he  was  an  active  and  influential  Republican,  but 
never  sought  and  only  twice  accepted  poUtical  office.  He  served  one  term  as  canal 
collector,  and  in  1885  was  appointed  a  police  and  fire  commissioner  of  the  city  of 
Utica,  but  after  about  one  year  resigned.  Mr.  Whiffen  was  charitable,  broad- 
minded,  honorable,  and  industrious,  and  by  every  one  was  held  in  high  esteem. 

November  25,  1841,  Mr.  Whiffen  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Seaton,  who  sur- 
vives him.  She  was  one  of  the  eleven  persons  who  founded  the  Bethel  (later  the 
Bleecker  street  and  now  the  Park)  Baptist  church  of  Utica.  They  had  nine  children, 
of  whom  six  are  living,  viz.:  Charles  B.,  George  I.,  B.  Allen,  and  Edward  U.,  of 
Utica;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Gibson,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  and  Mrs.  U.  M.  Whiffen,  of  Rock 
Island,  111. 


170  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

George  I.  Whiffen,  born  June  24,  1856,  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public  schools 
and  academy,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  his  father's  meat  market.  He  is 
trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Park  Baptist  church,  a  member  of  Imperial  Council 
R.  A.,  and  a  charter  member  of  the  Arcanum  Club.  November  7,  1883,  he  married 
Miss  Carrie  A.,  daughter  of  Charles  Reed,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mar- 
jorie  G. 

B.  Allen  Whiffen  was  born  August  26,  1858,  received  his  education  in  the  Utica 
public  schools  and  academy,  and  on  leaving  school  entered  his  father's  business. 
He  is  a  member  of  Imperial  Council  R.  A.,  and  of  the  Arcanum  Club.  June  17,  181)1. 
he  married  Miss  Anna  N.,  daughter  of  Henry  B.  Beckwith,  of  Utica. 

Edward  U.  Whiffen  was  born  August  11,  1844,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  academy  of  Utica,  and  remained  with  his  father  until  1870,  when  he  went  to 
Canada  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  continuing  successfully  until  1890.  He 
then  removed  to  Louisiana,  Pike  county,  Mo.,  and  carried  on  a  lumber  trade  until 
March,  1896,  when  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  L''^tica.  In  1867  he  married  Miss 
Susan  L.  Brazie,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  four  children:  Harry  I.,  Fannie  A.,  Flora 
L.,  and  Frank  A. 


GEORGE  W.   CHADWICK,  Sk. 

Hon.  George  W.  Chad  wick  was  born  in  Sauquoit,  Oneida  county,  June  16,  1825, 
ane  died  at  Chadwick's,  in  the  same  county,  December  4,  1885.  He  was  of  Engli.sh 
parentage.  John  Chadwick  was  born  in  Oldham,  Lancashire,  England,  January  5, 
1783,  came  to  America  early  in  this  centur5^  and  first  settled  in  Providence,  R.  I,, 
where  he  marrifed  Betsey  Snow.  They  soon  removed  to  Toddsville,  Otsego  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  Chadwick  entered  the  employ  of  the  Union  cotton  factory.  He 
was  a  practical  manufacturer  of  great  skill  and  gave  his  whole  time  and  attention  to 
the  details  of  the  business.  In  the  summer  of  1813  John  Chadwick,  Abner  Browuell, 
and  Ira  Todd  came  from  Toddsville  to  what  is  now  Chadwick's,  Oneida  county, 
bought  both  of  John  Greenleaf's  "  powers,"  removed  the  old  saw  mill  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  present  village  and  converted  it  into  a  dwelling,  and  foimded  the  Eagle 
Cotton  factory.  They  purchased  of  Benjamin  Merrill  and  Matthew  Yale  a  strip  of 
land  along  the  creek  to  give  sufficient  power  and  built  a  frame  cotton  mill  on  the  site 
of  the  present  stone  structure.  A  little  farther  east  they  erected  a  machine  shop. 
This  plant  they  called  the  Eagle  Mills,  a  name  it  still  bears.  Some  years  afterward 
the  firm  dissolved ;  Mr.  Todd  returned  to  Otsego  county  and  in  1825  Mr.  Brownell 
removed  to  Sauquoit  and  founded  the  Franklin  factory.  Mr.  Chadwick  remained 
sole  owner  of  the  Eagle  mills  and  from  time  to  time  put  in  new  and  improved  ma- 
chinery, this  materially  increasing  the  business  capacity.  In  1843-44  extensive  ad- 
ditions were  made  and  filled  with  costly  machinery,  and  at  night  on  June  24,  1844, 
when  the  builders  were  putting  on  the  finishing  touches,  the  plant  was  struck  by 
lightning  and  burned  to  the  ground.  The  labors  and  accumulations  of  years  were 
lost,  there  being  not  one  dollar  of  insurance.  The  present  substantial  stone  mill 
was  soon  built  on  the  site  and  equipped  throughout  with  the  latest  machinery   and' 


^ 


GEORGE  W.  CHADWICK,  Sr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  171 

appliances.  John  Chadwick  was  a  man  of  great  executive  ability  and  integrity, 
prompt  in  business,  and  one  of  the  foremost  pioneer  manufacturers  of  the  Sauquoit 
valley.  Early  in  his  career  he  visited  England  and  brought  back  a  quantity  of  large 
wooden  engraved  blocks,  which  were  used  in  printing  calicoes.  Later  he  purchased 
the  pioneer  Coe  farm,  where  Hon.  G.  W.  Chadwick  was  born.  He  was  kind  hearted 
and  charitable  and  freely  aided  English  immigrants  to  procure  employment.  He 
died  at  Chadwicks,  a  place  named  in  honor  of  the  family,  March  12,  1858 ;  the  death 
of  his  wife  occurred  there  April  1,  1867.  Their  children  were  Sally  (Mrs.  Alanson 
A.  Butler),  who  died  m  1898;  Betsey,  who  died  unmarried;  Mary  (Mrs.  George  Fisk 
and  afterward  wife  of  Hon.  Eli  Avery),  who  died  February  22,  1878;  John,  deceased, 
who  married  Jane  Tarpenny;  Abigail  (Mrs.  William  Harrison  Boyd),  deceased; 
Thomas,  who  died  unmarried;  Jane,  who  also  died  unmarried ;  and  George  W. 

George  W.  Chadwick  attended  Sauquoit  Academy  and  was  graduated  from  Caz- 
enovia  Seminary,  and  during  his  active  life  was  connected  with  mills  founded  b}'  his 
father.  He  first  became  a  partner  in  1843-54,  when  extensive  alterations  were  in- 
augurated, and  after  the  old  plant  was  burned  down  he  supervised  the  erection  of 
the  present  stone  factory,  to  which  he  succeeded  as  owner  upon  his  father's  death  in 
1858,  and  which  he  successfully  managed  from  1844  until  his  own  death  in  1885.  He 
brought  to  the  management  of  the  factory  a  thorough  practical  knowledge  of  every 
detail,  and  by  his  great  business  ability  and  native  enterprise  kept  its  product  up 
with  the  times  and  instituted  many  important  improvements.  Energetic,  progres- 
sive and  far-sighted,  he  won  not  only  success  as  a  manufacturer,  but  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him.  Like  his  father,  he  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity, 
prompt,  sagacious,  and  public  spirited.  In  1882  the  establishment  was  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  the  Chadwick  Mills  Cotton  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000, 
and  with  Mr.  Chadwick,  pi'esident;  C.  A.  Butler,  vice-president;  W.  H.  Kershaw, 
secretary;  and  Benjamin  Groff.  treasurer.  LTpon  Mr.  Chadwick's  death  in  Decem- 
ber, 1885,  Mr.  Groff  was  elected  president  and  treasurer,  and  on  July  1,  1892,  he  was 
succeeded  by  George  W.  Chadwick,  jr.,  who  still  serves  in  these  positions,  Mr. 
Kershaw  still  retains  the  office  of  secretary.  (See  biographical  sketch  of  George  W. 
Chadwick,  jr.) 

Mr.  Chadwick  was  interested  in  various  other  enterprises,  and  always  took  the 
part  of  a  prominent  and  loyal  citizen.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Utica 
Willowvale  Bleaching  Company  and  served  as  its  president  and  general  manager 
until  his  death.  The  establishment  and  success  of  this  corporation  was  largely  due 
to  his  energy  and  able  guidance.  He  was  its  chief  promoter  and  was  instrumental 
in  placing  it  upon  a  sound  business  basis.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  and  con- 
tinuously a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Oneida  National  Bank  of  Utica, 
one  of  the  promoters  and  first  directors  of  the  Utica,  Chenango,  and  Susquehanna 
Railroad,  and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Sauquoit  Valley  Cemetery  Association, 
which  he  served  as  president  until  his  decease.  In  beautifying  and  improving  this 
cemetery  he  always  took  a  deep  interest,  and  contributed  materially  to  its  welfare. 
In  politics  he  was  a  staunch  Republican.  He  served  as  supervisor  for  several  years, 
and  represented  his  district  in  the  Assembly  in  1871  and  1874.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  the  nominee  on  the  Stalwart  wing  of  the  Republican  ticket  for  member  of  Con- 
gress, but  was  defeated  with  his  associates.     During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  was 


172  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  member  and  treasurer  of  the  local  war  committee  and  actively  assisted  in  raising 
men  for  the  front.  In  religion  he  was  an  Episcopalian,  and  for  several  years  served 
as  vestryman  and  warden  of  St.  Stephen's  church,  New  Hajtford  He  was  espe- 
cially the  friend  and  an  active  promoter  of  education.  He  was  a  member  of  Oriental 
Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Fort  Schuyler  Club,  Utica,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Utica  Citizens  Corps. 

Mr.  Chadwick  was  married  on  November  5,  1855,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of 
Absalom  and  Lucy  (Scoiield)  Wrigley,  of  Oldham,  Lancashire,  England.  She  came 
to  America  with  her  mother  in  1848,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Chadwicks,  where 
she  has  since  resided,  the  house  she  now  occupies  being  erected  by  her  husband  in 
1881.  In  1890  she  built  and  donated  to  the  parish  St.  George's  Memorial  church, 
Chadwicks,  at  a  cost  of  upwards  of  §11,000.  This  was  given  by  her  as  a  memorial 
to  her  husband.     They  had  two  children:  George  W.,  jr.,  and  Lucy  V. 


GEORGE  W.   CHADWICK,  Jr. 

George  W.  Chadwick,  Jr.,  only  son  and  eldest  child  of  Hon.  George  W.  and 
Mary  Ann  (Wrigley)  Chadwick,  was  born  on  his  father's  stock  farm  near  Washington 
Mills,  Oneida  county,  August  17,  1870,  and  came  to  the  village  of  Chadwicks  when 
seven  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  at  Sauquoit  Academy  .Whitestown  Seminary, 
and  St.  John's  Military  Academy  at  Manlius,  Onondaga  county,  where  he  won  the 
first  drill  prize.  He  was  graduated  from  Holbrook's  Military  Academy  at  Sing  Sing, 
N.  Y. ,  with  the  class  of  1885,  and  there  received  honorary  mention  in  the  prize  squad. 
Returning  home  he  entered  his  father's  mills  with  a  view  of  learning  every  detail  of 
tbemanufacuture,  which  he  did,  acquiring  a  practical  knowledge  of  both  the  business 
and  operating  departments.  On  July  1,  1892,  he  succeeded  Benjamin  Groff  as  pres- 
ident and  treasurer  of  the  Chadwick  Mills  Cotton  Company,  incorporated  in  1885, 
which  positions  he  still  holds  (see  biographical  sketch  of  George  W.  Chadwick,  sr.) 
The  property  owned  by  this  company  covers  an  area  of  about  100  acres,  of  which 
upwards  of  fifteen  are  occupied  by  buildings,  including  some  thirty  residences.  The 
motive  power  is  both  steam  and  water,  and  about  200  hands  are  employed  in  the 
mills,  the  annual  output  being  about  5,000,000  j'ards  of  unbleached  cotton  sheeting, 
which  is  sold  from  New  York  city  throughout  the  United  States.  It  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  plants  of  the  kind  in  the  country,  and  one  of  the  oldest 
manufacturing  establishments  in  Central  New  York.  Under  Mr.  Chadwick' s  able 
guidance  it  has  continued  the  career  so  long  maintained  b}^  his  father  and  founded 
by  his  grandfather  eighty  years  ago. 

Mr.  Chadwick  is  also  president  and  treasurer  of  the  Chadwick  Manufacturing 
Company,  incorporated  by  him  and  associates  early  in  1896,  for  the  purpose  of  man- 
ufacturing at  Chadwicks  the  Chadwick  two-wheelers,  a  cart  invented  and  patented 
by  Charles  E.  Chadwick,  the  secretary  and  general  manager,  which  has  attained 
almost  a  world-wide  reputation.  The  business  was  originally  started  in  Olean,  N.  Y. , 
by  Charles  E.  Chadwick,  in  1886.  Since  1891  he  has  greatly  improved  and  perfected 
these  noted  vehicles,  which  the  company,  the  sole  owner  of  all  the  patents,  is  manu- 


..:>m 


GEORGE  W.  CHADWICK,  JR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  I73 

facturing  on  an  extensive  scale  and  in  a  variety  of  styles.  George  W.  Chadwick, 
besides  attending  to  the  financial  affairs  of  this  company  and  managing  the  great 
cotton  mills,  is  also  president  and  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Metropolitan  Medicine 
Company  of  New  York  city,  president  of  the  Central  New  York  Branch  of  the  New 
York  Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  one  of  the  organizers  and  vice-president 
of  the  Utica  Highland  Driving  Park  Association.  He  was  also  secretary  of  the  old 
New  Hartford  Leather  Company,  which  he  helped  to  organize. 

Mr.  Chadwick  was  for  several  years  one  of  the  best  known  athletes  in  Central  New 
York,  and  in  various  contests  won  many  gold  and  silver  medals  and  other  prizes. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Syracuse  Athletic  Association,  the  Manhattan  Athletic  Club 
of  New  York  city,  the  Elks  Cycling  Club  of  Syracuse,  the  Utica  Cycling  Club,  and 
the  Athletic  Club  of  the  bchuylkill  Navy  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  a  member  of  Syra- 
cuse Lodge  No,  31,  B.  O.  E.,  Utica  Lodge  Knights  of  Honor,  Jubilee  Lodge  Sons  of 
St.  George,  and  Samuel  Campbell  Council  R.  A.,  and  is  vice-commodore  and  one  of 
the  organizers  of  Oneida  Division,  Volunteer  Life  Saving  Corps  of  New  York,  mem- 
ber Oneida  County  Sportsman  Association,  and  the  Triton  Gun  and  Fishing  Club 
of  Canada.  He  has  also  been  prominent  in  military  affairs,  serving  at  one  time  as 
adjutant  of  the  28th  Separate  company  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  of  Utica.  In  politics  he  is  an 
active  Republican  and  was  delegate  to  the  State  convention  at  Saratoga  in  1894  which 
nominated  Levi  P.  Morton  for  governor.  For  two  years  he  was  a  county  commit- . 
teeman  and  during  that  period  a  member  of  the  executive  committee.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  New  Hartford  town  committee  for  three  years,  and  has  frequently 
sat  in  local  conventions  as  a  delegate. 

December  18,  1888,  Mr.  Chadwick  was  married  to  Miss  Marie  Louise,  daughter  of 
Edward  R.  and  Louise  Norton,  of  Utica,  and  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Norton,  one  of 
the  early  prominent  settlers  of  Clinton,  N.  Y.     They  have  one  daughter,  Marguerite. 


JESSE    B.  ANTHONY. 

Jesse  Barker  Anthony,  past  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of 
New  York  and  superintendent  of  the  Masonic  Home  at  Utica,  was  born  in  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  December  16,  1837,  and  is  of  English  descent.  His  ancestors,  on  coming  to 
America,  settled  in  Rhode  Island,  whence  his  grandfather,  Jesse  Anthony,  came 
with  his  family  to  Easton,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  and  later  removed  10  Troy, 
where  with  his  sons  he  established  a  general  wholesale  and  retail  mercantile  busi- 
ness and  afterward  engaged  in  the  foundry  line  and  manufacture  of  stoves,  being 
among  the  earliest  in  Troy  to  carry  on  that  branch  of  industry.  John  Anthony, 
father  of  Jesse  B.,  was  born  in  1816,  and  was  married  in  Troy  to  Mary  Ann  Gibeny, 
of  that  city.  He  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  mercantile  and  foundry  busi- 
ness, and  on  retiring  from  those  pursuits  was  engaged  for  several  years  in  real 
estate  operations  in  the  city,  being  prominently  identified  with  its  business  interests 
and  prosperity  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  removed  to 
the  State  of  Delaware  in  1865  and  died  there  in  1890. 

Jesse  B.  Anthony,  received  a  fair  common  school  education,  and  when  sixteen  be 


174  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

came  a  clerk  in  a  wholesale  grocery  store,  where  he  remained  until  he  reached  his 
majority.  In  1859  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Charles  E.  Dusenberry,  and  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Dusenberry  &  Anthony  became  the  successors  of  J.  M.  Bogardus 
&  Co.,  m  the  wholesale  coffee  and  spice  trade.  The  firm  continued  until  1876,  car- 
rying on  a  large,  successful,  and  increasing  business.  From  1876  to  1879  it  was 
J.  B.  Anthony  &  Co.  In  the  latter  year  H.  O.  Dusenberry  retired  and  Mr.  Anthony 
continued  as  sole  owner.  Mr.  Anthony  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Troy  Steam 
Heating  Company,  formed  with  a  capital  of  $75,000  for  the  purpose  of  supplying 
steam  for  heating  from  a  central  point.  He  was  president  until  1880,  when  a  new 
company  was  organized  and  he  retired.  He  was  also  for  many  years  a  director  of 
the  Union  National  ^ank  of  Troy.  He  gave  close  application  to  his  business  affairs, 
and  brought  to  their  management  ability  and  executive  energy  of  a  high  order. 
He  was  characterized  for  his  sterling  integrity,  his  indomitable  perseverance,  and 
his  public  spirit,  and  during  a  long  mercantile  career  won  both  success  and  respect. 
It  is  in  the  Masonic  fraternity  that  Mr.  Anthony  is  most  widely  known.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  in  King  Solomon's  Primitive  Lodge,  No.  91,  F.  &•  A.  M.,  Troy,  N.  Y., 
February,  28,  1860,  and  after  filling  the  offices  of  senior  deacon  and  senior  warden 
was,  in  1867,  chosen  as  its  worshipful  master,  occupying  the  position  for  three  con- 
secutive years.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  district  deputy  grand  master  of  the  twelfth 
Masonic  district,  holding  the  ofliice  for  two  years.  While  serving  in  this  capacity  he 
was  elected  as  the  representative  of  the  district  in  the  constitutional  convention  as- 
sembled at  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ,  for  the  purpose  of  revising  the  constitution  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York.  At  the  annual  sessions  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in 
June,  1875,  he  was  unanimously  elected  senior  grand  warden,  in  1879  deputy  grand 
master,  and  in  1880  grand  master.  As  the  head  of  the  craft  of  the  Empire  State  his 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  this  vast  jurisdiction  was  one  of  ability  and  marked 
success,  and  he  retired  from  the  office  wtih  the  good  will  of  all  the  representatives. 
It  was  his  privilege,  besides  officiating  in  other  public  ceremonials  of  a  similar  na- 
ture, to  lay  the  foundation  stone  of  the  Egyptian  Obelisk  in  Central  Park,  New  York 
city,  October  9,  1880,  delivering  the  address  upon  that  occasion.  During  his  official 
terra  occurred  the  Centennial  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  June, 
1881,  and  he  delivered  the  historical  address  on  that  occasion  at  the  meeting  held 
at  the  Academy  of  Music,  New  York  city;  and  the  facts  embodied  therein  have  been 
widely  copied  throughout  the  L"'^nited  States  by  the  various  Grand  Bodies.  He  re- 
ceived the  capitular  degrees  in  Apollo  Chapter,  No.  48,  R.  A.  M.,  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in 
December,  1860,  and  after  serving  as  captain  of  the  host  one  term  and  principal 
sojotirner  two  terms,  was  elected  in  1872  as  its  high  priest,  filling  the  position  for 
five  consecutive  years  and  retiring  therefrom  at  his  own  request.  In  the  Grand 
Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  of  the  State  of  New  York  he  was  appointed  grand 
lecturer,  holding  the  office  for  two  terms.  He  received  the  Orders  of  Knighthood  in 
Apollo  Commandery,  No.  15,  Troy,  September  2,  1863,  and  after  filling  the  office  of 
prelate  for  four  consecutive  years  was  elected  as  its  eminent  commander,  and  after 
two  years'  service  retired  in  1876.  He  received  the  degrees  in  the  Cryptic  Rite  in 
Bloss  Council,  No.  14,  R.  &  S.  M.,  Troy,  March  15,  1861,  and  after  fiUing  various 
subordinate  positions  was  elected  as  thrice  illustrious  master.  In  the  year  1862  he 
received  the  grades  of  the  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  up  to  the  14th  and  subse- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  175 

quently,  about  1871,  in  Albany  Sovereign  Consistory,  Albany,  N.Y.,  was  made  a  \'>2" 
Mason.  At  the  institution  of  the  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  bodies  in  the  city 
of  Troy  he  became  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Delta  Lodge  of  Perfection,  Delta 
Council  of  Princes  of  Jerusalem,  and  Delta  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix  of  Troy,  and  was 
for  many  years  the  presiding  officer  of  those  bodies.  In  1874  the  Supreme  Council 
for  the  Northern  Masonic  Jurisdiction  conferred  upon  him  the  3:5  and  created  him 
an  honorary  member  of  that  exalted  body. 

He  was  also  for  many  years  the  grand  potentate  of  Oriental  Temple  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Royal 
Order  of  Scotland  in  the  United  States,  having  received  the  degree  in  May,  1878,  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of  several  Masonic  bodies  outside  of 
the  city  of  Troy,  the  same  having  been  conferred  not  alone  as  a  reward  for  special 
labor,  but  also  as  a  mark  of  respect  and  esteem  as  a  man  and  a  Mason.  He  has 
been  active  and  prominent  in  all  the  Masonic  enterprises  of  the  city  of  Troy,  and 
done  much  toward  the  advancement  of  Masonry  in  that  cit5^  At  the  erection  of  the 
new  Masonic  Temple  in  Troy,  in  1872,  he  was  one  of  the  most  earnest  workers  in 
the  completion  of  that  enterprise,  was  selected  as  the  orator  on  the  occasion  of  the 
laying  of  the  corner  stone  August  2,  1871,  has  been  seci^etary  of  the  Troy  Masonic 
Hall  Association  since  its  incorporation  in  1871,  and  also  honored  with  various  offices- 
of  trust  in  the  Masonic  bodies  of  Troy.  He  is  also  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
correspondence  for  the  Grand  Lodge  and  Grand  Commandery  of  the  State  of  New 
York. 

Mr.  Anthony  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Masonic  Home  in  Utica  upon 
its  completion,  assumed  his  duties  there  in  1893,  and  is  now  in  charge  of  that  insti- 
tution. This  home  has  its  nucleus  in  a  resolution  brought  before  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  the  State  of  New  York  by  Greenfield  Pote  (grand  tiler),  James  Herring  (grand 
secretary),  and  others,  in  1842,  when  Mr.  Pote  contributed  the  first  silver  dollar  for 
the  purpose  of  "founding  an  asylum  for  worthy  aged  Masons,  their  widows  and 
orphans."  This  memorial  officially  reached  the  Grand  Lodge  June  8,  1843.  More 
than  forty  years  passed  before  the  affairs  of  the  proposed  Home  took  definite  shape. 
In  May,  1888,  after  several  years  spent  in  determining  the  location,  the  Utica  Driv- 
ing Park,  known  as  the  county  and  State  fair  grounds,  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the 
city  of  Utica,  was  selected  and  purchased,  the  owner  donating  §25,000  the  city 
§30,000,  and  the  Grand  Lodge  §20,000.  The  tract  comprises  160  acreL ;  the  West 
Shore  railroad  donated  a  quarter  of  an  acre  and  five  additional  acres  were  purchased 
for  §750.  In  1889  the  name  was  changed  from  "Asylum  "  to  "  Masonic  Home  and 
School,"  and  in  1890  the  original  cost  of  the  proposed  building  was  increased  from 
§100,000  to  §150,000.  In  1890  a  contract  was  let  for  §134,500,  to  which  §5,000  were 
subsequently  added.  On  May  21, 1891,  the  corner  stone  was  laid  amidst  the  greatest 
demonstrations  in  the  history  of  the  craft,  John  W.  Vrooman,  grand  master,  officiat- 
ing. The  building  w^as  formally  dedicated  October  5,  1892,  the  addresses  being 
delivered  by  Past  Grand  Master  William  Sherer  and  Grand  Master  James  Ten  Eyck. 
In  June,  1893,  the  trustees  reported  that  the  total  cost  of  the  Home  and  appurten- 
ances to  date  was  §230,685.18,  with  a  balance  in  the  bank  of  §155,5':2.55.  The  first 
inmates,  two  in  number,  were  received  on  May  1st  of  that  year.  At  the  present 
time  (June,  1896,)  the  Home  contains  158  inmates,  and  a  school  is  being  built  for  the 


176  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

use  of  the  inmate  orphans.  Under  Mr.  Anthony's  able  superintendence  the  institu- 
tion has  reached  the  highest  aim  of  its  promoters,  and  is  not  only  a  monument  to 
the  craft  of  the  Empire  State  but  a  substantial  memorial  to  the  fraternity  of  Utica 
and   Oneida  county,  among  whose  benevolent  objects  it  will  ever  hold  a  foremost 

place. 

Mr.  Anthony  has  also  attained  a  merited  eminence  in  Masonic  literature,  having 
contributed  much  that  is  valuable  to  the  craft  and  invaluable  to  historians.  Among 
his  noteworthy  publications  is  a  Review  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
the  State  of  New  York  from  1783  to  1852.  He  is  also  the  author  of  a  History  of  King 
Solomon's  Primitive  Lodge,  No.  81,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Troy,  from  1842  to  1892,  together 
with  a  sketch  of  Free  Masonry  in  the  city  of  Troy  from  1796  to  1842.  As  a  ritualist 
and  worker  in  the  various  Masonic  bodies  he  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
craft,  and  his  earnestness  and  fervency  impress  his  hearers  with  the  beauties  of  the 
institution.  He  is  active  and  prominent  in  all  Masonic  enterprises,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  illustrious  members  of  the  order. 

In  1859  he  married  Miss  Catherine  A.,  daughter  of  John  M.  Bogardus,  of  Troy. 
N.  Y.,  and  their  children  are  M.  Alice  (Mrs.  William  McKip  Morris),  of  Groveville, 
N.  J.,  and  Jessie  May  (Mrs.  Knowlton  Mixer),  of  Buffalo.  N.  Y. 


MORGAN  BUTLER. 

Morgan  Butler  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  June  7, 
1807,  and  died  in  the  village  of  the  same  name  August  3,  1892.  He  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Deacon  Richard  Butler,  who  came  from  County  Essex,  England,  with 
the  so-called  Hooker  company  in  1632  and  settled  in  Newtown,  near  Boston,  Mas.s. 
Before  1639  Richard  and  William  Butler,  the  latter  being  a  brother  of  the  deacon, 
moved  with  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  William  died,  leaving 
no  children.  From  Deacon  Richard  descended  Eli  Butler,  grandfather  of  Morgan, 
who  started  in  the  spring  of  1789  to  visit  his  old  neighbor.  Judge  Hugh  White,  the 
proprietary  founder  of  Whitestown.  Before  returning  to  Middletown,  Conn.,  he 
purchased  lands  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Paris,  Oneida  county,  on  which  he 
settled  three  of  his  sons,  Ashbel,  John,  and  Sylvester,  in  the  fall  of  that  year  In 
1792  Eli  Butler,  sr.,  came  with  his  .son  Eli  and  settled  permanently  upon  the  farm  in 
New  Hartford  that  has  ever  since  remained  and  still  is  in  the  possession  of  the 
family.  It  is  located  one  mile  south  of  the  village,  and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
and  beautiful  farms  in  Oneida  county.  The  dwelling  is  located  in  the  village  one- 
half  a  mile  from  the  Hill.  It  was  purchased  from  Solomon  Kellogg,  the  deed 
being  dated  April  17,  1795.  Eli,  sr.,  was  captain  of  cavalry  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  and  died  April  19,  1802.  He  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  January 
26,  1740,  married  Rachel  Stocking,  of  the  same  place,  and  had  four  sons  and  seven 
daughters,  of  whom  only  Sylvester,  John,  and  Eli  have  descendants  living  in  Oneida 
county.  EH,  jr..  father  of  Morgan,  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  March  28, 1779, 
came  with  his  father  to  New  Hartford  in  1792,  and  upon  the  latter's  death  in  1802 
inherited  the  homestead.  In  1806  he  married  Rachel,  daughter  of  Truman  Kellogg, 
and  died  in  1832,  when  fifty-three  years  of  age. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  177 

Morgan  Butler,  the  eldest  son  of  Eli  and  Rachel  (Kellogg)  Butler,  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  the  farm  came  into  his  possession.  He  re- 
mained on  the  homestead  until  1890,  when  he  came  to  the  village  to  reside.  He  was 
widely  known  as  a  progressive  farmer  and  as  a  public  spirited  citizen.  Nothing  new 
in  the  line  of  farming  appliances  escaped  his  attention  or  was  refused  a  trial.  He 
owned  the  first  mowing  machine  brought  into  Oneida  county,  and  an  unbroken 
meadow  of  forty  aci'es  lying  in  front  of  the  house  was  the  scene  of  many  large  and 
wonderful  gatherings  to  witness  the  then  novel  method  of  cutting  grass.  He  became 
the  agent  of  the  machine  and  sold  large  numbers  of  them  throughout  the  country. 
Other  kindred  appliances,  such  as  the  hay  rake,  the  tedder,  the  field  loader,  the  barn 
fork,  etc.,  found  in  him  their  first  patron  in  this  locality.  His  chief  fancy  in  farming 
was  for  fine  cattle,  of  which  he  was  an  expert  judge,  and  in  which  he  dealt  largely. 
So  deeply  was  he  interested  in  agriculture,  and  so  widely  was  he  known  in  this 
respect  that  when  the  Central  New  York  Farmers'  Club  was  organized  in  1870  he 
was  honored  with  the  vice-presidency,  and  upon  the  death  of  its  president,  Hon. 
Samuel  Campbell,  Mr.  Butler  succeeded  to  that  otifice,  which  by  successive  re-elec- 
tions he  held  until  his  decease. 

Mr.  Butler  was  a  man  of  noble  contentment,  and  one  whose  active  spirit  and  en- 
terprise led  him  into  numerous  spheres  of  benefaction.  From  early  life  until  death 
cut  short  his  usefulness  he  entered  with  enthusiasm  into  the  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity. During  his  youth  and  young  manhood  the  State  militia  was  an  important 
factor  in  every  neighborhood,  and  the  meadow  in  front  of  his  father's  house  was  long 
the  favorite  parade  ground.  Here  was  aroused  and  developed  the  military  spirit 
which  made  him  a  member  of  that  organization  while  yet  in  his  teens.  When 
eighteen  years  old,  as  bugler  of  his  company,  he  accompanied  the  troops  to  Onskany 
and  with  them  formed  a  part  of  the  escort  to  General  La  Fayette  on  the  occasion  of 
that  distinguished  veteran's  visit  to  this  country  in  1825.  Mr.  Butler  was  always 
identified  with  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  liberally  encouraged  every  movement 
which  promised  benefit  to  the  community.  He  was  a  man  of  tireless  energy,  enter- 
prising, progressive,  and  benevolent,  a  kind  and  generous  neighbor,  a  sympathetic 
friend,  and  a  wise  counselor  and  adviser.  Upon  his  father's  death  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  the  heirs  in  the  homestead  and  assiduously  devoted  his  life  to  farming,  an 
occupation  he  both  loved  and  honored.  He  was  characterized  for  his  integrity,  for 
his  sound  judgment,  and  for  his  progressive  methods,  and  throughout  his  life  he  en- 
joyed universal  respect  and  esteem  as  well  as  the  entire  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact.  He  was  content  to  do  the  duty  he  found  at  his  door,  and 
sought  no  advancement  through  politics  or  public  station.  He  did  much  that  was 
commendable,  much  that  was  worthy  of  emulation,  and  set  a  most  excellent  exam- 
ple. He  spent  his  career  in  New  Hartford :  he  loved  the  place  and  its  people,  and 
his  fortunes  were  identified  with  theirs.  An  enduring  illustration  of  this  fact  is 
offered  in  the  Butler  Memorial  Hall,  the  erection  of  which  was  commenced  by  him 
in  1889.  The  structure,  including  the  lot,  represents  a  cash  gift  to  the  town  of  about 
$20,000,  and  was  formally  presented  to  New  Hartford  by  him  on  May  13,  1810,  less 
than  three  years  before  its  honored  donor's  death.  It  is  a  handsome  brick  building, 
located  on  Genesee  street  in  the  center  of  the  village,  and  contains  not  only  a  large 
hall  for  general  assemblies,  but  offices  for  the  town  and  village  officers  and  post- 
w 


178  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

master,  a  reading  room,  a  library,  etc.  An  excellent  library  was  furnished  by  Mr. 
Butler's  sisters.  The  remainder  of  the  property  constitutmg  this  magnificent  gift 
was  paid  for  and  donated  by  Mr.  Butler  himself.  It  is  governed  by  a  board  of 
seven  self -perpetuating  trustees  created  under  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  and 
is  the  only  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  county.  In  a  tribute  to  his  memory  the 
board  said  of  him : 

"Morgan  Butler  ended  his  earthly  career  on  the  3d  day  of  August,  1892,  at  the 
patriarchal  age  of  eighty-five  years.  Born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  at  an  early 
period  in  its  settlement,  of  parents  distinguished  for  industry  and  probity,  and  living 
all  his  days  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  he  was  identified  with  every  interest  of  the 
town,  and  his  death  leaves  an  open  gap  in  the  community  like  that  which  would  fol- 
low the  disappearance  from  the  physical  landscape  of  one  of  our  grandest  hills. 
He  was  a  man  of  tireless  energy,  enthusiastic  in  all  his  pursuits,  and  looking  to  the 
benefit  of  his  fellow  men  rather  than  to  his  own  grandizement.  A  farmer  by  in- 
heritance and  taste,  the  tillage  of  the  soil  was  his  best  recreation,  and  he  always 
took  the  lead  in  improved  methods.  He  had  no  vague  or  visionary  theories,  but 
with  a  quick  and  keen  perception  of  true  principles  he  came  readily  to  right  con- 
clusions, and  it  was  always  safe  to  follow  where  he  led.  To  his  intelligent  example 
is  due  in  a  great  degree  the  pre-eminence  which  his  town  holds  in  agriculture.  The 
benefits  of  his  work  are  not  confined  to  home  limits.  In  all  things  pertaining  to  his 
chosen  calling  he  was  a  recognized  authority  in  county  and  State.  He  had  no  greed 
for  wealth,  for  power  or  fame,  but  was  content  to  keep  the  even  tenor  of  his  way  by 
a  life  of  daily  usefulness  unmarred  by  shams  or  vain  show.  He  was  generous  in  his 
benefactions  to  worthy  objects,  he  was  charitable  in  his  judgments,  and  he  was  just 
to  all  men.  He  was  a  king  and  safe  counsellor,  and  one  who  heeded  his  advice 
never  had  occasion  to  regret  he  had  sought  it." 

In  politics  Mr.  Butler  was  very  independent,  though  he  generally  voted  with  the 
Republicans.  He  never  held  any  office  except  that  of  assessor  for  one  term.  He 
was  baptized  a  Presbyterian,  but  later  was  confirmed  in  St.  Stephen's  Episcopal 
church.  New  Hartford,  and  for  many  years  served  it  as  senior  warden  and  treasurer. 
His  interest  in  the  welfare  of  this  body  was  akin  to  that  manifested  in  all  his  work 
or  undertakings. 

Mr.  Butler  was  married  February  10,  1841,  to  Miss  Marianne  Howard,  daughter  of 
Rufus  and  Nancy  (Hungerford)  Howard,  who  survives  him.  They  had  no  children. 
vShe  was  a  native  of  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  where  her  father  was  an  early  and 
prominent  settler.  She  is  also  a  sister  of  Gen.  Rufus  Lombard  Howard,  of  Buff'alo, 
N.  Y. 


WILBUR  H.   BOOTH,   M.  D. 

Wilbur  Hiram  Booth,  M.  D.,  is  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Catharine  (Wheeler)  Booth 
and  was  born  in  Huntington,  Fairfield  county.  Conn.,  December  11,  1852,  his 
ancestors  having  settled  in  Stratford,  Conn.,  earl)'  in  the  seventeenth  century.  He 
received  his  preparatory  education  at  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institute  in  Suffield 


j 


BIOGRAPHICAL,  179 

and  the  Providence  Conference  Seminary  at  East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  and  early  in  life 
decided  upon  medicine  as  a  profession.  After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  medical 
department  of  Yale  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  June, 
1874,  being  valedictorian  of  his  class.  In  the  following  October  he  became  house 
surgeon  in  the  New  York  Charity  Hospital  and  served  in  that  capacitj^  with  ability 
and  credit  until  April  1,  187G,  when  he  came  to  Utica,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

Dr.  Booth,  upon  coming  to  Utica,  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  and 
rapidly  won  a  foremost  position  among  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the 
city.  His  genial  personality  as  well  as  his  recognized  professional  ability  soon 
made  for  him  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  while  his  contemporary  practitioners  accorded 
him  that  eminence  which  talent  and  skill  always  inspire.  For  several  years  he  has 
made  general  surgery  a  specialty,  a  sphere  in  which  he  has  acquired  high  distinction, 
not  only  in  Utica  and  Oneida  county,  but  throughout  Central  New  York.  In  this 
branch  he  has  builL  up  an  extensive  practice,  one  of  the  largest  ever  enjoyed  by  a 
Utica  surgeon.  He  also  became  thoroughly  identified  with  the  city's  institutions 
and  its  prosperity,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  public  wel- 
fare. For  one  year  he  had  charge  as  surgeon  of  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital,  with 
which  he  has  ever  since  been  prominently  connected.  He  was  formerly  consulting 
surgeon  to  Faxton  Hospital  and  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum  and  is  now  senior  surgeon 
to  St.  Luke's  Hospital.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health  of 
the  city  of  Utica  and  has  recently  declined  to  serve  another  term  in  that  capacity. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society ;  the  New  York  State  Med- 
ical Association,  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  the  American  Medical 
Association,  and  a  member  and  formerly  president  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library 
Association.  He  was  also  United  States  examining  surgeon  for  pensions  for  four 
years. 

Dr.  Booth  was  one  of  the  first  surgeons  to  advise  the  removal  of  the  appendix 
vermiformis  for  inflammation  of  that  organ,  and  he  successfully  performed  this  ope- 
ration in  June,  1876.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first  operators  to  revive  the  then  out  of 
date,  but  now  very  successful  operation  for  stone  in  the  bladder,  known  as  the  high 
or  supra  pubic  operation. 

Dr.  Booth  has  contributed  various  articles  covering  a  wide  range  of  medical  and 
surgical  literature  to  many  of  the  leading  medical  journals  of  the  country,  and  is  a 
recognized  authority  on  a  number  of  subjects  pertaining  to  the  profession.  He  is 
public  spirited,  progressive  and  benevolent,  a  generous  .supporter  of  all  worthy 
movements,  and  as  a  citizen  takes  commendable  pride  in  the  advancement  of  the 
community. 

July  10,  1878,  Dr.  Booth  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Leah  Lynch,  daughter  of 
James  S.  and  Sarah  Adams  (Johnson)  Lynch,  of  Utica.  She  died  in  Florida  on  the 
ir)th  of  February,  1882. 


JEDEDIAH  SANGER. 

Hon.  Jedediah  Sanger  will  ever  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  history  of 
Oneida  county,  not  only  on  account  of  his  prominence  as  a  citizen,  but  because  of  his 


180  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sterling  qualities  of  manhood,  his  eminence  as  a  leading  pioneer,  and  his  foresight 
in  planting  in  the  community  a  standard  of  culture  and  enterprise  which  exists  at 
the  present  day.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Richard  Sanger,  who  came  to  Hingham, 
Mass.,  about  1636.  His  father,  Capt.  Richard  Sanger,  was  a  member  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  which  convened  at  Cambridge  on  the  1st  day  of  February,  1775, 
and  also  one  of  the  gentlemen  comprising  the  "committee  from  every  town  and 
district  in  the  county  of  Middlesex  and  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  held  at  Con- 
cord in  the  same  county  on  the  30th  and  31st  days  of  August,  1774,  to  consult  upon 
measures  proper  to  be  taken  at  the  present  very  important  day."i  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Sanger,  great-grandfather  of  Col.  William  Cary  Sanger,  of  Sangerfield,  wasabrother 
of  Judge  Jedediah  Sanger. 

Judge  Jedediah  Sanger  was  the  ninth  of  ten  children  of  Richard  and  Deborah 
Sanger,  and  was  born  in  Sherburne,  Middlesex  county,  Mass.,  February  29,  1751,- 
"  consequently  he  had  a  birthday  but  once  in  four  years."  He  received  a  common 
school  education,  interspersing  his  studies  with  work  upon  the  farm. 

In  March,  1788,  he  arrived,  the  first  white  settler,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  New 
Hartford,  Oneida  county,  where  he  had  purchased  a  thousand  acres  of  land  lying  on 
both  sides  of  Sauquoit  creek,  which  divided  the  tract  about  equally.  Upon  this  he 
at  once  began  making  improvements.  His  purchase  included  the  whole  of  the  site 
of  the  present  village  of  New  Hartford.  Under  the  judge's  able  management 
the  mimediate  country  was  rapidly  settled  with  a  class  of  enterprising  and  intelli- 
gent men  and  women.  He  was  the  foremost  man  in  all  this  section.  In  March, 
1789,  a  year  from  the  time  he  made  his  first  improvements,  he  brought  his  family  to 
his  wilderness  home,  and  the  same  year  he  erected  a  saw  mill.  In  1790  he  built  a 
grist  mill,  which  was  used  for  the  purpose  for  nearly  a  century. 

Judge  Sanger  possessed  a  master  spirit  of  energy  and  decision,  and  was  a  man  of 
strict  integrity.  Endowed  with  wonderful  perseverance,  imbued  with  the  sterling 
principles  of  honesty  and  uprightness,  he  won  universal  respect  and  esteem  and  left 
a  name  which  will  forever  grace  the  annals  of  local  history.  He  was  a  man  of  in- 
domitable enterprise.  In  1796  he  erected,  through  an  agent,  the  first  grist  and  saw 
mill  on  the  outlet  of  Skaneateles  Lake,  now  in  the  beautiful  village  of  Skanealeles, 
Onondaga  county.  He  was  also  one  of  the  active  and  leading  partners  in  the  Paris 
furnace,  which  was  erected  in  1800  and  went  into  operation  in  1801.  In  1805  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  cotton.  The  town  and  village  of  New  Hartford  owed 
much  to  his  efforts,  and  his  death  was  greatly  deplored. 

In  politics  Judge  Sanger  belonged  to  the  school  then  known  as  Federalist.  He  spent 
eleven  winters  in  Albany  as  a  member  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  having  been 
elected  to  both  of  these  bodies  by  the  people.  He  was  the  first  supervisor  of  Whites- 
town  and  held  the  office  for  three  consecutive  years.  He  was  appointed  fir.st  judge 
of  Oneida  county  upon  its  organization  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1810,  when 
he  resigned  on  account  of  the  age  limit.  He  died  June  6,  1829,  and  upon  his  monu- 
ment in  the  village  cemetery  was  placed  the  following  inscription : 

"Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Hon.  Jedediah  Sanger,  who  died  June  6,  A.  D.,  1829. 

'See  History  of  Sherborn  and    Holliston,   by   Abner  Morse,   and   Journals  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  of  Massachusetts. 

2  Jones's  ■'  Annals  of  Oneida  County."     Must  have  been  1752  to  be  a  leap-year. 


WILLIAM  GARY  SANGER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  181 

The  founder  of  New  Hartford.  His  charities  are  widely  extended,  and  his  munifi- 
cence has  reared  and  supported  several  edifices  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  Maker. 
His  virtues  are  indelibly  impressed  upon  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 

The  members  of  his  family  raised  a  cenotaph  in  St.  Joseph's  Episcopal  church, 
New  Hartford,  with  this  inscription  : 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Jedediah  Sanger;  born  Feb.  29,  1751,  died  June  6, 
1829.      '  He,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh.'  " 

Judge  Sanger  was  married,  first,  in  May,  1771,  to  Sarah  Rider,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children.  She  died  September  26,  1814,  and  on  August  31,  1815,  he  married 
Sarah  B.  Kissam,  who  died  April  23,  1825.  October  3,  1827,  he  married,  third, 
Fanny  Dench,  who  survived  him  and  died  in  Ma3%  1842. 


WILLIAM  GARY  SANGER. 

Col.  William  Cary  Sanger,  of  Sangerfield,  Oneida  county,  descends  from  Rich- 
ard Sanger,  who  came  to  Hingham,  Mass.,  about  1636.  His  great-great-grandfather 
was  Capt.  Richard  Sanger,  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  which  convened  at 
Cambridge  on  February  1,  1775.  His  great-grandfather,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sanger,  was 
a  brother  of  Hon.  Jedediah  Sanger,  the  first  settler  of  the  town  of  New  Hartford  and 
first  judge  of  Oneida  county,  whose  portrait  and  biographical  sketch  appear  in  this 
volume.  Dr.  Sanger  was  graduated  from  Harvard  College'  in  1771  and  his  portrait 
is  in  Memorial  Hall  of  Harvard  Universitj'.  The  Rev.  Zedekiah  Sanger,  son  of  Dr. 
Sanger  and  grandfather  of  Col.  William  Cary,  was  graduated  from  Brown  Univer- 
sity and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  where  his  son 
Henry  was  born.  Henry  Sanger,  when  a  young  man,  went  to  New  York  city  and 
became  a  successful  merchant.  He  held  many  positions  of  tru.st  and  responsibility. 
He  married  Mary  E.  Requa,  a  descendant  of  a  Huguenot  family  who  came  from 
New  Rochelle,  France. 

Col.  William  Cary  Sanger,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  E.  (Requa)  Sanger,  was  born 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  May  21,  1*^53,  and  was  graduated  from  Harvard  University  in 
1874.  He  received  the  degree  of  M.  A.  from  the  same  institution  in  1875  and  the 
degree  of  LL.  B.  from  Columbia  College  in  1878.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Evarts,  Southmayd  &  Choate,  and  after  practicing  his  profession  for  a  few  years 
made  his  home  in  Sangerfield  (so  named  in  honor  of  Col.  Jedediah  Sanger  when  the 
town  was  founded  in  1795),  where  he  has  a  large  farm. 

Colonel  Sanger  is  prominent  in  military  circles  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York  for  man}'  years.  He  was  at  one  time  major 
of  the  13th  Regiment  and  is  now  assistant  chief  of  artillery  of  the  State  with  the 
rank  of  colonel.  He  has  written  several  articles  on  military  subjects,  all  of  which 
had  the  true  ring  of  high  merit.  He  has  also  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics. 
He  represented  the  second  assembly  district  of  Oneida  county  in  the  State  Leg- 
islature in  1895  and  1896,  and  in  this  capacity  he  won  distinction  as  an  able  and 
conscientious  advocate  of  the  people's  rights.  He  is  also  vice-president  of  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  Society  and  the  representative  of  the  society  from 


182  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

his  district.  Colonel  Sanger  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all  public  matters  and  liberally 
encourages  every  good  movement.  Puhftic  spirited,  progressive,  and  energetic  he  is 
noted  for  his  patriotism  as  well  as  for  his  activity  in  furthering  the  general  welfare. 
As  a  writer  he  has  won  laurels  of  rare  distinction ;  as  a  soldier  he  ranks  among  the 
best  disciplinarians  of  the  State;  as  a  public  officer  his  efforts  have  been  character- 
ized by  faithfulness  to  duty;  as  a  citizen  he  is  loyal,  enterprising,  and  highly  es- 
teemed. 

Colonel  Sanger  was  married  on  February  23,  1892,  to  Miss  Mary  Ethel  Cleveland 
Dodge,  daughter  of  Gen.  Charles  Cleveland  Dodge,  of  New  York  city,  granddaugh- 
ter of  Hon.  W.  E.  Dodge,  also  of  New  York,  and  a  descendant  of  John  Haynes,  the 
second  colonial  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  the  first  colonial  governor  of  Con- 
necticut. They  have  three  children:  William  Cary,  jr.,  Henry  Lawrence,  and 
Mary  Ethel. 


SPENCER  KELLOGG. 

The  ancestry  of  Spencer  Kellogg,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  dates  back  to  the 
early  settlement  of  New  England,  where  several  of  the  members  distinguished  them- 
selves in  civil,  military  and  commercial  life.  Lieut.  Joseph  Kellogg  came  to  Con- 
necticut from  England  probably  in  1651,  and  joined  the  church  in  Hartford  on  Octo- 
ber 9,  16r)3.  In  1662  he  moved  to  Hadley,  Mass.,  where  he  died  in  17(17,  aged  eighty 
years.  As  lieutenant  he  led  the  men  of  Hadley  in  the  Falls  light  in  May,  1676.  On 
May  9,  1667,  he  married  Abigail  Terry,  daughter  of  Deacon  Stephen  Terry,  of  Dor- 
chester, Winsor,  and  Simsburj-.  She  was  born  in  Simsbury,  September  21,  1646. 
Lieutenant  Kellogg  left  fourteen  children,  of  whom  Nathaniel  was  married  on  March 
28.  1692,  to  Sarah  Boltwood,  granddaughter  of  Robert  Boltwood,  one  of  the  original 
settlers  of  Hadley.  Their  son,  Nathaniel  Kellogg,  jr.,  born  September  26,  1693,  died 
August  6,  1770,  became  a  noted  surveyor,  and  was  made  a  lieutenant  in  1748.  He 
served  as  selectman  of  Hadley  most  of  the  time  from  1735  to  1761.  He  married  Sarah 
Preston,  and  their  son,  Joel  Kellogg,  born  in  1724,  was  married  in  1748  to  Joanna 
Clark,  and  died  at  Whateley,  Mass.,  October  22,  1798.  Levi  Kellogg,  son  of  Joel, 
was  born  in  Hadley,  Mass.,  October  3.  1760,  was  married  on  August  30,  1782,  in 
Northampton,  Mass.,  to  Cynthia  Wright,  and  died  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  January  30,  1848. 
His  wife  was  born  September  3,  1764,  and  died  in  Plainfield,  Ot.sego  county,  October 
19,  1813.  They  were  the  parents  of  Spencer  Kellogg  and  several  daughters.  Levi 
Kellogg  was  drafted  in  the  summer  of  1776,  when  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  from  Northampton.  He  served  four  months  under 
Capt.  Oliver  Lyman  and  Colonel  Dyke.  In  1777  he  was  under  Capt.  Simeon  Clapp.  He 
then  volunteered  and  served  in  the  same  company  and  regiment  under  Colonels  Tup- 
per  and  King  and  Captains  Fairchild,  Porter  and  Strong,  until  the  surrender  of 
Burgoyne.  Late  m  life  he  drew  a  pension.  About  the  year  ISOO,  or  before,  he 
moved  to  Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  on  a  farm. 

Spencer  Kellogg,  the  only  son  of  Levi  and  Cynthia  (Wright)  Kellogg,  was  born  in 
Williamstown,  Mass.,  September  19,  1786,  and  died  in  Utica,  N.  V.,  Decembeer  31, 
1871.     When  a  small  boy  he  came  with  his  parents  from  Williamstown  to  Plainfield, 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  183 

Otsego  count3^  where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. Endowed  with  quahties  of  a  high  order  he  early  manifested  an  aptitude  for 
business  pursuits,  and  for  several  years  prior  to  1824  he  was  engaged  in  the  general 
merchandise  business  in  Plainfield.  Here  he  acquired  the  rudiments  of  that  mercan- 
tile training  which  won  him  eminent  success  in  after  life.  In  1824  he  removed  to 
Utica  and  for  a  long  time  conducted  a  large  dry  goods  trade  with  remarkable  energy. 
His  first  partner  was  S.  H.  Reynolds.  Later  he  was  associated  with  his  son,  Palmer 
Vose  Kellogg,  and  with  others.  He  was  also  prominently  identified  with  other  enter- 
prises of  importance.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  building  of  the  Utica  and 
Black  River  railroad,  and  was  one  of  its  first  board  of  directors.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  prime  movers  in  inaugurating  steam  manufactures  in  Utica.  In  these  as  well 
as  in  other  movements  for  the  advancement  of  the  city's  material  interests  he  took  a 
foremost  part  and  contributed  both  means  and  influence.  No  man's  enthusiasm  and 
public  spirit  exceeded  his  in  its  constancy  and  application,  and  none  took  deeper 
pride  in  the  general  welfare. 

In  politics  Mr.  Kellogg  was  an  old  line  Whig  and  an  ardent  admirer  of  Henry 
Clay,  and  afterward  became  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was  also  a  strong  abolition- 
ist and  an  active  promoter  of  non-slavery  principles.  He  held  various  local  offices, 
and  in  1841  was  mayor  of  the  city  of  Utica.  He  was  especially  promment  in  relig- 
ious circles,  being  an  invaluable  member,  elder,  and  trustee  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  and  taking  also  an  active  part  in  its  Sunday  school  and  Bible  class  as  long 
as  his  age  and  health  permitted.  He  was  for  many  j-ears  a  beloved  Bible  teacher, 
and  signally  illustrated  a  Christian  spirit,  not  only  in  his  words,  but  by  his  deeds. 
He  sought  earnestly  the  correction  of  prevailing  evils  and  the  redress  of  wrongs. 
His  strength  of  mind,  his  boldness  and  indomitability,  and  his  power  of  execution 
presented  him  to  strangers  chiefly  as  the  embodiment  of  force,  and  his  friends  rec- 
ognized him  as  personifying  delicacy  and  sensibility.  He  was  afi:ectionate  and  more 
tender  of  heart  than  irresistible  of  hand.  During  the  cholera  epidemic  of  1832  he 
devoted  his  time,  energy,  and  sympathies  to  the  suffering  and  dying  and  to  comfort 
their  afflicted  families,  and  on  one  occasion  took  some  bereaved  daughters  to  his  own 
home.  Throughout  a  long  and  useful  life,  replete  with  good  deeds  and  kind  acts, 
and  uniformly  successful  from  every  point  of  view,  he  lived  as  a  model  citizen,  er- 
joying  universal  respect  and  esteem,  and  winning  the  confidence  and  approbation 
of  his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Kellogg  was  married  in  Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  on  October  7,  1810,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Stewart  Palmer,  daughter  of  Vose  and  Celinda  (Stewart)  Palmer,  who  was 
born  in  Plainfield,  Conn.,  June  18,  1791,  came  to  Plainfield,  N.  Y.,  with  her  parents 
when  very  young,  and  died  in  Utica  May  29,  1876.  Their  first  home  in  Utica  was  on 
Whitesboro  street;  latertheybuiltandoccupiedthebrickhou.se  on  the  south  side 
of  Court  street,  near  Cornelia;  and  still  later  they  erected  the  dwelling  on  Genesee 
street,  now  owned  by  their  son,  Charles  C,  and  where  both  their  deaths  occurred. 
They  had  nine  children:  Palmer  Vose,  who  died  in  Chicago,  111.;  Levi,  who  died 
aged  four;  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy;  Cynthia  S.  (Mrs.  James  Rockwell),  of 
Ulica;  Levi  Spencer,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty;  Mary  A.  (Mrs.  James  K.  Hitch- 
cock), who  died  in  Orange,  N.  J  ,  February  21,  1896;  Gustavus  A.,  who  died  m  1850; 
and  Charles  C,  and  Sarah  S.  (Mrs.  Frederick  W.  H.  Sheffield),  both  of  Utica. 


184  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Charles  C.  Kellogg  was  born  in  Utica  September  2,  1838,  was  educated  at  Ham- 
ilton College,  and  became  a  partner  of  his  brother  Palmer  V.  in  the  mercantile 
business.  He  subsequently  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  founding  the  present 
firm  of  Charles  C.  Kellogg  &  Sons'  Company.  Mr.  Kellogg  has  been  for  many  years 
one  of  Utica's  most  prommept  business  men. 


CHARLES  MILLAR. 

Charles  Millar  was  born  in  Greenwich,  England,  March  9,  1808,  and  received  a 
good  education  in  the  parochial  schools  of  London.  In  1835  he  came  to  America  and 
first  located  in  Williamsburg,  near  New  ^  ork  city,  whence  he  removed  in  1839  to 
Utica,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  had  been  educated  as  an  archi- 
tect and  master  builder,  and  here  he  at  once  commenced  business  in  that  line,  secur- 
ing large  and  important  contracts.  He  erected  many  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
older  buildings  in  Utica,  among  which  were  the  court  house,  the  Mohawk  street  jail, 
the  Tibbitts  block,  several  public  schools,  and  John  Thorn's  residence.  His  career 
as  a  contractor  and  builder  continued  successfully  for  about  seventeen  years.  From 
1857  to  1860  he  was  the  agent  and  manager  of  the  Utica  Screw  Company.  When  he 
assumed  charge  of  its  affairs  the  company,  suffering  from  the  prevailing  financial 
depression,  was  virtually  bankrupt,  but  through  his  efforts  it  rapidly  recovered  and 
became  such  an  important  competitor  that  the  American  Screw  Company,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  offered  to  buy  its  stock  at  par,  which,  contrary  to  Mr.  Millar's  advice, 
was  accepted  by  the  directors.  The  soundness  of  his  views  was  subsequently  con- 
firmed by  the  advance  of  the  Providence  company's  stock  many  hundredfold.  In 
1801  Mr.  Millar  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad, 
which  position  he  held  six  years.  He  laid  the  foundation  of  the  future  prosperity  of 
that  important  line,  and  made  many  improvements  in  the  property,  notable  among 
which  was  the  filling  of  the  immense  trestle  work  at  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  a  work  of  great 
magnitude,  occupying  several  years  and  requiring  several  million  yards  of  sand  and 
gravel.  His  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  company  was  so  energetic  and  char- 
acterized by  such  good  judgment  that  the  road  was  enabled  to  pay  its  first  dividend. 

In  1861  he  had  purchased  the  wholesale  tin,  plumbing  and  steamfitting  business 
which  he  continued  to  conduct  until  his  death,  and  to  which  he  commenced  to  devote 
his  whole  attention  in  1867,  when  he  resigned  his  position  as  superintendent  of  the 
railroad.  In  the  latter  year  he  erected  the  Millar  building  in  Genesee  street  in  Utica, 
and  here  has  since  been  conducted  one  of  the  most  extensive  establishments  of  the 
kind  in  the  United  States.  In  1866  he  admitted  his  son,  Henry  W.  Millar,  to  full 
partnership,  under  the  firm  name  of  Charles  Millar  &  Son.  The  business  continued 
to  grow  rapidly.  The  ffrm  became  extensive  manufacturers  of  cheese  and  butter- 
making  apparatus  and  many  of  the  appliances  were  Mr.  Millar's  invention.  This 
machinery  was  sold  all  over  this  country  and  large  quantities  were  shipped  to  Europe, 
Australia,  Canada,  and  South  America.  In  1883  the  firm  commenced  the  manufac- 
ture of  lead  pipes  in  Utica,  which  proved  a  success  from  the  start.  A  large  factory 
and  warehouse  on  Main  street  was  erected  for  the  purpose  in   1885,  and  soon  after- 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  185 

ward  Mr.  Millar's' son-in-law,  John  L.  Murray,  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  the  name 
remaining  the  same.  In  1889  the  firm,  with  Nicholas  E.  Kernan,  Irvin  A.  Will- 
iams, and  the  late  William  M.  White,  organized  the  Utica  Pipe  Foundry  Company, 
of  which  Mr.  Millar  was  elected  the  first  president,  a  position  heheldurntilhis  death, 
which  occurred  when  the  company  was  about  to  cast  its  first  pipe,  the  buildings  hav- 
ing been  erected  under  his  direction.  His  son  succeeded  him  as  president  and  still 
holds  the  office. 

Mr.  Millar  was  a  man  of  rare  business  thrift  and  ability,  and  no  one  ever  left  a 
more  honorable  record  or  one  more  worthy  of  emulation.  The  enterprises  which  he 
started  and  with  which  he  was  connected  are  among  the  most  important  in  Utica. 
His  steady  and  persistent  application  to  business  brought  him  success.  Scrupu- 
lously upright  in  his  dealings,  farsighted  and  comprehensive  in  commercial  and 
financial  conditions,  he  conquered  fortune,  and  at  the  same  time  held  the  confidence 
of  the  community  and  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  For  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury he  was  an  active  force  in  the  business,  social,  and  public  life  of  the  city,  whose 
interests  and  welfare  he  helped  to  increase  and  further.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strict- 
est integrity,  progressive,  public  spirited,  and  benevolent,  and  gave  liberally  to  all 
worthy  objects.  In  politics  he  was  a  strong  abolitionist  and  a  Free-Soil  Democrat, 
and  affiliated  with  the  Republicans  upon  the  organization  of  that  party,  whose  prin- 
ciples he  ever  afterward  supported.  He  was  alderman  from  the  Fourth  ward  for 
two  years,  at  the  time  of  the  mcendiary  fires,  and  was  himself  a  sufferer  from  the 
burning  of  his  carpenter  shop  in  Division  street.  He  was  president  of  the  Utica 
Mechanics  Association  one  term  and  for  several  years  chairman  and  manager  of 
their  fairs,  which  at  one  time  were  so  popular. 

Mr.  Millar  was  married  in  England  in  1833  to  Miss  Jane  Ouait,  who  survives  him. 
On  September  15,  1883,  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  He  died  in  Utica 
February  23,  1890.  Their  children  were  Frances  S.,  widow  of  Edwin  Johnson,  of 
Utica;  Julia  A.  (Mrs  Charles  L.  Blakeslee),  of  Albanj^  and  Henry  W.  Millar,  Miss 
Louise  A,  Millar  and  Carrie  E.  (Mrs.  John  L.  Murray),  all  of  Utica. 

Henry  W.  Millar,  born  July  20,  1845,  was  placed  in  charge  of  his  father's  business 
in  1861  and  five  years  later  became  a  full  partner.  John  L.  Murray  entered  the  firm 
as  a  clerk  in  1883  and  in  1885  was  admitted  to  partner.ship.  Since  Mr.  Millard's  death 
the  two  have  carried  on  the  business  under  the  old  firm  name,  making  it  exclusively 
wholesale  since  1890. 

Henry  W.  Millar  is  president  of  the  Utica  Pipe  Foundry  Company,  also  of  the 
Whitesboro  Canning  Company  and  the  Sauquoit  Canning  Company ;  a  director  of 
the  Utica  City  National  Bank,  the  George  Young  Bakery,  the  Utica  and  Mohawk 
R.  R.  Company,  the  Utica  Paving  Company,  and  the  Utica  Mechanics  Association; 
a  manager  and  president  of  St.  Luke's  Home  and  Hospital,  a  trustee  of  the  Sol- 
dier's Monument  Association  and  the  Forest  Hill  Cemetery  Association,  and  one  of 
the  managers  of  the  Utica  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  also  interested  in  and  an 
officer  of  a  number  of  Water  Works  Companies  in  difiierent  villages  in  New  York 
State  and  New  England;  and  is  junior  warden  of  Calvary  Episcopal  church.  In 
1879  he  married  Miss  Kate  Wagner,  of  Whitesboro,  and  of  their  five  children  four 
are  living. 

X 


186  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

GEORGE  E.  DUNHAM. 

George  Earl  Dunham,  editor  of  the  Utica  Daily  Press  and  president  of  the  Press 
Publishing  Company,  was  born  in  Clayville,  Oneida  county,  April  5  1859,  the  only 
child  of  Rev.  Moses  E.  Dunham,  D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  and  Harriet  (Hughston)  Dunham. 
He  was  graduated  from  Whitestown  Seminary  in  1875  and  from  Hamilton  College 
in  1879,  being  the  youngest  member  of  his  class  at  both  institutions.  He  was  for  a 
year  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Edwin  Baylies  at  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  one  of  the  ablest 
law  writers  of  his  time,  and  the  author  of  Baylies's  Questions  and  Answers,  Baylies 
on  Guaranty  and  Suretyship,  and  several  other  standard  works.  In  1880  Mr.  Dun- 
ham was  admitted  to  practice  law  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Baylies  & 
Dunham.  The  firm  did  much  work  in  the  line  of  law  book  writing,  being  employed 
on  various  editions  of  William  Wait's  publications  and  several  other  legal  books.  A 
year  later  Mr.  Dunham  returned  to  Oneida  county  to  become  vice-principal  of 
Whitestown  Seminary,  of  which  his  father  was  principal.  In  1882  he  came  to  Utica 
as  a  reporter  on  the  Press  and  has  since  remained  with  that  paper.  The  Utica  Daily 
Press,  from  anything  but  an  auspicious  beginning,  has  become  one  of  the  leading 
and  most  prosperous  papers  in  Central  New  York.  It  was  started  in  March,  1882,  by 
printers  who  had  left  the  Herald  two  days  before,  and  whose  facilities  were  decidedly 
limited.  The  first  number  had  four  small  pages  by  no  means  of  attractive  appear- 
ance. Mr.  Dunham  went  to  the  Press  the  following  July,  and  at  one  time  or  an- 
other has  held  every  situation  on  the  editorial  staff.  In  1886  he  became  president  of 
the  company  and  editor  of  the  paper  and  has  continued  in  these  positions  ever  since. 
At  the  same  election  T.  R.  Proctor  was  chosen  vice-president  and  Otto  A.  Meyer 
secretary  treasurer  and  business  manager.  The  imjirovement  and  growth  of  the 
Press  have  been  steady  and  permanent,  till  now  it  enjoys  the  largest  circulation  in 
its  field. 

The  Press  has  become  a  potent  factor  in  local  politics,  and  has  won  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  classes  of  citizens.  In  1888  Mr.  Dunham  was  appointed  a 
manager  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  and  was  reappointed  by  Gov. 
Flower  and  three  years  later  by  Gov.  Morton.  He  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Kinney 
chairman  of  the  Utica  Electric  Light  Commission  and  served  three  years.  He  was 
elected  a  trustee  of  Hamilton  College  in  1891  and  was  re  elected  in  1895. 

Mr.  Dunham  was  married  to  Miss  Helen  L.  Jones,  of  LTtica,  January  9,  1884.  They 
have  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy. 


E.   PRENTISS  BAILEY. 

E.  Prentiss  Bailey,  editor  of  the  Utica  Observer  and  president  of  the  corporation 
of  E.  P.  Bailey  &  Co.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Manlius,  near  Fayetteville,  Onon- 
daga county,  N.  Y.,  August  15,  1834  and  is  a  grandson  of  Rev.  Elijah  Bailey,  of 
Vermont,  an  able  Methodist  preacher  and  writer,  one  of  his  books,  "  Bailey  on  the 
Trinity,';  being  still  preserved.  Mr.  Bailey's  parents  were  Wesley  and  Eunice 
(Kinne)  Bailey,  his  mother's  being  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  families  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  187 

the  town  of  Onondaga.  Rev.  Weslej^  Bailey  spent  most  of  his  time  as  a  journalist, 
and  in  this  profession  achieved  no  little  prominence.  He  established  the  first  news- 
paper, called  The  Luminary,  in  the  village  of  Fayetteville.  In  1842,  at  the  request 
of  Alvan  Stewart  and  other  prominent  Abolitionists,  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Utica  and  founded  a  new  Abolition  paper,  called  the  Liberty  Press,  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Friend  of  Man,  which  had  been  mobbed.  The  Liberty  Press,  under  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Bailey's  able  guidance  as  editor  and  proprietor,  gained  what  was  then  re- 
garded as  a  wide  circulation  and  from  the  first  exerted  a  marked  influence  in  its 
field.  He  remained  in  active  charge  until  1849,  when  the  name  of  the  paper  was 
changed  to  the  Utica  Tetotaller  and  its  purpose  to  the  temperance  cause,  in  defer- 
ence to  the  great  Washingtonian  movement  which  swept  over  the  country  during  the 
middle  of  this  century.  Rev.  Mr.  Bailey  was  grand  Scribe  of  the  Sons  of  Temper- 
ance when  that  organization  was  at  its  height,  and  continued  editor  of  the  Tetotaller 
until  he  was  elected  State  prison  inspector  in  1856.  His  official  duties  then  occupied 
his  time  until  the  close  of  his  residence  in  New  York  State  in  1860,  when  he  removed 
to  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  February,  1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 

E.  Prentiss  Bailey  received  his  preliminary  education  in  a  private  school  and 
Hyde's  Academy  of  Fayetteville,  and  in  1842  came  with  his  father's  family  to  Utica, 
where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  Here  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  Advanced 
school  and  in  Barrett's  Latin  Grammar  School,  and  when  twelve  years  of  age  entered 
his  father's  office  to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  He  remained  with  his  father,  acquir- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  of  the  business,  until  1853,  when  he  was  invited  to  accept 
a  position  in  the  office  of  the  LTtica  Daily  Observer,  then  published  by  De  Witt  C. 
Grove  and  edited  by  John  B.  Miller.  Mr.  Bailey's  duties  embraced  those  of  reporter, 
telegraph  editor,  and  general  all  round  journalist,  and  that  he  discharged  them  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned  is  evident  from  the  responsibilities  subsequently  placed 
upon  him.  In  1857  Mr.  Miller  was  appointed  by  President  Buchanan  U.  S.  consul 
to  Hamburg,  and  thereafter  for  nearly  ten  years  Mr.  Bailey  was  the  only  person 
employed  on  the  Observer.  During  this  period  he  performed  nearly  all  the 
reportorial  and  editorial  work,  a  task  almost  incomprehensible  in  this  age  of 
specialists.  In  186?  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  paper,  and  with  Mr.  Grove 
formed  the  firm  of  Grove  &  Bailey,  which  continued  the  publication  until  1875,  when 
the  firm  was  succeeded  by  a  corporation  bearing  the  same  name,  with  Col.  Theodore 
P.  Cook  as  stockholder  and  secretary.  The  relations  of  Messrs.  Grove  and  Bailey 
were  most  felicitous  from  December,  1853,  to  September,  1883,  a  continuous  period  of 
nearly  thirty  years,  and  ceased  only  because  of  the  fatal  illness  of  Mr.  Grove,  who 
died  in  New  York  city  in  March  1884.  In  1883  the  corporate  name  of  the  firm  was 
changed  to  E.  P.  Bailey  &  Co.,  which  still  continues,  the  executive  officers  at  this  time 
being  E.  Prentiss  Bailey,  president ;  Thomas  F.  Clarke,  vice-president ;  and  Lansing 
C.  Bailey,  secretary.  In  March,  1884,  the  most  destructive  fire  that  Utica  has  ever 
known  inckided  the  Observer  office  and  plant,  which  stood  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  Martin  block  on  Genesee  street.  This  was  a  serious  blow,  but  the  enterpris- 
ing owners  quickly  recovered  and  purchased  a  suitable  lot  in  the  rear  of  and  adjoin- 
ing the  government  building,  whereon  the  present  handsome  brick  structure  was 
erected  and  occupied  solely  by  the  Observer  the  same  year. 

Mr.  Bailey's  career  in  the  field  of  journalism,  either  as  printer,  reporter,  or  editor, 


i88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

covers  half  a  century,  and  during  a  large  part  of  that  time  he  has  held  not  onh'  the 
foremost  place  in  his  profession  in  Oneida  county,  but  a  leading  position  among  the 
eminent  journalists  of  the  State,  and  he  also  enjoys  a  high  reputation  throughout  the 
country.  For  forty-three  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Observer,  for  nearly 
thirty  years  he  has  been  one  of  its  proprietors,  and  for  more  than  a  dozen  years  the 
editor-in-chief.  He  has  seen  the  circulation  of  both  the  daily  and  the  weekly 
increase  twenty-fold,  and  to  him  is  mainly  due  its  wonderful  progress  and  prestige. 
His  brilliant  pen  has  guided  it  triumphantly  through  many  political  campaigns  and 
public  movements,  while  his  able  mind  and  sound  judgment  have  directed  its  course  as 
an  educational  medium.  He  has  always  stood  for  reform,  for  good  government,  for 
honesty,  for  justice,  and  for  the  rights  of  the  people.  Fearless  in  his  utterances, 
candid,  logical,  and  broad  in  the  expression  of  his  views,  conservative  yet  progressive 
in  all  that  affects  the  welfare  of  the  community,  he  has  conscientiously  represented 
the  best  interests  of  the  people  and  staunchly  advocated  the  highest  principles  of 
civilization.  As  a  writer  he  is  terse  and  comprehensive,  critical,  sarcastic,  or 
laudatory  as  the  subject  may  demand,  and  always  strikes  at  the  very  root  of  the 
case  under  consideration.  Endowed  with  talents  of  a  high  order  and  imbued  with 
lofty  ideals  he  has  long  wnelded  a  powerful  and  wholesome  influence  in  political, 
social,  and  civil  affairs,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence  not  only  of  his  con- 
stituents but  of  his  opponents  as  well.  In  politics  he  has  alwaj'S  been  an  unswerving 
Democrat,  consistent,  true  to  his  convictions,  and  a  leader  among  leaders.  In  his 
editorial  capacity  he  has  ably  supported  such  eminent  statesmen  as  Seymour,  Tilden, 
and  Cleveland.  He  has  made  the  Observer  a  power  for  right  and  justice,  for  purity 
of  morals,  and  for  reform  in  municipal  affairs,  and  among  the  numerous  contests 
growing  out  of  its  representations  of  corruption  and  bad  conduct  a  large  number  of 
libel  suits  have  been  brought  against  its  management.  In  this  respect  the  Observer 
has  probably  encountered  more  libel  suits  than  any  other  paper  in  Central  or  West- 
ern New  York.  But  it  has  never  compromised,  never  settled  a  prosecution  for  libel, 
and  never  lost  a  case,  facts  which  admirably  illustrate  its  fearless  and  honest 
advocacy  of  purity  in  politics  and  in  society.  The  Observer  office,  during  Mr. 
Bailey's  long  and  ablemanagement,  has  been  one  of  the  leading  schools  for  journalists 
in  the  State,  and  counts  among  its  graduates  a,  number  of  newspaper  men  who  have 
attained  distinction.  Harold  Frederic,  the  talented  author,  and  the  London  cor- 
respondent of  the  New  York  Times,  began  his  eminently  successful  career  on  the 
Observer's  staff.  E.  M.  Rewey,  afterward  the  editor  and  projirietor  of  the  Worcester 
(Mass.)  Dailjr  Press  and  at  present  one  of  Charles  A.  Dana's  lieutenants  in  the  New 
York  Sun  office,  commenced  his  journalistic  work  here,  as  did  also  Edwin  Atwell, 
recently  the  editor  of  the  Albany  State,  and  John  B.  Howe,  the  able  editor  of  the 
Rochester  Herald.  Others  who  have  won  honor  in  the  field  of  journalism  might  be 
included  in  the  list,  and  it  maj'  be  safely  stated  that  success  and  reputation  have 
attended  their  efforts. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Bailey  has  always  taken  a  keen  and  often  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs,  and  no  man  is  more  thoroughly  identified  withjthe  city's  growth  and 
prosperity.  His  first  public  office  was  that  of  school  commis-sioner,  which  he  held  six 
years.  In  1886  President  Cleveland  appointed  him  a  commissioner  to  examine 
a  newly  completed  part  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  in  Washington  territory.     In  1887  he 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  189 

was  appointed  postmaster  of  Utica  and  held  the  office  until  February  1891,  or  nearly 
four  years,  one-half  of  the  time  under  President  Harrison  and  Postmaster  General 
Wanamaker.  On  Governor  Flower's  reorganization  of  the  State  Civil  Service  Com- 
mission Mr.  Bailey  was  appointed  a  commissioner  and  became  president  of  the  board, 
resigning  December  31,  1895.  In  March,  1896,  President  Cleveland  ended  a  long 
local  contention  by  again  appointing  him  postmaster  of  Utica,  although  he  was  not 
at  that  time  a  candidate  for  the  office.  Mr.  Bailey  early  became  identified  with  the 
management  of  the  New  York  State  Associated  Press  and  was  for  four  years,  be- 
ginning with  1887,  its  president  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  its  executive  com- 
mittee. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  for  more  than  thirty  years, 
is  a  charter  member  of  Faxton  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  Yah-nun-dah-sis 
Lodge  A.  &  A.  S.  Rite.  For  many  years,  from  about  1860,  he  was  a  director  of  the 
LHica  Mechanics'  Association  and  for  seven  years  its  president.  He  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  and  is  a  manager  of  the  LTtica  Homoeopathic  Hospital. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  married,  first,  on  September  23,  1857,  to  Miss  Julia  S.  Wetherby, 
of  Dewitt.  Onondaga  county,  who  died  July  9,  I860,  leaving  one  daughter,  now 
Mrs.  Edward  H.  Wells,  of  Utica.  He  was  married,  second,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  on 
June  24,  1868,  to  Miss  Hannah  Chapman,  who  is  vice-president  of  the  Utica 
Homoeopathic  Hospital,  and  who  has  long  been  prominent  in  charitable  and  church 
work  in  the  city.  They  have  had  four  children :  Lansing  C,  secretary  of  the  cor- 
poration of  E.  P.  Bailey  &  Co.  and  a  member  of  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Observer; 
Clinton  Grove,  who  died  in  infancy;  Prentiss,  who  is  connected  with  the  business 
department  of  the  Observer;  and  Bessie  Carleton,  at  home. 


CHARLES  W.   HUTCHINvSON. 

The  records  and  traditions  of  the  Hutchinsons  are  that  the  founder  of  this  old 
family  is  traced  back  to  the  tenth  century  and  came  from  Cranborg,  in  the  Danish 
island  of  Zealand,  with  Harold  Harefoot,  as  he  was  then  designated  in  Latin  Utton- 
em's,  meaning  a  native  of  Witton.  The  family  settled  in  England  at  or  near  Mid- 
dleham,  in  the  bishopric  of  Durham,  and  they  were  free  tenantsof  the  Prince  Bishops 
of  that  manor,  particularly  Cornforth  and  Humber  Knowles,  after  the  Conquest. 
Eleazer  Hutchinson,  the  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the  family,  came  to  America  in 
1633  and  afterward  settled  at  Lebanon,  now  Andover,  Conn.  There  were  four  of 
his  name  in  direct  descent.  Eleazer  the  second  married  Ruth  Long.  They  had 
seven  children,  Amaziah,  the  father  of  Holmes  Hutchinson,  being  the  third  son,  who 
was  born  December  14,  1762.  He  married  Elizabeth  Mack.  March  30,  1791.  They 
had  ten  children.  Holmes  being  the  second  son.  His  mother's  godmother  was  Sy- 
bella  Browne,  the  only  daughterof  Sir  John  Browne,  Viscount  Montague,  of  London- 
derry, Ireland,  who  married  John  Mack,  who  with  his  wife  and  William,  his  son, 
came  from  the  town  of  Armagh  to  America  in  1732  and  settled  at  Londonderry,  N. 
H.  Tradition  records  that  Isabella  Browne,  the  cousin  of  Sybella,  was  married  to  the 
grandfather  of  Gov.  George  Clinton,  of  New  York. 

Hon.  Charles  W.  Hutchinson's  father.    Holmes  Hutchinson,   was  born  in  Genoa, 


190  OUR  COUNTY  Al^JD  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  January  5,  1794,  became  an  eminent  civil  engineer,  removed 
to  Utica  in  1819,  and  was  almost  constantly  employed  as  an  engineer  on  the  Erie 
canal  and  its  enlargement  and  other  canals  of  the  State  from  that  date  until  1835, 
when  he  was  appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  middle  division,  which  position  he  held 
until  1841.  During  this  period  he  made  the  maps  and  surveys  of  the  Erie  canal  from 
Canastota  to  the  Hudson  River;  the  Black  River,  Cayuga,  Crooked  Lake,  Chemung, 
and  Seneca  Canals;  the  Glens  Falls  feeder  and  the  Rochester  aqueduct;  and  of  a 
proposed  canal  on  Long  Island  uniting  Jamaica  Bay  with  Rockaway  Inlet.  His  re- 
port to  the  Legislature,  dated  March  26,  1826  says  "that  constructing  nine  miles  of 
canal  through  the  inland  bays  forms  a  contmuous  navigation  from  Sag  Harbor  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  a  distance  of  115  miles,"  and  he  recommended  its  construction. 
In  1889,  after  a  lapse  of  sixty-three  years,  this  project  was  again  brought  into 
prominence.  In  1825  he  was  engaged  as  chief  engineer  by  the  Connecticut  River 
Company  upon  the  recommendation  of  Gov.  De  Witt  Clinton,  of  New  York,  to  sur- 
vey a  route  of  water  communication  from  Barnet,  in  Vermont,  to  the  city  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  a  distance  of  319  miles.  Upon  receiving  his  report  the  directors  of  the 
company  said  "that  Mr.  Hutchinson  had  fully  justified  their  high-wrought  anticipa- 
tions." In  1826  he  was  appointed  by  the  authorities  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island 
chief  engineer  of  the  construction  of  the  Blackstone  Canal  from  the  city  of  Provi- 
dence to  Worcester,  Mass.  In  1828  he  was  chief  engineer  of  the  construction  of  the 
Oxford  and  Cumberland  Canal  in  Maine.  He  married,  February  15,1824,  Maria  Abeel 
Webster,  the  second  daughter  of  JoFhua  Webster,  ^L  D.,  of  Fort  Plain,  N.Y.,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  among  the  early  physicians  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Dr. 
Webster  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Webster,  of  Ipswich,  England,  and  was 
a  son  of  John  Webster,  of  Scarboro,  Me.  He  was  surgeon  of  the  l^Sth  Regt.  N.  Y. 
Vols,  during  the  war  of  1812  and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  in  1822. 
Dr.  Webster  married  Catharine  Wagner,   whose   mother  was  the  daughter  of  John  fl 

Abeel,  the  Indian  trader,  whose  father,  Johannes  Abeel,  resided  in  Albany,  and  was  ^ 

recorder  and  mayor  of  that  city  during  the  years  1694  and  1695  and  also  during  1709 
and  1710.  He  was  also  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs  from  1706  to  1710. 
Mrs.  Webster's  great-grandfather  was  Johan  Peter  Wagner,  who,  with  William  Fox, 
had  the  distinction  of  being  the   finst  of  the  Palatinates  who  settled  in  the  Mohawk  ' 

Valley,  easterly  of  the  Garoga  Creek,  in  the  town  of  Palatine,  in  1723.     Mr.  Wagner's  : 

son,  also  Johan  Peter,  was  a  member  ot  the  committee  of  safety  during  the  Rev 
olution,  and  was  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Cox  at  the  battle 
of  Oriskany,   August  6,    1777,   in   which  battle  two  of  his  sons,   Johan   Peter  and  i 

Johan  Georg,  and  other  members  of  the  Wagner  family,  were  also  engaged.  After 
General  Herkimer  was  wounded  and  Col.  Ebenezer  Cox  was  killed  tradition  says 
that  Colonel  Wagner  took  command  of  the  brigade,  which  resulted  in  the  victory  so 
decisive  for  the  American  forces.  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  prominent  in  many  of  the 
early  enterprises  in  the  State.  He  was  one  of  the  early  directors  of  the  Syracuse  and 
Utica  Railroad,  of  the  Lake  Ontario  Steamboat  Com  pan }%  of  the  Bank  of  Utica,  •and 
other  corporations;  and  was  for  some  years  president  of  the  Syracuse  and  Oswego 
Railroad.  He  was  quiet  in  his  demeanor  and  courteous  in  speech  and  manner,  and 
all  who  were  brought  in  contact  with  him  accorded  him  their  respect  and  esteem, 
and   acknowledged    his  high  sense  of   honor  and  scrupulous  integrity.       He  died 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  ]9l 

suddenly  at  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Utica,  February  21,  1865,   aged  seventy-one 
years. 

Hon.  Charles  Webster  Hutchinson,  son  of  Holmes  and  Maria  Abeel  (Webster) 
Hutchinson,  was  born  July  4,  1826,  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  his  parents  were  then 
temporarily  residing.  His  birth  took  place  at  the  residence  of  Maj.  Samuel  McClel- 
lan.  Mr.  Hutchinson  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Utica  from  the  year  1827,  and 
here  he  received  his  earl}'^  education  under  such  prominent  instructors  as  Thomas 
Towell,  William  Backus,  William  Williams,  William  C.  Barrett,  David  Prentice, 
LL.  D.,  George  Perkins,  LL.  D.,  and  others.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  Sci- 
entific Department  at  Geneva  College,  devoting  himself  principally  to  these  studies 
and  the  modern  languages.  He  was  afterward  appointed  to  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  Syracuse  and  Utica  Railroad  Company  at  Utica.  He  resigned  this  posi- 
tion in  18i7,  having  been  appointed  teller  of  the  Fort  Plain  Bank,  and  acted  for  the 
three  subsequent  years  in  that  capacity.  Returning  to  Utica  he  assumed  charge  of 
the  combined  interests  r>f  his  father  and  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour  in  the  manufacturing 
firm  of  E.  K.  Browning  &  Co.,  but  after  few  months  he  took  charge  under  his  own 
name  and  devoted  himself  to  its  interests  until  the  autumn  of  1865,  when  he  dis- 
po.sed  of  the  business  and  went  to  Europe  with  his  wife,  passing  between  two  and 
three  years  in  travel  upon  the  continent  and  a  winter  in  Africa  and  Egypt,  returning 
to  Italy  by  the  Mediterranean  and  Sicily.  Upon  his  return  to  Utica  he  took  an  active 
interest  in  matters  of  a  public  character,  and  for  several  years  was  a  director  of  the 
Utica  Mechanics  Association.  He  was  vice-president  and  presiding  officer  of  the 
New  York  State  Sportsmen's  Association  for  several  years  from  its  organization,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  first  committee  who  presented  a  revision  of  the  game  laws  to 
the  Legislature  of  this  State,  which  were  adopted,  and  in  1871  he  was  elected  its  presi- 
dent. He  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  L^tica  in  1875,  and  during  his  term  of 
office  a  number  of  important  local  measures  were  successfully  inaugurated  and  com- 
pleted. Several  artistic  fountains  were  erected  in  the  public  parks,  and  the  latter 
beautified  and  reclaimed  from  their  former  neglected  condition  ;  several  i  ulverts  were 
built,  and  the  work  of  filling  the  streets  over  them  was  rapidly  pushed  forward,  the 
benefits  of  which  were  soon  proved  by  the  rapid  improvements  and  growth  of  the 
easterly  part  of  the  city.  His  administration  was  marked  by  a  jud!icious  economy  in 
public  expenditures,  and  many  improvements  were  inaugurated  to  the  ultimate  ad- 
vancement of  the  interests  of  the  city.  The  j^ear  of  his  mayoralty,  being  notable  as 
the  centennial  year,  was  a  period  which  brought  into  more  than  ordinary  prominence 
the  local  executive  officials  throughout  the  country.  During  that  yeav  the  citizens  of 
LTtica  extended  the  hospitalities  of  the  city  for  the  ninth  annual  reunion  of  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  which  invitations  were  accepted  for  the  dates  of  September  15th  and 
16th.  Mayor  Hutchinson,  in  his  official  capacity  as  chief  magistrate,  made  the  ad- 
dress of  welcome  in  the  opera  house,  and  addresses  were  also  delivered  by  Hon. 
Horatio  Seymour,  Hon.  Roscoe  Conkling,  and  other  citizens.  Among  those  present 
were  President  Grant,  Vice-President  Henry  Wilson,  several  members  of  the  national 
cabinet,  and  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  while  the  army  was 
represented  by  General  Sherman  and  his  staff,  ^nd  Generals  Joseph  Hooker,  H.  W. 
Slocum,  H.  A.  Barnum,  J.  G.  Parkhurst,  Henry  M.  Cist,  Daniel  Butterfield,  J.  S. 
Fullerton,  David  S.  Stanley,  A.  G.  McCook,  James  McQuade,   J.   B.   Kiddoo,  Frank 


192  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Wheaton,  James  G.  Grindlay,  W.  H.  Christian,  and  many  other  distinguished  Union 
commanders.  His  Excellency  Governor  Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  Hutch- 
inson, and  with  him  were  other  prominent  State  officials,  constituting  altogether  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  gatherings  of  national  and  State  dignitariesever  assembled 
outside  of  the  capital  of  the  nation.  The  reunion  was  a  grand  success  and  was  fully  ap- 
preciated by  all  the  delegates  and  guests  who  were  in  attendance,  and  they  expressed 
the  highest  gratification  at  the  attention  shown  them  by  the  citizens  and  their  liber- 
ality of  entertainment  and  generous  hospitality.  The  reunion  cloged  with  a  recep- 
tion and  ball  at  the  opera  house.  President  (irant  and  Governor  Tilden  receiving  in 
the  proscenium  boxes.     One  of  the  guests  wrote  of  it  as  follows: 

"No  notice  of  this  event,  written  at  the  late  hour  required  by  circumstances,  can 
do  justice  to  its  elegance  and  success  in  every  particular.  Each  succeeding 
moment  seemed  to  be  more  and  more  enjoyable,  and  the  culmination  was  a  grand 
triumph.  Nothing  oi  the  kind  ever  before  attempted  in  this  city  or  vicinity  equalled 
it;  it  reflected  the  greatest  credit  upon  the  city  and  the  good  people  who  tendered  it 
with  the  most  perfect  cordiality  to  their  honored  guests,  the  brave  men  of  the  So- 
ciety of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  It  will  be  a  long  time  ere  the  bright  dream 
will  be  forgotten." 

Mr.  Hutchinson  was  prominent  in  organizing  the  Utica  Park  Association,  and  was 
its  president  from  its  incorporation  in  1872  until  1889,  excepting  three  terms,  when, 
other  matters  engrossing  his  attention,  he  declined  an  election.  This  park  property 
was  estimated  to  have  cost  over  §150,000,  but  it  was  sold  by  him  to  the  State  Masonic 
Home  in  1889  for  the  sum  of  $75,000.  To  this  noble  charity,  in  which  as  a  Ma.son 
Mr.  Hutchinson  was  deeply  interested,  he  donated  toward  this  purchase  price  the 
sum  of  §25,000.  As  a  Mason  he  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge,  Oneida  Chapter, Utica 
Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  and  Vah-nun-dah-.'^is  Lodge  of  Perfection,  and 
has  taken  the  32d  degree  of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  in  Cosmopolitan 
Consistory  of  New  York.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  for 
a  time  was  colonel  and  chief  of  equipment  of  the  Patriarchs  Militant,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in 
the  Department  of  the  Atlantic.  He  was  for  several  years  president  of  the  Utica 
Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  and  Manhattan  Clubs  of  New  York  city. 
In  association  with  Alexander  Seward,  S.  N.  D.  North,  John  F.  Sej'mour,  and 
Morven  M.  Jones  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  organizers  of  the  Oneida  His- 
torical Society,  of  which  the  late  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour  was  president  until  his 
death  in  1886.  During  this  period  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  first  vice-president,  acting 
president,  or  a  member  of  the  board  of  counselors,  and  since  1891  he  has  been  its 
president.  He  has  delivered  several  addresses  before  the  society  upon  subjects  re- 
lating to  the  early  history  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee of  five  which  selected  the  design  and  erected  the  monument  commemorating 
the  battle  of  Oriskany,  August  6,  1777.  He  is  also  a  corresponding  member  of 
several  historical  societies.  For  many  years  he  devoted  much  time  to  the  study  of 
ethnology,  history,  and  allied  subjects,  and  his  library  is  large  and  valuable  in  rare 
books  in  both  English  and  foreign  languages.  One  of  his  favorite  studies  is  that  of 
Indianology,  especially  relating  to  the  Iroquois  or  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations.  His 
cabinet  of  Indian  curios  and  relics  is  one  of  the  most  noted  in  the  State,  and  was 
exhibited  at  the  Bartholdi  Exhibition  in  New  York,  at  the  Albany  Bi-Centennial, 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  193 

and  at  the  International  Fair  at  Buffalo  in  1888.  In  appreciation  of  the  warm  inter- 
e.st  he  has  taken  in  matters  relating  to  the  condition  and  welfare  of  the  Iroquois, 
Mr.  Hutchmson  was  adopted  by  them  and  given  the  name  of  "  Gy-ant-wa-ka"  (The 
Cornplanter)  by  a  council  of  the  Senecas  on  their  reservation  June  15,  1885, 

Mr.  Hutchinson  has  held  many  important  corporate  positions.  He  was  president 
of  the  Utica  and  Mohawk  Railroad  Company  and  finally  became  the  owner  of  that 
road.  He  has  also  officiated  as  president  of  the  Central  NewYork  Agricultural 
Association  and  trustee  of  the  Holland  Trust  Company  of  New  York  city,  and  is 
largely  interested  in  real  estate  and  in  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Utica.  He  was 
elected  a  vestryman  of  Trinity  church,  Utica,  in  1861,  and  warden  in  1887.  This 
church  is  one  of  the  oldest  Episcopal  churches  in  Central  or  Western  New  York, 
having  been  organized  May  24,  1803,  and  incorporated  August  14,  1804. 

October  9,  1851,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  married  by  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Clark,  .sub- 
sequently bishop  of  Rhode  Island,  to  Miss  Laura  Clark  Beckwith,  eldest  daughter  of 
the  late  Alonzo  S.  Beckwith,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Hartford,  Conn.  She  died 
April  11,  1883,  leaving  no  children.  She  was  active  and  generous  in  all  charitable 
movements,  and  her  sister  and  herself  were  the  "two  founders"  of  the  House  of 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  that  benevolent  institution  whose  mission  is  the  care  of  little 
children. 


GARRY  A.   WILLARD. 

Garry  Aaron  Willard  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  in  1861,  the  sixth 
of  a  family  of  eight  children.  His  forefathers  were  numbered  among  the  hardy 
settlers  of  New  England  and  were  among  the  first  to  enlist  under  the  banners  of  the 
Granite  State  boys  which  were  carried  through  the  Revolutionary  war.  Aaron  Wil- 
lard, his  grandfather,  came  to  Boonville  from  Vei  mont  at  the  beginning  of  the  pres- 
ent century,  and  being  a  farmer  by  occupation  industriously  plied  his  vocation  near 
that  village,  clearing  away  the  virgin  forests  in  order  to  plant  his  crops.  Among  his 
sons  was  Harvey  P.  Willard,  father  of  Garry  A.,  who  possessed  fine  intellectual  at- 
tainments, scholarly  tastes  of  a  high  order,  and  abilities  which  were  early  recog- 
nized. He  was  educated  at  the  Boonville  Academy,  and  after  his  graduation  and 
for  a  period  of  twenty  years  taught  school  in  Kentucky  and  in  various  places  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  In  1861  he  purchased  the  Boonville  Herald,  which  he  ably  con- 
ducted until  his  death  in  1887,  making  it  one  of  the  best  and  most  influential  weekly 
newspapers  in  the  county. 

Garry  A.  Willard  is  one  of  the  worthiest  descendants  of  a  family  that  has  been 
known  in  Boonville  since  the  organization  of  the  town.  At  an  early  age  he  had 
mastered  the  printer's  trade,  and  after  his  graduation  from  the  Boonville  Academy 
he  completed  his  education  at  the  Clinton  (N.  Y.)  Grammar  School.  Returnmg  to 
Boonville  he  took  a  position  in  the  Herald  office,  mastering  the  details  of  every  de- 
partment until,  in  1891,  he  purchased  the  paper  and  became  its  sole  responsible 
head.  Since  that  period  the  paper  under  his  management  has  grown  until  to-day 
the  Herald  plant  is  almost  metropolitan  in  its  character  and  the  paper  is  extensively 
V 


194  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

circulated  throughout  Oneida,  Lewis  and  Herkimer  counties.  A  sturdy,  never- 
swerving  Republican,  of  pleasing  address  and  of  the  courage  of  his  convictions  at 
all  times,  Mr.  Willard  could  not  well  escape  the  notice  of  those  high  in  the  councils 
of  his  party.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Boonville  by  President  Har- 
rison and  served  a  full  term,  and  until  his  successor  was  appointed  by  President 
Cleveland,  giving  the  best  of  satisfaction  and  making  the  office  rank  among  the 
highest  in  its  class.  In  1895  he  became  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  county  clerk 
and  was  elected  by  the  handsome  majority  of  3,500.  His  prominence  in  local  affairs 
and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  people  of  Boonville  is  best  attested  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  1892  and  re-elected 
in  1893,  1894  and  1895.  He  is  public  spirited,  progressive,  and  enterprising,  and 
takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  community. 

In  1884  Mr.  Willard  married  Julia  H.,  eldest  daughter  of  C.  W.  Colton,  one  of 
Boouville's  best  known  merchants.  One  child,  a  daughter,  blessed  their  union.  The 
family  residence  on  Schuyler  street  is  one  of  the  handsomest  m  that  village  of  lovely 
homes. 


M.  ]\I.   BAGG,   M.D. 

Moses  Mears  Bagg,  M.D. ,  is  a  grandson  of  Moses  Bagg,  sr.,  who  in  the  autumn 
of  1793  came  with  his  wife  and  two  sons  to  what  was  known  as  Middle  Settlement 
and  on  March  12,  1794,  moved  thence  to  Old  Fort  Schuyler.  He  settled  and  finally 
bought  of  Mr.  Bleecker  four  acres  of  land  where  Bagg's  Hotel  now  stands,  and  then 
practiced  his  trade  of  blacksmith  and  also  opened  his  log  house  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  travelers.  Soon  afterward  he  erected  a  two-story  frame  building  on  the 
same  site.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Moses  Bagg,  jr.,  who  in  1812-15  built  on 
the  site  of  this  wooden  structure  the  central  portion  of  the  brick  hotel  which  still 
bears  the  family  name,  and  who  continued  as  proprietor  until  1836.  Moses  Bagg,  jr., 
came  here  with  his  parents  from  Westfield,  Mass.  He  married  Sophia,  daughter  of 
Matthew  Derbyshire,  of  Hartwick,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  a  recent  immigrant 
from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  in  this  now  famous  hotel  their  son.  Dr.  Bagg,  was 
born  July  13,  1816. 

Dr.  Bagg  received  his  earlier  education  in  part  at  the  Utica  Academy,  but  chiefly 
in  the  Utica  High  School,  now  extmct,  which  was  kept  by  Charles  Bartlett  in 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  city.  He  entered  the  sophomore  year  of  the  class  of 
1836  at  Hamilton  College,  finished  this  and  the  junior  year,  and  as  there  was 
temporarily  no  president  to  instruct  the  senior  students,  he  went  to  Yale  College 
to  complete  his  course  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1837.  After  a 
year  spent  in  teaching  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  an  institution  known  as  Mt.  Hope,  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  the  late  Dr.  Charles  B.  Coventry,  of  Utica,  and 
attended  two  courses  of  lectures  at  Geneva  Medical  College,  where  Dr.  Coventry 
was  one  of  the  professors,  and  where  he  received  his  degree  after  spending  a  winter 
studying  medicine  in  Philadelphia.  For  one  year  he  was  a  partier  with  his  precep- 
tor and  then  went  to  Paris, 'France,  where  he  was  engaged  in  attendance  on  lectures 


BIOGRAPHICAL,  195 

and  hospitals  and  in  travel  for  about  fifteen  months.  Returning  to  Utica  in  the 
summer  of  1845  he  opened  an  office  and  waited  for  practice.  For  two  years  he  was 
city  physician,  having  the  care  of  the  sick  poor  of  the  whole  city  during  half  this  time 
and  of  one-half  of  them  during  the  remaining  period.  He  was  also  at  one  time  the 
health  officer,  and  at  a  later  period  he  was  for  five  years  physician  in  charge  of  the 
city  hospital.  His  practice  increased  steadily  and  became  in  time  absorbing.  Other 
duties  somewhat  alien  to  it  and  occupying  a  limited  portion  of  his  time  were  the 
teaching  of  rhetoric  and  composition  in  the  Utica  Female  Academy  for  four  or  five 
years  and  of  French  in  the  Free  Academy  for  two  years,  as  a  substitute  for  the  reg- 
ular teacher,  who  was  incapacitated  by  illness.  Of  both  these  institutions  Dr.  Bagg 
was  a  trustee ;  of  the  former  board  for  many  years  the  secretary  and  now,  as  senior 
member,  its  president. 

Dr.  Bagg  eventually  built  up  a  large  practice  and  became  one  of  the  foremost 
physicians  of  the  city.  He  has  always  been  regarded  as  an  able  and  talented 
practitioner,  a  wise  counsellor,  and  a  kind  and  sympathetic  friend.  Few  men 
have  ever  won  a  warmer  place  in  the  hearts  and  affections  of  the  people  than 
has  he.  His  genial  nature,  his  honesty  and  uprightness,  his  benevolent  spirit,  his 
unfailing  sympathy  for  the  afflicted,  his  words  of  wisdom  and  encouragement,  his 
cheerful  disposition,  have  always  made  him  a  welcome  visitor  at  the  bedside  or  in 
the  family  cii'cle.  Charitable,  kind  hearted,  and  friendly  he  acquired  a  high  repu- 
tation and  generously  met  every  demand  upon  his  time  and  means.  In  the  Oneida 
County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  members,  he  has 
occupied  several  positions  from  secretary  to  president.  As  a  member  of  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society  he  has  been  censor  of  the  middle  district.  In  1864  he 
was  employed  for  a  few  weeks  by  the  New  York  State  agency  in  caring  for  the  sick 
and  wounded  soldiers  at  Washington,  and  for  two  years — 1883-85 — he  was  one  of 
the  board  of  pension  examiners. 

Dr.  Bagg  has  for  many  years  been  deeply  interested  in  the  history  of  his  native 
city  and  has  been  the  means  of  collecting  and  preserving  more  historical  matter 
than  any  other  man.  In  1877  he  published  the  "  Pioneers  of  Utica,"  a  volume  of  in- 
estimable value  to  the  local  historian  and  biographer.  In  1893  he  edited  for  the  pub- 
lishers a  large  volume  entitled  "  Memorial  History  of  Utica,"  bringing  the  story  of 
the  city's  growth  and  development  down  to  a  recent  period.  He  is  the  author  of 
several  published  addresses,  mostly  historical  in  character.  These  were  two  ad- 
dresses before  the  County  Medical  Society  and  one  before  the  managers  of  the  Utica 
Orphan  Asylum,  of  which  he  has  been  a  medical  attendant  since  its  organization. 
He  has  also  read  a  paper  before  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Association,  a 
semi-centennial  address  before  the  Oneida  Countj'-  Bible  Society,  and  an  annual 
addre.ss  and  two  or  three  other  papers  before  the  Oneida  Historical  Society.  Of 
this  latter  organization  he  has  been  an  interested  participant  since  it  was  founded 
and  is  at  present  its  librarian,  Probably  no  man  has  taken  a  deeper  or  more  active 
interest  in  its  growth  and  welfare.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  of 
Utica  and  for  some  fifty  years  has  been  one  of  its  consistory.  In  all  these  connec- 
tions, in  the  elevation  of  societj',  and  in  the  advancement  of  the  city  Dr.  Bagg's 
enthusiasm  and  loyalty  have  known  no  bounds.  He  is  public  spirited,  energetic, 
and  progressive,  and  takes  a  just  pride  in  aiding  eveiy  cause  for  the  betterment  of 
humanity. 


196  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

On  November  22,  1847,  Dr.  Bagg  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  R.,  daughter  of  Sam. 
uel  Farwell,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  two  sons,  both  residents  of  Watertown,  N.  Y. , 
and  four  daughters,  who  with  his  wife  constitute  his  family  in  Utica. 


ALFRED  C.  COXE. 

Hon.  Alfred  C.  Coxe  was  born  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  came  of  distinguished  an- 
cestry. His  father  was  the  venerable  Rev.  Dr.  S.  Hanson  Coxe,  for  many  years  rec- 
tor of  Trinity  Church,  Utica,  and  he  was  the  son  of  an  eminent  Presbyterian  divine 
and  a  brother  of  Rt.  Rev.  A.  Cleveland  Coxe  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  bishop  of  the  diocese 
of  Western  New  York.  His  mother  was  a  sister  of  Roscoe  Conkling,  and  a  daughter 
of  Judge  Alfred  Conkling,  for  a  long  time  judge  of  the  United  States  District 
Court  for  the  Northern  District  of  New  York,  author  of  "Gonkling's  Treatise,"  a 
standard  work  on  practice  in  the  federal  courts,  and  of  "Conkling's  Admiralty," 
and  once  United  States  Minister  to  Mexico. 

Judge  Coxe  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Utica,  at  the  Oxford  Academy, 
and  at  Hamilton  College.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868  and  practiced  alone 
in  the  city  of  Utica  until  1870,  when  he  entered  the  firm  of  Conkling,  Holmes  & 
Coxe,  of  Utica,  composed  of  United  States  Senator  Roscoe  Conkling,  Ex-Judge  Sid- 
ney T.  Holmes  and  Mr.  Coxe.  Judge  Holmes  retired  from  the  partnership  in  1872, 
owing  to  ill  health,  and  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  Scott  Lord,  and  that  firm  under  the 
name  of  Conkling,  Lord  &  Coxe  continued  until  1875,  when  it  was  dissolved  on  ac- 
count of  the  election  of  Judge  Lord  to  Congress.  From  that  time  until  1882  Judge 
Coxe  remained  alone  in  practice,  retaining  the  clientage  of  the  old  firm. 

In  a  sketch  written  by  a  friend  and  a  leading  member  of  the  Oneida  county 
bar,  the  following  tribute  is  paid  to  Judge  Coxe's  ability  as  a  trial  lawyer: 
"He  was  thorotigh  in  the  preparation  of  his  cases  and  successful  in  conducting  them. 
Always  attending  faithfully  to  the  details  of  his  side  of  a  litigation,  and  taking  good 
care  of  the  law  questions  arising,  he  was  at  his  best  addressing  a  jury.  Having  an 
excellent  voice  and  a  fine  presence,  attractive,  earnest,  persuasive,  as  the  occasion 
would  justify,  he  was  humorous,  he  was  pathetic,  or  he  rose  to  the  heights  of  elo- 
quence." 

Judge  Coxe  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican.  In  1879  and  1880  he  was 
president  of  the  Young  Men's  Republican  Club  of  Utica.  In  1880  he  was  appointed 
by  Gov.  A.  B.  Cornell  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital.  In  the  spring 
of  1882  President  Arthur  appointed  him  United  States  district  judge  for  the  North- 
ern District  of  New  York,  the  position  held  by  his  grandfather,  Alfred  Conkling,  half 
a  century  before.  The  district  is  in  territory  and  population  the  largest  in  the  LTnited 
States.  Judge  Coxe  is  an  indefatigable  worker  and  promptly  disposes  of  the  busi- 
ness of  his  court.  Most  of  his  time  is  devoted  to  the  trial  and  determination  of  patent 
cases,  of  which,  it  is  said,  he  has  in  his  term  of  office  tried  more  than  anj'  other  judge 
now  on  the  bench  in  the  United  States.  It  is  stated  that  his  decision  of  a  patent 
cause  has  never  been  reversed  by  the  Supreme  Court.  He  has  also  tried  many  ad- 
miralty causes,  and  in  only  one  instance  had  his  decision   under  this  branch  of  the 


W.   E.  SCRIPTURE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  197 

law  been  reversed.  In  his  handling  of  a  complex  issue  of  law  the  judicial  mind  of 
the  man  is  displayed  to  the  best  advantage.  He  goes  at  once  to  the  heart  of  the 
subject,  treats  it  in  a  lucid  and  perspicuous  style,  and  renders  just  judgment  upon 
the  merits.  As  the  writer  before  quoted,  saj^s:  "He  prefers  to  err  on  the  side  of 
equity  and  justice,  rather  than  permit  wrong  to  triumph  on  naked  precedent  or  the 
bare  letter  of  the  law."  Bred  a  gentlemen,  by  education  and  training  a  scholar,  and 
gifted  with  rare  judicial  temperament,  Judge  Coxe  is  an  honor  to  the  bench  of  the 
United  States. 

In  1878  Judge  Coxe  married  Miss  Marj'^ette  Doolittle,  daughter  of  the  late  Judge 
Charles  H.  Doolittle,  of  Utica,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court. 


WILLIAM  E.   SCRIPTURE. 

Hon.  William  E.  Sckipture,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  November  2,  1848.  He  descends,  on  his 
father's  side,  from  Sterling  Wel-sh  ancestry,  whose  first  American  representative 
emigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  in  New  Hamj^shire  about  the  year  1700.  His 
grandfather,  Hiram  .Scripture,  was  a  native  of  Tolland  county.  Conn.,  and  in  1797 
came  to  Westmoreland,  where  he  married,  in  March,  1798,  Miss  Elizabeth  Parker,  a 
native  of  Boston,  whose  parents  were  born  in  Ireland.  He  died  there,  aged  seventy- 
seven,  as  did  also  his  wife,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three.  Her  family  settled  in  West- 
moreland about  1794.  Parker  A.  Scripture,  son  of  Hiram,  was  born  in  that  town 
October  23,  1814,  spent  his  life  upon  a  farm  there,  and  in  1874  came  to  Rome,  where 
he  was  accidentally  killed  October  26,  1875.  He  married  Miss  Harriet  Standish 
Snow,  daughter  of  Wilson  Snow,  who  survives  him.  She  was  born  in  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  one  of  the  Pilgrims  of  the 
Mayflower  and  captain  of  the  Plymouth  colon}?,  whom  Longfellow  immortalized  in 
the  celebrated  poem,  "The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish."  She  is  also  descended 
from  the  Murdock  family,  whose  ancestor  came  over  soon  after  1620.  They  had 
three  children:  Sarah  E.  (Mrs.  C.  H.  Steele),  William  E.,  and  Phebe  P. 

Judge  Scripture  was  reared  on  the  parental  farm  in  Westmoreland  and  in  early 
life  attended  the  district  schools  of  that  town.  He  was  graduated  from  Whitestown 
Seminary  in  1865  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  entered  Hamilton  College  in  the  class 
of  1869.  Illness,  however,  compelled  him  to  give  up  a  cherished  collegiate  course 
and  turn  his  attention  to  healthier  exercise.  By  the  autumn  of  1866  his  health  was 
sufficiently  restored  to  enable  him  to  enter  the  Albany  Law  School,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1867.  He  then  came  to  Rome  as  managing  clerk  in 
the  law  office  of  Beach  &  Bailey,  whence  he  left  in  January,  1868  to  begin  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Canastota,  N.  Y.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hutchins  & 
Scripture.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  returned  to  Rome,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided.  Here  he  first  resumed  practice  under  the  name  of  Weld  &  Scripture,  but 
one  year  later  formed  a  copartnership  with  Homer  T.  Fowler  as  Scripture  & 
Fowler.  Subsequently  he  was  associated  with  George  H.  Weaver,  E.  M.  Pavey,  and 
O.  P.  Backus,  and  since  1892  has  practiced  alone. 


198  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Judge  .Scripture  is  widely  recognized  as  an  able,  conscientious,  and  reliable  coun- 
selor, well  versed  in  the  practice  of  the  law,  and  qualified  by  nature  for  a  success- 
ful and  influential  advocate.  An  unswerving  Republican  he  has  for  several  years 
taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  working  for  the  good  of  his  party  as  one  of  its 
popular  leaders.  For  nearly  four  years  he  served  as  postmaster  at  Rome  under 
President  Harrison,  and  m  November,  1895,  was  elected  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  by  the  largest  majority  given  to  any  candidate  in  this  district  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket. 

In  August,  1867,  Judge  Scripture  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  C.  Goodwin,  daugh- 
ter of  Israel  F.  Goodwin,  of  Westmoreland.  They  have  had  eight  children:  May 
Standish,  Mina  Emma,  Ella  Goodwin,  Emma  Harriet,  Ruth.  Vina,  Parker  Fairfield, 
and  William. 


HENRY  J.   COGGESHALL. 

Hon.  Henry  J.  Coggesh.m.l,  lawyer,  was  born  April  28,  1845,  in  Waterville, 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  always  resided.  His  ancestors  emigrated  from 
England  in  1632  with  Ann  Hutchinson,  and  settled  in  Massachusetts.  Driven  from 
that  colony  on  account  of  religious  convictions,  they  went  to  Rhode  Island,  where 
John  Coggeshall  became  provisional  governor.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  the  present  senator  from  Oneida  county,  sprang  from  stock  that  was 
born  to  rule,  or  to  sway  and  influence  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  Senator 
Coggeshall's  grandfather,  when  quite  a  young  man,  settled  in  Chenango  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  held  several  local  olhces,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
He  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel  of  the  State  militia,  and  in  1840  removed  with  his 
family  to  Waterville.  His  son.  Dr.  James  S.  Coggeshall,  the  senator's  father,  was  a 
physician  of  wide  and  honorable  repute.  Henry  J.  Coggeshall  was  educated  in  the 
Waterville  Seminary,  but  on  account  of  impaired  health,  through  overstudy,  was 
obliged  to  give  up  a  contemplated  collegiate  course,  and  decided,  after  a  suitable 
rest,  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  law.  Having  pursued  his  studies  for  a  term  of 
four  years,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  commenced  tlie  practice  of  law  in  1866, 
and  at  once  attained  a  prominent  and  successful  position  in  the  profession. 

Mr.  Coggeshall  was  the  possessor  of  a  laudable  and  masterful  ambition,  and  he 
likewise  cherished  a  catholic  and  sympathetic  spirit.  His  natural  tendencies  and  his 
acquired  tastes  led  him  quite  easily  away  from  the  active  practice  of  the  law,  and 
into  the  broader  and  more  exciting  field  of  politics.  He  made  an  early  alliance  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  such  was  his  zeal  and  energy  and  devotion  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  chosen  organization  that  he  was  called  frequently  to  the  occupation  of 
public  office.  His  first  public  position  was  that  of  assistant  district  attorney.  In 
1872  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  as  member  of  assembly  from  the  Second 
District  of  Oneida  county,  and  in  1879  was  elected  county  clerk.  He  served  in  that 
office  until  January  1,  1883.  In  November  of  that  year  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  and  is  .still  a  member  of  that  body.  During  his  senatorial  service  (which  has 
extended  over  a  period  of  thirteen  years)  he  has  been  a  member  of  many  important 


'I 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  199 

committees;  he  has  been  chairman  of  the  committees  on  miscellaneous  corporations 
and  of  railroads,  and  a  member  of  the  judiciary,  insurance,  commerce  and  naviga- 
tion, canals,  public  buildings,  engrossed  bills,  general  laws,  and  grievance  com- 
mittees. His  work  as  senator  has  been  characterized  by  jjatience  and  industry, 
fidelity  to  every  duty,  a  strict  attention  to  all  demands  of  the  public,  a  careful  con- 
sideration for  the  general  weal,  and  an  earnest  advocacy  of  legislation  beneficial  to 
his  own  immediate  constituents.  He  is  interested  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and,  be  it 
said  to  his  credit,  he  has  always  taken  great  interest  in  legislation  looking  to  the 
benefit  of  the  agricultural  classes;  and,  at  the  same  time,  he  has  been  the  champion 
of  wise  and  consistent  legislation  m  behalf  of  the  laboring  classes  of  the  State. 
His  eloquence,  tact,  and  parliamentary  skill  have  alwaj^s  been  used  to  the  advantage 
of  the  people.  He  has  advocated  and  caused  to  become  laws  the  bills  to  abolish  the 
State  paper,  to  prohibit  the  adulteration  of  food,  to  prefer  soldiers  in  civil  service  ex- 
aminations to  exempt  disabled  soldiers  from  poll  tax,  to  make  the  30th  of  May  a 
legal  holiday,  to  abolish  imprisonment  of  insolvent  debtors,  to  prohibit  employment 
of  children  under  thirteen  years  of  age  in  manufactories  and  to  regulate  the  hours 
of  labor  therein,  to  prohibit  the  use  of  substitutes  for  hops  in  the  manufacture  of 
ale  and  beer,  to  prohibit  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  oleomargarine,  to  compel  the 
use  of  fire  escapes  in  hotels,  public  buildings,  and  manufactories,  to  substitute  elec- 
tricity in  the  place  of  hanging  in  the  execution  of  criminals,  and  to  prevent  hazing 
in  colleges.  He  has  at  all  times  been  an  earnest  advocate  and  champion  of  the 
rights  of  the  common  people. 

Senator  Coggeshall  possesses  great  powers  of  persuasive  eloquence,  coupled  with 
the  fine  intuitions  and  lofty  aspirations  of  the  genuine  poet.  As  an  orator  he  is  the 
possessor  of  a  quick  perception,  a  ready  tact,  a  fluent  diction,  a  magnetic  presence, 
a  comprehensive  judgment.  He  is  not  only  an  eloquent  orator,  but  he  is  remark- 
ably ready  as  a  debater ;  quick  to  observe  the  salient  weaknesses  of  his  adversary, 
and  sure  of  aim  when  seeking  to  pierce  the  armor  of  his  opponent  with  the  feather 
tipped  shafts  of  sarcasm,  or  beating  back  the  force  of  every  assault  with  the  skillful 
application  of  the  mitrailleuse  of  repartee.  Possessing,  as  he  does,  remarkable  and 
brilliant  gifts.  Senator  Coggeshall  has  long  been  an  effective  speaker  upon  the 
stump,  a  place  which  he  has  graced  honorably  and  successfully  for  many  years.  He 
has  wide  repute  as  a  lecturer,  and  has  written  several  poems  of  merit,  notable 
among  them  being  the  poems  entitled,  "Papa,  be  True  to  Me,"  and  "The  Silver 
Wedding  Day."  Mr.  Coggeshall  is  not  alone  an  orator  and  a  poet,  and  likewise  a 
man  of  great  public  spirit  and  enterprise,  but  he  is  also  so  genial  and  pleasant  and 
unaffected  in  his  bearing  that  he  commands  everywhere  the  esteem  and  the  admira- 
tion of  the  common  people.  Like  all  progressive  men,  and  men  who  believe  in  the 
final  triumph  of  the  best  qualities  of  humanity,  Senator  Coggeshall  is  versatile, 
widely  read,  carefully  cultured,  and  able  to  think  and  to  speak  upon  a  large  variety 
of  subjects,  especially -those  subjects  which  affect  most  directly  and  most  potently 
the  active,  every  day  interests  of  mankind. 

At  his  home  Mr.  Coggeshall  has  long  been  favorably  known  and  so  highly  esteemed 
as  to  prove  an  exception  to  the  old  adage  that  "A  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save 
in  his  own  country,  and  among  his  own  kin."  Where  he  is  best  known  he  is  most 
highly  regarded.     In  the  village  of  Waterville  he  has  been  identified  with  every  pub- 


200  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

lie  measure,  and  has  at  all  times  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  promotion  of  its 
prosperity  and  success.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and 
has  been  president  of  the  Fire  Department,  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  village.  Mr.  Coggeshall  is  a  member  of  various  orders  and  organiza- 
tions. He  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow,  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Red 
Men,  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  of  the  Benevolent  Order  of  Protective  Elks,  and 
of  numerous  other  societies. 

In  1867  Senator  Coggeshall  married  Lillie  Alene  Terry,  of  Watervilte,  N.Y.  The 
result  of  this  union  is  five  children,  all  bright,  active,  and  strong  in  body,  and 
scholarly  in  mental  habit.  These  children  have  enjoyed  not  alone  the  example  and 
the  training  of  their  father,  but  they  owe  much  to  the  patient  and  persevering  and 
ever-watchful  care  of  a  most  admirable  and  self-denying  mother.  Senator  Cogges- 
hall's  oldest  son  is  married  and  now  lives  in  California. 

In  concluding  this  brief  and  imperfect  sketch  of  a  useful  life  it  is  proper  to  state 
that  Senator  Coggeshall  unites  in  his  character  and  composition  the  active  energy 
and  the  great  perseverance  of  his  Puritan  ancestors,  with  the  broad  and  generous 
and  optimistic  tendencies  of  the  present  times.  He  is  patriotic  both  in  the  service  of 
his  State  and  in  the  frequently  voiced  sentiments  of  his  heart.  In  fact  it  may  be 
truthfully  asserted  that  in  Mr.  Coggeshall  are  found  those  highest  and  best  qualities 
which  characterize  a  well-rounded,  thoroughly  ripened,  and  fully  developed  American 
citizen. 


FREDERICK  G.   WEAVER. 

Frederick  George  Weaver  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  August  7,  1843. 
and  descends  from  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  families  of  that  town.  His 
father,  the  late  George  F.  Weaver,  was  also  born  there,  and  was  a  successful  farmer 
and  brick  manufacturer.  He  was  a  staunch  Republican,  served  for  several  years 
as  supervisor,  and  in  1867  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county.  He  died  in  1889.  His 
wife,  Margaret  A.,  was  also  a  native  of  Deerfield  and  died  there  in  1888.  The 
Weaver  family  was  first  represented  at  Deerfield  Corners  by  George  G.  Weaver, 
father  of  George  F.,  who  came  there  with  Capt.  Mark  Damoth  and  Christian  Real 
in  1773,  but  hearing  that  a  band  of  tories  and  Indians  were  planning  a  descent  upon 
the  settlement  they  retreated  to  Little  Stone  Arabia.  In  1784  they  returned,  and 
about  the  same  time  Peter,  Nicholas,  and  George  Weaver  came  in  and  located. 
These  and  a  few  others  were  the  first  settlers  in  the  town. 

Frederick  G.  Weaver  was  reared  on  the  parental  farm,  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Utica,  and  finished  his  education  at  Fairfield  Seminary.  He  commenced  his  busi- 
ness career  with  his  father  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  with  which  hi  '^as  contin- 
uously been  identified,  being  now  exjensively  engaged  in  that  industry  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  Charles'  C.  Weaver,  under  the  firm  name  o'  ^rge  F. 
Weaver's  Sons.  In  1893  they  manufactured  7,000,000  brick,  and  the  c  '  -ing 
other  seasons  has  reached  nearly  these  figures.  Mr.  Weaver  is  also  'i 
farming,  an  occupation  his  forefathers  followed  with  success, 


^      Ni 


BIOGRAPHICAL,  201 

In  politics  Mr.  Weaver  is  an  unswerving  Republican.  For  many  years  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  and  is  recognized  by  his  fellow  citi- 
zens as  a  safe  and  influential  leader.  He  served  as  supervisor  of  Deerfield  three 
terms  and  in  1876  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county.  In  these  capacities  he  discharged 
his  official  duties  with  impartiality,  dignity,  and  satisfaction,  and  won  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  not  only  his  party  constituents  but  the  esteem  of  his  political 
opponents.  In  the  fall  of  1895  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  the  office  of  State 
senator,  but  owing  to  a  division  in  the  party  he  was  defeated  by  Henry  J.  Cogge- 
shall,  the  independent  candidate.  Mr.  Weaver  on  this  occasion  secured  a  most  flat- 
tering vote,  which  well  illustrates  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  throughout  the 
county.  He  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge,  No.  54,  F.  &  A,  M.,  a  director  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Utica,  and  president  of  the  Deerfield  and  Utica  Street  Railroad 
Company  since  its  incorporation  in  1889.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  organ- 
izing and  instituting  this  latter  enterprise. 

In  1872  Mr.  Weaver  married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Budlong,  of  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  seven  children. 


PHILIP   OWEN. 

Philip  Owen,  of  the  firm  of  Owen  Brothers,  extensive  clothing  manufacturers  of 
Utica,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  June  1,  1880.  Joseph  Owen,  his 
father,  a  native  of  Deerfield,  Herkimer  county,  settled  in  Boonville  about  the  year 
1818,  and  died  there  in  1882,  aged  eighty-three.  He  was  a  contractor  and  builder, 
owned  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill,  and  bought  and  sold  land  quite  extensively.  He 
married  Phebe  McDonald,  who  died  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  They  had 
six  children:  Ephraim,  deceased;  Mary  A.  (Mrs.  Robert  Bamber),  of  Utica;  John, 
born  September  1,  1825;  Eliza  A.  (Mrs.  Ezekiel  A.  Butler),  of  Boonville;  Philip,  of 
Utica;  and  Harriet,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Philip  Owen  was  educated  in  the  public  and  select  schools  of  Boonville,  as  was 
also  his  brother  John.  When  sixteen  John  went  to  New  York  city  and  engaged  in 
the  dry  goods  business.  Later  Philip  followed  him  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods 
store  there,  but  subsequently  returned  to  his  native  village  and  acce^Jted  a  clerkship 
with  John  Cross.  In  1854  the  two  brothers,  under  the  firm  name  of  P.  Owen  &  Co., 
engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  in  Boonville  and  continued  successfully 
until  about  1868.  In  the  sprirg  of  1870  they  came  to  Utica  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  clothing  on  a  large  scale,  the  firm  name  being  Owen,  Pixley  &  Co.  The 
business  proved  a  success  from  the  start.  On  February  1,  1885,  Henry  D.  Pixley 
withdrew,  and  since  then  the  firm  has  continued  as  Owen  Brothers.  They  are 
among  the  most  extensive  manufacturers  of  clothing,  not  only  in  Utica,  but  in 
Central  New  York,  and  have  built  up  a  trade  which  extends  throughout  this  State 
and  into  western  territory.  They  have  eight  or  more  branch  stores,  the  principal 
one  being  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.  The  two  brothers  are  representative  business  men, 
enterprising,  public-spirited,  and  progressive,  and  during  a  long  and  successful 
career  have  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  they  have  come  in  con- 
z 


202  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

tact.  For  more  than  twenty-five  years  they  have  been  among  the  leading  clothing 
manufacturers  of  Utica,  and  during  that  period  many  branches  of  business  have  felt 
the  effects  of  their  energy  and  good  judgment. 

Mr.  Owen,  while  a  resident  of  Boonville,  served  for  a  time  as  town  clerk,  but  aside 
from  this  he  has  never  accepted  political  honors,  although  often  urged  to  do  so.  He 
is  treasurer  of  the  Utica  Mechanics'  Association,  a  member  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club, 
and  a' member  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society,  to  which  his  brother  John  also 
belongs. 

On  June  27,  1860,  Mr.  Owen  was  married  to  Miss  Althea  Wheelock,  daughter  of 
Col.  Charles  Wheelock,  of  Boonville.  She  died  May  2:},  1863,  leaving  a  son,  who  died 
in  infancy.  In  May,  1867,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Jennie  S.,  daughter 
of  James  Smith,  of  Houseville,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. 


THE  DEVEREUX  FAMILY. 

Among  the  early  .setters  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  were  John  C.  and  Nicholas  Devereux, 
sons  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Corish)  Devereux,  of  County  Wexford,  Ireland.  The 
family,  originally  of  Norman  French  extraction,  was  wealthy  and  well  connected, 
and  lived  at  ease  on  their  handsome  estates  at  Davidstowu,  near  Enniscorthy 
They  sympathized  warmly  with  and  took  an  aggressive  part  in  the  agitations  pre- 
ceding the  rebellion  of  1798,  and  on  the  defeat  of  the  patriots  or  rebels  the  family 
was  ruined.  Thomas  Devereux  was  arrested  and  imprisoned  and  pardoned  just  be- 
fore his  death.  A  price  was  set  upon  the  heads  of  three  of  his  sons  and  his  estates 
were  confiscated.  His  family  consisted  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  The 
eldest  son,  Walter,  was  a  man  of  powerful  frame,  distinguished  for  his  strength  and 
courage.  The  second  son  was  John  Corish  Devereux,  who  during  the  agitation 
preceding  the  rebellion  was  obliged  to  fly  from  the  country;  he  went  first  to  France 
and  afterwards  to  America.  Thomas  married  Mary  Redmond  and  they  had  one 
son,  John  C,  jr.,  who  was  afterwards  adopted  by  bis  brother,  John  C.  Devereux,  of 
Utica.  The  fourth  son,  James,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Vinegar  Hill.  The  fifth 
son,  Luke,  came  to  America  and  died  of  yellow  fever  at  Natchez,  Miss.,  in  1W18. 
The  sixth  son  was  Nicholas,  who  came  to  America  in  1806. 

John  Corish  Devereux  was  born  August  5,  17T4,  and  came  to  America  in  1796  or 
1797.  He  settled  in  Utica  in  1802.  On  the  8th  of  November,  1802,  Mr.  Devereux 
opened  a  dry  goods  and  grocery  store  upon  the  site  of  a  part  of  the  present  Bagg's 
Hotel ;  the  business  prospered  and  became  one  of  the  most  extensive  in  Western 
New  York.  Mr.  Devereux  was  appointed  president  of  the  Utica  branch  of  the 
United  States  Bank  and  held  the  position  as  long  as  the  bank  existed.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  Utica  and  was  the  first  mayor  of  Utica 
elected  by  the  people,  in  1840.  Mr.  Devereux  was  a  courtly  and  polished  gentleman, 
most  noted  for  his  charity  and  hospitality.  He  was  a  devout  Catholic,  and  was  al- 
ways ready  to  assist  others  who  differed  from  him  in  faith.  He  gave  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  $:500,  to  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  church  §7,000,  to  the  Sisters 
of  Charity  $5,000  at  one  time,  and  continued  to  assist  them  during  his  life.     He  con- 


BIOGRAPHTCAL.  203 

tributed  generously  to  other  charities,  and  was  admired,  respected,  and  beloved  by 
all  who  knew  him.  Mr.  Devereux  died  in  Utica  December  11,  1848,  and  was  buried 
in  the  grounds  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  near  St.  John's  church.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  who  was  Miss  Ellen  Barry,  of  Albany,  died  in  1813.  His 
second  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Peter  Colt,  of  Rome,  N.  Y. ;  she  survived  him 
twenty-one  years  and  died  August  7,  1868.  They  had  no  children,  but  at  different 
times  adopted  two:  Ellen,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Catlin,  of  Paterson,  N.  J., 
and  his  nephew,  John  C.  Devereux,  jr.,  son  of  his  brother  Thomas,  who  died  in 
1861. 

Nicholas  Devereux  was  born  Jvane  7,  1791,  at  Enniscorthy,  County  Wexford, 
Ireland,  emigrated  to  America  in  1806,  and  came  directly  to  Utica,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  by  his  brother  John  C.  In  1808  he  was  employed  by  William 
James  &  Co.,  of  Albany.  In  1814  his  brother,  John  C,  admitted  him  into  partner- 
ship, which  was  dissolved  in  1816  and  a  new  one  formed  under  the  name  of  N. 
Devereux  &  Co.,  with  George  L.  Tisdale  as  a  partner.  Afterwards  there  were 
numerous  changes  in  the  firm,  and  at  various  times  Messrs.  Horace  Butler,  James 
McDonough,  and  Van  Vechten  Livingston  appeared  as  partners.  The  house  was 
one  of  the  largest  in  Western  New  York  and  ever  maintained  the  highest  position 
for  honor  and  integrity.  In  1821  Nicholas  and  his  brother,  John  C,  purchased  to- 
gother  the  land  above  the  canal  between  Genesee  and  Hotel  streets  (where  the 
Devereux  block  is  now  located),  where  the^'  erected  a  large  store  and  warehouse. 
Mr.  Devereux  was  very  successful  as  a  merchant.  In  the  fall  of  1827  the  firm  was 
called  on  to  pay  $90,000  within  ninety  days.  At  that  time  he  was  living  in  the  hand- 
some place  which  he  purchased  from  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer  for  $7,000.  He 
divided  the  beautiful  grounds  into  lots,  intersecting  them  by  streets,  and  sold  them 
at  a  handsome  profi*-.  In  the  interest  of  the  New  York  Life  and  Trust  Company  he 
spent  some  time  in  Albany  and  while  there  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization 
of  the  Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad,  of  which  he  became  a  director.  With  a 
few  gentlemen  of  New  York  he  bought  of  the  Holland  Land  Company  the  residue  of 
their  lands  in  Allegany  and  Cattaraugus  counties,  amounting  to  400,000  acres.  The 
general  care  and  disposal  of  this  land  engaged  much  of  his  time  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  its  immediate  sale  being  committed  to  his  son,  John  C.  Devereux. 
He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  procuring  the  establishment  at  Utica  of  the  first 
branch  of  the  United  States  Bank  that  was  located  west  of  Albany.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  L^tica,  for  which  he  obtained  a  charter.  His  brother, 
John  C,  was  elected  president,  but  Nicholas  Devereux  gave  his  best  attention  to 
the  affairs  of  the  institution.  Largely  through  his  efforts  the  State  Hospital  was 
located  in  Utica  and  he  was  one  of  the  first  board  of  managers.  He  was  a  director 
in  the  Utica  Steam  Woolen  Mills  and  of  the  New  York  Life  and  Trust  Company. 
He  owned  at  various  times  large  quantities  of  real  estate  in  Utica  and  Western  New 
York  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Scranton,  Pa.  He  held  at  one  time  title  to  over  50,000 
acres  of  land  in  this  State.  He  never  accepted  political  distinction,  though  often 
requested  to  do  so.  Nicholas  Devereux  contributed  equally  with  his  brother  towards 
the  establishing  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  Utica  and  was  the  founder  of  the  school 
of  Christian  Brothers  in  that  city.  Many  years  ago,  when  a  Douay  Bible  was 
scarcely  to  be  had,   he  purchased  in  company  with  Lewis  Wilcox  and  Robert  Len- 


204  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nox,  of  New  York,  a  set  of  stereotyped  plates  of  the  New  Testament  in  this  version, 
from  which  Messrs.  Seward  &  Williams  printed  numerous  editions  that  were  circu- 
lated chiefly  in  the  West  and  sold  for  little  more  than  the  cost  of  paper  and  binding. 
Mr.  Devereux  afterwards  became  sole  owner  of  these  plates  and  sold  them  to  the 
Messrs.  Sadlier,  of  New  York,  by  whom  over  40,000  copies  printed  therefrom  were 
thrown  into  circulation.  Mr.  Devereux  passed  the  winter  of  1858-54  in  Rome,  Italy, 
and  induced  the  Franciscan  Friars  to  come  to  America;  he  gave  them  at  Allegany 
a  tract  of  land  and  $10,000;  this  was  the  foundation  of  the  flourishing  college  of  St. 
Bonaventura.  He  made  the  proposition  and  was  one  of  the  hundred  men  to  give 
$1,000  each  to  found  the  American  College  in  Rome,  Italy.  Besides  contributing  so 
largely  to  the  Catholic  church,  he  and  his  brother,  John  C,  headed  the  subscription 
to  build  the  First  Episcopal  church  in  Utica  and  was  always  ready  to  assist  others 
who  differed  from  him  in  faith. 

Nicholas  Devereux  was  married  in  1817  to  Miss  Mary  Dalbear  Butler,  of  New 
York,  daughter  of  Dr.  Benjamin  and  Hannah  (Avery)  Butler.  He  died  December 
29,1855.  His  children  were  Hannah  Avery  (Mrs.  Francis  Kernan),  John  C,  Cor- 
nelia (Mrs.  Richard  Lalor),  Catherine,  Mary,  and  Thomas  B. 

John  Corish  Devereux,  son  of  Nicholas  Devereux,  was  born  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  April 
24,  1823,  and  was  educated  at  Hobart  College,  Geneva.  After  leaving  college  he 
went  to  Ellicottville,  Cattaraugus  county,  to  look  after  the  interests  of  his  father 
and  to  sell  the  lands  purchased  by  him  from  the  Holland  Land  Company.  In  1847 
he  sailed  from  Boston  for  an  extended  tour  in  Europe.  After  his  return  he  again 
went  to  the  village  of  Ellicottville,  where  he  resided  for  more  than  twenty  years  and 
managed  the  great  property  under  his  care  with  skill  and  judgment,  returning  to  his 
native  place  (Utica)  as  soon  as  the  task  was  accomplished.  He  returned  to  Utica 
with  his  family  October  28,  1866,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  No.  1  Rutger  Place, 
which  he  had  purchased  of  Samuel  Remington,  where  he  resided  until  1880.  After 
the  death  of  his  venerable  mother,  December  12,  1881,  his  oldest  sister,  Mrs.  Francis 
Kernan,  purchased  the  old  homestead.  No.  62  Elizabeth  street,  and  Mr.  Devereux 
bought  of  her  husband  their  former  residence.  No.  5  Kent  street,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death. 

Mr.  Devereux  was  treasurer  of  the  Remington  Agricultural  Works  and  was  in- 
terested in  several  large  corporations.  He  was  appointed  commissioner  of  the  State 
Board  of  Charities  and  Correction  by  Gov.  S.  J.  Tilden,  and  afterwards  reappointed 
by  Gov.  Grover  Cleveland.  As  at  this  time  he  had  retired  from  active  business  he 
gave  this  work  his  undivided  attention,  serving  without  compensation  and  devoting 
almost  his  entire  time  to  it.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  vice-president  of  the 
board.  Mr.  Devereux  was  a  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  Utica.  When  the  Fort 
Schuyler  Club  was  organized  he  was  elected  its  first  vice  president. 

Mr.  Devereux  was  a  devout  Catholic,  but,  like  his  father,  had  the  greatest  toler- 
ance for  those  diftering  from  him  in  religion.  He  was  noted  for  his  piety,  hospitality, 
and  sociability.  He  had  a  fine  selected  library  and  devoted  much  of  his  leisure  to 
reading  and  study.  He  had  a  handsome  presence,  was  courtly  and  polished  in  man- 
ner, and  devoted  to  his  wife  and  family.  Mr.  Devereux  married  Miss  Ellen  M. 
Jenkins,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  February  13,  1844,  who  died  December  12,  1879.  Nine 
children  survived  them:  Nicholas  E.,   Mary   L.   (Mrs.   James  W.  Hunter),  Thomas 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  205 

Meredith,  Ellen  M.  (Mrs.  Scott  Lord),  Catherine  M.  C,  Anna  M.,  Harriet  M. ,  Rose 
Mary  (Mrs.  James  McMahon),  and  M.  Helena. 

Thomas  Butler  Devereux  was  born  at  Utica  October  17,  1833,  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  was  graduated  from  Fordham  College.  He  was  very  enterpris- 
ing, and  at  one  time  was  at  the  head  of  a  very  large  and  flourishing  business.  His 
business  career  was  ruined  through  reverses  in  his  own  business  and  the  failure  of 
the  Utica  Steam  Woolen  Mills,  of  which  he  was  a  director  and  whose  paper  he  had 
endorsed. 

Mr.  Devereux  was  one  of  the  directors  and  contributed  largely  of  time  and  money 
to  the  St.  Vincent  Orphan  Asylum.  He  was  most  generous  and  seldom  or  never  re- 
fused an  appeal  for  charity.  He  had  a  most  happy  disposition  and  was  always  more 
considerate  for  others  than  for  himself.  He  died  May  5,  1880.  Mr.  Devereux  mar- 
ried Miss  Emily  C.  Cummings,  October  2,  1863,  and  they  had  one  child,  Marj^ 
Josephine,  born  December  5,  1868,  died  February  4,  1870. 


AMOS  F.   BREWSTER. 

Amos  F.  Brkwster,  only  son  of  Justice  and  Polly  (Foster)  Brewster,  was  born  at 
Blackman's  Corners  in  the  town  of  Verona,  Oneida  county,  October  4,  1831,  and  died 
there  August  29,  1895.  His  family  was  of  New  England  ancestry,  though  of  mingled 
Scotch  and  Welsh  origin,  and  its  members  for  many  generations  represented  the 
best  elements  of  citizenship  and  patriotism.  Mr  Brewster  inherited  all  the  sterling 
characteristics  of  his  ancestors,  and  exemplified  in  his  life  the  attributes  which  dis- 
tinguish the  successful  man.  His  father  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Verona, 
while  his  mother's  father,  Hosea  Foster,  was  one  of  the  first  comers  to  Blackman's 
Corners.  Both  families,  therefore,  were  prominently  identified  with  the  pioneer 
settlement  of  the  town,  and  did  heroic  work  in  converting  it  from  a  wilderness  into 
a  fruitful  section.  With  their  few  neighbors  thej'  suffered  from  all  the  privations  of 
frontier  life,  yet  they  carefully  planted  the  standard  of  civilization  and  left  an  heri- 
tage rich  in  its  simplicity. 

Mr.  Brewster  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town.  Born  and 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  he  was  a  life  long  farmer,  and  bj'  thrift  and  industrj'^ 
accumulated  a  competency.  For  four  years  he  resided  in  Wisconsin,  but  with  this 
exception  he  spent  his  entire  career  in  Verona,  where  he  was  well  known  and  re- 
spected as  a  substantial  enterprising  citizen.  Returning  from  the  West  he  built,  on 
a  part  of  his  father's  homestead,  the  house  where  he  lived  and  died,  and  which  is 
now  occupied  by  his  widow.  Hd  took  a  lively  interest  in  local  affairs  and  in  all 
matters  affecting  the  general  prosperity,  but  he  gave  himself  wholly  to  his  farm,  an 
occupation  for  which  he  had  a  natural  taste,  and  which  he  honored  by  his  advanced 
methods. 

December  18,  1844,  Mr.  Brewster  married  Lydia  A.,  daughter  of  Nathan  Lewis, 
of  Verona,  and  they  had  five  children :  Susan  E.  (Mrs.  Lester  E.  Betson),  of  Rome ; 
Jennie  A.  (Mrs  Merritt  Knight),  of  Lee  Center,  Oneida  connty,  who  has  one  son, 
Newton  AV.,  a  student  at  Cazenovia  Seminary;  Julia  E.  (Mrs.  David  F.  Broughton), 


206  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  whose  children  are  Reba  B.,   William,   Clarence,   and  Julia; 
Lydia  C.  ;  and  A.  Foster,  who  married  Julia  E.  Burleigh,  of  Verona. 

[Nathan  Lewis,  father  of  Mrs.  Lj^dia  A.  Brewster,  was  born  in  Grafton,  Conn., 
in  1775,  received  a  common  school  education,  and  was  a  life-long  farmer.  He  came 
to  the  town  of  Verona  when  a  young  man,  among  the  pioneers,  and  died  in  1846. 
He  married  Hannah  Gray,  of  Verona,  who  died  in  1850.  They  had  twelve  children: 
Heaverland,  Andrew  R..  Benjamin  G.,  David  A.,  James  O.  Susan,  Maria,  Eliza, 
Delia  J.,  Sylvia,  Lydia  A.  (Mrs.  Amos  F.  Brewster),  and  Minerva.  ]\Ir.  Lewis  has 
a  number  of  descendants  living  in  the  county.] 


EDWARD  J.    MTLLSPAUGH. 

EnwARD  JuDsoN  MiLLSPAUGH,  who  as  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Millspaugh  &  Green, 
represents  the  coal  supply  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Coal  Company  for  Central 
New  York,  was  born  in  Richmond,  Richmond  county,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y.,  June  20, 
1861,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Isaac  Little  Millspaugh  and  Deborah  Barron 
Mundy,  his  wife.  His  ancestors  originally  came  from  Holland  and  settled  in  Orange 
county,  N.  Y. ,  the  first,  so  far  as  known,  being  Peter  von  Miltzbach  in  1720.  The 
name  in  its  Americanized  form  has  been  Millspaugh  for  several  generations.  Dr. 
Isaac  L.  Millspaugh  was  born  in  Walkill,  N.  Y.,  February  1,  1S27,  and  is  a  promi- 
nent physician  and  surgeon  m  Richmond,  Staten  Island,  where  his  wife,  Deborah 
Barron  Mundy,  was  born  May  11,  1836.     She  died  there  July  7,  1890. 

Edward  J.  Millspaugh  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  became  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  in  New  York  city.  He 
subsequently  accepted  a  position  in  the  purchasing  department  of  the  New  York 
Central  railroad.  In  these  capacities  he  developed  those  excellent  business  qualifica- 
tions which  have  contributed  so  materially  to  the  success  of  all  his  subsequent  efforts. 
On  the  1st  of  January,  1887,  he  came  to  Utica  as  assistant  to  Jesse  L.  Eddy,  then  the 
resident  sales  agent  for  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company,  and  on  January 
1,  1890,  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  On  the  1st  of  June  of  the  latter  year  he 
founded  the  present  firm  of  Millspaugh  &  Green.  The  company  which  this  firm  has 
since  represented  as  sales  agent  handles  more  than  one-third  of  all  the  coal  shipped 
into  Central,  Western,  and  Northern  New  York  and  Upper  Canada.  The  firm  of 
Millspaugh  &  Green  has  offices  in  Utica,  Syracuse,  and  Kochester,  and  in  the  last 
two  cities  do  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business.  In  Utica  wholesaling  is  done 
exclustvely  and  this  is  the  chief  distributing  center  of  their  district. 

Mr.  Millspaugh,  from  his  connection  with  this  vast  business,  is  more  prominently 
identified  with  the  coal  supply  of  Oneida  county  and  adjacent  territory  than  any 
other  citizen  within  the  province  of  this  volume,  and  is  therefore  justly  entitled  a 
place  in  local  annals.  Outside  of  these  interests,  which  command  his  chief  atten- 
tion, he  is  actively  connected  with  various  other  enterprises  of  local  and  general 
importance.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  in  1890  of  the  Ctica  Cold  Storage  and 
Warehouse  Company,  a  very  successful  corporation,  and  has  continuously  served  as 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  executive  committee 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  207 

of  the  Extension  Car  Step  Company  of  Utica.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fort  Schuyler 
Club  and  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  of  Utica,  and  of  the  Transportation  Club 
of  New  York  City. 

On  June  20,  1887,  Mr.  Millspaugh  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Bell  Mase.  of  Mattea- 
wan,  Dutchess  county,  daughter  of  Hon.  Willard  H.  Mase,  who  for  five  successive 
years  represented  his  district  in  the  .State  Legislature,  was  the  prime  mover  in 
securing  the  location  of  the  State  Hospital  for  Insane  Criminals  at  Matteawan,  N.Y., 
and  was  largely  instrumental  in  organizing  and  establishing  the  State  Lunacy 
Commission.  They  have  one  son,  Francis  Corwin  Millspaugh,  born  in  Utica,  No- 
vember 16,  1890. 


SQUIRE  UTLEY. 

Siji  IKE  Uti.ey,  son  of  David  Utley,  was  born  in  North  Western  December  3,  1795, 
and  died  in  the  same  town  November  23,  1882,  aged  eighty-seven  years,  eleven 
months  and  twenty-one  days.  His  father,  of  Quaker  origin,  came  to  North  Western 
in  1794  and  settled  upon  a  farm  of  200  acres,  and  followed  the  vocation  of  tiller  of 
the  soil  through  life,  as  did  also  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  upon  the  home- 
stead of  his  father. 

Squire  Utley  was  a  strong  man  among  strong  men,  at  a  period  when  such  men 
were  notably  plentiful  in  Oneida  county.  While  as  a  citizen  farmer  he  lived  a  useful, 
industrious  life,  earning  and  retaining  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens and  immediate  neighbors,  it  was  in  the  political  field  and  as  a  public  citizen 
that  he  wielded  an  influence  remarkable  in  its  strength  and  praiseworthy  in  its 
purity. 

Mr.  Utley  grew  up  a  Democrat  of  the  old  school  and  was  a  pioneer  in  that  c(,terie 
of  intelligent  and  powerful  politicians  embracing  Judge  Beardslej-,  Judge  Denio, 
Judge  Foster,  John  Stryker,  David  Moulton  and  John  D.  Leland;  and  in  his  own 
town,  which  is  remarkable  for  the  prominent  men  it  has  produced,  he  was  a  peer  of 
the  Wagers,  the  Hallecks,  the  Floyds,  the  Braytons  and  others. 

He  was  not  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  being  an  office-seeker.  Yet  the  confidence 
in  him  of  his  party  friends  was  so  great  that  he  could  not  always  decline  their  wishes. 
He  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  by  the  Democrats  in  1833,  and  served  his  term  with 
a  record  that  brought  him  only  good  words.  In  1843  he  was  nominated  for  sheriff, 
but  was  defeated  by  Palmer  V.  Kellogg,  not  through  personal  unpopularity,  but  be- 
cause of  the  factional  differences  which  at  that  time  were  leading  to  the  great  met- 
amorphosis of  the  Democrat  party  following  soon  after.  From  ISoS  to  1800  he  was 
supervisor  of  Western,  and,  as  in  all  other  positions  in  life,  did  his  duty  faithfully. 

When  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  broke  forth,  Mr.  Utley  ranked  himself  with  that 
conscientious  and  firm-hearted  section  of  the  Democratic  party  which  recognized  it 
to  be  the  obligation  of  every  one  to  support  the  government,  and,  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence, soon  became  affiliated  with  the  Republicans.  It  was  after  this  step  that 
he  became  intimately  associated  with  Thuiiow  Weed,  with  whom  he  had  had  an  ac- 
quaintance for  some  years,  and  who,  until  his  death,  was  his  confidential  friend. 


208  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Weed  died  biit  a  few  days  before  Mr.  Utley.  When  the  latler's  son,  Henry 
T.,  of  Waterville,  reached  his  father's  bedside  shortly  before  his  death,  he  told  his 
father  of  Mr.  Weed's  demise.  Mr.  Utley  remarked,  "  I  have  outlived  my  old  friend, 
but  I  soon  shall  follow  him." 

He  was  one  of  the  original  directors  of  the  Fort  Stanwix  Bank  of  Rome,  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Rome  Savings  Bank.  After  his  affiliation  with  the  Republican 
party  he  was  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue,  but  sought  nor  held  no  other 
office  at  the  hands  of  that  organization. 

Mr.  Utley  "  was  a  man  of  great  activity,  and  possessed  remarkable  natural  ability. 
He  had  keen  perception,  sound  judgment,  and  possessed  great  firmness.  In  politi- 
cal as  well  as  in  all  other  matters  he  was  governed  by  his  convictions  of  right  and 
duty.  He  possessed  remarkable  influence  over  men,  and  carried  measures  when  it 
was  generally  supposed  that  success  was  impossible."  An  instance  of  this  latter 
characteristic  was  shown  in  the  passage  of  the  act  establishing  the  Rome  Savings 
Bank  in  1851.  The  Legislature  was  politically  opposed  to  him,  and  the  members  of 
Assembly  from  the  county  were  in  favor  of  a  rival  charter.  Still,  Mr.  Utley  secured 
the  charter,  and  it  afterwards  transpired  that  his  success  was  accomplished  through 
Thurlow  Weed,  who  was  at  that  time  the  only  person  who  could  control  legislation 
on  that  subject,  which  fact  was  learned  by  Mr.  Utley,  and  through  him  the  measure 
was  carried,  to  the  surprise  of  all. 

In  his  judgment  of  men  he  was  peculiarly  faultless.  About  1850,  during  a  great 
strife  for  the  appointment  of  a  canal  superintendent  for  section  seven  the  contest 
became  factional.  Thurlow  Weed  asked  Mr.  Utley  who  would  make  a  good  super- 
intendent for  the  political  purposes  he  desired  to  accomplish.  Mr.  Utley  named 
Amaziah  D.  Barber.  Said  Mr.  Weed,  "  I  never  heard  of  the  man."  "Well,"  said 
Mr.  L^tle}',  "  he  is  the  most  sagacious  and  fit  man  in  the  county  for  your  purpose  and 
for  the  place."  On  that  assurance,  Mr.  Weed  had  an  audience  with  Mr.  Barber, 
who  later  was  appointed  superintendent,  to  the  surprise  of  the  Whig  part}'  in  the 
county,  and  to  the  indignation  of  many  of  them.  Mr.  Barber  became  one  of  the 
powerful  political  instruments  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Weed,  and  remained  such  for 
many  years. 

On  one  occasion,  by  a  ten  minutes'  speech,  he  defeated  the  nomination  of  a  popular 
LTnion  General  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  opposition,  and  secured  the  nomination 
of  the  man  of  his  choice.  Other  equally  pertinent  instances  of  his  ability  to  sway 
men  and  convert  them  to  his  ideas  might  be  given,  and  in  every  case  his  judgment 
and  action  met  with  approval  as  time  verified  the  worthiness  of  his  course. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  of  North  Western  is  largely  indebted  to  Mr. 
Utley's  liberality  and  instrumentality  for  its  church  edifice  and  parsonage.  At  the 
time  of  the  erection  of  the  church  some  who  contributed  largely  for  it  proposed  that 
it  be  made  a  union  church.  This  he  decidedly  opposed,  remarking  that  a  union 
church  belonged  to  no  one,  and  as  the  M.  E.  .society  seemed  likely  to  prevail,  he 
caused  to  be  deeded  to  it. 

Mr.  LTtley  married,  April  3,  1818,  Clarissa,  daughter  of  Josiah  Tallmadge,  and 
they  had  nine  children.     She  died  in  1880,  aged  sixty-two. 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  209 

WALTER  BALLOU. 

Hun.  Walter  Ballou  is  of  French  Huguenot  descent  and  was  born  in  Boonville, 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  21,  1889.  His  grandfather,  Pelatiah  Ballou,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Rhode  Island,  his  parents  having  moved  to  that  State  from  Massachusetts  on 
account  of  the  religious  persecution  which  the  Huguenots  received  at  the  hands  of 
the  Puritan  colonists.  Pelatiah  Ballou  married  Hannah  Sheldon  and  in  1799  came 
to  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  where  they  settled  on  a  farm  about  one  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  the  village.  A  portion  of  this  farm  has  ever  since  remained  in  the 
family,  being  one  of  the  few  tracts  which  can  claim  nearly  a  century's  continuous 
ownership  under  one  name.  He  was  endowed  with  qualities  which  make  the  model 
pioneer,  and  as  a  successful  farmer  exerted  a  wholesome  influence  in  the  infant  set- 
tlement. By  hard  labor  he  cleared  his  farm,  and  accumulated  a  modest  competency 
for  those  days.  He  held  several  town  offices.  He  died  on  the  homestead  July  4, 
1837,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  and  his  wife's  death  occurred  there  in  1855.  Their 
children  who  attained  maturity  were  Jesse,  Ellis,  Lydiaand  William.  William  Bal- 
lou was  born  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Boonville  in  1812,  and  after  spending  his  entire 
life  on  the  place  died  tliere  March  7,  1847,  aged  thirty-five  years,  six  months,  and 
eleven  days.  He  was  also  a  successful  farmer,  and  like  his  father  took  great  pride 
in  the  advancement  of  the  community.  He  married  Harriet,  daughter  of  Anson 
Crofoot,  of  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  who  survive?  him  and  occupies  the  homestead. 
They  had  five  children:  Charles,  who  died  in  Buflralo,  N.  Y.,  in  April,  1893;  Walter, 
of  Boonville;  Albert,  who  died,  after  enlisting  in  the  army,  but  just  before  being 
mustered  in  in  1862;  Anna  (Mrs.  Gustavus  B.  Horner),  of  Ripon,  Wis.;  and  Alice 
(Mrs.  Benoni  S.  Brown),  of  Onset,  Mass. 

Hon.  Walter  Ballou  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in 
the  high  school  of  Boonville,  and  in  1857  was  graduated  from  Whitestown  Academy. 
He  had  prepared  for  Hamilton  College  with  the  intention  of  entering  that  institu- 
tion, but  a  serious  difficulty  of  the  eyes  at  this  time  compelled  him  to  abandon  the 
idea  of  a  collegiate  training.  He  therefore  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until 
August  30,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  146th  N.  Y.  Vol.  InL,  and  when  his 
company  was  mustered  in  he  was  elected  and  commissioned  its  first  lieutenant.  At 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  he  was  slightly  wounded.  He  remained  with  the  regi-. 
ment  until  December,  1862,  when  he  was  taken  sick  with  typhoid  fever  and  honorably 
discharged  on  a  special  order  from  the  War  Department.  Returning  home  he  spent 
several  months  recuperating  and  by  the  end  of  a  year  had  permanently  recovered. 

Mr.  Ballou  had  now  decided  upon  a  professional  career,  and  early  in  1864  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  H.  Romeyn  Hadley,  where  he  studied  law  until  April,  1868,  when 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albany.  Soon  after  his  admission  he  began  active 
practice  in  Boonville  in  partnership  with  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Jones,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Jones  &  Ballou.  Four  years  later  this  firm  dissolved  and  Mr.  Ballou 
formed  a  copartnership  with  L.  W.  Fiske,  which  continued  for  three  years.  Since 
then  Mr.  Ballou  has  succes^sfully  practiced  his  profession  in  Boonville  alone. 

In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Republican,  a  strong  sympathizer  with  the  LTnion, 
and  a  staunch  supporter  of  Lincoln's  administration,  casting  his  first  and  second 
presidential  votes  for  that  martyred  statesman.  In  1860  Mr.  Ballou  differed  on  the 
reconstruction  question  as  embodied  in  Republican  principles  and  affiliated  with  the 

AA 


210  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Democratic  part}^  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  prominentl}^  identified  He 
was  deputy  assessor  of  internal  revenue  for  the  Fourth  Assembly  district  of  Oneida 
county  under  President  Andrew  Johnson,  holding  the  office  about  one  year.  In  the 
fall  of  1875  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  being  the  first  Democrat  elected  to  that 
office  in  the  Fourth  Assembly  district  of  the  county  in  twenty  years.  This  in  itself 
shows  the  esteem  and  popularity  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  During 
the  session  of  1876  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  committees  on  Laws,  Rules,  En- 
grossed Bills,  etc.,  and  distinguished  himself  as  an  able  advocate  of  honest  legisla- 
tion. He  has  also  served  the  village  of  Boonville  as  president  for  three  years  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  nine  years  and  its  president  six  years. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Boonville  Fair  Association,  the  predecessor  of  the  present 
society,  and  in  every  enterprise  or  movement  affecting  the  general  welfare  of  the 
place  his  influence  has  been  felt  and  appreciated.  He  is  a  member  and  for  five  years 
was  master  of  Boonville  Lodge,  No.  165,  F.  &  A.M.,  and  is  also  amember  of  Imperial 
Council,  R.  A.,  of  Utica.  Mr.  Ballou  is  a  representative  citizen  of  Northern  Oneida 
and  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  that  section  of  the  county.  As  a  lawyer  he  has 
attained  a  wide  reputation.  Public  spirited,  enterprising  and  patriotic,  imbued  with 
high  qualities  of  citizenship,  he  liberally  encourages  all  worthy  movements  promising 
general  benefit,  and  in  the  prosperity  of  his  village  and  native  town  he  has  always 
taken  a  just  pride. 

Mr.  Ballou  was  married  on  October  13,  1864,  to  Miss  Eugenia,  daughter  of  George 
and  Lydia  (Knight)  Brinkerhoff,  of  Boonville,  and  they  have  two  daughters:  Har- 
riet, a  graduate  of  Cornell  University,  class  of  1895,  and  Eugenia,  who  was  gradu- 
ated from  Boonville  Academy  in  1893. 


GEORGE  H.   WILEY. 

George  H.  Wiley,  vice-president  and  superintendent  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton 
Mills  and  superintendent  of  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills,  was  born  in  East 
Douglass,  Mass.,  on  the  12th  day  of  January,  1826.  His  ancestors  came  to  America 
from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  and  settled  in  Massachusetts  about  1770,  and  many 
members  of  the  family  have  developed  and  made  their  lives  successful  under  the 
national  Scottish  traits  of  industry,  integrity,  good  common  sense,  and  sturdy  per- 
severance. All  these  characteristics  Mr.  Wiley  inherited.  His  father  was  a  machine 
builder  and  a  skillful  mechanic,  and  during  his  early  life  was  connected  with  some  of 
the  first  and  largest  cotton  mills  erected  in  New  England. 

Mr.  Wiley  obtained  a  common  school  education  in  the  several  schools  where  he 
lived  in  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island,  and  also  attended  for  a  few  terms  a  select 
school  in  Lonsdale,  R.  I.,  which  was  kept  by  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  When  seven- 
teen he  began  work  in  the  Providence  steam  mill  and  soon  afterward  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Lonsdale  Company,  where  his  father  was  then  engaged  in  building 
machinery,  an  industry  which  gave  the  son  superior  advantages  for  obtaining 
practical  knowledge  that  soon  enabled  him  to  assume  charge  of  the  different  de- 
partments of  cotton  mills.  About  1846  the  family  removed  to  Pawtucket,  R.  I., 
where  young  Wiley  found  employment  in  some  of  the  mills,  and  assisted  in  putting 
up  and  starting  the  machinery  of  two  new  mills  there.     A  little  later  he  put  up  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  211 

started  machinery  in  a  new  mill  at  Warren,  R.  I.,  and  immediately  afterward  per- 
formed a  like  service  in  the  first  Wamsutta  mills.  These  various  mills  were  new  and 
modern  in  all  of  their  features,  and  his  experience  with  them  gave  Mr.  Wiley  prac- 
tical advantages  which  few  young  men  possessed  at  that  time  and  rendered  him 
thoroughly  competent  for  the  construction  and  management  of  a  cotton  mill. 

The  trustees  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills  prevailed  upon  Mr.  Wiley  in  the 
spring  of  1852  to  come  to  Utica  and  superintend  their  mills,  which  at  that  time  con- 
tained about  7,000  spmdles.  This  number  was  gradually  increased  to  15,000  in  1856, 
and  as  the  mills  under  Mr.  Wiley's  management  were  proving  successful  it  was  de- 
cided in  1868  to  build  mill  No.  2  and  equip  it  with  15,000  spindles.  This  mill  was 
planned  and  built  by  Mr.  Wiley  and  began  operations  in  1869.  His  thorough,  in- 
telligent, and  efficient  management,  and  the  care  and  skill  of  the  trustees  and  man- 
agers, had  now  changed  the  former  unprofitable  conditions  of  the. manufacture  to  a 
larger  and  better  product  with  comparatively  less  expense,  and  the  reputation  of  the 
goods  was  established  as  first-class,  commanding  a  ready  sale  and  profitable  returns. 
In  1880-81  No.  1  mill  was  remodeled  and  enlarged  to  contain  25,000  spindles,  the 
plans  for  which  changes  were  made  by  Mr.  Wiley.  In  1892  he  remodeled  the  entire 
plant  and  made  its  total  spindlage  55,000.  The  success  of  these  mills  led  to  the  con- 
struction of  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills  (under  substantially  the  same  direction), 
which  were  planned  by  A.  D.  Lockwood  associated  with  Mr.  Wiley  and  erected 
wholly  under  supervision  of  the  latter.  These  mills  began  work  in  1882.  In  1881- 
82  the  plans  of  the  Skenandoa  Yarn  Mill  were  prepared  under  Mr.  Wiley's  direction 
and  Isaac  R.  Scott  was  engaged  to  take  charge  of  its  construction  and  management. 
Under  his  judicious  and  efficient  administration  the  mill  has  been  doubled  in  its 
capacity.  In  addition  to  all  these  responsible  undertakings  Mr.  Wiley  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  late  Hon.  George  W.  Chadwick  in  arranging  and  constructing  the 
Willowvale  Bleachery  in  New  Hartford,  which  is  well  known  for  the  excellence  of 
its  productions. 

During  a  period  of  nearly  forty-five  3-ears  of  practical  work  in  his  line  in  the  city 
of  Utica  Mr.  Wiley's  record  has  been  one  of  uninterrupted  success,  and  it  may  be 
said  with  entire  propriety  that  very  few  men  in  the  country,  and  none  in  this  vicin- 
ity stand  higher  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth.  He  is 
vice-president  and  superintendent  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  superintendent 
of  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills,  a  director  in  the  Skenandoa  Yarn  Mill,  and 
president  of  the  Willowvale  Bleachery.  He  was  a  member  of  Grace  church  vestry 
for  twenty  years  and  one  of  the  building  committee  in  charge  of  the  erection  of  the 
present  church  edifice;  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  building  of  the  Utica  Opera  House  and  of  St.  Luke's  Home  and  Hospital; 
has  been  trustee  of  the  latter  institution  from  its  beginning.  He  is  trustee  of  the 
Masonic  Home  and  Asylum  fund  and  took  a  leading  part  in  the  erection  of  the 
Masonic  Home  and  School  in  Utica.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  given  more 
attention  to  politics  than  is  demanded  of  every  public  spirited  citizen. 

Mr.  Wiley  was  married  in  1857  to  Miss  Anna  E.,  daughter  of  Stephen  Thorn,  of 
Utica,  and  they  had  one  daughter,  Sarah  T.,  who  married  William  B.  Lane,  M.  D., 
of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Mrs  Wiley  died  November  16,  1877,  and  in  1880  Mr.  Wiley 
married,  second,  Helen  A.  Taft,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  whose  death  occurred  August 
2,  1891. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES 


FAMILY  SKETCHES. 


Anken,  Samuel,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  May  27,  1829,  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Lenher)  Anken.  He  came  to  America  in  1850  and  located  at  Lee  Center, 
Oneida  county,  where  he  was  employed  by  an  uncle  two  years,  after  which  he  went 
to  West  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  busmess  for  himself  in  the 
manufacture  of  Swiss  cheese,  continuing  there  two  years,  and  also  for  a  period  of 
two  years  each,  engaged  in  the  same  business  at  North  Western,  Steuben,  and 
Westernville.  In  1859  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Constableville,  Lewis  county,  and 
engaged  in  farming  for  seven  years,  when  he  sold  out,  and  in  1866  purchased  the 
farm  of  276  acres  in  the  town  of  Western,  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  one  of  the 
finest  farms  in  the  towns,  on  which  he  has  made  all  the  improvements  in  farm  build- 
ings, the  old  ones  having  burned  down  October  5,  1878.  Mr.  Anken  still  continues 
in  the  manufacture  of  Swiss  cheese,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in 
Western.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Democrat. 

Abbott,  John  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  July  12,  1818,  and  is  a  de- 
scendant of  Peter  Abbott,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  came  to  this  town  in  1806, 
being  among  the  very  first  settlers.  Peter  Abbott,  father  of  John  W. ,  married 
Sophia,  daugher  of  John  Spinning,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Betsey,  deceased, 
and  John  W.,  who  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  The  Spinning  family  emigrated  from  Massachusetts  to  the  town 
of  Lee,  Oneida  county,  in  1795,  thence  to  the  town  of  Florence  in  1805,  where  thej^ 
remained  until  death.  They  were  among  the  five  families  to  whom  Gerrit  Smith 
gave  fifty  acres  of  land  each.  John  W.  Abbott  married  Minerva  Wetherbee,  of  Anns- 
ville, by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  Frank  L.,  Sophia, 
Ann  and  Jennie  B.  Mrs.  Abbott  died  August  1,  1868.  Mr.  Abbott  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  has  been  assessor  of  the  town  for  seven  years  and  commissioner  three 
years. 

Abel,  William  P.,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  September  23,  1826,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Catherine  Abel,  who  settled  in  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.  in  1834.  William 
P.  came  to  Oneida  county  in  1857.  In  1849  he  married  Marie  Keiner,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  Almira  Tremain,  Mary  E.  Kent;  and  Nettie  Peckham,  all  of 
whom  are  natives  of  Oneida  county.  Mr.  Abel  started  in  life  as  a  farmer,  which 
business  he  has  followed  to  the  present  time,  and  is  also  an  apiarist,  having  about 
seventy  swarms  of  bees.  He  has  been  assessor  of  the  town,  also  trustee  of  the  school 
and  cemetery. 


4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Atwood,  Willard  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  N.  Y.,  November  4,  1849,  son 
of  Sylvester  B.  and  Margaret  (Moulton)  Atwood.  He  was  one  of  four  children: 
Windsor  M.,  Maggie,  Francis  and  Willard.  He  married  Addie,  daughter  of  Melanc- 
ton  Raymer,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Florence  M.  and  Grace  M.  (deceased). 
He  started  for  himself  at  eighteen  years  of-  age,  as  station  agent  at  Stittville,  for  the 
U.  &  B.  R.  R.,  which  he  followed  until  1888.  In  1872  he  engaged  in  the  produce, 
coal  and  lumber  business,  and  which  he  continues  to  the  present  time.  In  1881,  he 
associated  with  C.  W.  Hacket,  and  bought  J.  S.  Maxwell's  interest  in  the  knitting 
mill,  which  employs  about  100  hands  in  the  manufacture  of  men's  underwear.  He 
is  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Stittville  Canning  Co.,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Utica  F.  &  A.  M.  No.  47,  also  chapter,  council,  and  shrine  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  of 
Trenton,  and  has  held  the  office  of  chief  counselor  in  the  United  States. 

Anderson,  August,  was  born  in  Helsieberg,  Sweden,  in  1850,  one  of  seven  children 
born  to  Andrus  and  Elsie  (Poison)  Anderson:  Peter,  John,  Martin,  August,  Butilda, 
Pertrollie,  and  Engried.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  August  Anderson  became  a  sailor 
and  when  twenty-one  years  old  he  came  to  the  United  States,  remaining  in  New 
York  city  for  six  years  as  boatman  on  the  Hudson  River.  In  1878  he  came  to  Forest- 
port  and  settled  on  his  present  farm  of  300  acres.  In  1871  Mr.  Anderson  married 
Hannah  Louisa,  daughter  of  Peter  Lannstrom  and  Olena  (Johnson)  Peterson,  of 
Sweden.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  three  children :  John  Otto,  Ida  Caroline,  and 
Jennie  May.     They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Forestport. 

Baker,  Philip  J.,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  August  18,  1839,  a  son  of  Ferd- 
inand and  Doretta  Baker,  who  settled  at  East  Floyd  in  1854.  He  was  one  of  twelve 
children:  Philip  J.,  Conrad,  Lewis,  Albert,  Frank,  Henry,  Christian,  Louise,  Sophia, 
Sarah,  Emma  and  Etta.  Ferdinand  Baker  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  active  in 
the  educational  interests  and  developments  of  the  town.  Philip  J.  Baker  learned  the 
carpenter  trade,  and  in  which  he  engaged  until  he  enlisted  August  7,  1862,  Battery 
H,  3rd  N.  Y.  Light  Artillery,  and  joined  Burnside's  army  in  North  Carolina.  He 
also  served  under  Generals  Foster,  Butler  and  Grant,  and  was  discharged  June  24, 
1865,  and  was  wounded  twice  at  Petersburg.  August  3,  1865,  he  married  Sophia  E., 
daughter  of  George  Gerard  of  Morehouseville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  six  children: 
Hattie  Young,  Annie,  Flora,  Addie,  Lena  May  and  Philip  J.  jr.,  all  natives  of  the 
town  of  Floyd.  Mr.  Baker  is  now  engaged  in  the  planing,  saw  and  grist  mill  busi- 
ness at  East  Floyd,  and  is  a  manufacturer  of  cheese  boxes,  and  is  also  interested  in  a 
farm  at  Remsen.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  one  term  and  was  supervisor 
in  1884-5,  also  1893-4-5.  He  has  been  a  deacon  of  the  Baptist  church  for  several 
years. 

Bentley,  Hon.  Henry  W.,  was  born  in  De  Ruyter,  N.  Y.,  in  1838,  son  of  General 
Z.  T.  Bentley,  a  Democratic  leader  of  distinction.  Mr.  Bentley  was  educated  at  the 
Yates  Polytechnic  Institute  and  elsewhere,  then  became  principal  of  the  Eaton 
Union  School,  and  also  taught  at  Madison,  N.  Y.,  and  Bloomingdale,  111.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1861  and  soon  opened  an  office  at  Boonville,  where  he  has 
become  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  town.  He  has  served  as  village 
president  for  several  terms.  He  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  and  has,  from  its  first  organization,  been  vice-president  of  that 
flourishing  institution.     He  ably  represented  the  counties  of  Oneida  and  Lewis  in 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  5 

the  Fifty-second  Congress,  and  was  there  a  prominent  advocate  for  a  ship  canal 
from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Hudson.  As  receiver  in  the  celebrated  Taylor  will  con- 
test in  New  York  city;  as  commissioner  in  West  Shore  Railroad  claims  and  in  claims 
for  damages  by  reason  of  the  taking  of  the  waters  of  Skaneateles  Lake  bj'  the  city 
of  Syracuse;  as  special- commissioner  for  the  investigation  of  Erie  county  politics 
which  resulted  in  the  removal  of  Sheriff  Beck ;  as  surrogate  of  Oneida  county,  and 
in  other  affairs  of  wide  import,  he  has  repeatedly  demonstrated  ability  and  integrity. 
Mr.  Bentley  holds  high  rank,  not  only  as  a  gentleman  and  a  lawyer,  but  as  an  orator, 
financier  and  legislator. 

Boyd,  Chauncey,  was  born  in  Western,  December  11,  1809,  son  of  James  and  Me- 
hitabel  (Reynolds)  Boyd,  natives  of  Rhode  Island,  among  the  pioneers  of  Western, 
where  they  lived  and  reared  a  family  of  five  children,  and  where  they  died.  Chaun- 
cey Boyd  has  always  resided  in  Western,  and  has  lived  on  the  farm  he  now  occupies 
for  sixty-four  years.  In  1831  he  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  John  and  Rachel 
(Carpenter),  of  Western,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Almira(Mrs.  Edwin  Fraser); 
Squire;  Charlotte  (Mrs.  Wilbur  Cummins);  Jane  (Mrs.  Robert  D.  Phillips);  and 
Emma  (Mrs.  Alvin  R.  Stone).  ,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  are  probably  the  oldest  living 
married  couple  residing  in  Western,  this  date,  August  16,  1895. 

Ballou,  Hon.  Walter,  was  born  in  Boonville,  in  1839,  son  of  William  Ballou.  His 
grandfather,  Pelatiah  Ballou,  is  of  Huguenot  extraction,  and  came  to  Boonville  in 
1799  from  Rhode  Island,  whither  he  had  fled,  to  escape  the  religious  intolerance  of 
Massachusetts.  Walter  Ballou  began  his  legal  studies  with  H.  R.  Hadley  of  this 
place,  and  after  admission  to  the  bar  in  1868,  began  practice  here,  where  his  genial 
nature  and  professional  ability  have  made  for  him  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  At  his 
election  to  the  Assembly  in  1876,  he  was  the  first  Democrat  elected  in  twenty  years. 
In  1862  Mr.  Ballou  went  to  the  front  as  first  lieutenant  in  the  126th  Regiment,  and 
after  Fredericksburg,  was  discharged  for  disability,  making  a  protracted  but  com- 
plete recovery.  In  1864  he  married  Eugenia  Brinkerhoof  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he 
has  two  daughters;  Harriet  and  Eugenia,  the  former  a  graduate  of  Cornell  LTniver- 
sity,  and  the  latter  of  Boonville  Academy. 

Barton,  Seth  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  N.  Y.,  December  16,  1839,  son 
of  Eliphaz  and  Polly  M.  Barton,  Polly,  a  daughter  of  Wardwell  Barker,  who  came 
from  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y. ,  about  1797,  when  three  years  old.  Eliphaz,  a  son  of 
David,  who  came  from  Granby,  Mass.,  in  1793,  and  was  the  first  white  settler  in  the 
town  of  Marshall,  and  he  was  engaged  in  pioneer  farming,  lumbering,  and  custom 
milling.  Seth  E.  Barton  married  Mina  (deceased),  daughter  of  Martin  and  Elizabeth 
Brigham,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Gardner  T.  Wells.  In  early 
life,  Mr.  Barton  was  engaged  in  general  merchandise  business  at  Deansville  and 
Clinton,  and  later  years  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  interested  in  educa- 
tional work,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Holland  Pat 
ent,  and  president  of  the  village. 

Brown,  Thomas  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  December  8,  1838,  son  of 
John  and  Jane  Brown.  John  Brown  was  a  native  of  the  county,  a  son  of  Asa,  who 
settled  here  about  1800.  Thomas  S.  Brown  married  Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Mary  Bentley,  who  came  from   England  and   settled  in  Rome  about  1843.     Mr. 


6  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Mrs.  Brown  have  six  children;  Alberta,  Cora,  Jessie,  Gracie,  Seymour,  and 
Maggie,  all  natives  of  Oneida  county.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Brown  en- 
gaged in  farming,  which  he  still  follows.  He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
assessor  for  two  years.     He  was  formerly  president  of  the  Patrons  of  Industry. 

Birdsey,  George  L.,  was  born  at  Leyden,  September  7,  1864,  son  of  the  late  Linus 
Birdsey  of  that  place,  who  was  a  citizen  of  much  local  prominence,  having  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  county  legislation,  for  a  number  of  years.  George  Birdsey 
completed  his  education  at  Cazenovia,  graduating  in  1887,  and  for  a  time  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  boyhood  home.  In  1892,  he  embarked 
in  the  retail  business  now  operated  under  his  name.  He  carries  a  large  stock  of 
millinery,  furnishing  goods,  books,  jewelry,  and  toilet  goods.  In  1891  he  married 
Ora  Wardell,  daughter  of  a  clergyman  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  of 
which  he  and  his  wife  are  both  valued  members.  Mr.  Birdsey  has  been  superintend- 
ent of  the  Boonville  Sunday  school  since  1888.  On  February  1,  1806,  Mr.  Birdsey 
transferred  his  entire  stock  from  Boonville  to  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  is  now  do- 
ing a  thriving  business. 

Chassell,  George  G.,  was  born  in  Newport,  N.  Y.,  August  ^0,  1840,  son  of  Rev. 
David  Chassell,  D.D.,  and  Eliza  A.  (Griswold)  Chassell.  David  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  where  he  was  born  in  1778,  and  came  to  Vermont  when  eight  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  and  ordained  by  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  was  principal  of  Fairfield  Academy  many  years  and  was  a  man  who  was  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him.  (jeorge  G.  married  Sarah  E. ,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Eliza  Hutchinson,  and  they  have  one  child,  Frances,  who  attends  Emerson  College 
of  Boston.  Mr.  Chassell  engaged  in  dairy  farming  in  1861,  and  at  which  he  still 
continues.  He  is  president  and  director  of  the  Bank  of  Holland  Patent,  and  has 
been  since  its  organization.  From  1876  to  1881  he  was  intere.sted  in  cheese  manu- 
facturing. He  IS  president  of  Black  River  Fish  and  Game  Association,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Association. 

Clark,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 12.  1852,  but  with  his  parents  moved  to  the  town  of  Marcy  in  1858,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  His  father,  William  E.,  in  early  life  was  a  farmer  and  cheese- 
box  manufacturer.  He  w  s  elected  supervisor  two  terms,  highway  commissioner, 
and  was  also  captain  of  Home  Guards  many  years.  He  was  president  of  the  State 
and  County  Apiarist  Association,  and  has  been  worthy  master  of  Floyd  Grange  and 
Pomona  Society.  Mr.  Clark  married  Sylvia  Davis,  by  whom  he  had  these  children : 
Charles  H.,  Hattie  E.  (dey.r/.ased),  Ida  May  (deceased),  William  (deceased),  Bertie 
(deceased),  and  George  H.,,  Charles  H.  is  a  farmer,  lumberman  and  cheese-box 
manufacturer  by  occupation,.  ^Iso  a  member  of  the  Stittville  Canning  Company. 
He  married  Estella  Bartlett,  ^  vyhom  he  had  two  children :  Lynn  Roy  and  Hattie 
May.  Mr.  Clark  has  been  c  -^or  and  supervisor,  and  was  a  member  of  the  build- 
ing committee  of  the  new  On^'  -County  Home  for  the  Poor,  is  a  member  of  United 
Friends,  and  in  1895  was  a;;i:  .  egate  to  the  Grand  Council  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  He  is  also  a  member  Or<,^he  K.  P.,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Grand  Lodge  in 
Watertown  in  1894. 

Curtiss,  Heman,  was  born  in  Mie  town  of  Camden,   February  18,  1859,  .son  of  the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  7 

late  Linus  Curtiss,  who  was  born  in  this  town  April  16,  1818,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  connection  with  the  saw  mill  business,  which  he  followed  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  October  29,  1891.  He  married  Nancy  B.  Upson,  Janu- 
ary 12,  1848,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Ibri  (who  died  in  childhood),  Lyman  W., 
Angeline  E.,  Heman  D.,  Hiram  L.,  and  Addie  M.  The  death  of  Nancy  B.  Curtiss 
occurred  April  9,  1895.  Heman  Curtiss  now  owns  the  mill  which  was  built  by  his 
father,  and  is  also  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering,  owning  a  farm  of  242  acres, 
including  a  portion  of  woodland.  He  married  Lizzie  M.,  daughter  of  O.  C.  Woods, 
of  Camden,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Ralph  W. ,  and  Louise  B.  Mr.  Curtiss  is 
a  member  of  Camden  Grange,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Curtis,  Lyman  W.,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm,  which  adjoins  his  farm, 
May  18,  1850.  son  of  the  late  Linus  Curtis  (mentioned  elsewhere).  Lyman  W.  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  of  West  Camden,  where,  like  many  others  of  this 
town,  he  acquired  a  knowledge  that  has  been  useful  to  him  in  his  life  as  a  farmer 
and  lumberman.  Mr.  Curtis  married  Ella,  daughter  of  Gaston  Comstock,  of  the 
town  of  Florence,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Flora  aud  Maud.  In  politics  Mr. 
Curtis  is  a  Republican. 

Coombs,  Orville,  was  born  in  West  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  in  1807,  and  came  to 
Trenton  with  his  father,  Solomon  Coombs,  about  four  years  later.  With  very  limited 
school  advantages,  but  with  unlimited  determination  and  energy  and  a  natural  bent 
for  mathematics,  he  fitted  himself  for  a  land  surveyor  with  such  success  that  in  the 
last  year  of  his  life  he  was  able  to  say  that  in  nearlj-  fifty  years  of  practice  no  line  or 
bounds  in  his  surveys  had  ever  been  set  aside.  He  also  conducted  a  farm,  upon 
which  his  entire  life  was  passed  until  his  death  in  1876.  Although  with  decided 
opinions  on  political  as  well  as  other  matters  he  had  no  taste  for  political  methods 
and  never  aspired  to  hold  other  than  town  offices. 

Crossmau,  George  H.,  jr.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  December 
29,  1846,  son  of  George  H.  Crossman.  In  1869  he  married  Hester  A.,  daughter  of 
Orin  and  Lois  (Powell)  Smith.  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  and  his  wife 
in  Trenton ;  both  died  in  Westmoreland,  she  October  24,  1886,  aged  seventy-two 
years,  and  he  January  19,  1885,  aged  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crossman 
have  three  children:  Cora,  Curtis,  and  Clara.  Mr.  Cross.; ^n  has  250  acres  of  land, 
and  rents  part  for  the  Hygienic  Dairy,  keeping  about  thirty  cows,  and  selling  milk 
in  the  city.  He  is  also  engaged  in  threshing,  and  ^uns  a  fodder  cutter,  also  a 
machine  for  cutting  standing  corn  and  does  custom  wo-,  k. 

Colton,  C.  W.,  was  born  at  Turin  in  1832,  son  of  Le*^  ard  Col  ton,  a  farmer,  who 
came  from  Springfield,  Mass.  C.  W.  Colton  is  of  E  lish  descent,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  Turin,  and  Whitestown  Seminary.  Afte  tving  taught  school  in  that 
locality,  he  came  to  Boonville  in  1858,  and  establ  ^d  the  business  he  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in,  and  is  one  of  the  leadin;  '''irdware  dealers  of  the  place. 
The  firm  was  first  known  as  Riggs  &  Colton,  b.  1869  Mr.  Colton  became  sole 

proprietor.       He   came  to  his  present  location  in  B,  where  he   has   three  floors 

containing  a  large  stock  of  furniture,  general  1.  jsehold  goods,  hardware  and 
crockery.  Mr.  Colton  is  a  prominent  member  of  ne  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
having  been  a  steward  most  of  the  time  for  thirty    years.     He  has  been  president 


8  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  has  also  been  village  president  for  several  years. 
In  1859  he  married  Louise  M.  Riggs,  daughter  of  C.  G.  Riggs,  a  hardware  mer- 
chant of  Turin,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  children:  Julia,  wife  of  G.  A.  Willard; 
Louise  G.,  Florence,  Charles,  and  Frederic  (deceased). 

Cox,  Truman,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  December  14,  1829,  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Smith)  Cox,  natives  of  Oneida  county.  The  parents  of  John 
Cox  were  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Sterling)  Cox,  who  were  natives  of  Herkimer 
county  and  pioneers  of  Deerfield.  The  parents  of  Joseph  Cox  were  John  F.  and 
Katrina  (Petre)  Cox.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Katrina  Cox,  Daniel  Petre,  came  from 
Holland  to  Little  Falls  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  where  he  built  a  grist  mill. 
He  was  killed  in  the  mill  during  the  war  by  Indians  and  his  mill  burned.  His 
daughter  and  husband,  J.  F.  Cox,  were  in  the  mill  when  the  attack  was  made.  Mr. 
Cox  went  for  help  and  while  he  was  gone  the  mill  was  fired,  Mr.  Petre  killed  and 
Mrs.  Cox  taken  prisoner  with  her  two  children,  one  being  Joseph  Cox,  the  above 
mentioned ;  and  they  were  to  be  carried  to  Canada,  but  Mrs.  Cox  bought  her  free- 
dom. Joseph  Cox  was  a  farmer  and  miller,  and  John  Cox,  father  of  our  subject, 
born  March  21,  1799,  was  also  a  farmer  and  miller.  He  died  in  1857,  and  Mrs.  Cox 
died  in  1871.  Mr.  Truman  Cox  has  been  engaged  in  farming  and  milling  in  the 
town  where  he  has  always  resided.  In  1849  he  married  Eliza  R.,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Thomas  (born  November  15,  1809,  died  November  1,  1847)  and  Maria  (Coppernall) 
Pell  (born  April  15,  1806,  died  November  1,  1869),  who  was  born  in  Herkimer  county, 
June  9,  1831.  Dr.  Thomas  Pell  was  a  native  of  Lee,  and  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Cook)  Pell  of  Long  Island.  Thomas  was  born  March  1,  1775,  and  came  to  Lee  at  an 
early  day;  and  he  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Philip  Pell,  who  was  born  in  England  De- 
cember 5,  1731,  and  emigrated  to  Long  Island.  His  father,  Thomas  H.  W.  Pell, 
Duke  of  York,  was  born  August  13,  1701,  and  died  in  England.  Mrs.  Cox's  maternal 
grandfather  was  George  Coppernall,  an  early  settler  at  Little  Falls.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cox  have  three  children:  Truman  H.,  born  November  16,  1853,  a  graduate  of 
Cincinnati  Medical  College,  and  a  physician  at  Lee  Center;  John  T.,  who  was  born 
August  20,  1857,  and  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary  and  Poughkeepsie  Business 
Institute.     He  died  April  3,  1893;  and  Frances  E. ,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Cogswell,  George,  was  born  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  September  29,  1834,  a  son 
of  John  and  Eliza  (Grimshaw)  Cogswell,  grandson  of  Job  and  Rebecca  (Pike)  Cogs- 
well, natives  of  Vermont  who  settled  in  Western  in  1801,  cleared  a  farm  and  died 
there,  and  is  a  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation  from  John  Cogswell,  who  came 
from  England  to  America  in  1635,  and  settled  at  Ipswich,  Mass.  John  Cogswell 
father  of  George,  was  born  in  Western,  April  22,  1806,  and  died  in  March,  1892.  He 
was  a  harnessmaker  and  saddler  by  trade,  having  served  his  apprenticeship  in  West- 
ernville.  In  1834  he  embarked  inbusmess  for  himself  in  Steuben,  where  he  remained 
for  eight  years.  He  then  removed  to  Western,  where  he  engaged  m  farming  during 
the  summer  and  worked  at  his  trade  during  the  winter.  Mr.  Cogswell  was  thrice 
married:  first,  to  Eliza,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Grimshaw,  by  whom  he 
had  five  children:  George,  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  J.  M.  Ballon);  Sarah  P.  (Mrs.  Sylvester 
Hartson) ;  Orris  W. ;  and  Eliza  R.  (Mrs.  Leonard  Bullock).  His  second  wife  was 
Catherine  Eychanaer,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Albert  J.  and  Alfred  M.  His 
third  wife  was  Mrs.  Olive  (Sizer)  Webster.     George  Cogswell  was  reared  in  Western 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  9 

from  eight  years  of  age,  educated  in  Holland  Patent  and  Whitestown  academies,  be- 
gan life  as  a  clerk,  in  which  he  continued  for  twelve  years,  and  worked  at  the  car- 
penter trade  twenty  years,  but  since  1885  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  January 
26,  1859,  he  married  Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Wager)  Halleck,  a 
pioneer  of  Western  who  lived  to  the  age  of  103  years,  and  a  sister  of  the  late  Gen. 
Henrj'  Wager  Halleck,  a  distinushed  officer  in  the  civil  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cogswell 
have  two  children :  Henry  W.  and  Elizabeth  W. 

Courtney,  Humphrey,  was  born  in  Ireland,  March  25,  1836,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents,  Humphrey  and  Catherine  Courtney,  in  1839.  Hum- 
phrey Courtney,  sr.,  was  employed  in  an  iron  foundry  in  the  State  of  Connecticut, 
where  he  had  charge  of  a  coal  yard  until  1844,  when  he  came  to  Florence  and  cleared 
a  portion  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  which  consists  of  265  acres  mostly  im- 
proved land.  He  was  much  respected  by  his  townsmen  and  held  many  important 
offices  of  trust  in  his  day.  Humphrey  Courtney  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Flor- 
ence, after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  keeping  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows,  besides 
young  cattle  and  horses,  and  is  a  prosperous  and  successful  farmer.  He  married 
Ellen  Roland  of  Florence,  by  whom  he  has  had  twelve  children.  Mr.  Courtney  has 
been  a  prominent  man  in  politics,  was  assessor  of  the  town  for  three  years,  and  super- 
visor for  the  same  number  of  years.  While  supervisor  he  caused  to  be  made  many 
wholesome  changes  in  the  local  government  of  his  town  which  was  and  is  a  benefit 
to  the  taxpayers  then  and  for  years  to  come. 

Durr,  Charles  J.,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Camden,  N.  Y.,  July  12,  1871,  son  of 
Patrick  Durr,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1855,  first 
settling  in  Florence,  but  later  coming  to  Camden,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business,  and  was  proprietor  of  the  Durr's  Hotel  for  about  twenty-five  years.  Pat- 
rick Durr  married  Mary  Lewis,  by  whom  he  had  six  children.  Charles  J.  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Camden  Union  school,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
merchant  tailoring  business  and  also  carries  a  fine  line  of  ready  made  clothing  and 
gents'  furnishing  goods.     He  married  Hettie  Ford. 

Denton,  Alonzo,  was  born  in  Sandyhill,  Washington  county,  in  1843,  son  of  Daniel 

C.  Denton,  a  native  of  Saratoga  county  and  one  of  five  children  born  to Denton, 

a  soldier  m  the  war  of  1812:  Richard,  Daniel  C,  Clinton,  Benjamin,  and  Phoebe. 
Daniel  C.  Denton  spent  most  of  his  life  in  the  lumbering  business,  principally  in 
Washington  and  Oneida  counties.  He  removed  to  Oneida  county  in  1854.  He  mar- 
ried Harriet  Hovey,  and  their  children  were  Melissa  and  Alonzo  (twins),  Charles, 
Mary  E.,  William  E.  and  Walter,  of  whom  the  two  latter  are  deceased.  Mr.  Denton 
died  in  1864  and  his  wife  in  1889.  In  August  1862,  Alonzo  Denton  assisted  in  rais- 
ing Company  K,  117th  Regiment  N.  Y.  Vols,  and  went  out  as  a  private  under  Cap- 
tain Baggs.  He  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant;  was  in  the  battles  of  Bethel, 
Bermuda,  Drury's  Bluff,  Charleston,  S.  C,  Petersburg,  Cold  Harbor,  Fort  Fisher, 
and  Chapin's  Farm,  where  he  was  wounded  in  the  leg.  He  was  transferred  to 
Chesapeake  Hospital  at  Fortress  Monroe  and  from  there  returned  home.  After  the 
war  he  attended  business  college  at  Utica  for  six  months,  then  engaged  as  clerk  in  a 
general  store  at  Forestport.  Two  years  later,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Thurston, 
he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business,  and  two  years  and  a  half  later  his 
b 


10  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

brother-in-law,  N.  G.  Waterbury,  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Thurston  and  the 
store  is  now  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Denton  &  Waterbur3\  They  also 
carry  on  a  large  and  extensive  lumber  business,  which  Mr.  Denton  superintends. 
They  erected  a  large  mill,  which  was  burned  in  1882,  and  then  erected  their  present 
mill  of  a  capacity  of  40,000  feet  daily,  and  a  large  sash  and  door  manufactory  at 
Whitesboro,  N.  Y.  They  also  own  10,000  acres  of  timber  land.  Mr.  Denton  has 
served  as  commissioner  of  highways,  town  clerk,  and  was  postmaster  for  many  years. 
He  is  senior  warden  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  the  Henry  Walker 
Post  G.  A.  R.  of  Forestport.  In  1869  Mr.  Denton  married  Carrie  A.,  daughter  of 
Stephen  N.  Waterbury,  and  their  children  are  Elmer  A.,  a  graduate  of  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, now  of  the  law  firm  of  HalHday  &  Denton,  of  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  ;  Lena  R.,  a 
graduate  of  the  musical  department  of  Hamilton  Seminary;  C.  Mildred,  now  a 
student  in  the  Sage  College,  of  Ithaca,  N.  Y. ;  and  Nathaniel  W.  Mr.  Denton  and 
his  wife  and  children  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Evans,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  January  28,  1856,  son  of  Owen 
J.  and  Rose  Evans,  who  settled  here  about  1830.  Their  children  were  Jane,  John, 
William,  Owen  J.,  Mary  Jane,  and  Charles  H.,  all  natives  of  Floyd.  Charles  H. 
Evans  married  Ruth  L.,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  R.  Griffith,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children:  Flora  R.,  Edwin  J.,  and  Erwin  (J.  Mr.  Evans  has  been  trustee  and  is  now 
secretary  of  Camroden  Congregational  church,  also  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school.  He  is  interested  in  educational  affairs,  also  in  town  affairs  and  is  post- 
master at  Camroden,  appointed  by  President  Harrison  May  11,  1892. 

Ellis,  Hugh  M.,  was  born  in  Wales,  October  9,  1844,  son  of  Ellis  and  Mary  (Morris) 
Ellis,  natives  of  Wales,  who  came  to  Deerfield  about  1847.  Mr.  Ellis  died  in  Deer- 
field,  December  18,  1888,  at  eighty-two  years  of  age.  The  grandfathers,  David  Ellis 
and  Hugh  Morris,  both  died  in  Wales.  Hugh  M.  Ellis  has  always  been  engaged  in 
farming,  owning  a  farm  of  117  acres  in  Deerfield,  which  he  bought  in  1871,  and  keeps 
from  thirteen  to  fifteen  cows.  In  1890,  he  married  Emily  M.,  daughter  of  Albert  T. 
and  Mary  F.  (Sharp)  Wight,  of  Forest  Hotel,  Deerfield,  and  by  whom  he  has  three 
children:  Morris  Walter,  Laura  Maud,  and  Iva  Frances.  August  12,  1862,  Mr.  Ellis 
enlisted  in  Co.  F,  117th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  New 
York  city,  June  7,  1865;  and  he  was  in  many  hard  fought  battles.  He  is  a  member 
of  Post  Thomas  S9,  G.  A.  R.  at  Prospect,  and  they  attend  the  Methodist  church. 

Fox,  Henry,  was  born  in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  September  20,  1830,  a  son  of 
Abraham  and  Nancy  (Vanderwarker)  Fox,  natives  of  Connecticut  and  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  respectively,  grandson  of  Abraham  Fox,  son  of  Abraham  Fox,  who  settled  on 
Tug  Hill,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1806.  His  maternal  grandfather,  John  A.  Van- 
derwarker, a  native  of  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y..  was  a  pioneer  of  Western.  Henry 
Fox  was  reared  in  Western  from  ten  years  of  age,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  is  a  basket  maker  by  trade,  which  he  has 
followed  more  or  less  for  forty  years  in  connection  with  farming,  and  has  lived  on 
the  farm  he  now  occupies  since  1841.  In  1854  he  married  Polly,  daughter  of  Uriah 
Fitch,  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Ernest  L.,  an  M.  E.  clergyman  of 
N.  Y.,  Lucy  A.,  and  Sylvia  F.,  a  city  missionary  in  New  York  city  since'  1889.  Mr. 
Fox  married  for  his  second  wife.  Margaret  A. ,  daughter  of  Jacob  WoUaber,  of  Steu- 
ben. Mr.  Fox  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  of  which  he  is  a  local  preacher,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Prohibitionist. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  11 

Fiske,  Hon.  L.  W.,  was  born  at  Boonville,  in  1835,  son  of  John  M.  Fiske,  and 
grandson  of  Jeremiah  Fiske,  of  the  widely  known  Rhode  Island  family.  After  ac- 
quiring a  good  academic  education  at  Worcester  and  Fairfield,  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  George  W.  Smith,  where  diligent  application  and  inherent  ability  resulted 
in  admission  to  the  bar,  October  4,  1860,  and  the  establishment  of  an  extensive  prac- 
tice at  Boonville.  He  went  to  the  front  with  Company  D  of  the  146th  Regiment  in 
August,  1862,  but  exposure  and  hardship  resulted  in  disability  and  almost  total  deaf- 
ness; an  unfortunate  handicap  for  his  talent  as  an  attorney.  In  1866,  Mr.  Fiske 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  where  he  acquitted  himself  to  the  credit  of  himself  and 
satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  The  late  Roscoe  Conkling  was  an  intimate  personal 
friend  of  Mr.  Fiske.  In  local  affairs,  he  has  taken  an  active  place  in  village  govern- 
ment; in  establishment  of  the  N.  Y.  State  Soldier's  Home;  in  the  administration  of 
the  Grand  Army  organization;  and  as  librarian  of  the  Erwin  Library. 

Farley,  George  R.,  was  born  in  Prospect,  N.  Y.,  December  3,  1840,  son  of  Darius 
and  Ann  Farley,  she  is  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Ann  Jones,  and  a  granddaughter 
of  Richard  Jones,  familiarly  known  as  Priest  Jones,  who  settled  in  Trenton  about 
1800.  Darius  Farley  was  a  son  of  Rev.  John  and  Susan  Farley,  who  settled  in  Pros- 
pect about  1825.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  his  children  were  John  C,  George  R., 
Horace  ().,  deceased,  Garrett,  Eliza,  wife  of  Dr.  Minor  Wiggins,  Abbie,  deceased. 
Dean,  deceased,  and  Julius,  deceased.  George  R.  Farley  married  Jennie,  daughter 
of  James  and  Mary  Roberts,  by  whom  he  had  two  children;  Frank,  deceased,  and 
Mabel.  August  9,  1862,  Mr.  Farley  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  F,  117th  Regt. ,  and 
was  discharged  as  a  sergeant  December  31,  1864.  He  was  wounded  at  Chapin's 
Farm.  He  is  a  charter  member  and  commander  of  Thomas  Post,  No.  39,  which 
position  he  held  for  eight  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Trenton  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  I.  O.  R.  M.,  No.  221,  of  Prospect.  He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Trenton 
for  three  terms. 

Gallagher,  James,  jr. ,  was  born  in  Forestport,  May  19, 1855,  son  of  James  Gallagher, 
who  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1825,  and  came  to  Forestport  in  1845,  where  he  now  re- 
sides on  a  farm ;  he  married  Mary  Gallagher,  a  native  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  has 
seven  children:  John,  James,  Frank,  Henry,  Anna,  Mary  and  Sarah  E.  James 
Gallagher,  jr. ,  began  life  for  himself  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  by  work- 
ing in  the  woods,  and  also  owned  two  boats,  which  he  conducted  until  1888,  when  he 
disposed  of  them,  and  erected  a  saw  mill  on  Black  River  in  the  town  of  Wilmurt, 
where  he  manufactured  hard  wood  lumber  for  five  years;  in  1895  he  erected  his  pres- 
ent mill,  where  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  cutting  pulp  wood  and  manufactur- 
ing lumber,  and  he  now  owns  3,000  acres  of  timber  land  in  the  Adirondacks,  and 
ships  on  the  average  of  one  boat  load  consisting  of  forty  cords  a  day.  In  1885  he 
married  Mary  Ella,  daughter  of  Michael  and  Catherine  Donovan  of  Ireland,  and 
they  have  five  children:  Elizabeth  Maud,  Jennie  Frances,  Ellen  Cecelia,  Margaret 
Allena,  and  Charles  Austin. 

Garrett,  Henry  L.,  was  born  in  South  Trenton,  August  12,  1848,  son  of  Henry  W. 
and  Sarah  D.  Garrett.  Mrs.  Garrett  was  a  daughter  of  Aaron  Savage.  Henry  W. 
was  a  son  of  Cheney  and  Lorena  (Plant)  Garrett,  and  Cheney  was  a  son  of  John 
Garrett,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Utica.  Henry  W.  was  married  March  30,  1837,  and 
Mr.    and   Mrs.   Garrett  have  eight  children:   Frederick  E.,   born  January   1,    1838; 


12  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Emma  C,  born  February  28,  1840,  and  who  died  June  28,  1855;  C.  Olivia,  who  was 
born  March  12,  1842,  and  died  February  29,  1852;  Orrin  R.,  born  March  26,  1844; 
Julia  L. ,  born  September  14,  1846,  and  died  August  7,  1853 ;  Henry  L. ;  Sarah  R. , 
born  March  26,  1850 ;  and  Lewis  Seymour,  born  April  24,  1853,  and  died  November 
18,  1898.  Mr.  Garrett  was  a  farmer  and  a  brick  manufacturer  at  South  Trenton, 
and  taught  school  ten  j^ears.  He  enhsted  in  Co.  E,  97th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols.,  on  Sep- 
tember 13,  1862,  and  was  discharged  from  service  June  16,  1865.  Henry  L.  married 
Minnie  Waite,  and  is  also  engaged  m  farming  and  in  brick  manufacturing. 

Griffith,  William  Penn,  was  born  in  Boonville  in  1846,  son  of  Arthur  Griffith,  who 
was  born  in  Cairffonshire,  Wales,  in  1814;  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age  and 
emigrated  to  America  in  1824  with  his  grandfather  and  first  settled  in  Steuben, 
Oneida  county.  In  1837  he  started  for  the  far  west ;  he  took  passage  on  the  lake 
from  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  and  from  there  he  walked  across  the  State  of  Michigan,  a 
part  of  Indiana  and  to  Chicago,  where  he  found  a  small  muddy  village  where  loaded 
teams  would  get  mired  in  the  street ;  then  he  returned  to  Boonville,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  an  occupation  he  pursued  through  life.  In  1843  he  married 
Eleanor  Hughes,  daughter  of  William  R.  Hughes  of  Lee.  He  was  the  father  of 
three  children;  Jane  and  Ellen,  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  William  Penli,  with 
whom  he  now  resides.  William  Penn  Griffith  has  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and 
has  always  resided  in  Boonville,  where  he  has  a  farm  of  200  acres.  He  married 
Fidelia  Piatt,  of  Steuben,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Griffith  is  possessed  of  sound  common  sense 
and  unfaltering  energy  and  has  led  a  remarkably  busy  life. 

Gue,  Jerome  V.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  January  15,  1828,  a  son  of 
David  C.  and  Lucina  (Jillson)  Gue,  natives  of  Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  and  Massachu- 
setts, respective^.  His  maternal  grandfather.  Levin  Jillson,  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
was  among  the  first  settlers  of  Boonville,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  David 
C.  Gue,  father  of  Jerome  V.,  settled  in  Boonville  in  1817,  where  he  cleared  a  farm, 
and  in  1865,  removed  to  Durand,  Wisconsin,  where  he  died  in  1873.  Jerome  V.  re- 
mained in  Boonville  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Western. 
He  is  a  boat  builder  and  carpenter  by  trade,  which  business  he  has  followed  since  he 
was  twenty -three  years  of  age,  and  has  also  had  a  dry  dock  for  boats  at  North  West- 
ern since  1865.  In  1853  he  married  Clarissa,  daughter  of  George  and  Rebecca 
Keech,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Elma  (Mrs.  Jay  McOmber); 
Nellie  (Mrs.  Dr.  Gilbert  L.  Lear);  and  Charles.  Mr.  Gue  has  been  supervisor  of 
Western  one  term,  and  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  twenty-seven  years. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Gliffe,  Henry,  was  born  m  Prussia,  December  8,  1849,  son  of  Charles  and  Austenia 
(Creger)  GHffe,  natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  Gliffe  was  a  wagonmaker  by  trade,  and 
died  m  Germany  in  1867;  Mrs.  Ghffe  also  died  in  Germany,  in  1885.  Henry  Gliffe 
was  reared  and  educated  m  Germany.  He  served  in  the  army  and  also  served  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  tailor  trade,  and  after  working  five  years  at  the  trade  in  Germany, 
emigrated  to  America  in  1874,  settling  first  in  Utica,  and  then  in  Oneida  in  1875; 
whence  in  1878,  he  removed  to  Deerfield  Corners,  where  he  has  since  resided  and 
carried  on  the  business  of  manufacturing  clothing  for  Utica  firms.  In  1874  he  mar- 
ried Mary,  adopted  daughter  of  John  Summerfield  of  Germany,  where  she  was  reared 
and  educated,  and  came  to  America  in  1873.     They  have  three  children;  Adaliue, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  13 

Lilly  and  Heury  M.     Mr.  Gliffe  is  an  active  Republican,  and  has  been   overseer  of 
the  poor  for  seven  years  in  succession. 

Garrett,  Edward  E.,  was  born  in  South  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  November  9,  1841,  son  of 
John  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Savage)  Garrett.  John  P.  was  born  in  the  house  where 
Edward  E.  now  lives,  and  is  a  son  of  Cheney  and  Lorena  (Plant)  Garrett,  who  came 
from  Connecticut,  and  built  the  first  frame  house  in  the  city  of  Utica.  Cheney  was 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  also  farmmg,  and  as  a  carpenter.  John  P.  was  also 
engaged  in  farming,  and  was  town  superintendent  of  schools,  and  has  been  constable 
and  collector  for  many  years.  He  was  a  member  of  Co.  E,  97th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols., 
and  was  a  private  detailed  as  a  musician.  His  children  were  William  Henry,  Edward 
Eugene,  Cornelia  Eliza,  Ella  Elizabeth  and  George  W.  Edward  E.  Garrett  mar- 
ried Marian,  adopted  daughter  of  Charles  Wall,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  John 
Cheney  Garrett.  Mr.  Garrett  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  1st  U.  S.  Sharpshooters,  better 
known  as  Berdan's  Sharpshooters,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Thomas  Post  of  Prospect, 
N.  Y.  He  is  engaged  in  farming.  John  P.  Garrett  is  a  member  of  the  Hunt  Post 
of  Holland  Patent.  James  Garrett,  son  of  Cheney,  was  a  missionary  and  died  in 
Bombay,  India,  and  his  son,  Samuel  James,  died  in  Andersonville  Prison,  a  member 
of  Co.  D,  146th  Regt. 

Gaus,  Fred  E.,  was  born  in  Stittville,  N.  Y.,  May  3,  1861,  son  of  Christian  and 
Rosene  (Sickenberger)  Gaus,  who  settled  in  Stittville  about  1852,  and  whose  children 
were  Mary,  Christiana,  Carrie  Mularky,  and  Fred  E.  Fred  E.  Gaus  married  Marv 
E.,  daughter  of  John  and  Sylvia  Merriman,  residents  of  Prospect,  N.  Y.,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children:  Winifred  and  John.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  busmess,  at  which  he  now  continues.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  the  Stittville  Canning  Company,  and  is  one  of  its  directors,  and  is  also  a  di- 
rector of  the  Merchants  Co-operative  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  He  was 
appointed  postmaster  under  Cleveland,  in  1888.  Mr.  Gaus  is  a  member  of  the  Rem- 
sen  F.  &  A.  M.  Lodge,  No.  677,  of  Trenton,  also  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  577,  of  Trenton, 
and  the  United  Friends. 

Hagedorn,  Henry,  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  N.  Y.,  November  15,  1838,  son 
of  Henry  and  Margaret  Hagedorn,  of  Hamilton  county.  Henry  Hagedorn,  jr.,  set- 
tled in  Oneida  county  with  his  family  about  1880.  His  wife  was  Amelia,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Colwell,  of  Herkimer  county,  and  they  have  one  child,  Katherine,  who 
was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  February  4,  1881.  Mr.  Hagedorn  started  for  himself 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age  as  a  carpenter,  which  business  he  followed  until  1880, 
when  he  purchased  the  grist  and  grinding  mill  at  Prospect,  which  he  has  run  to  the 
present  time.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Lodge  No.  221,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  of  Prospect, 
and  is  active  in  lodge  work. 

Hamlin,  Fred  W.,  was  born  near  Holland  Patent.  October  9,  1819,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Catherine  Hamlin.  Joseph  is  a  son  of  William  Hamlin,  whose  children  were 
Joseph  and  David,  who  came  to  Trenton  with  their  father  in  1807.  Joseph  married 
Catherine  Wefet,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Joseph  S.,  Marietta,  Frederick  W., 
David,  and  Sophia.  He  was  actively  interested  in  town  and  county  affairs,  and 
was  assessor  of  the  town  many  years.  Fred  W.  married  Mary  Ann  (deceased), 
daughter  of  Broughton  White,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Mary  Ann  (deceased). 


i4  -  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Millicent  Le  Moyne,  a  daughter  of  William  Webb 
De  Anglis,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Charles  F.,  Johnnie  A.  (deceased),  and 
Mary  A.  Mr.  Hamlin  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  also  in  live  stock. 
He  was  active  in  the  building  and  support  of  the  Holland  Patent  Academy,  and  his 
wife  and  children  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Hughes,  Edgar,  was  bom  in  Boonville,  in  1863,  son  of  John  J.  Hughes,  who  died  in 
1886.  His  mother  was  Sarah  A.  McClusky  of  Boonville,  and  here  he  was  educated. 
He  was  early  connected  with  the  flour  and  feed  mill,  and  was  also  proprietor  of  the 
Washington  meat  market,  and  his  first  public  office  was  that  of  president  of  the  vil- 
lage in  the  years  1893,  1894;  he  was  also  a  membc-  of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  now 
holds  the  responsible  position  of  canal  superintendent,  of  section  No.  1,  Black  River 
Canal  over  which  he  has  charge,  havmg  seventj'-two  locks,  requiring  fifty-two  tend- 
ers, which  with  other  employees,  constitute  about  100  men  under  his  direction.  In 
1891  he  married  Lillie  M.  Burt,  daughter  of  P.  K.  Burt,  a  lumberman.  Mr.  Hughes 
is  president  of  the  Acme  Hose  Co.,  also  secretary  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Franklin,  James  H.,  was  born  in  Ava,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  September  10,  1828, 
son  of  Gilbert  and  Sarah  (Farr)  Franklin,  he  a  native  of  Herkimer  county,  N.Y. ,  and 
she  of  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.  David  Franklin,  the  great-grandfather  of  James 
H.,was  born  in  England,  emigrated  to  America  j^rior  to  the  Revolution,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  there  died,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  children :  James, 
Wait  and  Mary  Franklin.  The  grandfather,  James  Franklin,  came  from  Connecti- 
cut to  Herkimer  county,  thence  to  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  where  he  died  in  1825. 
The  maternal  grandparents,  Peris  and  Dolly  (Foster)  Farr,  came  from  New  Hamp- 
shire and  settled  in  Remsen  where  they  died.  Gilbert  Frankhn,  father  of  James  H., 
came  to  Ava  in  1826  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son.  He  purchased 
154  acres  of  land,  then  an  imbroken  wilderness,  and  cleared  130  acres.  He  died  in 
1854  and  his  wife  died  in  1885.  James  H.  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools.  He  taught  school  nine  winters,  farming  summers,  and  now 
owns  a  farm  of  192  acres,  with  a  dairy  of  about  thirty  cows.  In  1858  he  married 
Caroline,  daughter  of  Davis  Tuthill  of  Ava,  by  whom  he  hacl  three  children :  John 
C,  a  farmer  on  the  homestead;  Ellsworth  D.,  proprietor  of  a  cheese  factory  at  Hill- 
side, N.  Y.  ;  Elwin  J.,  who  died  at  twenty-four  years  of  age.  Mr.  Franklin  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics,  has  been  commissioner  of  highways  and  is  now  assessor  of  his  town. 

Halstead,  Charles  N.,  was  born  in  Redfield,  Oswego  county,  March  19,  1852,  son 
of  Henry  and  Ameha  (Nettleton)  Halstead.  Henry  came  here  with  his  father,  Tim- 
othy, when  four  years  of  age,  in  1798  or  1799,  and  settled  near  McConnellsville.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  N.  Halstead's  children  were  Henry  J.,  Martha  L.,  Charles  N., 
Frank  H.,  and  three  deceased.  Timothy  was  in  the  Revolutionary  war  three  or  four 
years,  and  Henry  served  m  the  war  of  1812.  Timothy  Halstead  was  the  third  settler 
in  town,  coming  from  Connecticut  to  the  town  of  Trenton,  and  from  there  to 
Vienna. 

Harris,  Henry,  was  born  in  Parish  of  Plynt,  county  of  Cornwall,  England,  Febru 
ary  22,  1824,  son  of  Henry  and  Ann  (Bate)  Harris,  natives  of  England.  Mr.  Harris 
died  in  parish  of  Landreath,  in  1841,  and  Mrs.  Harris  came  to  America  in  1869  and 
resided  with  her  daughter  in  the  town  of  Lee,  where  she  died  in  1873.     Mr.  Henry 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  15 

Harris's  grandparents.  John  and  Elizabeth  Harris,  were  farmers  in  England.  Mr. 
Harris  wms  reared  in  England,  where  he  served  seven  years'  apprenticeship  at  the 
tailor's  trade,  and  came  to  America  in  1854,  where  he  served  three  years'  apprentice- 
ship at  the  blacksmith  trade.  He  later  engaged  in  farming,  which  has  been  his  life 
work,  in  connection  with  butchering,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  eight  years ;  and 
he  has  a  farm  of  192  acres.  In  1856  he  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Truman  and 
Eunice  (Higbee)  Harger,  of  Ava,  by  whom  he  has  had  seven  children:  James  H.  T., 
Eunice  H.  L.,  Eliza  A.  E.  (deceased),  Janet  M.  L.,  wife  of  N.  Rockwell,  of  Iowa; 
Sarah  E.  J.,  wife  of  T.  R.  Walker,  of  South  Dakota;  Augusta  E.  M.,  wife  of  F.  C. 
Silberhorn,  of  Chicago;  and  Susan  M.  L.,  wife  of  Henry  Pohl,  of  Ava.  Mrs.  Harris 
died  in  1868,  and  Mr.  Hams  married  for  his  second  wife  Rachel  Sassenbury,  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Ella  C,  Samuel  J.,  Edith  R.,  and 
Rosena  A.  E.  (deceased).  Mr.  Harris  has  been  road  commissioner  for  three  years, 
and  supervisor  for  four  years. 

Jones,  Richard  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  December  27,  1832,  son  of 
James  R.  and  Ann  Jones,  natives  of  Wales.  James  R.  came  to  Steuben  about  1817, 
and  one  year  later  married  Ann,  daughter  of  Even  Lewis,  and  they  have  six  chil- 
dren: William  J.,  Ellen  Grithths,  Even  J.,  Mary,  Jesse  N.,  and  Richard  J.  Mr.  Jones 
was  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  a  member  and  deacon  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Steuben.  Richard  J.  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  John  W.  Pritchard,  by  whom 
he  has  six  children:  Manzie,  James  R.,  John  P.,  Jesse,  Katie  M.,  and  Georgiana  L. 
Mr.  Jones  in  early  life,  with  his  brother  Jesse,  was  engaged  as  a  carpenter  and 
builder,  and  in  1867  they  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  they  still  continue.  Richard 
J.  is  a  member  of  Trenton  Grange,  and  an  active  worker  and  deacon  in  the  Congre- 
gational church. 

Jones,  Robert  G.,  was  born  in  Wales,  May  25,  1852.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1870  and  settled  in  Oneida  coimty,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  been  a  successful  and 
prominent  business  man,  being  interested  in  the  milling  business,  owning  a  grist 
and  saw  mill,  and  running  a  cheese  box  factory  with  a  capacity  of  turning  out  500 
boxes  per  day.  Mr.  Jones  is  also  largely  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese, 
owning  at  this  time  two  factories,^  one  in  Annsville  and  one  in  Steuben,  Oneida 
county.  He  married  Jeanette  Jones,  of  Western.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

Jackson,  B.  O.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y..  in  1831,  son  of 
Thomas  Jackson,  of  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  a  descendant  of  the  old  renowned 
family  of  Andrew  Jackson.  His  father  came  here  in  pioneer  times  of  1807,  and 
cleared  the  land  where  his  son  now  resides.  The  farm  is  devoted  to  dairying,  and 
contains  240  acres,  on  which  Mr.  Jackson  erected  an  elegant  modern  residence  in 
1870.  In  1863  he  married  Nancy  C,  daughter  of  Hamilton  Rice  of  Fairfield,  Her- 
kimer county,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Clara  E.  and  Ward  R. 

Kilborn,  Dr.  George  L.,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  in  1863.  His  father,  Dr. 
Henry  F.  Kilborn,  was  born  in  Brockville,  N.  Y.,  m  1844,  and  practiced  medicine 
for  twenty-one  years  in  Croghan,  Lewis  county.  He  is  one  of  five  sons  and  four 
daughters  born  to  Lewis  Kilborn,  a  farmer  of  Vermont.  The  Kilborn  (or  Kilnburn) 
family  dates  back  many  generations,   three  brothers  from  England,  who  settled  in 


I 


16  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  east  and  burned  lime,  whence  the  name  Kilnburn.  Henrj^  F.  Kilborn,  father  of 
George  L.,  now  a  practicing  physician  in  Watertown,  married  Sarah  Nichols,  by 
whom  he  had  these  children :  Anna,  George,  Mary,  and  Nellie.  The  daughters  all 
married  doctors.  Mr.  Kilborn  has  been  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows  for 
twenty  years,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  George  L.  Kilborn  received  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  Lowville  Academy  and  Utica  Business  College,  after  which  he 
taught  school  for  two  years,  and  then  took  a  medical  course  in  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont; in  1888  he  was  graduated  from  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  after  which  he  practiced  with  his  father  in  Croghan  one  year,  thence  to 
West  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  1892  he  re- 
moved to  Forestport,  where  he  now  enjoys  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  S.  F.  I.,  of  which  he  is  the  medical  examiner.  In  1889  he  married 
Laura,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Bush)  Bush,  by  whom  he  has  three  chil- 
dren: Luverne,  Blain,  and  Henry. 

Lewis,  John  M.,  was  born  in  Utica,  March  24,  1824.  Was  the  eldest  son  of  David 
and  Fanny  Lewis.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  In  early 
manhood  he  learned  the  drug  business,  and  in  1847  located  in  Boonville,  establishing 
the  first  drug  store  in  the  village,  remaining  in  the  business  till  his  death,  which 
occurred  May  28,  1881.  Within  the  year  of  his  coming  here  to  reside,  he  secured  the 
appointment  of  postmaster  succeeding  Major  Graves.  Mr.  Lewis  continued  in  the 
office  of  postmaster  during  the  changing  administrations  over  twenty-five  years, 
sustained  alike  by  political  friends  and  opponents,  a  result  unparalleled  in  the 
county  save  in  one  instance.  He  was  an  ardent  politician.  Originally  a  Whig,  he 
was  one  of  the  first  to  profess  allegiance  to  the  newly  organized  Republican  party, 
and  never  wavered  from  its  principles.  At  the  organization  of  Trinity  Episcopal 
church,  he  was  elected  warden,  an  office  in  which  he  continued  during  his  life.  He 
was  devotedly  attached  to  his  church  and  contributed  liberally  to  its  support,  pecun- 
iarily, and  still  more  effectively  by  his  untiring  efforts  to  sustain  its  influence  and 
teachings.  He  was  prominently  connected  with  all  that  furthered  the  best  interests 
of  the  village.  In  his  intercourse  with  society  Mr.  Lewis  was  quiet  and  reticent, 
but  there  is  not  often  found  a  heart  so  filled  with  the  very  spirit  of  love  and  kindness, 
of  loyalty  and  devotion  to  friends,  as  many  beneficiaries  can  attest.  In  October, 
1850,  he  married  Lovina  C,  daughter  of  Thomas  Jackson,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Boonville,  who  came  here  in  1805. 

Mayhew,  Mortimer  M.,  son  of  Merchant  and  grandson  of  Robert,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides  August  27,  1842.  Robert  Mayhew  and  his  wife,  Mary, 
came  to  this  country  from  England  in  1796,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford, 
N.  Y.  Here  Merchant  Mayhew  was  born.  When  a  young  man  Merchant  moved  to 
the  town  of  Marcy  where  he  married  Hannah  Haskill  by  whom  he  had  two  children, 
Melissa  M.,  wife  of  Thomas  W.  Carr,  and  Mortimer  M.  After  his  marriage  Merchant 
Mayhew  and  his  wife  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  River  Road  in  Marcy  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  Hannah  dying  in  1882  and  her  husband  four  years 
later.  In  1865  Mortimer  Mayhew  married  Jane  C.  Fuller,  daughter  of  Austin  and 
Laura  Fuller,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  Laura  F.  and  Carolyn  H.  Laura  F. 
Mayhew  was  graduated  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy  in  1885.  After  her  gradu- 
ation she  taught  school  until  1890  when  she  was  elected  school  commissioner  of  the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  17 

first  district  of  Oneida  county,  being  the  first  woman  ever  nominated  for  office  in 
Oneida  county.  Carolyn  H.  Mayhew  was  graduated  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy 
in  1890  and  subsequently  from  the  classical  course  of  the  State  Normal  College  at 
Albany.  She  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  Mortimer  Mav- 
hew  was  elected  collector  from  1862  to  1863,  assessor  from  1863  to  1878  and  since 
1884  he  has  served  his  town  as  supervisor  for  seven  terms. 

Mack,  Jonathan,  was  born  in  Ireland,  June  9,  1812.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1850,  settled  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  through 
his  own  energy  and  push  has  acquired  quite  an  amount  of  property,  and  is  the  owner 
of  230  acres,  mostly  all  improved.  He  married  Mary  Shaw,  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he 
had  six  children  who  grew  to  maturity:  Robert,  Jacob,  David,  Isaac,  Mary  and 
Jennie.  Mr.  Mack  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  a  respected  citizen,  and  an  in- 
dulgent husband  and  father.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

McGuire,  Mrs.  Mary  (Coughlin),  widow  of  the  late  Philip  McGuire,  was  born  in  Boon- 
ville,  now  Forestport,  in  1844,  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (McGuire)  Coughlin, 
both  natives  of  Ireland.  In  1864,  she  married  Philip  McGuire,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1837.  At  twenty  years  of  age,  he  came  to  America,  where  he  settled  in 
Oneida  county,  and  engaged  in  farm  work,  and  later  worked  in  a  tannery  at  Hawk- 
insville  for  five  years;  he  then  spent  a  year  at  lumbering  at  Lyon  Falls,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering  in  Forestport,  in  which  he  was  very  success- 
ful. He  owned  350  acres  of  farm  land,  and  7,000  acres  of  timber.  He  purchased  a 
tannery  in  1891,  which  he  conducted,  and  in  1874  he  erected  the  grist  mill  in  Forest- 
port, now  owned  by  W.  R.  Stanbury ;  in  1888  he  erected  a  pulp  mill  which  he  operated 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  15,  1894,  by  accidentally  falling  through  a 
trap  door  in  his  barn.  In  1881  he  erected  and  operated  for  three  j^ears,  the  feed  mill 
now  owned  by  George  Farley.  He  also  erected  large  and  commodious  buildings, 
also  a  cheese  factory,  and  in  1889,  he  was  awarded  the  contract  for  building  a  State 
dam  one  and  one-half  miles  above  Forestport,  consideration  $45,000.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McGuire  had  seven  children:  Anna,  Catherine,  Mary,  Frank,  Grace,  Frances,  and 
Bertha.  Anna  died  in  1882.  Frank  was  educated  at  Manhattan  College;  Mary, 
Grace  and  Frances  were  graduates  of  St  Peter's  Academy'  of  Rome.  Since  Mr.  Mc- 
Guire's  death  Mrs.  McGuire  with  the  assistance  of  her  daughters  has  carried  on  the 
large  business,  which  she  is  closing  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

Marsh,  Lyman,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  N.  Y.,  August  25,  1812,  son  of  Abram  and 
Mary  (Bleekman)  Marsh ;  he  a  native  of  Hoosac,  and  she  of  Massachusetts.  John 
Marsh,  father  of  Abram,  came  from  the  east  and  was  an  early  settler  of  Salisbury, 
where  he  owned  a  large  farm,  and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-four  years.  Abram 
Marsh  was  captain  in  1812,  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  he  spent  his  life  on  the  home- 
stead farm.  He  was  a  member  of  Salisbury  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  supervisor 
of  his  town  several  terms.  Lyman  Marsh  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  his  principal 
occupation  has  been  farming.  He  came  to  Deerfield  in  1845,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming.  In  1837,  he  married  Achsa,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lucy 
(Smith)  Munson.  Mr.  Munson  was  a  native  of  Wallingford,  Conn".,  and  Mrs.  Munson 
of  Littleton,  N.  H.  The  grandparents,  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Hart)  Munson,  came 
to  Salisbury  in  1792.     Jacob  Munson  died  1847,  aged  seventy-one  years,  and  Mrs. 


18  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Munson  died  in  1837,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marsh  have  one 
child;  Emma,  who  was  born  August  29,  1839.  married  to  Rev.  John  R.  Lewis  of  the 
Presbyterian  church;  their  grandson,  John  H..  born  January  3.  1865;  he  is  complet- 
mg  his  musical  education  at  Cincinnati.     Mr.  Marsh  has  been  assessor  several  years. 

Moore,  Maria.— Michael  Moore  was  born  in  New  York  city,  April  3,  1803,  and  set- 
tled in  Oneida  county  in  1832.  In  1831  he  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Rev.  John 
and  Abigail  (Perkins)  Sherman,  by  whom  he  had  these  children:  Michael,  Archibald 
Dunlap,  Julia  Sherman,  Charles  Edward,  John  Robert,  Maria  Moore  Jones,  Roger 
Sherman,  Samuel  Glover,  and  Abbie  Perkins  Gouge,  all  of  whom  are  natives  of  the 
town.  In  early  life  Michael  was  a  wool  merchant  in  New  York  city,  but  after  his 
residence  in  Oneida  county  his  time  was  spent  in  the  study  of  geology  and  the  im- 
provement of  the  Trenton  Falls  property,  which  the  Rev.  John  Sherman  had  com- 
menced, making  it  one  of  the  most  noted  resorts  in  New  York  State.  These  sons 
served  in  the  army  of  the  Rebellion,  Michael,  Charles,  Edward  and  J.  Robert. 

Miller,  G.  Adam,  sr.,  was  born  in  Weitenberg,  Middlestadt,  Germany,  January  6, 
1827,  son  of  George  Miller.  G.  Adam  located  at  State  Bridge,  N.  Y.,  in  1851.  and 
moved  to  Vienna  in  1867.  He  married  Christina  Rung,  and  they  have  four  children  . 
Mary  Olden,  Libbie  Cole,  Jennie,  wife  of  Charles  Nobles;  and  three  step-children; 
Frederick,  George  and  Louise  Rung.  G.  Adam,  sr.,  follows  farming,  and  is  also 
connected  with  his  son,  G.  Adam,  jr.,  in  the  sand  business,  shipping  for  furnaces, 
etc.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  public  spirited  man  and  has  been  very  active  in  building  up  and 
improving  the  property  at  Sylvan  Beach.  He  is  a  member  of  Vienna,  F.  &.  A.  M.. 
No.  440. 

Miller,  G.  Adam,  jr.,  was  born  in  what  is  now  called  Sylvan  Beach,  January  4, 
1870,  son  of  G.  Adam  Miller,  sr.  He  married  Virginia  E.,  daughter  of  Washington 
Sewell  Sautell,  and  they  have  three  children:  Sewell,  G.  Adam,  jr.,  and  Christiana 
v.,  all  of  whom  were  born  on  the  homestead  at  Sj'lvan  Beach.  G.  Adam,  jr.,  is  as- 
sociated with  his  father  in  business,  and  they  ship  from  7,000  to  10,000  tons  of  Oneida 
Lake  sand  yearly,  which  is  used  on  railroads,  cores  for  malleable  castings,  and  also 
for  furnace  bottoms,  and  is  of  the  finest  quality  in  use.  G.  Adam,  jr.,  is  a  member 
of  Vienna,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  440. 

McClanathan,  William,  was  born  September  21,  1817,  near  Lake  Champlain,  Vt., 
and  came  to  Higginsville  about  1846,  and  one  j-ear  later  married  Martha  Jane,  a 
daughter  of  John  Babbitt,  who  resided  at  Fish  Creek  Landing,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Caroline  Medora  Baker,  Lester,  William  Henry, 
Elmer  E.,  Francis  L.,  Betsey  M.  Jones,  Viola  A.  Cole,  Benjamin  F.,  Eudora,  and 
Ulysses  Monroe,  of  whom  the  last  three  are  deceased.  William  followed  lumbering, 
farming,  and  boating  until  1882,  since  which  time  until  his  death  in  1887,  he  engaged 
only  in  farming.  Lester  McClanathan  married  Gertie  E. ,  daughter  of  Jay  C.  and 
Eunice  Conger  Bailey,  and  they  have  one  child.  Myrtle  L.  Lester  is  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  has  followed  boating  for  a  number  of  years,  but  is  now  entirely  engaged  in 
farming. 

Midlam,  John  W.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  December  4,  1832,  a  son  of  John  and 
Jane  (Smith)  Midlam,  natives  of  England,  the  former  born  in  Callerton,  Yorkshire, 
November  14,  1796,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  1822,  coming  to  Westmoreland, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  19 

Oneida  county,  thence  to  Utica,  where  he  engaged  in  the  butchering  business.  In 
1833  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Floyd,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  thirty- 
five  years.  In  1868  he  removed  to  Rome,  where  he  died  in  1878,  aged  eighty-two 
years.  He  was  strictly  honest  and  upright,  scrupulously  exact  in  his  business  trans- 
actions, and  tor  upwards  of  twenty-five  years  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church. 
His  children  were  Eliza  (Mrs.  George  Massee),  Frank  S.,  Mary  J.  (Mrs.  T.  J.  Selden), 
John  W.,  Hannah  (Mrs.  Ezra  Clark),  Samuel  T.,  Susan,  Carrie  F.  (Mrs.  Thomas 
Warcup),  and  Safaria.  John  W.  Midlam  was  reared  in  Floyd  from  infancy,  and  be- 
gan life  as  a  farmer,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  more  or  less  all  his  life.  Janu- 
ary 11,  1865,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Hannah  (Simpson)  Warcup, 
of  Western,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Robert  W. 

Mullin,  Martin  H.,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  July  11,  1842,  son  of  the  late  Mar- 
tin Mullin,  who  was  also  born  in  New  York  city.  Martin  H.  came  to  the  town  of 
Annsville  when  seven  years  of  age,  with  his  stepfather,  John  Sheehan.  The  occu- 
pation of  the  father  was  stevedoring  in  New  York.  He  married  Mary  Quinn,  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  when  ten  years  of  age,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren: Katie,  Michael,  who  was  killed  in  Sacramento,  Cal.,  March  11,  1879;  and  Mar- 
tin H.,  who  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  this  town,  after  which  he 
engaged  in  farming.  May  4,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  86th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  re-enUsted 
December  2,  1863,  in  the  24th  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  and  was  discharged  August  1,  1865,  as 
first  lieutenant  of  Co.  F,  24th  Cav.  He  was  in  most  of  the  noted  battles,  such  as 
Cold  Harbor,  Antietam,  Gettysburg,  etc.,  and  was  at  Lee's  surrender,  April  9,  1865. 
He  married  Maggie  Enright,  of  Annsville,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Molly,  James, 
William,  Michael,  Nellie  and  Katie.  Mr.  Mullin  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  was  com- 
missioner for  four  years  and  town  assessor  six  years.  He  is  commander  of  Ballard 
Post   G.  A.  R.,  No.  551. 

Kmg,  William,  was  born  in  Holland,  in  1850.  His  father,  Henry  King,  was  born 
about  1825,  and  was  a  barber  in  Holland.  He  came  to  New  York  about  1851,  and 
soon  after  came  to  Forestport,  where  he  worked  many  years  for  Dr.  Piatt  Williams. 
He  married  Hannah  Nichols,  daughter  of  Christian  and  Anna  Nichols,  natives  of 
Holland,  who  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Forestport.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  had 
these  children:  William,  Charles,  Anna,  deceased,  wife  of  Charles  Cronan,  Albert, 
Henry  and  Hannah ;  the  three  latter  died  young.  Mrs.  King  died  in  1860.  When 
twelve  years  of  age  William  King  began  as  a  chore  boy  for  Dr.  Williams.  When 
twenty-two  years  of  age  he  began  his  apprenticeship  as  a  blacksmith,  and  in  1883 
started  a  shop  for  himself  on  his  present  site  in  Forestport,  where  he  has  made  a 
success,  and  up  to  1893  manufactured  wagons  and  sleighs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  of  Forestport.  In  1876  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  William 
Farley,  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  had  these  children:  Anson,  Lee,  Grace  Mabel  and 
Clarence. 

Beyel,  Charles,  was  born  in  Ava,  N.  Y. ,  March  22,  1854,  son  of  Phillip  and  Eliza- 
beth (Fadner)  Beyel,  natives  of  Germany.  Phillip  Beyel  came  to  America  in  1829, 
and  settled  in  Bufi:alo,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Beyel  came  with  her  parents,  Martin  and  Eliza- 
beth Fadner,  in  1832  and  also  settled  in  Buffalo.  In  1840  they  came  to  Ava,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  grandparents,  Phillip  and  Barbara 
Beyel,  lived  and  died  in  Germany,  and  Phillip  was  a  wagonmaker.     Phillip,  jr.,  was 


20 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


a  soldier  in  Germany  eight  years.  He  bought  a  farm  in  Ava  of  165  acres,  and  died 
in  1870.  Mrs.  Beyel  is  still  living  on  the  homestead  with  her  son,  Charles.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  West  Leyden  school,  and  has  always  lived  on  a  farm,  and  he 
owns  170  acres,  and  keeps  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  cows.  He  is  also  a  mason  and 
carpenter.  In  1876  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Catherine  Roser,  by 
whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Alta.  Mr.  Beyel  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  assessor 
three  years,  and  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  full  term  in  1896;  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange  at  West  Leyden. 

Spratt,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  21,  1845, 
son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  (Hogbin)  Spratt,  both  natives  of  England,  she  of 
Dover  and  he  of  Kent;  they  came  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1844,  and  engaged  in  market 
gardening,  which  business  they  followed  through  life.  Mr.  Spratt  died  in  1881,  aged 
seventy  years.  Charles  H.  Spratt  was  educated  in  the  district  and  \yilliams  private 
schools  of  Utica,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  market  gardening  for  special  custom- 
ers in  Utica.  In  1865  he  married  Winifred,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Winifred  Evans 
Owens,  both  natives  of  Wales  and  early  settlers  near  Utica.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spratt 
have  four  children:  William  H.,  a  farmer  of  Deerfield;  George  H.,  a  barber  at  Utica; 
Ella  M. ;  and  Minnie  E.,  who  died  January  14,  1870,  aged  two  years  and  six  months. 

Rogers,  J.  W.,  was  born  in  Boonville  in  1836,  son  of  Josiah  Rogers,  who  was  also 
born  in  Boonville,  in  1797,  and  who  spent  his  whole  life  in  this  vicinity.  His  name 
is  a  synonym  for  unswerving  honesty  of  purpose,  reliance  and  substantial  worth. 
His  father,  Jacob  Rogers,  being  one  of  the  first  comers  here  from  Massachusetts, 
was  the  central  firgure  in  the  development  of  all  its  resources.  Jacob  Rogers  was 
elected  the  first  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Boonville  in  1805.  Josiah  Rogers  married 
Achsah  Pitcher,  daughter  of  Daniel  Pitcher,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children.  He 
died  in  1864,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  In  1872  J.  W.  Rogers  married  Ellen  Grant, 
daughter  of  Nelson  C.  Grant  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Edgar, 
aged  twenty,  and  Grace,  aged  seventeen.  Mr.  Rogers  was  a  Republican,  but  is  now 
a  prominent  Prohibitionist,  and  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause.  His 
family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  deacon  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  an  active  worker  in  all  movements  for  the  uplifting  of  society. 

Waterbury,  Nathaniel  G.,  was  born  in  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  March  12,  1847,  son 
of  Col.  Stephen  N.  Waterbur3%  a  native  of  Nassau,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  born 
in  1805,  one  of  nine  children  born  to  Joseph  Waterburj'.  In  early  life  Col.  Stephen 
Waterbury  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  at  Watervliet,  Albany 
county,  N.  Y.,  but  he  afterwards  disposed  of  his  factory  and  purchased  a  farm,  where 
he  spent  his  remaining  days.  He  was  colonel  of  a  company  of  State  militia.  He 
first  married  Caroline  Sanford,  and  their  children  were  Warren  S.,  Joseph,  Chaun- 
cey,  and  Mary  C,  all  deceased  except  Joseph.  Mr.  Waterbury  then  married  Ann  E., 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Esther  Griffes,  of  Schenectady  county,  and  their  children 
were  Carrie  A.,  wife  of  Alonzo  Denton,  of  Forestport;  Angeline  M.,  wife  of  Charles 
Denton  of  Forestport;  and  Nathaniel  G.  Mr.  Stephen  Waterbury  died  in  1857,  and 
his  wife  in  1884,  aged  seventy-five  years.  In  18o8  the  family  removed  from  the 
homestead  to  Schenectady,  where  Nathaniel  G.  attended  school.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  boot  and  shoe  store  of  John  Consaul,  with  whom  he 
remained  seven  years.     In  1869  he  came  to  Forestport  and  purchased  the  interest  of 


! 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  21 

Mr.  Thurston  in  the  firm  of  Denton  &  Thurston,  general  merchants,  where  he  has 
since  continued  under  the  firm  name  of  Denton  &  Waterbury.  Under  the  manage- 
mont  of  these  two  gentlemen  the  business  has  been  largely  increased,  Mr.  Waterbury 
taking  charge  of  the  store  and  financial  part  of  the  business  and  Mr.  Denton  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  Mr.  Waterbury  was  town  clerk  for  several  years  and  is  now 
postmaster.  He  has  often  been  elected  delegate  to  county  and  district  conventions. 
In  1869  he  married  Amelia,  daughter  of  Angus  Mcintosh  a  resident  of  Schenectady, 
and  who  was  assemblyman  from  that  district.  Their  children  are  Angus  M.,  a  grad- 
uate of  Poughkeepsie  Business  College,  now  has  charge  of  the  retail  lumber  business 
of  Denton  &  Waterbury,  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y. ;  Claribel,  a  graduate  of  Hamilton 
Seminary,  an  artist,  having  spent  three  winters  at  Cooper  Institute  in  New  York 
city ;  Clarence,  and  Warren  C. 

Annis,  Albert  S.,  was  born  in  Redfield,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  March  16,  1855, 
son  of  Lury  and  Rebecca  Brown  Annis,  who  settled  in  Oneida  county  in  1863.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Annis  were  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Gardner  C,  deceased;  John  M., 
Volnej'  P.,  Eleanor,  Myron,  Henry,  Geraldine,  Atwell,  and  Albert  S.  The  latter 
married  Mertie,  daughter  of  John  Auchard  and  a  native  of  North  Bay,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  three  children-  Edith,  Ola,  and  Lola.  Albert  has  followed  boat  build- 
ing and  boating  as  an  occupation.  Mr.  Annis  belongs  to  Sylvan  Beach  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Lodge  No.  326,  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  440,  of  Vienna,  and  at  present  is  master  of  the 
Lodge,  and  has  also  held  the  position  of  junior  and  senior  warden.  Was  elected 
supervisor  of  the  town  March  3,  1896. 

Kenyon,  Dr.  O.  S. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lee,  September  20,  1836,  son  of  Joseph 
Kenyon,  who  was  also  born  in  Lee.  The  ancestors  came  here  from  Connecticut 
when  the  town  was  a  wilderness,  and  took  up  farming.  O.  S.  Kenyon  is  one  of  three 
children  from  the  union  of  Joseph  Kenyon  and  Julia  Douglas,  daughter  of  Dr.  S. 
Douglas,  Sandy  Creek,  N.  Y. ,  with  whom  our  subject  began  the  study  of  medicine. 
He  has  been  in  practice  and  also  ran  a  drug  store  in  Taberg  since  1868,  twenty-eight 
years.  He  married  Elizabeth  J.  Barton  of  Annsville.  Under  the  administration  of 
Grant  and  Hayes  Dr.  Kenyon  was  postmaster  in  Taberg  from  1873  to  1881. 

Gifford,  Hamilton  W. .  was  born  in  the  town  of  Smithfield,  Madison  county,  N.  Y., 
August  3,  1820.  The  father,  Elihu  R.  Gifford,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  October 
7,  1797,  and  came  to  Madison  county  when  quite  a  young  man,  where  he  began  life 
as  a  farmer,  and  remained  there  for  a  few  years,  then  removing  to  the  town  of  Flor- 
ence, Oneida  county,  where  he  spent  the  balance  of  his  days.  He  married  Diana 
Spencer  of  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Hamilton  W.,  Elmira,  Jeanette,  and  Mary,  the  two  latter  being  deceased.  Hamil- 
ton W.,  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Florence,  and  he  has  been  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  For  his  first  wife  he  married  Rosanna.  daughter  of  Daniel  Plumb, 
and  they  have  three  children :  Electa,  Sarah,  and  Eugenie.  His  second  wife  was 
Mary,  daughter  of  Isaac  Northrop,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children :  Will- 
iam, Henry,  Rosanna,  Elihu,  and  Thomas.  William  Gifford  is  assistant  county 
clerk  in  Oneida  county,  and  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Camden.  This  family  have 
always  advocated  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

Neaskern,  John,  was  born  in  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  June  9,  1828,  son  of  Henry 


22  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Nancy  (Utman)  Neaskern,  natives  of  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  who  settled  in 
Augusta  in  the  early  twenties,  where  the  father  engaged  in  farming,  and  died  in  the 
town  of  Paris,  aged  forty-seven  years.  John  Neaskern  was  reared  in  Oneida  county, 
and  is  a  basketmaker  by  trade,  and,  with  the  exception  of  five  years  that  he  hved  in 
Osceola,  Lewis  county,  has  resided  in  Western  since  1842,  where  his  principal  occu- 
pation has  been  farming.  In  1849  he  married  Sarah  D.,  daughter  of  Abraham  and 
Nancy  (Vandawalker)  Fox,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  Charles  H.. 
Melissa  J.,  Nancy  (Mrs.  Melvin  Capron);  Melva  (Mrs.  J.  C.  Stannard);  and  Lizzie  S. 
Mr.  Neaskern  was  in  the  late  civil  war,  enlisting  in  1861,  in  Co.  I,  81st  N.  Y.  Vols., 
and  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  on  account  of  disability  in  April, 
1862.     He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Prohibitionist. 

Norton,  William  M.,  was  born  in  Georgetown,  Madison  county,  N.  Y..  November 
24,  1840,  a  son  of  Ezra  and  Margaret  (Louk)  Norton,  natives  of  Chenango  county. 
N.  Y.,  and  Western,  respectively.  His  maternal  grandfather,  a  native  of  Rensse- 
laer county,  N.  Y. ,  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Western.  Ezra  Norton,  father  of  Will- 
iam M.,  was  a  stone  and  brick  mason  and  plasterer  by  trade.  In  1851  he  located  in 
Western  and  v/orked  at  his  trade  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  G,  2d  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery,  and  after  two  years  service  died  of  brain 
fever  in  a  Washington  ho.spital.  William  M.  was  reared  in  Western  from  eleven 
years  of  age,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  has  followed  various 
occupations,  including  clerking,  boating  on  the  canal,  farming,  merchandising,  and 
since  1881,  has  conducted  a  tin  shop  at  North  Western.  In  1873  he  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Casler)  Van  Buskirk,  of  Western.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  R.  A.  M.,  and  K.  T.,  has  been  town  clerk  of  Western  and 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  sixteen  years.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Nicholas,  Henry,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  London,  England,  October  28,  1826,  son  of 
Rober  and  Jane  Nicholas,  who  settled  in  Oneida  county  m  1833,  first  in  Utica,  where 
Mr.  Nicholas  worked  at  shoemaking  a  few  months,  and  then  in  Whitestown,  where 
he  followed  farming.  Henry  married  Rhoda  Ann,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Nancy 
Redway,  and  they  have  two  children:  Elbert  J.,  deceased,  and  Annie  R.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  A.  Whittemore,  and  to  them  have  been  born  six  children:  Ola  A.,  wife 
of  C.  D.  Sole,  Elbert  Nicholas,  Hattie,  Carrie  Estella,  Clarence  F.,  and  Hattie  M., 
deceased.  Henry  attended  Hamilton  Academy,  and  the  Monroe  Academy  of  El- 
bridge,  and  then  studied  with  Dr.  Hiram  Hoyt  of  Syracuse  He  was  graduated 
from  the  Geneva  Medial  College,  and  commenced  practicing  in  North  Bay  in  1856. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  the  Vienna  F.  &  A.  M.  Lodge 
No.  440,  and  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  has  been  town  clerk  two  years,  and  twice 
represented  the  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors. 

Nichols,  Henry,  was  born  in  Winters,  Holland,  in  1845,  son  of  Christ  Nichols,  who 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Forestport  in  1857,  and  followed  various  occupations, 
spending  the  remainding  days  with  his  son.  He  married  Anna  Oonk,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  children :  John,  Garrett,  Hannah,  Jennie,  Henriette.  Catherine,  Dora  and 
Henry.  Mrs.  Nichols  died  in  January,  1881,  and  he  died  in  May,  1886.  Henry 
Nichols,  at  twelve  years,  began  at  common  labor,  and  by  his  industry  and  integrity, 
has  made  himself  what  he  is;  he  at  eighteen,  learned  the  turner's  trade,  which  he 
followed  until  he  was  twenty-five,  when  he  engaged   in  the  lumber  business,  pur- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  23 

chasing  his  present  farm  of  300  acres,  and  saw  mill  of  about  1,000,000  feet  yearly 
capacity.  He  now  owns  between  6,000  and  7,000  acres  of  timber  land,  all  of  which 
he  has  obtained  through  his  own  exertions.  He  devotes  one  of  his  farms  to  dairy 
produce,  keeping  about  forty-five  cows,  besides  other  stock.  In  1892  he  erected  the 
Adirondack  and  St.  Lawrence  Hotel  at  White  Lake,  and  which  he  now  rents.  He 
was  elected  four  successive  terms  as  commissioner  of  highways,  and  is  a  member 
and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  has  an  interest  in  the  Masonic  Hall  in 
Forestport.  In  1875  he  married  Sarah  Stell,  who  was  born  in  Forestport,  a  daughter 
of  Philip  and  Lena  Stell,  of  Germany,  and  they  had  three  children :  Albert,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  fourteen ;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve ;  and  Lena.  Mrs. 
Nichols  died  in  1885,  and  he  married  for  his  present  wife,  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of 
Zara  and  Mary  J.  Putney,  of  Forestport,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Edith  and 
Arthur. 

Owen,  John,  was  born  in  Boonville,  in  1825,  of  Welch  and  German  ancestry.  At 
twelve  years  of  age,  he  went  into  the  store  of  Peter  Schuyler,  and  three  years  later 
to  New  York  city  as  a  dry  goods  salesman.  His  first  independent  business  venture, 
was  when  he  was  nineteen  j^ears  old,  when  he  established  the  firm  of  Burns  & 
Owen.  In  1845  he  came  back  to  the  town  of  his  birth,  and  for  twenty-five  3^ears, 
conducted  a  general  store,  and  lumber  business,  with  branch  houses  at  Oriskany 
Falls,  and  Hamilton,  and  in  1865  erected  a  woolen  mill  at  Oriskany  Falls.  Since 
1870,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  clothing  trade,  with  headquarters  at  Utica,  and 
in  1874  established  a  large  and  magnificent  store  at  Indianapolis.  Personally,  Mr. 
Owen  is  most  genial  and  unassuming. 

Phelps,  Pliny,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  January  21,  1816,  son  of  Benjamin 
Phelps,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Simsbury,  Connecticut,  in  1782.  He  came  to 
the  town  of  Camden  in  1803,  and  cleared  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres.  He  married  Sallie  Parke  of  Connecticut,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children.  Pliny  Phelps  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Camden,  and  has  been 
mostly  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering.  He  has  also  been  a  carpenter  and 
builder,  and  has  erected  a  great  many  buildings  in  the  town  of  Camden.  He  mar- 
ried Nancy,  daughter  of  John  Robinson  of  Vienna,  and  they  have  five  children: 
Byron,  William,  Adelia,  Sophia,  and  Jennie.  Mr.  Phelps  was  commissioner  of  high- 
ways in  1859,  '60  and  '61,  and  supervisor  in  1862.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Roberts,  Daniel  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  Co.,  A. D.,  1833,  July 
8,  being  the  youngest  child  of  the  late  John  J.  and  Mary  Roberts,  who  came  from 
North  Wales  and  settled  in  Oneida  county  in  1819.  Their  children  were  Owen  J., 
Mary,  Ann,  Jeanette,  Jane,  and  Daniel  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Roberts 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  and  became  a  contractor  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  and  followed  the  trade  many  years.  After  a  tour  of  two  years  to  the 
Pacific  coast  he  returned  and  married  Laura,  daughter  of  the  late  William  W.  and 
Mary  Prichard  of  the  town  of  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  by  whom  he  has  two  daugh- 
ters, Mary  E.,  and  Margaret  M.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  his 
town  as  highway  commissioner  eight  terms.     He  is  now  living  at  Hinckley,  N.  Y. 

Pillmore,  William  F.,  was  born  in  Western,  Oneida  county,  September  19,  1853,  a 
son  of  William  and  Catherine  (McAlpine)  Pillmore,  and  is  of  English  and  Scotch 


24  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

parentage.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  educated  in  the 
pubUc  schools  and  Cazenovia  and  Whitestown  Academies,  and  has  always  followed 
farming  as  an  occupation.  July  4,  1877,  he  married  Louisa,  daughter  of  Christian 
and  Margaret  (Bienz)  Stahl,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  has  seven  children :  Chester 
C,  Leonard  R.,  Ina  E.,  Tina  L.,  William  Roy,  Bertha  M.,  and  an  infant  daughter. 
Mr.  Fillmore  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  has  served  three  terms  as  supervisor  of 
Western,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Pillmore,  Johnson,  was  born  in  Western,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  January  23,  1848,  a 
son  of  William  and  Catherine  (McAlpin)  Pillmore,  natives  of  England  and  Scotland, 
respectively.  William,  who  was  born  in  1821,  was  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Row- 
botham)  Pillmore,  and  came  to  America  in  1833,  and  has  spent  nearly  all  of  his  life  in 
Western,  where  he  still  resides  as  a  retired  farmer.  His  wife,  Catherine,  was  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Johnson)  McAlpin,  natives  of  Scotland,  and  lately 
of  Boonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pillmore  are  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Sarah  (Mrs. 
Evan  Owens),  Johnson,  William,  Mary  (deceased),  Frank,  Robert,  David,  and  Ed- 
ward (deceased).  Johnson  Pillmore  was  educated  at  Rome  Academy,  where  he 
spent  four  years  under  the  preceptorship  of  M.  C.  West,  the  University  of  Michigan 
at  Ann  Arbor,  Columbia  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York,  from  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1872,  and  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  Cincinnati,  O., 
class  1871-2.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  hospitals  of  the  latter 
city,  and  in  1873  located  at  Delta,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  built  up  a  lucra- 
tive practice.  November  13,  1872,  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  and 
Martha  (Evans)  Reese  of  Western,  formerly  of  Wales,  and  to  them  were  born  two 
children:  Catherine  E.,  and  Susie  B.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Alfred  and  Sophronia  (Rogers)  Utley  of  Western,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
two  children:  George  U.,  and  Sarah  S.  Dr.  Pillmore  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Oneida  County  Medical  Society.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  Tradition  links  the  family  history  of  the  Pillmores  with  that  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Pilmore,  one  of  the  traveling  preachers  sent  to  America  in  1769  by  John 
Wesley. 

Potter,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Lewis  county  in  1852,  son  of  Stephen  Potter,  who 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Boonville  in  1810,  and  he  was  one  of  five  children  born  to 
John  and  Amy  Potter.  John  Potter,  grandfather  of  John  H.  Potter,  was  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island;  he  was  a  farmer  and  came  to  Oneida  county,  where  he  settled  in 
Boonville  in  1805.  He  was  a  great  reader,  and  well  mformed  on  all  subjects,  and 
lived  to  be  ninety-seven  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  to  be  eighty-six  years  of  age. 
Stephen  Potter  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  contracting  and 
building.  He  lived  in  Lewis  county  many  years,  and  is  now  residing  with  his  son 
at  West  Branch,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  He  married  Esther  Harris,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children:  Jerome,  .William,  Norman,  John,  Almeda,  Amy,  Jeanette,  and 
Gertrude.  His  wife  died  in  1890.  John  H.  Potter  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  at  twenty  years  of  age  engaged  in  farming  at  Forestport,  which  he  still 
continues;  and  in  addition  to  his  farming  he  has  conducted  a  tire  insurance  busi- 
ness. He  has  served  as  town  constable,  collector,  poormaster,  and  is  now  serving 
his  fourth  term  as  justice.  He  is  a  member  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
S.  F.  I.,  of  which  he  was  commander.      In  1872  he   married   Mary,  daughter  of 


FAMIEY  SKETCHES.  25 

Anthony  and  Mary  Parsons,  of  Leyden,  N.  Y. ,  who  died  in  1895,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren :  Lizzie,  wife  of  Fred  Stephen  of  Boonville ;  Florence  and  Walter,  who  are  all 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Roberts,  Thomas  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  August  24,  1835,  son  of 
David  M.  and  Eleanor  Roberts,  who  came  to  Deerfield  in  1820.  He  was  one  of  five 
children:  David  E.,  Thomas  D.,  Robert  M.,  John  B.,  and  Mary.  His  father,  David 
M.,  helped  to  build  the  Erie  Canal  and  after  his  settlement  in  Deerfield  followed 
farming,  and  was  active  in  religious  work.  Thomas  D.  Roberts  married  Anne  H., 
daughter  of  David  Isaacs,  of  Utica.  He  was  engaged  in  cheese-making  for  twenty- 
one  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  elected  supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Floyd  in  1873-4-7,  and  to  the  Assembly  in  1880-81.  He  is  president  of  the 
Farmers'  Insurance  Company  of  Westernville,  and  director  of  the  Farmers'  National 
Bank  of  Rome,  also  vice-president  of  the  Oneida  County  Savings  Bank. 

Rogers,  Stephen,  was  born  in  Western,  March  12,  1836,  son  of  James  and  Eve 
(Frank)  Rogers,  natives  of  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  who  settled  in  Western 
about  1830  and  engaged  in  farming,  where  they  resided  until  their  death.  Their 
children  were  Angeline  (Mrs.  Alfred  Waldo),  Andrew,  Harriet,  John  J.,  Louisa, 
Stephen,  and  George.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Francis  Rogers,  also  a  native  of 
Montgomery  county,  N.  Y. ,  was  an  early  settler  of  Western,  and  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. Stephen  Rogers  was  reared  and  educated  in  Western,  where  he  has  always 
resided,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and 
politically  is  an  advocate  of  prohibition. 

Rinkle,  David,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  N.  Y.,  May  9,  1826,  son  of  Law- 
rence Rinkle,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Schuyler,  N.  Y. ,  December  11,  1777,  the 
only  son  of  Lawrence  Rinkle,  sr.  His  grandfather,  Lawrence  Rinkle,  was  a  native 
of  Alsace,  Germany,  and  was  engaged  in  farming.  He  came  to  America  before  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  joined  the  arTr}y  under  General  Herkimer,  and  was  killed  in 
the  battle  of  Oriskany,  August  11,  1777.  Two  years  later  the  mother,  while  in 
search  of  a  calf  in  the  woods,  with  two  neighbors,  was  fired  upon  by  Indians;  her 
companions  were  killed  and  she  taken  prisoner,  and  transferred  to  the  Genesee 
country  on  foot.  She  was  held  prisoner  for  three  years  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  she  was  escorted  to  her  home,  where  she  had  been  mourned  as  dead.  Law- 
rence jr.,  was  born  after  his  father  had  been  killed,  and  in  early  life  learned  the 
blacksmith  trade,  and  later  engaged  in  farming.  In  1826  he  came  to  Oneida 
county,  where  he  became  prosperous  and  owned  considerable  property.  In  politics 
he  was  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  was  a  great  reader  of  German  and  English  litera- 
ture. His  first  wife  was  Catherine  Yuker,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  and  his 
second  wife  was  Catherine  Lints,  and  they  have  two  children :  Jacob  and  Davi4. 
He  lived  to  be  ninety-three  years  of  age.  David  Rinkle  was  educated  in  the  district 
school,  and  spent  his  life  on  his  present  farm  of  140  acres  in  Boonville,  where  he 
moved  in  1849.  In  1849  he  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Miriam  (Denslow) 
Shott,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Rowena,  wife  of  George  Farley  of  Forestport; 
and  Dr.  La  Fayette  Rinkle  of  Boonville. 

Rees,  Thomas  R.,  was  born  in  Westernville,   Oneida  county,   August  18,  1856,  a 
son  of  William  and  Ann  (Jenkins)  Rees,  natives  of  Wales,   and  is  of  Welch  and 
d 


26  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Scotch  extraction.  His  parents  came  to  America  about  1854,  and  settled  in  Western- 
ville,  where  the  father,  who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  followed  that  vocation  up  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  May  24,  1894.  His  children  were  Thomas  R.,  William 
Warren  (deceased),  and  vSarah  J.  Thomas  R.  was  reared  in  Westernville,  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  Cazenovna  Seminary,  and  began  life  as  a  teacher,  which 
he  followed  for  two  years,  after  which  he  served  as  clerk  in  a  general  store  for  four 
years.  In  1881,  with  C.  P.  Remore,  he  purchased  the  Westernville  Union  Store, 
which  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Rees  &  Remore  up  to  1888,  when  he 
purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  has  since  conducted  the  business  alone.  In 
1885  he  married  Ida  A.,  daughter  of  John  D.  and  Lucy  Sloat,  of  Canastota,  N.  Y., 
by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Vera  M.  Mr.  Rees  is  a  supporter  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  is  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican. 

Smith,  George  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  July  4,  1846.  His  father, 
Samuel  L.  Smith,  was  also  born  in  this  town,  and  was  one  of  its  prominent  farmers. 
He  married  Amanda  Munson,  of  West  Camden,  by  whom  he  had  five  children. 
George  H.  was  for  a  number  of  years  clerk  in  the  store  of  J.  G.  Dorrance,  but  in  1876 
started  for  himself,  conducting  a  general  store,  carrying  a  full  line  of  dry  goods, 
groceries,  etc.  He  married  Caroline,  daughter  of  J.  K.  Simmons,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children :   Edwin  L. ,  Lucy  H.,  Florence  M.,  and  Wilbert  B. 

Sporie,  Charles,  was  born  in  Western,  August  24,  1864,  a  son  of  David  and  Susan 
(Anken)  Sporie,  natives  of  Berne,  Switzerland,  who  came  to  America  in  1834  and 
located  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  where  the  father  spent  five  years  as  a  farm  hand, 
and  in  1860  purchased  the  farm  in  Western,  now  occupied  by  our  subject,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  manufacture  of  Swiss  and  limburger  cheese,  and 
where  he  died.  His  children  who  grew  to  maturity  were  Katie  (Mrs.  Samuel  Galle), 
Eliza  (Mrs.  Michael  Surbeck),  Adeline  (Mrs.  Charles  Weismiller),  Rosa  (Mrs.  Henry 
Bahr),  and  Charles.  Mr.  Sporie  died  December  20,  1885,  sixty-two  years.  Charles 
Sporie  was  reared  on  the  homestead,  where  he  was  born  and  which  he  now  owns 
and  occupies,  and  like  his  father  is  a  farmer  and  maker  of  limburger  cheese.  March 
5,  1890,  he  married  Clara,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Catherine  Miller,  of  Floyd.  Mr. 
Sporie  is  a  member  of  Trinity  Lutheran  church  of  Rome,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Swan,  Gustavus,  was  born  in  Western,  September  1,  1828,  a  son  of  Jonathan 
Swan,  and  Lydia  Bradford  Butts,  his  wife,  who  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Governor 
Bradford,  who  came  over  m  the  Mayflower,  1620.  The  Swan  family,  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  came  from  New  Hampshire  about  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  and  settled  in  Western,  where  they  lived  and  died,  excepting  one  of  the 
sons,  Jonathan,  who  removed  to  Cayuga  county,  and  died  there  about  1825.  John 
Swan,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Newport,  R.  I., 
emigrated  to  New  Hampshire,  and  served  his  country  through  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution as  a  soldier  from  that  State.  Gustavus  Swan  early  became  connected  with 
the  telegraph  system  of  Prof.  Morse,  and  had  charge  of  the  offices  at  Rome  and 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  from  1845  to  1849,  when  he  removed  to  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained unil  1878,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  of  and  extension 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  27 

of  the  magnetic  telegraph  and  railroad  interests.  In  1861  he  married  Mariette,  sec- 
ond daughter  of  Charles  W.  Copeland,  a  civil  engineer  of  eminence,  and  since  1878 
they  have  resided  in  Western. 

Stevens,  Walter  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  July  3,  1839.  His  father, 
Martin  H.  Stevens,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1806,  and  came  to  the  town  of  Cam- 
den in  1829,  and  settled  on  the  land  where  the  village  now  stands.  He  was  a  cabi- 
netmaker by  trade,  which  business  he  followed  up  to  1860.  Walter  T.  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  of  Camden,  and  in  1860  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  house 
furnishing  business,  which  he  followed  up  to  1893,  when  he  sold  to  Williams  &  Nor- 
ton, who  conducts  the  same  at  this  time.  Mr.  Stevens  now  lives  a  retired  life.  He 
married  Irene,  daughter  of  Orson  Norton,  of  Camden,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter, 
Mrs.  Robert  A.  Tuft,  wife  of  Rev.  Robert  A.  Tuft,  of  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Stevens  is  a 
prominent  Mason  in  Camden  Lodge,  No.  164. 

Warcup,  John,  was  born  in  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  August  31,  1833,  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Hannah  (Simpson)  Warcup,  natives  of  Yorkshire,  England.  His  father  was  the 
youngest  son  of  a  wealthy  English  family,  and  in  1827,  to  better  his  fortune,  came  to 
America,  and  soon  after  located  in  Oneida  county,  stoppmg  for  periods  more  or  less 
in  L'^tica,  Floyd  and  Rome,  up  to  1850,  when  he  removed  to  Western,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  which  occurred  November  29,  1883,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 
His  children  were  INIatthew,  John,  Margaret  (Mrs.  Francis  Van  Dreasar),  Thomas, 
and  Mary  (Mrs.  John  W.  Medlew).  John  Warcup  was  reared  in  Oneida  county,  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Rome  Academy.  He  has  always  followed 
farming  as  an  occupation,  and  since  1850  has  resided  in  Western.  In  1864  he  mar- 
ried Cynthia,  daughter  of  William  H.  Harrington,  of  Rome,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children:  Stanley,  John  Olin,  Robert  J.,  Frank,  William  H.,  and  Thomas  B.  Mr. 
Warcup  was  for  twelve  years  in  succession  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of 
Oneida  County  Agricultural  Society,  president  of  the  society  in  1881,  president  of  the 
State  exhibition  of  butter  and  cheese  held  at  Rome  the  same  year,  and  in  politics  he 
is  a  Republican. 

Studor,  George  M..  was  born  in  Boonville,  N.Y. ,  in  1857,  son  of  Jacob  Studor,  one 
of  three  sons  (Jacob,  Michael,  and  Philip)  born  to  Michael  Studor,  a  farmer.  Jacob 
and  Michael  came  to  America  in  1853,  the  former  coming  to  Hawkinsville,  where  he 
remained  seven  years,  employed  as  a  lumberman.  From  there  he  moved  to  White 
Lake  and  engaged  in  farming.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Shidner  and  their  children 
were  Philip,  Lena,  Henry,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  and  George  M.  Mr.  Studor  died  in 
1887  and  his  wife  in  1885.  George  M.  Studor  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  the  Poughkeepsie  Business  College.  At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  began  as  a 
farmer  and  liveryman  on  his  present  site  of  200  acres;  his  principal  livery  business 
is  in  transferring  sportsmen  and  hunters  who  go  to  the  Adirondacks.  He  has  also 
devoted  some  time  to  lumbering  and  dealing  in  fine  carriage  horses.  Mr.  Studor 
has  served  as  assessor  several  years  and  has  often  been  elected  delegate  to  county 
and  district  conventions.  The  winter  of  1887  he  spent  in  Albany  as  private  messen- 
ger for  Speaker  Husted.  In  1892  Mr.  Studor  married  Helen,  daughter  of  James 
Goodrich,  born  in  Lewis  county.  Mr.  Studor  is  a  man  of  enterprise  and  is  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  political  welfare  of  his  town  and  county. 


28  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Stone,  Walter  C,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mexico,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
ber 27,  1847,  the  oldest  son  of  Benjamin  S.  Stone,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  and 
came  to  Mexico  in  1825,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Benjamin  S.  Stone  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  B.  S.  Stone  &  Co. 
Walter  C.  was  educated  in  the  Mexico  Academy,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1867.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business  for  about  twenty-five  years; 
Repurchased  the  Canastota  Herald  in  1871,  which  he  edited  until  1873,  when  he 
came  to  Camden  and  established  the  Advance,  a  local  paper  in  that  village.  Since 
1878  he  has  also  conducted  a  stationery  and  book  store.  In  1872  Mr.  Stone  married 
Sarah  C.  Hosley,  of  Canastota,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Benjamin  H.,  Ralph 
W.,  Robert  C,  and  Bessie.  Benjamin  H.  is  in  business  with  his  father.  Mr.  Stone 
is  secretary  of  the  Camden  Opera  House  Company,  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education  and  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  city  father.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  K.  of  P.  and  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Sippell,  William  D.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  December  4, 
1856.  His  great-grandfather,  Peter  Sippell,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  a 
resident  of  the  town  at  a  very  early  period  in  its  history.  His  grandfather,  and  his 
father,  Peter  B.  Sippell,  are  well  remembered  as  men  of  sterling  integrity,  lifelong 
residents  of  the  town.  William  D.  Sippell  was  educated  in  the  .schools  of  the  village, 
finishing  at  the  Dorchester  Street  High  School  of  Montreal,  where  he  spent  the  last 
school  year,  and  was  graduated  with  rank  which  would  have  entitled  him  to  enter 
the  second  year's  course  of  McGill  University  of  that  city.  Returning  to  Boonville 
he  read  law  with  Hon.  Henry  W.  Bentley,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  January  6, 
1882.  He  never  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  as  having  become  in- 
terested in  the  business  of  insurance  through  a  partnership  with  Hon.  A.  L.  Hayes,  he 
found  that  line  of  work  more  congenial  to  his  taste.  The  local  agencies  of  Hon.  A. 
L.  Hayes  and  of  Brinckerhoff  C.  Tharratt  at  Boonville  were  consolidated  by  him  as 
purchaser,  and  he  has  since  for  many  years  conducted  the  largest  and  most  success- 
ful insurance  agency  of  Boonville  and  adjacent  towns.  He  has  never  held  public 
office  other  than  trustee  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Union  Free  School,  district 
No.  1,  of  Boonville,  to  which  he  was  elected  August  5,  1890,  and  of  which  he  is  still 
a  member.  April  23,  1879,  Mr.  Sippell  married  Jennie  C,  daughter  of  William  H. 
Cole,  of  Boonville,  N.  Y.  She  died  April  5,  1890,  leaving  a  son  and  a  daughter  of 
the  marriage.  March  9,  1892,  he  married  his  present  wife,  Mrs.  Antoinette  M.  Fin- 
layson,  daughter  of  W.  W.  Harris,  of  Boonville,  N.  Y.,  with  whom,  and  his  two 
children,  Frederick  W.  and  Clara  M.,  he  now  resides  at  No.  41  Schuyler  street. 

Stedman,  R.  Willett,  was  born  in  Lee,  February  15,  1854,  son  of  George  W.  and 
Lydia  J.  Perry  Stedman,  natives  of  Connecticut  and  New  York,  respectively,  who 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  Western,  and  later  of  Lee.  Hazard  Stedman  was  born 
April  2,  1777,  son  of  Trustum  and  Penelope  Stedman,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  died  jNIarch  18,  1864.  George  W.  was  born  in 
Western,  July  23, 1822,  a  resident  of  Lee  from  boyhood,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Lydia  Wilkinson  Perry,  of  Lee,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children :  R.  Willett,  Amelia  M.  (deceased),  Charles  E.,  E.  Mae. 
M.  Frances  (Mrs.  G.  E.  Teeple),  Aziel  G.  (deceased),  and  Hattie  L.  (Mrs.  F.  C.  York), 
Mr.  Stedman  died  April  18,  1891.     R.  Willett  was  reared  on  the  homestead  in  Lee, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  29 

of  which  he  is  the  owner,  was  educated  at  Lee  Center  Union  Free  School,  and  began 
life  as  a  teacher,  following  that  occupation  ten  years,  and  since  1879  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Lee,  having  bought  the  Curtis  Spinning  farm,  where  he  resides. 
March  13,  1879,  he  married  Lucy  C,  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Mary  Munsell  Kenyon, 
of  Annsville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stedman  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  P.  of  H.,  P.  of  I.,  and  Order  of  the  World.  He  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  held  town  offices  continuously  for  nineteen  years,  and  is  now  serving  his  first 
term  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  of  ninety-seven  judgments  rendered  by  him  in  1894, 
but  one  was  appealed  to  a  higher  court,  which  sustained  his  opinion. 

Stamburg,  William  Riley,  was  born  in  Brookfield  in  1827.  In  the  spring  of  1851 
he  left  Deansville  and  located  in  Forestport  without  a  cent  in  money  or  any  other 
means.  He  first  obtained  employment  in  a  saw  mill,  but  soon  after  his  employer 
failed  and  he  was  unable  to  secure  compensation  for  his  labor;  he  then  went  out  and 
chopped  wood  in  the  winter  and  worked  in  the  mills  summers  for  nine  years,  until 
he  was  able  to  erect  a  small  mill  on  Pine  Creek,  which  he  conducted  for  a  short  time 
when  he  sold  it  and  returned  to  Deansville  and  engaged  in  hop  farming  for  nine 
years.  He  afterward  sold  the  farm  and  returned  to  the  scene  of  his  early  struggles 
and  purchased  what  is  now  known  as  the  Stamburg  grist  mill,  which  still  remains 
his  property;  he  also  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  built  a  mill  on  the  Big 
Woodhull  Creek,  the  property  now  known  as  the  Meeker  mill,  with  an  annual  output  of 
three  or  four  million  feet;  he  soon  after  sold  this  mill,  but  in  1883  agam  became  its 
owner.  About  this  time  Mr.  Stamburg  erected  a  large  mill  in  the  village  of  Forest- 
port,  and  his  business  so  increasing  that  water-power  was  found  too  slow  and  steam 
was  substituted,  and  with  all  his  enterprises  furnishing  employment  to  about  100 
men.  He  also  owned  and  conducted  a  general  store  in  the  village,  and  is  one  of  the 
largest  real  estate  owners  in  that  section  of  the  country.  He  also  owns  3,000  acres  of 
timber  land,  and  owns  and  conducts  a  farm  of  140  acres.  In  June,  1893,  he  lost 
his  large  Forestport  mill  by  fire,  thus  throwing  out  of  employment  a  large  number 
of  men.  In  1893  he  sold  his  store.  In  politics  Mr.  Stamburg  is  a  Republican,  was 
assessor  for  six  years,  and  has  filled  other  offices.  He  is  a  member  and  treasurer  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  October  1,  1856,  he  married  Louisa  S.  Hovey,  daughter  of 
George  and  Sybil  (Sweet)  Hovey,  and  they  have  one  adopted  child.  Bertha  Ann. 

Seymour,  Henry  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Redfield,  Oswego  county.  His 
father,  Alphonso  H.  Seymour,  was  born  in  the  same  town  and  county,  and  is  a 
miller  by  trade,  and  is  now  manufacturing  shingles  in  the  State  of  Washington. 
He  married  Sarah  Allen,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  William,  Ella,  Bertie,  and 
Henry  A.,  who  has  conducted  a  tannery  in  Florence  for  thirteen  years,  in  which  he 
is  still  engaged,  making  a  rough  upper  leather,  and  is  a  thorough  business  man  in 
this  line.     He  married  Olive,  daughter  of  the  late  William  Graves. 

Simmons,  Cyrus  C,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  N.  Y.,  July  25,  1838.  His 
father,  Oran  F.  Simmons,  was  born  in  Paris,  N.  Y.,  July  28,  1811.  He  married 
Betsey,  daughter  of  Ira  Robinson,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Alma  C,  Ira  A., 
who  enlisted  in  the  146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  killed  in  the  service,  Rosanna,  Olive 
J.,  Ezra  D.,  and  Cyrus  C,  who  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  this  town  and 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he  started  in  life 


30 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


for  himself.  He  married  Elnora  C,  daughter  of  H.  T.  B.  Hannay,  by  whom  he  had 
five  children:  George  G.,  Delbert,  Fayette  E.,  Rollo  C,  and  Benjamin  C.  In  1861 
Mr.  Simmons  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  97th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served  eleven  months.  He  is 
a  member  of  Ballard  Post  No.  551,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Teachout,  Asa,  was  born  in  Western,  November  16,  1818,  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Anna 
(Tubbs)  Teachout,  natives  of  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  who  settled  in  Western  about 
1800,  where  Mr.  Teachout  engaged  in  farming  and  resided  until  his  death  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Teachout  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children : 
Lydia  (Mrs.  Isaac  Teachout),  Ruth  (Mrs.  Benjamin  Chapman),  Franklin,  Olive  (Mrs. 
Jerome  Clark),  Catherine  (Mrs.  David  Blasier),  Sally  (Mrs  Henry  Hart),  Abram, 
Betsey  (Mrs.  John  Dillenbeck),  Cyrus,  Asa,  Cynthia  (Mrs.  John  Sterrett),  Harvey, 
James,  and  Diana  (Mrs.  Isaac  Blasier).  Asa  was  reared  in  Western,  and  in  early 
manhood  went  to  Philadelphia,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  employed  on 
a  farm  eleven  years,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Western, 
in  which  he  continued  until  1881,  when  he  retired.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Henry  Blasier,  and  to  them  have  been  born  ten  children,  six  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity: Horace,  Emma  (Mrs.  Martin  Ruppert),  Elmina  (Mrs.  Reuben  Grimes),  Will- 
iam, Sarah  (Mrs.  George  Kelley).  and  Ella  (Mrs.  Henry  Morehouse).  For  his  second 
wife  he  man-ied  Mrs.  Eliza  H.  (Lewis)  Dillenbeck  of  Western.  In  politics  Mr. 
Teachout  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  twelve  years  as  assessor  of  Western. 

Tuttle,  Rufus,  was  born  January  26,  1843,  and  married  Francelia,  a  daughter  of 
Edmond  and  Julina  Yager  of  this  county,  and  they  have  one  child,  Carrie,  who  mar- 
ried George  J.  Zimmerman  of  Detroit.  Michigan.  August  7,  1862,  Mr.  Tuttle  en- 
listed in  Co.  H,  117th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  mustered  out  June  28,  1865.  He 
acted  as  corporal,  and  retained  the  same  gun  throughout  the  war.  and  was  in  every 
battle  in  which  the  company  took  part,  and  was  never  wounded  or  taken  prisoner. 
He  is  actively  interested  in  school  affairs. 

Tanner,  W.  Ray,  was  born  at  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  June  23,  1822, 
son  of  Alva  Tanner.  The  American  ancestors  of  Mr.  Tanner  settled  in  Rhode  Isl- 
and. His  paternal  great-grandfather,  Ebenezer  Tanner,  was  a  somewhat  celebrated 
captain  in  the  merchant  marine  of  colonial  days.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  Mr. 
Tanner  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages,  first  locating  at  Fairfield,  jobbing 
at  various  points,  Middleville,  Lee,  etc.,  until  1852,  when  he  settled  in  Utica,  but, 
owing  to  failing  health,  returned  to  Fairfield,  and  in  1857  located  permanently  at 
Boonville  in  partnership  with  E.  G.  Wooley.  This  firm  did  a  large  business  until 
Mr.  Wooley's  death  in  1891,  when  Mr.  Tanner  disposed  of  his  interest  in  December, 
1892,  and  now  lives  a  retired  life. 

Tuttle,  Lansing,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  February  14,  1835,  son  of  Lent 
and  Catherine  (Hosmer)  Tuttle,  and  grandson  of  Oramon,  who  was  one  of  the  ear- 
liest settlers  of  the  town  of  Paris.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lent  Tuttle's  children  were  Lan- 
sing, Abi  Collins,  Rufus,  Alta,  Sophia,  and  two  deceased.  He  followed  farming  and 
lumbering.  Lansing  married  Julina,  daughter  of  David  and  Sallie  Yager,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Hiram  R.,  who  married  Emma  Ashpole,  and  their  children  are  Grace, 
Lansing,  and  Margaret.  Mr.  Tuttle  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1875,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  for  twelve  years. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  31 

Tuttle,  Noah,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  August  12, 1842,  son  of  Oramon  and 
Eliza  (Bennett)  Tuttle,  wh6  settled  in  this  town  about  1816,  coming  from  Connecti- 
cut. Oramon  Tuttle's  first  wife  was  Abi  Barnes,  who  bore  him  the  following  chil- 
dren: Emily,  Sallie,  Daniel,  Lent,  Mary,  Alma,  Thankful.  Sophia,  Nancy  C,  Oramon, 
jr.,  and  Mary  Nancy.  Oramon  followed  surveying,  farming,  and  lumbering.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Camden,  and  very  active  in  church 
work.  Noah  married  Marietta,  who  was  born  in  a  log  house  near  North  Bay, 
daughter  of  Aaron  and  Mary  Ann  (York)  Bushnell.  They  have  had  two  children : 
Johnnie  Griffith,  and  Janie  Eliza,  deceased.  In  early  life,  Noah  followed  farming, 
but  is  now  one  of  the  firm  of  Tuttle  &  Co.,  who  are  engaged  in  the  corn  canning 
works.  August  7,  1862,  he  enhsted  in  Co.  H,  117th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols.,  as  corporal, 
and  was  mustered  out  June  28,  1865. 

Vary,  Gideon,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Stephentown,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y., 
December  29,  1824,  son  of  Nathan  and  Phoebe  (Carrier)  Vary.  His  grandfather, 
Samuel  Vary,  settled  in  Dutchess  county,  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  emi- 
grated to  Rensselaer  county ;  and  his  grandfather,  Amasiah  Carrier,  was  also  a  pio- 
neer of  Rensselaer  county.  Nathan  Vary  came  to  Oneida  county  in  1840.  He  was 
a  Federalist,  and  voted  for  Washington ;  and  later  a  Whig,  and  voted  for  Henry 
Clay.  He  died  in  1850.  Gideon  Vary  has  always  been  successfully  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  bought  and  cleared  twelve  acres,  and  has  added  to  it,  until  he  had  500 
acres,  100  acres  of  which  he  sold  in  1894.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  justice 
for  twenty-four  years,  and  supervisor  of  Ava  for  two  years.  In  1846  Mr.  Vary  mar- 
ried Jane,  daughter  of  Daniel  E.  Edgerton  of  Ava,  who  died  in  1893,  and  he  is  now 
married  to  Erminie  Leader,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  He  has  reared  and  educated  two  sons 
of  his  brother  Samuel,  who  died  in  Michigan:  Nathan  C,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing at  Ava;  and  Ezra,  who  was  for  twelve  years  teller  of  the  Farmer's  Bank  in 
Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  now  a  manufacturer  of  knit  goods  at  Rome.  Mr.  Vary  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baron  Steuben  Lodge,  No.  264,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Vandawalker,  Milton,  was  born  in  Western,  November  8,  1843,  son  of  Abram  and 
Lucinda  (Neaskern)  Vandawalker,  both  natives  of  Oneida  county.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  John  A.  Vandawalker,  formerly  of  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  was  a 
pioneer  farmer  of  Western,  where  he  lived  and  died.  His  maternal  grandparents, 
Henry  and  Nancy  (Putnam)  Neaskern,  formerly  of  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  were 
pioneers  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county.  Abram  Vandawalker  spent  all  his  life  in 
Western,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  cleared  and  improved  the  farm  now  oc- 
cupied by  his  son,  where  he  died.  His  children  were  Cordeha  (Mrs.  Charles  Wesley 
Teachout),  Jane  (Mrs.  John  Betzinger),  Milton,  and  Caroline  (Mrs.  David  Paddock). 
Milton  Vandawalker  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  has  always  re- 
sided. He  received  a  common  school  education,  and  has  always  followed  farming 
as  an  occupation.  In  1879  he  married  Nettie,  daughter  of  James  and  Susan  (Eddick) 
Paddock,  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Susie  N.  In  politics  Mr.  Van- 
dawalker is  a  Republican. 

Van  Dresar,  Steward,  was  born  in  Western,  April  12,  1844,  a  son  of  Ezra  and  Mary 
J.  (Steward)  Van  Dresar,  both  natives  of  Western.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Jacob 
Van  Dresar,  was  a  resident  of  Western,  and  son  of  James  Van  Dresar,  one  of  the 


32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

pioneers  of  Western,  and  of  Holland  Dutch  descent.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Jonathan  Steward,  of  Scotch  parentage,  was  also  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Western. 
Ezra  Van  Dresar,  father  of  Steward,  was  born  November  30,  1814,  and  died  in 
Western,  January  23,  1892.  He  was  a  successful  and  prosperous  farmer  and 
accumulated  a  competency.  His  children  were  Francis  and  Steward.  Steward 
Van  Dresar  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Whitestown  Seminary. 
He  began  life  as  a  teacher,  teaching  eleven  winters  in  succession,  farming  summers, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Western.  April  6,  1876,  he  married  Cor- 
nelia, daughter  of  Levi  and  Adelaide  (Van  Vorhis)  Crill,  of  Western,  by  whom  he 
has  one  son,  Arthur.  Mr.  Van  Dresar  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  of  which 
he  is  trustee,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  P.  of  I.,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

Van  Dresar,  Francis,  was  born  in  Western,  August  23,  1838,  a  son  of  Ezra  and 
Mary  J.  (Steward)  Van  Dresar.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Jacob  Van  Dresar,  was  a 
resident  of  Western,  a  son  of  James  Van  Dresar  of  Holland.  Dutch  descent  and  a 
pioneer  of  Western.  Jacob  Van  Dresar's  wife  was  Peggy  Clark,  daughter  of 
Matthew  Clark,  of  Irish  parentage,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  pioneer  of 
Western.  The  great-great-grandfather,  Thomas  Selden,  participated  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  and  also  the  French  war,  and  was  among  the  first  to  form  the  first 
religious  society  in  Rome,  Oneida  county.  Ezra  Van  Dresar  was  a  life-long  resident 
of  Western  and  a  prominent  and  successful  farmer.  Francis  Van  Dresar  was  reared 
in  Western,  where  he  has  always  resided,  and  now  owns  and  occupies  the  old  home- 
stead of  167  acres,  and  is  a  prominent  and  enterprising  farmer.  In  1859  he  mar- 
ried Rose  Ellen,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Esther  (Boyd)  Bowman,  of  Rome,  by 
whom  he  has  seven  children  living:  Ann  (Mrs.  Charles  W.  Mason),  Frank  E.,  Jane, 
Ezra,  Alexander,  Maria  (Mrs.  Will  E.  Stone),  and  Ruth.  Mr.  Van  Dresar  was  a 
soldier  in  the  late  Civil  war,  enlisting  August  12,  1862,  in  Co.  D,  117th  N.  Y.  Vols., 
was  wounded  in  the  right  foot  at  the  battle  of  Chapin's  Farm,  near  Fort  Gil- 
more,  September  29,  1864,  and  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  July  8, 
1865.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  in  politics  is  a  staunch  high  tariff 
Republican.  He  was  in  every  engagement  of  the  regiment  up  to  September  29, 
1864,  never  applied  for  a  pension,  and  never  joined  any  secret  oath  bound  lodge,  be- 
lieving such  to  be  detrimental  to  the  free  institutions  of  America,  and  not  in  har- 
mony with  the  teachings  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

Van  Home,  Nicholas,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Stark,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y., 
April  14,  1854,  son  of  Walter  and  Eliza  Van  Home,  who  are  residents  of  Herkimer 
county,  N.Y.  He  married  Ida  Countryman,  of  Poland,  Herkimer,  N.  Y.,  December 
18,  1878,  daughter  of  John  I.  and  Elizabeth  Countryman,  and  they  have  two  children: 
Leda  E.  and  Victor  C.  Van  Home.  He  first  engaged  in  the  cheese  business  in 
Salisbury  Corners,  Herkimer  county,  N.Y.,  in  1876;  has  since  worked  at  Van  Hornes- 
ville  and  the  town  of  Ohio,  Herkimer  county,  and  in  the  town  of  Avoca,  Steuben 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  located  permanently  at  North  Bay,  town  of  Vienna,  Oneida 
county,  N.Y.,  m  1880,  buying  the  cheese  factory  at  that  place  in  1881,  and  has  for  the 
last  twelve  years  been  salesman  and  treasurer  of  the  factory  and  in  1883  was  elected 
collector  of  the  town  on  the  Republican  ticket  of  which  party  he  belongs,  and  for  the 
last  four  years  has  bought  cheese  for  the  export  trade,  and  on  May  10,  1895,  he 
passed  the  Civil  Service  examination  at  Albany  and  on  July  15,  1895,  was  appointed 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  33 

milk  expert  and  agent  of  the  agricultural  department,  and  he  is  a  member  of  Vienna 
Lodge  No.  440,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Whiter,  Hiram  A.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  in  October,  1861,  son  of 
Abram  V.  Whiter,  one  of  two  sons  born  to  Meltire  Whiter.  Abram  V.  Whiter  has 
spent  his  life  as  a  boatman,  lumberman,  and  farmer.  He  was  a  soldier  m  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion,  enlisting  in  Company  I,  117th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  twice  wounded. 
He  married  Nancy  Smith,  daughter  of  John  Smith,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  by 
whom  he  had  these  children:  Helen,  deceased,  Esther  and  Hiram.  In  1871  they  re- 
moved from  Boonville  to  Forestport,  where  they  now  reside.  Hiram  A.  Whiter  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  he  purchased  his 
time  of  his  father  and  began  lumbering  in  the  woods  by  the  month,  and  later  took 
logging  contract  jobs,  which  he  followed  until  1889,  when  he  traveled  in  the  interest 
of  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Company  for  three  years.  In  1892  he  opened  an 
undertaking  establishment  in  Forestport,  which  he  now  conducts  with  success.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  served  as  constable  for  several  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  809,  of  Forestport,  and  is  senior  deacon.  In  1885  Mr. 
Whitney  married  Ermina  M.,  daughter  of  Thomas  Pilbean,  by  whom  he  had  these 
children:  Roscoe,  Charles  died  in  1888;  Vernon  and  Clarence.  H.  A.  Whiter  is  a 
member,  class  leader  and  steward  and  vice-president  of  the  Epworth  League  of  the 
M.  E.  church  at  Forestport.  Mrs.  H.  A.  Whiter  is  also  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church. 

Woods,  Orson  C,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1831.  son  of  Junius  Woods,  who  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  came 
to  the  town  of  Camden  about  1799  with  his  father,  Samuel  Woods,  also  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  engaged  in  farming.  The  grandfather  was  in  the  Revolutionary  warnearly 
eight  years.  Junius  Woods  was  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  Deidamia  Cook  of 
Camden,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living. 
Orson  C.  was  educated  in  the  Camden  schools,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  now 
owning  a  farm  of  ninety  acres  improved  land.  August  HO,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the 
146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served  for  about  three  years,  being  on  detached  duty.  He 
married  Louise  Torrey  of  Camden,  adopted  daughter  of  Daniel  Bickford,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Lizzie  M.,  now  Mrs.  H.  D.  Curtis,  Albert  J.,  Nellie  B.,  and 
Henry  S.  In  politics  Mr.  Woods  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  town  collector  two 
terms,  also  supervisor  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  of 
Camden,  the  Camden  Grange,  and  the  J.  Parsons  Stone  Post,  No.  482  G.A.R. 

White,  I.  J.,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  May  2,  1846,  a  son  of  the  late 
Israel  White,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  Israel 
White  came  to  the  town  of  Annsville  when  twenty- two  years  of  age.  He  married 
Abigail  F.  Taft,  by  whom  he  had  six  children.  His  ancestors  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts. I.  J.  White  was  educated  in  Annsville  and  the  Whitestown  Seminary. 
He  then  followed  farming  until  1887,  at  which  time  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Frank  White,  establishing  a  corn  canning  factory  at  Blossvale.  They  continued  in 
partnership  until  January,  1895,  since  which  time  I.  J.  White  has  conducted  the  busi- 
ness alone.  He  also  owns  and  conducts  a  general  merchandise  store  m  Blossvale, 
and  owns  a  factory  at  Williamstown,  Oswego  county,   N.  Y.     Mr.  White  is  now 


34  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

erecting  a  hotel  at  Blossvale,  which  will  contain  twenty  rooms,  and  wiH  also  run  a 
livery.  He  married  Etta  O.,  daughter  of  James  Ellis,  of  the  town  of  Annsville,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children;  I.  G.  and  Abigail  O.  Mr.  White  was  supervisor  of  the 
town  in  1882-88  and  was  elected  member  of  assembly  in  1885.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Ward,  G.  C,  was  born  in  Westchester  county  m  1868,  son  of  James  Ward.  G.  C. 
Ward  is  a  man  prominent  in  both  business  and  political  circles,  and  held  in  high 
esteem  by  his  fellow  men.  After  he  became  efficient  in  engineering,  he  spent  two 
years  at  Andover,  Mass.,  and  was  afterward  employed  as  an  engineer  on  the  Adiron- 
dack and  various  other  railroads.  He  also  had  charge  of  the  building  of  a  large 
bridge  at  Ogdensburgh.  Mr.  Ward  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  has  held  many  posi- 
tions of  responsibility.  He  was  for  five  years  superintendent  of  canals,  and  also 
supervisor  for  two  terms.  He  was  -married  to  Katie,  daughter  of  N.  Schwienburg, 
by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Louisa. 

Warfield,  Prof.  C.  H.,  A.  M.,  was  born  in  Prattsburg,  in  1867,  son  of  M.  F.  War- 
field,  then  a  druggist  there,  and  captain  of  a  company  in  the  late  war.  The  family 
is  of  English  ancestry,  and  first  settled  near  Baltimore,  Md..  in  1632,  where  their 
posterity  still  retains  the  original  homestead.  Mr.  Warfield  graduated  at  Franklin 
Academy  in  Prattsburg,  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  with  a  Regents'  classical  diploma. 
After  a  four  years'  course  at  Hamilton  College,  he  graduated  in  1889,  with  the  high- 
est honors  at  the  disposal  of  his  alma  mater,  and  became  instructor  in  mathematics 
in  the  Florida  State  Seminary,  at  Tallahassee,  Fla.,  and  then  was  for  two  years 
principal  of  the  Union  School  at  Bergen,  N.  Y.  He  assumed  the  principalship  at 
Boonville  in  1892,  where  his  ability  is  highlj^  appreciated. 

Webb,  Alvin,  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  N.  Y. ,  May  22,  1844,  son  of  the  late 
Paul  Webb,  who  was  also  born  in  Delaware  county.  The  family  came  from  Vermont 
to  Delaware  county  in  1819,  and  the  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  He  married 
Ester,  daughter  of  John  Mott,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Alison,  Maria,  E.ster, 
deceased,  and  Alvin,  who  was  educated  and  reared  in  Delaware  county  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  when  they  moved  to  Oneida  county.  His  business  was  princi- 
pally farming  all  of  his  life,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  140  acres.  He  married  Nancy, 
daughter  of  Adam  Campbell,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Fred  A.,  Kate  E.,  Eva 
L.,  Alice  I.,  Alson  H.,  Arthur  S.,  Clarence  (deceased),  Grace  M.,  Flossie  M.  Mr. 
Webb  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  of  the  Grange. 

Walker,  Peter,  is  a  native  of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  in  November, 
1823,  son  of  Alexander  and  Annie  (McKercher)  Walker.  Mr.  Walker  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  and  came  to  Deerfield  in  1802,  and  in  1803,  settled  on  land  now  owned  by 
his  son,  Peter  Walker,  near  North  Gage,  where  he  died  in  1848.  Mrs.  Walker  was  a 
native  of  Saratoga  county  and  her  father,  Mr.  McKercher,  came  from  Scotland  to 
Saratoga  county  in  pioneer  days;  and  she  died  in  1875.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Gilbert  Walker,  lived  and  died  in  Scotland.  Peter  Walker  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
and  took  charge  of  his  parents  in  their  old  age,  and  he  has  always  resided  on  the 
home  farm  of  156  acres.  He  keeps  a  dairy  of  thirty-two  cows.  In  1850  he  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Duncan  Blue,  of  Deerfield,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  James 
A.,  who  died  in  1878,  at  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  John  K.,  who  was  born  in 


? 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  35 

1855,  and  he  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Malcolm  A.  Blue,  and  he  works  the  home 
farm. 

White,  Caroline. — Mose.s  T.  White,  deceased,  was  born  m  Western,  July  12,  1796, 
a  son  of  Otis  and  Mercy  (Comstock)  White,  and  grandson  of  Levi  White.  His  father 
and  grandfather  were  natives  of  Rhode  Island,  who  settled  in  Western  prior  to  1795, 
and  were  farmers  by  occupation,  both  of  whom  died  in  Western.  Moses  T.  White 
cleared  and  improved  a  good  share  of  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  daughter,  Caro- 
line, where  he  settled  in  early  manhood,  and  where  he  died  in  1876.  In  1819  he 
married  Phoebe,  daughter  of  Otis  and  Phoebe  (Edmunds)  Phillips,  of  North  Adams, 
Mass.,  and  their  children  were  Mercy  (Mrs.  Edwin  Brainard),  Otis  P.,  Orson,  Julina, 
Phoebe  R. ,  Israel,  Belinda,  Caroline,  Moses  T.,  and  Franklin.  Mr.  White  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Westernville,  and  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
was  justice  of  the  peace  of  Western  for  some  years,  and  politically  was  a  Republican. 
Of  the  above  named  children  only  three  at  this  date,  1896,  are  living.  Orson  died  in 
California  near  Stockton,  in  1853,  Mercy,  in  Oneida,  111.,  in  1887.  The  others  died 
in  Western.  In  a  field  above  the  house  on  the  farm  adjoining  on  the  east,  that  of 
the  late  Moses  T.  White,  stands  a  large  and  aged  white  ash  tree,  consisting  of  two 
trees  grown  together,  one  much  smaller  than  the  other,  and  twisted  partly  around 
the  larger.  This  tree  to  Mr.  White  was  pleasantly  associated  with  the  memory  of 
his  grandfather,  Levi  White.  When  a  child,  he  was  one  day  walking  with  him 
through  this  field,  which  then  was  probably  partly  or  wholly  covered  with  trees; 
coming  to  these  two,  standing  so  near  together,  the  grandfather  bent  the  smaller  one 
around  the  larger,  and  remarked  "  This  will  make  a  good  scythe  snath  for  somebody 
some  day."  The  tree  has  outlived  for  many  years  the  use  of  the  snath  as  a  handle 
for  the  scythe  that  cuts  the  meadow  grass,  and  now  his  children's  children's  children 
love  to  visit  it,  and  they  call  it  "The  Twisted  Tree." 

Walters,  James  N.,  was  born  in  Russia,  Herkimer  county,  November  27,  1824,  son 
of  William  and  Fannie  Walters,  whose  children  were  James  N.,  David  A.,  Susan 
Smith  (deceased),  Celia  Newman,  William  W.  and  Irwin  M.,  all  natives  of  Her- 
kimer county.  James  N.  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Frederick  E.  Kiesinger,  of 
Oswego,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  William  J.,  of  Guthrie,  O.  T.,  and  Charles 
F. ,  of  Prospect,  N.Y.  James  N.  started  for  himself  as  a  millwright  in  Pearl  Mills  of 
Oswego  in  1847.  In  1848  he  built  the  lumber  mills  of  Hinkley  &  Ballou  at  Hinkley, 
N.  Y. ,  and  at  its  completion  assumed  the  position  of  superintendent,  which  position 
he  held  until  1890,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired  at  Prospect,  N.  Y.  He  is 
actively  interested  in  the  town  and  county  affairs,  has  held  the  office  of  postmaster 
many  years,  and  was  elected  supervisor  of  Russia,  Herkimer  county,  in  1866,  1867, 
1868,  and  1869. 

Wood,  John  W.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  son  of  Anthony  and 
Laura  S.  Wood,  who  settled  on  the  farm  about  1823,  and  whose  children  were  Ellen 
(deceased),  wife  of  James  Sweet;  Henry  C.  (deceased);  Laura  (deceased);  Rev.  Abel 
S.  ;  John  W.  ;  and  Matilda  R.,  wife  of  Edward  Wagner.  Anthony  Wood  was  a 
private  contractor,  and  the  latter  part  of  his  life  followed  farming.  He  was  active 
in  all  aflfairs  of  his  town,  also  educational  work,  and  was  very  active  in  church  work 
Under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  he  contributed  to  the  Syracuse 


36  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

University,  and  was  a  founder  of  the  Marcy  M.  E.  church.  John  W.  married 
Jennie  C,  daughter  of  Daniel  Knowlton,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children;  Minnie 
E..  Clara  M.  (wife  of  William  A.  Markwick),  May  N.,  and  A.  Wayne.  Mr.  Wood 
is  engaged  in  farming. 

Walker,  Henry  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  November 
20,  1852,  son  of  the  late  G.  W.  Walker,  who  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  February 
2,  1823,  and  came  to  Oneida  county  when  the  country  was  new,  settling  in  the  town 
of  Deerfield,  where  he  assisted  in  clearing  a  farm.  He  married  Mary  Pugh,  of 
North  Wales,  and  moved  to  Camden,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and  lived  there  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  They  had  five  children:  M.  P.,  Sarah  J.,  Emma,  Nellie  B., 
and  Henry  J.,  who  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
farming,  which  business  he  conducts  an  a  scientfic  principle,  and  is  also  a  large 
dealer  in  stock,  raw  furs,  etc.,  and  ow^ns  a  farm  of  270  acres.  He  married  Emma, 
daughter  of  Elias  Chapman,  by  whom  he  had  four  children :  Oatley,  Sarah,  Bessie 
and  Lloyd  C.  Mr.  Walker  has  been  prominent  in  politics,  has  held  the  office  of 
collector,  and  at  present  is  justice  of  the  peace.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Warcup,  Edwin  8.,  was  born  in  Westernville,  November  28,  1864,  a  son  of  Matthew 
and  Mary  J.  (Smith)  Warcup.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Robert  Warcup,  was  a 
native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  who  came  to  America  in  1827,  locating  in  Oneida 
county,  and  for  many  years  was  a  resident  of  Western,  where  he  died.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  John  Smith,  was  also  a  native  of  England,  and  a  resident  of  Floyd, 
Oneida  county,  for  many  years.  Matthew  Warcup,  father  of  Edwin  S.,  is  a  native 
of  Oneida  county,  is  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  resides  in  Westernville.  He  has 
three  children:  Edwin  S.,  Preston,  and  Sylvia  (Mrs.  William  Mudge).  Edwin  S.  was 
reared  in  Westernville  where  he  has  always  resided.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  is  a  tinner  by  trade,  and  has  been  engaged  in  business  for  himself  at 
Westernville  since  1892.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  politically  is  a 
Democrat. 

Marsh,  Thomas,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Rome,  Oneida  count}',  October  20,  1861, 
son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Harvey)  Mar.sh,  natives  of  Canterbury,  England,  who 
settled  in  this  county  in  1855.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  town  of  Lee, 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  has  lived  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides  since  1889,  though  owning  a  farm  of  141  acres  near  the 
old  homestead.  December  25,  1883,  he  married  Carrie  D.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Fillmore)  Golly,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Two  daughters,  Lillie, 
and  Ethel,  also  a  son.  Earl  T.,  who  died  February  3,  1894.  Mr.  Marsh  is  one  of  the 
representative  farmers  of  Lee,  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  a  member  of  P.  of  H., 
and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 

Comstock,  Gastin  E.,  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Oswego  county.  May  27,  1823, 
and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Williamstown  and  Florence,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  farming,  which  has  been  his  prmcipal  occupation,  and  now  owns  a 
farm  of  260  acres  in  the  town  of  Florence.  He  married  Betsey,  daughter  of  Oliver 
Davis,  of  Florence,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children:  Roxcy  Ann,  Herbert  G.,  Perla 
E.,  Sylvester  D.,  Ella  A,,  Cora  B.,  lann  A.,  Allace  M.,  Caroline  G  ,  Henry  O., 
Hattie. 


Family  sketches.  37 

Hamlin,  Joseph  Eugene,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  July  6,  1848 
son  of  Joseph  Sprague  and  Delia  (Willard)  Hamlin.  The  latter  have  eleven  chil- 
dren: Charles  W.,  C.  Louise  Hall,  Edward  Augustus,  Maria  C.  Gosnell,  Joseph  E., 
Frederick  H.,  George  Thomas,  Mary  Adelaide,  William  G.,  Frank  Melvin  and 
David  West.  Joseph  S.  Hamlin  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county  in 
1810.  Joseph  Eugene  Hamlin  married  Louise,  daughter  of  Henry  J.  and  Mary 
(Strickland)  Wetmore,  by  whom  he  has  four  children :  Annie  Gertrude,  Willard  De- 
Lancy,  Mary  Ethel  and  Genevieve  Adelaide,  all  natives  of  this  county.  Mr.  Ham- 
lin is  interested  in  church  and  educational  interests,  also  town  and  county  affairs. 
He  has  been  assessor  for  the  past  seven  years,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old 
homestead. 

Ellis,  Thomas  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  N.  Y.,  November  15,  1853,  son 
of  John  and  Ellen  (Griffith)  Ellis,  who  came  from  Wales  and  settled  m  Remsen  in 
1845.  Their  children  were:  John,  jr..  Jennet  Catherine,  wife  of  Griflfith  Thomas; 
Ellis;  Ellen,  wife  of  Grithth  Evans;  Jane,  wife  of  William  T.  Hughes;  William  and 
Thomas  T.  John  Ellis,  sr.,  was  a  grain  and  dairy  farmer  by  occupation,  and  was 
active  in  religious  and  educational  affairs.  Thomas  T.  Ellis  married  Mary  Anna, 
daughter  of  John  W.  and  Annie  Elizabeth  Jones,  by  whom  he  has  four  children : 
Nellie,  Jennie,  Lizzie  and  John  Elmer.  Nellie  and  Jennie  attend  the  Holland  Pat- 
ent Academy.  Mr.  Ellis  is  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  active  in  the  promotion  of 
the  schools  of  the  town.  The  family  are  members  of  the  church  at  Camroden, 
N.  Y. 

Kilts,  Andrew,  was  born  in  Ava,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  27, 1831,  son  of  Jacob 
and  Elizabeth  Kilts.  Andrew  Kilts  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Ava  and  Lowville  Academy.  He  has  worked  some  at  the  car- 
penter trade,  being  a  natural  mechanic,  but  farming  has  been  his  principal  occupa- 
tion. He  has  a  farm  of  120  acres  and  makes  a  specialty  of  sheep  husbandry.  In 
1881  he  married  Mary  M.  Hugunine,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  one 
living,  May  C,  who  was  born  June  27,  1888.  Mr.  Kilts  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  has  been  commissioner  of  highways  and  assessor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Boon- 
ville  Grange. 

Babcock,  E.  C,  M.D.,  was  born  at  Oriskany  Falls  in  1872,  son  of  Welcome  E. 
Babcock,  who  was  a  prominent  physician  at  Oriskany  Falls,  and  grandson  of  Wel- 
come A.  Babcock,  who  was  also  a  practicing  physician  at  Oriskany,  and  examining 
surgeon  at  Utica  through  the  Civil  war.  E.  C.  Babcock,  choo.sing  the  profession  of 
his  father,  and  grandfather,  at  eleven  years  of  age  he  went  to  Madison,  and  in  1888 
entered  Colgate  University,  where  he  took  a  three  years'  scientific  course;  thence  to 
New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  in  1891,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated in  1894,  with  a  standing  of  ninety-seven  per  cent.  He  now  holds  diplomas  from 
New  York  Homoeopathic  College  and  Hospital,  and  from  New  York  University. 
Upon  coming  to  this  place,  he  resigned  position  as  physician  to  the  Central  and 
Yorkville  Dispensaries,  surgeon  to  the  Hahnamann  Hospital,  and  to  the  New  York 
Homoeopathic  Medical  College.  He  makes  surgery  a  specialty,  and  had  charge  of 
the  surgical  clinic  at  college  dispensary  during  the  last  year. 

Taylor,  George,  was  born  in  Boonville  in  1834,  where  he  is  a  prominent  farmer, 


38  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

held  in  high  repute  in  both  business  and  social  circles,  and  is  one  of  the  seven  chil- 
dren of  John  Taylor,  a  farmer  from  Rhode  Island,  who  settled  m  Boonville  in  181T 
purchasing  100  acres  of  land  for  $600  in  what  was  then  a  bleak  wilderness.  George 
Taylor  received  his  education  in  Boonville,  devoting  his  time  since  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  for  which  he  has  received  special  orders  from 
consumers  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  and  London,  England.  He  now  has  his  home 
where  the  late  Amos  Tyler  resided,  and  whose  daughter,  Helen  E.,  he  married  in 
1874.  Her  father,  Amos  Tyler,  was  a  native  of  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  cousin  of  ex- 
President  Tyler,  came  here  in  1850,  his  death  occurring  in  1878.  Mr.  Taylor's  sym- 
pathies are  with  the  Republican  party.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  They  have  one  son,  J.  Albert,  aged  twenty  years,  who  is  possessed 
of  marked  dramatic  ability,  and  who  is  now  manager  of  the  Empire  Specialty  Co.,  a 
variety  show  touring  Northern  and  Central  New  York. 

Jackson,  W.  H.,  is  a  de'scendant  of  an  old  family  identified  at  an  early  period  with 
the  history  of  Boonville.  His  father,  William  Stuart  Jackson,  was  born  in  Boonville 
in  1815  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  was 
supervisor  of  the  town  for  several  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  of 
which  he  has  been  master.  He  died  November  9,  1887.  W.  H.  Jackson  was  also 
born  at  Boonville  in  185B.  In  1876  he  married  Flora  E.,  only  daughter  of  William  H. 
Cole  of  Leyden,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Jennie  Laura,  aged  eighteen  gradu- 
ated from  Boonville  Academy  in  1893  and  has  since  become  a  successful  teacher; 
William  Carroll,  aged  seventeen,  is  taking  the  agricultural  course  at  Cornell  Univer- 
sity;  and  two  daughters  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Jackson  has  officiated  as  master 
of  the  local  grange  for  three  years,  of  which  his  daughter  Jennie  was  secretary  for 
two  years.  He  occupies  the  old  homestead  of  200  acres  just  north  f)f  the  village  of 
Boonville  and  is  a  prominent  and  successful  farmer. 

Adsit,  Leonard  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  on  the  farm  and  in  the  house 
where  he  now  lives,  in  1842,  son  of  Erastus  Adsit,  who  was  born  in  Columbia  county 
in  1802,  one  of  ten  children,  born  to  Stephen  Adsit  of  Columbia  county.  Stephen  was 
a  son  of  one  of  three  brothers,  who  came  from  England  before  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  came  to  Steuben,  where  he  purchased  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Leonard  E.,  in  1805.  He  cleared  a  good  portion  of  it,  and  here  spent  his 
last  days.  He  participated  in  the  war  of  1812.  Erastus  Adsit  spent  his  life  on  the 
homestead,  which  he  purchased  of  the  heirs  after  his  father's  demise.  He  was  a 
Whig  until  1862,  when  he  became  a  Democrat,  and  was  well  known  as  "  Squire 
Adsit,"  having  been  justice  for  twentj'-four  years,  and  always  took  an  active  interest 
in  town  and  county  affairs.  He  married  Parmelia,  daughter  of  Daniel  Tripp,  who 
was  born  in  Oneida  in  1801,  and  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Mrs.  Alzina  Fuller, 
of  Iowa;  Mrs.  Susan  Mcintosh  (deceased) ;  Stephen  W.,  of  Steuben;  and  Leonard 
E.  Mrs.  Adsit  died  in  1875,  and  Mr.  Adsit  in  1886.  Leonard  E.  has  spent  his  life 
on  the  homestead  to  which  he  has  added  forty- five  acres.  His  principal  occupation 
is  dairying,  and  he  has  been  auctioneer  for  the  past  twenty-five  years.  He  is  inter- 
ested m  the  bee  culture,  also  a  dealer  in  agricultural  implements,  and  is  the  owner 
and  agent  of  the  telephone  office,  known  as  Adsit  Station,  which  is  located  on  his 
farm.  He  is  now  treasurer  of  the  Steuben  Cheese  Association.  He  has  served  one 
term  as  supervisor,  and  eight  terms  on  board  of  equalization,  also  commissioner  of 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  39 

highways  and  poormaster.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Remsen 
Lodge ;  United  Friends  of  Stittville  and  the  Grange  Lodge  in  Holland  Patent.  In 
1866  he  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Suits,  who  was  a  native  of  Western,  N. 
Y.     They  have  one  child  by  adoption,  Mrs.  Jesse  Bennett. 

Owen,  F.  W.,  was  born  at  Albany  in  1860.  The  late  Ephraim  Owen,  his  father, 
was  born  in  Boonville,  and  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  citizens  of  that  town. 
He  married  Aurelia  Riggs  of  this  place,  by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Frank, 
Jennie,  and  James  (deceased).  Mr.  Owen  died  in  1877,  aged  fifty-six ;  and  he  was 
brother  of  John  and  Philip  Owen.  Mr.  Frank  Owen  was  educated  at  Trinity  Col- 
lege, and  upon  the  completion  of  the  collegiate  course,  became  associated  with  the 
canned  goods  business.  He  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Turin  Canning  and 
Pickling  Co.,  having  their  factory  at  Turin,  and  office  at  Boonville. 

Porter,  Chester  Winfield,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  Sep- 
tember 3,  1861,  a  son  of  Joel  and  Ann  A.  (French)  Porter,  natives  of  Oneida  and 
Montgomery  counties,  respectively.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Chester  Porter,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  was  a  pioneer  of  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  and  was  a  tanner 
and  shoe  manufacturer.  His  paternal  grandfather,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  was  a 
woolen  and  shoepeg  manufacturer.  Joel  Porter,  father  of  Chester  W.,  taught  school 
in  early  manhood,  but  most  of  his  life  was  spent  in  farming  and  cheese  manufactur- 
ing, and  he  died  in  Western,  March  2,  1895,  aged  seventy  years.  Chester  Winfield 
Porter  was  educated  in  Syracuse  Classical  school  and  Syracuse  University, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  latter  in  1884.  He  began  life  as  an  agriculturist  and 
cheese  manufacturer,  in  which  he  still  continues,  having  been  associated  with  his 
father  until  the  death  of  the  latter.  In  1892-93  he  served  as  member  of  assembly, 
representing  the  Third  and  Second  districts  of  his  county,  respectively,  and  acquitted 
himself  of  his  duties  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  Mr.  Porter  is  a 
supporter  of  the  First  M.  E.  church  of  Western,  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F  ,  and 
Psi  Upsilon  Fraternity,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

Kent,  John  S.,  was  born  in  Remsen,  on  the  farm  he  now  owns,  December  18,  1841, 
son  of  Silas  Kent,  who  was  born  in  Remsen,  July  7,  1808,  the  fifth  of  seven  children 
born  to  Silas  Kent,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  1787,  son  of  John,  son  of  Silas,  of 
Connecticut,  of  Scotch  ancestry.  Silas  Kent,  fatlier  of  John  S. ,  from  five  to  sixteen 
years  of  age  was  reared  by  an  uncle,  when  he  returned  to  the  homestead,  which  he 
and  his  brother,  Chester,  conducted  for  eleven  years.  They  cleared  a  large  amount 
of  land,  cut  the  timber  and  made  it  into  potash,  and  bought  two  other  farms; 
he  then  purchased  a  farm  of  400  acres,  where  he  resided  until  1870,  when  he  sold  the 
farm  to  his  son,  John  S.,  and  removed  to  the  village  of  Remsen,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, the  only  surviving  member  of  his  father's  family.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter. of  Evan  Thomas,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children.  His  wife  died  in  April, 
1878.  John  S.  Kent  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  when  he  purchased  the  farm,  which  then  contained  600  acres  and  paid 
for  said  farm  $16,630,  180  of  which  he  sold,  but  has  since  purchased  two  more  farms 
of  133  and  100  acres,  and  is  the  most  extensive  farmer  in  the  town,  and  also  conducts 
a  large  dairy  of  forty  cows.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  has  served  as  assessor 
three  terms,  supervisor  three  terms,    and  has  often  been  elected  delegate  to  County 


40  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  District  Conventions,  also  a  member  Equalizing  Board  Oneida  county,  1895.  In 
1869  he  married  Naomi,  daughter  of  Robert  Roberts,  of  Remsen.  She  died  in  1884, 
and  he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mary  C,  daughter  of  John  G.  Hughes,  of  Rem- 
sen, by  whom  he  had  two  children:  J.  Grant  and  Clara  May. 

Crandall,  Enos  T.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1832. 
His  grandfather,  Lewis  Crandall,  a  native  of  Dutchess  county,  was  a  farmer  and 
carried  provisions  to  Sackett's  Harbor  during  the  war  of  1812.  About  1797  he  came 
to  Oneida  county,  settling  in  Westmoreland,  where  he  purchased  300  acres  of  land. 
He  married  Clara  Shute,  by  whom  he  had  four  children.  He  died  in  1875  aged  100 
years  and  four  months,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  William 
Crandall,  father  of  Enos  T.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  in  1800  and  was  a  carpenter, 
noted  for  his  fine  workmanship ;  he  also  farmed  some  in  early  life.  He  was  captain 
of  a  company  of  State  militia.  His  wife  was  Laura  Church  and  their  children  were 
Lowell,  Ann,  Enos  T.,  Charles,  Willard  (deceased),  Jason,  Orville  A.,  Irvin,  and 
Winifred  S.  Mr.  Crandall  died  in  1850  and  his  wife  in  1891,  aged  eighty-five  years. 
Enos  T.  Crandall,  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  left  home  and  engaged  in  farm  work,  but, 
being  a  natural  mechanic,  he  later  followed  carpentry  for  many  years.  In  1S60  he 
removed  to  Boonville  and  five  years  later  purchased  a  farm  and  saw  mill,  conducting 
them  both  successfully  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  site,  where  he 
purchased  a  saw  mill  and  325  acres  of  land  and  engaged  extensively  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  hard  wood  and  lumber.  He  has  also  since  1889  conducted  a  grocery  store 
and  in  1891,  through  his  efforts,  the  post-oflSce  of  Enos  was  established  with  Mr. 
Crandall  as  postmaster.  He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years,  com- 
missioner of  highways,  and  has  been  a  school  trustee  for  twenty-five  years.  He  has 
been  a  Mason  for  thirty  years.  In  1857  Mr.  Crandall  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
William  and  Sarah  Shephard,  all  natives  of  Manchester,  England,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1845.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crandall  have  two  children:  Ella  B.,  wife  of 
Charles  Miller;  and  George  W.,  all  of  whom  live  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Mrs. 
Crandall  died  January  13,  1896,  aged  sixty-one  j^ears. 

Rice,  Charles  F.,  was  born  in  Paris,  in  1835,  son  of  E.  D.  and  Sally  A.  (Chapman) 
Rice,  of  Eastern  birth,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in  Paris  at  an  early  date.  They  had 
four  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living.  After  the  completion  of  his  education 
at  the  Albany  Normal  School,  he  engaged  in  teaching  for  several  years  in  local 
schools  and  with  good  success.  In  1856  he  entered  the  employ  of  S.  A.  Millard  at 
Clayville  as  shipping  clerk,  and  in  1863  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  renting 
a  mill  on  Black  River,  and  in  1867  purchased  of  J.  M.  Fiske  the  present  business, 
manufacturing  of  sash,  blinds,  doors,  mouldings  and  a  general  lumber  business, 
which  he  has  built  up  into  a  very  important  industry,  now  employing  eight  people. 
He  married  Sarah  A.  Lee,  who  died  July  29,  1885.  Her  son  Charles  died  when  six 
months  old  and  before  his  mother;  he  died  July  28,  1872.  In  1887  he  married  for  his 
second  wife  Eliza  Reynolds,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Henry  H.  Rice,  who  was  born 
in  1891.  Mr.  Rice  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  six  years,  and  has 
been  president  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  is  much  esteemed  as  a  citizen. 

Powell,  J.  L.,  was  born  in  Lanesboro,  Mass.,  in  1780,  and  moved  to  Trenton  in 
1801.     He  was  twice  married;  first  to  Nancy  Peck,  by  whom  he  had  three  children: 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  41 

Melancthon,  George  and  John.  His  second  wife  was  Margaret  Hulburt,  bjr  whom 
he  had  eleven  children :  Nancy,  Sophia,  Hulbert,  James,  Frederick  W.,  Jane,  Joseph 
P.,  Helen,  Henry  W.,  William  and  Francis.  John  L.  Powell  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing and  farming.  He  was  educated  at  Williams  College  and  took  a  great  interest  in 
educational  affairs.  William  Powell,  the  youngest  son,  was  born  December  7,  1829, 
and  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Curtis  Hinman,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children :  Fannie  Elizabeth  and  John  Curtis.  He  afterward  married  Ann  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Henry  Miller,  an  old  resident  of  this  town. 

Lawrence,  A.  W.,  was  born  at  Lee,  Oneida  county,  in  1829,  son  of  Edward  T. 
Lawrence,  a  millwright,  and  his  mother  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Abner  Wood,  a 
well  known  pioneer  settler  of  Ava.  In  October,  1853,  A.  W.  Lawrence  went  to  Bed- 
ford, Va.,  on  a  visiting  and  hunting  trip  on  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  From  Oc- 
tober 2,  1854,  to  May,  1855,  he  was  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  Lee,  whence  he  went  on 
a  farm  in  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  for  a  year;  he  then  followed  carriage  painting  for 
a  year.  In  May,  1858,  he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  employed  at  railroading; 
returning  in  1859,  he  became  proprietor  of  the  Moose  River  Hotel,  where  he 
remained  eighteen  years,  and  then  removed  to  Boonville  where  he  has  led  an  active 
life  as  a  mechanic.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  served  as 
deputy  sheriff  three  years,  the  sole  policeman  of  the  village  of  Boonville  for  fourteen 
years,  and  town  constable  for  twelve  years.  In  1854  he  married  Susan  M.  Meeker, 
who  bore  him  two  children :  Alice  (deceased)  and  Estella  R.  He  was  married  in 
1869  to  his  present  wife,  Jessie  M.  Hazard,  who  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  pioneer 
family  of  New  Hampshire,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Edward  T. ,  J.  Minnie, 
and  LouaM. 

Kennedy,  Michael,  was  born  in  Ireland,  December  2,  1815.  son  of  Michael  and 
Mary  (Wallings)  Kennedy.  Michael  Kennedy,  jr.,  settled  in  New  York  Mills,  Oneida 
county,  June  27,  1841,  and  was  followed  in  1842  by  his  mother,  where  they  lived 
until  1851  when  they  moved  to  Marcy.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  George  Pad- 
ley,  by  whom  he  has  four  children :  Elizabeth  Gates,  Sarah  A.  Morris,  Mary  and 
Joseph.  In  early  life  he  was  employed  as  a  general  laborer,  but  since  his  residence 
in  Marcy  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Club  of 
Oneida  county,  and  has  a  farm  of  168  acres,  with  3,000  rods  of  ditching. 

Cook,  Caspar  I.,  was  born  in  Vienna,  N.  Y.,  June  7,  1838.  His  father,  Andrew 
Cook,  a  grandson  of  Captain  Andrew  Dillenbeck  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Oriskany,  August  6,  1777,  and  grandson  of  John  Cook  who  also  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Oriskany,  and  son  of  John  I.  Cook  who  served  in  the  war  of  1812  as  captain 
at  Sackett's  Harbor.  Andrew  Cook  settled  in  Vienna  about  1823,  coming  from 
Palatine,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  November  11,  1880;  died.at 
his  home  in  Vienna  December,  1893.  He  married  Jane  E.  Covell  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children:  Betsey  C. ,  John,  George,  Charles,  Caspar  I.,  Joseph  A.,  and  Verena 
J.  Joseph  A.  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  50th  N.  Y.  Engineers,  and  served  three  years;  Cas- 
par I.  enlisted  December  14,  1851,  in  Co.  C,  81st  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Volunteers,  and 
received  a  1st  lieutenant's  commission  in  1864,  and  a  captain's  commission  January 
1,  1865;  discharged  June  22,  1865;  is  now  a  member  of  Constantia  Post  No.  519,  and 
was  married  February  18,  1866,  to  JuHa  E.,  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Prudence  Wat- 
f 


42  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

rous  of  Bolton,  Conn.,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  DeWitt  C,  a  graduate  of 
Rome  Academy,  class  of  1889,  who  also  attended  Cornell  University  one  year,  and 
in  1891  received  an  appomtment  in  the  pension  office  in  Washington,  where  he  at- 
tended the  evening  sessions  of  Columbian  University  for  three  years,  but  was  pre- 
vented from  finishing  the  course  on  account  of  failing  eyesight;  J.  Carlotta,  and  M. 
LeVanch,  graduates  of  Rome  Academy,  class  of  1891 ;  Jessie  Watrous,  a  graduate 
of  Rome  Academy,  class  of  1895. 

Halstead,  Charles  N.,  was  born  in  Verona,  August  2,  1849,  adopted  son  of  Joseph 
and  Betsey  (Cook)  Halstead.  The  grandfather,  John  P.  Halstead,  who  was  a 
farmer  and  lumberman,  and  furnished  the  lumber  for  and  built  all  the  locks  in  the 
Oneida  Lake  Canal,  which  intersected  the  Erie  Canal  at  Higginsville,  married 
Phila  White,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children:  Nathaniel,  John  B.,  Joseph,  Clark, 
Laurie,  George,  Sarah,  Louisa,  Morris,  Emily,  Nelson,  and  Maria.  Joseph  Hal- 
stead was  justice  of  the  peace  foi'many  years,  and  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Fish  Creek  Landing,  and  took  a  very  active  part  in  improving  the  town 
and  county. 

Ward,  John  L. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  June  25,  1856,  sou  of  James 
and  Martha  Loaks  Ward,  who  was  born  in  England  and  emigrated  to. the  United 
States  in  1846  and  settled  in  this  town,  where  he  took  up  sixty  acres  of  land  and 
cleared  a  farm.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the  81st  N.  Y.  Vols.,  Co.  I, 
and  was  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor,  from  which  he  died  before  reachmg  home.  He 
had  seven  children:  Eliza,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Giles  C,  Robert,  James,  and  John  L. , 
who  was  educated  in  this  town,  after  which  for  fifteen  years  was  engaged  in  the 
livery  and  express  business,  which  he  afterwards  sold  to  the  Taft  Bros.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  running  a  grist  mill  in  Taberg  village,  with  a  capacity  to 
grind  500  bushels  per  day.  He  married  Cornelia,  daughter  of  Rufus  Taft,  by  whom 
he  had  these  children;  Flossie  G.,  Lorna  A.,  and  Harrison  Morton.  Mr.  Ward  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  was  commissioner  of  highways  for  two  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Walters,  Charles  F.,  was  born  November  8,  1859,  son  of  James  N.  and  Mary.E. 
Walters.  In  1879  he  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Prospect,  in 
company  with  C.  B.  Hodge,  but  in  1881  he  sold  his  interest  and  entered  the  general 
merchandise  store  of  T.  B.  Balou,  at  Hinckley,  of  which  he  was  manager  for  five 
years.  In  1886  Mr.  Walters  started  a  general  merchandise  store  at  Prospect,  which  he 
has  conducted  to  the  present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  Remsen  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Trenton,  Oneida  Chapter  No.  57,  of  Utica,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Trenton,  and  I.  O.  R.  M., 
of  Prospect.  He  married  Helena  B.,  daughter  of  James  and  Betsey  Dickson,  of 
Antwerp,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  James  D.,  Mary 
E.,  and  Charles  F.,  y-.,  all  natives  of  Oneida  county. 

McClusky,  Henry,  '   i  at  Boonville  in  1845,  son  of  John  McClusky,  who  was 

born  in  Ireland,  and  ^"^mut  capital  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Boon- 

ville, N.  Y.     He  succ  ;learmg  a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  to  which  from  time  to 

time  he  made  many  .  ^.il.  ''  He  was  a  conscientious  man,  for  a  long  time  elder 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  oi"  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders.  His  wife,  Mary 
Cummings,  was  also  of  Irish  birth.     Henry  McClusky  spent  his  boyhood  days  on 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  43 

the  farm,  which  is  now  in  his  possession.  He  is  of  the  undertaking  establishment  of 
Bateman  &  McClusky,  with  which  business  he  has  been  connected  since  1888.  After 
finishing  his  education  at  Whitestown  Seminar}-,  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
at  Forestport,  thence  to  Boonville,  and  entered  mercantile  business  with  his  brother 
James,  where  he  remained  about  ten  5^ears,  dealing  principally  in  groceries.  In 
political  life  he  is  popular,  and  has  held  positions  of  trust  and  prominence,  and  was 
postmaster  under  Hayes's  and  Garfield's  administrations,  also  president  of  village 
in  1876  and  1877.  He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  was  master  of  Boonville 
Lodge  No.  165,  F.  &  A.  M. ,  for  three  terms,  and  maintains  associations  with  the 
church,  with  which  his  father  was  so  closely  identified.  For  five  years,  he  has  held 
the  responsible  office  of  secretary  of  the  Boonville  Fair  Association.  In  1890  he 
married  Ida  Tallcott  of  this  place 

Prendergast,  Rev.  E.  R.,  was  born  in  Syracuse  in  1862,  son  of  Edward  R.  Prender- 
gast,  a  jobber  of  clothing,  and  prominent  as  a  man  of  great  intellect  and  ability. 
He  inherited  his  scholastic  attainments,  and  was  a  graduate  of  Dublin  Academy. 
Until  his  death  in  1869  he  was  trustee  and  treasurer  of  St.  John's  Cathedral  for  three 
years,  and  was  superintendent  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  church,  also  promoter  and 
founder  of  St.  John's  Cathedral  school.  He  was  organizer  and  captain  of  the  Mili- 
tary Guards,  called  out  to  quell  the  riot  at  the  occasion  of  the  "Jerry  Rescue,"  and 
for  many  years  he  was  agent  for  the  old  steamship  line  from  Ireland.  E.  R.  Pren- 
dergasf  s  boyhood  was  spent  in  Syracuse,  and  in  1873,  he  entered  Manhattan  College 
near  New  York,  where  he  remained  six  years;  then  entered  St.  Joseph's  Seminary 
at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  remaining  there  five  years,  where  his  ordination  was  celebrated  in 
1884.  His  first  charge  was  at  Whitesboro  where  he  remained  till  January,  1888.  He 
came  to  Boonville  in  1888,  and  in  1891  the  degree  of  A.  M.  was  conferred  from  Man- 
hattan College.  Father  Prendergast  is  a  man  of  great  ability,  and  much  esteemed 
outside  of  his  own  parish. 

Johnson,  Samuel,  was  born  near  Burlington  Flats,  Otsego  county,  in  October,  1811, 
son  of  Jared  Johnson,  a  farmer  of  English  ancestry.  When  twenty  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  Paris  and  engaged  in  the  tanning  business,  which  was  his  occupation 
through  life.  For  eight  years  he  acted  as  clerk  in  the  well  known  hide  and  leather 
house  of  Hubbell  &  Curran  of  Utica,  from  1841  to  1849 ;  then  came  here,  where  he 
has  been  a  tanner  for  forty  j^ears.  In  1889  he  was  burned  out,  and  has  since  retired 
from  active  labor.  As  a  politician,  he  was  originally  a  Free  Soil  Democrat,  but  in 
1856  united  his  interests  with  the  Republican  party  at  its  organization.  For  four  years 
he  was  supervisor  of  his  town.  He  first  married  Sarah  S.  Campbell  of  Rome,  who 
died  in  1864,  leaving  two  children ;  Mrs.  J.  S.  Haseldon,  whose  husband  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  Rome  Brass  and  Copper  Co.  ;  and  one  son,  Walter  B.  Johnson,  super- 
intendent of  the  Rome  Manufacturing  Co.  His  present  wife  was  Sarah  L.  Stevens, 
by  whom  he  had  one  daughter  (deceased). 

Whiter,  Andrew  J.,  was  born  near  Oneida  Lake,  i;  ;  ,  n  of  Vienna,  Oneida 

county,  N.  Y.,  February  9,  1837.     When  about  fourth  of  age,  1851,  he  with 

his  two  brothers,  Abram  and  Hiram,  together  with  tl  s,  Meltiah  and  Lydia 

Whiter,  removed  to  Hawkinsville,  Oneida  count}%  i .  His  father  was  then  em- 
ployed in  a  saw  mill  owned  and  operated  by  the  late  Benjamin  Kipp ;   while  thus 


44  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

employed  he  had  the  misfortune  to  have  his  right  hand  and  arm  terribly  mangled 
with  a  saw,  which  resulted  in  his  death  in  about  six  years  afterward.  During  this 
time  and  thereafter  the  support  of  the  family  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Whiter  and  his 
younger  brother  Hiram.  In  the  year  1859  he  purchased  a  farm  of  110  acres  one  mile 
east  of  Hawkinsville,  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  N.  Y.  September  10,  1860,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Ellen  J.  Johnson,  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Cyntha  Johnson,  who  was 
born  August  3,  1841,  at  Frankfort  Hill.  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  at  which  place  she 
resided  until  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Three  children  were  born  to  Mr  and  Mrs. 
Whiter,  namely;  Albert  C,  Frank  W.,  Alice  E.,  all  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mr. 
Whiter  was  a  canal  boatman  by  occupation  until  the  year  1865,  at  which  time  he  re- 
tired to  his  farm  where  he  has  since  resided,  devoting  his  time  to  the  best  interest  of 
his  home  and  his  surroundings.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  much  interested  in  the 
public  welfare.  He  was  appointed  several  times  as  inspector  of  election.  Also  he 
was  a  Democratic  nominee  for  assessor  and  highway  commissioner  at  different  times. 
Mr.  Whiter  is  widely  known  and  esteemed  by  all. 

Kent,  Justus  Vinton,  was  born  at  Remsen  in  1827,  son  of  Ezekial  Kent,  who  came 
to  this  place  in  1829,  settling  about  two  miles  south  of  Boonville,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming,  yet  devoting  much  time  to  public  affairs.  He  was  a  man  of  prominence, 
and  officiated  as  assessor  for  many  years.  He  married  Laura  Dayton,  of  an  old 
Connecticut  family,  who  were  early  settlers  in  Remsen,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
children.  His  father  was  Capt.  John  Kent,  who  was  well  remembered  for  his  zeal 
and  patriotism,  and  who  achieved  much  fame  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Ezekial 
Kent  died  in  1861.  In  1848  Justus  V.  Kent  married  Louise  Owen,  daughter  of  John 
Owen,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  has  a  farm 
of  ninety  acres,  in  the  suburbs  of  the  village,  adjoining  Erwin  Park.  He  also  has 
charge  of  the  Summit  Hotel,  which  he  entered  in  1890.  This  hotel  is  beautifully 
located,  commanding  a  view  of  the  Adirondacks,  and  of  the  adjacent  territory. 

Parks,  Perry,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  now  owns  in  the  town  of  Camden,  March 
14,  1842,  son  of  Marshall  F.  Parks,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut.  Marshall  F.  came 
to  Camden  in  an  early  day  and  took  up  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  Perry,  which 
consisted  of  200  acres,  about  125  acres  of  which  were  improved.  He  married  Eliza 
Hall  of  Connecticut,  whose  parents  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Oswego  countj-, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Daniel,  Joshua,  Hannah,  Sarah,  Perry  and  Clara, 
only  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  Perry  Parks  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Cam- 
den, and  is  now  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old  homestead.  He  married  Ella,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Hall,  of  Annsville,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Charles,  who  resides  on 
the  farm  with  his  parents. 

Scoville,  Samuel  T.  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  N.  Y.,  October  17,  1842, 
son  of  Riley  Scoville,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  came  to  Camden  in  1840. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  which  line  of  business  Samuel  Scoville  has  followed 
for  some  years.  Mr.  Scoville  married  Maria  Upson,  of  Camden,  by  whom  he  has  one 
son,  Riley  A.  He  is  an  enterprising  and  thrifty  business  man  and  in  politics  is  a 
Democrat. 

Phelps,  C.  A.,  senior  member  of  the  dry  goods  firm  of  C.  A.  &  A.  C.  Phelps,  was  born 
in  Camden,  June  21,  1856.     He  was  a  farmer  and  corn  packer  up  to  twelve  years 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  45 

ago,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in  the  mercantile  business.  They  purchased  the 
stock  and  good  will  of  Frisbie  &  Stansfield,  and  have  now  the  leading  business  in 
that  line  in  Camden.  Albert  C.  was  born  in  this  town,  and  thej?  have  always  been 
associated  together  in  business. 

Tripp,  Franklin,  was  born  in  Floyd,  December  27,  1831,  son  of  Isaac  Tripp  (who 
married  Mary  Brooker  in  1812),  and  he  was  one  of  eleven  children,  seven  sons  and 
four  daughters:  Henderson,  Septimus,  Savinah,  Julia  Ann,  Isaac,  jr.,  William,  Mar- 
quis De  Lafayette,  Helen,  Franklin,  Jeanette  and  Orris  B.  Isaac,  sr.,  was  born  in 
Dutchess  county,  December  17,  1792,  a  son  of  William  Tripp,  who  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  (and  was  consequently  a  pensioner  till  his  death).  Will- 
iam moved  with  his  family  to  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  when  Isaac  was  quite  a  small 
boy.  His  other  children  were  Stephen,  William,  Mary  and  Clara.  Isaac  settled 
permanently  in  Floyd,  and  being  possessed  of  an  energetic  disposition,  progressive 
ideas,  and  .strong  business  capacity,  naturally  his  influence  was  felt  in  the  town  and 
in  his  surroundings.  He  served  as  assessor  for  many  years.  Was  cotemporary  and 
intimately  associated  with  General  Floyd  (after  whom  the  town  was  named,  and 
who  was  then  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Western).  One  of  his  sons,  Isaac,  jr.,  settled 
in  Utica  as  a  lawyer;  three  settled  in  Cortland  county,  one  in  Cayuga,  while  Frank- 
lin and  Orris  remained  on  the  old  homestead  with  additions  thereto.  Franklin  mar- 
ried Carrie,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  Fulmer  of  the  town  of  Steuben.  They 
have  two  children  who  are  at  present  pupils  at  the  Holland  Patent  Academy.  (Orris 
married  Esther,  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Sally  Jones  also  of  Steuben).  They  are  both 
farmers. 

Evans,  John,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  March  25,  1842,  son  of  Owen  and 
Rose  Evans,  who  settled  in  Floyd  about  1831.  They  had  six  children:  Jane  (de- 
ceased), John,  William  (deceased),  Owen  J.,  Mary  Jane  (deceased),  and  Charles  H. 
Owen  J.,  jr.,  is  a  farmer  and  is  active  in  the  development  of  the  town.  John  Evans 
married  Libbie,  daughter  of  William  W.  and  Catherine  Jones,  by  whom  he  had  one 
child,  Mary  Jane,  who  died  October  9,  1884,  aged  seven  years.  Mr.  Evans  is  a  dairy 
farmer.     He  served  as  collector  for  the  town  one  term. 

Vanderhoof,  Thomas  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd  January  25,  1837,  son  of 
Nathaniel  and  Susan  (Soule)  Vanderhoof,  who  was  born  in  Wellstown  in  1805,  whose 
father  came  from  Vermont  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Nathaniel  settled 
in  Oneida  county  in  1830;  he  had  five  children:  Frances,  Catherine,  Thomas  J., 
Mary  E.  and  Nathaniel,  jr.  Nathaniel  Vanderhoof,  sr.,  was  a  captain  of  artillery  in 
the  State  militia,  and  Francis  was  a  drummer.  Nathaniel,  sr.,  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  akso  worked  at  weaving  and  shoemaking  and  was  commissioner  for  many 
years.  Nathaniel,  jr.,  was  first  corporal  in  Co.  B  in  the  Fifth  Oneida,  146th  Regt., 
and  after  .several  engagements  in  battle  was  wounded  and  died  in  the  hospital  at 
Falmouth  May  16,  1863.  Thomas  J.  married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Austin  and 
Malinda  Nutt,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Olive  and  Mary,  and  one,  Henrietta, 
deceased;  he  engaged  in  farming  at  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  is  active  in  town 
and  educational  affairs. 

Pepper,  Edwin  J.,  was  born  in  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  February  3,,  1845.  He  mar- 
ried Nancy,   a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Lewis)  Paul,  by  whom  he  has  four 


46  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

children:  Cora  E.,  wife  of  Fred  Wickham,  Roscoe  H.,  Bertha  H.,  and  Arthur  M.,  all 
natives  of  Floyd.  He  studied  law  in  Cape  Vincent,  N.  Y.,  and  which,  at  the  present 
time,  he  practices  in  the  justice  court  of  the  county;  although  his  chief  occupation 
has  been  farming.  He  enlisted  August  24,  1863,  in  Co.  G.,  20th  N.  Y.  Cav.,  and 
was  mustered  out  July  31,  1865,  and  served  as  a  non-commissioned  officer.  He  be- 
longs to  Post  Hunt,  No.  510  of  Holland  Patent,  and  has  been  commander  and  junior 
vice-commander  of  the  same.  He  is  the  present  justice  of  the  peace  and  has  held 
most  of  the  elective  offices  of  the  town.  He  is  trustee  of  the  Floyd  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  aud  contributed  liberally  at  the  rebuilding  of  the  same. 

Ulrich,  Simon,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  April  3,  1837,  sou  of  Simon  and  Kather- 
ine  Ulrich,  who  settled  in  Floyd  about  1842.  Their  children  were  Katherine,  Simon, 
Elizabeth  and  Mary.  Simon  Ulrich,  sr.,  in  early  life  followed  the  weaver's  trade  in 
Germany.  He  moved  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  engaged  in  burning  charcoal  and 
worked  in  an  iron  furnace.  In  1842  he  came  to  Floyd,  since  which  time  he  has  fol- 
lowed farming.  Simon  Ulrich,  jr.,  married  Grace,  daughter  of  Joseph  Wintemeyer, 
by  whom  he  has  six  children:  Simon  J.,  Joseph  A.,  Katie  M.,  MaryT.,  Frank  T., 
and  Albert  L.,  all  born  in  Floyd.  Mr.  Ulrich's  chief  occupation  has  been  farming, 
and  he  is  also  interested  in  school  work. 

Golly,  Andrew,  was  born  on  the  Golly  homestead  in  the  town  of  Lee,  March  4, 
1814,  son  of  Joseph  and  Ann  (Jardin)  Golly,  natives  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  who 
settled  in  the  town  of  Lee  in  1811,  where  they  cleared  and  improved  a  farm  from  the 
wilderness  and  died  there.  Their  children  were  Eliza  J.,  John,  Andrew,  Mary  A., 
Joseph,  Martha,  Jardin,  William,  Benjamin,  and  Esther.  Andrew  has  spent  the 
most  of  his  time  in  Lee,  and  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which  is  the 
Golly  homestead.  In  1854  he  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Cummins) 
McClusky  of  Boonville,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  six  children  Frank,  Albert, 
George,  Eliza  (Mrs.  Fred  S.  Fish),  Mary,  and  Margaret.  Mr.  Golly  is  one  of  the 
oldest  native  residents  of  Lee.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held  the  office 
of  supervisor, 

Willsoi,  Merritt  N.,  was  born  in  town  of  Lee,  Oneida  county,  May  14,  1854,  son  of 
Wright  and  Lydia  (Tracy)  Willson,  both  natives  of  Lee.  His  paternal  grandparents, 
Roswell  K.  and  Susan  (Tyler)  Willson,  and  maternal  grandparents,  Frederick  and 
Chloe  Tracy,  were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  all  pioneers  of  the  town  of  Lee. 
Wright  Willson,  father  of  Merritt  N.,  was  born  in  1817,  still  resides  in  the  town  of 
Lee,  and  by  occupation  is  a  farmer.  Merritt  N.  was  educated  in  the  Union  schools 
of  Lee  Center  and  Rome  Academy,  aud  was  graduated  from  the  latter  in  1875.  In 
1877  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  Hon.  Edward  L.  Stevens  of  Rome,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  established  him.self 
at  Lee  Center,  where  he  was  located  until  November  12,  1895,  when  he  sold  his  resi- 
dence in  Lee  Center  and  purchased  a  residence  at  No.  416  William  street  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  has  since  been  located.  His  office  is  No.  103  S.  James  street. 
November  5,  1882,  he  married  Edith  C,  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Jemima  (Kniskern) 
Brown,  of  Oriskany  Fall"^,  Oneida  county,  by  whom  he  had  four  daughters:  Maud  J., 
Mabel  S.,  Mary  B.,  and  Edith  A.  Mr.  Willson  is  a  member  of  Roman  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  223,  of  Rome,  the  Rome  Council  No.  150,  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
P.  of  I.,  and  K.  of  R.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  47 

Parsell,  Charles  D.,  was  born  in  Western,  December  8,  1858,  a  son  of  Alanson  and 
Mary  A.  (Bullock)  Parsell;  the  former  was  born  in  Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1815,  and 
came  with  his  father  to  Parish,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1824,  and  the  latter  in 
Norway,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1825.  About  1837  Mr.  Parsell  settled  in  West- 
ern, where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter  and  joiner  trade  until  his  death,  January  31, 
1892.  He  was  twice  married,  and  his  first  wife  was  Eliza  Shott,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:  Martha  (Mrs.  Silas  Ball),  and  Parisade  (Mrs.  Russell  M.  Frazer).  His 
second  wife  was  Mary  A.  Bullock,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject is  the  only  survivor.  Charles  D.  was  reared  in  Western,  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  Rome  Academy  and  Holland  Patent  High  School.  For  seventeen 
winters  he  taught  school  and  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade  with  his  father  in  the 
summer,  and  since  1882  has  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  averaging 
about  100,000  lbs  annually.  November  22,  1882,  he  married  Lizzie  A.,  daughter  of 
Owen  D.  and  Eleanor  (Jones)  Jones,  of  Lee,  by  whom  he  has  three  children :  Bessie 
A.,  Anson  Dudley  and  John  C. 

Edic,  Alson  A.,  was  born  in  Marcy,  N.  Y.,  October  8,  1858,  son  of  Amos  L.  and 
Clista  R.  (Payne)  Edic.  Amos  L.  was  a  native  of  Marcy,  son  of  Jacob  and  Esther 
(Levensworth)  Edic,  very  early  settlers  in  the  town  of  Marcy.  Mrs.  Clista  (Payne) 
Edic  was  a  native  of  Deerfield,  and  a  daughter  of  Edward  Payne,  who  came  from 
Vermont  in  1820,  and  settled  on  the  farm  in  Deerfield  where  Alson  A.  Edic  now  re- 
sides. Amos  L.  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Marcy  for  many  years,  and  also  survey- 
ing, at  which  he  still  works,  having  taken  up  his  residence  in  Utica,  since  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Edic,  which  occurred  in  1876.  He  was  supervisor  in  Marcy,  and  also  held 
the  office  of  town  clerk  and  justice  of  the  peace;  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
lodge.  Alson  A.  Edic  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  has  always  been 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1880  he  settled  on  Payne  Farm  in  Deerfield,  where  he  still 
resides.  The  farm  consists  of  209  acres  and  he  keeps  thirty  cows.  In  1882  he  mar- 
ried Hattie  M.,  daughter  of  John  and  Almena  (Irons)  Penner  of  New  York  Mills,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children:  AUie  L.,  Willie  and  Florence. 

White,  George  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  January  9,  1844  son  of 
Israel  White,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county.  This  family 
was  among  the  first  to  settle  in  this  section  of  the  county,  and  have  generally  en- 
gaged in  farming.  George  W.  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Ann.sville,  Whitestown 
Seminary  and  Eastman's  Business  College.  He  was  for  some  time  connected  with 
the  American,  Wells  Fargo,  and  United  Express  Companies  in  Kansas  City,  but 
since  1873  has  devoted  his  time  to  farming,  owning  a  farm  where  he  now  resides  of 
120  acres,  besides  several  other  farms  in  this  county.  Mr.  White  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  was  elected  supervisor  in  1891,  and  has  held  other  minor  offices  in  the  town. 
He  married  Ella  L.,  daughter  of  Calvin  M.  Waterman,  by  whom  he  had  seven  chil- 
dren: Byron  E.,  Georgie  B.,  Edna  M.,  Amy  O.,  Ella  I.,  Marjory  A.,  and  Hazel  I. 

Bemister,  Alfred,  was  born  in  England,  June  10,  1845,  son  of  Stephen  and  Mary 
Ann  Bemister,  who  came  from  England,  and  settled  in  Marcy  about  1849,  and  whose- 
children  were  Ann,  Eliza,  Harriet,  Alfred,  Stephen,  Henry,  John,  Emma,  Josephine 
and  Nettie.  Stephen  Bemister  was  a  self-made  industrious  man,  and  was  engaged 
in  farming.     Alfred  Bemister  was  assessor  of  the  town  for  three  years,  and  a  veteran 


48  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  late  Rebellion.  October  23,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  14th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and 
servedabout  twenty  months;  May  20,  1863,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  44th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and 
was  transferred  to  Co.  K,  146th  N.  Y.  Vols.  He  w^as  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gaines 
Mills,  and  was  three  months  in  the  hospital  at  Philadelphia ;  he  was  also  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  from  which  at  present  he  is  suffering  the  injuries. 
Mr.  Bemister  belongs  to  the  McQuade  Post  No.  14,  of  Utica. 

Van  Hatten,  Michael,  was  born  in  France,  May  10,  1828,  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary 
A.  Van  Hatten,  who  settled  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  in  the  fall  of 
1832  and  whose  children  were  Michael,  Lewis,  Mary  Ann,  Charles,  Delia,  John, 
Magdalane,  and  Francis.  Lewis  Van  Hatten  was  engaged  in  farming  and  was 
actively  interested  in  both  church  and  educational  affairs  and  was  much  respected 
by  all  his  acquaintances.  Michael  Van  Hatten  settled  in  the  town  of  Marcy  in  1852, 
married  Maria  R.  Hersdel  by  whom  he  had  teh  children:  Frances  R.,  wife  of  John 
Eaton,  Francis  L.  (deceased),  Francis  M.,  Mary  L.,  wife  of  George  Kunkel,  Jeanie 
M.,  wife  of  Fred  M.  Seavy,  George  E. ,  Lewis  A.,  Annie  V.,   Charles  L. ,  and  Clara 

E.  In  early  life  Mr.  Van  Hatten  was  engaged  in  farming  and  school  teaching,  later 
years  in  farming,  saw  mill  and  as  auctioneer.  He  was  supervisor  in  18(i6  and  1867 
and  has  been  highway  commissioner  for  many  years,  letting  the  contract  for  the 
first  stone  bridge  that  was  built  in  Marcy  in  the  year  1857;  also  built  the  first  stone 
road  in  said  town  in  1881-2  and  has  held  .several  minor  offices. 

Hicks,  John  W.,  was  born  near  wdiere  he  now  resides,  April  24,  1842,  son  of  Will- 
iam, jr.,  and  Mary  (Wright)  Hicks.  His  grandfather,  William,  sr.,  came  from  Eng- 
land and  settled  here  about  1824;  he  engaged  in  pioneer  farming,  and  was  known  as 
Judge  Hicks,  who  accumulated  considerable  wealth  and  was  a  large  land  owner. 
William,  jr.,  was  prominent  in  all  affairs  of  his  town.  John  W.  was  one  of  nine 
children:  Sarah  Martha  (deceased),  Mary  E.,  John  W.,  Annie  M.,  Thomas  J.  (de- 
ceased), Agnes  L.  (deceased),  James  S.  (deceased),  George  E.  and  Fred  H.  He 
married  Harriet  A.,  daughter  of  George  and  Nancy  Powell,  by  whom  he  has  one 
cliild,  William  P.  He  has  been  elected  assessor  for  the  past  nine  3'ears.  He  is  a 
member  of  St.  Peter's   Episcopal  Church  at  Oriskany,  and  belongs  to  the  Oriskany 

F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  799,  and  has  been  junior  warden  of  the  Hampton  Lodge  No.  347, 
also  senior  master  of  ceremonies,  and  senior  deacon.  Of  the  United  Friends,  he 
has  been  chief  councilor  for  four  years,  and  delegate  to  the  Grand  Council.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Marcy  Grange,  Patrons  of  Industry,  and  now  holds  office  of 
county  vice-president  and  past  president  of  the  Stittville  Lodge  No.  315;  and  of  the 
Grand  Orient  of  Stittville.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Black  River  Fish  &  Game  Asso- 
ciation, and  is  also  its  vice-president.  William  Hicks  married  Carrie  J.  Bolton,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Alice  Alma. 

Ritchie,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Scotland,  September  15,  1819,  son  of  Rev.  Daniel 
and  Margaret  Ritchie,  who  settled  in  Oneida  county  in  1829,  and  whose  children 
were  Daniel,  James,  (  harles,  Thomas,  Isabelle,  Margaret,  Harriet  and  Jane.  The 
•  Rev.  Daniel  Ritchie  was  a  carpet  manufacturer  by  trade,  and  which  he  followed  for 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  His  preaching  he  did  wnthout  reward.  He  was  an  honest, 
industrious  man,  and  interested  in  all  things  for  the  good  of  his  fellowmen.  His 
sons,  Daniel,  James,  and  Charles,   were  engaged  in  business  in  the  Southern  and 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  49 

Western  States,  where  they  reside.  Thomas  Ritchie  married  Mehitable,  daughter 
of  William  and  Lois  Hill,  who  settled  in  Marcy  in  1811,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons: 
Ward  T.  and  Franklin  W. 

Olney,  George  B.,  was  born  in  Western,  December  7,  1852,  a  son  of  George  J.  and 
Harriet  (Brill)  Olney,  grandson  of  James  Olney,  who  was  born  October  26,  1783, 
and  who  married  Lucy  Burt,  and  great-grandson  of  William  and  Mary  (Myers)  Olney, 
who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Western,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas 
Olney,  of  Hertfordshire,  England,  who  settled  in  v.  alem,  Mass. ,  in  1635,  where  he 
followed  his  profession  of  surveyor,  and  filled  many  positions  of  trust.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Olney  family  in  America.  In  later  life  he  left  Salem  on  account  of 
religious  persecution  and  went  with  Roger  Williams  to  Providence,  R.  L  On  No- 
vember 6,  1793,  a  deed  was  executed  by  Thomas  and  William  Burling,  merchants  of 
New  York,  conveying  to  William  Olney  the  first  real  estate  owned  by  the  family  in 
Oneida  county.  It  consisted  of  1500  acres  of  land  in  the  tract  known  as  the  Thomas 
Machin  patent,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Western,  then  a  part  of  Herkimer  county ; 
consideration,  600  pounds  sterling.  This  tract  joined  land  laid  out  for  Jelles  Fonda. 
The  deed  was  acknowledged  before  John  Rajr  "  One  of  the  masters  in  chancery  for 
the  State  "  and  is  still  in  possession  of  the  family.  George  J.  Olney,  father  of  George 
B.,  was  born  in  Western,  February  28,  1821,  where  he  has  spent  all  his  life  engaged 
in  farming.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Harriet,  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Lydia 
(Parks)  Clark,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Harriet  (Mrs.  Frank 
White).  His  second  wife  was  Harriet,  daughter  of  John  Brill,  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y., 
by  whom  he  had  three  children:  George  B.,  Willard,  and  Minnie  (Mrs.  Charles  Pill- 
more).  George  B.  Olney  was  educated  m  the  public  schools  and  Whitestown  Sem- 
inary, and  since  1880,  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Olney  &  Floyd,  manufac- 
turers of  canned  goods,  with  factories  at  Westernville  and  Delta.  December  10, 
1879,  he  married  Amelia,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ruth  (Carey)  Hill,  of  Western,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children ;  George  J.  and  Max  H. 

Curtiss,  Hiram  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  February  18,  1859,  a  twin  son 
of  Linus  Curtiss  (mentioned  elsewhere).  Hiram  L.  has  been  a  man  of  health  and 
vigor,  always  pushing  ahead  in  life,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  where 
he  built  a  foundation  for  a  useful  man  and  successful  farmer.  He  married  Ida  E., 
daughter  of  Charles  F.  and  Hannah  M.  Green,  of  Florence,  and  granddaughter 
of  Asa  Kelsey,  the  oldest  resident  in  that  town,  he  now  being  ninety-five  years  of 
age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtiss  were  the  parents  of  four  children:  Olive  M.,  deceased, 
Leila  E.,  Christine  M.,  and  Ward  L.  Mr.  Curtiss  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Cam- 
den Grange,  No.  354,  P.  of  H.,  also  of  the  Congregational  church  of  West  Camden. 

Farnsworth,  Theron  A.,  one  of  Camden's  prominent  business  men,  was  born  in 
Hermon,  St.  Lawrence  county,  September  13,  1851.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the 
farm,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  moved  into  the  village,  where  he  was  educated  in 
the  common  school  of  that  place  and  Lowville  Academy.  Since  leaving  school  he 
has  been  in  the  mercantile  and  manufacturing  business,  and  is  well  known  in  North- 
ern New  York.  He  became  a  manufacturer  of  post-office  supplies  in  1882,  which 
business  he  now  superintends  for  the  Corbin  Cabinet  Lock  Company,  in  their  branch 
factory  at  Camden.  In  politics  Mr.  Farnsworth  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  sev- 
g 


50  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

eral  government  appointments ;  was  president  of  the  village  of  Camden  in  1893,  and 
is  now  servmg  a  second  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  Royal  Arcanum  Lodges  in  Camden. 

Dorrance,  John  G.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Oneida  county,  December 
17,  1837,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Camden.  Daniel  G.  Dorrance," 
his  father,  was  for  many  years  the  leading  merchant  in  Florence,  and  first  settled 
there  in  1832.  John  G.  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children  living.  He  located  at  East 
Troy,  Wis.,  in  1850,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  until  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Camden.  Here  he  commenced  trade  again  in  what  was  then 
known  as  the  old  "Trowbridge  Store,"  located  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Mexico 
streets.  In  May,  1876,  he  established  a  private  bank  under  the  name  of  D.  G.  and 
J.  G.  Dorrance.  This  bank  was  succeeded  in  January,  1880,  by  the  First  National 
bank  of  Camden.  Mr.  Dorrance  has  been  cashier  of  this  bank  since  its  organiza- 
tion. He  was  married  February  5,  1861,  to  Miss  Ellen  E.  Brown  of  Oneida,  N.  Y., 
by  whom  he  had  two  children,  Daniel  J.  (teller  and  assistant  cashier  m  the  bank  of 
Camden),  and  Mrs.  Davies,  wife  of  Deputy  Attorney-Generdl  John  C.  Davies  of 
Camden,  N.  Y.  In  politics  Mr.  Dorrance  is  a  Republican.  In  June,  1895,  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Morton  to  the  office  of  commissioner  of  State  Prisons  f(jr 
the  Fifth  Judicial  District,  for  the  term  of  five  years. 

Flanders,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Vermont,  October  23,  1841,  one  of  ten  children  of 
Moses  and  Maria  (Towle)  Flanders,  of  Vermont.  Thomas  Flanders  has  resided  in 
this  town  and  Vienna  since  1865,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  100  acres  in  the  town 
of  Annsville,  and  runs  a  dairy  of  thirty  cows.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  8th  Vt. 
Vols.,  served  for  a  period  of  four  years,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Cedar 
Creek,  at  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson,  and  the  battle  of  Winchester.  He  married 
Jane,  daughter  of  George  Husted,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Myrtie  and 
George.  Mr.  Flanders  is  a  member  of  Ballard  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No.  551,  of  which  he 
was  officer  of  the  day  for  three  years,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity.    In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Lehr,  Charles  M.,  was  born  in  Ava,  Oneida  connty,  N.  Y.,  November  3,  1854,  son 
of  George  and  Catherine  (Yourdon)  Lehr,  he  a  native  of  Germany,  and  she  of  Ava, 
N.  Y.  The  grandparents  came  to  America  when  George  was  three  years  of  age, 
and  settled  in  Ava,  where  they  lived  and  died.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war. 
George  Lehr  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He  was  a  Republicaii  in  politics,  and  was 
justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty  years,  highway  commissioner,  assessor,  etc.  He 
died  in  1878,  and  his  wife  in  1871.  Charles  M.  Lehr'settled  on  the  farm  of  100  acres 
he  now  owns  in  1881,  where  he  keeps  about  twenty  cows.  In  1882  he  married  Annie, 
daughter  of  Owen  and  Esther  Humphrey,  of  Ava,  by  whom  he  had  four  children : 
Susan,  Myron,  Esther  and  George.  Mr.  Lehr  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
been  collector,  highway  commissioner,  etc. 

Kilts,  Jacob,  was  born  in  Ava,  N.  Y.,  September  5,  1829,  son  of  Jacob  and  Eliza- 
beth (Zolver)  Kilts,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in  1828,  and  settled 
in  Boonville.  They  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  Ava,  and  took  120  acres  of  land, 
which  they  cleared,  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  Germany  Mr.  Kilts  was  a  cabinet- 
maker.    He  died  in  1872,  and  Mrs.  Kilts  died  in  1874.     Jacob  Kilts,  jr.,  worked  for 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  51 

thirteen  years  at  the  carpenter  trade,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  In 
1865  he  bought  a  farm  of  150  acres  in  Ava,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1861  he 
married  Humility  Daniels,  by  whom  he  has  five  children :  William  A.,  hotelkeeper 
at  Redfield,  N.  Y. ;  Emma  J.,  wife  of  Byron  L.  Edgerton,  of  Annsville,  N.  Y.  ; 
Homer  J  ,  a  manufacturer  at  Rome,  N.  Y. ;  Carrie  E.,  wife  of  Frank  Lock,  a 
mechanic  at  Redfield,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Warren  R.,  who  is  living  at  home.  Mrs.  Kilts 
died  May  25,  1885.  Mr.  Kilts  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  constable  for 
seven  years. 

Blue,  Malcolm  A.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  January  27,  1832,  son  of  Alexan- 
der and  Christa  (McVean)  Blue,  natives  of  Scotland.  Alexander  Blue  came  to  Deer- 
field  with  his  parents,  Malcolm  and  Flora  Blue,  in  1803.     Mrs.  Blue  came  with  her 

parents,  Peter  and McVean,  who  settled  at  Johnstown,  Genesee  county,  where 

they  died.  Alexander  Blue  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  spent  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  on  the  farm.  He  was  town  school  superintendent  and  road  commissioner.  Mrs. 
Blue  died  in  1822,  and  Mr.  Blue  married  the  second  time.  He  died  in  1872.  Mal- 
colm A.,  at  the  death  of  his  mother,  was  adopted  and  reared  by  Daniel  McKay,  who 
was  an  early  settler  on  the  farm  where  Mr.  Blue  has  always  resided,  except  four 
years  in  the  banking  business,  and  he  is  now  president  of  the  bank  at  Poland.  Mr. 
Blue  has  given  his  attention  principally  to  farming,  and  has  owned  about  816  acres 
of  land,  320  of  which  he  has  deeded  to  his  sons.  He  has  been  supervisor  and  road 
commissioner  seven  years.  In  1847  he  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary 
Hetherington  (who  died  m  August,  1887),  farmers  of  Deerfield ;  and  Mr.  Hethering- 
ton  was  a  native  of  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blue  have  three  children:  Arch.  M.  and 
Grant  A.,  who  are  both  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  also 
dealing  in  stock;  and  Maria,  wife  of  John  K.  Walker.  The  family  are  Presby- 
terians. 

Carleton,  Charles,  was  born  at  Clingara,  County  Meath,  Ireland,  December  25, 
1820.  He  was  the  oldest  child  of  James  and  Eleanor  Carleton,  to  whom  six  children 
were  born,  five  of  whom  came  to  the  United  States.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Raymond,  and  she  was  one  of  a  numerous  and  prosperous  family.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Ireland,  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  there  and  afterwards 
came  to  America.  It  was  Mr.  Carleton's  fortune  to  have  first  seen  the  light  of  day 
in  one  of  the  most  historic  and  romantic  places  in  Ireland.  The  Hill  of  Tara,  the 
ancient  capital  of  Ireland,  was  to  the  north  in  sight  of  his  home.  There  remains 
to  the  present  time  there  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  palace  of  the  Ard  Ri  or  the  High 
King  of  Ireland.  Among  the  evidences  of  Tara's  former  greatness  is  found  the 
ruins  of  the  legislative  hall  in  which  laws  for  the  Irish  nation  were  once  made ;  the 
ruins  of  the  Militarv  School  and  of  the  National  Court  House,  which  was  in  its  day 
the  court  of  last  resort  in  Ireland.  To  the  northeast  of  his  home  and  about  three 
miles  distant  was  the  famous  Dangan  castle,  in  which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was 
born.  To  the  north  was  the  famous  Boyne  River.  About  twenty  miles  down  the 
stream  from  Tara  is  the  battlefield  were  on  July  1,  1690,  was  fought  the  famous 
battle  of  the  Boyne..  It  was  there  that  the  Irish  army  under  James  II  of  England 
received  its  death  blow.  It  was  on  the  bank  of  this  old  stream  that  Mr.  Carleton 
attended  the  little  country  school  and  with  his  little  companions  many  tmies  ran 
away  from  school  and  went  swimming  in  the  Boyne  River.     The  little  ivy  covered 


52  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

church  which  Mr.  Carleton  attended,  tradition  had  it  that  it  was  the  church  attended 
by  Dean  Swift's  ancestors.  Mr.  Carleton  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849  and  in 
1870  married  Henrietta  Deering,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Ella  M.  and  Will- 
iam. He  has  always  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  lumbering  and  farming  and 
so  has  his  son.     He  is  now  the  owner  of  700  acres  of  land. 

Syphert,  WilUam  E.,  was  born  in  Forestport,  N.  Y.,  in  1862,  son  of  William 
Syphert  (Self ert),  who  was  born  in  Jauer,  Germany,  in  1821.  William  Syphert  is  a 
miller  by  trade,  and  upon  coming  to  America  in  1853  he  went  directly  to  Hawkins- 
ville  and  engaged  in  working  in  a  saw  mill.  From  thence  he  went  to  White  Lake 
and  in  1854  to  Forestport,  where  he  followed  lumbering  and  farming  and  ran  gang 
saws  in  mills  for  many  years.  He  married  Augusta  Fredericka  Hennich,  of  Ger- 
many, who  died  in  1869.  Their  children  were  Augustus,  Paulina,  Herman,  Robert, 
William  E.,  Charles,  and  Mary  E.  William  E.  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  the  early  age  of  eleven  began  life  as  a  canal  driver  and  when  a  little  older  he 
became  a  steersman,  which  vocation  he  followed  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  began  lumbering  and  for  twelve  years  rafted  spar  and  pile  timber  ready  for  the 
canal  to  go  to  New  York  city.  In  1891  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Albert  Har- 
rig  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  long  timber  business.  In  the  spring  of  1895  they 
erected  a  pulp  wood  mill,  and  saw  mill  from  which  they  send  a  boat  load  a  day ;  they 
also  furnish  a  large  amount  of  logs  for  a  Utica  lumber  firm.  They  own  a  tract  of 
2,000  acres  of  timber  land.  In  1891  Mr.  Syphert  married  Rosetta  E.,  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Catherine  Fischer,  of  Buffalo.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, Urial  Lodge,  No.  908,  and  Mrs.  Syphert  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Stannard,  J.  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  May  19,  1853,  son  of  John  L. 
Stannard,  the  scion  of  an  old  Scotch  English  family,  who  migrated  from  Massachu- 
setts to  this  county  when  it  was  a  vast  wilderness.  Mr.  Stannard's  mother,  Betsey 
Hill  Clark,  is  the  descendant  of  an  old  Connecticut  family  who  settled  in  the  Mohawk 
valley  soon  after  the  Revolutionary  war.  Her  grandfather,  Ichabod  Hill,  was  body 
guard  to  General  Washinton  and  served  with  distinction  throughout  that  memorable 
contest,  while  her  father,  Ezekiel  Clark,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  After  at- 
tending several  terms  at  Holland  Patent  Academy  and  Whitestown  Seminary,  Mr. 
Stannai-d  taught  school  in  Western  and  Boonville  with  marked  success  until  March, 
188S,  when  he  removed  to  Boonville  and  began  his  career  as  a  merchant,  dealing  in 
pianos,  organs,  sewing  machines,  musical  merchandise,  school  supplies,  books,  sta- 
tionery, etc..  a  busmess  which  he  has  successfully  conducted  since  and  which  has 
assumed  large  proportions.  In  politics  Mr.  Stannard  is  a  Democrat  and  a  great 
admirer  of  President  Cleveland.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Anti-Snap 
movement  in  1893,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Syracuse  Convention  in  May  of  that  year. 
After  Cleveland's  re-election  he  became  a  candiate  for  jjostmaster  and  demonstrated 
his  popularity  by  winning  the  prize  over  several  candidates,  some  of  whom  were  as- 
sisted by  some  of  the  ablest  politicians  in  the  county  and  State.  He  took  possession 
of  the  office  March  6,  1895,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  work  of  improving  the 
service  by  putting  m  one  of  the  finest  outfits  in  the  State,  one  that  Boonville  is  justly 
proud  of.  That  he  will  make  an  ideal  postmaster  is  predicted  by  those  who  know 
him  best.    April  7,  1881,  he  married  Irene  Van  Voorhis,  of  Steuben,  and  has  one  son, 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  53 

Leland,  born  January  15,  1894.    Mr.  Stannard  is  a  charter  member  of  Summit  Lodge, 
No.  246,  L  O.  O.  F. 

Wilson,  Robert,  was  born  at  Thompson,  Windham  county.  Conn.,  October  16, 
1829,  son  of  Robert  Wilson,  a  linen  weaver  of  Irish  birth,  who  came  to  America  in 
1818  at  the  age  of  forty-two;  after  spending  ten  years  in  the  New  England  States, 
he  settled  in  Boonville  in  1829,  and  engaged  in  farming;  he  died  November  2,  1856. 
He  was  a  man  of  rare  inteligence,  and  possessed  a  well  cultivated  mind.  Robert 
Wilson,  jr.,  is  a  man  possessed  of  highly  respectable  abilities,  and  whose  character 
is  one  worthy  of  emulation.  He  acquired  his  education  with  but  little  aid,  by  inflex- 
ible purpose,  and  untiring  application.  Bred  to  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  he  has 
always  followed  that  pursuit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Whig,  but  united  with  the  Republican  party  at  its  formation,  was  supervisor 
in  1872,  and  for  the  last  eight  years  has  voted  with  the  Prohibition  party.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph  Hayes,  September  10,  1851,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  but  none  survived  early  infancy. 

Clefford,  Daniel  B.,  was  born  in  Stephentown,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  April  8, 
1838,  son  of  Peter  C.  Clefford  and  Charlotte  L.  Clefford,  who  settled  in  Rome  in  1S39. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  C.  Clefford  had  nine  children;  Christopher  E.,  Daniel  B.,  Watie 
E.,  Guilford  D.,  Clifton  C.  (deceased).  Chancellor  C,  Perry  C,  Lottie  and  Huldah, 
of  whom  the  latter  seven  were  born  in  the  town  of  Rome.  Mr.  Clefford  was  a 
farmer  and  a  public  spirited  and  charitable  man  and  a  large  owner  of  real  estate  in 
Rome  and  Vienna;  also  a  farm  in  Scott  township,  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  He  di6d 
December  30,  1893,  aged  eighty-one  years,  five  months  and  thirteen  days.  Daniel 
B.  Clefford  married  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Nehemiah  and  Sarah  A.  Halladay, 
January  4,  1859,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  Watie  M.  (deceased),  Julia  Blasier, 
Pearl  E.  and  Clara  E.  In  early  life  Mr.  Clefford  taught  .school  in  winters  but  has 
always  been  engaged  m  farming  and  has  made  a  success  at  that  business  and  now 
owns  and  conducts  three  farms.  He  is  interested  in  educational  affairs.  Though  a 
life  long  Democrat  he  never  would  accept  of  any  town  office.  He  belongs  to  Vienna 
Lodge  No.  440,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  now  holds  the  office  of  treasurer,  and  is  vice-pres- 
ident of  Plains  Lodge,  No.  339,  P.  of  I.  of  North  America. 

Jones,  William  Jay,  was  born  near  South  Trenton,  June  20,  1832,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  Jones,  who  came  from  Wales  about  1818  and  were  engaged  in  farming.  Their 
children  were  Margaret,  John,  Hannah,  David,  Thomas  and  William  Jay.  Mr. 
Jones  helped  to  build  the  Welsh  M.  E.  church,  and  used  to  go  twelve  miles  to  church 
on  foot.  He  also  cut  the  first  tree  on  the  road  where  William  Jay  now  lives.  Pre- 
vious to  building  the  church  meetings  were  regularly  held  at  his  house  for  many 
years.  He  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  man  and  among  the  first  Abolitionists  in  the 
place ;  he  became  a  Free  Soiler  and  then  a  Republican.  He  wished  to  see  the  sin  of 
slavery  wiped  out  before  his  death,  but  he  died  April  9,  1859.  His  wife  died  Decem- 
ber 25,  1870.  At  fifteen  years  of  age,  William  Jay  started  for  himself  as  a  laborer  on 
a  farm,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  David 
Winston,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Jacob  H.,  David  Cephas,  and  W.  Herbert. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Trenton,  and  of  which  he  has 
served  as  trustee,  secretary,  steward,  and  treasurer.  He  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist. 
His  wife,  Mary  L.  Winston,  died  January  17,  1893. 


54  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Johnson,  vStephen  Albert,  was  born  in  Constableville,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  May 
23,  1840.     He  attended  thie  local  schools,    also  private  schools  at  Lockport  and  Fre- 
donia,  N.  "Y.     Being  in  Philadelphia  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  he 
enlisted  in  the  3d  (afterwards  the  73d)  Regiment  of  that  State  among  the  first  of  the 
three  years  men;  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluff  and  the  battles  of  the  Penin- 
sula campaign.     At  the  battle  of  Antietam  he  was  severely  wounded  and  soon  after 
honorably  discharged.     He  then  went  West  and  engaged  in  the  nursery  business  at 
New  Albany,  Ind.,  with  his  brother,  Senator  F.  C.  Johnson,  of  that  State.  At  the  time, 
of  the  Morgan  raid  he  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company  in  the  8th  Indiana  Regi- 
ment and  served  throughout  the  campaign.     In  1865  he  returned  to  Lewis  county, 
and  in  June,  1866,   he  maried  Emeline,  daughter   of    Schuyler  C.  Thompson,   by 
whom  he  had  three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter.     The  eldest  son,  Franklin  C. , 
a  young  man  of  bright  literary  attainments,  died  at  Nice,   France,  in  January,  1895. 
The  younger  son,   William  Schuyler,  is  now  in  the  bank   with  his  father.     S.    C. 
Thompson  &  Co.'s  Bank  was  founded  in  1867.     Mr.  Johnson  became  its  cashier  and 
has  been  in  the  banking  business  ever  since,  being  now,  and  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
S.  C.  Thompson,  in  1879,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm.     He  was  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the   Board  of    Education   of    the   Boonville    Union    Free   School   and 
Academy,   and  is  one  of  the  wardens  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  that  place.     Mr. 
Johnson's  ancestry  on  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  side  is  of  the  Colonial  Puritan 
stock.     Thomas  Johnson  came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  settled  at  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  in  1638.     His  son,   William,  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  Walling- 
ford,   Conn.,    founded  in   1670,  and  there  the  family  lived  for  several  generations, 
being  large  land  owners  and  prominent  in  government  and  military  affairs.     De- 
scendants of  William  Johnson  still  own  land  near  Wallingford,  which  has  been  in  the 
family  since  its  purchase   from    the   Indians.      Jacob   Johnson,    son    of    William 
(1694-1749),  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  several  terms,  and  was  a  man 
of  large  wealth.     Capt.    Andrew  Johnson,  son  of  Jacob  (1702-1757).   served  during 
the  Indian  and  French  wars;  while  Capt.    Hezekiah  Johnson,  his   son  (1732-1810), 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  served  from  the  Lexington  alarm  until  the  close 
of  the  war.     Belcher  Johnson  (1767-1837),   son  of  Capt.  Hezekiah,  removed  to  New 
York  State  in  1790  and  s&ttled  at  Salisbury,  Herkimer  county,  where  his  son,  Horace 
Johnson,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  1799,  and  in  1822  married 
Eliza  Pratt.     Shortly  after  this  he  settled  at  Constableville,   Lewis  county,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  tanning  business.     He  was  commissioned  captain   in  the  militia  by 
Governor  De  Witt  Clinton  in  1826.     He  died  at  Boonville,  January  10,  1885.     Mr. 
Johnson  is  descended  through  both  of  his  parents  from  the  Merriman  family  of  Con- 
necticut, who  for  several  successive  generations  were  prominent  in  the  Colonial  gov- 
ernment, and  held  military  commissions  in  the  Indian  and  French  wars;  also  from 
the  Sedgwick  family  of    Massachusetts,    the    first  ancestor  in    this  country  being 
Major  General  Robert  Sedgwick,  who  was  a  distinguished  and  trusted  officer  under 
Cromwell,  and  a  charter  member   and  captain   of  the    "Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Co.,  of  Boston,"  the  first  military  company  formed  upon  this  continent,  and 
which  possesses  its  identity  to   this   day.     In   Mr.  Johnson's   family  there  is  an 
unbroken  line  of  military  service  from  the  Pequot  war  to  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  also  of  the  "Society 
of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution"  and  of  the  "  Society  of  Colonial  Wars." 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  55 

Chrestien,  Theodore,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Rome,  February  26,  1847,  son  of 
Martin  and  Margaret  (Rougert)  Crestien.  Theodore  married  Emma,  a  daughter  of 
WilHam  H.  and  Matilda  Carnrile,  and  they  have  four  children:  William  Alfred; 
Kittie,  wife  of  William  Brewster  of  Annsville ;  Alice ;  and  Edith,  all  of  whom  are 
natives  of  Oneida  count}-.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  engaged  in  business  as  a 
distiller  of  oil  of  wintergreen,  which  he  followed  ten  years,  then  he  went  into  the 
canning  business,  in  which  he  engaged  about  six  years,  when  he  associated  himself 
with  the  firm  of  Tuttle  &  Co.,  who  are  still  in  business.  In  1878  he  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  which  office  he  holds  at  the  present  time.  He  was  one  year  justice 
of  ses-sions,  and  served  two  terms  as  postmaster  under  Cleveland's  administration. 
He  is  a  member  of  Vienna  Lodge  No.  440,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  has  been  master 
twelve  years. 

Brown,  James,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  January  29,  1837, 
son  of  John  and  Jane  Brown,  who  came  from  Dutchess  county  and  settled  in  Floyd 
in  1826.  Their  children  were  Harriet,  Charles  Henry,  James,  Thomas,  William  H., 
and  Betsey  Ann,  all  natives  of  this  county.  Charles  Henry  was  a  veteran  of  the 
late  war.  James  married  Susan  Faulkner,  daughter  of  William  and  Harriet  Faulk- 
ner, by  whom  he  had  three  children ;  Hattie  Jane,  Charles  E  ,  and  William  G. 
William  G.  Brown  was  graduated  from  L^nion  College  in  1895 ;  and  is  now  studying 
law  at  Albany.  He  also  spent  three  years  at  Cazenovia  Seminary.  Susan,  wife  of 
James  Brown,  died  January  1,  1870.  For  his  second  wife  James  married  Helen, 
daughter  of  William  and  Eliza  Bowman,  by  whom  he  has  one  child:  Nellie  E. 
James  and  his  father  followed  farming  and  boat-building,  and  have  been  actively  in- 
terested in  educational  affairs.  James  has  been  highway  commissioner  two  terms, 
and  also  loan  commissioner. 

Hudson,  Joel,  was  born  in  Stockport,  County  Cheshire,  England,  January  29,  1840, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Cheatham)  Hudson.  His  mother  with  four  children  came 
to  America  in  1854  and  located  in  Rome,  where  she  resided  until  her  death  in  1862. 
Her  children  were  Henry,  Joel,  Sarah  M.  (Mrs.  Jacob  Groff),  and  Martha,  deceased. 
Joel  Hudson  was  reared  in  England  and  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  He  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  began  life  as  a  farm  laborer,  which  he  foUowod  until 
1864,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  of  ninety-three  acres  in  Lee,  which  he  sold  and  now 
owns  two  adjoining  farms  in  the  same  town,  comprising  145  acres.  In  February, 
1864,  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  and  Alvira  (Dunbar)  Robinson,  of  Lee, 
by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Edith  (Mrs.  Frank  Aflfolter).  Mr.  Hudson  started  in 
life  with  nothing,  and  by  his  own  efforts  has  secured  a  competency.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  Mrs.  Alvira  Robinson  will  be  eighty-five  years  old  the  19th 
day  of  May,  1896.  She  has  three  daughters  living:  Sarah  Hudson  Stokes;  Samantha 
Rector,  Utica ;  Mary  Perkins,  Lee  Center. 

Jone.s,  Owen  E.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  His  father,  William 
Jones,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  and  wife  were  very  active  in  church  work. 
He  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Edwards.  William  Jones  settled 
in  Utica,  coming  from  Anglesay,  North  Wales,  about  1832,  and  to  Floyd  in  1841. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Jones  had  eight  children:  John  J.,  Mary  S.,  Catherine,  Ellen 
Roberts,  William  J.,  Hugh  W.  (deceased),  Owen  E..   and  Jane  A.,  all  of  whom  are 


56  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

residents  of  this  county  except  John,  who  is  in  Canastota.  Owen  E.  married  Sarah 
J.,  daughter  of  Even  T.  Jones,  of  Pickett,  Wis,  by  whom  he  has  two  children: 
Edith  Ellen,  and  Emrys  Tutur.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  is  active 
in  town  affairs.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Camroden  Patrons  of  Industry  and  has 
held  all  the  offices  in  the  I,  O.  G.  T.  Lodge;  also  of  the  Sabbath  school  and  is  now 
secretary  and  deacon  of  the  C.  M.  church. 

Davis,  Pratt  M.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  December  3,  1849,  oldest  son  of 
John  H.  and  Ellen  M.  (Smith)  Davis,  nativesof  Deerfield.  The  grandparents,  Rowland 
and  Margaret  (Roberts)  Davis,  were  natives  of  Wales,  and  came  to  America  about 
1817,  settling  near  Deerfield  Corners.  Mr.  Davis  died  in  1853,  and  Mrs.  Davis  in 
1846.  The  great-grandfather  of  Pratt  M.,  Jonathan  Davis,  was  a  miller  and  con- 
ducted a  large  grist  mill  in  Wales.  In  early  life  John  H.  Davis  was  engaged  in  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  at  Deerfield.  This  he  gave  up  and  engaged  in  farming  un- 
til his  death  in  September,  1885,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  Mrs.  Davis  is  still 
living  and  resides  on  the  farm.  Pratt  M.  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming.  He  conducts  the  home  farm  of  110  acres,  and  also  has 
fifty  acres  of  his  own  on  which  he  resides.  December  3,  1890,  he  married  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Charles  S.  and  Mary  (Jones)  Ralcom  of  Redfield,  Oswego  county,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children:  Ella  I.,  born  March  10,  1892;  Charles  R.,  born  Septem- 
ber 38,  1893,  and  Alta  Mary,  born  April  4,  1895. 

Dorrance,  W.  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Oneida  county,  July  18,  1844. 
He  is  one  of  nine  children,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Florence  and 
Whitestown  Semieary.  He  has  for  twenty-five  years  been  engaged  in  the  hardware 
trade,  and  now  conducts  one  of  the  largest  retail  hardware  stores  in  Camden,  known 
as  W.  H.  Dorrance  &  Son.  He  married  Emma  Fifield,  of  Camden,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children:  Franklin  F  ,  John  P.,  Bertha  and  Anna.  Mr.  Dorrance  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics. 

Nelson,  William  H.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  April  25,  1830,  son  of  Elijah  P.  Nelson,  who  was  born  in  Stillwater.  The 
grandfather,  Moses  Nelson,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  an  eye 
witness  of  the  murder  of  his  mother  by  the  Indians.  Elijah  Nelson  married  Mar3% 
daughter  of  Joseph  Wallace  of  Rome,  formerly  of  Rensselaer  county.  They  had 
three  children:  George  W.,  M.  D.,  Mary  E.  and  William  H.  The  latter  began  read- 
ing medicine  with  Dr.  J.  V.  Cobb,  of  Rome,  and  later  graduated  with  honor  from  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  In  1857  he  began  practicing  in 
Taberg ;  where  he  is  at  the  present  time.  He  married  Mary  L.  Wheelock,  by  whom 
had  three  children:  Charles  W.,  a  farmer;  William  W.,  a  doctor,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York;  and  Stuart  W.,  also  a  graduate  of  that  institu- 
tion, now  a  physician  in  the  Kings  County  Hospital.  Dr.  William  H.  Nelson  was 
acting  assistant  surgeon  in  the  late  war,  and  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Annsville  in 
1874,  '78,  '84,  '88,  '89.  He  is  a  member  of  the  N.  Y.' State  Medical  Association, 
American  Medical  Association  and  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society. 

Clark,  John  F.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  August  2,  1861.  He  was  the 
son  of  Thomas  Clark,  who  was  born  in  Albany,  July  4,  1835,  and  came  to  the  town 
of  Florence  when  one  year  of  age  with  his  father,  Mathew  Clark,  who  was  born  in 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  57 

Ireland.  It  is  said  that  the  grandmother  of  our  subject  was  the  first  Irish  woman  in 
the  town  of  Florence.  Thomas  Clark,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  still  resides 
in  the  town,  married  Rose  Morris,  of  Ireland,  and  to  them  have  been  born  nine  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living:  Peter,  Mary,  William,  Lizzie,  Fannie  and  John  F. 
Peter  and  William  are  proprietors  of  the  Grove  Hotel ;  William  is  serving  his  third 
term  as  supervisor.  The  subject  of  our  sketch,  John  F.,  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Florence  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  has  been  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
the  town,  doing  a  general  county  business.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  1888 
he  was  elected  supervisor  and  served  three  terms,  was  town  clerk  two  years  and  is 
now  serving  as  postmaster.  In  1890  he  married  Anna  C.  Crowley  of  Oswego,  a 
Normal  School  graduate,  who  was  principal  of  the  Florence  village  school  for  five 
years.     Two  children  have  been  born  to  them,  one  of  whom  is  living.  Rose  Marie. 

Taft,  Rufus,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  N.  Y.,  May  12,  1831,  son  of  Lyman 
and  Betsey  (Storey)  Taft.  The  grandfather,  Daniel  Taft,  came  from  Connecticut 
and  settled  in  this  town  when  it  was  a  wilderness,  as  early  as  1806.  Rufus  Taft  was 
educated  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  and  was  for  many  years  a  boatman,  but  is  now 
engaged  in  farming,  owning  a  farm  of  ninety-six  acres,  most  of  which  is  improved. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  81st  N.  Y.  Vols.,  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
in  many  noted  battles,  such  as  Petersburg,  Cold  Harbor,  etc.  He  married  Clarissa 
A.,  daughter  of  David  Putnam,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  David  H.,  Cornelia 
N.,  Genevieve  and  Frank  M.,  who,  m  connection  with  his  oldest  brother,  David  H., 
conducts  a  prosperous  livery  business  and  stage  route  in  Taberg  village  and  sur- 
rounding towns  and  villages.  Mr.  Taft  is  a  member  of  Ballard  Post,  No.  551,  G.  A. 
R.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Smith,  Clarence  D.,  was  born  in  Rome,  May,  31,  1865,  son  of  Daniel  and  Cleore 
(Peck)  Smith,  grandson  of  Daniel,  and  great-grandson  of  Arnold  Smith,  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island,  who  settled  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  about  1800,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  merchandise  business  and  operated  a  potash  factory.  He  later  removed  to  the 
town  of  Western,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  finally  locfl:ted  in  North  Bay,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died.  Daniel  Smith,  his  son,  was  a  farmer  nearly  all  his  life  in  the  towns 
of  Steuben  and  Western,  and  died  in  the  town  of  Rome,  at  ninety  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1813,  and  one  of  the  few  who  adhered  to  Masonry  after 
the  Morgan  feud.  Daniel,  his  son,  and  father  of  Clarence  D.,  was  born  in  Steuben, 
September  15,  1815,  began  life  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner  and  at  thirty  years  of  age 
engaged  in  farming  in  the  town  of  Rome,  where  he  died  June  18,  1884.  He  was 
identified  with  the  State  militia  twenty-five  years,  and  most  of  that  period  was  cap- 
tian  of  a  company  of  artillery.  His  wife,  a'native  of  Rome,  was  a  daughter  of  Capt. 
Gates  Peck,  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812,  who  came  from  Norwich,  Conn.,  to  Rome 
in  1803,  a  granddaughter  of  Phineas  Peck,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
marched  from  Norwich,  Conn.,  at  the  Lexington  alarm,  served  under  Generals  Sul- 
livan, Gates,  and  Count  D'Estaing  and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne 
at  Saratoga,  and  a  descendant  of  Deacon  Henry  Peck,  who,  in  1637,  sailed  from 
England  in  the  ship  Hector,  and  settled  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  on  land,  a  portion  of 
which  is  still  owned  by  his  descendants.  Clarence  D.  was  reared  in  Rome,  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  began  life  as  a  farmer,  in  which  he  is  still  interested,  and  is 
also  engaged  in  milling  and  dealing  in  all  kinds  of  agricultural  implements  in  the 
h 


58  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

village  of  Delta.     He  is  a  member  of  the  P.  of  H.     His  grandfather,  Capt.  Gates 
Peck,  named  the  present  village  of  Delta. 

Wolfe,  George,  son  of  George  Wolfe,  was  born  m  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.Y., 
October  12,  1840.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  has  always  followed  farming  and 
market  gardening.  In  1872  he  married  Barbara  Geerer,  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  has 
one  daughter,  Henrietta  M.  Mrs.  Wolte  died  in  1881,  and  he  married  for  his  second 
wife,  Mary  Reusswig,  daughter  of  William  and  Katherine  Reusswig,  of  Utica,  by 
whom  he  has  two  sons:  WiUiam  G.,  born  in  1885,  and  George  E..  born  in  1886. 

Amann,  Magdalen. — The  late  Anthony  Amann  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  No- 
vember 4,  1835,  and  came  to  the  United  States  September  25,  1855.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  in  the  evening  schools  in  Vernon,  N.  Y. 
He  was  a  bootmaker  by  trade  in  his  early  life,  and  afterwards  engaged  in  farming, 
in  which  he  was  very  successful.  April  14,  1863,  he  married  Magdalene  Stoltz,  of 
the  town  of  Vernon,  formerly  of  his  native  place,  who  came  from  Alsace,  France, 
with  her  parents  when  a  year  old,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  John,  who  died 
at  fourteen  years  of  age;  Mary  R.,  who  died  at  seven  years  of  age;  Joseph  N.,  who 
died  m  infancy;  Francis  A.  ;  Theresa  J.  ;  Magdalene  K.  ;  and  Mary  W.  Francis  A. 
married  Elizabeth  M.  Quarty,  and  they  had  five  children :  Josie,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Mary  M. ;  Florence  L. ;  John  J. ;  Anna  M.  Theresa  J.  married  Lewis  Ritter,  of 
Oneida,  and  they  had  four  children:  William  J.,  Frederick  D.,  Mary  R..  and  Louis. 
Mr.  Amann  died  March  10,  1887.  Mr.s.  Amann's  father,  John  Stoltz,  was  born  in 
Alsace,  France,  September  26,  1817.  He  was  educated  there  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  about  twenty  years  of  age.  After  a  time  he  returned  to  his  native  place 
and  married  Mary  E.  Stoltz,  and  returned  to  the  land  of  his  adoption.  They  had 
seven  children:  Magdalene,  as  above,  Rachina,  Francis,  John,  Joseph,  Lewis,  and 
Lawrence.  Mr.  Stoltz  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  afterwards  a  farmer.  He 
died  January  13,  1892,  and  his  wife  December  7, 1888.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is 
German  and  French. 

Lowe,  Charles,  was  born  near  London,  England,  December  6,  1839.  He  was 
partly  educated  there,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  locating  at  Pratt's 
Hollow,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Norwich, 
Chenango  county,  where  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade,  and  in  1864  he  came  to 
Oneida,  where  he  worked  for  Hon.  George  Berry  for  fifteen  years,  most  of  the  time 
as  foreman.  In  1877  he  purchased  the  David  and  Hezekiah  Brooks  farm,  improving 
it  in  many  ways,  erecting  a  new  residence,  barns,  and  fences.  October  25,  1860,  he 
married  Mary  J.  Manchester,  of  Pratt's  Hollow,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children: 
Nellie  I.,  Roscoe  C,  Fenton  E.,  Cora  M*,  George  E.,  Libbie  J.,  and  Jesse  E.,  who 
died  in  infancy.  Nellie  I.  married  John  B.  Williams,  now  of  Denver,  Col.,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Paul  L.  Cora  M.  married  George  Clark,  of  Oceida,  N.  Y.,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Charles  L.  Fenton  E.  is  a  resident  of  Quincy,  Mass.  Mr. 
Lowe's  father,  Thomas  Lowe,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  England,  in  1810.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Thaxter,  of  Elson,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  John,  William, 
James,  Charles,  as  above,  Robert,  Walter,  Septimus,  and  Sarah  and  Elizabeth, 
twins.  The  family  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850.  Mrs.  Lowe  died  in,  England 
about  1848,  and  for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Lowe  married  Sarah  Barnes.     Mr.  Lowe  died 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  59 

in  1872.  Mrs.  Lowe's  father,  William  Manchester,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island.  He 
was  educated  there,  and  married  Catherine  Oderkirk,  of  Hoosick.  by  whom  he  had 
thirteen  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living:  Mary  J.,  and  James.  Mr.  Man- 
chester died  in  1836,  and  his  wife  in  1861.  Mr.  Lowe  has  been  a  member  of  Oneida 
Lodge,  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.,  since  1867,  of  which  he  was  master  in  1895.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  assessor  six  years.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  English  on  both 
sides. 

Hicks,  William  Harrison,  was  born  in  Western,  Oneida  county,  August  28,  1824, 
sou  of  Alpheus  and  Mary  (Lane)  Hicks,  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  New  York 
respectively.  His  paternal  grandfather,  David  Hicks,  was  one  of  the  four  original 
settlers  of  Western,  where  he  located  in  1788  and  cleared  and  improved  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness,  and  there  he  died.  He  assisted  in  building  a  bridge  across  the  Mo- 
hawk River,  this  side  of  Albany,  near  Elmer  Hill  in  Western,  in  1798,  also  assisted 
in  organizing  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Steuben,  now  called  Western,  was  an  ex- 
horter  and  deacon  in  this  church.  He  brought  a  bushel  of  potatoes  on  his  back 
through  the  wilderness  from  Whitesboro  to  his  home,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles  in 
1789.  He  married  Mary  Sprague.  Alpheus  Hicks  was  born  in  1775,  and  from  thir- 
teen years  of  age  lived  on  the  old  homestead  in  Western,  where  he  died  in  1861. 
During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  in  the  transporta- 
tion of  provision  and  other  necessaries  for  the  Federal  army.  He  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  George  and  Hannah  (Wiggins)  Lane,  a  descendant  of  the  Lanes  who 
came  over  in  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  Her  father  assisted  in  throwing  the  tea  over- 
board in  Boston  Harbor,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hicks  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity:  Han- 
nah, Ephraim,  Jacob,  Isaac,  Mary,  Sarah,  John,  Eliakim,  and  William  H.,  of  whom 
the  latter  and  Sarah  are  the  only  survivors.  William  Harrison  Hicks  owns  the  old 
homestead  in  Western,  where  all  but  fifteen  years  of  his  life  has  been  spent.  Since 
1884  he  has  resided  in  Delta.  In  September,  1855,  he  married  Angeline  E.,  daughter 
Alfred  and  Rhoda  (Denison)  Martin,  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. 

Yerdon,  James  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  N.  Y.,  the  son  of  John,  who 
was  born  in  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  county,  in  1822,  the  youngestof  four  sons  and 
five  daughters  born  to  Henry  I.  and  Elizabeth  (Castler)  Yerdon.  Henry  I.  was  the 
son  of  John,  great- grandfather  of  James  H.  of  Mohawk  Dutch  ancestry,  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  where  he  was  badly  wounded.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  spent  his  life  in  Montgomery  county.  Henry  I.  was  a  carpenter  b}' trade 
and  spent  his  last  days  in  Boonville,  living  with  his  son  John,  where  he  died  in  1858. 
His  wife  died  in  the  town  of  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  county,  in  1825.  John,  father 
of  James  H.,  came  to  Boonville  in  March,  1837,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  worked  in 
the  lumber  woods  for  his  brother-in-law  at  §5.00  per  month.  Seven  years  later  he 
purchased  100  acres  of  timber  land  and  began  lumbering  and  farming,  and  later 
added  thereto  until  he  owned  425  acres.  He  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  saw  mill 
business,  but  since  1889  has  been  retired  from  the  more  active  work,  leasing  his  larger 
farm  and  conducting  the  smaller  one.  In  1846  he  married  Lovina,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Bellinger,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Mary  E.,  Emma  A.  Jackson,  James  H., 
Mrs.  Addie  Wollaber.  James  H  was  born  July  6,  1854,  in  a  log  house  just  a  short 
distance  north  of  the  present  house  that  marks  the  place,   which  was  erected  the 


60  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

same  year  that  he  was  born,  located  five  miles  south  of  Boonville  village,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Lansingkill  and  Black  River  Canal.  Received  a  limited  education 
in  the  common  schools,  assisting  his  father  in  lumbering  and  farming  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  February  14,  1878.  he  married  Alice  C. ,  daughter  of  George 
H.  Wollaber,  of  Steuben,  to  which  town  he  moved  and  engaged  in  farming.  He 
owns  170  acres  of  land  and  carries  on  general  farming,  but  is  especially  interested 
in  the  breeding  of  Holstein-Friesian  cattle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yerdon  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  having  been  Sunday  school  superintendent  sev- 
eral seasons,  trustee  and  steward.  March  3,  1896,  Mr.  Yerdon  was  elected  for  a 
term  of  two  years,  to  represent  his  town  as  supervisor. 

Van  Buskirk,  Marcus,  was  born  in  Western.  December  11,  1829,  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Casler)  Van  Buskirk.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Lawrence  Van  Buskirk, 
of  Holland  Dutch  descent,  was  among  the  pioneers  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  where  he  died.  His  maternal  grandfather.  Marcus 
Casler.  was  a  pioneer  farmer  and  blacksmith  of  Western.  John  Van  Buskirk, 
father  of  Marcus,  was  a  native  of  Floyd,  and  in  early  manhood  settled  in  Western, 
cleared  a  farm,  and  assisted  in  building  the  Black  River  Canal.  He  was  for  several 
years  prominently  identified  with  the  quarry  interest  of  the  county,  being  superin- 
tendent of  several  stone  quarries,  and  lived  for  many  years  on  what  is  now  known 
as  the  Stephen  Rogers  farm.  His  children  were  Marcus,  Martha  (Mrs.  William 
Norton)  and  Martin.  Marcus  Van  Buskirk  was  reared  in  Western,  where  he  has 
always  resided.  He  followed  boating  on  the  canal  for  twenty-five  years,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming.  March  28,  1850,  he  married  Hannah,  daughter  of 
William  and  Phoebe  (Brooks)  Whipple,  pioneers  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children  (twins):  Henry  T.  and  Helen  H.,  both  deceased.  Mrs.  Van  Buskirk  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  Mr.  Van  Buskirk  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has 
been  commissioner  of  highways  two  years. 

McClements,  James,  was  born  October  20,  1843,  in  the  town  of  Ballykelly,  County 
Down,  Ireland;  his  parents,  Grace  and  Robert  McClements,  were  well  to  do  farmers 
and  had  nine  children.  James,  the  eighth  child,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  came  to 
America  where  he  became  a  butcher.  After  working  a  year  at  the  butcher  business 
he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  16th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  Co.  H.  From  exposure  while  on  duty 
he  contracted  ailments  which  resulted  in  deafness  an"*  chronic  diseases  for  which  he 
is  now  pensioned.  After  returning  from  the  war  he  continued  the  butcher  business 
and  also  worked  in  the  Globe  Woolen  mill  of  Utica  as  a  weaver,  and  in  1882  com- 
menced farming.  In  1871  married  Charlotte  Simmons,  by  whom  he  had  nine  chil- 
dren: Robert  S.,  W.  J.,  George,  James  S.,  Grace  E.,  George  E.,  Charles  S.,  Albert 
F.,  Francis  Harvey.  Of  the  nine  children,  two  have  died,  George  and  Grace  E. 
McClements.  Robert  S.,  W.  J.  and  James  S.  have  attended  the  Whitesboro  and 
N.  Y.  Mills  schools.  James  and  Robert  have  attended  the  Utica  graded  schools.  In 
1891  Mr.  McClements  removed  to  Marcy,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  active 
in  educational  and  religious  works. 

Chrestien,  Martin,  was  born  in  France,  September  22,  1819,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  Ann  Chrestien,  and  was  one  of  three  children,  Nicholas  and  Mary  Ann  being 
the  other  two.     Martin  came  here  in  1842,  and  was  followed  by  his  father  in  1848. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  61 

He  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Francis  N.  and  Annie  Rougert,  who  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  the  town  of  Rome.  Their  children  were  Augustus,  Theodora, 
Hattie  Lynch,  Frank,  Alfred  Louisa,  Olive  Harding,  Charles,  Edward,  Adelaide, 
and  Mary.  In  early  life  Martin  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  which  he  followed  until  he 
settled  in  Oneida  county,  when  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  from  1866  to  1892  kept 
the  hotel  at  McConnellsville,  but  has  now  retired  from  business.  He  has  been  an 
active  Democrat,  and  was  elected  overseer  of  the  poor,  serving  two  terms. 

Benton,  Eugene  C,  was  born  at  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  March  23, 
1846,  son  of  Sylvester  C.  and  Fannie  A.  Benton,  who  settled  in  this  county  about 
1853,  and  who  have  three  children :  Emerette  C.  Reed,  Lucretia  A.  Simmons,  and 
Eugene  C.  Benton.  Sylvester  Benton  was  a  painter  and  carpenter  by  trade,  and  is 
now  living  retired.  He  was  a  veteran  in  the  late  war  and  belonged  to  the  117th  Regt. 
N.  Y.  Vols.,  enlisted  as  a  teamster  and  returned  as  a  wagonmaster.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Post  Bacon  of  Utica.  Eugene  C.  married  Kate  M.,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Mary  Ann  Peek,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Henry  E.,  Eugene  C,  jr.,  Fannie 
and  Samuel  M.  Mr.  Benton  learned  the  painter's  trade  at  twelve  years  of  age;  he 
also  clerked  for  several  firms,  and  was  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks;  but 
late  years  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  dealing  in  produce  and  the  breeding  of  fine 
Jersey  cattle.  Henry  E.  attended  the  Colgate  LTniversity  of  Hamilton,  N.  Y.  Mr. 
Benton  belongs  to  the  Orient  Lodge  No.  224  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  also  Wash- 
ington Chapter  No.  212  of  New  York  city. 

Towsley,  Dr.  William  Dealton,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  December  14,  1856. 
In  1857  his  parents  moved  to  Sandy  Creek,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent 
his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools,  and  later  became  a 
pupil  in  the  L^nion  High  School  of  Sandy  Creek,  where  he  remained  one  year,  and 
then  entered  Pulaski  Academy,  where  he  spent  three  years.  After  teaching  school 
two  winters  at  Port  Ontario,  N.  Y.,  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Frank  S.  Low,  of 
Pulaski,  and  began  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1878  he  entered  the  University  of 
New  York  City,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  honors  March  8,  1881,  and  be- 
gan practicing  at  South  Richland,  N.  Y.  In  the  spring  of  1887  he  located  in  the 
thriving  village  of  Camden,  where  two  years  later  he  erected  a  fine  residence  at  No. 
135  Main  street.  In  June,  1881,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Oswego  County 
Medical  Scciety,  and  in  1887,  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society. 
While  a  resident  of  South  Richland  he  was  postmaster  and  coroner  of  the  county. 
April  27,  1881,  he  married  Jennie,  the  only  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson 
Calkins,  of  Dexter,  Jefferson  county,  and  they  have  one  daughter.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Towsley  have  been  members  of  the  Methodist  church  many  years. 

Paddock,  Daniel,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Febru- 
ary 20,  1834,  a  son  of  James  Paddock,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  April 
12,  1804.  James  Paddock  was  a  farmer  and  always  resided  in  the  towns  of  Steuben 
and  Western.  He  married  Susan  Edick,  of  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he 
had  ten  children:  James  H.,  Mary  A.,  Daniel,  Lolej'ann,  Joseph,  David,  George, 
Philo,  Susan,  and  Nettie.  Daniel  Paddock  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Steuben, 
then  engaged  in  farming,  now  owning  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  mostly  improved 
land  and  has  a  small  dairy.     Mr.  Paddock  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Uriah  Fitch, 


(32  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Albert,  a  farmer;  Esther,  wife  of 
Andrew  Balcora ;  and  John  E,,  at  home.  The  family  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
church. 

Schilz  Peter,  jr.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  August  19,  1864,  son 
of  Peter  and  Margaret  (Servatius)  Schilz,  natives  of  Germany.  The  grandparents, 
Christ  and  Mary  (Snyder)  Schilz,  were  farmers  of  Godendorf,  Kraes  Tries,  Helen- 
bach,  Germany.  Mr.  Schilz  came  to  America  in  May,  1857,  and  settled  in  Deerfield, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1891.  retired  to  Utica,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Germany  and  served  in  the  army.  Margaret  Ser- 
vatius Schilz  was  born  in  Koblentz,  Naevit,  Germany.  She  came  to  this  country  in 
1838  with  her  parents,  John  and  Catherine  Servatius ;  they  settled  in  West  Utica 
where  some  of  the  family  still  live  and  where  she  (Margaret)  lived  until  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  when  she  married  Peter  Schilz  and  went  to  reside  in  Deerfield,  in 
which  place  they  stayed  until  1892,  when  they  went  back  to  Utica,  where  she  died 
in  February,  1896.  Peter,  jr.,  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Deerfield,  and  commenced 
business  in  the  sash  and  blind  factory  in  Utica,  where  he  was  engaged  for  three 
years;  and  then  was  in  the  grocery  of  William  Rim  for  five  years.  He  was  next 
engaged  in  the  box  factory,  where  he  met  with  a  severe  accident,  which  resulted  in 
the  loss  of  a  hand.  In  1891,  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Deerfield  Corners, 
being  proprietor  of  the  Union  House.  In  1895,  he  erected  a  building  for  town  hall, 
and  for  the  use  of  the  Deerfield  Fire  Co.,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  In  1891,  he 
married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  David  D.  (a  native  of  Deerfield,  who  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1827),  and  Julia  (Monaghan)  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1827.  The 
parents  of  Mr.  Jones  were  David  I.  and  Catherine  (Jones)  Jones,  who  came  from 
Llannwellyn,  near  Bala,  Maireonydd  Sir,  North  Wales,  to  Deerfield.  They  settled 
on  Smith  Hill  and  were  farmers.  He  died  February  15,  1884,  aged  ninety-two  years, 
and  she  died  August  28,  1868,  at  the  age  of  seventy- four  years.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
David  D.  Jones  were  Thomas  and  Mary  (Martin)  Monaghan,  of  Ireland.  Mrs.  Jones 
came  to  America  forty-seven  years  ago  and  was  employed  in  the  home  of  Horatio 
Seymour  for  twelve  years.  Mr.  Jones  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  all  over  the 
town  his  handiwork  can  be  seen,  About  the  last  large  job  that  he  did  was  the 
erection  of  the  Deerfield  street  car  barn.  He  learned  his  trade  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  was  continually  in  the  employ  of  Geo.  F.  Weaver 
&  Sons,  who  always  found  him  honest  and  faithful.  His  father.  David  I.  Jones, 
came  to  Deerfield  at  the  age  of  thirty;  this  place  at  that  time  was  nothing  but  a 
wilderness  and  swamp  lots.  A  few  who  had  cleared  land  here  in  the  valley  forthem- 
selves  urged  him  to  stay  here,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  think  much  of  our  now  beau- 
tiful valley  of  the  Mohawk,  so  went  farther  out  and  settled  on  Smith  Hill  on  a  farm 
lying  between  two  gulfs.  The  house  is  old-fashioned  and  built  of  logs,  and  was  sit- 
uated about  half  a  mile  back  from  the  main  road ;  just  before  the  house  is  a  deep 
gully,  which  makes  it  quite  a  picturesque  little  place,  with  the  road  vvinding  down 
on  the  one  side  across  the  little  stream,  and  up  on  the  other  into  a  large  yard.  The 
house  is  still  standing,  but  not  in  the  same  place  as  then :  it  is  northeast  of  there. 
The  picture  of  the  house  is  now  in  the  family.  Mrs.  Schilz  has  it  painted  on  a  slate 
which  was  used  by  her  cousin,  Owen  J.  Roberts,  when  a  schoolboy  on  Deerfield  Hill, 
but  which  in  reality  belonged  to  her  father  when  he  was  a  schoolboy,  and   so  it   is 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  63 

doubly  dear  to  her.  The  painting  was  done  by  a  very  dear  friend  of  the  family 
(Mrs.  Geo.  W.  Rapelye),  now  of  Staten  Island,  daughter  of  David  Richards  of  Utica, 
who  formerly  lived  on  Smith  Hill,  and  who  at  the  present  time  is  owner  of  a  part  of 
Mrs.  Schilz's  grandfather's  farm.  Mr.  Schilz  is  a  Catholic,  and  a  member  of  the 
C.  M.  B.  A.  No.  55  of  Utica,  and  of  St.  Anthony's  Sick  Benefit  Society. 

Harrig,  Albert,  was  born  in  New  London,  Oneida  county,  in  1867,  son  of  Michael 
Harrig,  who  was  one  of  five  sons  born  to  John  Harrig,  a  native  of  Germany.  Michael 
Harrig  was  a  boatman  on  the  Erie  Canal,  owning  and  conducting  his  own  boats. 
His  wife,  Mary  Morreall,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  daughter  of  Joseph  Morreall, 
who  was  killed  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  by  whom  he  had  three  children : 
William,  Albert  and  Frank,  who  was  drowned  in  Forestport.  Mr.  Harrig  died  in 
1870,  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  and  after  the  death  of  the  father  and  husband,  Mrs. 
Harrig  removed  to  Forestport,  whore  she  provided  for  her  family,  until  they  were 
old  enough  to  provide  for  themselves.  She  later  became  the  wife  of  W.  G.  Sands  of 
Forestport.  Albert  Harrig,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  engaged  as  driver  on  the 
canal ;  when  si.xteen  was  promoted  to  steersman,  and  four  years  later,  he  purchased 
a  boat  and  began  for  himself.  In  1889  he,  in  partnership  with  William  Syphert, 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  getting  out  spar  timber  in  the  winter,  which  they 
shipped  to  New  York  city  in  the  summer.  In  1892  he  left  the  canal,  and  engaged 
exclusively  in  the  lumber  business,  and  in  1893  they  purchased  the  stage  route  be- 
tween Alder  Creek  and  Forestport.  In  the  spring  of  1895  they  erected  the  present 
pulp  mill,  from  which  they  ship  six  boat  loads  a  week  of  forty  cords  each.  They  own 
a  1,200  acre  tract  of  timber  land,  and  in  connection  with  their  pulp  wood  business, 
they  furnish  a  Utica  lumber  company  with  logs;  by  contract  they  also  ship  a  large 
amount  of  spar  timber  to  New  York  city.  Mr.  Harrig  has  served  as  excise  commis- 
sioner, town  committeeman,  etc.,  and  is  member  and  junior  deacon  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  Uriel  Lodge  No.  809,  of  Forestport,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  S.  F.  I. 
In  1892  he  married  Estella,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Anna  Briggs,  a  native  of  Forest, 
port,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Denzil  Lena. 

Studor,  Philip,  was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  in  1842,  son  of  Jacob  Studor.  Jacob 
Studor  with  his  brother  Michael  came  to  America  in  1858.  The  former  to  came  Haw- 
kinsville,  where  he  remained  seven  years,  emploj^ed  as  lumberman.  He  removed  to 
White  Lake  and  engaged  in  farming,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Snyder,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Philip,  Lena,  Jacob,  Henry, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  George.  He  died  in  1881  and  his  wife  in  1878.  Philip  Studor 
began  for  himself  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  spent  eight  years  as  employee 
in  a  saw  mill,  after  which  he  purchased  a  stage  route  from  Hawkinsville  to  Boonville, 
which  he  conducted  for  a  year.  In  1868  he  removed  to  his  present  farm  and  hotel, 
where  he  is  proprietor  of  the  Studor  House,  and  which  he  has  largely  improved, 
making  it  a  very  desirable  retreat  for  summer  resorters,  fishermen  and  hunters,  and 
his  farm  and  wood  land  contain  200  acres.  For  some  time  he  was  interested  in  the 
spile  and  long  timber  business.  He  has  served  as  road  commissioner  and  poormas- 
ter,  and  through  his  efforts  m  1880,  a  post-office  was  established  at  White  Lake 
Corners,  and  of  which  he  has  been  postmaster  ever  since.  In  1875  he  married 
Addie,  daughter  of  Randolph  and  Phoebe  Evans  of  Lowville,  by  whom  he  has  three 
children:  Mabel,  Ray  and  Anita. 


64  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Nichols,  Dexter  E.,  was  born  in  Vienna,  March  5,  1848.  His  grandfather,  Allen 
NichoUs,  came  here  from  Vermont  about  1798.  John  H.,  father  of  Dexter  E.,  mar- 
ried Catherine  Yager,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  James  R.,  Elnora,  and  Dexter 
E.  Mr.  Nichols  married  for  his  second  wife  Margaret  Seaton,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children:  Theodore  M.,  MarceHa,  Hattie,  John,  Nellie,  and  Nettie.  Mr.  Nichols  has 
always  followed  farming,  and  was  interested  in  educational  and  religious  affairs. 
He  enlisted  in  the  81st  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  active  in  recruiting  his  regiment. 
Dexter  E.  married  J.  Eliza,  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Emma  Ann  Halstead,  and  they 
have  one  adopted  child,  Sarah.  In  early  life  Dexter  E.  attended  school  at  Uticaand 
at  Whitestown  Seminary,  after  which  he  taught  school  eight  j'ears;  was  engaged  in 
selling  musical  instruments  and  sewing  machines  five  years.  In  1883  he  started  in 
general  merchandise   and  has  been  town  clerk  two  years. 

Kinne,  Eri,  was  born  in  Vienna,  October  15,  1834,  son  of  Hiram  and  Eliza  Kinne, 
who  settled  in  the  town  of  Vienna  in  about  1800,  and  their  four  children  were  born 
on  the  place  where  Eri  now  resides.  Hiram  Kinne  died  August  29,  1844,  and  Mrs. 
Eliza  Kinne  died  March  3,  1870.  Eri  Kinne  married  Lydia  L.,  daughter  of  George 
and  Rebecca  Remington.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  Eri  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  until  1857,  when  he  entered  the  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness at  Vienna,  which  he  followed  for  ten  yeans.  In  1872-8  he  had  an  appointment 
in  the  canal  superintendent's  office  at  Rome,  and  in  1875  he  was  bookkeeper  in  the 
commission  business  for  H.  Morse  &  Co.,  No.  16  Central  wharf,  Buffalo,  and  in 
1880-1-2  he  was  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Vienna  with  J.  H. 
Meays.  He  followed  farming  from  1882  to  1887,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
E.,  C.  &  N.  Railroad  and  National  Express  Company  as  agent  at  Vienna.  In  1868 
he  was  elected  supervisor,  which  office  he  held  four  years,  and  from  1875  until  1892 
he  was  justice  of  the  peace,  has  also  been  railroad  commissioner  for  two  terms,  and 
notary  public  from  1891  to  date. 

Harden,  Frank  S.,  is  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  and  a  son  of  Charles  Harden. 
He  married  Olive,  a  daughter  of  Martin  and  Margaret  Chrestien,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Charles,  Clarence,  and  Harry,  all  of  whom  are  natives  of 
this  county.  Frank  S.  is  a  charter  member  of  McConnellsville  Lodge,  Order  of  the 
World.  In  early  life  he  followed  lumbering,  contracting,  and  building,  but  is  now 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  chairs. 

Strewn,  George  W.,  was  born  in  Lee,  Oneida  county,  August  10,  1864,  son  of  John 
and  Rosena  (Ubelheart)  Strewn,  natives  of  Berne,  Switzerland.  John  Strewn  came 
to  America  in  1849  and  located  at  Lee  Center,  Oneida  county,  where  he  worked  at 
the  cooper's  trade  for  eight  years,  after  which  he  purchased  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  his  estate,  cleared  and  improved  it,  and  in  1875  he  purchased  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  George  W.,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  September  5,  1890, 
aged  sixty-three  years.  His  wife  died  April  21,  1891,  aged  fifty-five  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity:  Rosa  (Mrs. 
Charles  F.  Meyer);  Mary  (Mrs.  Enoch  Pritchard);  Julia  (Mrs.  Samuel  Krebs);  Emma 
(Mrs.  Rudolph  Jenny);  John  A.,  who  married  Matilda  Zimmer,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Lillie  M. ;  George  W. ;  Clara;  Frank  B. ;  and  Isabel.  George  W.  was 
reared  in  Lee,  where  he  has  always  resided.     He  was  educated   in  the  common 


I 

i 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  65 

schools,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  public 
spirited  citizens  of  Lee,  a  member  of  P.  of  I.,  K.  of  S.  F.  I.,  and  P.  of  H.,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Democrat. 

Jones,  Seymour,  was  born  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  February  1,  1834,  a  son  of 
of  Hugh  W.  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Jones,  both  natives  of  Steuben.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents, William  R.  and  Mary  (Mendith)  Jones,  natives  of  Wales,  were  among  the 
pioneers  of  Steuben,  and  cleared  a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  where  they  died. 
Hugh  W.  Jones,  who  was  born  February  14,  1809,  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  which  he 
followed  up  to  1845,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  until  he  retired  on  account  of  age, 
and  has  spent  all  his  life  in  Steuben  and  Western.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Henry  Smith,  a  pioneer  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom 
survive:  Seymour;  Mary  (Mrs.  Sanford  Oaks);  Henry;  Catherine  (Mrs.  Joseph 
Brown);  Esther  (Mrs.  Orris  Tripp);  Lydia  A.  (Mrs.  John  Maydole);  and  William. 
Seymour  Jones  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Whitestown  and  Holland 
Patent  Academies,  and  on  attaining  his  majority  engaged  in  farming  until  1860, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Steuben  for  eight  years.  In  1869  he 
located  at  North  Western  and  engaged  in  the  same  business  nine  years,  erected  a 
tannery  there  in  1871,  which  he  operated  until  1890,  and  has  also  been  engaged  in 
farming  since  1883.  December  25,  1859,  he  married  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Saul  U. 
and  Catherine  (Adams)  Miller,  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Gary  M. 
and  Anna  K.  Mr.  Jones  is  independent  in  politics,  and  has  been  supervisor  of  West- 
ern two  terms. 

Harris,  John  W.,  was  born  in  Westernville,  Oneida  county,  August  2,  1819,  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Sheldon)  Harris,  natives  of  Sharon,  Conn.,  and  Providence,  R.  I., 
respectively.  His  paternal  grandfather,  David  Harris,  was  a  prominent  builder  of 
his  day,  and  for  many  j'ears  a  resident  of  Lansingburg,  N.  Y.  He  spent  the  later 
years  of  his  life  in  Westernville,  where  he  died.  The  maternal  grandfather,  James 
Sheldon,  a  native  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  was  among  the  pioneers  of  Remsen,  and  for 
many  years  was  agent  of  the  John  Brown  tract  in  the  Adirondacks.  In  early  life  he 
was  a  distiller  of  essential  oil.  John  Harris,  father  of  John  W. ,  was  born  February  14, 
1785,  came  to  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  in  1793,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
tanner  and  currier  trade.  He  located  at  Westernville  in  1814,  where  he  embarked 
in  business  for  himself,  in  which  he  continued  for  twenty  years,  when  he  sold  out 
and  in  1835  located  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  son,  John  W. ,  where  he  died 
August  10,  1860.  His  children  were  Mary  (Mrs.  Gustavus  S.  French);  Emeline(Mrs. 
Horatio  Castle);  Abbie  M.  (Mrs.  Freedom  French);  and  John  W.,  our  subject,  who 
has  always  been  a  resident  of  Western,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  has  lived 
on  the  old  homestead  smce  1835.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  which  his  father  was  an  elder  for  many  years.  He  has  been  president  of  the 
Oneida  County  Farmers'  Insurance  Company,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Jones,  Richard  R.,  was  born  in  SarnfoUteyra,  North  Wales,  April  25,  1850.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  Wales,  where  he  afterward  taught  in  the  National 
School  for  two  years.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1870,  where  he  attended 
school,  fitting  himself  for  a  business  life,  in  which  he  has  been  successful.  He 
learned  the  boot  and  shoemaker's  trade,  which  he  followed  a  short  time.  He  was  in 
1 


66  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Western  States  for  a  short  time  and  since  1882  has  been  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  Glenmore,  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  Oneida  county.  He  married 
Ellen  Hopper,  of  Janesville,  Wis,  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  was  justice  of 
sessions  for  six  years,  also  justice  of  the  peace  for  nine  years,  and  at  present  is 
notary  public.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Rome  Lodge  No.  266, 
Stanwix  Encampment,  No.  73,  and  Canton  Stanwix,  No.  3. 

Graves,  William  B.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  Oneida  county,  in  January, 
1853,  the  only  surviving  child  of  William  H.  and  Minerva  (Wade)  Graves.  This 
family  was  among  the  Puritans  who  came  to  Connecticut,  emigrating  to  this  country 
when  it  was  quite  young.  William  B.  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Annsville  and 
Whitestown  Seminary,  and  since  1882  has  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
in  Taberg.  He  is  a  prominent  business  man  and  stands  high  in  the  political  field  as 
a  staunch  RepubUcan,  and  was  school  commissioner  from  1888  to  1891.  He  married 
Elma,  daughter  of  Peter  Flanigan,  of  North  Bay,  by  whom  he  had  three  children : 
Celia  M.,  born  February  1,  1885;  Bessie,  born  January  10,  1887;  and  Elma  A.,  born 
in  December,  1890.  Mr.  Graves  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  Lee 
Center  Council  of  Royal  Arcanum.  He  was  elected  member  of  assembly  in  1895 
and  was  one  of  the  eighty-four  that  voted  for  the  Raines  Bill.  His  ancestors  were 
among  the  early  settlers  in  the  towns  of  Annsville  and  Vienna,  moving  here  in  the 
latter  years  of  the  last  century. 

Scott,  Walter  F.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  April  18,  1859.  His  father, 
Otis  Scott,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  and  came  to  the  town  of  Annsville  in  1840.  He 
was  an  extensive  farmer  and  lumberman,  always  being  a  man  of  high  standing  in 
the  town  where  he  resided.  He  married  Julia,  daughter  of  John  Bloss,  of  whom 
Blossvale  derived  its  name,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Walter  F.,  who  was  educated 
in  this  town  and  Whitestown  Seminary,  after  which  he  engaged  for  some  time  in 
farming  and  owns  a  farm  of  200  acres.  He  is  an  active  Republican  in  politics,  and 
was  in  New  York  city  for  two  years,  in  the  office  of  the  subtreasurer  of  the  United 
States.  He  married  Adella,  daughter  of  N.  B.  Taft,  of  Taberg,  by  whom  he  has 
four  children:  Otis,  Pauline,  Northrup  and  Howard. 

Reed,  Leonard  R.,  was  born  at  Turin,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  November  26,  1832, 
son  of  Joseph  M.  Reed,  who  was  born  at  Chester,  Vt.,  February  5,  1802,  of  English 
ancestry,  and  settled  at  Turin  in  1825.  Besides  being  a  farmer,  he  was  an  expert 
mason,  and  carried  on  this  trade  with  his  farm  work.  He  was  prominent  in  both 
political  and  religious  circles,  and  captain  of  a  company  in  the  militia.  He  has  been 
an  active  worker  and  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church  for  nearly  forty  years.  After 
his  residence  in  Turin  he  came  to  Martinsburg,  thence  to  Lej-den,  and  thence  to 
Boonville  in  1864,  purchasing  a  farm  of  Albert  E.  Jackson,  one  mile  north  of  Boon- 
ville  village.  He  married  Lois  Marsh  Seymour,  who  was  born  at  Hartford,  Conn., 
January  14,  1805,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children.  He  departed  this  life  July  19, 
1881.  Leonard  R.  Reed  completed  his  academic  education  at  Lowville,  and  March 
3,  1858,  he  married  Sarah  E.  Goodrich  of  Martinsburg,  Lewis  county,  by  whom  he 
had  one  daughter,  Ella  A.,  who  married  Elroy  C.  Hall,  a  Lej'den  farmer;  she  died 
at  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  leaving  a  son,  Clifton  Reed  Hall,  who  now  resides 
with  his  grandparents.  Mr.  Reed  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  are  highly  respected  citizens. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  67 

Bellinger,  Henry  H.,  was  born  in  Forestport,  N.  Y.,  August  29,  1855,  son  of  John, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  Mohawk  country,  and  Elizabeth  (Merville)  Bellinger,  a 
native  of  German  Flats,  N.  Y.  The  village  of  Enoch  was  originally  called  Bellin- 
gertown,  taking  its  name  from  the  grandfather  of  Henry  M.  He  was  a  pioneer  there, 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  John  Bellinger  was  engaged  in  farming 
at  Forestport,  where  he  Hved  and  died,  and  was  also  a  noted  trapper  and  hunter,  and 
cleared  a  farm  at  Forestport.  Henry  M.  was  engaged  as  a  farm  hand  at  Lowville 
nine  years.  He  then  came  to  Ava,  and  after  working  for  H.  J.  Lewis  one  year, 
rented  the  farm  for  seven  years,  and  in  1891,  bought  the  farm  in  Ava,  where  he  now 
resides.  He  kept  a  dairy  of  ten  cows,  and  made  choice  butter.  In  1875  he  married 
Jennie  Congdon  of  Forestport,  by  whom  he  has  three  children :  Bertha,  Hattie  and 
Leon.     Mr.  Bellinger  is  a  member  of  the  Boonville  Grange. 

Wells,  Albert  B.,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  June  1,  1833, 
son  of  Ira  and  Abigail  Wells.  Ira  was  a  son  of  Elisha  Wells,  who  settled  in  Trenton 
about  1800,  and  was  engaged  in  general  and  pioneer  farming.  He  was  known 
as  Captain  Wells,  and  his  children  were  Chester,  Ira,  Elizabeth  G.,  Nancy,  and 
Mary.  Ira  Wells  was  also  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Abigail  Austin,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children:  Albert  G.,  Chester,  and  Austin.  By  his  second  wife, 
Patty  Hemingway,  he  had  one  child,  Henry  H.  Albert  B.  married  Dora  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  Gardner  Townsend,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Alberta,  deceased, 
Gardner  T.,  deceased,  and  Ira  G.  Mr.  Wells  was  a  student  of  Dr.  A.  N.  Priest  from 
1857  to  1860,  and  from  1861  to  1864  he  practiced  in  Connecticut.  Since  his  marriage, 
September  15,  1864,  he  practiced  in  Holland  Patent.  Ira  G.  was  graduated  from  the 
Pennsylvania  Medical  College  in  1894,  and  was  associated  with  his  father  in  busmess. 
Alberta  was  a  graduate  of  Albany  Normal  School,  and  died  October  30,  1887.  Albert 
Wells  died  March  19,  1896. 

Witherstine,  Willard,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  N.Y.,  in  1843,  son  of  Will- 
iam, who  was  born  in  Herkimer  county  in  1820.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Witherstine, 
whose  father,  John,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  John.,  jr.,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  came  to  Steuben  in  1828,  settling 
in  a  forest,  where  he  later  cleared  a  farm.  He  married  Catherine  Harter,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-two  years  and 
seven  months,  and  died  in  1863.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  William 
Witherstine  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  where  he 
now  lives.  In  1841  he  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Piatt  Weed,  of  Steuben,  by 
whom  he  has  had  three  children :  Matilda  (deceased),  Willard,  and  Lavina,  wife  of 
Oscar  Hall,  of  Egypt,  N.  Y.  Willard  Witherstine  was  educated  at  the  common 
schools  and  Rome  Academy,  and  at  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  teach  school, 
and  also  engaged  in  farming.  In  1866  he  purchased  his  first  farm  of  fifty  acres,  to 
which  he  has  added  150  acres,  and  he  is  princiiDally  engaged  in  dairy  farming.  In 
1866  he  married  Clarinda  vStannard,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Minnie  (de- 
ceased), Winnie  (deceased),  Frank,  aid  Edith. 

Haven,  A.  G.,  was  born  in  Sangerfield,  N.  Y.,  September  23,  1846,  son  of  P.  B. 
and  Elizabeth  (Putnam)  Haven.  His  grandfather  was  John  Haven,  a  native  of 
Connecticut.     Mr.  A.  G.  Haven  has  been  engaged  in  the  brick  manufacturing  busi- 


68  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ness  all  his  life.  In  1865  the  firm  of  P.  B.  Haven  &  Son  was  formed;  P.  B.  Haven 
began  the  business  in  1835.  A.  G.  Haven  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Waterville 
Grange,  and  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  town  of  Sangerfield.  In  1869  he  married 
Frances  M.  Bartholomew,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons:  George  B-.  and  Sherman  W. 
George  B.  is  a  professor  in  the  Institution  of  Technology  in  Boston,  Mass.  Sher- 
man W.  is  a  student  at  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  preparing  for  the 
ministry. 

Osborn,  William,  was  born  in  Sangerfield,  May  9,  1809.  As  a  boy  he  worked  in 
his  father's  store  and  taught  school  for  two  winters.  At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  for  distributing  the  stock  of  the  Oneida  National 
Bank.  In  1837  he  went  to  Michigan  to  join  an  emigrating  corps  to  locate  the  line  of 
the  Michigan  Central  Railway,  and  in  1841  he  returned  to  Waterville  and  engaged 
in  farming  until  1845,  when  he  sold  his  farm,  excepting  ten  acres  for  a  homestead, 
and  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  took  an  interest  in  the  contract  for  building  the 
Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  a  contract  amounting  to  $6,000,000,  and  they 
completed  the  railroad  in  1849-50.  He  then  organized  the  company  to  build  the  flat 
country  railroad  to  Council  Bluffs.  In  1865  he  took  the  contract  to  construct  the 
central  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  extending  from  Atchison  100  miles 
west.  All  of  his  railroad  contracts  were  of  large  magnitude,  and  were  carried 
through  most  successfully  by  him.  In  1830  he  married  Amelia  Waldo,  by  whom  he 
had  one  son  and  six  daughters. 

Hanchett,  Julian  A.,  was  born  in  the  house  where  he  now  resides.  May  18,  1888, 
son  of  Ansel  D.  and  Mary  (Peck)  Hanchett.  Ansel  D.  was  born  April  4,  1815  He 
has  spent  his  life  in  Marshall,  and  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  His  father,  Silas 
Hanchett,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  part,  and  was  a  native  of  Vermont. 
Mrs.  Hanchett  died  January  27,  1892.  Julian  A.  was  one  of  three  children:  Julian 
A.,  L.  M.,  and  Mary  E.,  now  Mrs.  W.  H.  De  Viney.  Mr.  Hanchett  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  all  his  life,  and  has  been  a  prominent  hop  grower  for  thirty-five 
years.  He  is  at  present  one  of  the  excise  commissioners,  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Marshall. 

Barton,  J.  F.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  16, 
1823.  His  father,  Eliphaz  B.  Barton,  was  a  native  of  Granby,  Mass.,  and  one  of  the 
early  settlers  in  this  section  of  the  country,  coming  here  about  1797.  He  married 
Polly  M.  Barker,  a  native  of  this  county.  J.  F.  Barton  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life, 
and  has  always  taken  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town,  and  was  super- 
visor for  six  years. 

Cady,  A.  B.,  was  born  in  Sangerfield,  in  1836,  son  of  A.  B.  and  Harriet  (Terry) 
Cady,  natives  of  Herkimer  county  and  Sangerfield  respectively.  He  was  a  mechanic, 
and  became  a  prominent  builder  in  Waterville,  nearly  all  of  whose  fine  buildings  he 
erected,  including  the  Candee  block,  Buell's  .shoe  factory,  the  National  Bank,  the 
school  buildings,  etc.  He  has  been  trustee  of  the  village,  water  commissioner,  and 
chief  engineer  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Reed,  John  J.,  was  born  in  Marcy,  N.  Y.,  January  11,  1840,  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
(West)  Reed,  natives  of  Rensselaer  county.  John  Reed  came  to  Marcy  over  .seventy 
years  ago,  and  was  in  the  war  of  1812.     He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  while 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  69 

Mrs.  Reed  lived  to  be  ninety-four.  John  J.  Reed  spent  a  great  deal  of  his  early  life 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  in  Waterville  for  twenty-seven  years,  during  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  liquor  business. 

Roberts,  R.  Wilson,  was  born  in  the  *own  of  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  August  8,  1840,  and 
came  to  Waterville  with  his  parents  in  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Irene  (York) 
Roberts.  Thomas  Roberts  was  a  native  of  Wales.  He  was  twice  married;  his  first 
wife  dying  in  1845.  He  died  in  1882,  and  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Jones  Roberts,  in 
1878.  R.  Wilson  Roberts  is  engaged  in  milling  and  farming,  in  which  he  is  success- 
ful. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  stands  high  in  his  party,  which  has  offered  him 
nominations  for  assemblyman  and  senator,  besides  electing  him  supervisor  of  Mar- 
shall in  1868,  1874,  1875  and  1876.  He  was  also  trustee  of  the  village  of  Waterville 
in  1875. 

Conger,  Daniel,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield,  and  has  been  a  resident  of 
Sangerfield  and  the  village  of  Waterville  all  his  life.  He  is  and  has  been  for  forty- 
eight  years  a  dealer  in  hops.  He  was  connected  with  the  promotion  and  building  of 
the  Utica  and  Chenango  railroad,  and  is  at  present  one  of  its  directors.  He  has 
been  a  director  of  the  National  Bank  for  thirty  years,  of  which  he  has  been  vice- 
president  since  1884.  In  1851  he  married  Polly  Janes,  bj'  whom  he  had  one  son, 
Dc  Witt,  who  is  a  resident  of  Waterville.  She  died  in  1884,  and  Mr.  Conger  mari'ied 
his  present  wife,  Keokee  Smith,  in  1892. 

Preston,  Medina,- M.  D.,  was  born  in  Sangerfield.  He  studied  medicine  with  his 
father,  graduating  in  1805.  He  practiced  medicine  at  .Sangerfield  until  1891,  when  he 
moved  into  Waterville.  He  is  United  States  pension  examiner,  and  has  been 
overseer  of  the  poor.  He  has  the  oldest  medical  library  in  Oneida  county,  which 
contains  some  very  rare  and  valuable  old  books.  His  grandfather.  Dr.  Stephen 
Preston,  was  the  first  physician  in  Sangerfield,  and  his  father  also  being  a  physician, 
the  Preston  family  has  been  represented  in  this  town,  by  a  physician  for  over  a  cen- 
tury. Dr.  Stephen  Preston  was  born  in  Ashford,  Conn.,  December  29,  1767.  He 
came  to  Sangerfield  in  1790  and  died  February  28,  1835.  He  married  Clarissa 
Loomis,  who  was  born  in  1772,  and  died  February  24,  1831.  Dr.  Medina  Preston,  sr., 
was  born  in  1793,  and  died  in  1874,  and  he  married  May  Gove,  who  was  born  May 
16,  1805,  and  died  March  21.  1876.  The  Preston  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  San- 
gerfield, and  has  always  been  prominent  in  public  affairs.  James  G.  Preston,  brother 
of  Dr.  Preston,  is  now  a  resident  of  Utica,  and  was  supervisor  of  Sangerfield  for 
fourteen  years.  Dr.  Preston  is  a  notary  public  and  registrar  of  vital  statistics  of  the 
corporation  of  Waterville,  and  health  officer. 

Morgan,  Albert  C,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Madison.  Madison  county, 
N.  Y.,  son  of  John  and  Lucretia  (Hazzard)  Morgan.  He  was  educated  at  Cazenovia 
Seminary,  and  then  learned  dentistry,  studying  at  Norwich,  N.  Y.  He  practiced 
dentistry  for  sixteen  years,  ten  of  which  were  in  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  two  in  Wiscon- 
sin, one  in  Chicago,  111.,  and  one  in  Carthage,  N.  Y.  He  now  devotes  his  attention 
to  the  interests  of  the  Local  Anaesthetic  Company,  of  which  he  is  president.  This 
company  makes  a  speciality  of  Denlofine,  a  preparation  for  painless  dentistry,  and 
minor  surgical  operations,  which  was  invented  by  Dr.  Morgan.  The  company's 
office  is  at  1  and  3  Union  Square,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  and  also  branch  office  in  Utica, 


70  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

N.  Y.,  the  only  dental  office  west  of  New  York  using  this  process.  The  Utica  office 
is  in  charge  of  Dr.  Morgan  himself.  In  1881  Dr.  Morgan  married  Gertrude  Fuller  of 
Lowville,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  have  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Utley,  Henry  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  Oneida  county,  March  3,  1821, 
son  of  Squire  and  Clarissa  (Tallmadge)  Utle5%  natives  of  this  county.  Heny  T.  Utley 
was  educated  at  the  old  Oneida  Institute  at  Whitesboro,  the  Clinton  Liberal  Insti- 
tute, and  Cazenovta  Seminary.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1846.  He  practiced  in  Rome  until  1857,  and  during  that  time  was  dis- 
trict attorney  for  three  years.  In  1857  he  went  to  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  remained 
five  years.  He  left  there  and  came  to  Waterville,  because  of  the  depression  in  busi- 
ness caused  by  the  war,  and  when  the  war  had  closed,  he  found  himself  in  the  pos- 
session of  a  fine  practice  in  Waterville.  Mr.  Utley  married  for  his  first  wife,  Eliza 
Carniichael,  who  died  leaving  one  daughter.  Mrs.  Samuel  Nicklin  of  Newcastle,  Pa. 
He  afterwards  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Aaron  Stafford,  one  of  the  prominent  res- 
idents of  Waterville. 

Bennett,  C.  H.,  L.  D.  S. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  January  22,  1841,  son 
Julius  and  Charlotte  (Griffin)  Bennett,  natives  of  Connecticut.  His  father  is  dead, 
but  his  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  and  her  residence  at  West- 
moreland is  probably  the  oldest  hou.se  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  was  built  bj' 
her  father,  William  Griffin,  one  of  the  early  settlers.  Dr.  Bennett  was  educated  in 
this  county,  and  studied  dentistry  in  Waterville,  beginning  in  1865,  and  he  has  had 
his  dental  offices  here  since  that  time.  In  1868  he  married  Anna  C.  Terry  of  Sanger- 
field.  Dr.  Bennett  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frateanity,  both  of  the  Blue  Lodge 
and  Chapter;  also  of  the  Y.M.  C.  A.,  Pickwick  Club  and  G.  A.  R.  He  enlisted  in  1861 
in  Co.  B,  81st  N.  Y.  Regiment,  and  served  thirteen  months,  subsequently  he  enlisted 
in  the  navy,  and  served  on  the  U.  S.  gunboat  Grand  Gulf.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  life  saving  corps,  of  which  he  is  captain,  on  Oneida  Lake,  where  he  has  a  sum- 
mer residence,  and  a  private  yacht,  "  Water  Witch." 

Buell,  C.  E.,  is  a  native  of  Waterville,  and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Buell  &  Son, 
shoe  manufacturers.  This  business  was  established  in  1837  by  Chauncey  Buell, 
grandfather  of  C.  E.-  BuelL  C.  E.  Buell  and  his  father  came  into  the  business  in 
1862,  and  in  1883  the  present  firm  was  formed.  They  do  a  large  manufacturing 
business,  employing  115  hands  and  turning  out  350  pairs  of  shoes  daily.  Mr.  Buell 
is  a  prominent  Mason  and  master  of  the  lodge  in  Waterville,  and  is  also  a  Knight 
Templar.     In  1889  C.  E.  Buell  married  Clara  G.  Andre,  a  native  of  Saginaw,  Mich. 

Bigelow,  H.  P.,  was  born  in  the  house  where  he  now  resides  in  Waterville,  son  of 
Horace  Bigelow,  a  hat  manufacturer  in  Waterville  and  Julia  A.  (Porter)  Bigelow, 
daughter  of  Noah  Porter  of  New  Hartford,  N.Y.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Ham- 
ilton College  in  the  class  of  1861,  and  December  28,  1887,  he  married  Pauline  C. 
Mayer  of  Cincinnati,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Frederick  and  Frieda.  Mr. 
Bigelow  was  treasurer  in  the  village  of  Waterville  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
supervisor  of  the  town  of  Sangerfield  for  a  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pickwick 
Club  and  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

Mayer,  W.  G.,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  the  United  States  Naval  Academy,  and  the  University  of  Cin- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  71 

cinnati,  from  the  law  department  from  which  he  graduated  in  1875.  Mr.  Mayer  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Cincinnati  fourteen  years,  and  came  to  Waterville 
in  1889.  After  graduating  as  midshipman  from  the  Naval  Academy,  he  spent  eight 
years  in  the  naval  service,  during  which  time  he  was  twice  promoted.  In  1880  he 
married  Esther  L.,  daughter  of  Amos  O.  Osborn,  of  Waterville,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children :  Ada,  Rosalie  and  Amos.  His  father,  Frederick  J.  Mayer,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in  1849.  He  belonged  to  the 
Revolutionary  party  in  Germany,  and  on  that  account  came  to  America.  He  was 
prominent  in  politics  in  Cincinnati ;  was  county  commissioner  for  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio ;  postmaster  of  Cincinnati  by  appointment  of  President  Lincoln ;  and  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Cincinnati  Hospital  for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  also  county  treas- 
urer of  Hamilton  county  for  four  years.  He  died  in  1882.  Mr.  Mayer's  mother  died 
in  1883.  He  is  president  of  the  Pickwick  Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, Board  of  Health  and  Board  of  Library  Trustees  in  Waterville. 

Haviland,  L.  P.,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  December  6,  1848,  son  of  Lyman 
Haviland,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut.  L.  P.  was  educated  in  Brooklyn,  and  his 
long  experience  as  a  manager  of  the  canning  business  has  given  him  a  great  knowl- 
edge of  that  business,  until  at  this  time  he  is  known  as  a  thorough  expert,  and  now 
conducts  one  of  the  largest  canning  factories  of  Oneida  county,  which  is  located  at 
Camden,  the  old  plant  of  John  Mix.  In  1866  James  Day  started  business,  but  the 
plant  was  destroyed  by  fire  m  1868.  Mr.  Day  rebuilt  the  factorv,  which  Mr. 
Haviland  now  owns,  where  he  turns  out  canned  goods  in  large  quantities.  He 
is  president  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Steates.  Andrew,  was  born  in  Keil,  Baden,  Germany,  December  1,  1848.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  a  child,  and  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  mother  in 
1854.  They  lived  for  a  few  years  at  Deerfield  Corners,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  when 
they  removed  to  New  Jersey,  but  in  1862  returned  again  to  Deerfield  Corners. 
Andrew  had  but  little  opportunity  for  schooling,  attending  for  a  few  terms  the  pub- 
lic schools.  He  worked,  as  a  yotith,  at  various  trades,  cigarmaker,  carpenter,  baker, 
and  wood  polisher,  working  at  the  latter  trade  for  the  firm  of  Lennebacker  &  De 
Long  in  the  city  of  Utica  for  nineteen  years.  In  February,  1884,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  William  F.  Ryan,  and  they  started  a  wood  polishing  business  on 
Bleecker  street.  Two  years  later  they  established  a  furniture  business;  success  at- 
tended their  venture,  and  in  June,  1894,  the  firm  opened  its  fine  establishment  at 
219-221  Bleecker  street.  June  26,  1870,  Mr.  Steates  married  Mary  Merringer,  of 
Deerfield  Corners,  by  whom  he  had  seven  sons,  of  whom  two,  Andrew  W.  and  Fred 
H.,  are  living.  Mr.  Steates  is  a  member  of  Skenandoah  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Orien- 
tal Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Knights  of  Honor,  Utica  Maennerchor,  and  treasurer  of  the 
Deerfield  Volunteer  Fire  Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Tabernacle  Baptist 
church. 

Agne,  Jacob,  jr.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  March  15,  1859,  son  of  Jacob  Agne, 
who  was  a  native  of  Rhine,  Bavaria,  having  been  born  near  Zweibriiken  within  a 
few  miles  of  the  spot  where  the  French  attempted  to  cross  the  Rhine  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  war,   and    Margaret  Schlamp,   who  was  born   in   the  province  of 


72  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Darmstaat,  near  Bingen  on  the  Rhine.  Jacob  Agne,  jr.,  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
he  schools  of  Utica  and  studied  architecture  with  Wilham  H.  Hamilton  of  that  city. 
He  worked  with  builders  for  two  years  and  was  then  associated  with  A.  I.  Simmons, 
the  architect,  for  three  years,  perfecting  himself  in  the  practical  work  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  then  establi.shed  a  business  for  himself  and  in  a  few  years  had  attained 
distinction  as  an  architect,  especially  in  the  designing  and  construction  of  residences 
and  school  buildings.  Among  the  more  notable  structures  designed  by  him  are  the 
Oneida  County  Home  at  Rome,  the  Home  for  Aged  Men,  the  Martin  office  building 
and  the  German  Music  Hall  at  Utica.  Mr.  Agne  has  been  chairman  of  the  Excise 
Board  of  Utica  and  in  1894  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  City  Civil  Service  Com- 
mission by  Maj'^or  Gibson.  January  26,  1894,  Mr.  Agne  married  Katharine,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Roberts,  the  hardware  merchant  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  has  one  son, 
Henry  Roberts.  Mr.  Agne  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  a  Fel- 
low of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects. 

Biddlecome,  William  D.,  son  of  William  W.  and  Catherine  (Steel)  Biddlecome,  was 
born  at  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  November  30,  1857.  Hisfather  is  a  farmer, 
and  still  resides  on  the  family  homestead  in  Deerfield.  William  D.  was  educated  at 
the  Utica  public  schools,  Whitestown  Seminary  and  Hamilton  College  Law  School. 
He  was  elected  school  conunissioner  of  the  first  district  of  Oneida  county  in  1881,  and 
re-elected  in  1884.  He  has  practiced  his  profession  as  a  lawyer  at  Utica  since  1888. 
Mr.  Biddlecome  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  was  secretary  of  the  Republican 
County  Committee  several  years,  also  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
County  Committee  in  1894.  Mr.  Biddlecome  is  a  Mason,  and  a  member  of  Utica 
Lodge,  No.  47.     He  has  never  married. 

Goodier,  Lewis  Edward,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Utica,  March  23,  1857.  His  father 
was  Jonathan  Goodier,  a  native  of  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  whose  father,  Aaron 
Goodier,  an  Englishman,  settled  there  in  1794.  His  mother  was  Clarissa  Sill  Tread- 
way,  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  descendant  of  an  old  Middletown  family.  The 
subject  of  sketch  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  graduating  from  the  acad- 
emy in  1873,  entered  Yale  College  and  received  the  baccalaureate  degree  in  1877. 
From  Hamilton  College  Law  School  he  was  graduated  as  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1878. 
He  was  connected  with  the  law  firm  of  Lindsley  &-  Dunmore  from  1878  to  September, 
1881,  when,  with  David  C.  Wolcott,  he  formed  the  i^artnershipof  Goodier  &  Wolcott, 
which  conducted  a  general  law  business  in  the  Parker  block  and  the  Arcade  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Wolcott  in  July,  1895.  His  office  is  now  at  No.  65  Arcade  building. 
Has  never  held  office  and  has  not  been  a  candidate  except  at  the  charter  election  of 
1886  when  he  was  the  nominee  of  the  Republicans  for  special  city  judge  and  met  de- 
feat with  the  rest  of  the  city  ticket  of  his  party.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  national 
guardsman  and  has  been  connected  with  the  military  organizations  of  the  city  since 
1878,  when  he  joined  the  Utica  Citizens  Corps.  Was  active  in  the  movement  which 
carried  that  organization  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  its  existence  into  the  National  Guard 
as  the  Forty-fourth  Separate  Company  of  the  State  troops,  in  1887,  and  has  been  its 
commandant  since  March,  1888.  He  served  with  his  company  at  Buffalo  for  eight 
days  during  the  railroad  strike  riots  in  1892,  and  has  been  on  several  occasions  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  battalions  of  Nationnl  Guard  troops  at  the  Camp  of  In- 
struction maintained  by  the  State  at  Peekskill.    He  married  Miss  Jane  Estelle  North- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  73 

rop  in  1882,  and  has  four  children:  Chester  Jennings,  Lewis  Edward,  Mabel  Estelle 
and  Helen  Munn. 

Grant,  John  H.,  was  born  at  Liberty,  Sullivan  county,  N.  Y.,  June  15,  1857,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Mary  (Howell)  Grant.  Daniel  Grant  was  a  contractor  and  farmer.  John 
H.  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Afton  and  Bainbridge,  N.  Y.  He  studied  law  with 
Alexander  Cumming,  at  Bingharaton,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albany  in 
January,  1883,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  city  of  Utica  the 
following  February.  Mr.  Grant  is  studious  and  one  of  the  most  promising  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  Oneida  county  bar.  March  6,  1889,  he  married  Libbie 
Yale,  of  Bainbridge,  N.  Y.     Mr.  Grant  is  a  Mason. 

Nutt,  Albert,  was  born  in  Floyd,  August  2,  1842,  son  of  Austin  and  Melinda  Nutt, 
Austin  Nutt  was  born  in  Floyd,  in  1800,  a  son  of  David  Nutt,  who  came  here  with 
his  family  among  the  early  settlers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Austin  Nutt  had  nine  children: 
John  M..  Austin,  Portus,  Hiram,  Richard  W.,  Edwin,  Albert,  vSarah,  and  Melvina. 
Albert  Nutt  married  Annie,  daughter  of  John  O'Brien,  by  whom  he  has  one  child, 
Ella  M.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying.  He  has  served  as  town 
collector. 

Smith,  Giles,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Oneida  county,  April  20,  1863,  son 
of  William  Smith,  who  was  born  in  the  same  town,  and  was  a  farmer  up  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1880.  He  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Daniel  Wilson,  one  of  the 
old  families  of  Annsville,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  John,  Giles,  Roena,  Eunice, 
Charley  and  Myron.  Giles  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Camden,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  owns  a  farm  of  eighty-nine  acres  in  the  town  of  Cam- 
den. He  married  Minnie  C,  daughter  of  Jacob  Zimmerman.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Camden  Grange  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Berical,  Anthony,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany),  January  20,  1844, 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  about  two  years  of  age,  locat- 
ing in  the  town  of  Rome,  Oneida  county,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools.  He  was  a  boat  owner  on  the  canal  for  several  years,  but  has  been  a  small 
farmer  and  hotel  keeper  at  Higginsville  for  the  past  twelve  years.  In  1869  he  mar- 
ried Adelia  Dunn,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  five  children :  William 
W.,  Edward  G.,  Mabel  A.,  Agnes  M.,  Anthony  E.  (deceased),  and  Vivien  L.  Will- 
iam W.  married  Cora  Lepert,  of  this  town.  Mr.  Berical's  father,  Anthony  Berical, 
sr.,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  1810.  He  married  Catherine  Augustine,  of  his 
native  place,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Christina,  Theresa,  Anthony,  George, 
Lawrence,  Joseph,  Michael,  Ferdinand,  and  Francis.  Mr.  Berical  died  in  1894. 
Mrs.  Berical's  father,  Dennis  Dunn,  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  in  1806.  He  was 
twice  married,  and  for  his  second  wife  he  married  Adelia  Daley,  of  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Mary  A.,  Walter  W.,  Adelia,  Thomas,  John, 
Catherine,  Edward,  Agnes  and  Theresa. 

Burback,  Joseph  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  in  a  log  house,  near  State 
Bridge,  May  26,  1854.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  is  by  occupaticn 
a  farmer.  October  14,  1880,  he  married  Margaret  E.  Kennedy,  of  this  town,  and 
they  have  one  adopted  son,  James  William.  Mr.  Burback's  father,  Florence  Bur- 
back,  was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  October  20,  1821,  and  was  educated  there.  He 
j 


74  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

married  Mai-y  Fox,  and  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  near  Higginsville, 
Oneida  county.  He  carried  the  mail  twenty-one  years.  They  had  eight  children : 
Mary,  Joseph  H.,  Carrie,  Peter  P.,  Alanson,  John  H.,  George,  and  Leo,  who  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  Burback  died  November  4,  1892.  Mrs.  Burback's  father,  Thomas 
Kennedy,  was  born  in  Ireland,  December  22,  1815.  He  was  educated  there  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1845,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Eliza 
Gleason  of  this  town,  formerly  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children :  Margaret 
E.,  Nora  A.,  Michael  J.,  Mary  A.  (deceased),  Thomas  A.,  Theresa  M.,  and  Frances 
J.  Mrs.  Kennedy  died  in  1867.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  French,  German  and 
Irish. 

Allen,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  December  29,  1857,  son  of  W.  J. 
and  Laura  A.  (Hoyt)  Allen.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
started  to  learn  the  trade  of  furniture  finisher.  At  the  end  of  five  years,  not  seeing 
all  he  could  desire  for  a  lifework  at  his  trade,  he  started  out  as  commercial  traveler 
in  the  interest  of  the  house  he  worked  for  as  a  finisher  of  furniture,  for  which  con- 
cern he  traveled  three  years.  At  this  time  connecting  himself  with  some  of  the  lead- 
ing furniture  manufacturers  of  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  he  continued  his  road  life, 
covering  the  entire  United  States  and  Canada  in  the  interest  of  the  houses  he  rep- 
resented. While  so  engaged,  seeing  the  need  of  a  really  good  furniture  polish,  he 
formulated  one  calling  it  "Cedarine."  By  advertising  it  in  a  small  way  its  merits 
soon  won  for  it  considerable  trade.  In  1891  Mr.  Allen  organized  the  Cedarine  Mfg. 
Co.  with  a  caj'ital  stock  of  $25,000,  for  the  purpose  of  pushing  the  sale  of  Cedarine 
and  gave  to  this  company  all  his  energies  as  its  secretary,  treasurer  and  general 
manager.  The  fact  that  to-day  Cedarine  is  recognized  as  the  standard  piano  and 
furniture  polish  in  America,  being  shipped  to  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union 
and  steadily  working  its  way  to  the  front  in  England,  whither  Mr.  Allen  went  in 
1895  to  introduce  it,  attests  to  what  purpose  his  efforts  have  been  given  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  company  he  organized  and  now  serves.  In  1884  Mr.  Allen  married 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Dwight  Scovel,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  George  H.,  jr. 
At  present  Mr.  Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  a  sewer  commis- 
sioner. 

Burdett,  Miner  E.,  was  born  at  Oriskany  Falls,  N.  Y.,  December  31,  1841.  His 
father,  David  M.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  in 
January,  1811,  and  was  of  New  England  parentage.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he 
came  to  Oriskany  Falls  and  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  a  number  of  years, 
after  which  he  interested  himself  in  agriculture  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
November  6,  1880.  He  served  as  school  commissioner,  supervisor  four  years,  was 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature  in  1870-71 ;  also  was  railroad  commissioner  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  married  Arabell  Willard  of  Oriskany  Falls,  N.  Y.,  who  was 
born  December  25,  1820,  and  siill  survives  him.  They  had  six  children:  Ellen  L., 
E.  Burdett,  Jennie  M.,  Charles  E.,  Willard  M.,  and  Minnie  F.  ;  all  e.xcept  the  last 
named  are  still  living.  E.  Burdett  was  educated  at  the  public  school  at  Oriskany 
Falls  and  was  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death;  is  still  in 
the  same  pursuit  on  the  old  homestead  and  has  been  prosperous.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth, youngest  daughter  of  Charles  B.  and  Sophia  Kinney  of  Madison,  N.  Y.,  where 
she  was  born  September  3.  1847.     They  had  six  children ;  Charles  D. ,  born  October 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  75 

24,  1872;  Jennie  M.,  born  May  1,  1875;  Ralph  K.,  born  January  17,  1877;  Harry  V., 
born  December  19,  1878;  Dana  M.,  born  March  6,  1881 ;  and  Wilford,  born  February 
19,  1884. 

Baker,  A.  E.,  was  born  at  West  Monroe,  Oswego  county,  in  1838,  son  of  Samuel  P. 
Baker,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Oswego  county,  who  was  originated  from  an  old 
New  England  family,  and  was  colonel  of  a  militia  regiment  and  justice  of  the  peace 
for  twenty  years.  A.  E.  Baker  received  his  education  at  Mexico  Academy.  His 
first  business  was  in  1862,  when  he  came  here  with  James  Armstrong  and  established 
a  knitting  mill,  which  has  proved  a  successful  enterprise.  In  1867  he  married  Cor- 
delia, daughter  of  Capt.  J.  P.  Richardson,  the  well-known  provost-marshal  of  the 
early  war  days.  They  have  two  sons:  Joseph  Richardson  and  Edwin  Carlos,  both 
of  whom  are  graduates  of  Hamilton  College,  and  who  are  now  reading  law,  with  the 
intention  of  making  it  their  chosen  profession. 

Hubbard,  Edward,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides,  June  16,  1836.  His  father,  Anson  Hubbard,  emigrated  from  Connecticut, 
with  his  father,  John  Hubbard,  when  eleven  years  of  age.  They  cleared  a  farm  of 
150  acres,  living  in  a  log  cabin  for  five  years,  after  which  they  built  a  frame  house, 
part  of  which  now  stands  to  their  memory.  Their  ancestors  came  over  on  the 
Mayflower.  Anson  Hubbard  married  Abigail  Tompkins  of  Paris,  Oneida  county, 
by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  Edward,  now  being  the  only  one  living.  Edward 
Hubbard  received  his  education  in  this  town,  and  married  Caroline, dr  tighter  of  Will- 
iam C.  Burrett,  of  the  town  of  Marshall,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Will- 
iam A.,  Grace  and  Charles. 

Hovey,  George  I.,  was  born  in  Deansville,  March  6,  1871,  son  of  Charles  and  Amelia 
(Skinner)  Hovey.  His  grandfather,  Isaac  Hovey,  came  to  this  place  in  1848,  where 
he  was  a  physician  and  prominent  man  of  his  day.  George  I.  was  educated  at  the 
Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Syracuse  Commercial  College,  and  outside  of  this  college 
life  his  residence  has  been  in  Deansville.  In  November,  1892,  he  married  Eva  L. 
Skinner.  In  March,  1893,  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  now 
fills  with  much  ability.  He  is  also  interested  in  educational  affairs,  and  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  August,  1894. 

Jones,  Thomas  F.,  was  born  in  Wales,  March  30,  1851,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  five  years  of  age,  with  his  widowed  mother  and  two  sisters.  They  first 
settled  in  Bridgewater,  Oneida  county,  later  moving  to  Chuckery,  town  of  Kirkland. 
When  twenty- two  years  of  age  Thomas  F.  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1885  purchased 
the  old  Jones  homestead  in  Chuckery,  where  he  now  lives.  He  married  Alice 
Woodin,  of  Kirkland,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Eva  M.,  Alta  L.,  and  Francis 
M.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  Amicable  Lodge,  Free  &  A.  M.,  No.  664,  and  of  Sau- 
quoit  Grange,  of  which  order  his  family  are  also  members. 

Ronspees,  Herman,  was  born  near  Berlin,  Germany,  November  30,  1856.  He  was 
educated  in  their  schools,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  four- 
teen years  of  age.  He  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Rome,  which  business  he 
has  carried  on  successfully  eleven  years  in  Higginsville.  He  was  elected  town  clerk 
of  the  town  of  Verona  in  1892,  and  was  re-elected  in  1894.  February  27,  1884,  he 
married  Louise  C.  Baker  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons:    W.  Clarence  and 


yg  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

John  F.  Mr.  Ronspees's  father,  Charles  F.,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Germany  in 
1826.  He  was  educated  there  and  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  He  married  Henri- 
etta Splitgerber  of  his  native  place,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1870.  They 
had  four  sons:  August,  Herman,  as  above,  Charles,  and  Gustave.  Mr.  Ronspees 
died  in  1876,  and  his  widow  resides  with  Herman.  Mrs.  Ronspees's  father,  Daniel 
Baker,  was  born  in  Germany  about  1831,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  locating  in  Utica.  He  married  Eliza  Ague,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children:  Louise  C,  as  above,  William  P.,  Frederick  E.,  and 
Henry  L.     Mr.  Ronspees  is  a  member  of  New  London  Lodge  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Walker,  Aaron  C,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  May  8,  1841.  son  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  Walker,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1842.  Thomas  Walker  first 
worked  out,  then  hired  a  farm,  and  finally  purchased  one  through  his  own  efforts. 
He  is  now  retired,  living  in  the  village  in  comfortable  circumstances;  is  in  good 
health,  and  in  his  eightieth  year.  Mrs.  Walker  died  in  1855.  Aaron  C.  Walker  was 
educated  at  the  district  school  in  Westmoreland,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming, 
which  he  still  continues,  conducting  the  old  homestead,  which  he  bought  of  bis  father. 
Mr.  Walker  married  L.  Eunette  Bicknell,  granddaughter  of  Elder  James  Bicknell,  one 
of  the  prominent  men  of  the  county,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children:  Giles  B.,  Glen 
A.,  M.  Ellen,  Thomas  M.,  Edith  E.,  Mary  J.,  Grant  Eugene,  Frank  S.,  who  are  still 
living,  and  Ruth  L  and  Eva  E.  (deceased).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  and  Giles  B.Walker 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Westmoreland.  Mr.  Walker  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  and  actively  interested  in  the  success  of  his  party.  This  family  is 
among  the  representative  agricultural  families  of  the  county. 

Burr,  Henry  A.,  was  born  at  New  York  Mills,  N.  Y.,  March  9,  1859,  son  of  William 
and  Sarah  Burr.  William  Burr  was  born  in  1823,  and  has  always  been  engaged  in 
farming,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  both  living  in  good  health  at  New  York  Mills. 
Henry  A.  Burr  was  educated  partly  at  New  York  Mills,  and  partly  at  Whitestown 
Seminary,  after  which  he  was  engaged  in  the  office  of  the  Ouigley  Furniture  Co. 
He  entered  the  coal  business  July  1,  1888,  under  the  firm  of  Haynes  &  Burr.  This 
firm  is  located  on  the  Erie  Canal,  and  have  remarkably  good  facilities  for  receiving 
coal,  also  for  storing  and  housing  it.  Their  business  extends  through  Whitesboro, 
New  York  Mills,  and  the  adjacent  territory.  The  firm  is  now  composed  of  F.  D. 
Haynes  and  Henry  A.  Burr,  and  the  business  is  one  of  the  representative  interests 
of  Whitesboro.  He  married  Rachael  C.  Reese  of  Whitesboro,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children  Helen  and  William  Richard.  He  has  been  postmaster  of  Whitesboro  for 
four  years,  being  appointed  under  President  Harrison,  and  holding  over  two  years 
under  President  Cleveland.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Whitesboro  Canning  Co., 
of  which  he  is  one  of  the  directors. 

Brayton,  Mrs.  Frances  A. — The  late  Stephen  H.  Brayton  was  born  at  Newport, 
Herkimer  county,  January  12,  1845,  son  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  Brayton.  Stephen 
Brayton  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Herkimer  county.  Stephen  H.  was  educated  at 
Utica  and  Poughkeepsie,  and  then  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  has  always  con- 
tinued. He  conducted  a  farm  in  Deerfield,  and  was  a  man  highly  respected  as  one 
of  the  representative  agriculturists  of  that  place.  He  married  Frances  A.,  daughter 
of  George  F.  Weaver  of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:   Helen  A. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  77 

and  Stephen  H.     Mr.  Brayton  died  in  Deerfield,  March  29,  1892.     Mrs.  Brayton  and 
her  children  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Whitesboro, 

Allen,  Fred  C,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  August  6,  1868,  son  of  Alonzo 
and  Nettie  Allen.  Alonzo  Allen  died  in  1888.  The  grandfather,  Charles  Allen, 
Came  from  New  England.  October  12,  1892,  Fred  C.  Allen  married  Maggie  Pugh. 
He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  130  acres  in  the  town  of  Paris,  near  Cassville. 

Clark,  Charles  W.,  was  born  at  Palmyra,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  December  23, 
1858,  son  of  James  Clark,  a  native  of  Cranbrook.  England,  who  was  born  July  16, 
1825,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  came  to  Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming ;  after  seven  years  residence  there,  he  moved  to  East  Hamil- 
ton, N.  Y.,  where  he  bought  a  large  farm,  and  after  a  few  years'  residence  there,  he 
removed  to  Palmyra,  where  he  still  engaged  in  farming ;  after  residing  six  years 
there,  he  returned  to  East  Hamilton,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  served  in  the 
late  Rebellion,  and  is  now  a  leading  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  In  August,  1851,  he 
married  Maria  Rogers,  of  Hubbardsville,  Madison  county,  who  died  at  East  Hamil- 
ton, in  May,  1888.  Charles  W.  Clark  received  his  education  at  East  Hamilton, 
Waterville  Union  School  and  Academy,  Hamilton  Union  School,  Eastman's  Busi- 
ness College,  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  April, 
1884.  In  1878  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Oriskany  Falls,  and  was  engaged  as  clerk 
and  bookkeeper  in  a  hardware  store  for  eleven  years.  He  has  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  Republican  party,  and  Ma,rch  16,  1889,  he  received  the  appointment  of  post- 
■  master  at  Oriskany  Falls,  and  held  the  position  nearly  five  years.  He  has  held 
many  minor  offices,  and  is  also  a  32d  degree  Mason.  He  was  for  two  years  engaged 
with  A.  T.  Davis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Davis  &  Clark,  in  the  general  mercantile 
business,  and  now  in  the  insurance  business,  and  has  been  clerk  of  the  village  of 
Oriskany  Falls  since  March,  1893.  February  25,  1885,  he  married  Mary  H.  Greer,  of 
Pitcher,  Chenango  county. 

Beach,  John  J.,  was  born  in  Augusta,  N.Y.,  July  25,  1838,  son  of  Jacob  Beach,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  August  14,  1805,  and  came  to  Augusta  in  1820,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  agricultural  industry.  September  21,  1824.  he  married  Laura  A. 
Doolittle.  who  was  born  in  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1808,  and  died  May  27,  1882. 
In  connection  with  his  farm  interests  Mr.  Beach  was  engaged  as  a  carpenter,  joiner 
and  builder.  He  died  May  30,  1882.  John  J.  was  educated  at  the  old  Augusta 
Academy,  and  after  his  school  days  he  rented  the  farm  of  his  father,  upon  which  he 
still  lives,  later  buying  it,  and  has  occupied  and  conducted  it  since.  In  1860  he  mar- 
ried Ann  M.  Morrell,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  and  she  died  in  1885,  leaving  three  children: 
Almond  D.,  born  July  16,  1861 ;  Flora  A.,  born  September  22,  1863;  and  Ina  S.,  born 
March  3,  1868.  June  21,  1888,  he  married  Mrs.  Julia  (Lewis)  Vaughn,  who  was  born 
in  Leray,  Jefferson  county,  July  5,  1849,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Foster  J.,  born 
July  10,  1891. 

Wheeler,  Prof.  William  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  N.  Y.,  July  19, 
1864,  son  of  Hibbard  Wheeler,  who  was  also  born  in  Stockbridge,  in  1835,  and 
Jeanette  (Royce)  Wheeler,  who  was  born  in  Pinckney,  N.  Y.,  in  1845.  Hibbard 
Wheeler  was  a  noted  hop  grower  of  Madison  county.  He  died  December  7,  1894, 
and  Mrs.  Wheeler  is  now  living  on  the  old  homestead  at  Munnsville,  N.  Y.      Prof. 


78  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

William  H.  Wheeler  has  been  principal  of  the  Knoxboro  Union  School  since  1892. 
He  received  his  education  mostly  at  the  Cazenovia  Seminary,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  the  academic  course  in  1886,  after  which  he  taught  school  for 
one  year,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  for  one  year;  after  which  he  engaged  with  a 
surveying  party  for  one  year.  In  1890  he  took  charge  of  the  Munnsville  school  and 
remamed  in  that  position  two  years,  and  in  1892  he  assumed  the  principalship  of 
the  Knoxboro  school,  where  he  is  still  engaged.  He  married  Harriet  La  Munion, 
who  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  February  14,  1873,  and  was  educated  at  Gloversville, 
N.  Y.  Her  father,  Abel  La  Munion,  was  born  in  Stockbridge  in  1849  and  died  there 
in  1891.  Mrs.  Wheeler  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  with  her  husband,  having  charge 
of  one  of  the  departments  of  the  school. 

Burleson,  WiUiam  Jay,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Stockbridge,  N.  Y.,  February  19, 
1845,  son  of  Ira  Burleson,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  where  he  was  born  March  22, 
1809.  He  was  an  early  settler  in  Augusta,  having  come  with  his  parents  in  1818. 
In  early  life  he  removed  to  Stockbridge,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer  until  ten  years  before  his  death,  at  which  date  he  changed  his  residence  to 
Vernon,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  married  Sarah  Jakeways,  of  French 
descent,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Augusta  in  November,  1810,  and  died  in 
Stockbridge  August  6,  1855;  and  Mr.  Burleson  died  April  18,  1881.  William  J. 
Burleson  came  to  the  town  of  Augusta  in  1867.  He  lived  in  Vernon  during  the 
early  part  of  his  life,  except  a  short  time  spent  in  Stockbridge  with  his  parents  dur- 
ing his  childhood.  He  received  his  education  at  the  Augusta  and  Stockbridge 
schools,  after  which  he  bought  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies,  on  the  summit  of  the 
road  leading  from  Knoxboro  to  Valley  Mills.  January  24,  1871,  he  married  Lucretia 
Stanford,  of  Annsville,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Lucy  A.  Stanford,  who  was 
born  April  7,  185L  and  was  educated  at  the  school  in  Annsville.  They  have  four 
children:  Charles  E.,  born  January  12,  1873;  Lena  I.,  born  January  19,  1877; 
Frank  J.,  born  February  29,  1881 ;  and  Mary  L.,  born  May  1,  1884. 

Van  Evera,  Virgil  E.,  was  born  in  Knoxboro,  N.  Y.,  September  20,  1851,  and  has 
been  identified  with  many  interests  m  the  village.  His  father,  Philemon  Van  Evera, 
came  from  Montgomery  county,  and  settled  in  Knoxboro  in  1848.  He  was  born 
December  15,  1825,  and  for  thirty  years,  after  taking  up  his  residence  in  this  place, 
carried  on  a  boot  and  shoe  establishment.  He  gradually  developed  an  exten- 
sive business  in  that  line  of  goods,  at  that  time  purchasing  the  Howard  House, 
which  he  conducted  for  several  years,  and  retired  about  two  years  ago.  His 
wife,  Olivia  Shepard,  was  born  in  Canada,  February  25,  1826,  and  died  at  Knoxboro, 
April  26,  1869.  After  receiving  his  educatfon  at  Knoxboro  and  Augusta  Academy, 
Virgil  E.  at  once  entered  his  father's  establishment,  and  continued  actively  there  for 
ten  years,  when  he  bought  the  interest  of  H.  P.  Pond,  his  father's  partner,  and  with 
his  father  conducted  the  business  for  five  years.  Business  having  prospered,  he  be- 
came sole  proprietor,  buying  his  father's  interest  in  the  stock,  and  enlarged  the  busi- 
ness opening  a  general  store  on  larger  scale.  He  then  conducted  it  for  a  period  of 
nine  years,  when  he  sold  to  M.  F.  Smith  &  Sons,  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  father  in  the  Van  Evera  House,  the  name  having  been  changed  from  Howard 
House,  and  he  is  now  conducting  the  house  alone,  and  the  hotel  has  a  history  dating 
back  for  more  than  seventy  years.     He  married  Ella  A.  Lewis,  a  native  of  Knoxboro, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  79 

who  was  born  February  34,   1854,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters :  Lena  O. ,  born 
August  17,  1876;  and  Floy  R.,  born  September  1,  1877. 

Whitford,  H.  P.,  was  born  in  Canterbury,  Conn.,  October  45,  1826.  Was  educated 
at  Bridgewater  Seminary,  and  Clinton  Liberal  Institute.  Studied  medicine  in  Ham- 
ilton, N.  Y.,  graduated  in  medicine  from  Eclectic  Medical  Institute,  Cincinnati,  O., 
February,  1860.  Shortly  after  March,  1860,  began  practice  in  Bridgewater,  and  has 
been  a  successful  practitioner.  Dr.  Whitford  has  been  a  resident  of  Bridgewater 
since  March,  1842.  Has  been  twice  married ;  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Melissa  Har- 
rington, by  whom  he  had  two  children:  E.  P.  Whitford,  M.  D.,  now  of  Westboro, 
Mo.,  and  Miss  L.  R.  Whitford,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  a  trained  nurse,  a  graduate  from 
Cook  County  Hospital,  Chicago,  111.  His  present  wife  is  Jennie  (Doty)  Whitford. 
Dr.  Whitford's  father  was  also  a  native  of  Canterbury,  Conn.,  and  his  mother,  Lucetta 
(Tillinghast)  Whitford,  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Pardon  Tillinghast,  of  Rhode 
Island.  Dr.  Whitford  served  four  years  as  justice  of  peace,  and  has  also  served  as 
health  officer  for  a  number  of  years. 

Butler,  Mrs.  Marianne  H. — The  late  Morgan  Butler  was  born  June  7,  1807,  son  of 
Eli  Butler,  who  came  from  Middletown,  Conn.,  with  his  father  in  1792.  His  death, 
which  occurred  August  3,  1892,  removed  from  Oneida  county,  one  of  its  oldest,  most 
generous  and  best  known  citizens.  He  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence  and 
splendid  physique,  and  was  a  devout  man  and  a  member  of  St.  Stephen's  Episcopal 
church,  being  one  of  its  wardens  and  treasurer  for  many  years.  Among  his  many- 
benevolences  which  most  evince  his  generous  nature  and  noble  character,  is  his  gift 
to  the  townspeople,  the  Butler  Memorial  Hall,  a  monument  built  during  his  lifetime. 
This  beautiful  structure  was  erected  in  1889  at  the  cost  of  $15,000,  and  though 
advanced  in  years,  the  giver  personally  supervised  the  building  daily,  which  resulted 
in  a  building  complete  in  every  part.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Rachel  (Kellogg)  Butler, 
was  the  daughter  of  Truman  Kellogg.  He  took  great  pride  in  carrying  on  the  farm 
of  his  ancestors,  which  had  remained  in  the  family  over  100  years,  and  personally 
superintended  the  farm  till  eighty-two  years  of  age.  Being  possessed  of  great 
energy  and  enterprise,  he  was  progressive  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  improve- 
ments of  agricultural  machinery,  and  became  a  model  American  farmer.  With  his 
sixty  years'  experience  of  agricultural  life,  he  was  a  valuable  member  of  the  Central 
New  York  Farmers'  Club,  and  assisted  at  its  organization,  and  was  the  beloved 
and  venerable  president  at  the  time  of  his  death,  having  been  annually  elected  by  a 
unanimous  vote  for  five  years,  and  as  vice-president  for  fifteen  years.  In  1841  he 
married  Marianne,  daughter  of  Rufus  Howard,  of  Forestport,  sister  of  Gen.  Rufus 
Lombard  Howard,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Taft,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Oswego  county,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Lydia  (Simpson) 
Taft.  He  enlisted  in  1862  in  Co.  A,  110th  N.Y.Vols.,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the 
war.  He  served  in  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps  under  General  Banks,  and  after  the 
war  he  took  up  his  trade  as  builder  and  mason,  which  he  has  followed  ever  since.  In 
1872  he  came  to  Waterville,  and  with  his  brother  did  a  great  deal  of  important 
building  all  over  the  county,  including  the  opera  house  and  Ayers  blocks  at  Earlville, 
the  opera  house  at  New  Berlin,  N.  Y.,  and  the  County  Home  at  Rome,  etc.  He  is  a 
prominent  Grand  Army  man,  and  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason.    He  has  been  commander 


80  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  post  eight  years,  and  trustee  of  the  village  of  Waterville.  Alphonse  Taft, 
secretary  of  state  under  Garfield,  was  a  member  of  the  family.  In  1868  he  married 
Helen  M.  Peaslee,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Fred  P.  and  Vira.  Fred  P.  Taft 
is  a  physician  in  Rothsay,  Minn. 

Wickwire,  C.  M..  was  born  in  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  in  May,  1857,  son  of  Jarit  Wick- 
wire,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  where  the  family  had  lived  for  over  a  century.  His 
ancestors  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812  and  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
mother  was  Orissa  Eason.  C.  M.  Wickwire  was  educated  in  the  Hamilton  public 
schools  and  Madison  University,  and  studied  law  with  Judge  Joseph  Mason  and 
Hon.  D.  G.  Wellington,  as  well  as  in  the  Albany  Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  at  the  General  Term  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Albany  and  practiced  law 
in  Hamilton  for  some  time,  but  came  to  Waterville  in  1892.  Mr.  Wickwire  is  a 
prominent  Mason,  and  is  a  member  of  Sanger  Lodge  No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Water- 
ville;  has  been  district  deputy  grand  master  of  the  17th  Masonic  district,  and  is  one 
of  the  grand  trustees  of  the  Masonic  Hall  and  Asylum  Fund  of  State  of  New  York, 
who  have  in  charge  the  Masonic  Hall  of  New  York  city  and  the  Masonic  Home  in 
Utica,  and  the  large  fund  connected  with  the  same.  In  1883  Mr.  Wickwire  married 
Louise  Parker,  daughter  of  X.  W.  Parker  of  Hamilton,  who  was  a  prominent  politi- 
cian;  he  was  a  large  manufacturer  and  State  contractor,  and  was  superintendent  of 
the  Chenango  Canal.     He  died  in  1893. 

Martin,  Leander,  was  born  in  Ephratah,  N.  Y.,  August  24,  1836,  and  came  to 
Stittville  in  1855.  He  was  educated  in  Holland  Patent,  and  learned  the  currier's 
trade.  Mr.  Martin  volunteered  in  the  late  Civil  war,  and  went  to  the  front  with 
the  146th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols.,  serving  until  mustered  out  by  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  in  the  battles  of  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Weldon  R.  R.,  Five  Ft)rks, 
Chapel  House,  White  Oak  Road,  and  Appomattox.  Mr.  Martin  was  promoted  to 
sergeant  and  also  was  brevetted  lieutenant,  and,  although  taking  part  in  some  of 
the  fiercest  battles  of  the  war,  had  the  rare  good  fortune  of  escaping  without  a 
wound.  After  the  war  Mr.  Martin  bought  his  present  farm.  Mr.  Martin  has  made 
many  improvements,  and  one  that  is  worthy  of  note  is  a  strikingly  handsome  barn, 
hardly  equaled  on  any  farm  in  the  county.  Mr.  Martin  married  for  his  first  wife 
Sarah  E.  Wiser,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Fred  L.  Mrs.  Martin  died  February  27, 
1892,  and  Mr.  Martin  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Egert.  Mr. 
Martin  is  a  member  of  Hampton  Lodge,  No.  347,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  G.  A.  R.  Post, 
No.  47. 

Barns,  Henry  D.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  January  11,  1844,  youngest  son  of 
Capt.  Amos  Barns.  Henry  D.  Barns  attended  the  district  school  and  high  school, 
and  finished  his  education  at  the  Whitestown  Seminary.  He  then  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  and  now  conducts  a  building  busmess,  and  has  put  up  a  number  of 
buildings  throughout  the  county.  He  has  been  road  commissioner,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  County  Committee.  Mr.  Barns  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  takes  an  active 
and  efficient  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  April  2,  1874,  Mr.  Barns  married 
Anna  M.  Dodge,  of  Glen,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.  He  is  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative citizens,  and  active  business  men  of  the  township  of  Westmoreland. 

Merriman,  Mrs  Emma,— George  S.  Merriman  was  born  in  Lowville,  Lewis  county, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  81 

August  39,  1838.  He  came  to  Westmoreland  about  1867,  where  he  was  always  en- 
gaged in  farming,  buying  the  place  when  he  first  came  to  Westmoreland  now  con- 
ducted by  his  widow.  He  was  a  prominent  Democrat,  and  a  very  active  and  influ- 
ential citizen.  He  married  Emma  Cleveland,  daughter  of  Ward  Cleveland  of  Sodus, 
Wayne  county.  He  died  February  26,  1890.  Mrs.  Merriman  has  three  children: 
Hattie,  Ward  and  Mabel.  There  was  one  son  of  Mr.  Merriman's  by  his  former  mar- 
riage, George  Merriman.  This  farm  is  among  the  largest  in  the  township,  and  is 
operated  and  conducted  entirely  by  Mrs.  Merriman,  who  keeps  the  farm  in  cultiva- 
tion, superintending  it  in  every  department.  This  farm  is  notable  for  being  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  county,  and  being  conducted  by  a  lady. 

Avery,  Joseph  S.,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  August  7,  1826,  son  of 
the  late  Prof.  Charles  Avery,  LL.  D.,  who  was  born  in  Munson,  Mass.,  July  29,  1795, 
and  for  thirty-four  years  was  professor  of  chemistry  in  Hamilton  College.  Joseph  S. 
Avery  was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1848.  He  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  the  late  Hon.  O.  S.  Williams.  He  was  postmaster  for  three  years  (1857-9).  In 
1864  he  was  elected  surrogate  of  Oneida  county,  an  office  which  he  held  for  three 
successive  terms,  fourteen  years  in  all  (1864-78).  He  was  an  expert  in  testamentary 
law,  and  administered  the  responsible  duties  of  the  office  with  unquestioned  fidelity 
and  satisfaction.  After  1878  and  until  his  death.  Mr.  Avery  had  his  law  office  in 
Utica.  In  politics  he  was  a  strong  Democrat  up  to  1860,  when  he  avowed  himself  a 
Lincoln  Republican,  and  continued  active  and  earnest  in  that  party  during  the  rest 
of  his  life.  On  May  8,  1856  he  married  Jennie  M.  Wilcox,  of  Middle  Settlement. 
From  this  marriage  one  daughter  was  born,  Isabella,  now  the  wife  of  Rev.  Theodore 
A.  Allen  of  Mendota,  111.  From  this  marriage  there  are  four  children:  Josephs., 
Dorothy,  Ruth,  and  George  E.  Mr.  Avery  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years 
and  president  of  the  village  of  Clinton  for  ten  years.  He  was  for  many  years  an 
officer  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  active  in  its  interests  and  conspicuous  for  his 
charities.     He  died  at  Clinton  November  14,  1895. 

Ferris,  Reynolds,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  February  27,  1816,  son  of 
Zadock  Ferris,  who  was  also  born  in  Otsego  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
He  married  Polly  Houcks.  Reynolds  Ferris  is  one  of  six  children,  and  started  for 
himself  when  ten  years  of  age.  He  learned  the  mason's  trade,  which  he  followed 
for  several  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  also  worked  on  the  Che- 
nango Canal,  but  now  lives  retired  in  the  village  of  Franklin,  in  the  house  where  he 
worked  as  a  mechanic  over  fifty  years  ago.  He  married  Lucy  M.  Smith,  of  Marshall, 
February  15,  1843. 

Mills,  Andrew  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  November  30,  1836,  son  of 
Andrew  and  Marilla  (Wetmore)  Mills,  who  were  both  born  in  this  county.  Andrew 
Mills  came  to  this  county  in  1802,  when  the  county  was  new,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming,  and  continued  until  his  death.  They  had  four  children:  Charlotte  L.,  An- 
drew W.,  Harriet  (deceased)  and  E.  Delos.  Andrew  W.  Mills  attended  the  district 
schools  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  Whitestown  Seminary  and 
later  the  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  was  at  Fort  Plain  one  year,  after  which  he  began 
reading  law  with  Judge  Williams  of  Clinton;  then  entered  the  law  department  of 
Hamilton  College,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1861.  Since  then  he  has  been  in 
k 


82  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

active  practice  in  this  village  and  Utica.  He  was  the  means  of  the  Rome  and  Clin- 
ton railroad  being  built  of  which  he  was  a  director,  and  was  secretary  and  treasurer 
for  years;  also  of  the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  railroad,  and  was  commissioner 
for  the  bonding  of  the  town  when  these  roads  were  constructed.  He  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Telegraph  and  Telephone  Co.  of  Central  New  York.  Mr.  Mills  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  Foote,  daughter  of  Noel  Foote,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  has  four 
children:  Mrs.  Cora  E.  Larrabee,  wife  of  Charles  D.  Larrabee,  who  is  assistant  post- 
master at  Clinton;  Charles  A.  Mills,  Herbert  F.  and  Fred  W.  Mr.  INIills  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity;  also  member  of  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.  T.,  and 
Ziska  Temple  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine ;  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Bryden,  Edward  N.,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Clinton,  October  10,  1869,  son  of 
George  and  Mary  (Norton)  Bryden,  and  was  reared  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  Cal., 
where  his  father  was  one  of  the  leading  draymen.  His  mother  is  a  descendant  of 
the  Rev.  Ashel  Strong  Norton,  who  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Clinton 
for  forty  years,  and  who  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  Hamilton  College.  Edward 
N.  Bryden  has  traveled  over  a  great  part  of  the  country,  and  was  at  one  time  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  at  Oklahama.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business 
in  Clinton,  being  one  of  the  leading  firms  in  the  town.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Smyth  Hook  and  Ladder  Co.  and  Skenaudoah  Club. 

Nichols,  George  A.,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  February  26,  18  5,  on  the  homestead 
which  was  cleared  by  his  ancestors,  and  has  been  handed  down  for  five  generation?^. 
His  great-grandfather,  Jacob  Nichols,  purchased  this  property  at  a  low  figure,  and 
he  could  have  purchased  the  land  at  the  same  price  where  the  village  of  Clinton  now 
stands.  His  father,  Cyrus  Nichols,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Capt.  Chester  Par- 
melee,  who  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons:  C.  P.,  R.  L.,  and 
George  A.  George  A.  Nichols  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  is  owner  of 
the  farm  purchased  by  his  father  in  1860,  and  where  his  father  died  in  1891.  He 
married  Sarah  Armstrong  of  this  town,  who  died  December  16,  1890.  He  married 
for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Flora  Searles,  of  New  Haven,  Oswego  county,  widow  of 
Herbert  Searles.  She  had  one  daughter,  Lena,  who  was  married  to  Wm.  C.  Bur- 
hans,  of  Oswego  county,  January  23,  1895. 

Billingham,  Richard  J.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  March  4,  1885,  son  of  William  R. 
Billingham,  who  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  August  8,  1702,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1832.  He  settled  in  Whitestown  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  as 
shoemaker;  this  he  followed  for  about  fifty  years.  He  came  to  the  town  of  Kirkland 
in  1852.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  Polly  Bellinger,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children :  Richard  J.,  William  C,  and  Anna  E.  Richard  J.  Billingham  at 
twenty-two  years  of  age  worked  a  farm  on  shares,  and  in  1861  he  bought  a  farm,  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  several  farms  in  this  town.  In  1875  he  engaged  in  buying  hops, 
which  business  he  continues.  He  was  elected  road  commissioner  in  the  years  1873 
and  1874.  Mr.  Billingham  married  Jane  Laville  of  Whitestown,  by  whom  he  has 
four  children:   Armenia,  Christopher  H.,  Fred  G.,  and  Charles  A. 

Babcock,  Dr.  Henry  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Scotland,  Albany  county, 
N.  Y. ,  in  1827.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  and  the  Westerlo 
Academy.     He  then  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  S.  Ingraham,  of  his  native 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  83 

town,  and  graduated  from  the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1855.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  New  York  State  Medical  Association.  He  has  practiced  in  Albany,  Greene, 
Saratoga,  Wayne,  and  Oneida  counties  with  success.  In  1853  he  married  Elizabeth 
Winston,  of  Westerlo,  Albany  county,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters:  Ruby  E.,  and 
Alice.  The  doctor's  father,  David,  was  born  in  Albany  county,  and  married  Hannah 
Vannatten,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Henry  E.  David  Babcock  died  when  Henry 
E.  was  a  child.     The  family  is  of  English  and  Dutch  descent. 

Castle,  Charles  C  ,  was  born  near  Chatham,  Mass.,  June  7,  1838,  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  East  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  when  four  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools,  and  from  ten  years  of  age  followed  the  canal  for  forty  years.  He 
is  also  a  farmer.  He  was  elected  road  commissioner  on  the  Democrat  ticket  in  the 
spring  of  1890,  and  has  held  the  office  continuously  since ;  he  also  served  his  district 
as  school  trustee.  He  has  been  trustee  of  the  church  at  Higginsville,  and  was  in- 
strumental with  others  in  erecting  a  new  church  and  school  house.  November  7, 
1847,  he  married  Lydia  J.  Downes.  of  the  town  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons:  Charles  H.  and  Hollis  Y.  Charles  H.  married  Matilda  Reeves,  of  Rensselaer 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  two  children.  Hollis  Y.  married  Carrie  Mehrhoff,  of 
this  town,  and  they  have  four  children:  Charles  D.,  Hugo,  Ethel  M.,  and  Ruth.  Mr. 
Castle's  father,  John  Castle,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Massachusetts  in  1803.  He 
married  Lucinda  Crane  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  six  children :  George 
A.,  Lewis  S.,  Charles  C,  as  above,  Ruth  M.,  Harriet  E.,  and  John  H.  The  family 
came  to  this  locality  in  1832.  Mr.  Castle  died  in  1868,  and  his  wife  in  1893.  Mrs. 
Castle's  father,  Walter  Downes,  was  born  in  Shropshire,  England,  about  1794,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  married  Catherine 
Suits,  of  Stone  Arabia,  and  they  had  five  children:  Walter,  Mary,  Peter,  Lydia  J.,  as 
above,  and  Catherine.  He  died  in  1860,  and  his  wife  in  1849.  Mr.  Castle  is  a  mem- 
ber of  New  London  Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Beardsley,  Backus  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield,  December  3,  1816,  son 
Rev.  Evans  and  Hannah  (Magoon)  Beardsley.  Evans  Beardsley  was  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  and  came  from  Vermont  to  Sangerfield  in  1815.  His  father,  Gershom 
Beardsley,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Backus  A.  Beardsley  spent  six  years  of  his  active  life  in  farming,  and  two  years  in 
the  patent  right  and  stove  business  in  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  He  then  returned  to 
Waterville  and  engaged  in  the  foundry  business  until  1887,  when  he  disposed  of  it 
to  his  son,  B.  B.  Beardsley.  Mr.  Beardsley  married  Cornelia  Pangman,  and  they 
have  four  children  living:  Brace  B.  Beardsley,  Mary  B.  Foster,  Grace  Mott,  and 
Cornelia  Beardslej'.  Mrs.  Beardsley  died  September  9,  1893.  Mr.  Beardsley  was  a 
delegate  to  the  iirst  Republican  convention  in  Rome,  and  was  appointed  deputy  col- 
lector during  the  war,  which  office  he  held  for  three  years,  when  he  resigned.  The 
original  William  Beardsley  and  Mary  his  wife  came  from  Stratford-on-Avon,  Eng- 
land, and  settled  in  Stratford,  Connecticut,  and  from  him  the  Beardsleys  have  de- 
scended. 

Brockway,  William  H.,  was  born  January  6,  1856,  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza  Brock- 
way.  The  family  dating  back  to  1660,  settled  in  Lyme,  Conn.  Lathrop  Brockway 
came  to  the  village  of  Clmton  in  the  fall  of  1811,  and  in  1812  bought  and  settled  upon 


g4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  farm,  where  he  resided  up  to  his  death.  He  early  identified  himself  with  the  agri- 
cultural, educational  and  religious  interests  of  the  town,  and  died  at  Clinton,  Octo- 
ber 17,  1879,  and  Thomas  H.,  his  son,  now  resided  on  the  old  farm.  William  H. 
Brockway  is  one  of  seven  children,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm  owned  by  his  grand- 
father, Lathrop  Brockway.  He  was  identified  with  the  Franklin  iron  works,  and 
received  the  appointment  of  postmaster  at  that  place.  February  17,  1875,  he  married 
Sarah  Boon,  who  was  born  January  6,  1855,  and  by  whom  he  has  seven  children: 
Harry  Lathrop,  Mabel  Eloise,  Flora  May,  Robert  Clinton,  William  Frederic,  Carl 
Watson,  and  Sarah  Hazel.  W.  H.  Brockway  is  one  of  the  representative  men  in 
Clinton  village,  and  has  been  engaged  in  buying  hops,  which  business  he  still  follows, 
and  he  is  prominently  connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Cruikshank,  J.  Robert. — George  C.  Cruikshank  was  born  in  Deerfield,  February 
21,  1850,  son  of  Robert  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Pearce)  Cruikshank.  The  grandparents, 
David  and  Mary  (Stephenson)  Cruikshank,  were  natives  of  Scotland,  and  emigrated 
to  Ireland:  and  thence  to  Salem,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1807,  after  which 
they  came  to  North  Gage,  Oneida  county.  They  both  died  at  Deerfield,  he  in  1847, 
and  she  in  1855.  Robert  Cruikshank  was  a  native  of  North  Gage,  Deerfield,  and 
was  a  manufacturer  of  edge  tools.  In  1844  he  bought  250  acres  of  land  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  was  assessor  and  road  commissioner. 
He  died  in  1886.  Mrs.  Cruikshank  was  a  native  of  Newport,  Herkimer  county,  and 
she  died  in  1855.  George  C.  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  taught  for 
a  few  terms.  For  three  years  he  run  an  express  route  from  Poland  to  Utica,  but  his 
principal  occupation  has  been  farming.  He  has  the  homestead  farm.  In  1875  he 
married  Rachel,  daughter  of  John  and  Christina  Herpy  of  Ohio,  Herkimer  county, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children :  J.  Robert.  May,  and  Milton.  Mr.  Cruikshank  has 
been  assessor  for  two  terms. 

Hallenbeck,  William  A.,  was  born  in  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  November  21,  1832, 
son  of  Abraham  and  Rachael  Hallenbeck.  William  A.  settled  at  Fish  Creek  Land- 
ing about  1847,  where  he  started  at  blacksmithing,  which  he  followed  for  five  years, 
then  engaged  in  boating  for  six  years,  after  which  he  went  into  the  commission  busi- 
ness at  Bufiialo,  where  he  remained  for  eight  years,  since  which  time  he  has  fol- 
lowed farming.  He  married  Agnes,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Sarah  Maddock,  by 
whom  he  has  nine  children:  Sarah  Maria  Brodock,  Cataline  Smith,  James  V.,  Nellie 
Agnes  Howe,  Casper  W.,  Almeda  Lyon,  Matilda  French,  Mary  Elizabeth  Oliver, 
and  Isabelle.  Mr.  Hallenbeck  has  been  very  active  in  educational  interests,  and  is 
a  member  of  Vienna  Lodge,  No.  440,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  also  a  member  of  Camden 
Chapter. 

Dunham,  George  Earl.— Mr.  Dunham  is  best  known  in  Oneida  county  through  his 
connection  with  the  Utica  Daily  Press,  which,  from  anything  but  an  auspicious  be- 
ginning, has  become  one  of  the  leading  and  most  prosperous  papers  in  Central  New 
York.  The  Press  was  started  in  March,  1882,  by  printers  who  had  left  the  Herald 
two  days  before  and  whose  facilities  were  decidedly  limited.  The  first  number  had 
four  small  pages  by  no  means  of  attractive  appearance.  Mr.  Dunham  went  with  the 
Press  the  following  July  and  at  one  time  or  another  has  held  every  situation  on  the 
editorial  .stafi:".     In  1886  he  became  president  of  the  company  and  editor  of  the  paper 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  85 

and  has  continued  in  these  positions  ever  since.  At  the  same  election  T.  R.  Proctor 
was  chosen  vice-president  and  Otto  A.  Meyer  secretary,  treasurer  and  business  man- 
ager. The  improvement  and  growth  of  the  Press  have  been  steady  and  permanent, 
till  now  it  enjoys  the  largest  circulation  in  its  field.  Mr.  Dunham  was  born  at  Clay- 
ville,  April  5,  1859,  the  only  child  of  Moses  E.  Dunham,  D.  D  ,  Ph.  D.,  and  Harriet 
(Hughston)  Dunham.  He  was  graduated  at  Whitestown  Seminary  in  1875  and  Ham- 
ilton College  in  1879,  the  youngest  member  of  his  class  at  both  institutions.  He 
was  for  a  year  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Edwin  Baylies  at  Johnstown,  N.  Y. ,  one  of  the 
ablest  law  writers  of  his  time,  and  the  author  of  Bajdies'  "  Questions  and  Answers," 
Baylies  on  "  Guaranty  and  Suretyship"  and  other  standard  works.  In  1880  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  law  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Baylies  &  Dunham. 
The  firm  did  much  work  in  the  line  of  law  book  writing,  being  employed  on  various 
of  William  Wait's  publications  and  several  other  legal  books.  A  year  later  Mr. 
Dunham  returned  to  Oneida  county  to  become  vice-principal  of  Whitestown  Semin- 
ary, of  which  his  father  was  principal.  In  1882  he  came  to  Utica  as  a  reporter  on 
the  Press  and  has  since  remained  with  that  paper.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  a 
manager  of  the  United  States  Hospital  for  the  Insane  and  was  reappointed  by 
Governor  Flower  and  three  years  later  by  Governor  Morton.  He  was  appointed 
by  Mayor  Kinney  chairman  of  the  Utica  Electric  Light  Commission  and  served 
three  years.  He  was  elected  a  trustee  of  Hamilton  College  in  1891  and  was  re- 
elected in  1895.  Mr.  Dunham  married  Helen  L.  Jones  of  Utica,  January  9,  1884. 
They  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Lewis,  Elias,  was  born  in  Steuben,  N.  Y.,  in  November,  1852,  son  of  William  Lewis 
who  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1812,  and  grand.son  of  William  Lewis,  a  native  of 
Wales  who  came  to  the  Lhiited  States  in  1800,  and  died  in  New  Orleans  in  1820,  at 
thirty-two  years  of  age.  William,  jr.,  was  reared  by  relatives.  When  a  young  man 
he  taught  school,  later  engaged  in  farming,  and  has  resided  in  Steuben  since  he  was 
eight  years  of  age.  He  was  active  in  gathering  recruits  during  the  war  and  was 
commissioned  by  Governor  Seymour  to  secure  colored  recruits  in  Virginia  in  1861. 
He  was  an  a.ssemblyman,  and  introduced  and  worked  for  the  bill  which  resulted  in 
an  appropriation  of  $500.00  made  by  the  government  for  a  monument  to  perpetuate 
the  memory  of  Baron  Steuben.  He  was  for  forty-four  years  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  for  thirteen  years  supervisor,  also  filled  many  other  offices  and  was  well  liked 
and  prosperous.  He  was  married  three  times,  his  first  wife  being  Catherine,  daugh- 
ter of  William  R.  and  Mary  Jones,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  one  of  whom  died 
in  childhood;  the  other,  Mary,  died  in  Williamsburg,  Iowa,  in  October,  1894.  Oc- 
tober 31,  1840,  Mr.  Lewis  married  for  his  second  wife,  Jeanette,  daughter  of  Elias 
and  Berry  Williams,  who  immigrated  in  1830  and  located  in  Steuben.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lewis  had  nine  children,  five  of  whom  grew  to  maturity:  Washington,  Martha,  wife 
of  R.  H.  Hews,  M.  D.,  of  Rockwell  City,  Iowa,  Laura  E.,  wife  of  T.  W.  Evans  Price, 
of  Rockford,  111.,  who  died  April  22,  1891,  aged  forty-six  years,  and  Elias,  as  above. 
For  his  third  wife  Mr.  Lewis  married  Mrs.  Margaret  Davis,  of  Remsen,  N.  Y. ,  who 
still  survives.  Mr.  Lewis  retired  to  Remsen,  where  he  died  in  1892.  Elias  Lewis 
was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  remained  with 
his  father  until  the  latter  retired,  and  since  then  he  has  conducted  the  farm.  In 
1891  he  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  also  is  the  owner  of  another 


86  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

farm  of  290  acres.  Mr.  Lewis  has  filled  the  offices  of  town  clerk  and  supervisor. 
In  1877  he  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  William  P.  Thomas,  of  Steuben,  by  whom 
he  has  seven  children;  Price,  Clara,  William,  Jeanette  and  Sarah  (twins),  and  Ethel, 
and  the  oldest,  a  daughter,  died  when  sixteen  months  months  old. 

Dewey,  Charles  M.,  was  born  in  Deeriield,  N.  Y.,  June  17,  1833,  son  of  Selotus 
and  Mehitable  (Roberts)  Dewey,  natives  of  Connecticut,  who  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  Deerfield.  They  took  450  acres  of  land  and  cleared  a  large  farm.  Mr. 
Dewey  died  January  31,  1844,  aged  fifty-eight  years,  and  Mrs.  Dewey  died  Novem- 
ber 30,  1855,  aged  sixty-three  years.  Charles  M.  has  always  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Deerfield,  and  settled  on  the  farm  of  220  acres  in  1866.  In  1859  he  married 
Jane,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Abigail  (Cute)  Rudd,  of  Marcy,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children:  Zettie  J.,  wife  of  John  C.  Davis,  a  farmer  in  Deerfield;  Aldis  M  ,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years;  Cora  E.,  wife  of  William  R.  Harvey,  a cheesemaker 
in  Saint  Mary's,  Elk  county.  Pa,:  and  Ida  M.,  wife  of  Frank  Donnafield  of  Deer- 
field. Mr.  Dewey  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  assessor  and  road  commissioner. 
They  attend  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Smith,  Giles,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  August  30,  1825,  only  son  of  Pratt,  a 
native  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  Elenore  (Wheeler)  Smith,  a  native  of  Dutchess  county, 
N.  Y.  His  grandfather,  Ephraim  Wheeler,  came  from  Holland,  and  was  a  pioneer 
of  Dutchess  county.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Timothy  Smith,  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Deerfield,  settling  on  Smith  Hill.  He 
removed  to  Jefferson  county  where  he  died  Pratt  Smith  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  Deerfield,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  and  Mrs.  Smith  died  in  1870,  at  the 
age  of  seventy.  Mr.  Smith  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union  church  at  Deer- 
field. He  had  a  400  acre  farm  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  and  land  in  the  West  In  1853 
Giles  Smith  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Mary  Cole,  of  Rensselaer  county, 
N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Pratt  G.,  a  merchant  at  Utica;  Mary,  wife 
of  M.  T.  Jones,  of  Utica;  and  Elenore,  wife  of  Marshall  Brown,  a  commission  mer- 
chant in  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  been  assessor  and 
supervisor  of  Deerfield,  and  is  at  present  road  commissioner.  Mr.  Smith  has  been 
one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the  community,  having  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  the  business,  and  owns  a  large  farm  in  the  best  part  of  the  town.  Mrs.  Smith 
died  in  October,  1891. 

Crosby,  Anson  T.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  December  16,  1828,  son  of  Isaac, 
a  native  of  Norway,  and  Mary  (Fox)  Crosby,  a  native  of  Ohio,  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y.  The  grandparents,  Isaac  and  Mary  Crosby,  came  from  Saratoga  and  settled 
in  Norway,  where  Mr.  Crosby  was  killed  by  the  cars.  Isaac,  jr.,  came  to  Deerfield 
when  twenty-five  years  of  age  and  took  up  269  acres  of  land,  where  he  cleared  a 
home,  remaining  until  he  retired  to  Chatfield,  Filmore  county,  Minn.,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  and  Mrs.  Crosby  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  The 
great-grandfather  Crosby  was  a  soldier  under  Gates  at  Saratoga ;  a  nd  the  great- 
grandfather Fox  was  at  the  same  battle  under  Burgoyne  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
A.  T.  Crosby  was  educated  at  W^hitestown  Seminary,  and  has  always  been  engaged 
in  farming  and  keeps  a  dairy  of  twenty  Holstein  cows.  He  has  been  justice  of  the 
peace  for  .several  years.     In  1857  he  married  Margaret  Holmes,  by  whom  he  has  five 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  87 

children:  John  D.,  a  druggist  at  Long  Island;  Lottie  E.,  wife  of  John  Cook,  a  wheat 
grower  in  North  Dakota;  Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Green,  in  the  sash  and  blind  factory 
at  Torrington,  Conn.;  Emily  C,  wife  of  James  Fuller,  a  farmer  in  Deerfield,  and 
Edith  N.,  a  teacher  in  Yorkville. 

Ackerman,  Charles,  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  April  33, 
1837.  He  received  a  mercantile  education  there,  and  came  to  the  United  States  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  in  New  York  city,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  He  came  to  Verona  in  1855  and  has  been  engaged  in  the 
general  merchandise  business  most  of  the  time  since.  In  1863  he  married  Theresa 
Berical,  of  Verona,  and  they  have  five  children:  Allie,  Eugenia,  Gustave,  Arthur, 
and  Clara.  Allie  married  Eugene  C.  Dunham  and  resides  in  Auburn,  N.Y.  Eugenia 
married  Robert  W.  Potter,  of  State  Bridge.  Mr.  Ackerman  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  26th 
N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  and  was  promoted  along  the  line  from  corporal  to  adjutant  and  was 
honorably  discharged  May  28,  1863,  at  Utica,  N.  Y.  In  February,  1864,  he  joined 
the  2d  United  States  Veteran  Volunteers  as  first  lieutenant,  after  a  rigid  examina- 
tion by  a  military  commission,  serving  in  that  regiment  for  two  years.  He  was  post 
adjutant  for  six  months  at  Albany,  N.  Y.  ;  was  honorably  discharged  June  18,  1866. 
John  Ackerman,  his  father,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Germany  and  married 
Wilemena  Fitler,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Matilda,  Charles,  Louis,  William, 
Allie  and  Gustave.  Mr.  Ackerman  is  now  in  business  with  Mrs.  Rachel  B.  Stark, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Ackerman  &  Stark,  at  Higginsville,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  member 
of  Joseph  H.  Warren  Post,  No.  615,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  New  London  Lodge,  No.  420, 
F   &  A.  M.,  of  the  town  of  Verona.     The  family  is  of  German  and  French  descent. 

Wendt,  Frederick  S.,  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. ,  October  6,  1852.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  in  his  early  years  was  a  farmer.  October  30.  1878, 
he  married  Lottie  J.  Armstrong,  of  Higginsville,  N.  Y, ,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren: George  A.,  Frederick  W.  and  Florence  M.  (twins).  Mr.  Wendt  since  1880 has 
been  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  and  has  recently  become  inter- 
ested in  the  coal  business.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  to  fill 
a  vacancy  and  in  1888  was  elected  to  a  full  term  and  has  served  continually  since. 
William  C.  Wendt,  his  father,  was  born  in  Mecklenbergh,  Germany,  about  1823.  He 
married  Caroline  Runge,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children :  Freder- 
ick S.,  Augustus,  William,  Albert,  Charles,  Minnie,  Frances,  Pauline,  Emma,  and 
Annie.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1851,  locating  in  Levi^is  county,  N.  Y. 
William  H.  Armstrong,  Mrs.  Wendt's  father,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  February  15, 
1828.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  is  now  carrying  on  a  general 
blacksmithing  business  at  Durhamville,  N.  Y.  He  followed  the  canal  for  several  years. 
In  1852  he  married  Amanda  M.  Morse,  of  Higginsville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  one 
child,  Lottie,  J.,  now  Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Wendt.  Mr.  F.  S.  Wendt  is  a  member  of 
New  London  Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Mrs.  Wendt  is  a  member  of  the  East- 
ern Star,  Visha  Chapter,  O.  E.  S. 

Merry,  Gotleib,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1843  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  United  States  in  1851,  locating  first  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  coming  to  the 
town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  in  1852.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  .schools  and  the 
Business  College  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  cheesemaker  by  occupation  and  owner 


88  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  Merry  Cheese  Factory,  which  manufactures  into  cheese  two  and  one-half 
million  pounds  of  milk,  annually.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  manager  and 
superintendent  of  the  Oneida  Canning  Co.,  of  Verona.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Board  of  Education ;  they  have  just  completed  a  fine  school  edifice  in  that  district. 
March  7,  1870,  Mr.  Merry  married  Sarah  McGann,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  has 
seven  children:  Fred  H.,  S.  Alice,  Ellen  S.,  George  G.,  H.  Seymour,  Wilson  J.,  and 
C.  Lester.     Frederick  J.  Merry,  his  father,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Germany  in 

1811.  He  married  Christina  Winnie,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children ;  Jacob,  Ann, 
Sophia,  Frederick,  Gotleib,  Conrad,  Peter,  Charles,  and  Michael.  He  died  in  1852. 
Mr.  G.  Merry  was  elected  supervisor  in  1879  and  served  until  1884.  He  began  life 
empty-handed  and  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  success. 

Frisbie,  Charles  P.,  was  born  in  Harwinton,  Litchfield  county,  Conn.,  October  18, 
1830,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  this  town  in  1836,  where  he  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  Vernon  Academy.  September  25,  1855,  he  married  Sarah  A. 
Sage,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Emily  S., 
and  George  R.  Emily  S.  married  Julian  E.  Taft,  of  this  town,  and  they  have  two 
children;  Charles  F.,  and  James.  George  R.  is  a  resident  of  Bloomington,  111.,  in 
the  employ  of  the  Soper  Foundry  Factory  Company.  Mr.  Frisbie's  father,  John 
Frisbie,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1797.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  day,  and  was  a  salesman  when  a  young  man,  and  afterwards  a  farmer.  He  mar- 
ried Hulda  Nobles,  of  his  native  State,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children:  Noble  W., 
Eliza  B.,  Charles  P.,  as  above,  Mary  A.,  Enos,  George  W.,  Henry,  John  W.,  who 
died  in  infancy,  Jeannette,  and  Caroline.  He  died  in  1847,  and  his  wife  March  1, 
1889.  Mrs.  Frisbie's  father,  Roswell  Sage,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  September  6, 
1789,  and  was  educated  there.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  afterwards  a  farmer.  Sep- 
tember 12,  1810,  he  married  Mercy  Enos,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Caroline  E., 
Chauncey  S.,  Emily  F.,  Dorliskie,  and  Sarah  A.,  as  above.     He  served  in  the  war  of 

1812,  and  died  April  17,  1879,  and  his  wife  October  17,  1876.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frisbie 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  was  trustee  for  twelve  years. 
The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  Scotch  and  English. 

Weaver,  Frederick  G.,  was  born  in  Deerfield  August  7,  1843,  .son  of  George  F.  and 
Margaret  A.  Weaver,  natives  of  Deerfield.  George  F.  was  a  successful  business 
man  as  farmer  and  brick  manufacturer.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  was 
supervisor  for  a  number  of  years;  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1867.  He  died 
in  1889  and  Mrs.  Weaver  died  in  1888.  Frederick  G.  Weaver  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  was  educated  at  Utica  schools  and  Fairfield  Seminary.  He  commenced  his  busi- 
ness career  with  his  father  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  in  which  business  he  is  still 
engaged,  being  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Charles  C.  Weaver.  They  do  an 
extensive  business,  and  in  1893  turned  out  seven  million  brick.  Mr.  Weaver  is  also 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1872  he  married  Sarah  J.  Budlong  of  Schuyler,  Herkimer 
county,  by  whom  he  has  seven  children.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics;  has  been 
supervisor  of  Deerfield  three  terms  and  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1876,  and 
was  the  Republican  nominee  for  the  office  of  senator  in  1895.  He  is  a  member  of 
Lodge  No.  54,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  president  of  the  Deerfield  and  Utica  R.  R.  Co. 
since  its  incorporation  in  1889,  and  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Utica, 
N.  Y. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  89 

Broadbent,  Frank,  was  born  in  Manlius,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  May  28,  1855, 
son  of  Giles  Leon  Broadbent,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to  America  when  about 
nineteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  machinist  by  trade  and  was  engaged  in  different 
woolen  mills  in  this  State  for  many  years.  His  wife,  Mary  Haynes,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Western,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Amanda  Haynes.  They  had  but 
one  child,  Frank.  Mr.  Broadbent  died  in  1863,  from  injuries  he  received  while 
alighting  from  the  cars.  His  wife  survives  him.  Frank  Broadbent  first  engaged  in 
farm  work,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  learned  the  trade  of  cheesemaker,  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  in  various  factories  throughout  the  county.  He  was 
cheesemaker  for  the  Steuben  Association  in  the  town  of  Steuben  for  eight  years. 
During  the  years  1892-8  he  owned  a  half  interest  in  the  Willow  Grove  cheese  factory 
in  the  town  of  Trenton.  For  a  time  he  owned  a  factory  on  Floyd  Hill  in  the  town  of 
Floyd,  and  in  1893  he  purcha.sed  his  present  farm  of  203  acres,  on  which  he  conducts 
a  dairy  of  thirty  cows,  and  having  a  factory  in  addition  to  this  on  his  farm,  he  also 
manufactures  cheese.  In  1876  he  married  Estella  E.,  daughter  of  Hiram  G.  and 
Mary  E.  (Dustin)  Bullock,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western.  They  have  six 
children:  Leon  G. ,  Robert  A.,  Homer  F.,  Frank  A.,  Lester  F.  and  Erwin  J.  Mr. 
Broadbent  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M. 

Spencer,  Lyman  C,  second  son  of  James  D.  Spencer,  was  born  in  West  Monroe, 
Oswego  county,  N.  Y. ,  March  17,  1841,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Sylvan  Beach 
when  he  was  two  years  old.  His  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools,  and 
his  early  life  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm.  He  erected  the  first  hotel  on  Wood 
Creek  outlet  on  Oneida  Lake,  on  the  Vienna  side  of  the  creek  (it  is  now  known  as 
the  Forest  Home),  which  he  conducted  seventeen  years,  but  it  is  now  conducted  by 
his  son-in  law,  Frederick  B.  Randall,  of  Oneida,  Madison  county.  The  Spencer 
family  have  done  much  towards  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Sylvan  Beach.  Sep- 
tember 2,  1865,  Mr.  Spencer  married  Marian  Keohane,  who  was  born  in  England,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children:  Alice  E.,  Lillian  F.,  L.  May.  and  L.  Ernst.  Alice  E. 
married  Frederick  B.  Randall,  of  Oneida,  N.Y.,  and  they  have  four  children:  Lyman 
F.,  Harriet  M.,  Spencer  B.,  and  Marian  A.  Mrs.  vSpencer's  father,  James  Keohane, 
was  born  in  England.  He  married  Marian  Scammel,  of  London,  England,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children:  P.  Henry,  Marian  E.,  Peter,  Nellie,  Catherine,  Anna  C. 
Eliza,  John  D.,  and  Theresa.  Mr.  Koehane  died  September  2,  1867.  Mr.  Spencer 
is  a  member  of  Sylvan  Beach  Lodge,  No.  326,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which  he  has  been 
treasurer  four  years. 

Spencer,  Reuben  J.,  oldest  son  of  James  D.  Spencer,  was  born  in  West  Monroe, 
Oswego  county,  N.Y.,  August  27,  1838.  and  came  to  this  town  with  his  parents  when 
about  four  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  is  a  real  estate 
dealer,  and  assists  his  father  in  superintending  and  developing  the  same  at  Sylvan 
Beach  and  vicinity.  April  27,  1864,  he  married  Amy  Maxfield,  of  this  locality,  by 
whom  he  had  one  son,  James  D.,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Spencer  died  in  1883, 
a'ld  November  5,  1890,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Inez  E.  Poppleton,  of  this 
town,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Ada  M.,  born  April  10,  1892.  Mr.  Spencer  is  a 
member  of  Sylvan  Beach  Lodge  No.  326,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  also  been  president  of 
the  village  since  it  was  incorporated  in  1887.  Mrs.  Spencer's  father,  James  Popple- 
ton, was  born  in  this  town  in  1822.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  was 
1 


90  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

a  farmer  by  occupation  and  later  a  grocery  merchant.  He  married  Mary  Kelly,  of 
this  town,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Ada  E.,  Inez  E.,  and  John  F.  Mr.  Pop- 
pleton  died  in  1856,  and  Mrs.  Poppleton  married  Newton  Poppleton,  and  they  had 
two  children:    Mary  E.,  and  Matilda.     Mrs.  Poppleton  died  in  1890. 

Sawtelle,  Washington  Sewall,  was  born  in  Sidney,  Me.,  August  3,  1827,  son  of 
Major  Amaziah  and  Malinda  (Black)  Sawtelle,  who  had  eight  children:  Washington 
S.  married  Caroline  Amelia,  daughter  of  William  T.  and  Mary  (Wright)  Fowler,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children:  Chester  W.,  Vergie,  Clarence,  Marion,  and  Mary  and 
Charles  A.  (deceased).  Washington  S.  attended  school  at  West  Point  and  at  seven- 
teen years  of  age  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  war,  5th  Regiment,  Company  D,  and  served 
one  year  and  five  months.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Vera  Cruz  and  was  confined 
for  five  months  at  Cordoba  and  Orizaba,  when  he  escaped  and  joined  his  regiment. 
He  was  one  of  the  fourteen  who  made  the  ascent  of  Mt.  Popocatepetl.  He  first  came 
to  Utica  in  1850,  and  in  1856  he  published  the  Mohawk  Valley  Register  at  Fort  Plain. 
By  profession  he  is  an  artist  and  painter.  He  is  an  extensive  traveler,  having  trav- 
eled over  the  United  States,  Canada,  Mexico  and  Cuba.  He  made  an  overland  trip 
to  California  before  there  was  a  railroad  to  the  western  country.  He  is  now  living  a 
retired  life. 

Shoewalter,  Joseph  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  February  15,  1S46, 
and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  Oneida  Seminary.  He  has  followed 
the  canal  thirty-one  years  in  all,  twenty-five  years  as  boat  owner,  being  known  as 
Captain  Shoewalter,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  December  29,  1868,  he  married 
Ella  A.  Shattuck,  of  this  town.  Mrs.  Shoewalter  died  July  8,  1882,  and  January  2, 
1889,  he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Ida  E.  Dunn,  of  this  town.  His  father,  Henry 
Shoewalter,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Gerrhany,  August  11,  1811,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  sister  in  1839,  finally  locating  in  the  town  of  Verona,  where  he  was  a 
tailor  and  afterward  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Mary  Poplet,  of  this  town, 
by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Joseph  H.,  as  above.  Mr.  Shoewalter  died  January  5, 
1883,  and  his  wife  May  18,  1851.  Mrs.  Shoewalter's  father,  Dennis  B.  Dunn,  was 
born  in  Kings  County,  Ireland,  in  1837,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
grandfather  in  1844,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Verona.  He 
married  Mary  Hyland,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  thirteen  children:  Francis  A., 
Ida  E.,  as  above,  Udella,  Rose  A.,  Catherine,  Dennis  P.,  Marsella  C. ,  Sarah  A., 
Theresa,  Jennie  E.,  William  J.,  Lucy  M.,  and  Anna  S. 

Calder,  Hon.  Frederick  Manwell,  elected  surrogate  of  Oneida  county  in  1894,  was 
born  in  the  village  of  New  York  Mills,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  March  20,  1861,  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Huton)  Calder.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
was  graduated  from  Whitestown  Seminary  in  1878  and  from  Hamilton  College  in  the 
class  of  1882.  He  studied  law  with  P.  C.  J.  De  Angelis,  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  also  with 
the  firm  of  Miller  &  Fincke,  of  that  city,  and  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  bar  in 
June,  1884,  after  which  he  was  managing  clerk  for  Miller  &•  Fincke  for  three  years, 
when  he  opened  an  office  on  his  own  account  in  the  Mann  building  in  the  city  of 
Utica,  and  won  for  himself  in  a  short  period  an  extensive  and  valuable  clientage. 
Judge  Calder  was  chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Committee  in  1891-92,  and  in 
1892-93  was  corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of  Utica.     June,  17   1891,  he  married 


m 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  91 

Elizabeth  N.  Holbrook,  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Frederick  Holbrook  Cal- 
der.  Judge  Calder  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Fort  Schuj^- 
ler,  Arcanum,  and  Masonic  Clubs. 

Coleman,  George,  was  born  in  Ava,  N.Y.,  November  25,  1834,  son  of  Phineas  and 
Bersheba  Coleman.  Phineas  Coleman  was  a  native  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  Mrs.  Cole- 
man a  native  of  Hoosac,  Conn.  Mr.  Coleman  was  an  early  settler  in  Ava,  where  he 
died  in  1876,  and  Mrs.  Coleman  in  1863.  The  father  of  Phineas  was  a  farmer  at 
Lockport,  and  a  pioneer  of  Rome.  George  Coleman  has  spent  most  of  his  time  at 
the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner.  In  1852  he  married  Catherine  Handly,  daughter 
of  Patrick  Handly,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Maria,  John,  Will,  Frank,  and 
Mary,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Coleman  died  in  January,  1891.  In  1867  Mr.  Cole- 
man bought  a  farm  in  Ava,  which  is  conducted  by  his  son  Frank,  who,  in  1887,  mar- 
ried Cora,  daughter  of  Patrick  and'  IMargaret  Nolan,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came 
to  America  in  1845,  and  settled  at  Little  Falls,  where  Mrs.  Nolan  died  in  1868.  Mr. 
Nolan  is  a  carriage  manufacturer  at  Brockville,  Ontario,  Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frank  Coleman  have  had  four  children:  Charles  W. ,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
years,  Frederick  P.,  George  F.  and  Emerson  S. 

Dorrance,  Daniel  G..  jr.  (third  son  of  Hon.  Daniel  G.  Dorrance  of  Oneida  Castle, 
N.  v.),  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  February  28,  1850. 
In  1859  he  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Oneida  Castle  in  the  town  of  Vernon. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Oneida  Castle  and  the  Oneida  Seminary  and  was 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  the  class  of  1872.  After  leaving  college  he  set- 
tled in  Camden  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business;  but  since  1885  has  been  in 
the  employ  of  his  father  at  Oneida  Castle  as  confidential  clerk,  although  retaining 
his  residence  in  Camden.  In  1876  Mr.  Dorrance  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  the  late 
John  Lambie,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Camden.  Their  children  are  EUaM.,  Bessie 
L.,  James  G. ,  and  Harold  S.  Mr.  Dorrance  is  prominently  connected  with  the  offices 
of  the  village  and  town,  being  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education  and  is  also  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Camden, 
N.  Y. 

Keller,  Hugo,  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  March  26,  1845.  He  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1862,  first  locating  fn  New  York.  His  purpose  in  leaving  his 
native  land  was  to  enlist  in  the  Union  army,  and  early  in  1863  he  enlisted  in  the  16th 
Cavalry,  N.  Y.  State  Vols.,  under  Col.  Armstrong  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  and 
served  until  October  1,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  After  the  war  he 
was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  for  one  year,  then  learned  the  baker's 
trade,  which  he  followed  four  years.  In  1870  he  located  in  Durhamville,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  first  served  as  a  grocery  clerk,  but  in  1874  began  business  on  his 
own  account  as  a  general  storekeeper,  and  was  also  in  the  milling  business.  He 
married  Julia  Schotthamer,  formerly  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  six  chil- 
dren :  Frank,  Herman,  who  has  purchased  the  mill  from  his  father  and  is  conduct- 
ing the  same,  Adelaide,  Hugo,  jr.,  Julia,  and  Sophia.  Mr.  Keller  has  filled  the  office 
.  of  trustee  of  the  village.  He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No  270,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Oneida,  N.  Y.  He  is  also  a  member  of  John  R.  Stuart  Post,  No.  176,  G.  A.  R.  De- 
partment of  N.  Y. 


92 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Macomber,  Jay,  was  born  in  Western,  March  25,  1848,  son  of  Theophilus  W.  and 
Sa:  ah  A.  (Bugbee)  Macomber,  both  natives  of  Oneida  county.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Abner  Macomber,  formerly  of  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  was  among  the  pio- 
neers of  Western,  settling  on  Quaker  Hill,  where  he  cleared  and  improved  a  farm. 
In  later  life  he  removed  to  Tug  Hill,  Lewis  county,  where  he  died.  Theophilus  Ma- 
comber, father  of  Jay,  was  born  in  Western,  August  12,  1815.  He  is  a  cooper  by 
trade,  and  has  also  worked  as  a  sawyer  and  carpenter,  but  has  lived  a  retired  life 
since  1890.  His  children  were  Calista(Mrs.  Martin  Van  Buskirk),  Nelson,  Jay,  Dick, 
and  Sarah  C.  (Mrs.  Horace  GiUett).  Jay  Macomber  was  reared  in  Western,  where, 
with  the  exception  of  ten  years  that  he  spent  in  Lee,  he  has  always  resided.  For 
nineteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  cheesemaking,  was  manager  of  factories  in  Lee, 
Western,  and  Steuben,  and  since  1893  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  In  1880  he 
married  Elma,  daughter  of  Jerome  V.  and  Clarissa  (Keech)  Que,  of  Western,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children:  Fred  J.  and  Clara  B.  Mr.  Macomber  is  a  member  of 
Baron  Steuben  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  264,  Fort  Stanwix  Chapter,  No.  153,  R. 
A.  M.,  Lee  Center  Council,  No.  1225,  R.  A.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Ferris,  Timothy  Harvey,  one  of  the  most  energetic  of  the  younger  members  of 
the  bar  of  the  city  of  Utica,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Russia,  Herkimer  county,  N. 
Y.,  September  4,  1871,  son  of  Charles  S.  and  Gertrude  (Terry)  Ferris.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  district  school  in  Russia  and  at  Prospect  village  school,  but  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his  studies  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  for  a  time.  During  the  winer  of  188H-89  he  took  a  course  in 
banking  and  bookkeeping  at  the  Utica  Business  College.  He  taught  the  district 
school  at  Russia  for  two  terms  in  1889.  In  January,  1890,  he  commenced  the  study 
law  in  the  office  of  Charles  G.  Irish,  where  he  remained  for  a  year  and  a  half,  during 
a  portion  of  which  time  he  acted  as  assistant  secretary  of  the  Merchants'  &  Manufac- 
turers' Exchange.  He  afterward  pursued  his  legal  studies  with  Dunmore  &  Sholes, 
and  was  admitted  as  an  attorney  and  counselor  in  February,  1893.  The  following 
March  Mr.  Ferris  was  taken  in  as  partner,  and  the  firm  became  Dunmore,  Sholes  & 
Ferris.  September  1,  1895,  he  organized  the  N.  E.  White  Company,  of  Utica,  N.  Y., 
wholesale  grocers,  feed,  grain,  and  produce  dealers,  with  a  capital  stock  of  §25,000, 
and  was  made  its  president  which  position  he  still  occupies.  His  father  having  died 
he  also  manages  the  home  farm  at  Russia.  Mr.  Ferris  takes  a  keen  interest  in 
politics,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  County  Committee  of  1894.  In  1895 
he  ran  for  State  Senator  in  the  Utica  district  as  an  Independent  Democrat.  He  is 
unmarried. 

Cunningham,  John  Howard,  editor-in-chief  of  the  Utica  Herald,  wields  a  facile 
pen.  His  leaders  are  always  dignified  in  tone ;  the  language  is  forcefully  used,  and 
the  point  aimed  at  is  sharply  defined.  Under  his  management  the  Herald  remains 
as  before  the  leading  organ  of  the  Republican  party  in  Central  New  York.  Mr. 
Cunningham  was  born  in  Ithaca,  Tompkins  county,  N.  Y.,  November  29,  1843. 
His  parents,  American  born,  were  of  Scotch  descent.  Mr.  Cunningham  was  educated 
at  Ithaca  Academy  and  Hamilton  College.  From  the  latter  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1866.  After  leaving  college  he  taught,  as  vice-principal,  in  the  Waverly  In- 
stitute, at  Waverly,  N.  Y.,  and  afterward  was  principal  of  Chester  Academy  at 
Chester,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.     In  1868  he  joined  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Herald, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  93 

as  news  editor,  and  has  remained  on  that  paper  since,  excepting  the  years  1871-72. 
He  became  its  chief  editor  when,  in  1891,  the  paper  was  transferred  to  The  Utica 
Herald  Publishing  Company.  May  27,  1869,  Mr.  Cunningham  married  Annie, 
daughter  of  Edward  German  (deceased),  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had  two  children: 
Carl  German,  and  Frederick  Haines.  Mr.  Cunningham  is  a  member  of  the  Fort 
Schuyler  and  the  Arcanum  social  clubs,  of  Utica.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  since  1865. 

Constable,  James,  the  architect,  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  Constable  and  was  born 
at  Constableville,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  educated  in  a  military  school  in 
Connecticut  and  also  three  years  in  Europe;  he  studied  civil  engineering  at  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.  In  1868  he  became  assistant  engineer  in  building  the  Newark  (N.  J.) 
aqueduct,  and  later  was  assistant  engineer  on  the  construction  of  the  Orbisonia  Iron 
Works  at  Orbisonia,  Pa.,  and  afterward  he  was  engaged  in  engineering  in  the  South 
and  West.  He  was  afterward  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Glendon  (Pa.)  Iron 
Works  for  nearly  eight  years,  during  which  period  he  devoted  himself  almost  wholly 
to  the  building  and  construction  of  extensive  works  and  the  construction  of  many 
buildings.  About  1888  he  removed  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  has  since  devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  architecture.  Some  of  the  buildings  designed  by  him  and  constructed 
under  his  supervision  in  Utica  are  the  Second  National  Bank,  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  T.  R.  Proctor's  stables  and  the  remodeling  of  the  Butterfield  House. 

Baker,  Thomas  F. — The  Utica  Saturday  Globe  is  one  of  the  phenomenal  journal- 
istic enterprises  of  the  country.  It  was  founded  in  May,  1881,  by  the  business  as- 
sociation of  the  brothers,  William  T.  and  Thomas  F.  Baker.  Its  success  pecuniarily 
and  its  growth  in  circulation  as  well  have  been  so  remarkable  as  to  approach  the 
marvelous.  Copies  of  the  paper  are  weekly  sold  on  the  Pacific  slope,  as  far  south  as 
Florida,  and  in  Northern  Ontario.  It  is  a  true  monument  to  the  spirit,  sagacity  and 
force  of  the  men  who  founded  it  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labors.  Thomas  F. 
Baker  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  April  5,  1847.  In  1850  his  parents  removed  with 
with  their  family  to  Utica.  There,  when  old  enough  to  go  to  school,  Thomas  at- 
tended the  Assumption  Academy.  While  yet  a  lad  he  worked  for  a  few  months  in 
the  Washington  Mills  factory,  and  began  his  newspaper  career  by  selling  '1  he  L^tica 
Observer  on  the  streets.  At. the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  the  composing  room  of 
the  Observer,  as  an  apprentice,  and  in  1867  he  was  admitted  to  the  rank  of  journej'- 
man  printer.  But  young  Baker  was  ambitious  and  anxious  to  branch  out  for  him- 
self, and  in  October,  1870,  he,  with  others,  established  the  Utica  Daily  Bee.  It  was 
a  brave  struggle  upward  for  a  time,  but  the  hill  was  steep  and  the  way  rough.  The 
paper  was  transferred  to  other  parties  in  1872,  and  soon  disappeared  from  the  held. 
Mr.  Baker  went  back  to  his  case,  this  time  in  the  composing  room  of  the  L'tica  Her- 
ald, and  in  1877,  in  partnership  with  Dennis  T.  Kelly,  he  started  the  Utica  Sunday 
Tribune,  which  soon  secured  and  retained  a  place  among  the  papers  of  that  city. 
In  1879  he  retired  to  make  way  for  Patrick  E.  Kelly.  In  that  year  he  formed  the 
business  association  with  his  brother,  William  T. ,  and  founded  the  Sunday  Tribune 
at  Binghamton,  N.  Y. ,  which  they  continued  for  two  years,  when  they  returned  to 
L^tica  and  started  the  Globe.  The  first  issue  of  the  latter  paper  was  published  May 
21,  1881,  from  the  third  story  of  the  Thomas  Block,  later  the  Lux  building.  Illus- 
trations have  from  the  first  been  one  of  the  features  of  the  paper,   the  fir?t  number 


94  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

containing  a  rather  rude  wood-cut  of  Horatio  Seymour.  Of  that  issue  only  2,000 
copies  were  struck  off  and  only  700  were  sold.  The  supply  of  advertising  was  very 
meagre,  but  its  publishers,  like  brave  mariners,  clung  close  to  the  course  they  had 
marked  out  before  they  launched  their  craft,  and  finally  found  the  track  to  summer 
seas.  In  1882  the  Globe  had  removed  its  quarters  to  the  Kinney  Block,  on  the  west 
side  of  Charlotte  street,  and  in  1886  it  was  removed  to  its  present  well  equipped  and 
imposing  edifice  on  Whitesboro  street. 

Beardsley,  Hon.  Samuel  A.,  comes  of  a  race  of  long  lived  and  vigorous  minded 
men.  His  father,  Arthur  M.  Beardsley,  has  been  in  active  practice  as  a  lawj^er  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Beardsley,  for  whom  he  was  named, 
was  one  of  the  prominent  statesmen  and  jurists  of  his  time.  He  was  appointed 
United  States  district  attorney  for  the  northern  district  of  New  York  by  President 
Andrew  Jackson  in  1828,  an  office  he  held  to  1830,  when  he  was  elected  member  of 
congress  from  the  Utica  district,  re-elected  in  1832  and  1834,  and  again  in  1842. 
He  was  also  attorney-general  of  the  State  of  New  York,  associate  judge  and  chief 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State.  In  1834  Governor  Marcy  tendered  Mr. 
Beardsley  an  appointment  to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court.  President  Jack- 
son, in  the  presence  of  his  cabinet,  requested  the  congressman  to  decline  the 
proffered  place  on  account  of  the  valuable  services  he  could  render  the  country  and 
his  party  in  Congress,  and  Mr.  Beardsley  yielded  to  the  president's  importunities. 
Samuel  A.  Beardsley  was  born  in  the  city  of  Utica,  N.  Y. ,  December  1,  185G,  and 
was  educated  in  the  Utica  public  schools  and  Williston  Seminary  at  East  Hampton, 
Mass.  He  studied  law  in  his  father's  office,  the  firm  being  Beardsley,  Cookingham 
&  Burdick,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879,  at  which  time  he  became  a  member 
of  this  firm.  In  1884  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  father  and  son  united 
forces  under  the  firm  title  of  Beardsley  &  Beardsley.  Mr.  Beardsley  was  elected 
special  city  judge  of  Utica  in  1886,  and  city  judge  in  1888,  which  he  resigned  four 
years  later  to  accept  the  appointment  of  State  railroad  commissioner  which  was  ten- 
dered him  by  Governor  Flower.  Mr.  Beardsley  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
County  Committee  in  1886-87-88,  and  was  also  State  committeeman  from  his  con- 
gressional district  and  secretary  of  the  Democratic  State  Committee  from  1889  to 
1893.  Mr.  Beardsley  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Hopper,  of  Utica,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children.     He  is  a  Mason. 

Richards,  Edward,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  April  2,  1836,  son  of  Richard  D. 
and  Mary  (Jones)  Richards,  natives  of  Wales.  David  Richards  came  from  Wales  to 
Deerfield  about  1820,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  here  lived  and  died. 
About  one  year  later  Richard  D.  Richards  came  to  Deerfield  and  built  a  saw  mill 
in  partnership  with  a  John  Davis;  they  continued  in  partnership  until  said  Davis's 
death  which  was  caused  by  the  falling  of  a  tree  which  struck  him.  Then  Richard 
D.  Richards  rebuilt  the  mill  and  continued  in  the  business  till  his  death.  He  was 
a  Whig,  and  was  for  several  years  assessor  of  the  town.  He  died  in  1854  and  his 
wife  in  1888.  Edward  Richards  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  has  always  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  excepting  three  years  at  the  carpenter  trade.  He  has  a  farm  of 
128  acres,  and  keeps  about  seventeen  cows.  In  1892  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Even  and  Ann  (Roberts)  Jones,  natives  of  Wales.  Mrs.  Jones's  father.  Even 
Roberts,  was  about  the  first  settler  at  Turin,  Lewis  county.     He  first  bought  land  at 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  95 

Whitesboro,  whence  he  removed  to  Turin,  and  engaged  in  farming,  milling  and 
mercantile  business,  being  an  active,  energetic  man.  Mr.  Jones's  father,  Jacob 
Jones,  died  in  Wales.  Mr.  Jones  was  a  miller  at  Turin,  but  spent  his  last  days  in 
Pennsylvania. 

Roser,  Charles,  was  born  in  Lewis,  Lewis  county,  N.Y.,  July  10,  186L  His  father, 
Henry  Roser,  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  to  America  in  1849,  settling  in 
AVa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Catherine  Schwaub,  who  came  to 
America  in  1852,  daughter  of  George  and  Louise  Schwaub,  who  lived  and  died  in 
Germany.  Charles  Roser  was  educated  at  West  Leyden,  and  has  since  followed 
farming,  now  owning  a  farm  of  125  acres,  on  which  he  keeps  about  twenty-five  cows. 
In  1885  he  married  Amelia,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Barbara  (Ruby)  Gerwig,  of 
New  London,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roser  have  two  children : 
Winifred,  born  September  12,  1886;  and  Emerson,  born  September  2,  1890. 

Morgan,  William  A.,  was  born  in  Connecticut  May  16,  1824,  son  of  Israel  F.  and 
Lucy  (Stoddard)  Morgan,  who  settled  in  Trenton  about  1828.  Their  children  were 
Clarissa  vS.,  Austin  A.,  Israel  F.,  Lucy  A.,  WiUiam  A.,  and  Jane  Elizabeth.  Colonel 
Morgan,  as  he  was  usually  called,  was  born  December  11,  1792,  and  m  his  early  life 
was  engaged  in  farming.  Living  in  Connecticut  at  the  time  of  the  war  between 
England  and  the  United  States  in  1812,  and  belonging  to  a  military  organization,  he 
was  called  out  to  prevent  the  landing  of  British  troops  at  New  London.  In  1840  he 
purchased  the  grist  and  saw  mills,  store  and  farm  at  Trenton  Falls  of  Gardener 
Sherman,  which  he  managed  in  company  with  his  oldest  and  youngest  sons  until  his 
death  October  14,  1842.  He  was  at  one  time  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Trenton  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Trenton  Falls  school  district.  His  sec- 
ond son,  Col.  Israel  F. ,  jr.,  remained  on  the  farm  in  South  Trenton  where  he  first 
settled  until  his  death,  October  30, 1861.  His  granddaughter,  Mrs.  L.  G.  Wanful  still 
lives  on  the  same  farm.  William  E.  married  S.  Marie,  daughter  of  Col.  Timothy  H. 
Ferris,  of  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  William  C,  Harvey 
Ferris,  Elizabeth  B.,  Bela  Brewster,  Israel  F.  (deceased),  and  Austin  A.  (deceased). 
Mr.  Morgan  was  one  of  the  builders  of  the  present  school  house  at  Trenton  Falls, 
also  with  the  help  of  his  sons,  young  boys  at  the  time,  built  the  dam  across  the  West 
Canada  Creek,  which  has  stood  the  annual  freshets  for  which  that  stream  is  noted 
for  more  than  twenty  years  and  furnished  power  to  operate  the  mills.  It  is  in  the 
management  of  these  mills  since  the  death  of  his  father  and  brother  that  he  is  best 
known.  Mr.  Morgan  arrived  at  manhood  at  the  period  when  all  young  men  were  re- 
quired b}'  law  to  do  militarj'  duty,  and  was  commissioned  first  by  Gov.  William  L. 
Marcy  as  paymaster,  then  adjutant,  and  by  Gov.  Silas  Wright  as  major,  all  of  which 
he  still  has  in  his  possession. 

Wilmarth,  Mrs.  Margaret. — The  late  Isaac  Wilmarth  was  born  in  Deerfield, 
August  2,  1830,  son  of  Scott  M.  and  Marcy  Wilmarth.  Scott  M.  Wilmarth  was  born 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Wilmarth,  September  22,  1793,  and  died 
April  14,  1879.  Mrs.  Marcy  Wilmarth  died  February  10,  1857.  The  grandparents, 
Isaac  and  Rhoda  (Mason)  Wilmarth,  were  natives  of  Rhode  Island,  born  January  10, 
1768,  and  April  10,  1772,  respectively;  and  they  came  from  Rhode  Island  and  settled 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Wilmarth  in  1792.     The  father  of  Mrs.  Rhoda  Wil- 


06  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

marth,  Philip  Mason,  was  a  native  of  England  and  came  to  America.  Isaac  Wilmarth, 
only  brother  of  Scott  M.,  was  a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College,  and  was  the  first  Bap- 
tist missionary  from  the  United  States  to  France.  Isaac  Wilmarth,  our  subject,  was 
a  graduate  of  Whitestown  Seminary.  He  engaged  in  farming,  market  gardening, 
and  also  beekeeping,  making  a  specialty  of  the  latter.  He  was  justice  for  eighteen 
years.  September  23,  1852,  he  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Roland  and  Margaret 
Davis,  a  pioneer  of  1817,  by  whom  he  had  five  children ;  Josephine,  wife  of  Rev.  E.  D. 
Mason,  a  Baptist  minister  of  Cottage  City,  Mass. ;  Roland  S.,  who  died  atone  year  of 
age;  Robert,  a  physician  in  South  America;  Isaac  Judson,  living  at  home;  and  Evan- 
geline, wife  of  Alfred  Coram,  of  Utica.  Since  Mr.  Wilmarth's  death,  his  wife  has 
conducted  the  farm  of  about  120  acres. 

Hayes,  Charles  R.,  was  born  in  West  Turin,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1868,  son  of 
Matthew  Hayes,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1821.  Matthew  Hayes  was  a  shoe- 
maker and  came  to  America  in  1841,  going  directly  to  Lewis  county,  where  he  pur- 
sued his  trade  for  twenty  years.  He  then  engaged  in  farming,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty  years.  He  married  Cather- 
ine Haller,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  their  children  were  Henry,  who  was  drowned 
in  Woodhull  in  1893;  William,  and  Charles  R.  Mrs.  Hayes  died  in  1886.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  Charles  R.  began  to  learn  the  millwright's  trade  and  has  suc- 
cessfully followed  it  up  to  the  present  time.  In  October,  1892,  he  came  to  Forestport 
and  engaged  as  manager  of  the  Woodhull  Lumber  Comj^any,  but  in  1894  he  went 
into  business  for  himself  and  erected  a  turning  and  planing  mill  and  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business.  In  1890  Mr.  Hayes  married  Caroline,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Adeline  (Croup)  Miller,  of  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  by  wlKmi  he  has  one  child, 
Harry. 

Snow,  Arch.  B.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  January  30,  1841.  His  father,  S.  E.  Snow, 
was  also  born  here  January  1,  1809,  and  is  to-day  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  local  birth. 
Mr.  Snow's  paternal  ancestors  were  from  Massachusetts,  and  he  was  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  not  less  than  twenty  battles  in  the  Civil  war.  He  first  enlisted  in  1861,  in 
Co.  I,  97th  Regt..  was  soon  promoted  to  corporal,  then  to  first  sergeant,  then  to  lieu- 
tenant, and  in  1865  received  commission  as  captain.  He  was  disabled  by  a  shot  in 
the  face  at  Gettysburg,  and  was  captured  while  acting  as  aid-de-camp  at  Weldon 
Railroad  in  1864,  remaining  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Libby,  Salisbury,  and  Danville 
prisons  for  six  months.  Mr.  Snow  is  now  a  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes  at  Boonville, 
and  in  1881  he  married  Jennie  Muller.  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Archibald  and 
Martha.  He  was  the  charter  commander  of  Wheelock  Post,  No  97,  G.  A.  R..  and 
is  of  high  rank  and  degree  in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  has  had  a  varied  experience 
beyond  the  lot  of  most  men  of  his  age.  We  quote  the  following  from  a  short  bio- 
graphical sketch  in  the  Grand  Army  Journal:  "For  many  years,  under  the  stage 
name  of  A.  A.  Armstrong,  he  acted  in  the  best  theatres  of  the  United  States,  Canada, 
and  the  British  West  Indies,  and  as  a  dialect  actor,  personator  of  quaint  character 
parts,  and  high  class  vocalist,  obtained  an  enviable  reputation."  During  the  past 
three  years  he  has  taken  a  prominent  place  among  monologue  entertainers,  and  as  a 
humorist,  sensational  reciter,  and  descriptive  vocalist,  ranks  with  the  best.  His  fun 
is  infectious,  and  the  moral  tone  of  his  entertainments  is  high  and  pure.  His  "Ran- 
dom Recollections  of  the  Field  and  Camp  fire,"  in  Grand  Army  entertainments  have 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  97 

been  a  great  success,  and  of  late  there  has  been  a  growing  demand  for  his  services 
at  church  society  entertainments.  He  also  contributes  much  valuable  historical 
material  to  the  local  press,  and  an  occasional  war-story  from  his  pen  finds  ready  sale. 

Fitzgerald,  Edward,  was  born  in  St.  Johnsville,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  in 
June,  1839.  His  parents  were  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1830  and  first  settled  in  Albany,  whence  they  came  to  Utica,  and  in  1840  to  the  town 
of  Florence.  Mr.  Fitzgerald  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  cleared  a  farm  of  about 
one  hundred  acres,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Edward  Fitzgerald  is  one  of 
five  children.  He  acquired  a  good  education  and  taught  school  in  the  town  of  Flor- 
ence for  several  years  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  now  owning  a  farm  of  ninety 
acres.  He  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  David  Barry  of  Seneca  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  ten  children:  Ella,  Maud  J.,  Lulu  E.,  Katie  B.,  Mary  A., 
Margaret  T.,  Agnes  L.,  Grace  B.,  Evangeline,  and  Edward,  jr.  Politically  Mr. 
Fitzgerald  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  1871  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town,  which 
office  he  held  for  nine  years,  was  collector  for  two  years,  and  has  held  the  office  of 
justice  since  1891,  and  was  re-elected  justice  March,  1896,  for  the  term  of  four  years; 
he  has  also  held  the  oflfice  of  inspector  of  election  for  several  years.  He  has  held 
some  town  office  every  year  since  he  became  a  voter, 

Cruikshank,  James  M.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  November  29, 
1840,  being  the  eldest  son  of  James  and  Malintha  (Reed)  Cruikshank.  His  father, 
James,  sr.,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  in  1807,  when  seven  years  of  age,  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  with  the  family,  and  came  to  the  town  of  Deerfield  where  the 
family  located  and  purchased  a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres.  In  1837  James,  sr.,  was 
married  to  Malintha  Reed,  a  native  of  Deerfield.  He  purchased  his  father's  farm 
and  engaged  in  farming,  and  subsequently  increased  his  farm  to  250  acres  on  which 
he  resided  until  his  death  April  24,  1877.  His  wife  died  March  16,  1884.  On  March 
31,  1863,  James  M.  was  married  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  Evans, 
natives  of  Wales,  who  came  to  America  and  located  in  Deerfield,  where  she  was 
born' May  8,  1841.  Afterward  they  removed  to  Newport,  Herkimer  county,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm,  on  which  they  resided  until  their  death.  He  in  February,  1879, 
aged  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  September  18,  1890,  aged  eighty-seven  years. 
In  1863  James  M.  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren: Fred  J.,  born  May  19,  1864,  and  was  married  to  Cora  E.,  only  daughter  of 
William  and  Eliza  Kane  of  Newport,  N.  Y.,  March  10,  1886,  and  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  farming  at  Newport,  N.  Y.  ;  Edgar  C,  born  October  9,  1865,  was  married 
to  May,  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Seavy  of  Poland,  N.  Y.,  September  17,  1890.  He  has 
been  in  the  mercantile  business  for  ten  years  and  is  now  general  agent  for  "  The 
Poland  Union,"  at  Poland,  N.  Y. ;  Millard  S.,  born  August  1,  1867,  graduate  of 
Fairfield  Academy,  and  for  seventeen  terms  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  the 
county,  and  is  at  present  m  possession  of  the  same  farm  bought  by  his  grand- 
father's father  ninety  years  ago;  Avis  E.,  born  October  10,  1870,  wife  of  Benjamin 
L.  Ford,  who  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Newport,  N.  Y.  In  politics 
Mr.  Cruikshank  is  a  Republican.  He  has  occupied  various  positions  of  public  trust 
in  his  town.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cruikshank  have  been  for  many  years  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  of  North  Gage. 


98  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Flint,  James  H.,  was  born  in  Ava,  December  6,  1857,  son  of  Peter  A.,  who  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  January  8,  1820,  and  Catherine  (Wah-adt)  Flint, 
a  native  of  Otsego  county.  His  grandparents,  John  R.  and  Lana  (Yerdon)  Flint, 
were  both  natives  of  Montgomery  county ;  and  his  great-grandparents,  Robert  C. 
and  Mary  (Bartlett)  Flint,  were  pioneers  of  Montgomery  county,  and  they  spent  their 
last  days  on  the  Flint  homestead  in  Ava.  John  R.  came  to  Ava  in  1841  and  bought 
a  farm  of  370  acres,  and  he  died  in  March,  1891,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four,  and  his 
wife  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  Peter  A.  Flint  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  has  made  farming  his  prmcipal  occupation ;  but  having  united  with  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  in  1851,  he  was  given  license  to  preach  in  that  church,  has 
been  local  minister  since.  He  sold  his  farm  of  180  acres  to  his  son  in  1895  and  has 
retired.  He  has  been  supervisor  for  several  years,  and  assessor  for  nine  years.  In 
1882  James  Flint  married  Amelia  E.  Pohl,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Clarence,  who 
was  born  September  25,  1883.  Mr.  Flint  commenced  farming  in  Lewis  county,  and 
in  1887  he  rented  the  farm  of  218  acres  of  Sarah  A.  Wood,  in  Ava,  and  has  a  dairy 
of  thirty  to  thirty-five  cows.  He  also  has  the  homestead  farm  of  182  acres,  where 
he  keeps  twenty-two  cows.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  excise  com- 
missioner, and  is  now  assessor. 

O  Mara,  Daniel,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  November  3,  1855,  son  of  Pat- 
rick O'Mara,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  m  1851,  and 
settled  in  Florence,  where  he  has  worked  at  his  trade,  as  blacksmith.  He  married 
Mary  Horrigan,  who  was  born  in  New  York  State,  and  they  have  been  the  parents 
of  eight  children:  Daniel,  William,  deceased,  John,  Michael,  Joseph,  George,  Mary, 
and  Kate.  He  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  the  village  of  Florence, 
and  is  also  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the  town,  carrying  a  full  line  of  gro- 
ceries, crockery  ware,  etc.  In  politics  Mr.  O'Mara  is  a  Democrat  and  in  1881  was 
elected  supervisor  of  the  town,  which  office  he  held  for  three  terms,  was  appointed 
postmaster  in  1884,  and  served  through  Cleveland's  first  administration.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  justice  of  the  peace,  having  held  that  office  since  1886.  He  was 
instrumental  in  getting  the  telephone  system  in  the  town  and  village  of  Florence. 
He  married  Ella,  daughter  of  Richard  Willis,  who  was  among  the  first  settlers  of 
the  town,  and  their  children  are  John  R.  and  Mollie. 

White,  Charles  M.,  was  born  on  the  farm  whore  he  now  resides,  November  25, 
1817,  son  of  Aaron  and  Rhoda  (Bagg)  White.  Aaron  White  settled  in  .the  town  of 
Marcy  about  1810,  and  was  followed  by  his  father,  Samuel,  from  Middletown,  Conn. 
Samuel's  children  were  Aaron,  Nancy  Gitteau,  Elizabeth  Perry,  Sophia,  Walter,  and 
Laurie  Buck.  Aaron  White  had  two  children;  Charles  M.  and  Martha  White  Fuller. 
Aaron  White  followed  farming  and  at  one  time  was  the  largest  distiller  of  pepper- 
mint in  the  United  States.  He  was  colonel  of  the  N.  Y.  State  Militia,  and  was  su- 
pervisor of  his  town  for  several  years.  His  (C.  M.  White's)  grandfather  was  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  also  his  great-grandfather. 

Wood,  Mrs.  Permelia  I.,  is  the  widow  of  Horace  Wood,  who  died  in  Deerfield,  in 
1868,  son  of  Calvin  and  Sarah  Wood  of  West  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county.  Mrs. 
Wood  is  the  daughter  of  Franklin  (a  native  of  Massachusetts)  and  Phoebe  (Brown) 
Whitney,   a  native  of  Connecticut.     Her  grandfather  was  a  pioneer'  of  Herkimer 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  99 

county,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Franklin  Whitney  came  to 
Deerfield  in  j^ioneer  days,  where  he  cleared  a  home.  He  kept  a  tavern  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  Wood,  and  also  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  and  was  engaged  in 
farming.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  had  four  children:  Julia,  who  died  June  9,  1895; 
Murray,  a  butcher  at  Schuyler,  N.  Y.  ;  Horace,  a  farmer  of  White  Hall,  111.  ;  and 
Charles,  who  conducts  the  home  farm,  and  has  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows.  Franklin 
Whitney  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in  1845. 

Lloyd,  David  R.,  son  of  Richard  and  Winifred  Lloyd,  was  born  in  Wales  in  1824. 
He  was  one  of  six  children:  Evan,  John,  Mary,  William,  Catherine,  and  David  R. 
In  1854  he  settled  in  Utica.  There  he  married  Sidna,  daughter  of  Lewis  Owen,  by 
whom  he  has  had  eight  children :  Winifred  (deceased,  wife  of  William  D.  Edwards) ; 
Mary,  wife  of  John  P.  Jones;  Harriet,  John  Lemuel,  WilUam,  David  R.,  jr.,  and 
Evan  H.  After  leaving  Utica,  where  he  resided  for  some  time,  he  became  engaged 
in  farming.  He  now  resides  on  what  is  known  as  the  Fox  farm,  two  miles  from 
Holland  Patent.  Mr.  Lloyd  is  a  deacon  in  the  Bethany  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  he  has  been  tru.stee.  Evan  H.  is  employed  by  the  N.  Y.  C.  R.  R.  as  sten- 
ographer and  typewriter  at  LHica.  David  R.,  jr.,  was  graduated  from  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Oneonta  and  is  teaching  at  Forestport,  N.  Y.  William,  after  tak- 
ing a  course  in  music,  is  engaged  in  giving  vocal  les.sons. 

Thomas,  Evan  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  August 
25,  1833,  son  of  Thomas  J.  and  Ann  (Jones)  Thomas.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  a  daughter 
of  John  F.  and  Mary  Jones,  who  settled  in  Trenton  about  1800.  John  F.  Jones  was 
a  private  in  the  war  of  1812.  Thomas  J.  Thomas  settled  in  Trenton  about  1825,  and 
in  1828  he  married  and  moved  to  Steuben.  They  had  three  children:  Capt.  John  T., 
who  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  117th  Regt.,  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  killed  January  15,  1865,  at 
Fort  Fisher,  N.  C.  ;  Evan  T.,  and  Maria  (deceased).  Evan  T.  Thomas  married 
Priscilla,  daughter  of  Meredith  H.  and  Jane  Meredith  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren: Anna,  John,  Clarence  D.,  and  Jennie  (deceased).  His  wife  died  in  1874.  He 
was  married  December  22,  1875,  to  Ann,  daughter  of  John  O.  and  Jeanette  Roberts, 
of  Remsen.  In  1857  Mr.  Thomas  engaged  in  the  limestone  and  quarry  business 
near  Remsen,  and  in  1869  he  removed  to  Prospect,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  the  same  business.  He  has  always  been  interested  in  educational  and  church 
work. 

Wilson,  Benjamin  F.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Newport,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y., 
November  11,  1819.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  has  always  been 
a  farmer.  He  came  with  his  brother  George  to  the  town  of  Westmoreland  in  1841, 
and  March  7,  1849,  he  married  Susan  F.  Brewster,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  by  whom 
he  had  eight  children:  Emma  J.,  George  B.,  Alice  C,  James  H.,  Frank  B.,  Herbert 
E. ,  Julia  C,  and  Seymour  E.  Emma  J.  married  William  H.  Soper,  and  they  have 
two  children:  Alice  L.  and  Willard  P.  George  B.  married  Anna  Maycock,  and  they 
have  three  children;  Minnie,  George  H.  and  Henry  B.  Alice  C.  married  William 
Brewster,  and  they  have  two  daughters:  Maud  and  Susan.  James  H.  married  Lulu 
Palmer,  of  Verona  village,  and  they  have  seven  children:  Benjamin  W.,  William, 
Dwight,  Geoi-ge,  Hubert,  Nellie,  and  Irving.  Frank  B.  married  Emma  Soper. 
Herbert  J.  married   Emma  Youngs,  and  they  had  two  daughters:  Susan  and  Flora. 


100  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

He  died  January  2,  1891.  Julia  C.  married  H.  Wylie  Adams,  aud  they  have  two 
children:  Henry  and  Ruth.  Seymour  E.  married  Ellen  J.  Huminston,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Florence  V.  Mrs  Wilson  died  September  1,  1890.  Mr.  Wilson's 
father,  John  Wilson,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Thompson,  Conn.,  September  16,  1780^ 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day.  He  married  Sarah  Wheaton,  who  was 
born  July  12,  1782,  in  Swansea,  Conn.  They  had  twelve  children:  Lyman,  Nancy 
A.,  Simon  W.,  Sally,  Ruth,  Harriet,  John,  George,  Benjamin,  who  died  in  infancy, 
Benjamin  F.,  as  above,  Lanard  K.,  and  Samuel  S.  Mr.  Wilson  died  December  IG, 
1873.  Mr.  Wilson's  grandfather,  John  Wilson,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

Perry,  Gilbert,  was  born  in  Franklin  county  in  1855,  son  of  Frank  Perry,  who  was 
born  in  Canada  in  1830,  son  of  Martin,  who  was  a  laborer.  Frank  Perry  was  a 
farmer  and  woodsman,  and  came  to  Franklin  county  about  1845,  where  he  still  re- 
sides. He  married  Betsey  Farmer,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Gilbert,  who  at- 
tended the  district  school  and  was  brought  up  to  lumbering.  When  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  began  for  himself  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  took  his  first  lumber  con- 
tract. From  1878  to  1888  he  was  employed  as  foreman  under  a  superintendent  in  the 
lumber  woods,  and  during  1888  acted  as  superintendent,  putting  in  a  stock  of  21,500,- 
000  feet  of  lumber.  In  1889  he  was  sent  to  Oneida  county  and  the  Adirondacks 
prospecting  for  timber,  the  result  of  which  was  the  purchasing  of  93,000  acres  of  land 
by  a  syndicate,  and  the  following  year  he  came  to  Forestport  as  superintendent  of  a 
logging  crew.  He  built  the  first  logging  camp  on  Black  River  and  began  operations 
with  twenty-five  men,  the  next  year  he  entered  into  contract  with  the  Forestport 
Lumber  Company  to  clear  Black  River  Valley  of  the  lumber  timber.  In  1894  he 
took  another  contract  of  Denton  &  Waterbury  to  clear  from  a  large  tract  of  land  the 
timber  amounting  to  400,000,000  feet  and  to  deliver  the  logs  at  their  mill  at  Forest- 
port; these  two  later  contracts  he  is  still  operating  on.  Mr.  Perry  owns  a  farm  in 
Franklin  county  and  one  in  Forestport,  where  he  now  resides  and  which  he  superin- 
tends. He  is  an  active,  enterprising  business  man,  and  to  him  is  due  the  opening  of 
the  Black  River  country.  In  1892  he  put  in  a  general  store  in  Forestport  and  in  1895 
erected  a  store  at  North  Lake,  which  he  stocked  with  general  merchandise.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  In  1877  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Charles  Camp,  of  Franklin  county,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Violet,  May  and 
Jane. 

Krebs,  Albert,  was  born  in  Annsville,  October  12,  1858,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Rosanna  (Yutzler)  Krebs,  both  natives  of  Switzerland.  His  father,  who  was  a  cabi- 
netmaker and  cheesemaker  by  trade,  came  to  America  in  the  early  fifties,  and  for  a 
short  time  lived  in  Lee,  and  then  removed  to  Annsville,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  eight  years.  He  then  conducted  a  Swiss  cheese  factory  at  Blossvale  about 
three  years,  and  later  operated  a  cheese  factory  at  Lee  State  Road  for  two  years, 
and  since  1869  has  been  a  resident  of  Lee,  on  the  farm  he  now  occupies,  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  manufacture  of  Swiss  and  Limburger  cheese.  During  the  late  Civil 
war  he  was  a  member  of  Co.  F,  146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  after  serving  nearly  a  year 
was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krebs  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  survive:  Samuel,  jr.,  John  F.,  Albert,  Ed- 
ward F.,  and  Susan  K.  (Mrs.  Jacob  Abbuhl).     Albert  was  reared  in  his  native  coun- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  101 

tr};^  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Utica  Business  College,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1882.  The  following  year  he  conducted  a  Swiss  cheese 
factory  at  Lee  State  Road,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  business  at  home,  be- 
ing associated  with  his  father  and  brother.  He  married,  October  16,  1893,  Hattie 
M.,  daughter  of  Cornelius  J.  Western  of  Boonville.  He  is  a  member  of  F.  &  A.  M., 
Royal  Arcanum,  S.  F.  I.,  and  P.  of  H.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the 
peace  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  elected  the  following  spring  for  a  full  term,  and  resigned 
in  1889  to  accept  an  appointment  of  supervisor  to  fill  an  unexpired  term,  and  was 
subsequently  elected  to  the  same  office  four  successive  terms,  one  year  being  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  Republican  and  Democrat  tickets.     Mr.  Krebs  is  a  Democrat. 

Miller,  Dr.  Frederick  Munger,  was  born  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  November  22,  1868,  son 
of  George  L.  and  Cornelia  (Foote)  Miller.  George  L.  is  a  native  of  Oneida  county, 
son  of  Phineas  C.  and  Mary  E.  (Munger)  Miller.  Phineas  C.  is  a  native  of  Hanover 
Green,  son  of  Isaac  Miller,  who  came  from  Middleville,  Conn,  to  Hanover  Green 
about  1775,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  there.  He  took  up  400  acres  of  land  and 
cleared  a  home.  In  1809  he  went  to  Deansboro,  where  he  died  about  1840.  Mrs. 
Cornelia  (Foote)  Miller  was  a  native  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Daniel  B.  and 
Eliza  M.  (Yale)  Foote,  who  were  early  settlers  of  Vernon,  where  they  came  from 
Norfolk,  Conn.  George  L.  Miller  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  Clinton.  He  then  went  on  the  road  as  a  commercial  traveler, 
and  settled  in  Utica  in  1881,  and  in  1891  took  up  his  residence  at  Deerfield.  Dr. 
Frederick  Miller  was  educated  at  the  Clinton  Grammar  School  and  L^tica  Academy; 
he  was  for  one  year  at  the  L^niversitj-  of  Maryland,  and  two  years  at  Long  Island 
College  Hospital,  and  he  was  graduated  from  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital  in 
the  spring  of  1891,  after  which  he  commenced  his  practice  at  Deerfield;  he  also  has 
an  office  in  Utica.  He  is  health  officer  of  Deerfield  and  Marc}'.  He  is  a  member  of 
Shenandoah  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  1891  he  married  Marie  A.  Tefft,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Charles  B.  Tefft  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Charles  Tefft,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  months,  and  Frederick  M. 

Pratt,  Charles  A.,  was  born  in  Verona,  N.  Y.,  in  1849.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he 
went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  N.  J.  Blackman,  and  attended  the  district  schools.  The 
early  years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  dairy  farming  on  a  large  scale  and  he  also  did 
a  large  lumbering  business,  together  with  the  manufacture  of  cider  and  vinegar  in 
company  with  his  uncle.  Mr.  Pratt  now  owns  the  Summit  View  Stock  Farm,  where 
he  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding  the  best  strains  of  trotting  horses.  Among  the 
best  ones  he  has  developed  are  Repetition  2:14^;  Bon  Homie,  2:17^;  Charley 
Green,  2:19|,  etc.  Mr.  Pratt  has  held  the  position  of  highway  commissioner  for 
six  A^ears.  May  7,  1874,  he  married  Mary  L.  Beck,  formerly  of  Herkimer,  and  they 
have  three  sons:  Jay  H.,  W.  Spencer,  and  Nahum  B.  Jay  H.  Pratt  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  horse  business  with  his  father.  Mr.  Pratt's  father,  William,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  November  29,  1823.  He  married  twice,  first  to  Sarah 
M.  Blackman,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  one  died  in  infancy,  Charles  A.,  and 
Herbert  W.  Mr.  William  Pratt  died  January  22,  1891,  and  his  wife  died  February 
19,  1864.  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Pratt's  father,  Jacob  Beck,  was  born  in  Germany,  in 
March,  1830,  and  was  educated  in  their  schools.  He  came  to  the  United  States  when 
eighteen   years  of  age,   first  locating  in   Herkimer  county.     He  married  Elizabeth 


102  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Brandenstein,  a  native  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Mary  L., 
WiUiam,  Caroline,  Oliver,  Julia,  Frances,  and  Elizabeth.  The  family  came  to  the 
town  of  Verona  in  1854.     The  family  is  of  English,  Scotch  and  German  descent. 

Potter,  Carroll  C,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  September  18,  1832, 
son  of  William  and  Angeline  (Briggs)  Potter,  who  settled  in  Marcy  about  1824.  They 
had  eight  children:  Caroline  Mattison,  John,  Betsey  Fox,  Carroll  C,  Roderick,  Mary 
Ann  Wilcox,  Angeline  and  Henry  J.  William  Potter  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  held  the  office  of  justice  and  as-sessor  for  about  thirty  years.  He  was  also  active 
in  educational  and  church  work,  and  helped  to  build  the  first  school  house  in  dis- 
trict No.  5,  in  the  town  of  Marcy  in  1832.  He  also  helped  to  organize  the  Baptist 
society,  and  was  trustee  at  the  time  the  church  was  erected  in  1842.  Carroll  C. 
Potter  married  Sarah  S.,  daughter  of  Hiram  Getman.  Mr.  Potter  has  been  justice 
of  the  peace  for  twenty  years,  and  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Marcy  in  1868. 
He  was  captain  in  the  41st  Regt.,  21st  Brigade,  6th  Division,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.  Mr. 
Potter  has  been  connected  with  the  School  Board  since  1857,  and  has  been  an  officer 
of  the  church  for  twenty-five  years,  also  takes  an  active  part  in  agricultural  societies, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Central  Farmers'  Club.  He  is  a  secretary  of  the 
State  Good  Roads  Committee,  also  a  member  of  the  County  Good  Roads  Society 
He  is  a  member  of  Marcy  Grange,  Utica  F.  &  A.  M.,  Lodge  No.  47,  and  of  Oneida 
Chapter  of  Utica. 

Shaw,  Henry  W.,  was  born  in  Sheffield,  England,  September  25,  1830,  son  of  John 
and  Ann  (Ashforth)  Shaw,  natives  of  England,  who  came  to  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  in  1831, 
and  in  1832  came  to  Deerfield,  where  they  engaged  in  farming.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  George  Ashforth,  was  a  cabinet  maker  at  Vernon  Center;  and 
his  paternal  grandfather,  John  Shaw,  was  overseer  of  land  estate  in  England,  who 
in  old  age  came  to  America,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-four  years.  Henry 
W.  has  been  engaged  at  railroading  for  ten  years;  at  the  carpenter  trade  for  twenty 
years,  and  was  collector  of  toll  on  the  Deerfield  and  Utica  road,  for  three  years. 
In  1857  he  married  Helen  Sweet  of  Schuyler,  who  died  in  1887,  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Cora  A.  In  1862  Mr.  Shaw  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  117th,  4th  Oneida  Regt.  and  was 
honorably  discharged  May  10,  1864,  because  of  disability.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  Post  McQuaid  No.  14,  G.  A.  R. 

Ballon,  Ellis,  was  born  near  Boonville,  in  1842,  son  of  Ellis  Ballon,  also  a  native  of 
that  place.  His  grandfather,  Peletiah  Ballou,  came  from  Rhode  Island.  Ellis 
Ballou,  jr.,  was  educated  at  Boonville,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  now 
owns  a  farm  of  170  acres.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  highway  commis- 
sioner in  1882,  and  in  1884  was  elected  assessor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  In  1875  he  married  Agnes  Sester,  of  a  French  family  of  Boonville,  by 
whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Mary  A. 

Brewer,  Edward  E.,  was  born  on  the  homestead  in  the  town  of  Verona  in  1840. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Vernon  Academy,  and  is  by  occupation 
a  farmer.  He  is  also  a  dealer  in  hay.  In  1863  he  married  Melia  Eigabroadt,  of  the 
town  of  Vernon,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons:  James  E.  and  Charles  E.  James  E.  is 
a  prominent  attorney  in  Oneida,  N.  Y.,  and  married  Clara  Swift,  of  Warren,  Conn., 
by  whom  he  had  two  daughters:  Helen  and  Grace.     Charles  E.  is  a  fireman  on  the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  103 

N.  Y.  C.  &  H.  R.  R.R.  He  married  Lizzie  Mahaney,  of  Vienna.  Mr.  Brewer's  father, 
Morris  P.,  was  also  born  here  July  3,  1812.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Hamilton  College  at  Clinton,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married 
Caroline  E.  Sage,  by  whom  he  had  five  children :  James  A.,  Theodore  R.,  Edward 
E.,  as  above,  and  Mercy  E.,  now  Mrs.  John  Merrill,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  Morris  P. 
Mr.  Brewer's  grandfather,  Artemus  Brewer,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  about  1776. 
He  married  Electa  Hall,  by  whom  he  had  six  children.  He  died  in  1863,  and  his 
wife  about  1858.  Mrs.  Brewer's  father,  Peter  G.  Eigabroadt,  was  born  at  Palatine 
Bridge,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  April  28,  1792.  He  married  Lena  Garlock,  of 
his  native  place,  and  came  to  this  county  in  1840.  They  had  thirteen  children: 
Mary,  Nancy,  Elizabeth,  Washington,  David,  James,  Alonzo,  Walter,  Peter,  Diana, 
William,  Charles,  and  Amelia.  Charles  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  in  the  3d  N. 
Y.  Vols.,  and  died  at  Fort  McHenry,  Baltimore,  Md.  Peter  was  a  soldier  in  a  Wis- 
consin Regiment,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Mrs. 
Brewer's  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Her  grandfather,  Adam  Garlock, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany. 

Bowen,  John,  was  born  near  South  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  April  2,  1851, 
son  of  William  and  Ann  Bowen,  who  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Trenton 
about  1843.  In  early  life  William  Bowen  was  a  laborer,  but  later  followed  farming. 
His  children  are  William  E.,  Thomas.  Elizabeth,  John,  Lydia,  and  Hannah.  John 
Bowen  married  Carrie,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Maria  Theobold,  by  whom  he  had 
one  child,  Fred  W.  Mr.  Bowen  is  active  in  education,  school  and  church  work,  and 
is  also  interested  in  town,  county,  and  national  affairs.  He  is  a  charter  member  and 
president  of  South  Trenton  Patrons  of  Industry,  and  has  held  other  minor  offices. 

Coventry,  Robert,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  on  the  farm  he  now  owns,  Au- 
gust 19,  1837,  son  of  Robert  and  Lydia  (Barnes)  Coventry,  natives  of  Deerfield.  His 
maternal  grandparents  were  Aaron  and  Lucinda  Barnes.  Aaron  Barnes  was  born 
at  Lanesboro,  Mass.,  March  1(5,  1781,  and  came  to  Deerfield  in  1818,  where  he  died 
March  25,  1852;  and  his  father,  Joseph  Barnes,  was  a  captain  in  the  Revohitionary 
war.  Mr.  Coventry's  paternal  grandfather,  Dr.  Alexander  Coventry,  was  born  m 
Scotland,  August  27,  1876,  son  of  Capt.  George  Coventry,  a  soldier  under  George  II 
in  the  French  war.  He  studied  medicine  at  Glasgow  and  Edingburgh,  and  in  1785 
settled  at  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  farming. 
In  1796  he  removed  to  Utica,  where  he  also  practiced.  In  1804  he  engaged  in  fruit 
growing  in  Deerfield,  where  he  took  up  his  residence,  but  also  continued  his  practice 
in  Utica;  he  died  in  1831.  Robert  Coventry  was  born  in  Deerfield,  February  7,  1807, 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Deerfield,  where  he  died  February  15,  1888.  Mrs. 
Coventry  died  December  27,  1885.  Robert  Coventry,  jr.,  was  educated  at  Whites- 
town  Seminary,  and  November  18,  1863,  he  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Reese 
and  Jane  (Jones)  Lewis  of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Helen, 
born  September  26,  1864;  Thomas  L.,  born  December  10,  1867,  of  the  Utica  Press; 
and  Lydia  Jane,  born  May  13,  1869,  wife  of  Dr.  Woodruff  of  Joliet,  111. 

Hughes,  John  W.,  was  born  in  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  January  17,  1842,  son  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Roberts)  Hughes,  natives  of  North  Wales,  who  came  to 
America  in  1841,  locating  in  Remsen,  where  they  remained  two  years  and  then 


104  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

removed  to  Henderson  Harbor,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  thence  to  Wisconsin,  and  in 
1845  located  in  Rome,  where  the  father  engaged  in  street  contracting  and  speculat- 
ing in  real  estate,  and  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  16,  1894, 
aged  seventy-four  years.  He  had  four  children,  of  whom  John  W.  was-the  only  one 
to  reach  maturity.  John  W.  was  ed'.:cated  in  the  public  schools  of  Rome,  and  dur- 
ing the  late  Civil  war  was  a  member  of  Co.  B,  146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  enlisting  August 
26,  1863,  served  eighteen  months,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Chan 
cellorsville  and  Gettysburg.  Since  1867  Mr.  Hughes  has  been  engaged  in  farming, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  Western  since  1877.  In  1867  he  married  Ann,  daughter 
of  Owen  O.  and  Jeanette  Evans,  of  Constableville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  five  chil- 
dren surviving;  one,  Kittie,  died  young;  those  living  are  Jeanette,  Elizabeth 
(Mrs.  Hamilton),  Grace,  Catharine  and  William. 

Hemenway,  Henry  M.,  was  born  in  Marcy,  February  17,  1817,  son  of  Nathan  and 
Martha  D.  (Bruce)  Hemenway.  He  was  one  of  nine  children  :  Louise,  Susan,  Patty, 
Henry  M.,  James,  Aurelia,  Janette,  Martha  D.  and  Margaret.  He  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Austin  and  Maria  Fuller,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Helen  M.,  wife  of 
Allison  Holland.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  home  and  hired  as  a  farm  hand  to 
Reuben  Fox,  near  Holland  Patent,  where  he  remained  until  twenty-one,  when  he 
married  and  took  on  shares  the  farm  of  Aaron  White  of  that  place.  When  twenty- 
five  he  bought  the  farm  in  Floyd  on  which  he  has  .since  resided.  Mr.  Hemenway 
was  at  one  time  captain  in  the  State  National  Guards  and  is  a  descendant  on  the 
maternal  side  of  the  ancient  Scottish  family  of  Bruce.  About  1660  his  third  great- 
grandfather, Thomas  Eames,  settled  in  Framingham,  Mass.,  and  was  early  chosen 
selectman.  His  house  was  burned  by  the  Indians  February  1,  1676,  his  wife  killed 
with  some  of  his  children  and  others  taken  captive.  The  massacre  was  committed 
by  twelve  Indians  headed  by  Nitus.  The  actors  did  not  long  escape  the  hands 
of  justice.  Nitus  was  killed  March  27  at  Marlboro  by  a  party  of  English  under 
Lieutenant  Jacobs,  and  his  wife  sold.  Annecocken  was  dead  before  the  close  of 
summer.  August  12  a  warrant  was  issued  by  Thomas  Danforth,  magistrate,  for  the 
arrest  of  Joshua  Assunt,  John  Dublet,  William  Jackstraw  and  two  of  his  sons,  also 
Jackstraw's  wife,  all  of  them  Monguncog  Indians.  Jackstraw  and  his  two  sons  were 
examined  by  Mr.  Danforth,  to  whom  they  confessed  the  act.  The  three  were  com- 
mitted to  prison  with,  probably,  the  others,  and  tried  September  IS  and  three  were 
executed  on  the  21. 

Porter,  George  L.,  was  born  at  Boonville  in  1851,  son  of  Erastus  C.  Porter,  who 
was  also  born  at  Boonville,  and  whose  father,  Ezekiel  Porter,  was  a  pioneer  settler 
at  the  present  homestead,  where  in  the  year  1810  he  built  the  second  frame  house 
erected  in  that  locality.     Erastus  C.  Porter  was  twice  married,  having  two  children,  . 

one  son  and  one  daughter  by  his  first  wife  who  died  in  1838;  in  1842  he  married  Jane         III 
Kent,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead  except  George  L.,  ■"' 

the  subject  of  the  present  sketch.  In  1886  Erastus  C.  Porter  died  aged  eighty-one 
years;  he  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  energy  and  was  respected  and  hon- 
ored by  all  who  knew  him;  hi$  wile  died  nine  years  later  aged  eighty  three 
years.  George  L.  Porter  devoted  his  life  to  farming  where  his  ancestors  resided  be- 
fore him,  and  has  done  much  to  beautify  the  place  by  building  a  handsome  residence 
and  new  barns  and  out  buildings.  In  1872  he  married  Sarah  Reynolds,  by  whom  he 
has  four  children:  Charles  E.,  Walter  J.,  Frank  and  Le  Roy. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  105 

Roberts,  Mrs.  Emma  J.,  is  the  widow  of  the  late  Hon.  R.  H.  Roberts,  who  died  in 
1888,  aged  fifty-one  years.  He  was  born  in  Wales  in  1837,  and  came  to  America 
when  two  years  of  age.  In  1870  he  married  Emma  J.,  daughter  of  Spencer  Pitcher, 
of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Anna  Lena;  Robert  H.,  a  law  student 
in  the  office  of  Hon.  H.  W.  Bentley;  and  Emma  J.,  who  died  in  1874.  In  1865  Mr. 
Roberts  engaged  in  building  oil  tanks  in  the  Pennsylvania  oil  regions,  but  afterward 
retailed  wagons,  cutters,  etc.  He  was  elected  supervisor  in  1874  and  1875,  and  was 
sent  to  the  Assembly  in  1877.  In  1883  he  represented  Oneida  county  in  the  State 
Senate.     Latterly  his  allegiance  was  given  to  the  Democratic  party. 

Soule,  Germain  M.,  was  born  in  Floyd,  son  of  Nicholas  and  Mary  E.  (Burlison) 
Soule,  who  had  two  children:  Minnie  E.  and  Germain  M.  Nicholas  Soule  is  a  native 
of  Oneida  county,  son  of  Thomas  E.,  who  came  from  Connecticut  about  1800  and 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Germain  M.  Soule  married  Libbie,  daughter  of  Earnest 
and  Dora  (Dussel)  Brueckner,  by  whom  he  has  two  children ;  Nicholas  G.  and  Almira 
D.  In  1888  Mr.  Soule  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Floyd  in  which  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in  agricul- 
tural implements.  He  was  elected  inspector  of  election,  appointed  town  clerk  and 
in  1892  was  elected  supervisor.  For  the  last  two  years  he  has  been  highway  com- 
missioner. He  is  a  member  of  Oriskany  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  799;  O.  U.  F.  of 
Stittville;  Floyd  Grange;  and  is  president  of  the  Patrons  of  Industry. 

Sargent,  Foster,  was  born  at  Sterling,  Mass.,  m  1849,  .son  of  N.  M.  Sargent,  who 
was  of  English  descent,  and  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Mass.,  in  1813.  He  came  here 
in  1851  and  established  the  industry  of  chair  manufacturing,  one  of  the  important 
features  in  the  development  of  the  town.  In  1857  he  purchased  the  plant  of  the 
Tuttle  estate,  which  covers  seven  acres  and  furnishes  employment  for  many  men. 
He  married  Lydia  A.  Roper,  by  whom  he  had  four  children ;  Augustus  W.  (deceased), 
Nellie,  M.  Foster,  and  Frank  L.  His  death  in  1884  was  universally  regretted  by  the 
community,  with  which  he  had  been  so  closely  identified  for  so  many  years.  Foster 
and  Frank  L.  Sargent  then  formed  a  copartnership  stjded  N.  M.  Sargent's  Sons,  and 
fully  maintain  the  reputation  earned  during  the  lifetime  of  the  founder  of  the  enter- 
prise. Foster  Sargent  has  always  been  engaged  in  the  above  enterprise.  He  first 
married  Nettie  Rohda,  who  died  January  13,  1889,  and  afterward  married  Hattie  E. 
Hubbard  of  Gregg,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Walter  Sargent.  N.  M.  Sar- 
gent represented  the  town  two  years  in  the  Oneida  county  Board  of  Supervisors,  and 
at  various  times  was  trustee  of  the  village ;  Frank  Sargent  the  junior  member  of  the 
present  firm  was  born  at  Boonville  August  22,  1853.  He  married  Miss  Anna  Monna- 
han,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Anna  May,  and  one  son,  Frank  Harvey  Sar- 
gent; he  is  the  business  manager  of  the  firm  of  N.  M.  Sargent's  Sons. 

Swartwout,  Leander.  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Pamelia,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  April 
30,  1842,  son  of  Enoch  and  Sally  Swartwout.  Leander  Swartwout  was  educated  in 
the  district  and  select  schools  of  Jeflferson  county,  and  in  1861  entered  the  Fairfield 
Academy.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  121st  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  discharged 
in  1863.  In  1864  he  again  entered  the  Fairfield  Academy,  where  he  graduated.  He 
taught  school  for  forty  terms,  and  in  1878  he  entered  the  Albany  Medical  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1880,  and  since  which  time  he  has  practiced  in  Prospect.     He 


106  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  was  once  its  president,  and 
for  three  years  was  a  delegate  to  the  New  York  Medical  Society  and  is  a  member  of 
same,  and  he  was  also  coroner  for  three  years.  He  married  Sarah  E.  C.  Northrup, 
by  whom  he  had  three  children;  Anna  K.,  Addie  F.,  and  George  A.  He  married 
for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Hibbard,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Kate  L., 
Caradori,  Manuela,  and  Ruth.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Remsen  F.  &  A.M.,  I.O.C)  F., 
and  I.O.R.M.  of  Prospect,  and  also  of  the  Thomas  Post,  of  which  he  was  commander 
for  several  years. 

Dorn,  Samuel,  was  born  in  Ava,  Oneida  county,  in  1845.  son  of  Charles  Dorn. 
Charles  Dorn  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  and  settled  in  Ava  at  the  beginning  of 
the  century.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  a  man  of  great  natural  ability,  as  was  evidenced 
by  the  long  yet  ultimately  successful  litigation  with  the  town  of  Ava,  which  he  had 
concerning  an  unjust  taxation  imposed  upon  him.  Samuel  Dorn  gained  his  educa- 
tion at  Ava,  much  of  which  was  acquired  by  personal  research  and  investigation. 
He  owns  a  farm  in  Chenango  county  of  100  acres,  and  one  here  of  300  acres;  the 
principal  product  is  potatoes,  raising  from  2,000  to  4,000  bushels  annually  for  the 
past  twenty  years,  and  which  is  shipped  by  Mr.  Dorn  himself  to  New  York.  In  1876 
he  married  Angeline  Sprague,  who  was  born  in  McDonough,  Chenango  county,  and 
was  the  granddaughter  of  Joseph  Sprague,  who  came  from  Massachusetts  and 
settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Dorn.  when  the  entire  country  was  a  vast 
wilderness;  the  nearest  grist  mill  being  twenty  miles  away.  They  have  two  sons: 
Frank,  aged  nineteen,  at  present  operating  a  gasoline  engine;  and  Jacob,  aged 
fourteen.  Mr.  Dorn  is  president  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Grange  store  of 
Boonville,  and  is  a  prominent  granger;  he  is  also  a  Republican,  but  has  no  proclivity 
for  office. 

Potter,  John  W. ,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  October  17,  1859, 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Wilcox)  Potter;  and  John  was  a  son  of  William  Potter,  who 
settled  in  this  county  about  1836.  John  W.  was  one  of  two  children ;  the  other, 
Cora  S.,  wife  of  James  B.  Weaver,  of  Fonda,  la.  John  Potter  was  engaged  in 
farming;  was  active  in  town  and  county  affairs,  and  was  interested  in  educational 
work.  John  W.  Potter  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Evan  D.  and  Elenor  Jones. 
He  has  been  very  active  in  public  affairs;  was  assessor  of  Floyd  from  1884  to  1887, 
and  also  supervisor  in  1888-89-90;  and  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of  M^rcy 
March  3,  1896,  for  two  years.  He  was  very  active  in  the  church  and  Sunday-school 
of  the  Marcy  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Potter  was  master  of  the  Marcy  Grange  No.  620 
and  member  of  Oriskany  Lodge  No.  799,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Lockwood,  Andrew  J.,  was  born  in  Berlin,  Rensselaer  county,  N.Y.,  February  13, 
1846.  His  father,  Cornelius  Lockwood,  was  a  farmer,  charcoal  maker  and  lumber- 
man, born  in  Rensselaer  in  1806,  son  of  John  Lockwood,  of  Walton,  Delaware 
county,  N.  Y.  His  mother  was  Asenath  Hornocker,  born  in  Stephentown,  Rens- 
selaer county,  in  1814.  In  1859  they  removed  to  Forestport  where  Mr.  Lock- 
wood  died  in  April,  1890,  aged  eighty-four  years,  and  Mrs.  Lockwood  died  in 
February,  1892,  aged  nearly  seventy-eight  years.  The  other  children  born  to 
Cornelius  Lockwood  and  wife  were:  two  who  died  infancy;  Jane  Elizabeth  Crop- 
sey,  married  in   1853,  died  April  1,   1883;  James  E..  died  February  21,  1882;  Cor- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  107 

nelius,  of  Utica;  Adelia  died  aged  two  [years,  then  Andrew  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Henry,  living  at  White  Lake,  X.  Y.  ;  Catharine  M.  Griffith,  at  White  Lake; 
Lewis  of  Forestport;  and  Amaziah,  of  New  York  city.  January  1,  1864,  when 
nearly  eighteen  j^ears  of  age,  Andrew  J.  Lockwood  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  117th  N.  Y. 
Vols.,  and  went  out  as  a  recruit,  but  was  later  transferred  to  the  48th  Regiment,  his 
principal  battles  being  Swift  Creek,  Drury's  Bluff,  Bermuda  Hundred,  Cold  Harbor, 
Petersburg,  Fort  Fisher,  Fort  Anderson,  campaign  of  the  Carolinas  and  Bennett 
House.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  lumbering  and  farming, 
owning  two  farms,  and  devotes  his  time  to  dairy  farming.  He  has  served  as  poor- 
master  and  assessor  of  his  town,  and  is  now  serving  in  the  latter  capacity.  He  is 
now  commander  of  the  Henry  Walker  G.  A.  R.  Post  No.  181  of  Forestport.  In  De- 
cember, 1866,  he  married  Mary  J.  Drextel,  by  whom  he  has  had  seven  children: 
Olive  A.  Betsinger,  of  the  town  of  Western ;  Solon  A. ,  deceased ;  Victor  V. ,  married 
and  has  two  sons,  Earl  V.  and  Andrew  J.,  jr. ;  Chloe  H.,  deceased;  Edith  L.  Cas- 
ler,  of  Forestport;  Mary  A. ;  and  Royal  H.,  deceased.  Mrs.  Mary  Lockwood  died 
September  23,  1893,  and  his  present  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  December  6, 
1894,  is  Maria  La  Moine  Kirkland,  who  was  born  in  Whitestown  June  13,  1863, 
daughter  of  James  B.  and  Amy  Jane  (Carpenter)  Kirkland,  of  Forestport,  N.Y. 

Armstrong,  William  C,  was  born  in  Annsville,  Oneida  county,  April  11,  1830,  one 
of  eleven  children  of  George  and  Adelia  (Walrath)  Armstrong.  He  was  educated  in 
this  town,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  200  acres,  dairying  being  his 
principal  business.  He  married  Sarah  Campbell,  of  Annsville,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children:  George,  May,  Willie,  Alice,  Sarah,  and  Kittie.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  was  supervisor  of  the  town  in  1875,  and  has  been  assessor  six 
years. 

Dodge,  E.  C,  was  born  at  Carthage  in  1842,  son  of  Clark  Dodge,  a  noted  banker 
of  Boonville,  and  who  first  engaged  in  wagon  manufacture  at  Carthage,  w'here  he 
was  president  of  the  Carthage  Exchange  Bank,  and  was  also  a  retail  druggist  and 
builder  there.  In  1866  he  established  the  Bank  of  Boonville,  which,  after  passing 
through  various  financial  vicissitudes,  was  reorganized  in  1876,  as  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Boonville.  C.  E.  Dodge  was  engaged  in  the  retail  drug  business  at  Carth- 
age, which  business  he  resumed  in  Boonville,  where  he  came  at  twenty-four  years  of 
age.  For  many  years  he  has  been  cashier  of  the  bank,  with  which  his  father  was  so 
closely  identified  throughout  his  life.  In  1876  he  married  Cassia  Donnelly,  daughter 
of  Bernard  Donnelly,  esq. 

Davis,  John  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  October  4,  1859,  son  of  Thomas 
Davis,  who  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  first  settling  on  Florence  Hill,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  which 
business  he  followed  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1872.  He  married  Mary 
Hodson,  of  England,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children.  John  J.  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Florence,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  now  owns  107 
acres  of  land,  mostly  improved.  He  married  Dora,  daughter  of  Wilbert  Upson,  of 
Camden,  by  whom  he  had  on  child,  Frances  Louisa,  deceased.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Camden  Grange,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

Halstead,  John,  was  born  in  Holland  Patent,  January  12,  1824,  son  of  Joseph  and 


108  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Sarah  Halstead,  whose  children  were  Warren,  Luther,  Mary,  Martha,  John,  Harvey, 
Jane,  and  Edmund  R.,  who  was  killed  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  September  17, 
1861.'  Joseph  served  in  the  war  of  1813,  and  his  father,  Joseph,  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  John  Halstead  married  Clara  A.,  daughter  of  George  S.  Parke,  and  they  have 
two  children:  Ella,  wife  of  Fred  H.  Lillibridge,  and  May,  who  married  Edwm  K. 
Leonard.  In  early  life  Mr.  Halstead  engaged  in  farming,  lumbering,  and  milling, 
but  lately  has  given  most  of  his  time  to  the  manufacturing  of  paper.  In  1856  he 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly.     He  has  held  the  office  of  supervisor  for  two  years. 

Hainault,  Rev.  Francis  J.,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. ,  August  15,  1855, 
one  of  five  children  of  Francis  and  Helen  (Slaven)  Hainault,  who  were  natives  of 
Canada,  and  came  to  the  United  States  about  1850.  Francis  J.  attended  St.  Mary's 
Parochial  School,  where  he  began  the  foundation  "^  'jis  educational  life,  and  after- 
wai-ds  the  public  schools  of  Oswego.  On  account'of  the  closing  of  the  High  School 
in-^  ^72  he  became  a  student  of  Falley  Seminary,  Fulton,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  classics  and  sciences.  From  L'Assomption  College,  near  Montreal,  he 
graduated  in  philosophy  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1875,  and  was  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  in  the  Grand  Seminary  of  Montreal,  Laval  University,  on  December  21, 
1878,  receiving  the  degree  of  S.  T.  B.  He  has  filled  many  prominent  charges,  among 
which  having  been  chaplain  of  prominent  Onondaga  county  mstitutions,  and  has 
been  rector  of  St.  Patrick's  church,  Taberg,  N.  Y.,  nearly  twelve  years. 

Jones,  Robert  H.,  was  bom  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  November  3,  1851,  son  of  Evan 
D.  and  Eleanor  Jones.  Robert  H.  Jones  married  Delia  M.,  daughter  of  Harrison  J. 
and  Mary  A.  Sweet,  whose  ancestors  came  to  Oneida  county  in  1797,  and  by  whom 
he  has  one  daughter.  Gertrude  E.  In  1868  he  engaged  in  carpenter  work,  which  he 
followed  for  four  years;  he  then  engaged  in  cheesemaking  for  three  years,  since 
which  time  he  has  followed  farming.  He  is  interested  in  educational  matters,  also 
town  and  county  affairs. 

Jones,  John  R.,  was  born  in  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  in  1855.  He  is  the  eldest  of 
three  children  of  Richard  Jones,  and  is  of  Welsh  ancestry.  Richard  Jones  was  born 
in  Wales  in  1822,  and  married  soon  after  coming  to  America  in  1854,  Ellen  Williams, 
also  a  Welsh  descendant.  They  first  settled  in  Boonville  at  farming,  and  continued 
that  occupation  until  1880,  when  he  died,  much  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  John  R.  Jones  follows  successfully  in  the  business  of  his  father.  In  1882  he 
married  Clara  L.  Van  Voorhis,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Herbert  J.,  Glenn 
Howard,  and  Beulah  I. 

Keeler,  Miles  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  November  4,  1837,  son  of 
Nathaniel  Keeler,  who  was  born  in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  September  4,  1792,  and 
removed  to  Madison  county  in  1810,  and  in  1835  came  to  the  town  of  Florence,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  tintil  1856,  when  he  came  to  the  town  of  Camden,  where  he 
died  in  1873.  He  married  Lydia  Hall  of  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  four  children :  Emily,  Parnel,  Henry  J.,  and  Charles  B.  For  his  second 
wife  he  married  Amanda,  daughter  of  Elijah  Gaylord,  and  they  were  among  the 
first  settlers  of  Florence.  To  them  were  born  two  children:  Miles  L.,  and  Walter 
E.,  who  are  farmers  in  Camden.  Miles  G.  was  educated  in  the  towns  of  Camden 
and  Florence,  and  has  followed  farming,  teaching  school  in  the  winter.     For  liis  first 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  109 

wife  he  married  Louisa  W.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Peck  of  Camden,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  three  children  :  Lena  J.,  Mable  A.  (deceased),  and  Alta  J.  For  his  second 
wife  he  married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Pliny  Phelps  of  Camden,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  one  son,  Henry  P.  In  politics  Mr.  Keeler  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  the 
offices  of  town  collector  and  assessor  for  nine  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Camden 
Grange. 

Pillmore,  John,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  May  14,  1830,  a  son  of  William 
and  Sarah  (Rowbotham)  Pillmore.  In  1836  he  came  to  America  with  his  mother,  a 
widow  with  eight  children;  George,  Jane  (Mrs.  Wilham  Floyd),  William,  Mary  (Mrs. 
Pardon  Macomber),  Robert,  Thomas,  John,  and  Sarah  (Mrs.  Thomas  A.  Shirley), 
who  located  in  Western.  John  was  reared  in  Western,  and  in  1849  he  crossed  the 
plains  to  California,  where  he^r^mained  eight  years  successfully  engaged  in  mining. 
In  1857  he  returned  home  and  in  ..866  purchased  the  farm  in  Western  which  he  still 
retains,  but  resides  in  Rome.  In  1860  he  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Danu  ). 
and  Mary  (Young)  Van  Alstine  of  Danube,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  Lave 
three  children:  Charles,  of  Western,  Fred,  and  Grace,  of  Rome.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pill- 
more are  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Tradi- 
tion links  the  early  history  of  the  Pillmores  with  that  of  Rev.  Joseph  Pilmoor,  one 
of  two  of  the  first  travelmg  preachers  sent  to  America  in  1769  by  Rev.  John  Wesley. 

Capron,  James  H.,  was  born  in  Ava,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  July  11,  1828,  son  of 
Henry  and  Betsey  (Kent)  Capron,  he  a  native  of  Western  and  she  of  Lewis  county, 
and  grandson  of  John  and  Jemima  (Martin)  Capron,  who  were  pioneers  of  the  town 
of  Western,  coming  there  from  Rhode  Island.  From  Western  they  removed  to  Lee, 
where  they  died.  Henry  Capron  spent  his  life  as  a  farmer  in  Ava.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in  1875.  His  wife  died  in  1878.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Republican,  and  was  supervisor  and  justice  for  many  years.  James  H.  Capron 
was  reared  on  the  farm.  He  has  made  a  success  of  farming,  now  owning  farms  of 
about  1,200  acres,  and  keeping  a  dairy  of  about  160  cows.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  has  been  superintendent  of  schools  of  Ava,  also  supervisor  of  the  town. 
In  1867  he  moved  to  Mankato,  Minn.,  and  remained  one  summer.  In  1868  he  re- 
moved to  Boonville,  where  he  has  since  resided,  taking  an  active  part  in  all  public 
matters.  He  was  for  several  years  an  active  member  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
the  board  of  village  trustees  and  president  of  the  village.  In  1855  he  married  Maria 
L  Cagwin,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Henry,  who  died  November  11,  1886.  Mrs. 
Capron  died  December  31,  1859,  and  February  10,  1864,  Mr.  Capron  married  Hetta 
Brinckerhoff,  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons:  Benjamin  A.,  a  lawyer  of 
Boonville,  who  married  Anna  Jackson;  and  Ambrose  C,  who  resides  on  the  home 
farm,  and  married  Maud  Douglass,  of  Boonville.  Mr.  Capron  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows. 

Pugh,  William  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Remsen,  August  21,  1847,  son  of  Evan 
Pugh,  who  was  born  in  Wales  in  1804,  one  of  four  sons  born  to  Evan  Pugh, 
who  came  to  America  in  1813,  bringing  his  family  with  him,  and  settled  in 
Remsen  on  wild  timber  land,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  and  became  prosperous.  He 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  lived  to  be  over  eighty  years  of  age.  Evan  Pugh, 
father  of  William  E.,  was  a  carpenter  and  wagon  maker  by  trade,  but  later  engaged 


110  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  farming,  first  purchasing  forty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  added  until  he  owned 
over  200  acres.  He  was  active  in  politics  and  held  several  town  offices  for  eighteen 
years,  and  was  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church  for  twenty-five  years.  He  married 
Ann  Jones,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Richard,  irarah,  Elizabeth,  Hugh,  Cath- 
erine and  William  E.  He  died  in  1877,  and  his  wife  in  January,  1892.  William  E. 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  in  Remsen,  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age 
began  for  himself.  After  his  father's  death  he  rented  the  homestead  of  the  heirs, 
cared  for  his  mother  until  her  death,  and  in  1889  bought  his  present  farm  of  sixty- 
two  acres,  on  which  he  carries  on  a  dairy  business,  and  is  also  interested  in  the 
breeding  of  Holstein  cattle  and  has  a  fine  herd.  In  1887  he  married  Mary  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  Ellen  Hughes,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Anna,  Richard 
and  Sarah. 

Thomas,  Griffith  D.,  was  born  near  Camroden,  N.  Y  ,  March  29,  1847.  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Jane  Thomas,  who  settled  here  about  1822.  They  have  fourteen  children  : 
Evan,  Jane,  Griffith,  John,  Margaret,  William,  Samuel,  James,  Owen,  Richard, 
Thomas,  David,  Gomer,  and  Edwin.  Richard  was  engaged  in  early  life  in  farming, 
but  later  in  cheese  making.  He  was  public  spirited  and  active  in  town  affairs. 
Griffith  Thomas  married  Nancy  L.,  daughter  of  John  Abell.  by  whom  he  has  two 
children.  Fred  R.  and  Gertrude  L.  He  worked  for  his  father  until  1870,  when  he 
purchased  his  father's  interest  in  the  cheese  factory,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
He  was  supervisor  in  1891,  and  trustee  of  the  Westernville  Presbyterian  church, 
and  director  of  the  Farmers  Insurance  Co.  of  Oneida  county;  also  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  cheese  factory,  which  makes  about  185,000  lbs.  of  cheese  per  year. 

Meays,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Vienna,  November  30,  1840,  sou  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  Jane  Meays,  who  settled  in  the  town  about  1839.  Thoma.s  married  Mary  Jane, 
daughter  of  Barton  Palmer,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Trenton  Falls,  and  they  were  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Helen  Butler;  John  H. ;  George  Barton,  who  enlisted  in 
the  14th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  shot  while  on  picket  duty  and  died  in  Emery  Hos- 
pital; and  Annie  E.  John  H.  married  Minerva,  daughter  of  Charles  Case  of  Alle- 
gany county,  andthey  have  three  children:  Barton  C,  Orson  H.,  and  Mary  M.  He  is  a 
member  of  Vienna  Lodge  No.  440,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Sylvan  Beach  Lodge  No.  326. 
LO.O.F.     He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Vienna  for  one  term. 

Shirley,  Thomas  A.,  was  born  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  February  23,  1833,  a 
son  of  John  and  Ann  (Grimmit)  Shirley,  natives  of  Warwickshire,  England,  who 
came  to  America  in  1826  and  located  in  Utica,  where  the  father,  who  was  a  wheel- 
wright, worked  at  his  trade,  also  in  Steuben,  for  several  years,  later  engaged  in 
farming,  and  in  1841  removed  to  Western  and  worked  at  his  trade  up  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1868,  aged  eighty  years.  His  children  were  Hannah,  William, 
Sarah  (Mrs.  J.  P.  Savage),  John,  Elizabeth  (who  married  S.  W.  Savage),  Thomas  A., 
Jennie,  and  Mary  (Mrs.  James  Smith).  Thomas  A.  was  reared  in  Western  from 
eight  years  of  age,  and  since  attaminghis  majority  has  been  engaged  principally  in 
farming,  though  for  thirteen  years  followed  boating  on  the  Black  River  and  Erie 
Canal.  December  27,  1855,  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Rowbotham)  Pillmore,  of  Western,  and  has  four  children  living:  Eliza  (Mrs.  E.  S. 
Grower),  Jennie  (Mrs.  F.  J.  Grower),  Lucia    and  Fred.     Mr.  Shirley  is  a  member  of 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  Ill 

the  M.  E.  church,  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  of  Western  four  years,  and  politi- 
cally is  a  Republican. 

Coughlin,  John  B.,  was  born  in  Forestport,  N.  Y.,  in  November,  1867,  son  of 
Timothy  Coughlin,  who  was  born  in  Canada  in  1832,  and  who  was  one  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  John  and  Catherine  (McGuire)  Coughlin,  both  natives  of  Ireland. 
John  Coughlin,  grandfather  of  John  B.,  now  resides  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
McGuire,  in  Forestport,  and  is  over  ninety  years  of  age.  Timothy  Coughlin  was  a 
farmer  and  lumberman,  and  sold  great  quantities  of  spile  and  spar  timber.  He 
served  six  years  as  supervisor,  also  as  collector  and  road  commissioner.  He  married 
Mary  Bennett,  a  native  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  John  B.,  Edward, 
Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Frank.  Mr.  Coughlin  died  in  1892,  and  his  wife  in  1874.  John 
B.  Coughlin  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  and  at  seventeen  years  of 
age  engaged  in  farming  and  lumber  business,  which  he  followed  for  seven  years, 
after  which  he  engaged  as  timekeeper  on  the  A.  &  St.  L.  R.  R.,  during  its  construc- 
tion. In  1891  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  taking  contracts,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  is  now  actively  engaged ;  and  he  owns  considerable  property  in  Utica. 

Patten,  Delford,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  in  1828.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  has  always  followed  the  oc- 
cupation of  farming.  February  17,  1878,  he  married  Charlotte  A.  Stewart,  of 
Oneida,  Madison  county,  and  they  have  one  son,  Robert  B.,  who  is  a  farmer  at 
home.  Mr.  Patten's  father,  Alfred  Patten,  was  born  in  Manheim,  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y. ,  in  1796.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day,  and  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  He  married  Ann  Benedict,  of  Richfield,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y. ,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children ;  Lafayette,  Robert,  Delford,  as  above,  and  Barbara  A. 
He  was  a  colonel  in  the  State  militia,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  died 
June  6,  1873,  and  his  wife  September  5,  1875.  Mrs.  Patten's  father,  George  Stewart, 
was  born  near  Blaranathel,  Perthshire,  Scotland,  in  1792,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  when  twelve  years  of  age,  locating  in  Madison  county,  N.  Y. 
He  married  twice,  first  to  Miss  Mercj^  Grose,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Daniel 
and  Elizabeth.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Jane  Stewart,  of  Johnstown,  Fulton 
county,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Catherine  M.,  John  G.,  Alexander  J.,  Char- 
lotte A.,  as  above,  and  Jeanette  S.  He  died  November  6,  1875,  and  his  wife  No- 
vember 16,  1889.     The  ancestry  of  this  family  is  English,  Dutch  and  Scotch. 

Weber,  A.  H.,  was  born  in  Utica  April  8,  1860.  His  father.  Christian  Weber,  was 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  when  a  boy,  locating  in  Utica,  where  he  now 
resides.  His  mother,  Mary  Louisa  Hartman,  died  m  1869.  A.  W.  Weber  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  city.  In  1874  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Washington 
county,  la.,  where  he  lived  upon  a  farm  until  1881,  when  he  returned  to  Utica  and 
entered  the  employ  of  John  Kohler,  the  West  Utica  dry  goods  merchant,  until  the 
spring  of  1889,  when  he  came  to  Waterville,  establishing  a  fine  clothing  business. 
In  1884  he  married  Anna  M.  Simmerer  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Ralph  E. 
Weber.  Mr.  Weber  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Finst  Presby- 
terian church,  and  of  Sanger  Lodge  No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mills,  E.  Deloss,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  July  8, 
1844.     He  was  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Marilla  (Wetmore)  Mills,  both  natives  of  Oneida 


112  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

county.  Andrew  Mills  came  to  Oneida  county  in  1802,  being  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
the  town  of  Kirkland.  Mr.  Mills  at  once  engaged  in  agriculture,  in  which  pursuit  he 
devoted  his  life,  accumulating  considerably  property  as  a  result  of  his  industry  and 
energy.  E.  Delos  Mills  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  children,  namely:  Charlotte  L., 
Andrew  W.,  Harriet  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Harriet  died  some  years  ago. 
Mr.  Mills  spent  his  early  life  on  the  farm  and  there  acquired  an  extensive  experience 
in  hop  culture,  which  he  has  since  turned  to  account  in  a  business  way.  Since  1877 
he  has  been  engaged  in  hop  buying,  carrying  on  a  large  business.  He  received  his 
business  education  at  the  Utica  Business  College,  and  that  together  with  his  practical 
experience  has  enabled  him  to  conduct  a  successful  business.  Outside  of  business 
affairs  Mr.  Mills  is  especially  active  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  been  honored 
by  that  body  with  many  important  offices.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  1867  and  was 
chosen  master  of  Clinton  Lodge  in  1876  and  1777 ;  again  in  1889, 1890  and  1891.  In  1895 
he  was  again  elected  and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  No.  57  of  Utica,  and  of  the  Rome  Commandery  No.  45 
K.  T.  Mr.  Mills  married  Louisa,  daughter  of  William  Jones,  of  Newville,  Herkimer 
county.     They  reside  in  Clinton. 

Brooks,  W.  A.,  was  born  on  the  same  street  on  which  he  now  lives,  December  8, 
1834,  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter.  In  1869  he  engaged  in  the  saw  mill  business,  which  he  has  successfully 
conducted  ever  since.  In  1872  he  married  Sarah  L.  Brown,  by  whom  he  has 
one  daughter,  Mrs.  Wayne  E.  Small.  Mr.  Brooks's  parents  were  Morgan  and  Lu- 
cretia  (Adams)  Brooks.  His  grandfather,  Roger  Brooks,  was  a  carpenter,  and 
erected  the  first  two  story  house  in  Utica.  This  house  was  erected  for  his  brother, 
Barnabas  Brooks,  who  was  the  first  jeweler  in  Utica.  Mr.  Brooks  has  to-day  an  old- 
fashioned  rule,  once  the  property  of  Roger  Brooks,  and  also  a  knee  buckle  made  by 
Barnabas  Brooks,  besides  other  valuable  heirlooms.  His  grandfather,  Roger  Brooks, 
came  from  from  Blandford,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  Madison 
county.  He  has  been  collector  of  the  town  of  Marshall,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Grange  at  Waterville.  He  makes  lumber,  shingles,  cider,  etc.,  and  is  noted  for  his 
hop  cowls,  of  which  he  has  made  more  than  any  man  in  the  world. 

Day,  Julius,  was  born  in  Deansboro,  N.  Y.,  May  3,  1841,  son  of  Adonijah,  a  native 
of  Burlington  Flats,  Otsego  county,  and  vSophia  (Titus)  Day,  a  daughter  of  Billy 
Titus.  His  grandfather,  Adonijah,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Julius  Day  was 
for  some  time  engaged  in  the  produce  business,  but  lately  has  given  all  of  his  atten- 
tion to  farming.  He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Marshall  from  1879  to  1884,  and 
again  in  1886,  making  six  years  in  all.  He  al.so  held  the  position  of  town  clerk,  be- 
fore beiig  supervisor.  In  1877  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  P.  and  Mary 
Ann  Young,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Walter  Julius,  Nellie  and  Hattie.  Mr. 
Day  is  one  of  the  most  highly  respected  men  in  Marshall,  and  is  regarded  as  a  lead- 
ing man  in  many  ways. 

Sanford,  Mrs.  Helen  B.— The  late  Hon.  George  H.  Sanford,  son  of  George  and 
Louisa  Gibbs  Sanford,  was  born  at  Sanford's  Ridge,  in  the  town  of  Queensbury, 
N.  Y.,  in  1836,  and  a  year  later  removed  with  his  parents  to  Glens  Falls,  where  he 
remained  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  enjoying  such  educational  advantages 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  113 

as  the  place  afforded.  At  thirteen  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Albany,  where  he 
found  employment  as  receivmg  and  shipping  clerk  with  Mead,  Burnham  &  Co., 
wholesale  lumber  dealers,  and,  with  the  exception  of  one  year  spent  at  Rensselaer 
Polytechnic  Institute,  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  remained  in  their  employ  for  seven  years. 
During  three  winters  of  this  time  he  was  lumbering  on  his  own  account  in  Greene 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  Potter  county,  Pa.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  Syra- 
cuse and  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  salt  trade,  combining  with  it  the  manufacture 
of  lumber  at  Saginaw,  Mich.,  and  locating  pine  lands  in  the  productive  pineries  of 
that  State.  He  was  connected  with  one  of  the  pioneer  companies,  organized  in  1858, 
to  bore  for  salt  water  in  the  Saginaw  Valley.  In  1861  he  married  Helen  (Breese) 
Stevens,  only  granddaughter  of  the  late  Hon.  S.  Sidney  Breese,  of  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.  In  1862,  havmg  acquired  a  competence,  he  removed  to  Oneida  county,  where 
he  remained  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  appointed  president  of  the  Oneida 
Savings  Bank,  and  director  in  the  Oneida  Valley  National  Bank  and  Rome  and 
Clinton  Railroad  Company.  He  also  about  this  time  re-embarked  with  his  younger 
brother,  David,  in  the  lumber  business  at  Rome,  N.  Y.  In  1864  and  again  in  1868  he  was 
delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Conventions.  In  1865-66  he  was  elected  super- 
visor of  his  town  by  solid  majorities.  In  1867  he  was  nominated  for  State  senator, 
and  ran  ahead  of  his  ticket;  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1866,  and  to  the  Senate 
in  1870-71.  He  died  at  his  residence  November  25,  1871,  being  the  third  member  of 
the  Senate  of  1870-71  smitten  by  death  during  his  term  of  service. 

O'Toole,  Frank  W.,  is  a  recent  successor  to  the  formerly  well-known  firm  of 
O'Toole  &  Finnegan,  boot  and  shoe  dealers.  Mr.  O'Toole  was  born  in  Waterville, 
son  of  John  and  Ann  (Clarke)  O'Toole,  both  of  whom  are  living  in  Waterville.  He 
was  educated  in  Kirkland  Hall,  Clinton.  N.  Y. ,  and  has  been  identified  with  the 
trade  for  some  eight  years. 

Whitney,  Col.  S.  vS.,  was  born  December  2, 1814,  son  of  Jared  and  Patience  (Husted) 
Whitney.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Whitney,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Kirk- 
land, and  took  up  the  farm  which  Colonel  Whitney  still  owns.  Mr.  Whitney  lived 
on  a  farm  until  twenty  one  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter, 
and  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  twenty-five  years,  after  which  he  resumed  farm- 
ing. He  was  colonel  of  the  140th  Regiment  in  the  18th  Brigade,  20th  Division  of  the 
N.  Y.  State  militia,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected  residents  of 
Oneida  county. 

Bangs,  G.  R.,  was  born  January  3,  1831,  son  of  Dennis  and  Roana  (King)  Bangs, 
who  settled  in  Pleasant  Valley,  and  lived  there  for  fifty  years.  G.  R.  Bangs  engaged 
in  farming  up  to  1891,  when  he  sold  his  place  to  Colonel  Sanger,  and  moved  to  Wa- 
terville. In  1877  he  married  Frances  M.,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Marietta  (Green) 
Edwards,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Florence  M.  Nichols  Edwards,  son  of 
Elijah  and  Catherine  Van  Buren  Edwards,  was  born  August  5,  1809,  at  Kinderhook, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Martin  Van  Buren.  He  lived  to  be  eightj'-five 
years  old,  and  came  to  Waterville  when  nine  years  of  age  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  Charlemagne  Tower  estate.  In  1839  he 
went  to  live  upon  the  eminence  where  he  spent  the  remaining  fifty-five  years  of  his 
life,  only  changing  from  the  old  house  to  the  new.     At  middle  age  he  was  possessed 


114  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  a  fine  property;  a  man  of  strong  character  and  striking  individuality,  and  during 
all  his  long  life  was  distinguished  for  his  sterling  honesty  and  Christianity. 

Chapman  O.  B.,  was  born  August  3,  1873,  son  of  C.  L.  and  Mercy  S.  (Tompkins) 
Chapman.  He  was  educated  in  Winfield  Academy  and  the  New  York  School  of 
Pharmacy,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  April,  1894.  He  then  purchased  the 
drug  business  in  Clayville,  which  he  has  conducted  under  the  name  of  C.  L.  Chap- 
man &  Son,  the  senior  member  being  his  father.  His  grandfather  was  Willard 
Chapman  and  his  great-grandfathor  was  John  Chapman.  His  maternal  grandfather 
was  Joshua  Tompkins,  and  maternal  great-grandfather  was  Nathaniel  Tompkins. 

Barnum,  D.  A.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris,  N.  Y.,  April  16,  1845,  son  of 
David  H.  and  and  Narina  (Budlong)  Barnum.  His  great-grandfather  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  Barnum  family  originally  came  from  Connecticut. 
Dr.  Barnum  was  educated  at  the  common  and  select  schools  and  Fort  Edward  Insti- 
tute. He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Budlong,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Albany 
Medical  College  in  1865,  having  taken  his  degree  before  he  was  of  age.  He  was 
appointed  assistant  surgeon  to  the  Sixteenth  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  in  the 
field  with  his  regiment  for  six  months.  Immediately  after  the  war  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Cassville,  where  he  has  since  maintained  his  office,  and 
has  risen  to  a  front  rank  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County 
Medical  Society,  The  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Medical 
Association  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Paris  from 
1888  to  1892,  and  is  chairman  of  the  Democratic  County  Committee,  which  position 
he  has  filled  for  six  years.  In  1876  Dr.  Barnum  married  Catharine  Rhodes,  of  Os- 
wego, N.Y. ,  who  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  Benjamin  Rhodes,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  where  she  was  born. 

Griffiths,  Lewis  G.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Russia,  Herkimer  county,  November 
26,  1854,  son  of  William  C.  and  Jane  Griffiths,  who  came  from  Wales  and  settled  in 
Ru.ssia,  where  Mr.  Griffiths  was  employed  in  the  tannery  business.  He  moved  to 
New  Hartford,  Stittville,  and  then  to  Prospect,  where  with  his  son  he  engaged  in  the 
tannery  business,  which  they  followed  until  his  death,  July  81,  1882,  at  fifty-four 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Griffiths  and  his  son,  Lewis  G.,  were  both  members  of  the  Remsen 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  677,  Oneida  Chapter  No.  57,  LTtica  Commandery  No.  3,  and 
Lewis  G.  is  a  32d  degree  Mason;  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  R.  M.  No.  221,  of  Pros- 
pect, and  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Trenton,  and  was  treasurer  of  the  Remsen  Lodge,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  from  1880  to  1885.  After  his  father's  death  he  conducted  the  tannery  business 
until  it  burned,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired. 

Wood,  A.  E.,  was  born  in  Cooperstown,  Otsego  county,  July  29,  1865,  son  of  Will- 
iam H.  and  Mary  (Smith)  Wood.  His  grandfather,  Robert  Wood,  was  a  native  of 
Kent,  England,  and  came  to  America  in  1836.  A.  E.  Wood  was  educated  in  the 
Cooperstown  Union  School  and  Academy,  and  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute  at  Fort 
Plain,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1885.  After  a  short  time  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Coopenstown,  and  in  1886  he  went  to 
Hubbardsville,  and  in  1888  came  to  Waterville,  where  he  is  interested  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  and  is  also  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  A.  E.  Wood  &  Co.,  job 
printers.     In  1888  he  married  Eva  Terry  Nash.     Mr.  Wood  is  an  enterprising  young 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  115 

business  man,  and  was  for  two  \'ears  clerk  of  the  corporation.  He  served  three  years 
on  the  Republican  county  committee,  and  is  secretary  of  the  Grange.  On  January 
18,  1896,  he  purchased  the  stock  of  general  merchandise  of  his  father-in-law,  C.  R. 
Nash,  and  is  now  conductiag  the  finest  arranged  dry  goods,  grocery  and  boot  and 
shoe  store  in  the  village  of  Waterville ;  his  store  is  called  the  Palace  Store  and  is 
justly  named. 

Barton,  D.  W.,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  m  the  town  of  Marshall,  in  1835, 
son  of  Eliphaz  and  Polly  (Barker)  Barton.  His  grandfather,  David  Barton,  came 
to  the  town  of  Paris  from  Granby,  Mass.,  prior  to- 1800.  He  walked  all  the  way, 
and  began  a  clearing;  he  also  carried  wheat  on  his  back  from  Utica,  and  planted  it 
with  an  ax  among  the  stumps,  and  he  was  a  pioneer  from  that  part  of  the  county. 
David  Barton's  father,  David  Barton,  was  a  captain  m  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
principal  occupation  of  D.  W.  Barton's  life  has  been  farming,  and  for  thirty  years 
he  was  engaged  in  growing  seeds  for  prominent  houses  in  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia. He  was  also  the  pioneer  of  the  commercial  fertilizing  business  in  Oneida 
county,  and  followed  that  twenty  years.  In  1861  he  married  Mary  A.  Oliver,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children:  Mrs.  Eva  Barton  Miller,  and  Gertrude  M.  Barton. 

Bartholomew,  James  J.,  was  born  at  Vernon  Center,  October  5,  1854.  His  father, 
James  Bartholomew,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  N.  Y.,  in  1793.  He  served 
in  the  war  of  1813,  having  the  rank  of  corporal,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  returned 
to  his  native  town  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Vernon  Cen- 
ter. Charles  Bartholomew,  grandfather  of  James  J.,  came  from  Farmington,  Conn., 
where  his  ancestors  had  li^ed  since  coming  to  this  country.  He  was  a  participant  m 
the  Revolutionary  war,  serving  in  several  expeditions,  first  under  Colonel  Douglass 
in  New  York,  and  then  at  Albany,  being  there  at  the  time  of  the  advance  of  General 
Burgoyne.  The  Bartholomews  came  from  a  long  line  of  English  ancestry.  James 
Bartholomew  married  for  his  first  wife,  Ruth  Cushman,  who  died  January  24,  1851, 
and  in  1853  he  married  Lucy  E.  Stockwell,  who  died  October  16,  1876,  James  Jay 
being  a  child  by  the  second  marriage.  Mr.  Bartholomew  died  in  Deansville  in  1877. 
James  Jay  attended  the  school  at  Vernon  Center  and  the  Vernon  Academy,  and 
when  thirteen  years  old  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  S.  Case's  Sons  at  Vernon, 
where  he  remained  eleven  years.  After  spending  one  year  with  S.  C.  Hayden  & 
Co.  at  Sj'racuse,  N.  Y.,  he  returned  to  Vernon,  and  entered  into  the  management  of 
the  large  flouring  nlill  of  Joel  H.  Hills,  and  a  few  years  later  came  into  full  control, 
which  he  still  continues.  In  1878  he  married  Mary  H.,  daughter  of  J.  H.  Hills,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children :  William  Van  Hills  and  Lucy  Hope. 

Cunningham,  James,  was  born  in  Stewarton,  Scotland,  January  24,  1844.  He  was 
educated  in  his  native  town,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  Scotch 
caps  all  of  his  life.  He  came  to  America  in  1880  and  settled  in  Utica,  at  which  place 
he  was  engaged  to  start  and  conduct  the  cap  factory  of  D.  W.  Northrup  &  Co. 
After  two  years  of  service  there,  he  removed  to  Oriskany  Falls  and  established  the 
business  of  Hatheway  &  Reynolds,  which  he  conducted  for  one  year,  after  which 
he  with  W.  F.  Boynton  carried  on  the  same  line  of  manufacturing  till  1889.  In  that 
year  James  Cunningham  &  Son  entered  into  partnership  for  the  manufacture  of 
Scotch  caps,  and  are  now  conducting  a  large  and  prosperous  business.     His  father 


116  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  also  a  manufacturer  of  Scotch  caps  in  Stewarton,  Scotland,  where  he  was  born 
in  November,  1815,  and  died  at  Kilmarnock,  Scotland,  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three.  His  mother  was  Susan  McQueen,  also  a  native  of  Stewarton,  Scotland,  born 
in  1818,  and  died  at  Kilmarnock,  in  1864.  James  Cunningham  was  married  in  Stew- 
arton, to  Mary  Boyle,  born  June  9,  1842,  and  died  at  Oriskany  Falls,  December  2, 
1892.  They  had  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  deceased.  Four  of  the  five  sons 
now  living  are  engaged  with  their  father ;  David  being  an  active  partner  with  his 
father,  and  who,  in  1884,  married  Nettie  Clay  of  Oriskany  Falls.  Mr.  James  Cun- 
nningham  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  having  received  his  thirty-second  degree  while 
in  Scotland.     April  2,  1894,  he  married  Elizabeth  Black,  a  native  of  Danbury,  Conn. 

Haynes,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Marcy,  N.  Y.,  December  31,  1840,  son  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Eliza  Haynes.  Nathaniel  Haynes  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  settled 
in  Marcy  where  he  conducted  a  farm  until  his  death  in  1886.  Mrs.  Haynes  died  in 
1845.  George  H.  Haynes  was  educated  in  Marcy,  and  then  engaged  in  farming, 
and  was  also  engaged  as  a  carpenter  and  builder  for  nineteen  years;  he  then  en- 
gaged in  the  railway  mail  service  for  over  seven  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
the  canning  business  which  he  has  since  continued.  He  conducts  a  canning  factory 
in  Whitesboro,  where  he  is  engaged  in  canning  corn,  which  he  ships  largely  through 
the  Eastern  and  part  of  the  Western  States.  He  is  one  of  the  school  trustees  of  the 
town,  to  which  he  was  elected  twelve  successive  years,  and  was  re-elected  at  the  last 
election,  and  he  was  village  trustee  for  three  years.  Mr.  Haynes  married  Sarah 
Whitten,  daughter  of  Daniel  Whitten  of  Whitesboro,  by  whom  he  has  two  children : 
Mae  E.  and  Fred  D.     He  belongs  to  the  Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Utica. 

Jones,  Evan  W.,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  February  6,  1847,  son  of  Evan  and 
Margaret  Jones.  Evan  W.  was  educated  in  Utica  and  Whitestown  Seminary,  then 
began  clerkmg  in  New  York  Mills,  at  which  he  continued  until  he  entered  business 
for  himself.  He  is  proprietor  of  one  of  the  principal  stores  in  New  York  Mills,  and 
carries  a  varied  stock  of  merchandise,  such  as. is  to  be  found  among  the  best  class 
of  general  stores.  Mr.  Jones  married  Charlotte  J.  Adams  of  New  York  Mills,  by 
whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Mary  E.  Jones.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  be- 
ing a  member  of  all  the  bodies  from  the  Blue  Lodge  to  the  Shrine. 

Law,  George  C,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  October  10,  1828,  son  of  George 
W.  and  Harriet  (Blakslee)  Law.  George  W.  was  born  January  27,  1800.  He  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  Westmoreland,  and  died  in  March,  1881.  His  wife,  Harriet 
B.,  died  in  1876.  George  C.  was  educated  partly  in  Westmoreland,  at  the  academy 
at  Hamilton,  and  at  Walworth,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.  He  first  taught  school  in  the 
town  of  Deerfield  in  1847,  then  in  Spencer  Settlement,  and  also  taught  in  Westmore- 
land, what  is  now  called  Bartlett,  and  he  was  town  superintendent  of  schools  in 
Westmoreland,  from  1850  to  1853.  He  also  taught  one  term  in  Lisbon,  111.  He  was 
also  engaged  in  farming  at  Westmoreland  until  1857,  when  he  went  West  and  con- 
tinued farming  until  1861,  when  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  in  Wisconsin. 
He  returned  to  Whitesboro  in  1864  and  engaged  in  the  coal  business.  In  1866  he 
bought  out  the  lumber  business  of  John  Waite,  and  associated  him.self  with  Robert 
Gibson  and  C.  F.  Rayner,  and  afterwards  with  George  and  W.  B.  Williams,  and  con- 
tinued with  them  until  1873.     His  health  failing  at  that  time,  he  was  obliged  to  dis- 


ii 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  117 

continue  business,  and  sold  out  to  Messrs.  Williams.  Since  then  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  office  work,  having  an  agency  for  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  and 
he  also  represents  the  largest  coal  business  in  Whitesboro.  He  married  Betsey  An- 
tonette,  daughter  of  Rev.  Amasa  S.  Curtis,  then  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children:  Ellen  J.,  Eugene  H.,  and  Harriet  R.  Mr.  Law  is  deacon  of  the 
Baptist  church  at  Whitesboro. 

Langley,  Henry  A.,  was  born  at  Rome,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  April  30,  1860.  His 
father,  Henry  Langley,  was  born  in  Northamptonshire,  Eng.,  December  25,  1834, 
and  in  1855  came  to  this  country  and  settled  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1885  he  removed  to  Oriskany  Falls.  He  married  Adaline  Champney, 
who  was  born  in  Rome  in  182'-i.  and  died  in  April,  1876.  Henry  A.  Langley  was 
educated  at  the  Rome  public  schools  and  Whitestown  Seminary.  In  1881  he  engaged 
for  a  time  in  cheesemaking,  and  in  1884  went  to  Oriskany  Falls,  and,  with  no  ex- 
perience and  less  than  five  dollars  in  cash,  embarker':  in  the  mercantile  line,  having  a 
general  store;  after  two  years  of  success  in  this  line,  Mr.  A.  T.  Davis,  of  West 
Eaton,  N.  Y.,  bought  a  half  interest  and  entered  into  partnership  under  the  firm 
name  of  Langley  &  Davis.  In  1889  they  purchased  the  old  Hicks  woolen  mill  and 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  cassimeres  and  flannels;  this  mill  burned  January  27, 
1894.  In  1892  Mr.  Davis  retired  from  the  firm  and  was  succeeded  by  Nathaniel 
Tompkins,  of  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  which  partnership  lasted  one  year,  when  Mr. 
Tompkins  also  retired.  After  the  mill  was  rebuilt  the  manufacture  of  cassimeres 
was  discontinued  and  Mr.  Langley  has  since  carried  on  successfully  the  making 
of  woolen  yarns,  sweaters,  hosiery  and  novelties.  All  through  the  depression 
in  business  Mr.  Langley,  by  careful  management,  kept  the  business  moving,  until 
to-day  he  has  one  of  the  most  successful  trades  in  the  State.  June  16,  1886, 
Mr.  Langley  married  Hattie  L.  Cross,  daughter  of  John  C.  Cross,  who  died  August 
9,  1894. 

Latus,  W.  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  September  12,  1857, 
son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Stokes)  Latus.  George  Latus  is  a  native  of  England, 
and  came  to  America  in  1832,  settling  in  New  Jersey.  From  there  he  moved 
to  Frankfort,  N.  Y.,  and  then  to  Utica,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Bridgewater, 
where  he  reared  his  family.  Mrs,  Latus,  his  wife,  was  also  a  native  of  England,  and 
first  settled  in  New  Jersey.  She  then  moved  to  Albany,  then  to  Canada,  and  then 
came  to  Bridgewater.  The  progenitor  of  the  Latus  family  in  America,  was  Henry 
Latus,  grandfather  of  W.  W.  Latus.  W.  W.  Latus  spent  the  first  twenty-one  years 
of  his  business  life  on  a  farm,  and  then  engaged  in  the  milling  business.  He  learned 
his  trade  in  the  mill  he  now  owns,  between  Clayville  and  Richfield  Junction,  and 
which  is  an  important  factor  in  the  manufactory  life  of  the  Sauquoit  valley ;  and  he 
he  has  conducted  the  bu.siness,  as  proprietor,  for  the  past  nine  years  with  marked 
success;  being  not  only  an  able  and  enterprising  business  man,  but  also  very  popular 
with  his  patrons  and  public  at  large.  In  1878  Mr.  Latus  married  Elizabeth  Walsh, 
of  Bridgewater,  by  whom  he  has  eight  children:  William,  George,  Ida,  Elizabeth, 
Catherine,  Mary,  Genevieve,  and  Margaret. 

Martin,  Pliny  F.,  was  born  in  Salem,  Washington  county,  September  4,  1822,  son 
of  Adam  and  Almira  (Fitch)  Martin.     The  family  originally  came  from  Connecticut, 


118  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Adam  Martin  was  engaged  in  tlie  harness  manufacturing  business.  He  died  in 
June,  1826,  and  his  wife,  Almira  F.,  died  in  Whitesboro  in  August,  1875.  Plinj-  F. 
Martin  has  always  been  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  and  from  which  he  retired  in 
1892.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Baker,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Abbie  Martin.  Mr. 
Martin  is  now  married  to  his  second  wife,  Delia  Fitch,  by  whom  he  has  two  children: 
Katherine  and  James.  Mr.  Martin  has  retired  to  Whitesboro,  where  he  has  one  of 
the  best  located  farms  in  the  county;  and  he  is  enjoying  the  rest  to  which  his  long, 
active  and  successful  business  career  entitles  him. 

Miller,  Philip,  was  born  in  Columbia,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  June  6,  1825,  son 
of  William  J.  and  Nancy  (Haner)  Miller.  The  occupation  of  his  life  has  been  farm- 
ing; but  he  spent  four  years  as  a  mechanic,  and  taught  school  during  the  winters  for 
twelve  years.  In  1865  he  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  the  town  of  Paris.  He  first 
married  Phoebe  Buck,  of  Vermont,  who  died  leaving  one  son,  Clifton  Park  Miller; 
and  he  married  for  his  present  wife,  Phoebe  E.  Campbell,  by  whom  he  has  three 
children:  John,  Mary,  and  William.  In  politics  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  has  been  assessor  of  the  town 
of  Paris  for  seventeen  years,  and  has  just  entered  upon  another  term  of  three  years 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Equalization  of  Oneida  county  four  years.  He 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  town. 

Tripp,  George  L.,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  February  7,  1873,  son  of  Milton 
and  Jennie  Cole  Tripp,  of  that  town.  His  grandfather,  Ira  Tripp,  is  still  living  at 
Babeock  Hill  and  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Bridgewater ;  he  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Broom,  Schoharie  county,  February  14,  1818,  and  moved  to  Bridgewater 
when  fifteen  years  old.  George  L.  learned  the  harness  maker's  trade,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1895  purchased  the  harness  business  of  C.  O.  Biederman,  which  he  is  now 
conducting,  and  popularity  in  the  community,  coupled  with  his  superior  business 
abilities,  insure  him  undoubted  success. 

Terhune,  W.  L.,  is  a  native  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  was  educated  there.  He  lirst 
commenced  the  business  of  a  manufacturing  jeweler,  but  after  lollowing  it  for  one 
year,  he  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery  business  in  Milwaukee ;  from  there  he 
went  to  Texas,  and  in  1875  he  returned  to  Newark.  N.  J.,  and  engaged  in  the  hop 
business,  removing  to  Waterville  in  1877.  In  1880  he  married  Alma  J.  Foster  of 
Middleville,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Edith  D. 
Terhune.  Mr.  Terhune's  father,  James  J.  Terhune,  was  also  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
as  was  his  grandfather,  William  Terhune.  The  family  is  an  old  New  Jersey  family, 
and  have  been  in  the  State  for  generations.  His  mother  is  Margaret  (Lefferts)  Ter- 
hune, a  native  of  New  York  State.  His  father  is  dead,  but  his  mother  is  still  living 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Mr.  Terhune  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  In  the  latter  he  has  held  many  important  offices,  includ- 
ing district  deputy  and  member  of  the  grand  council.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Waterville.  His  father  was  county  clerk  of  Essex  county,  N.  J., 
from  1855  to  1860. 

Underwood,  Frederick  G.,  was  born  in  Utica.  N.  Y.,  September  15,  1852,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  advanced  schools  of  Utica.  He  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiner  in  early  life.     He  has  been  married  three  times,   first  to   Ilattie  L.   Jones,  by 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  119 

whom  he  had  two  children:  Ralph  W.,  who  died  in  his  second  year;  and  Mabel  L., 
who  resides  at  home.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Estella  C.  Marsh,  of  Herki- 
mer county,  N.  Y.  She  died  October  29,  1888,  and  for  his  third  wife  he  married 
Jennie  W.  Myers,  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Stanley.  Mr.  Underwood's 
father,  Gilbert  F.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  about  1823.  He  was  well  educated, 
and  had  various  occupations,  merchant,  farmer,  etc.  He  married  Eliza  A.  Thurston, 
of  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Frederick  G.,  as  above;  Will- 
iam L.,  and  Flora  A.  He  died  about  1880,  and  his  wife  in  1881.  Mr.  Underwood 
came  to  Oneida  in  1884,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Verona.  He  is  a  dealer 
in  hides,  pelts,  skins,  tallow,  bones,  and  also  carries  on  a  general  rendering  es- 
tablishment and  manufacture  of  fertilizers.  He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Lodge,  No. 
270,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Eumenia  Lodge,  No.  296,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  held  all  the  of- 
fices except  treasurer  and  secretary,  and  is  also  one  of  the  trustees  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Adieno  Encampment  115,  of  which  he  is  degree  master,  and  has  passed 
through  all  the  chairs;  also  a  member  of  Canton  Oneida  No.  34,  and  is  major  of  2d 
Battalion.  1st  Regiment.  He  is  a  member  of  Mizpah  Lodge,  D.  of  R.,  No.  84,  and 
president  of  the  National  Protective  Legion,  No.  72. 

Wetmore,  Major  Ezra  F. ,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  December,  8,  1820,  son  of 
Ezra  and  Susan  (Palmer)  Wetmore.  EzraWetmore  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn., 
about  1782,  and  came  to  Whitestown  when  four  j'ears  of  age.  He  was  the  son  of 
Amos  Wetmore,  who  came  here  in  1786,  and  bought  400  acres  of  land  of  Governor 
Trumbull  of  Connecticut,  and  brought  his  family  here  the  following  year.  Amos 
Wetmore  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  his  son  Ezra  conducted  a  saw  mill  and  was  also 
engaged  in  farming.  Ezra  F.  Wetmore  was  educated  at  the  common  school  and 
Whitestown  Academy,  after  which  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  winters,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  the  summers.  April  20,  1861,  he  volunteered  in  the  26th  N.  Y. 
Vols.,  and  ivas  elected  captain  of  Company  F.  He  went  to  the  front  where  he  was 
promoted  major,  afterwards  lieutenant  colonel,  and  colonel  by  brevet.  The  regi- 
ment arrived  in  Washington,  June  21,  1861,  and  went  to  Alexandria,  where  they 
constructed  Fort  Lyon  in  the  winter  of  1861-1862,  and  garrisoned  it  until  May  4, 
when  they  went  to  Fredericksburg,  Va.  After  various  maneuvers  covering  the 
period  May  4  to  August  9,  the  regiment  participated  in  the  battle  of  Cedar  Moun- 
tain, under  Brigade  General  Tower  and  General  John  C.  Ricketts  of  McDowell's 
Corps.  After  the  battle  the  regiment  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Rapidan  four 
days,  during  which  time  they  had  been  flanked  by  the  enemy  and  were  compelled  to 
fall  back  to  the  Rappahannock,  where  they  were  engaged  with  the  Confederates  for 
three  days,  when  the  army  fell  back  on  the  field  of  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
and  during  this  period  they  were  in  the  battle  of  Thoroughfare  Gap,  and  constituted 
the  rear  guard  of  McDowell's  Corps.  On  August  30  the  regiment  participated  in  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  September  1,  the  battle  of  Chantilly.  During  this 
period  of  nine  days,  the  26th  Regiment  was  under  constant  fire  from  the  enemy's 
guns,  and  lost  heavilv.  In  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  the  regiment  was  thrown 
into  the  enemy's  lines,  and  a  hand  to  hand  contest  ensued  in  which  the  regiment  lost 
three  captains.  They  fell  back  to  Centreville,  and  on  September  5,  in  a  skirmish  at 
Hall's  Hill,  the  enemy  was  driven  back.  On  September  14  they  fought  the  battle  of 
South  Mountain,  ascending  an  almost  perpendicular  height,  driving  the  rebels  from 


1 


120  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

position,  and  following  them  up  met  them  at  the  battle  of  Antietam  on  September  17. 
The  regiment  was  on  the  march  from  this  time  until  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg, 
in  which  it  participated  December  13,  1862.  On  May  3  the  regiment  arrived  on  the 
battle  field  of  Chancellorsville,  in  w^hich  fight  they  took  part,  and  captured  detach- 
ments from  the  enemy  about  equal  to  their  own  number.  At  night  hearing  a  noise. 
Major  Wetmore  called  for  officers  to  reconnoiter,  and  none  volunteering,  he  took 
three  men  himself  and  they  captured  a  prisoner,  and  while  he  was  returning  alone 
with  him  to  camp,  they  came  across  four  others  whom  the  major  marched  into  the 
Union  lines.  Major  Wetmore  was  commanding  officer  in  the  battles  of  South  Moun- 
tain, Antietam,  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  and  although  he  was  under 
constant  fire,  and  participated  with  his  regiment  in  the  hottest  scenes  of  the  war,  he 
was  never  wounded,  although  struck  by  balls,  when  his  equipments  saved  him  from 
injury.  At  the  roll  call  of  Fredericksburg,  there  were  only  forty  men  and  officers  to 
respond.  On  May  29,  1863,  the  major  was  mustered  out  of  service  (his  term  having 
expired  in  April).  Since  that  time  the  major  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  He 
married  Rosanna  Walker  of  Whitestown,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  W.  E. 
Wetmore,  M.D.,  a  physician  practicing  in  Utica;  and  Elizabeth  J.  Wetmore,  Major 
Wetmore  has  in  his  possession  a  sword  j^resented  to  his  grandfather,  Amos  Wet- 
more, for  meritorious  service  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Wilson,  Charles  M.,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills,  January  25,  1849,  son  of  Mat- 
thew, a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  Annie  (Young)  Wilson,  a  native  of  Paisley, 
Scotland.  Charles  M.  attended  the  public  school  of  New  York  Mills,  and  then  en- 
tered the  mills  in  1859.  He  has  been  engaged  with  the  New  York  Mills  Company 
ever  since,  having  served  darmg  the  administration  of  three  generations,  and  in 
nearly  every  department  of  the  several  mills  of  the  company.  In  the  lower  or  No. 
1  Mill  he  started  the  first  loom,  and  he  also  started  the  first  Lyall  positive  motion 
loom  in  the  No.  3  Mill  He  is  at  present  assistant  superintendentent  of  the  No.  2 
Mill.  Mr.  Wilson  married  Irene  Comstock  of  Williamstown,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y,, 
by  whom  he  has  two  sons,  Charles  Herbert,  and  Edward  Comstock  Wilson.  He  is 
an  ardent  and  influential  Republican,  but  has  always  declined  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  political  office,  though  he  has  served  nine  years  as  a  trustee  of  the  school. 
He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge  No.  224;  Oneida  Chapter  No.  57,  F.  &  A.  M.  ; 
and  Utica  Commandery  No.  3. 

Walbran,  T.  F.,  was  born  in  Floyd,  N.  Y.,  August  20,  1859,  son  of  William  J.  and 
Lucy  A.  (Armstrong)  Walbran.  William  J.  Walbran  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  Eng., 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  Whites- 
town,  and  went  thence  to  Floyd  where  he  married  and  engaged  in  farming.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Oriskany,  where  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Oriskany  Malleable 
Iron  Works  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1885.  T.  F.  Walbran  was  educated 
at  the  Whitestown  Seminary  and  at  the  Utica  Business  College,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  clerking.  He  afterward  bought  a  grist  mill,  and  also  run  a  store,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hosiery,  in  which  he  still  continues.  He 
married  Grace  Hale,  of  Howell,  Mich.  Mr.  Walbran  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M., 
Oriskany  Lodge,  No.  799. 

Wilcox,  Lucy  B.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Abi- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  121 

gal  (White)  Wilcox.  Samuel  Wilcox  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  in  1781,  and 
came  to  Whitestown  when  eleven  years  of  age  with  his  father,  Abel  Wilcox,  and 
when  they  came  to  Whitestown,  there  was  only  one  log  cabin  in  what  is  now  the  city 
of  Utica.  They  came  from  Middletown  with  two  teams  consisting  one  of  horses,  and 
the  other  of  oxen  ;  and  all  of  their  household  goods  were  conveyed  by  these  teams, 
and  the}^  settled  in  that  portion  of  Whitestown,  which  is  now  New  Hartford.  Abel 
Wilcox  built  a  log  cabin.  He  found  clay  on  his  land,  and  being  a  mason,  he  made 
brick,  and  constructed  five  houses,  and  four  of  them  are  still  standing  as  they  were 
originally  built,  while  one  has  been  remodeled.  Samuel  Wilcox  was  a  mason  by 
trade,  and  also  conducted  a  farm  during  his  lifetime.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilcox  had 
seven  children:  Julia  Ann  (deceased);  Lucy  B.,  living  in  Whitesboro;  George  C. 
(deceased);  Susan  E.  (deceased);  Henry  W. ,  living  in  Winsted,  Conn.;  Edward  L. 
(deceased);  and  Samuel,  living  in  California.  Henry  W.  married  Hannah  E.  Wil- 
cox of  Goshen,  Conn.,  and  they  have  one  son,  Edward  H.  Wilcox.  This  is  one  of 
the  historic  families  of  Oneida  county  who  has  done  pioneer  work,  and  contributed 
largely  to  the  growth  and  present  prosperity  of  the  county. 

Young,  George,  was  born  m  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  March  6,  1867,  son  of  James  B.  and 
Isabella  (McLean)  Young.  James  B.  was  the  general  superintendent  for  the  Clark 
Mills  Co.  until  his  death  in  1871.  George  Young  was  educated  in  the  public  school 
of  New  York  Mills,  after  which  he  engaged  in  work  in  the  mills,  and  then  went  into 
the  office,  where  he  worked  up  to  the  position  of  chief  bookkeeper  for  the  company, 
to  which  position  he  was  appointed  in  1890.  He  married  Albertie  Seelye,  daughter 
of  Ambrose  G.  Seelye  of  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Mil- 
dred B.  and  Marjorie  S.  J.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Young  is  a  clerk  of  the  board  of  elders  and  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  board  of  trustees. 

Suters,  William,  was  born  in  Hastings,  England,  September  29,  1835,  and  came  to 
America  in  1856,  and  settled  in  Waterville  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter 
and  builder  which  he  still  follows;  during  this  time  he  has  constructed  many  of  the 
finest  residences  and  other  buildings  in  Waterville  besides  doing  considerable  work 
at  Rome,  Albany  and  Middletown.  Mr.  Suters  is  a  Mason  and  was  master  of  Sanger 
Lodge  No.  129  F.  &  A.  M. ,  three  years,  and  six  years  high  priest  of  Warren  Chapter 
No.  22  R.  A.  M.  ;  also  is  on  his  third  term  as  regent  of  Waterville  Council,  Royal  Arca- 
num. He  has  also  been  trustee  of  the  village,  president  and  chief  of  the  Waterville 
Fire  Department.  In  1870  he  married  Amelia  Excell,  by  whom  he  has  four  children : 
William  Franklin,  Harry  Excell,  Cora  May  and  Bessie  Amelia. 

Stone,  Alexander  I.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  August  31,  1827,  son 
of  Samuel  Stone,  who  was  born  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  August  31,  1776,  and  was  de- 
scended from  English  parents.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  and  followed  that  occu- 
pation while  in  Connecticut,  but  devoted  his  time  to  farming  after  taking  his  resi- 
dence in  Augusta.  He  came  to  New  York  State,  and  settled  for  a  time  in  the 
Catskills,  near  the  Hudson  River,  and  after  three  years  spent  there,  he  moved  to 
Wellstown,  Hamilton  county,  and  finally  in  1880,  went  west  to  the  town  of  Augusta, 
settling  on  the  East  Hill.  He  married  Mary  Wells,  of  Wellstown,  N.  Y.,  who  was 
born  April  10,  1781,  and  died  in  Augusta,  September  19,  1836.  Mr.  Stone  died  De- 
P 


122  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ceniber  20,  1850.  Alexander  I.  Stone  received  his  education  at  the  district  school  at 
Stockbridge,  after  which  he  assumed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  which  he  has  since 
continued.  July  7,  1852,  he  married  Mary  J.  Chadwick,  who  died  April  3,  1855, 
leaving  one  son;  he  afterwards  married  Lavina  J.  Perkins,  who  died  August  4,  1881, 
and  his  present  wife  is  Mrs.  Abbie  M.  Matthews  of  Augusta.  Mr.  Stone  came  to  the 
farm  he  now  owns  in  the  spring  of  1854 — a  historic  place,  as  it  was  first  owned  by 
Francis  O'Toole,  the  educated  Irishman,  who  spoke  fourteen  languages;  and  from 
the  fact  that  the  Indians  returning  to  Canada  from  the  Wyoming  massacre  halted  at 
a  small  stream  on  the  north  boundary  of  the  farm  to  wash  the  scalps  of  their  victims. 
Here  A.  I.  Stone  reared  and  educated  his  four  sons  and  only  surviving  daughter,  the 
latter  becoming  the  wife  of  John  Fletcher  Davis,  a  contractor  of  Buffalo.  The  eldest 
son,  Hon.  J.  D.  F.  Stone,  was  elected  city  judge  of  Utica  in  1896  for  four  years. 
The  other  three  sons  seem  content  to  follow  the  occupation  of  their  father. 

Weller,  W.  H.,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  January  8,  1867.  His  father,  Thomas 
Weller,  is  a  native  of  Kent,  England,  and  his  mother,  Mary  E.  (Curry)  Weller,  is  a 
Canadian  by  birth,  and  of  Scotch  descent.  He  took  a  course  in  the  Clinton  Gram- 
mar School,  and  then  studied  law  with  S.  S.  Judson  of  Vernon,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  December,  181*1.  He  immediately  opened  an  office  in  Waterville,  and  is 
already  recognized  as  one  of  the  rising  young  lawyers  of  the  county.  He  was  clerk 
of  the  village  of  Waterville  in  1894,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Pickwick  Club,  and  San- 
ger Lodge  No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Grannis,  William  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirklaud,  September  5,  1886,  son  of 
Andrew  D.  Grannis,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floj-d,  Oneida  county,  in  1811. 
The  family  came  from  Vermont,  and  Edward  Grannis,  grandfather  of  William  E., 
was  captain  in  the  war  of  1812.  They  came  to  this  county  in  1790  being  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1856.  An- 
drew D.  Grannis  came  to  this  town  in  1833,  engaged  in  farming  which  he  continued 
till  his  death  in  1883.  He  married  Betsey,  daughter  of  William  Carpenter,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children,  three  of  which  are  now  living:  Adelaide  Allen  of  Lewis  county ; 
Mrs.  Julia  Howard  of  Oklahama;  and  William  E.  Grannis.  William  E.  Grannis 
was  educated  in  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  his  father  being  one  of  the  first  grad- 
uates of  the  institution,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Lucinda, 
daughter  of  John  Pease  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Louise,  wife  of 
David  Owen  of  New  Hartford.  Mrs.  Grannis  died  in  1891,  after  which  he  married 
his  present  wife  Dora,  daughter  of  Conrad  Roemer,  of  New  Hartford.  Mr.  Grannis 
is  a  member  of  the  Clinton  Grange,  and  also  of  Oneonta  Lodge,  No.  466,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Gleason,  Henry  N.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  May  14,  1828,  in  the  house 
built  and  occupied  by  the  father  and  on  the  same  farm  as  was  his  father,  Orsemus 
Gleason,  who  was  born  October  14,  1792.  The  grandfather,  Solomon  Gleason,  came 
to  this  town  in  1788  from  Brimfield,  Mass.,  where  he  took  up  the  farm  that  has  re- 
mained in  the  family  ever  since.  Henry  N.  Gleason  is  one  of  the  foremost  men  in 
Kirkland,  and  is  interested  in  the  Kirkland  canning  factory,  and  is  treasurer  of  the 
creamery  company.  He  was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Kirkland  in  1876,  and 
was  a  director  of  the  Oneida  County  Agricultural  Society  twenty-five  years.  He 
dealt  quite  a  little  in  cattle  and  other  stock  for  a  number  of  vears,  and  owns  120 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  123 

acres  of  the  homestead  place.     Mr.  Gleason  married  Susan,  daughter  of  Ezra  Clark 
of  Kirkland,  of  the  family  which  established  Clark  Mills. 

Salisbury,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  January  1,  1828,  sou  of  John  H. 
and  Catherine  Salisbury.  John  H.,  sr.,  was  born  in  Albany  county,  April  16,  1784, 
and  his  wife,  Catherine  Richens,  in  Schoharie  county,  August  18,  1788.  The  family 
moved  to  what  was  then  the  Oneida  Factory,  now  the  village  of  New  York  Mills,  on 
December  9,  1830,  where  they  lived  in  the  same  house  over  thirty  years;  and  where 
Mrs.  Salisbury  died  in  1853,  and  Mr.  Salisbury  in  1858.  John  H.,  jr.,  has  worked 
for  the  New  York  Mills  Company  for  forty-three  years,  having  charge  of  the  repairs 
and  machinery  at  mills  No.  3  and  No  4.  He  married  Mary  L.  Gardner  of  New  York 
Mills,  by  whom  he  has  five  sons;  George  W.,  an  engineer  and  machinist;  Charles 
H.,  a  Baptist  minister  at  Towlesville,  N.  Y.  ;  Frank,  who  is  living  at  home;  Herbert, 
who  is  a  florist;  and  Albert  N.,  a  telegraph  operator  and  station  agent. 

Waterman,  Charles,  was  born  in  New  Berlin,  Chenango  county,  December  8,  1816, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Polly  (Ritter)  Waterman.  Mr.  Waterman  has  resided  in  Oneida 
county  since  1832,  while  he  has  been  on  his  present  farm  for  the  long  period  of  fifty- 
five  years.  He  married  Clarissa,  daughter  of  Eddy  and  Lucy  (Ruso)  Arnold,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children:  Charles  H.,  De  Witt  C,  Andrew  Jackson  Davis,  John  C, 
Clara  A.  Waterman  Arnold,  and  Mrs.  Timothy  Thornton.  Mr.  Waterman  has  accumu- 
lated his  property  entirely  by  his  own  ability  and  has  lived  a  successful  and  honor- 
able life. 

Hawkins,  W.  S.,  was  born  in  Malone,  Franklin  county,  N.  Y.,  son  of  William  H. 
and  Prudence  (Miles)  Hawkins.  His  father  was  a  Methodist  minister,  and  his 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Miles  of  Potsdam.  W.  S.  Hawkins  was  educated 
at  Potsdam  Normal  School  and  Syracuse  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1883.  He  began  his  course  in  1875,  but  broke  off  to  return  to  Potsdam,  where  he 
started  the  St.  Lawrence  Herald,  and  conducted  it  for  four  years,  after  which  he  re- 
turned 'o  college.  He  taught  school  in  Trinity  Hall,  Washington,  Pa  ,  having 
charge  of  the  boys'  preparatory  department  for  one  year,  when  he  took  a  position  on 
the  vSyracuse  Herald,  and  after  one  year  he  went  to  the  Rome  Sentinel,  and  finally 
to  Waterville  in  1885.  He  purchased  the  Reflex  and  in  1888  purchased  the  Times, 
and  incorporated  the  two  into  the  present  Waterville  Times.  In  June,  1890,  he 
married  Lucia  C.  Candee,  daughter  of  the  late  William  B.  Candee. 

Daggett,  A.  W.,  was  born  September  8,  1851,  son  of  George  and  Emily  Daggett. 
He  lived  on  the  farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  the  railway 
business,  and  has  been  an  agent  on  the  D.,  L.  &  W.  R.  R.,  for  twenty-five  years, 
twenty-three  of  which  have  been  spent  in  Bridgewater.  The  firm  of  Daggett  Bros, 
is  composed  of  A.  W.  and  George  H.  Daggett,  and  has  been  in  existence  for  ten 
years,  and  they  do  an  extensive  business  in  coal  and  mill  products.  In  1808  he  mar- 
ried Carrie  Wheeler,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Mildred.  Mr.  Daggett  is  one  of 
the  most  widely  known  and  leading  men  of  Bridgewater,  and  was  elected  president 
of  the  village  in  1894,  he  being  the  first  president. 

Green  Alvin  L. ,  was  born  in  Paris,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  May  25,  1841.  His 
father,  Elias  F.    Green,  was  born  in  Sangerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  September 


124  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

17,  1806,  and  died  November  30,  1892,  in  the  town  of  Paris,  where  he  had  spent 
most  of  his  hfe.  Lodowick  Green,  father  of  Ehas  F.,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
the  town  of  Sangerfield,  having  settled  in  that  town  in  the  year  1801.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Alvin  L.  Green  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  John 
Green,  an  Englishman,  who  came  to  America  in  10(58,  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  in  the  year  1671.  The  sons  in  direct  descent  from  him 
are  Benjamin,  John,  Philip,  Elder  Elisha,  Lodowick,  Elias  F.  and  Alvin  L.  Mr. 
Green  is  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of  the  town  of  Paris.  He  was  married  in 
Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  March  9,  1870,  to  Sarah  E.  Ripley,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Hannah  Ripley,  by  whom  he  has  one  son.  Harry  E.,  who  was  bom 
October  10,  1877. 

Foote,  John  B..  was  born  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  May  3,  1841,  son  of  John 
B.  Foote,  who  was  born  in  North  Adams,  Mass..  in  1807,  and  came  to  the  town  of 
Westmoreland  in  the  year  1835,  where  he  continued  to  make  it  his  home.  He  was 
a  graduate  of  Williams  College,  in  Massachusetts,  and  then  studied  theology  under 
Dr.  Kirk,  after  which  for  some  time  he  traveled,  preaching  holiness.  He  married 
Mary  Patton,  by  whom  he  had  these  children:  John  B.,  Mary  E.,  Samuel  G.,  Ade- 
line L.  and  Noyes,  a  namesake  of  the  founder  of  the  Oneida  Community,  he  being 
a  personal  friend  of  the  father.  John  B.  Foote,  jr.,  was  educated  in  Westmoreland 
and  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  owning  a 
dairy  in  connection  with  his  farm,  and  is  at  the  present  time  president  of  the  Kirk- 
land  Creamery  Company.  He  enlisted  in  1862  in  the  117th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  Co.  C,  serv- 
ing until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  married  Gertrude,  daughter  of  O.  W.  Dodge,  of 
Vernon,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Orville  D  ,  Clayton  E.,  and  Louise  D. 
Mr.  Foote  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post,  No.  227  and  grange. 

Warner,  Seth  H.,  was  bom  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  De- 
cember 30,  1833,  son  of  Willard  Warner,  who  was  born  in  Onondaga  county,  and 
came  to  the  town  of  Marshall  in  1830,  and  settled  on  the  farm  which  he  purchased 
in  1835,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  This  family  is  of  WeLsh  descent,  and 
emigrated  to  this  country  quite  early.  Willard  Warner  married  Clarissa  Parker,  of 
the  town  of  Marshall,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Albert  R.,  a  Methodist  min- 
ister; James  P.,  a  merchant  at  Franklin  Iron  Works;  Edgar  F.,  deceased;  and  Seth 
H.,  who  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  also  attended  Whitestown  Seminary, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  now  owning  a  farm  of  eighty-three  acres,  all 
improved  land.  He  married  Lucy  I.  Kinne,  of  the  town  of  Marshall,  by  whom  he 
had  four  children :  Willard,  of  Kansas;  James  E.,  of  Fulton  county.  N.  Y.  ;  Clara  E., 
wife  of  B.  W.  Hamlin;  and  Amelia  K.,  wife  of  Harris  Wood. 

Bronson,  James  C,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Clinton.  November  22,  1836,  son  of 
Dr.  Gerritt  I.  Bronson,  who  was  born  in  this  village  in  1804,  and  whose  ancestors 
were  from  Middlebury,  Conn.  James  Bronson,  who  dates  back  for  five  generations, 
was  the  first  white  man  to  sleep  on  what  is  known  as  Clinton  Greens.  Dr.  Gerritt 
I.  Bronson,  was  a  practicing  physician  in  this  village  for  over  fifty  years.  He  mar- 
ried Phebe,  daughter  of  Jesse  Curtis,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  James  C. ; 
JuUa  H.,  who  is  postmaster  in  Clinton  village;  Arthur,  who  died  when  young;  and 
Arthur  a  prominent  lawyer,  now  deceased.     James  C.  Bronson  was  educated  in  the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  125 

Academy  and  Liberal  Institute  of  which  he  is  a  graduate.  He  was  connected  with 
John  E.  Elliott  in  the  mining  business,  and  was  counter  clerk  in  1868,  1869  and  1870. 
He  was  also  supervisor  of  the  town,  and  town  clerk,  and  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  Fifty- 
seventh  N.  Y.  Volunteers,  where  he  went  as  first  lieutenant,  and  returned  colonel. 
He  lost  his  arm  in  the  battle  of  Deep  Bottom,  Virginia,  August  14,  1864. 

Norton,  Adelbert  E.,  was  born  in  Vernon  Center,  August  23,  1866,  son  of  Eben 
A.  Norton,  also  a  native  of  Vernon  Center,  who  was  born  January  16,  1886,  who  has 
been  engaged  in  the  milling  and  lumber  business,  and  is  now  interested  with  his  son 
in  the  manufacture  of  spring  bed  frames  at  Augusta,  N.  Y.  He  married  Emma 
J.  Hartwell,  who  was  born  at  Sangerfield,  October  23,  1831.  Adelbert  E.  Norton 
attended  the  Vernon  Center  school,  also  the  Clinton  Grammar  School,  and  upon  the 
completion  of  his  course  returned  home  and  at  once  became  interested  in  the  saw 
mill  and  lumber  business,  In  January,  1890,  he  bought  the  saw  mill  and  factory, 
established  more  than  eighty  years  ago,  at  Augusta,  and  has  since  conducted 
it  under  the  firm  name,  A.  E.  Norton  &  Co.  Mr.  Norton  married  Alma  J.  Westcott, 
a  native  of  Augusta,  who  was  born  March  9,  1865,  and  by  whom  he  has  two  children : 
Ethel  A.  and  Ina  E.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norton  are  both  members  of  the  Augusta  Cen- 
ter Presbyterian  church. 

Easingwood,  Arthur  L.,  was  born  in  England,  October  4,  1859,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1880.  where  he  settled  in  Utica,  and  remained  for  two  years,  work- 
ing at  his  trade  as  carpenter  and  joiner.  He  came  to  the  village  of  Clinton  in  1882, 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  He  has  become  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  has  been  a  contractor  and  builder,  erecting  some  of  the  fine  residences  now 
standing  here.  He  married  Harriet  B.  Kick,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mercy  Kick  of 
College  Hill,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Albert  H.  Mr.  Easingwood  is  treasurer  of 
the  Clinton  Lodge  No.  169  F.  &  A.  M. 

Hamlin,  Edwm  S.,  was  born  at  Chittenango  Falls,  Madison  county,  N.  Y. ,  April 
15,  1836,  son  of  Lewis  Hamlin,  who  was  born  on  the  Catskill  side  of  the  Hudson 
River  in  1796,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  all  of  his  life.  Lewis  Hamlin  with  his 
father  came  to  Sullivan,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  about  five  years;  thence  to  Chit- 
tenango Falls,  and  in  184G  to  the  town  of  Cazenovia,  near  New  Woodstock,  where 
he  resided  eleven  years;  returning  then  to  Perry ville,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 
He  married  Desire  Hulbert,  of  the  town  of  Butternuts,  Chenango  county,  who  died 
at  Chittenango  Falls,  in  1844.  Edwin  S.  received  his  education  at  Chittenango 
Falls,  New  Woodstock,  and  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  finished  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, and  engaged  on  a  farm  for  a  time;  he  then  spent  several  years  in  the  West, 
and  returned  in  1861.  He  then  engaged  in  the  milling  and  lumber  business  at  Perry- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  which  he  carried  on  till  1877,  when  he  disposed  of  his  lumber  interests, 
and  devoted  himself  to  the  grist  mill  which  he  had  purchased.  In  January,  1884,  he 
bought  what  was  known  as  the  farmer's  mill  at  Oriskany  Falls,  and  is  now  carrying 
on  a  large  and  successful  milling  business,  having  remodeled  and  supplied  the  latest 
roller  process  for  making  fiour.  Sej^tember  1,  1863,  he  married  Mary  E.  Ehle  of 
Perryville,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  DeL.  B.  Hamlin,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 21,  1868;  Lena  F. ,  born  June  7,  1870;  and  Edwin  P.,  who  was  born  June  29, 
1875.  DeL.  B.  Hamlin  is  a  dealer  in  flour  and  feed  at  Waterville,  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y. 


126  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Morrow,  Tames  E.,  was  born  in  Georgetown,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  Jul}-  1,  1833, 
and  received  his  education  at  the  Georgetown  schools  and  at  a  boarding  school  in 
Richmondville,  Schoharie  county.  His  father,  William  Morrow,  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  1800  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  uncle  when  four  years  old.  He  followed 
farming  all  his  life  and  died  in  Augusta  in  1877.  He  married  Elizabeth  Butler,  who 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  in  1806  of  English  parentage,  and  died  in  Augusta  in 
September,  1858,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children.  James  E.  Morrow  moved  from 
Georgetown  to  Augusta  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  has  resided  in 
town  forty-seven  years;  lived  on  the  farm  he  now  owns  thirty-five  years.  In  1854 
he  married  Lura  A.  Beach,  born  in  Augusta  December  20,  1832.  Her  father,  Jacob 
Beach,  was  born  in  Norfolk,  Conn.,  August  17,  1805,  lived  in  Augusta  about  seventy 
years,  and  died  May  31,  1882.  His  wife,  Lura  Ann  Doolittle,  was  born  in  Jewett, 
Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  May  24,  1808,  died  May  27.  1882,  only  four  days  between  their 
deaths.  There  were  seven  children  born  to  them,  one  of  whom  went  to  war  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Chapin's  Farm.  To  James  and  Lura  A.  Morrow  were  born 
four  children:  Flavilla  Elizabeth,  born  November  17,  1855,  died  May  25,  1874;  Will- 
iam Beach,  born  January  17,  1858,  married  Ida  Strong  (daughter  of  Warren  G. 
Strong),  October  12,  1881.  He  is  now  a  physican  in  Delaware  county,  N.  Y. ;  Cora 
Amelia,  born  September  12,  1864,  married  John  P.  Hipwell,  a  farmer  of  Augusta; 
Lucius  Palmer,  born  December  3,  1873,  died  April  4,  1875. 

Barns,  Capt.  Amos,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Nancy  (Pendleton)  Barns,  was  born  in 
Westerly,  R.  I.,  February  13,  1799.  He  was  of  English  origin,  his  father's  ancestors 
having  come  to  America  within  a  few  years  after  the  settlement  of  Plymouth,  stay- 
ing awhile  in  New  England,  then  settling  at  Amagansett,  Long  Island.  An  authen- 
tic history  is  known  as  far  back  as  1675  which  is  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Isaac  Barns. 
On  his  mother's  .side  he  was  the  seventh  in  line  from  Major  Bryan  Pendleton,  who 
was  born  in  England  in  1599,  and  settled  in  Sudbury,  Mass..  previous  to  1734,  where 
in  after  years  he  held  several  important  civil  and  military  offices.  Captain  Barns 
was  the  fourth  child  and  youngest  son  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  he 
survived.  His  boyhood  home  was  upon  the  bank  of  the  Paweatuck  River,  within 
sight  and  sound  of  the  ocean,  and  he  grew  up  with  a  great  love  for  the  water  and 
early  became  an  intrepid  swimmer  and  a  daring  and  skillful  sailor.  When  little  less 
thyu  thirteen  years  old  he  went  on  a  voyage  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  as  one  of  the  hands  on 
board  the  vessel.  He  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  bombardment  of  Stonington,  Conn., 
on  the  10th  of  August,  1814,  and  saw  the  coming  and  the  sailing  away  of  the  discom- 
fitted  English  fleet.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  but  soon  after  serving  his  time  of  three  years,  he  again  went  to  sea. 
In  1820  and  1821  he  was  at  the  South  Shetland  Islands  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean  en- 
gaged in  seal-fishing.  While  there  he  had  some  thrilling  and  perilous  adventures, 
among  them  being  that  of  falling  into  a  crevasse  when  crossing  alone  one  day  one 
of  the  glaciers  with  which  those  islands  are  covered.  By  dint  of  good  luck,  perse- 
verance and  the  aid  of  his  sealing  club  he  worked  his  way  out  and  duly  reported  him- 
self in  camp,  somewhat  battered  and  bruised  from  the  fall  and  effort  of  getting  to 
the  surface  again.  For  many  years  he  was  the  sole  survivor  of  the  crew  of  one  hun- 
dred men  that  manned  the  fleet  of  five  vessels  on  the  voyage.  In  June  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  near  the  Arctic  Ocean  in  the  sloop  Alonzo  (Capt.  Acors  Barns). 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  127 

For  several  years  he  was  in  the  coasting  trade,  buying  cargoes  of  the  farmers  along 
the  Connecticut  shore  and  up  her  rivers,  and  taking  them  to  Charleston,  Norfolk, 
Baltimore  and  other  southern  parts  where  he  exchanged  them  for  the  products  of 
those  regions,  selling  those  in  turn  in  New  York  city.  During  the  last  four  years  of 
his  sea  life  he  was  engaged  in  running  a  packet  for  freight  and  passengers  between 
Stonington,  Conn.,  and  New  York.  January  13,  1822,  he  married  Margaret  Dickens 
(daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier),  who  was  born  May  31,  1801.  Eleven  children 
were  born  to  them:  Sylvester,  Matthew,  FrankUn,  Susan,  Arthur  (deceased),  Mar- 
garet, Lydia,  Sarah  (deceased),  Harriet  (deceased),  Caroline  and  Henry  D.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1833,  Captain  Barns  settled  in  Oneida  county,  and  in  February,  1834,  pur- 
chased the  farm  and  residence  in  Westmoreland  which  was  his  home  till  he  died, 
and  where  he  very  successfully  followed  the  vocation  of  farming.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Republican  and  always  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  nation,  and  gave 
liberally  of  his  means  to  promote  all  good  works.  From  1850  to  1854  he  was  post- 
master at  Westmoreland.  Mrs.  Barns  died  January  27,  1872,  after  a  married  life  of 
fifty  years.     Captain  Barns  died  May  30,  1894,  aged-ninety-five  years. 

Fitch,  Norman,  was  born  m  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  November  7,  1807.  He 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  day,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer.  In  1872  he 
married  Keziah  Joslyn,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Harrison  E., 
Jesse  B.,  Eliza  M.,  and  Eunice  F.  Jesse  B.  married  Louise  Brandon,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Fannie  E.  Eunice  F.  died  at  seventeen  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Fitch  died 
in  1839,  and  for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Fitch  married  Lena  M.  Young,  of  this  town,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children:  N.  Warner,  and  Fannie  E.,  who  married  George 
Kozenstein,  of  this  town,  but  are  now  residents  of  Hancock,  Delaware  county,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Fitch's  father,  Nathaniel  Fitch,  was  born  in  Windham  county,  Conn.,  in  1779, 
and  was  educated  there.  He  married  Asenath  Brown,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren: Eliza,  who  died  in  infancy,  Norman,  as  above,  Maria,  and  Jesse  B.  The  three 
last  were  born  here.  The  family  came  to  this  State  and  town  in  1807,  where  they 
erected  a  log  house.  Nathaniel  Fitch  was  assessor  and  supervisor  of  the  town,  also 
member  of  assembly.  He  died  in  1865,  and  his  wife  in  1846.  Mrs.  Fitch's  father, 
Peter  Young,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in  1796.  He  was  educated  in  their  schools, 
and  married  Lena  Bowers,  of  his  native  place.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1830  and  located  in  the  town  of  Verona.  They  had  .seven  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy;  Lena  M.,  as  above,  Michael.  George,  Elizabeth  (who  were  born  in 
Alsace,  France),  Margaret,  and  Peter.  Mr.  Young  died  in  1866,  and  his  wife  in  1864. 
The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  English  and  French. 

Cantield,  M.  T.,  was  born  at  Pittsford,  N.  Y.,  in  1844,  son  of  Lewis  Canfield, 
and  later  a  jeweler,  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  M.  T.  Canfield  spent  his  boyhood 
in  Fremont,  Ohio;  at  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  appi'enticed  to  a  watchmaker 
at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  served  four  years.  Disliking  the  trade  at  that  time 
he  traveled  for  two  years  for  a  Cleveland  manufacturing  company.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two  he  resumed  his  work  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  in  1869  went  to  Memphis, 
Tenn..  continuing  his  trade  for  four  years.  He  then  spent  a  year  at  Muskegon, 
Mich.,  and  two  years  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  thence  to  San  Francisco  for  one  year,  and 
one  year  at  Los  Angeles,  wherein  1877  he  married  Susan  Dixon,  of  Utica.  After  his 
marriage  he  returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business  for  four 


]28  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years  and  then  came  to  Utica,  where  he  is  at  present  a  prominent  jeweler.  Mr. 
Canfield  is  held  in  high  repute  in  both  business  and  social  circles  and  is  an 
efficient  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  member  of  Oneida  Historical 
Society. 

Adams.  Elbridge  R.,  was  born  in  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  August  9,  1837,  son  of  Dr.  Ira 
Adams,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  Lewis  county,  who  was  born  in  Cavendish, 
Vt.,  August  25,  1792.  Dr.  Ira  Adams  was  graduated  from  the  regular  school,  but 
later  adopted  the  homoeopathic  method  of  treatment,  and  followed  it  the  re- 
mainder of  his  active  professional  life,  being  the  first  doctor  of  that  faith  in  the 
county.  He  married  Arzelia  A.,  daughter  of  Judge  William  Root,  of  Carbondale,  Pa.. 
who  was  born  in  Utica.  N.  Y.,  June  8,  1801,  and  died  in  December,  1887.  Dr. 
Adams  died  at  Stow's  Square,  Lewis  county,  in  1856.  E.  R.  Adams  was  educated  at 
Lowville  Academy,  and  entered  Union  College  in  1857,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1861  with  Phi  Beta  Kappa  honors;  after  which  he  taught  two  years  in  Lowville 
Academy.  He  was  then  school  commissioner  of  the  Second  School  Commissioner 
district  of  Lewis  county  for  three  years.  He  subsequently  read  law  three  years  with 
Charles  D.  Adams,  of  Lowville,  and  Starbuck  &  Sawyer,  of  Watertown,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  October  7,  1869.  On  account  of  failing  eyeysight  he  abandoned 
the  practice  of  law,  and  finally  returned  to  his  former  occupation  of  teaching.  He 
was  then  ten  years  principal  of  the  Lee  Center  School,  and  taught  two  years  in  the  old 
Whitestown  Seminary,  coming  from  that  institution  to  Vernon  in  1885,  where  he  is 
serving  as  principal  of  the  Union  School.  In  1890,  through  his  influence,  the  school 
was  changed  to  a  graded  school.  In  1870  he  married  Anna  C.  Mealus,  who  was  born 
in  Holland  Patent,  N.  Y.,  January  9,  1838,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Fred  R., 
Lillian  May,  and  Bertha  A.  Mrs.  Adams  was  educated  at  Turin,  and  Fairfield 
Seminary. 

Seiter,  George,  was  born  March  14,  1845,  in  France,  near  the  city  of  Strasburg  and 
the  River  Rhine,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in  1847.  His  father,  a  carpenter, 
settled  in  Utica  and  engaged  at  his  trade ;  but  having  a  desire  to  own  a  saw-mill,  he 
bought  at  Little  Black  Creek,  While  quite  young  George  found  he  inherited  his 
father's  desire  for  a  saw  mill  and  machinery.  In  1869  his  father  died,  and  two  years 
later  he  came  to  Boonville  where  he  invested  in  real  estate  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Church  streets  and  built  a  block  of  stores  and  the  Globe  Hotel,  which  he  still  owns. 
For  some  twenty  years  he  conducted  a  grocery  store  and  ran  the  Globe  Hotel  for 
about  three  years;  while  in  business  he  often  found  himself  called  upon  to  draft 
plans  and  build  so  in  1890  he  bought  the  tannery  site  of  Samuel  Johnson,  a  fine 
water  power  about  a  stone's  throw  from  the  depot,  where  he  built  a  saw  mill  and  a 
rustic  home,  where  he  enjoys  life  with  his  wife  and  children,  of  which  he  has  seven: 
Mary  Anna,  John  Mathias,  Rose  Helen,  Julia  Barbara,  George,  jr.,  Joseph  Aloysius, 
and  Norbert  Milton.  In  1895  he  added  steam  to  the  mill,  which  gives  ample  power 
at  all  times,  and  he  expects  to  manufacture  lumber,  shingles,  lath,  etc.,  also  to  do 
planing,  turning  and  scroll  sawing. 

Sturdevant,  Oliver  W.,  was  born  in  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  December  27, 
1835.  His  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary. 
For  several  years  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  the  district  schools  and  in  Onondaga 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  129 

Academy,  which  position  he  left  in  the  spring  of  1862  to  enter  Hamilton  College.  About 
this  time  there  came  an  urgent  call  for  volunteers,  and  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Co.  E.,  44th  N,  Y.  Vols.  He  participated  with  his  regiment  in  the  first  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  the  battles  of  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg,  besides  some  less 
important  engagements.  At  Gettysburg  he  was  in  the  brigade  which  held  the 
"  Round  Top  "  against  Longstreet's  charge  on  the  2d  of  July.  While  a  member  of 
this  regiment  he  was  promoted  to  corporal  and  sergeant.  In  October,  1863,  he  was 
ordered  before  General  Casey's  examining  board  in  Washington,  and  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  to  a  captaincy  in  the  Tenth  Regiment  of  U.  S.  Colored  troops,  • 
November  3,  1863.  In  this  regiment  he  was  engaged  in  the  advance  up  the  James 
River,  May  4,  1864,  under  General  Butler.  He  was  on  the  provost  guard  at  City 
Point  under  General  Patrick  during  the  winter  of  1864-65,  and  was  ordered  to  the 
front  in  time  to  be  in  the  first  brigade  which  entered  Richmond  after  its  evacuation 
by  the  Confederates.  Shortly  after  this  regiment  was  sent  to  Corpus  Christi,  Texas, 
and  thence  to  Galveston.  At  this  place  Captain  Sturdevant  resigned  his  commis- 
sion April  6,  1866,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge.  Returning  to  his  former 
home  hp  was  soon  after  appointed  principal  of  the  leading  public  school  of  Oneida, 
and  after  several  years'  .service  therein  was  elected  school  commissioner  of  the  First 
district  of  Madison  county.  While  holding  this  office  he  was  called  to  the  principal- 
ship  of  Onondaga  Academy,  which  position  he  occupied  for  sixteen  years,  resigning 
it  in  1888.  While  engaged  in  this  work  in  1883  he  received  from  Hamilton  College 
the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  On  retiring  from  Onondaga  Academy  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  conductor  of  Teachers'  Institutes  of  the  State  of  New  York,  which 
position  he  held  for  about  two  years  when  he  retired,  and  now  resides  on  bis  farm 
in  Verona  on  the  Rome  and  Oneida  road.  In  April,  1865,  he  married  M.  Isadore 
Willard,  only  daughter  of  Erastus  Willard,  at  one  time  sherifi^  of  Oneida  county. 
She  died  in  May  of  the  following  year.  April  2,  1868,  he  married  Elizabeth  H.  Rog- 
ers, of  Oneida,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Sturdevant's  father,  Dudley  Sturdevant,  was  born  in 
Connecticut  in  1800,  but  at  an  early  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  the  town  of 
Augusta  in  this  county.  In  1840  he  removed  to  the  homestead  which  our  subject 
still  owns  and  occupies.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  day.  He 
married  Mary  A.  Swan  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Caroline  L., 
Edward  Y. ,  Ellen  L. ,  Oliver  W. ,  as  above,  James  W. ,  John  E.,  and  Theodore  F. 
Mr.  Sturdevant  died  in  1864,  and  his  wife  in  1885.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  H.  Sturdevant, 
the  wife  of  our  subject,  is  the  daughter  of  David  Rogers,  who  was  born  in  Oxford- 
shire, England,  in  1814,  and  was  educated  there.  He  married  Rhoda  Hull  of  his 
native  place.  Their  children  were  Elizabeth  H.,  as  above,  Anna  M.,  and  John  H. 
The  family  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849  and  settled  at  Oneida,  where  Mrs. 
Rogers  still  resides.     Mr.  Rogers  died  in  1868. 

Hanna,  Col.  Nathaniel,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Oneida  county,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  near  Dublin,  of  Scotch  parentage,  in  1717 ;  he  emigrated  to  this  country  in 
1781,  settling  in  Cambridge,  N.Y. ;  he  came  to  Oneida  county  about  1787  and  located 
himself  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  west  of  Clarks  Mills.  He  died  in  1803  and  was 
buried  in  the  Evergreen  Cemetery  on  South  street,  which  at  that  time  adjoined  the 
first  Methodist  church  built  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland.  He  served  his  mother 
country  as  colonel  of  dragoons  m  the  seven  years  war  on  the  Continent,  1756-1763, 
q 


130  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  afterwards  as  sheriff  of  Kings  county.  He  was  a  man  of  massive  frame,  and 
was  long  remembered  by  the  early  settlers  as  an  expert  horseman.  His  daughter 
Sarah  married  James  Tompkins,  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  1762,  died  in  1828;  came 
to  this  country  in  1781  and  to  Oneida  county  about  1787.  He  bought  a  farm  located 
on  the  Oriskany  Creek  a  short  distance  below  Clark's  Mills.  He  took  his  conveyance 
from  General  Washington,  and  the  penmanship  was  in  the  hand  of  Clinton,  tlie 
general's  private  secretary,  The  farm  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  E.  Langdon.  The 
purchase  was  made  prior  to  the  era  of  highways,  and  Indians  were  his  daily  visitors. 
His  house  was  the  headquarters  of  Methodism,  and  Bishop  Asbury  and  Lorenzo 
Dow  with  his  wife  Peggy  often  slept  at  his  house,  and  thundered  the  law  in  the  old 
church  on  South  street.  Mr.  Tompkins's  daughter  Eleanor  married  Francis  Watson, 
a  native  of  England,  who  was  born  in  1794,  and  died  in  1871 ;  he  purchased  the 
homestead,  on  which  he  lived  until  about  1856.  His  son.  Col.  James  T.  Watson,  an 
old  resident  of  CUnton  was  born  in  1830;  he  established  a  drug  store  in  Clinton  in 
1858  which  is  now  conducted  by  one  of  his  sons.  He  received  his  military  commis- 
sion from  Governor  Hoftman,  and  was  active  in  the  State  service  for  many  years. 
For  several  years  he  has  been  president  of  the  Westmoreland  Cemetery  A.ssociation, 
and  has  filled  several  other  positions  of  trust  with  honor;  he  is  an  enthusiastic 
sportsman  with  gun,  rod,  or  sail,  and  the  latchstring  of  his  cottage,  Bontekoe, 
Thousand  Islands,  always  hangs  outside  for  all  his  friends. 

Jackson,  John  T. — John  Jackson's  father  was  John  Jackson,  born  in  Boonville  in 
1830,  and  died  October  9,  1857.  His  mother,  Harriet  Pitcher,  was  born  in  Boonville 
February  13,  1832,  and  they  were  married  February  24,  1852;  they  had  two  sons; 
Roscoe  N.,  born  July  7,  1856,  and  John  S.,  born  November  6, 1857.  His  grandfather, 
John  Jackson,  of  Herkimer,  married  Hester  Neely  and  came  to  Boonville  in  1817. 
She  died  in  September,  1881,  and  her  husband  in  1829.  Their  children  were  Abra- 
ham, Jerome,  Silas,  Andrew,  John,  Jane  and  Ann.  Abraham  and  Sila.'.  are  living 
in  Wisconsin,  and  the  others  are  dead.  Roscoe  N.  Jackson  married  Minnie  With- 
ington  of  Adams,  and  is  now  a  physician  in  Faribault,  Minn.  John  S.  Jackson  was 
born  in  Boonville,  November  6,  1857 ;  he  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
owns  130  acres  which  is  devoted  to  dairy  products.  In  1878  he  married  Cora  Bell 
Talcott  of  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. ;  she  was  born  in  Leyden  in  1859,  and  there 
lived  until  her  marriage,  November  6,  1878.  They  have  three  children :  Pearl  S., 
born  October  23,  1881 ;  Edith  H.,  born  October  1,  1885;  Vere  T.,  born  December  23. 
1890. 

Tripp,  Orris  B. ,  was  born  in  Floyd  April  27,  1838,  son  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Brook) 
Tripp.  Isaac  Tripp  was  born  in  Steuben,  and  was  a  pioneer  farmer,  active  in  both 
town  and  county  affairs;  he  was  assessor  in  the  town  of  Floyd  for  many  years,  and 
at  one  time  the  Democratic  candidate  for  county  superintendent  of  the  poor.  Will- 
iam Tripp,  grandfather  of  Orris  B.,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  drew  a  pension 
for  the  same.  His  father,  Job  Tripp,  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war  and  also  took 
an  active  part  in  the  Revolution,  being  commissary  to  General  Gates,  and  trained 
the  horse  that  Arnold  road  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga  Orris  B.  Tripp  was  the  young- 
est of  ten  children,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his  town  and  at  the 
Utica  Academy'.  He  married  Esther  Jones  in  1874,  daughter  of  Hugh  W.  and  Sally 
Smith  Jones;  they  had  one  son  in  1890,  now  deceased.     He  engaged  in  general 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  131 

farming  at  twenty-one  years  of  age ;  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  three  terms 
(twelve  years);  represented  the  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1881 ;  has  been 
active  in  public  affairs  and  private  enterprises.  Though  not  a  communicant  of  any 
church  he  is  a  staunch  believer  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  Christian  religion.  He 
is  an  extensive  reader  of  history  and  of  current  events,  enjoying  fiction  as  well.  He 
resides  in  the  same  house  in  which  he  was  born,  and  has  never  moved  but  once,  and 
then  he  took  his  house  with  him  about  a  mile  to  an  adjoining  farm.  He  is  a  reliable, 
upright  citizen,  and  his  standing  in  his  town  is  evidence  that  he  has  not  lived  in 
vain. 

Adams,  Justus  B.,  son  of  John  J.  Adams,  was  born  in  Boonville  December  lU, 
1832.  In  1868  he  bought  a  farm  of  116  acres  where  he  keeps  a  dairy  of  sixteen  to 
eighteen  cows.  In  1868  he  married  Rhoda.  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Lenda  (Burdick) 
Scofield  of  Jefferson  county,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Pearl  E.,  Dewey  J., 
Lillie  B.  Justus  B.  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Friends  church.  John  J.  Adams 
was  born  in  Ballston,  Saratoga  county,  February  13,  1801 ;  he  came  to  Boonville  in 
4805.  He  married  Betsey  Corwin,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Ezra  J.,  Azubah 
B.,  Eli  J.,  Justus  B.,  Jesse  T.  and  Clarissa  E.  John  J.,  his  wife,  and  all  the  children 
were  Friends,  except  Clarissa  E.  John  J.  died  in  1882,  aged  eighty-one;  Betsey,  his 
wife,  died  in  1836,  aged  thirty-six.  Ezra  Adams,  father  of  John  J.,  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut in  1770;  he  married  Betty  Beardsley,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Irena, 
John  J.,  Polly  and  Azubah.  Ezra  Adams  came  into  Oneida  county  about  the  year 
1800  and  followed  surveying;  he  used  to  have  two  white  men  and  two  Indians  to 
assist  him.  He  bought  a  tract  of  land  lying  east  and  west  from  Ava  Corners;  the 
tract  was  three  miles  long  and  200  rods  wide — 200  acres — and  in  the  year  1805  he 
with  his  family  moved  and  settled  about  two  miles  west  of  where  Ava  post-office  is 
now.  He  died  in  1823,  aged  fifty-three,  and  Betty,  his  wife,  in  1805,  aged  twenty- 
nine  He  married  Lydia  Dewey  for  his  second  wife,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children : 
Clarissa,  Ezra,  Josiah  Dewey,  Julia  L.,  Ephraim  Sherwood,  Polly  and  Walker,  who 
was  one  year  and  one  day  old  when  his  father  died.  They  all  lived  in  Ava  or  Lee 
for  about  fifty  years  after  their  father's  death.  Julia  L.  (Townsend)  is  still  living  and 
keeping  house  in  her  eighty  third  year. 

Root,  Oren,  was  born  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  where  his  father  was  principal  of  Syra- 
cuse Academy,  May  18,  1838,  and  his  family  moved  to  Clinton  in  January,  1850, 
when  the  elder  Root  was  elected  professor  of  mathematics  in  Hamilton  College, 
which  position  he  held  for  thirtj^-two  years.  In  1852  Oren  entered  Hamilton  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1856,  a  boy  fourteen  and  one-half  years  of  age,  the  youngest 
member  of  the  class.  After  graduation  Mr.  Root  taught  for  a  time,  and  finally  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Wisconsin  in  1858.  From  1860-62 
he  was  tutor  in  mathematics  in  Hamilton  College,  leaving  that  position  to  become 
principal  of  Rome  Academy.  His  next  field  of  action  was  the  West,  where  he  oc- 
cupied the  chair  of  English  in  the  University  of  Missouri  for  five  years.  In  1871  he 
resigned  to  become  superintendent  of  the  newly  organized  schools  of  Carrolton,  Mo. 
Two  years  later  Professor  Root  became  principal  of  Pritchell  Institute,  Glasgow, 
Mo.  While  here,  in  obedience  to  a  strong  impulse,  he  decided  to  enter  the  ministry, 
taking  charge  of  two  struggling  and  divided  churches,  in  addition  to  his  school 
duties,  and  here  his  great  ability  as  an  organizer  proved  of  inestimable  value.     But 


132  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  strain  of  the  added  cares  proved  too  much  even  for  his  great  endurance,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  give  up  active  duty  for  a  time.  In  1880,  his  health  fully  restored,  he 
was  called  from  the  West  to  assist  his  aged  father,  whom  he  succeeded  the  following 
year  as  professor  of  mathematics.  Professor  Root  had  now  been  in  the  West  fourteen 
years.  His  experiences  had  been  varied  and  often  severe.  He  was  teacher,  lawyer,  prin- 
cipal, superintendent,  and  pastor.  The  training  thus  received  has  manifested  itself 
in  later  years  in  Professor  Root's  work  in  college.  His  mind  was  broadened, 
trained,  and  made  ready  for  work.  He  had  acquired  knowledge  that  could  only 
have  been  obtained  in  the  rough  and  more  trying  life  of  the  West.  He  had  found  a 
certain  readiness  and  push,  a  fearless  determination,  and  willingness  to  lift  and 
carry  burdens  which  has  enabled  him  to  become  a  power  in  his  chosen  work  and 
place.  Professor  Oren  Root  has  taught  mathematics  in  Hamilton  College  for  fifteen 
years,  with  great  zeal  and  ability.  As  an  instructor.  Dr.  Root  is  forcible,  clear  and 
thorough.  As  an  orator,  Dr.  Root  is  held  in  repute  far  and  wide.  His  utterances 
are  pithy  and  powerful,  his  rhetoric  is  easy  and  finished,  his  discourses  replete  with 
illustration,  and  persuasive  in  their  effects.  His  hearers  move  with  him,  and  there 
is  a  seriousness  and  substantiality  in  and  through  it  all,  that  only  comes  of  fixed 
purpose  and  strong  conviction.  His  experience  and  knowledge  of  life  make  him  a 
leader  of  more  than  ordinary  power. 

Scollard,  Clinton,  was  born  September  18,  1860.  He  is  the  only  son  of  Dr.  James 
I.  and  Elizabeth  S.  Scollard.  He  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1881,  with  a 
record  for  high  scholarship.  After  teaching  rhetoric  and  oratory  for  a  year  or  two 
in  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic,  he  entered  upon  a  post-graduate  course  in  advanced 
EnglLsh  at  Harvard  University.  In  1880  he  went  abroad,  and  in  1887  he  made  a 
tour  of  several  months  in  the  far  East.  Upon  his  return  he  was  called  to  Hamilton 
as  instructor  in  English  literature.  He  was  mrrried  July  3,  1890,  and  spent  his 
honeymoon  in  Europe.  In  1891  he  was  elevated  to  the  chair  of  English  literature  at 
his  ahna  mater.  This  he  held  till  1896,  when  he  resigned  to  devote  his  time  wholly 
to  literature,  in  which  field  he  has  attained  unusual  fame  for  a  young  man.  He  has 
published  several  volumes  of  poetry  which  rank  with  those  of  the  best  writers  in 
that  line.  While  still  an  undergraduate  at  Hamilton,  Mr.  Scollard's  poetical  efforts 
began  to  attract  attention.  The  college  periodicals  of  that  date  contain  many  clever 
verses  from  his  pen. 

Knox,  J.  Theodore,  was  born  in  Knoxboro,  N.  Y.,  December  13,  1845,  and  came 
from  the  family  that  founded  the  village  bearing  the  name.  They  were  among  the 
prominent  citizens  in  the  town  of  Augusta,  and  instances  became  conspicuous, 
among  the  clergy  and  financiers,  in  a  larger  field.  His  grandfather,  John  J.  Knox, 
came  from  Montgomery  county  in  1811  and  settled  at  the  place  which  later  became 
Knoxboro.  James  C.  Knox,  father  of  J.  Theodore,  was  born  at  Knoxboro  Novem- 
ber 29,  1818,  and  spent  his  life  there,  engaged  in  active  and  successful  mercantile 
and  manufacturing  business;  he  died  July  16,  1894.  October  2,  1844,  he  married  Mary 
E.  Whiteley,  who  was  a  native  of  Utica,  born  December  2,  1818,  who  is  still  living 
on  the  old  homestead  in  Knoxboro.  J.  Theodore  received  his  education  at  Dwight's 
Rural  High  School  in  Clinton  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  his  father's  store 
as  clerk  and  bookkeeper,  and  in  1865,  although  only  twenty  years  of  age,  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  father,  which  contineed  until  1881 ;  at  that  time  selling  to 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  133 

his  father  the  interest  he  held  in  the  store,  having  in  the  mean  time  engaged  in  the 
general  insurance  business,  which  he  still  continues  besides  conducting  the  affairs 
of  his  farms.  Mr.  Knox  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  for  two  terms,  and  in 
1881  received  the  nomination  for  the  Assembly.  February  20,  1873,  he  married 
Lucy  Anna  Barbour,  of  Pittstown,  Ren.sselaer  county,  who  was  born  August  7,  1848, 
and  received  her  education  at  North  Granville,  and  Temple  Grove  Seminary;  her 
father,  Rev.  P.  Barbour,  was  then  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Augusta. 
They  have  three  children:  Mary  Barbour,  born  March  10,  1883;  Ruth  Agnes,  born 
November  0,  1886;  William  Curtis,  born  May  3,  1889. 

Williams,  Arnon  George,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  July  8,  1818,  son  of  George 
and  Rhoda  (Beckwith)  Williams.  George  Williams  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  came  to  Westmoreland  about  1816,  where  he  conducted  a  farm.  He  then  went 
to  boating  on  the  canal,  but  afterwards  resumed  farming  until  his  death  in  1850. 
Arnon  George  Williams  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  then  learned  the  black- 
smith's business,  after  which  he  went  to  the  Groton  Academy  in  Tompkins  county, 
where  he  prepared  for  college.  He  entered  Hamilton  College  in  1842,  graduating 
in  1845,  havmg  gained  a  collegiate  education  through  his  own  efforts,  teaching  school 
at  intervals.  After  graduating  from  college  he  went  to  teaching  in  the  Delancey  In- 
stitute at  Westmoreland  where  he  taught  two  years,  and  then  went  to  Walworth 
Academy  where  he  occupied  the  position  of  principal  for  two  years;  from  here  he 
went  to  Fayetteville  where  he  served  as  principal  for  five  years;  thence  to  Vernon, 
serving  years;  after  which  he  returned  to  Delancey  Institute,  also  serving  as 
principal  a  term  of  years.  On  returning  to  Westmoreland  he  bought  the  Springs 
buildings  and  property  connected  with  them;  he  later  bought  the  Hallock  farm, 
which  he  ran  in  connection  with  the  Institute,  which  has  been  known  as  the  Delancey 
and  Williams  Institue.  After  some  years  he  gave  up  teaching  and  turned  his  at- 
tention to  cultivating  his  farming  property.  Mr.  Williams  is  a  staunch  Republican, 
contributing  his  best  efforts  to  the  support  of  his  party,  btit  has  never  sought  a 
political  office.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  loan  commissioner.  Mr.  Will- 
iams married  Jane  B.  Pratt,  of  Castile.  Wyoming  county.  Mr.  Williams's  career  has 
been  one  of  remarkable  activity.  He  has  been  one  of  the  foremost  educators  in  the 
county,  and  was  one  of  the  principal  men  in  forming  the  town  Agricultural  Society, 
which  ran  for  ten  years  successfully ;  he  was  also  one  of  the  organizers,  and  first 
master  of  the  grange  inthistown  for  four  years.  Mr.  Williams  has  always  been  at  the 
head  of  the  educational  work,  and  foremost  in  everything  connected  with  the  inter- 
ests of  the  farmers,  and  is  first  vice-president  of  the  Farmers'  club. 

Jessup,  Benjamin  T.,  was  born  in  Colchester,  Delaware  county,  N.  Y. ,  April  12, 
1813,  son  of  Abraham  and  Phoebe  Jessup,  also  of  Colchester,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Jessup's 
ancestors  came  to  this  country  in  1642.  He  went  to  New  York  at  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  was  engaged  in  business  there  for  fifty-eight  years.  Fifty  years  of  this 
■period,  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  paints  and  oils,  and  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  that  business,  and  was  the  first  to  prepare  zinc  paint  for  painters'  use. 
In  1887  he  retired  entirely  from  business,  and  bought  the  S.  Newton  Dexter  place 
in  Whitesboro.  Mr.  Jessup  married  Emilj^  C,  daughter  of  Robert  Johnson,  of 
Middletown,  Conn.,  bj^  whom  he  had  four  children:  John  C. ,   Robert  J.,   Henrietta, 


134  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

married  to  Edgar  P.  Glass  of  Syracuse,  and  Benjamin  A.  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     His 
second  wife  is  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  John  Tun  bridge,  of  Utica. 

Wilson,  William  H.,  was  born  February  5,  1849,  son  of  Henry  W.  and  Adelia  S. 
(Draper)  Wilson.  Henry  Wilson  was  the  son  of  James  Wilson,  who  built  the  present 
homestead  residence  and  purchased  the  present  homestead  farm,  in  1792,  coming 
here  with  Judge  White,  and  being  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  township.  Henry 
W.  lived  here  during  his  lifetime.  William  H.  Wilson  was  educated  at  Whitestown 
Seminary,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old  homestead  farm,  where  he 
has  always  resided.  Mr.  Wilson  isastaunch  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  married  Emma  J  ,  daughter  of  E.  Chauncey  Lewis, 
a  farmer  of  Kirkland.  This  is  a  sketch  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  families 
in  the  township  of  Whitestown.  On  his  mother's  side,  the  family  are  descended 
from  the  Draper  family,  who  trace  their  descent  back  to  1620. 

Race,  Chester  A.,  was  born  in  Greene,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y..  son  of  George  T. 
Race  and  Margaret  A.  Race.  His  grandfather.  Derrick  Race,  came  from  Connec- 
ticut and  settled  in  Greene,  when  it  was  a  vast  wilderness.  Chester  A.  was  educated 
in  Chenango  county  and  settled  in  Norwich  and  from  there  came  to  Walesville. 
Mr.  Race  is  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  also  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Jane 
Whiting,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Jesse,  and  Georgie.  Mrs.  Race  died  in 
1872,  and  he  is  now  married  to  Ella  Brooks,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Charles, 
Arthur,  Carrie  and  Bertie.  Mr.  Race  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church 
at  Walesville,  and  Mr.  Race  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  success  of  his  party. 

Hawkins,  James  S.,  was  born  in  Canada,  December  23,  1822,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  a  year  old.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  in  various  places,  and  has  been  a  boat  builder  by  occupation.  March  23, 
1843,  he  married  Jane  E.  Pratt,  of  Rome.  N.  Y.,by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy;  Delos  A.,  Salome  M.,  Udell  R.,  Addie  M.,  Frances  E.,  and 
Sarah  J.,  all  of  whom  are  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawkins  have  thirty-one  grand- 
children. October  18,  1861,  Mr.  Hawkins  enlisted  in  Co.  K.  97th  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  re- 
enlisted  January  4,  1864,  and  participated  in  the  following  engagements:  South 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsviile,  Gettysburg,  Mine  Run.  Rac- 
coon Ford,  Battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Laurel  Hill,  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  North 
Anna  River,  Bethsaida  Church,  White  Oak  Swamp,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  the 
Weldon  Railroad,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner  August  19,  1864,  and  was  in  Libby 
and  Salisbury  Prisons,  was  exchanged  and  returned  to  his  company  May  6,  186."). 
He  was  honorably  discharged  June  9,  1865,  from  Navy  School  Hospital.  He  is  a 
member  of  Joseph  Warren  Post,  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  No.  615,  G.  A.  R.,  Department 
of  New  York. 

Burrell,  Joseph,  was  born  in  England  October  12,  1844,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mercy 
Burrell,  who  came  from  England  to  Westmoreland  in  1854.  Thomas  Burrell  then 
engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  continued  until  his  death  in  May,  1896.  Joseph 
was  educated  in  the  district  school,  after  which  he  also  engaged  in  farming,  and  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  late  Civil  war  he  volunteered  and  went  to  the  front  with  the 
117th  New  York  Infantry,  participating  in  the  following  battles:   Suffolk,  Va.,  bom- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  135 

bardment  ot  Fort  Sumter,  S.  C,  Seabrook  and  John's  Island,  Swift  Creek,  Va., 
Drury's  Bluff,  Bermuda  Hundred,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg  Mine  Explosion, 
Chapin's  Farm,  Darbytown  Road,  Fort  Fisher,  N.  C,  cam.paign  of  the  Carolinas, 
and  Bennet  House,  N.  C,  and  was  honorably  discharged  June  8,  1865,  at  Raleigh, 
N.  C,  by  reason  of  the  close  of  the  war.  This  regiment  participated  in  an  unusual 
number  of  engagements,  in  all  of  which  Mr.  Burrell  participated,  never  being  absent 
from  his  regiment  during  the  whole  three  years  of  their  brilliant  record,  and  he  was 
fortunate  enough,  though  participating  in  some  of  the  hottest  engagements  of  the 
war,  to  not  receive  a  wound.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Westmoreland  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  at  which  he  continues.  He  married  Jessie  I.  Isbell,  daughter  of 
S.  A.  Isbell,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Hattie  L. 

Tuttle,  Frank  J. — Salmon  Tuttle  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  August  13,  1815.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  and  select  schools,  and 
has  since  been  engaged  on  the  canal  and  in  lumbermg  and  farming.  He  has  been 
married  twice,  first  m  December,  1843,  to  Emily  Page,  of  New  London,  and  they 
had  one  son,  Albert  G.  Mrs.  Tuttle  died  July  8,  1845,  and  July  1,  1847,  he  married 
Sarah  A.  Bailey,  of  the  town  of  Vienna,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Flormond 
B.,  Zopher  J.,  Volsey  B.,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Frank  J.  Mr.  Tuttle's  father, 
Zopher  Tuttle,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  February  4,  1776,  and  came  to  the  town  of 
Salisbury,  Herkimer  county,  when  a  young  man.  He  married  Betsey  B.  Beasley, 
formerly  of  Connecticut,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Hannah,  Polly,  James, 
Delight,  Salmon,  as  above,  and  Zopher.  The  great-grandfather  of  Frank  J.,  Daniel 
Tuttle,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Salmon  Tuttle  has  i-esided  on  the 
homestead  sixty  years.  Frank  J.  Tuttle  was  born  on  the  homestead  June  13,  1861, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  school?,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
speculating.  He  married  Flora  E.  Kent,  of  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  by  whom  he  had 
one  daughter,  Laura  K.  Mrs.  Tuttle's  father,  Phineas  Kent,  was  born  in  Leyden, 
May  22,  1826,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  time.  He  married  Maria 
Smith,  of  the  town  of  Lee,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Flora  E.,  as  above,  Nellie 
S. ,  Lena  B.,  Hattie  M.,  and  Grace  A.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  New  England 
stock,  of  English  extraction. 

Lvman,  Charles  Simeon,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  N.  Y. ,  September  10,  1846, 
son  of  Simeon  and  Amanda  Colton  (Howard)  Lyman.  Simeon  Lyman  was  born  m 
Connecticut  and  came  to  Westmoreland  in  later  years,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  also  ran  a  saw  mill.  He  died  August  10,  1868.  Amanda  Lyman,  his  wife,  was 
born  in  Starkey,  N.  Y.  Charles  S.  first  attended  the  district  school,  then  Hampton 
Spring  Institute,  and  afterwards  the  Whitestown  Seminary.  He  then  engaged  in 
clerking  and  afterwards  was  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Westmoreland.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  farming  and  conducts  the  homestead  farm.  Mr.  Lyman  was  post- 
master under  Mr.  Harrison's  administration  and  was  road  commissioner  for  four 
years.  He  married  Clara  Bedient,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  has  three  children : 
Mai-y  A.,  Fannie  E.  and  C.  Herrick.  Mr.  Lyman,  and  his  father  before  him,  have 
always  been  representative  citizens  of  Westmoreland. 

Eells,  Charles  W. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  July  15,  1819,  son  of  Robert 
Eells,   was   born  in   Middletown,  Conn.,  and  came  to  the  towns  of  Kirkland  and 


136  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Whitestown  in  1815.  Their  ancestors  were  from  England.  Robert  Eells  married 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  Simeon  Hatch  of  New  Hartford,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren :  George  K.  and  Henry  (deceased),  and  Charles  W.  Charles  W.  Eells  was  edu- 
cated in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  and  graduated  from  Whitestown  Academy.  He 
engaged  in  farming  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  forty  acres.  He  married  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Orrin  Prior  of  Kirkland.  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Elizabeth, 
Martha  and  Theodore. 

Marshall,  Charles  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris,  April  21,  1853,  son  of  Charles 
Leander  and  Caroline  (Mould)  Marshall,  and  whose  ancestors  came  from  Connecti- 
cut. He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  since  1876  has  been  superintendent  of 
the  o;  tside  work  (buildings  and  repairs)  for  the  Empire  Woolen  Co.  at  Clayville,  a 
position  his  father  held  before  him.  Mr.  Mar.shall  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  men 
in  the  town  of  Paris,  and  at  present  supervisor  of  the  town,  a  position  he  has  held 
since  1891.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  and  of 
the  shrine.  He  is  also  past  master  of  Sauquoit  Lodge  No.  150.  In  1879  he  married 
Helen  S.  Bishop.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the  Sauquoit  Valley  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion since  1882. 

Gouge,  Frederick  H.,  the  architect,  of  26-27  Winston  Building,  Utica,  N.  Y.,  was 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1870.  His  early  education  was  acquired  at  a 
district  school  and  the  academy  at  Rome,  N.  Y.  In  1871-72  he  practiced  civil  engi- 
neering in  Fulton  and  Herkimer  counties  and  on  the  Bound  Brook  Railway  line  in 
New  Jersey  and  Pennsj'lvania.  In  1873  he  formed  a  partnership  with  William  H. 
Miller,  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  for  the  practice  of  the  profession  of  architecture.  In  1876 
he  removed  to  Utica,  where  he  ojjened  an  office  and  resumed  work  as  an  architect. 
Mr.  Gouge  was  born  in  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  May  5,  1845,  son  of  Jacob  Gouge,  a  farmer. 
The  farm  on  which  his  grandfather,  also  named  Jacob  Gouge,  settled  at  Trenton  in 
1796,  is  still  retained  by  the  family.  His  mother,  Laura  (Powers)  Gouge,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Burlingame  and  Grinnell  families  of  Connecticut.  October  25,  1881, 
Mr.  Gouge  married  Abbie  P.  Moore,  of  Trenton  Falls.  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children:  Julia  Sherman,  Laura,  and  George  Frederick.  Mr.  Gouge  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Architects  and  has  been  president  of  Western  New  York 
Chapter  of  the  American  In.stitute  of  Architects  for  two  terms.  Among  the  notable 
buildings  designed  by  him  are  the  First  National  Bank,  Utica  City  National  Bank, 
Sayre  Memorial  church,  Park  Baptist  church,  the  St.  Francis  De  Sales  church  in  the 
city  of  Utica,  the  Cayuga  County  Savings  Bank  at  Auburn,  and  the  Colgate  Gymna- 
sium at  Colgate  University.  Mr.  Gouge  is  a  member  of  the  Fort  Schuyler  and  Arca- 
num Clubs. 

The  late  John  Edward  Elliott,  descendant  of  John  Elliott,  the  apostle  to  the  In- 
dians, was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  January  1,  1821.  He  was  the  son  of  Ed- 
ward Elliott,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  came  to  the  town  of  Marshall  in  1820, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Betsey  Fairchild,  of  Connecticut,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children.  At  the  age  of  ten  John  with  his  parents  came  to  Clin- 
ton, where  he  Uved  until  his  death,  July  6,  1880.  He  was  educated  in  the  Clinton 
Academy,  after  which  he  engaged  in  mining  business  for  over  thirty  years,  and  was 
the  owner  of  several  iron  mines  in  this  State  and  Canada.     He  was  contractor  for  a 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  137 

part  of  the  Utica,  Clinton  &  Binghamton  Railroad  and  largely  interested  in  the 
street  railroad  of  Utica.  He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Kirkland  three  times. 
Married  in  1853  Lovina,  daughter  of  Calvin  Kellogg,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons: 
Frank  A.,  of  Clinton,  and  Edward,  of  Utica. 

Hayes,  E.  N.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  September  23,  1851. 
His  father,  the  late  John  P.  Hayes,  was  also  born  in  Boonville.  Mr.  Hayes  assumed 
control  of  the  retail  trade  in  the  grocery  line  in  1868  at  the  death  of  his  father.  In 
1876  he  married  Ella  J.  Brinckerhoff,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Eugenia,  Rena, 
Harold  and  Laura  Eugenia;  the  oldest  died  in  1879.  Mr.  Hayes  still  continues  the 
business  which  he  assumed  at  the  death  of  his  father;  he  takes  an  active  interest  in 
public  affairs  and  has  served  his  townsmen  for  several  years  in  positions  of  trust- 
At  the  present  time  Mr.  Hayes  is  acting  as  assistant  superintendent  Section  1  of  the 
Black  River  Canal. 

Graham,  Joseph  E. ,  was  born  in  Paris,  Oneida  county,  in  1819,  and  is  a  representa- 
tive of  a  family  who  settled  in  Oneida  county  before  the  beginning  of  the  century. 
His  father,  William  Graham,  came  here  in  1796  and  cleared  a  large  farm.  Joseph 
E.  is  one  of  the  foremost  farmers  of  Oneida  county.  By  his  own  efforts  he  gained 
an  education,  graduating  from  Sauquoit  Academy  in  1841 ;  he  then  taught  the  Wil- 
lowdale  school  one  term,  after  which  he  attended  the  De  Lancy  Institute  at  Hamp- 
ton one  year  and  taught  school  many  years.  He  began  farming  m  Madison  county 
but  subsequently  came  back  to  Paris.  In  1845  he  married  Caroline  E.  Hecock, 
whose  grandfather  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  here.  They  had  one  son,  Charles 
W.,  a  promising  young  man,  who  was  a  college  graduate  and  civil  engineer,  who 
died  at  twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Graham  is  a  Prohibitionist  and  an  earnest  advocate 
of  the  temperance  cause.  He  has  held  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for  a  number  of  years,  which  position  he  fills  at 
present.     He  is  also  president  of  the  New  York  Central  Farmers'  Club. 

Barrows,  Samuel  Jones,  is  a  descendant  of  the  staunch  English  yeoman  stock. 
His  ancestor,  John  Barrows,  came  from  Yajmouth,  England,  in  1637,  and  settled  in 
Salem,  Mass.  He  was  married  twice,  and  by  his  second  wife  he  had  three  children: 
Joshua,  Beniger,  and  Ebenezer.  He  died  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  in  1692.  His  son 
Ebenezer  settled  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  and  was  the  father  of  Abraham,  who  was  born 
at  Attleboro,  February  11,  1714,  and  settled  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.  Abraham  was 
the  father  of  Jeremiah.  Jeremiah  was  the  father  of  Mellen,  and  from  Mellen  came 
Samuel  Jones.  Abraham  Barrows  removed  from  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  to  Richmond, 
Cheshire  county,  N.  H.,  in  1765.  Mellen  Barrows,  the  son  of  Jeremiah,  and  the 
father  of  Samuel  Jones,  was  born  in  Warwick,  Franklin  county,  Mass. ,  on  the  29th 
day  of  February,  1786,  and  afterwards  went  with  his  father  to  Richmond,  N.  H., 
where  he  lived  for  several  years  and  married  Lucy  Whipple,  the  daughter  of  Ichabod 
Whipple,  jr.,  on  the  12th  day  of  August,  1810.  Her  great-grandfather,  Nathaniel 
Whipple,  also  moved  from  Cumberland,  R  1.,  to  Richmond,  N.  H.,  ml767.  The  father 
and  mother  of  Samuel  Jones  moved  from  Richmond,  N.  H.,  to  McDonough,  Che- 
nango county,  N.  Y.,  in  about  1815,  where  they  lived  and  died  at  a  good  old  age,  in 
which  town  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  Jeremiah  Barrows,  the  grandfather 
of  Samuel  Jones,   fought  in  the   ranks  of  the  Continental  army  at  the  battles  of 


138  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Bunker  Hill,  Trenton,  Princeton,  and  Bennington,  and  was  the  last  one  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary soldiers  who  died  in  the  town  of  Richmond.  He  died  October  25,  1850.  at 
the  age  of  ninety-four  years.  The  father  of  Samuel  Jones  served  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  was  stationed  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  Both  of  these  men  drew  pensions  for  many 
years  before  they  died.  Samuel  Jones  was  a  farmer's  boy,  and  remained  on  the 
farm  in  his  native  town,  helping  his  father  and  brothers  in  all  kinds  of  work  pertain- 
ing to  that  business  until  he  was  of  age.  He  was  the  youngest  of  five  sons  and  be- 
longs to  the  sixth  generation  of  his  family.  His  education  was  obtained  at  odd  in- 
tervals in  the  district  and  select  schools  of  the  town  in  which  he  was  born,  to  which 
was  added  a  few  months  in  the  academy  at  Norwich,  X.  Y.  On  becoming  of  age  he 
taught  a  district  school  for  a  short  time  in  an  adjoining  town  to  where  he  was  born, 
then  went  to  the  city  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  the  late 
Joshua  A.  Spencer  and  Francis  Kernan,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1851. 
He  afterwards  acted  as  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  late  Judge  Ward  Hunt  for  one  year, 
and  then  opened  an  office  for  himself  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided 
and  practiced  his  profession.  He  was  elected  city  attorney  for  the  city  of  Utica  in 
1853  and  held  that  office  one  term.  He  also  held  the  office  of  attorney  and  connsel 
for  the  Board  of  Excise  of  the  county  of  Oneida  for  thirteen  years,  from  1857  to  1870, 
when  the  law  was  changed  from  county  to  town  and  city  boards.  He  has  also  held 
the  office  of  corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of  Utica  for  five  consecutive  terms,  from 
March.  1879,  to  March,  1884,  being  first  appointed  by  a  Republican  and  afterward  a 
Democratic  common  council ;  and  it  is  to  his  credit  and  ability  as  a  lawyer  that  while 
he  was  its  counsel  the  city  never  paid  any  damages  or  costs  in  any  action  which  he 
defended.  He  was  also  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Utica  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
%  1889,  and  held  that  office  one  term.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his  second  wife 
being  Mrs.  Isabella  Grace  Lowery,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Gourlay,  deceased,  late  of 
Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. 

Rice,  George  W.,  is  a  native  of  Paris,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  in  1848,  son  of  Edward 
Dana,  and  Sally  A.  (Chapman)  Rice.  His  father  came  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  when 
eleven  years  old,  leaving  a  tyrannical  master  to  whom  he  had  been  bound  out  to  acquire 
atrade.  Here  he  engaged  in  farming  and  became  a  .successful  farmer,  identified  with 
every  interest  of  the  town ;  and  his  death  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  was 
mourned  as  a  personal  loss  by  the  community.  He  left  three  sons:  Charles  F.  Rice, 
of  Boonville;  John  C,  a  farmer  of  Florence;  and  George  W. ;  and  he  also  had  one 
daughter,  Harriet  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  George  W.  Rice  first 
engaged  in  building,  after  which  he  was  associated  with  his  brother  in  the  planing 
mill  business  in  Boonville  for  ten  years.  He  also  spent  two  years  in  Utica  as  a 
lumber  inspector,  and  was  a  builder  for  ten  years.  He  purchased  the  coal  yards 
of  F.  C.  Ogden  in  1885.  He  has  been  called  to  various  positions  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  was  made  deacon  in  1891.  He  was  one  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  village  for  six  years,  and  has  been  pre.sident  of  the  Utica  Coal  Exchange  since 
1894.  In  1870  Mr.  Rice  married  Lydia  M.,  daughter  of  Lorenzo  D.  Pearce,  of  this 
place. 

Coleman,  E.  G.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  October  12,  1840,  son  of 
John  S.  Coleman,  who  was  also  born  in  Whitestown,  N.  Y.  John  S.  Coleman  was 
engaged  in  the  saw  mill  business.     He  married  Elizabeth  Bellinger,  of  Whitestown, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  139 

by  whom  he  had  five  children.  E.  G.  Coleman  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
then  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  doing  a  wholesale  and  retail  business. 
He  is  now  one  of  Clinton's  foremost  enterprising  business  men.  Mr.  Coleman  mar- 
ried Sarah  W  Wetherell,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  Georgianna  M.,  John  B., 
Kittie  M.,  Alice  B.,  Myrtle  E.  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  169,  F.  & 
A.  M. 

Martin,  Louis  M.,  attorney  at  law,  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Madison,  Madison 
county,  N.  Y.,  November  25,  1863,  and  up  to  the  time  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he 
worked  on  the  farm  for  his  jjarents  and  as  a  farm  laborer  for  the  various  farmers  in 
towns  of  Madison  and  Hamilton  in  said  county,  attending  school  winters.  In  the 
year  1880  he  graduated  from  the  Hamilton  Union  School  and  Academy,  and  in  1885 
he  graduated  from  the  Clinton  Grammar  School,  Clinton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  In 
1886  he  took  np  a  permanent  residence  in  Clinton,  N  Y.,  and  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Charles  R.  Carruth ;  after  one  year's  experience  in  the  office  he 
accepted  the  position  of  teacher  in  the  Franklin  School,  where  he  taught  for  two 
years,  continuing  his  law  studies  at  odd  times.  In  1888  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  of  the  town  of  Kirk'and,  and  in  1889  became  the  principal  of  the  Clinton  Public 
School,  where  he  remained  for  one  and  one-half  years.  In  1889  he  married  Miss 
Louise  Foucher,  of  New  York  city.  After  being  admitted  as  a  lawyer  he  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  Clinton,  the  1st  day  of  February,  1890,  and  is  still  engaged  in 
practice  there,  and  conducts,  with  the  law  business,  and  insurance  agency.  He  still 
retains  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  is  one  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Education  of  the  Clinton  Union  School  and  Academy.  His  father's  name  is  Mar- 
shalo  Martin  ;  mother's  maiden  name  was  Lizzie  Hankins,  all  of  English  ancestry. 

Young,  George  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  December  13,  1825,  son  of 
William  G.  and  Polly  (Whitney)  Young.  His  father  was  a  builder,  and  he  learned 
that  trade,  but  engaged  in  farming  forty-three  years  ago,  and  is  still  engaged  in  that 
occupation.  In  1851  he  married  Irena  A.  Miller,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  children. 
Mrs.  Young's  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  in  this  town  (Marshall),  and 
her  great-grandfather,  Isaac  Miller,  came  here  in  1793. 

Lee.  Arthur  Delos,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  January  25,  1845,  son  of  Isaac  B. 
and  Harriet  (Lay)  Lee.  Isaac  Lee  was  also  born  in  Westmoreland,  his  father  being 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county.  Mrs.  Lee  was  born  at  Rome  and  came  to 
Westmoreland  with  her  folks,  who  were  early  hotel  keepers  of  the  count}'.  Arthur 
D.  Lee  was  educated  partly  at  Westmoreland  and  partly  at  Whitestown  Seminary. 
and  then  learned  the  carpenter's  and  joiner's  trade  at  Rome,  where  he  worked  three 
years.  He  then  came  to  Westmoreland  and  has  since  conducted  a  building  busi- 
ness, having  built  a  number  of  houses  throughout  his  immediate  section.  Mr.  Lee 
has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican  and  contributed  his  best  efforts  to  the  sup- 
port of  his  party.  Mr.  Lee 'is  highly  esteemed,  has  been  county  committeeman, 
and  at  last  election  was  elected  supervisor,  which  office  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Lee 
married  Nettie  Isbell,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  has  one  .son,  Warren  I.,  now 
being  educated  at  Hamilton  Callege,  with  the  object  of  entering  the  legal  profession. 
Samuel  A.  Isbell,  father  of  Mrs.  Lee,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Whitestown  in  1815. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  respected  residents  of  his  locality.     He  took 


140  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


a  prominent  part  in  the  business  world,  being  for  over  forty  years  an  extensive  con- 
tractor and  builder  of  churches,  factories  and  other  buildings,  and  later  in  life  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  real  estate  owner.  He  with  his  wife,  Jane  Richardson  Isbell, 
was  a  devoted  Christian  and  gave  liberally  to  the  Bartlett  Baptist  church,  to  which 
they  belonged.     Mrs.  Isbell  died  in  1885,  and  Mr.  Isbell  in  1893. 

Traxel,  George  E.— The  late  Jacob  Traxel  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ava,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  February  28,  1839.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  in 
early  life  carried  on  a  blacksmith  business,  but  afterward  engaged  in  farming.  April 
16,  1863,  he  married  Barbara  Esch,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
George  E.,  Ella  E.,  Emma  J.,  and  C.  Amelia.  Mr.  Traxel  died  September  4,  1883. 
Mrs.  Traxel's  father,  Michael  Esch,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in  1799,  and  was 
educated  there.  He  married  Salome  Neufer,  of  his  native  place,  and  they  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1830,  and  first  located  in  Trenton,  N.Y.,  but  soon  after  removed 
to  the  town  of  Verona,  near  New  London.  They  had  five  children :  Michael,  Salome, 
George,  Frederic,  and  Barbara.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  German  on  both 
sides. 

Somers,  E.  M.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Sherburne,  N.  Y.,  October  22,  1826,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Betsey  A.  (Beers)  Somers.  Dr.  Somers  was  educated  for  his  profession 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York,  graduating  in  1853,  and  has 
since  been  practicing  in  Deansville.  In  1862  he  joined  the  medical  staff  of  the  146th 
N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  with  this  regiment  for  some  time  in  the  field.  In  1853  Dr. 
Somers  married  Martha  A.  Babcock,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children :  Dr.  E.  M. 
Somers.  jr.,  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Ogdensburg;  Maud,  and  Walter.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife  Dr.  Somers  married  Hattie  E.  Hamlin.  Dr.  Somers  was  postmaster  at 
Deansville  for  eight  years,  from  the  commencement  of  Lincoln's  administration  until 
the  close  of  Johnson's. 

Pollard,  Grant  J.,  M.D.,  was  born  at  Deansboro,  N.  Y.,  June  2,  1865.  His  father 
came  from  New  Hampshire,  where  he  was  born  April  4,  1829,  and  died  at  Deans- 
boro, where  he  had  been  engaged  in  agriculture  for  more  than  fifty  years.  He  was 
a  descendant  of  the  New  England  Puritan  stock ;  his  mother,  Adelaide  (Jenks)  Pol- 
lard, was  born  at  Deansboro  in  1840,  where  she  now  resides.  Dr.  Pollard  received 
his  education  at  the  Deansboro  graded  school  and  the  Kirkland  Hall  at  Clinton, 
N.  Y.  He  subsequently  attended  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  July,  1890.  He  began  practice  at 
Preble,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1891,  located  at  Oriskany  Falls,  where  he  has  built  up  a  pros- 
perous and  successful  practice. 

Merna,  P.,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1854  and  came  to  America  in  1869.  He  spent 
two  years  in  Richfield  and  Cooperstown  and  came  to  Waterville  in  1872.  He  is  a 
prominent  contractor  and  builder  and  has  been  actively  engaged  in  this  business 
since  1872.  He  has  a  farm  in  Marshall  on  which  he  resides.  He  is  also  an  extensive 
dealer  in  flagging,  coping  and  curbing  stone,  which  he  brings  from  Oxford,  and  in 
every  way  he  is  an  active  and  successful  business  man.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  been  delegate  to  many  conventions.  In  1873  Mr.  Merna  married  Maiy 
McHale. 

Parkinson,  T.  W.,   was  born   at  Bridgewater,    N.   Y.,    November  9,    1852,  son  of 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  141 

Thomas  and  Eunice  Parkinson,  the  former  a  native  of  England;  and  Mrs.  Parkin- 
son's father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Thomas  Parkin- 
son is  the  present  postmaster  of  North  Bridgewater,  a  position  he  has  held  for  the 
past  twenty  years.  T.  W.  Parkinson  was  educated  at  the  Winfield  Academy,  and 
the  Eastman's  Commercial  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  In  March,  1876,  he  mar 
ried  Catherine  Roberts,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons :  Clarence  and  Floyd.  Mr.  Park- 
inson is  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  a  member  of  the 
Equitable  Aid  Union,  and  also  a  staunch  Republican. 

Fitch,  A.  L.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  August  20,  1856,  son  of  E.  R.  and  Jane 
L.  Fitch.  E.  R.  Fitch  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  April  25,  1805,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  death,  February  20,  1888.  Mrs.  Jane  L.  Fitch  was  born  in 
Canaan,  Conn.,  and  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Westmoreland.  A  L. 
Fitch  was  educated  partly  in  Westmoreland  and  partly  in  Clinton,  and  then  engaged 
in  farming,  at  which  he  has  since  continued  and  has  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
farms  in  the  township.  Mr.  Fitch  married  Elizabeth  Rose  of  Westmoreland.  He 
is  a  prominent  Democrat,  and  the  present  postmaster  of  Westmoreland,  having  been 
appointed  by  President  Cleveland. 

Gypson,  Adelbert  G.,  was  born  in  Lowell,  town  of  Westmoreland,  March  10,  1865, 
SOD  of  James  H.  and  Margaret  M.  Gypson.  James  H.  Gypson  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  16,  1828,  his  wife  being  of  English  extraction.  He  first  moved  to 
Marcy,  and  then  settled  in  Westmoreland.  Mr.  Gypson  has  been  interested  in  boat- 
ing, and  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican.  He  has  been  road  commissioner, 
and  is  a  well  known  farmer  of  Westmoreland.  Adelbert  Gypson  was  educated  in 
Westmoreland,  and  also  in  Clinton.  He  buys  and  sells  farm  products  through  the 
country,  shipping  them  to  the  city  in  large  lots.  He  is  a  well-known  farmer,  was 
also  highway  commissioner  in  1894-95,  and  a  staunch  Republican.  He  is  married  to 
Jessie  Capron,  daughter  of  Eli  B.  Capron,  of  Lowell,  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children:  Floyd  A.  and  Ola  C.  Mr.  Gyp.son  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  Rome  Council  No.  150. 

Cummings,  James  W.,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Clinton,  December  31,  1866,  son 
of  James  Cummings,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1845, 
and  is  a  prosperous  farmer  in  this  town.  James  W.  Cummings  is  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren; he  was  educated  at  Kirkland  Hall  in  Clinton,  and  at  Holy  Cross  College  in 
Massachusetts  in  1886.  He  began  the  study  of  law  with  Mr.  Searl  of  Rome,  and 
finished  at  Hamilton  College,  after  which  he  entered  the  law  firm  of  Williams  &  Mc- 
Cabe,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  when  twentj'-one  years  of  age,  and  entered  into  part- 
nership with  J.  E.  McCabe  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  under  the  firm  name  of 
McCabe  &  Cummings,  which  continued  till  the  death  of  Mr.  McCabe. 

West,  Joseph,  was  born  on  this  homestead,  October  19,  1817.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools,  and  was  afterward  engaged  in  farming.  January  1,  1843,  he 
married  Mary  Ann  Jackson,  of  this  town.  Mr.  West's  father,  Joseph  West,  was  born 
in  Grafton,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  June  26,  1790,  and  came  to  this  county  when 
a  young  man.  He  returned  to  his  native  county  after  a  period  of  about  three  years, 
and  November  12,  1811,  married  Mary  Brock,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children:  Adilla  C,  Emily,  Joseph,  as  above,  Julia,  Benjamin,  Arminta,  Fran- 


142  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

cis,  Olive,  and  Elizabeth.  He  died  March  11,  1832,  and  his  wife  February  20.  1865. 
Mrs.  West's  father,  Alanson  Jackson,  was  born  in  Connecticut  about  1792.  He 
married  Marilla  Warner  and  came  to  the  town  of  Verona  in  1818.  They  had  four 
children:  Noble,  Amos,  Mary  Ann  and  Julia.  He  died  in  1838  and  his  wife  in  1880. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  West  are  members  of  the  Seven  Day  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  has 
been  deacon  for  thirty  years.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  New  England  stock, 
of  Welsh,  Scotch  and  Irish  origin. 

Graham,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  May  21,  1843,  son  of  George 
and  Jane  Graham.  George  Graham  was  born  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  in  1811.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  contracting,  doing  work  on  the  canal,  and  has  also  been  en- 
gaged in  railroad  building.  He  has  been  superintendent  on  various  divisions  of  the 
canal,  and  was  supervisor  of  the  township,  for  which  hewasnommated  sixteen  times 
and  elected  eight.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  over  thirty  years,  and  has  also 
been  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  on  the  excise  commission  of  the  county  e<ght 
years,  and  he  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  township  during  his 
life,  and  although  eighty-four  years  old,  is  still  in  good  health  George  H.  Graham 
was  e*'-^cated  in  Whitestown,  after  which  he  superintended  at  railroad,  canal  and 
reserv  .r  building;  part  of  the  time  he  was  engaged  on  the  Welland  canal,  on  the 
New  York  Reservoir,  also  on  the  New  York  Central  R.  R.  He  returned  to  Whites- 
town  in  the  fall  of  1879  and  took  charge  of  the  Oriskany  Malleable  Iron  Works, 
which  was  started  in  a  small  way  in  a  hired  shop  with  $8,000  capital,  employing 
about  thirty-five  people ;  and  in  seven  years  they  increased  the  capital  stock  from 
§7,000  to  §41,000,  and  constructed  the  present  factory,  where  they  employ  on  the 
average  of  120  men.  This  has  been  one  of  the  successful  industries  of  the  county, 
and  Mr.  Graham  is  superintendent.  He  is  supervisor  of  the  town,  having  been 
elected  for  two  years.  He  married  Fanny  Murphy  of  Oriskany,  by  whom  he  has 
two  children:  Jean  and  Annis. 

Neal,  Austin  D.,  was  born  near  Paris  Hill,  N.  Y.,  in  1813,  son  of  Martin  Neal, 
who  was  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  was  born  in  Connecticut.  When  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  settled  in  the  old  town  of  New  Hartford,  coming  with  his  father,  William 
Neal,  and  making  the  journey  with  an  ox  team.  He  had  no  capital,  but  by  economy 
and  the  exercise  of  rare  business  qualities  he  accumulated  a  large  amount  of  prop- 
erty at  farming.  He  married  Roxy  Porter  of  an  old  local  family.  Austin  D.  Neal 
had  resided  on  the  old  homestead  until  1895,  when  he  came  to  live  a  retired  life  in 
the  village.  In  1852  he  married  Mary  Gilbert,  who  died  in  1867,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren: Mary  Adelaide,  and  Martin  Edwin;  the  latter  is  now  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  homestead,  which  comprises  eighty-two  acres  of  land.  In  1871  he  married  his 
present  wife,  Mary,  daughter  of  Abel  Law,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  William 
Austin,  who  was  born  in  1872  and  died  in  1883. 

Aylesworth,  Rev.  David  W.,  was  born  in  Odessa,  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1830,  and 
is  a  Methodist  Episcopal  clergyman  of  New  Hartford.  He  is  a  son  of  a  lay  preacher 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Odessa,  who  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  man  of 
rare  intellectual  attainments,  and  a  gifted  public  speaker.  He  died  in  1890.  Rev. 
David  W.  Aylesworth  began  his  education  at  Odessa,  and  studied  engineering  at 
Bath  and  Newburg.     In   1856  he  entered  the  ministry,  completing  his  education  at 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  143 

Ottawa.  In  18G8  he  came  to  New  York  State  and  entered  upon  his  Hfe  work  of 
preaching  the  gospel.  He  is  also  an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of  the  I.  O.  G.  T., 
and  a  fluent  speaker. 

Jones,  James  E.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  July  17,  1882.  He  was 
educated  at  Whitesboro  Seminary,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  Albany  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1855.  After  practicing  four  years  in  Utica,  he  re- 
moved to  Clayville.  where  he  practiced  for  over  thirty  years.  In  1858  he  married 
Margaret  Springer,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Ida  (Jones)  Burt,  of  Utica,  N.Y.  ■ 
AnnaM.,  a  teacher  in  Utica;  and  Frank  J.  Dr.  Jones's  father,  Elias  Avery  Jones, 
was  born  in  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  in  1809,  and  his  grandfather,  Elias  Jones,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  Bridgewater,  where  he  came  from  Stonington,  Conn.  Simeon 
Morgan,  an  uncle  of  Dr.  Jones's  grandfather,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Groton 
Heights,  and  not  a  few  of  his  ancestors  were  actors  in  the  stirring  events  in  the 
ear^y  history  of  the  country.  His  great-grandmother  Hunt  during  the  American 
Revolution  narrowly  escaped  massacre  by  the  Indians,  four  miles  south  of  Amster- 
dam ;  she  heard  the  Indian  war-whoop  and  fled  to  the  woods  with  her  only  child, 
the  doctor's  grandfather,  hiding  until  her  house  was  burned  and  the  Indians  det-arted. 
Her  husband  was  absent  as  a  volunteer  soldier  with  the  Americans.  ; 

Cleveland,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  November  14,  1855,  son  of 
George  and  Lucy  Cleveland.  George  Cleveland  is  a  farmer  and  is  still  living  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years.  Charles  H.  Cleveland  was  educated  in  Rome  and  then  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business.  He  was  a  merchant  in  Rome  for  six  years;  and 
was  also  engaged  in  farming.  He  now  conducts  a  general  store  at  Lowell  and 
carries  a  stock  that  will  compare  favorably  with  any  mercantile  stock  in  the  town  of 
Westmoreland.  Mr.  Cleveland  married  Bertha  Cook,  of  Rome,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children:  John  A.  and  Gretta  M. 

Overrocker,  Enos  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  September 
15,  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and,  with  the  exception  of  seven 
years,  has  always  followed  farming.  April  16,  1892,  he  married  Elizabeth  Deihl,  of 
Vernon  Center,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  James,  and  a  baby  boy  not  yet  named. 
Mr.  Overrocker's  father,  Jerome  B. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  in  1811. 
He  was  well  educated,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Roxanna 
Payne  of  Bloomington  Point,  Conn.,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Sidney,  James, 
Lafayette,  Frank,  Lucinda,  Edward,  Enos  D.,  as  above,  a  baby  not  named,  and  Ida. 
Mr.  Overrocker  died  in  1886;  his  wife  survives  and  resides  with  our  subject.  Mrs. 
Enos  D.  Overrocker's  father,  Ernest  Deihl,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  when  a  young  man.  He  married  and  had  seven  children  by  his  first 
wife,  and  six  by  his  second  wife.  Mr.  Overrocker's  brother,  Lafayette,  was  a  soldier 
of -the  late  war.  He  enlisted  August  3,  1862,  in  Co.  H,  117th  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is 
Dutch  and  German. 

Williams,  Rees  G.,  son  of  William  E.,  was  born  in  Carmaerthonshire,  Wales,  July 
19,  1828,  and  came  to  Utica  with  his  parents  in  1841.  He  learned  the  printing  busi- 
ness in  the  Gazette  ofiice,  and  in  1862,  with  the  late  Lucius  C.  Childs,  opened  a  job 
room  in  Franklin  Square.     Later  he  was  connected  with  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 


144  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

road  offices,  for  a  time  he  was  foreman  of  the  Observer  job  room,  succeeding  Luther 
M.  Kent.  In  1866  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  as  a  representative  of  the 
Charter  Oak  Company.  This  calling  he  continued  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  23,  1895.  Mr.  Williams  early  identified  himself  with  Masonry  and  became 
an  ardent  promoter  of  its  principles.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  was  junior  war- 
den and  was  successively  promoted  until  he  filled  exalted  positions  in  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  .State.  He  instituted  many  lodges  and  was  one  of  the  best  known 
Masons  in  Central  New  York.  Since  1861  he  was  connected  with  the  Knights  Tem- 
plar and  was  its  commander  when  it  took  part  in  the  obsequies  of  President  Garfield 
in  Cleveland.  Mr.  Williams  took  deep  interest  in  the  history  of  Utica  and  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  from  its  inception.  He  was  a 
man  of  engaging  personality,  remarkably  well  informed,  warmly  esteemed  and 
highly  respected,  and  inflexibly  honest. 

Roberts,  John  C,  managing  editor  of  Y  Drych  (The  Mirror),  the  leading  Welsh 
paper  of  the  country,  was  born  in  Llysfaen,  North  AV ales,  June  7.  1840.  In  186(5  he 
came  from  Denbigh,  North  Wales,  to  America,  and  after  two  and  one-half  years 
spent  mostly  in  New  York  city  settled  permanently  in  Utica,  where  he  has  ever  since 
(March,  1869)  held  the  position  of  managing  editor  of  Y  Drych. 

Day,  Horace  E.,  was  born  at  West  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  August  21, 
1846,  son  of  Horace  B.  Day,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Utica  Free 
Academy.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  Utica  Opera  House  in  various  capacities 
since  about  1866,  when  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  box  office.  In  1892  he  became 
lessee  and  manager  of  this  play  house,  and  has  conducted  its  affairs  successfully, 
being  well  sustained  by  the  theatrical  public  of  the  city  of  I'tica.  Mr.  Day  married 
Kittle  M.  McKinney,  of  Utica,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  six  children. 

Weaver,  Abram  H.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  June  13,  1849. 
He  was  educated  at  Utica,  and  has  since  followed  farming.  In  1881  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Marcy,  where  he  resided  imtil  1892,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Deer- 
field  Corners,  but  still  carries  on  the  farm.  In  1877  he  married  Matilda,  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Rachel  Harter,  natives  of  Deerneld.  Richard  Harter  was  a  farmer  in 
Deerfield.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  supervisor  of  Deerfield  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  a  great  many  years.  He  died  May  3,  1883,  aged  eighty-three 
years,  and  his  wife  died  April  18,  1860,  aged  sixty-seven  years  Mr.  and  Mr.s. 
Weaver  have  one  daughter,  Florence  R.,  born  June  20,  1880. 

Jamieson,  Robert,  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  son  of  Alexander  and  Betsey 
Jamieson.  The  family  came  to  the  United  States  in  1865,  and  Alexander  was  em- 
ployed m  the  New  York  Mills  until  he  died  in  1882.  Mrs.  Jamieson  is  still  living. 
Robert  Jamieson  engaged  in  work  in  the  New  York  Mills,  at  which  he  has  always 
continued.  He  is  overseer  of  the  weaving  in  Mill  No.  1.  He  is  a  popular  and  promi- 
nent Republican,  and  has  been  elected  supervisor  two  terms.  He  married  Julia 
Cash  of  New  York  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Edward  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jamie- 
sou  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  New  York  Mills. 

Dygart,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Oneida  county.  N.  Y.,  in  1829.  He  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  and  January  1,  1853,  he  married  Susan  Lansing,  of  his  native 
county,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Harriet  A.,  Dennison  H.,  George  H.,  Ida  M., 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  145 

Josie  F.,  and  Myra  M.  Peter  Dj^gart,  father  of  John  H.,  was  born  in  Madison 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  married  Elsie  Goodeno,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  John  H., 
Dennison  and  Maria.  Mrs.  Dygart's  father,  Henry  Laning,  was  born  February  8, 
1808.  He  married  Abigail  Coon,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  three  children : 
William,  Susan,  and  Harriet.  Mr.  Laning  died  January  16,  1890,  and  his  wife  July 
19,  1800.  Mr.  Dygart's  grandfather,  Henry  Dygart,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  New  England  stock,  of  Dutch  origin 
on  both  sides. 

Foster,  Ellen  M. — Charles  Foster  was  born  in  Southampton,  L.  I.,  in  1797,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  that  day.  He  was  a  tanner  and  shoemaker  in  early  life, 
and  afterward  a  farmer.  He  came  to  Oneida  county  when  twenty-three  years  of 
age.  He  married  Rhoda  Snow,  of  Sandisfield,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children:  Charles  S.,  Mary  S.,  William  A.,  deceased,  Ellen  M.,  as  above, 
an  infant  daughter  not  named,  James  J.,  George  A.,  William  H.,  and  Edward  S. 
George  A.  graduated  from  Ann  Arbor  University,  Michigan,  as  an  attorney  at  law. 
He  enlisted  in  the  44th,  Colonel  Ellsworth's  regiment  and  jjarticipated  in  the  Seven 
Days  fight  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  was  promoted  as  captain  in  a  colored 
regiment,  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Chicago.  Edward  S.  also  enlisted  in  Company  C,  117th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  died  in  Virginia,  July  21,  1863,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Hampton  National  Cemetery.  Mr.  Foster  died  November  3,  1858,  and  his  wife  De- 
cember 26,  1879.  Christopher  Foster,  styled  farmer  in  the  shipping  list,  embarked 
in  London,  June  17,  1635,  in  the  Abigail,  and  moved  to  Southampton  in  1651. 

Merry,  Frederick  J.,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  December  31,  1840.  He  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  place  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  the  townof  Verona.  He  owns  a  stone  quarry, 
a  cheese  factory,  and  a  farm.  August  16,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  L,  1st  N.  Y. 
Mounted  Rifles,  was  in  the  department  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  June  11,  1865.  March  10,  1875,  he  married  Anna  E.  McGann  of  this 
town,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  William  G.,  Grace  C,  and  Belle  S.  Mrs. 
Merry's  father,  Hugh  McGann,  was  born  in  1817,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation.  Mr.  McGann  married  Mary  Butler, 
by  whom  he  had  eight  children:  Mary,  Emily,  Ellen,  Mary,  Sarah,  William,  Anna 
E.,  and  Adelia.     He  died  in  1884  and  his  wife  died  April  7,  1896. 

Dapson,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Kent,  England,  April  25,  1831.  He  was  educated 
there,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  October  21,  1855,  he  married  Sophia  Braizer, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  October  24,  1855,  and  located  in  Augusta,  Oneida 
county.  Mrs.  Dapson  died  in  1859,  and  for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Dapson  married 
Harriet  Pankhurst,  of  his  native  country,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Emma 
C,  Hattie  J.,  Winnifred  E.,  John  T.,  Frank  E.,  George  W.,  and  Fred  A.  The 
family  resided  in  the  town  of  Vernon  ten  years,  and  in  the  town  of  Verona  since 
1874.  Mr.  Dapson's  father,  Thomas  Dapson,  sr.,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Eng- 
land in  1808.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  married  Jane  Mercer,  of  his  na- 
tive country,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children  who  grew  to  maturity ;  Mary  A. ,  Jane, 
Thomas,  Harriet,  William,  Sarah,  Alfred  and  Eliza.     Mr.  Dapson  died  in  1883;  his 


146  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

wife  died  in  England,  Mrs.  Dapson's  father,  William  Pankhurst,  was  born  in  Kent, 
England,  in  1815.  He  married  Charlotte  Law,  of  his  native  place,  and  they  had  five 
children;  Ann  M.,  Harriet,  Jane,  Elizabeth,  and  George.  Mr.  Dapson  is  a  member 
of  Vernon  Grange,  No.  638,  of  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

Case,  A.  Pierson,  was  born  in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  March  22,  1818,  son  of  Salmon  Case, 
who  came  from  Norfolk,  Conn.,  in  1813,  and  built  up  a  large  mercantile  business, 
carrying  it  on  until  1840,  when  he  retired.  He,  in  company  with  John  J.  Kno.x, 
started  the  Vernon  Bank  in  1839,  of  which  for  some  time  he  was  cashier.  Salmon 
Case  was  a  descendant  of  John  Case,  who  came  from  England  in  1640  and  .settled  in 
Connecticut.  He  was  born  November  26,  1794,  and  died  in  1871.  In  1844  he  was 
the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in  Oneida  county.  A.  Pierson  Case  received 
his  school  training  at  "Dominie"  Wicks's  school  on  Paris  Hill,  Prof.  Charles  Bartlett's 
High  School  at  East  Utica,  and  the  Vernon  Academy.  He  then  entered  his  father's 
store  at  Vernon  and  for  the  following  thirty-five  years  was  identified  with  the 
business,  he,  with  his  brother,  continuing  the  business  for  thirty  years  after  his 
father's  retirement.  In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Case  enlisted  in  the  146th  Regt.  N.  Y.  Vols., 
and  served  until  January,  1864,  when  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health. 
After  his  retirement  he  was  for  a  time  interested  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  1878 
he  represented  the  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  In  1879  he  was  chosen  cashier 
of  the  bank,  and  so  continued  until  1893,  at  which  time  he  was  elected  its  president, 
succeeding  Warren  G.  Strong. '  His  mother  was  Maria  Pierson,  born  in  Cazenovia, 
September  5,  1799,  and  died  in  Vernon,  March  10,  1885.  Mr.  Case  married  Lovina 
W.  Coburn,  who  was  born  in  Homer,  N.  Y.,  December  20,  1820,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children:  Maria  A.  and  Charles  S.,  who  is  in  the  lithographing  business  in  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  Y. 

Robbins,  Albert  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Augusta,  near  the  village  of  Knox, 
boro.  His  father,  Lorenzo  Robbins,  came  to  Augusta  with  his  parents  in  1813,  when 
he  was  but  two  and  a  half  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children  ; 
they  were  natives  of  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born  September  6,  1811. 
In  1840  he  married  Clarissa  E.  Guthrie,  of  Stockbridge,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1849. 
Albert  W.  Robbins  is  one  of  two  children,  and  acquired  his  education  at  the  Augusta 
Academy,  Mansfield  Seminary,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Oneida  Seminary.  In  1861-2 
he  taught  school,  but  the  Civil  war  having  broken  out,  he  enlisted  in  the  117th  N.  V. 
Vols.,  Co.  G,  and  remained  three  years  in  the  service,  receiving  in  the  Drury  BlufT 
battle  a  severe  wound  for  which  he  now  draws  a  small  pen.sion.  After  his  discharge 
from  the  army  he  returned  to  Augusta  and  resumed  his  farm  life,  which  he  still  con- 
tinues. He  married  for  his  first  wife,  Eliza  Bishop,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  died  May 
23,  1890,  leaving  one  son,  Edwin,  now  a  student  in  Hamilton  College.  His  present 
wife  is  Sarah  Dudley  of  Augusta,  who  was  educated  at  the  Augusta  Academy,  and 
also  the  training  school  for  teachers,  at  Quincy   Mass. 

Keith,  Charles  B.,  was  born  at  North  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  February  5.  1858, 
He  attended  the  public  school  of  that  place,  also  the  Whitestown  Seminary  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was  made  acting  station  agent  of  the  D.,  L. 

'  His  brother,  Josiah  Case,  was  president  of  the  bank  from  imi  to  I8!Mi ;  and  his  brother. 
Everett,  was  cashier  from  1851  to  1879, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  147 

&  W.  R.  R.  at  North  Brookfield.  A  short  time  subsequent  to  this  he  received  the 
appointment  to  a  similar  position,  on  the  N.  Y.,  O.  &  W.  R.  R.  at  Westmoreland, 
N.  Y.,  and  remained  at  that  place  until  November,  1878,  at  w^hich  time  he  was 
promoted  by  the  same  company  to  the  agency  at  Oriskany  Falls,  a  position  he  still 
occupies.  His  father,  Henry  P.  Keith,  was  born  at  Unadilla  Forks,  N.  Y.,  July  21, 
1829.  He  early  removed  to  North  Brookfield,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
milling  until  he  was  forty  years  of  age,  when  he  devoted  several  years  to  the  manu- 
facture of  cheese.  In  1889  he  removed  to  Oriskany  Falls,  where  he  still  resides. 
December  21,  1854,  he  married  Mandana  C.  Peck,  of  North  Brookfield,  who  was  a 
native  of  Henderson,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  May  3,1833.  She  is 
also  living.  On  the  first  of  November,  1883,  Charles  B.  Keith  entered  in  copartner- 
ship with  O.  B.  Abbott,  under  the  firm  name  of  Abbott  &  Keith,  dealers  m  coal,  and 
continued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Abbott,  in  1894.  W.  C.  Nye  succeeded  to  the  Abbott 
interest,  and  the  firm  has  since  been  Keith  &  Nye.  December  25,  1879,  Mr.  Keith 
was  married  to  Hattie  E.  Kellogg,  of  Westmoreland.  Mrs.  Keith  was  educated  at 
Westmoreland  and  Whitestown  Seminary.  They  have  two  children :  Harry  C. ,  born 
June  19,  1882,  and  Royal  B.,  born  April  20,  1885. 

McPherson,  John,  was  born  in  Port  Glasgow,  Scotland,  December  13,  1845,  son  of 
William  and  Agnes  (Crawford)  McPherson.  William  McPherson  died  in  the  West 
Indies  at  thirty-si.\  years  of  age,  and  Mrs.  McPherson  died  in  New  York  Mills  in 
1881.  John  McPherson  was  educated  in  Scotland  and  came  to  New  York  Mills  m 
1805,  since  which  time  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  company,  and  he  is  carpen- 
ter at  mills  Nos.  3  and  4.  Mr.  McPherson  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  married  Mary  F.,  daughter  of  George  Burdick  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he 
has  two  sons:  William  Monroe  and  Roy  Burdick. 

Pattengill,  Lucia  G. — Charles  N.  Pattengill  was  born  in  New  Lisbon,  Otsego 
county,  N.  Y.,  December  11,  1820,  son  of  Lemuel  Pattengill,  a  captain  in  the  war  of 
1812  who  was  captured  by  the  British  and  exchanged.  Charles  N.  Pattengill  was 
educated  at  the  Oneida  Institute,  Gilbertsville  Academy  and  Oxford.  He  first 
studied  law,  and  at  the  same  time  was  engaged  in  teaching,  but  after  qualifying  him- 
self for  the  bar  he  felt  that  his  calling  lay  in  the  mmistry,  which  he  entered  in  1853, 
his  first  pastorate  being  Westville  church,  Westville,  Otsego  county.  After  officiat- 
ing there  four  years  he  came  to  Whitesboro,  where  he  remained  ten  years  before 
going  to  Palmyra.  He  remained  there  six  years,  then  went  to  Gloversville  for  four 
years,  thence  to  Fayetteville,  where  he  remained  about  three  years.  He  was 
naturally  a  ready  and  fluent  speaker,  a  man  of  rare  earnestness  and  power.  In  the 
late  Civil  war  his  eloquence  found  a  great  theme,  and,  inspired  bj^  patriotism,  his 
addresses  did  much  for  the  L''^nion  during  that  period  of  great  trial.  His  ministrj'  at 
Whitesboro  was  noted  for  its  successful  results  and  the  good  he  accomplished.  In 
Palmyra  he  worked  unremittingly,  building  a  magnificent  church,  raising  the  money 
for  this  edifice  and  designing  the  interior  himself.  He  married  Lucia  Gregory,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children:  John  Gregory,  who  died  in  1862;  Charles  Fennimore, 
who  resides  with  his  mother  in  Whitesboro ;  and  Lucia  Louise  who  married  Levi  S. 
Chapman,  a  well-known  lawyer  of  Syracuse. 

Baer,  G.  A.,  was  born  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  March  2,   1860,  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 


148  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

beth  Baer.  John  Baer  was  born  in  Hechingen  HohenzoUen,  Germany,  October  25, 
1813,  and  came  to  Oriskany  in  1842,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  har- 
nesses. He  was  also  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  proprietor  of  a  hotel.  He  died 
in  1882.  G.  A.  Baer  was  educated  in  Oriskany,  Whitesboro  Seminary,  and  East- 
man's Business  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  after  which  he  worked  with  his 
father.  He  was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  commission  business,  buying  prod- 
uce for  New  York  houses.  In  1892  he  associated  himself  with  H.  L.  Sweet,  and 
they  have  a  large  store  in  the  village  of  Oriskany,  where  they  keep  a  complete  stock 
of  merchandise  of  all  descriptions.  Mr.  Baer  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  eight 
years,  is  the  present  postmaster  and  has  been  director  in  the  Oriskany  Malleable 
Iron  Works  for  a  number  of  years.  He  married  Mary  E.  Ouinn  of  Brooklyn,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children;  Mary,  Alma,  John,  and  Helen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baer  are 
members  of  St.  Paul's  church  at  Whitesboro. 

Magill,  David  B.,  was  born  in  Ireland,  May  26,  1836,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
Magill.  David  B.  came  to  the  United  States  in  1844,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
school  of  New  York  Mills,  and  then  engaged  in  work  in  the  mills.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  machinist,  which  he  followed  until  he  volunteered  in  the  late  Civil  war, 
going  to  the  front  with  the  117th  N.  Y.  Vols.  He  was  in  all  the  engagements  in 
which  his  regiment  participated  up  to  the  battle  of  Fort  Fisher,  where  he  was  badly 
wounded,  losing  a  leg  in  that  battle.  Soon  after  this  the  war  closed  and  he  was 
mustered  out.  When  Mr.  Magill  volunteered  in  1862  he  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  of  Co.  D ;  in  1863  he  was  promoted  to  the  first  lieutenancy  of  the  same 
company;  and  was  made  captain  of  Co.  A  in  1864;  and  then  promoted  brevet  major 
by  the  secretary  of  war  in  1865,  for  meritorious  services  at  Fort  Fi.sher ;  and  also 
brevetted  major  by  Governor  Fentou  of  New  York. 

Neal,  Morris  M.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  in  1824,  and  came  to  New  Hart- 
ford with  his  parents  when  one  year  old.  His  father,  William  Neal,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  New  Hartford,  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  February  18,  HDT,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 14,  1832.  His  mother,  Mary  Moore,  was  born  in  Whitestown  August  2,  180:!, 
and  died  June  21,  1882.  His  parents  were  married  November  J),  1823.  His  paternal 
grandfather  with  his  family  came  to  this  State  about  1794  and  settled  in  the  south- 
erly part  of  the  town  of  New  Hartford  (then  the  town  of  Whitestown),  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  northeasterly  of  Paris  Hill.  His  maternal  grandfather  Moore  and 
wife  came  to  this  town  (then  Whitestown)  and  lived  for  a  time  on  the  premises  pur- 
chased by  her  father,  Benjamin  Merrill,  who  came  to  Whitestown  in  1790  and  pur- 
chased a  quarter  section  located  on  the  highway  from  Utica  to  Bridgewater  one  mile 
north  of  Sauquoit  and  near  Chadwick  Mills  Cotton  Company;  this  farm  was  pur- 
chased by  Benjamin  Merrill  for  his  son  Zenas,  who  came  in  1791  and  began  clearing; 
he  died  m  1793,  and  his  father  sold  out  in  Connecticut  and  moved  on  to  the  farm  in 
1794.  Morris  W.  Neal  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  now  resides  in  a  house  which  was 
erected  in  1794;  and  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  his  grandmother  traveled  through  Utica 
when  it  consisted  of  only  three  log  huts.  In  1868  Mr.  Neal  married  Sarah  Patchin 
of  Paris. 

Eaton,  Elmer  E.,  came  to  the  town  of  Augusta  in  1881,  having  moved  from  the 
town  of  Stockbridge,  where  he  was  born  May  15,  1843,  and  where  he  was  educated. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  149 

He  was  a  son  of  Justus  Eaton,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  came  to  Augusta  with 
his  parents  in  early  childhood.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  his  father  bound  him  out  to 
John  Porter,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  he  was  twenty-one,  at  which  time  he 
settled  in  vStockbridge,  where  he  resided  a  prosperous  farmer  until  his  death,  Febru- 
ary 23,  1888.  His  wife,  Susan  M.  Green,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1805,  and  died  in 
Stockbridge,  November  13,  1871.  The  Batons  were  of  English  descent.  "Hill 
Crest  Farm,"  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Knoxboro,  the  home  of  Mr.  Eaton,  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  town.  He  married  Mrs.  Eva  (Ranney)  Stewart,  who  was  born  in 
Stockbridge,  June  30,  1855,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  Lena  M.,  born  January  7, 
1882;  Lillian  C,  born  May  1,  1884;  Lottie  May,  born  September  19,  1887;  Bernice 
L.,  born  October  11,  1889,  and  Merlin  E.,  born  August  19,  1892.  Mrs.  Eaton  has 
one  daughter,  D.  Elizabeth  Stewart,  who  was  born  July  20,  1875. 

Bartholomew,  Edward  J.,  was  born  in  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  October  20,  1850,  son  of 
Orlo  Bartholomew,  who  was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn.,  in  1801,  and  died  in  Augusta 
May  7,  1864.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  faith,  and  for  twenty-eight 
years  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Augusta.  He  was  the  second  pastor 
the  church  had,  and  did  more  to  build  up  and  promote  the  interest  of  the  society 
than  any  other  person  connected  with  it.  He  came  to  Augusta  in  1836,  and  up  to 
that  time  had  been  engaged  in  farming.  November  18,  1836,  he  married  Julia  A. 
Peck,  of  Skaneateles,  N.  Y.,  who  came  from  one  of  the  best  known  families  of  that 
place.  She  was  born  May  11,  1813,  and  died  in  Augusta,  March  21,  1892.  Edward 
J.  Bartholomew  received  his  education  at  the  school  in  Augusta,  and  after  finishing, 
he  taught  .school  for  eleven  successive  winters,  devoting  his  summers  to  farming. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  bought  the  Sheldon  Smith  farm  near  Augusta,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved  to  Madison,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  resided  for  seven  years,  still  continuing  to  teach  school  winters.  October  8,  1873, 
he  married  Flora  Spooner  of  Augusta,  daughter  of  James  Spooner,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  that  place.  In  1888  they  took  possession  of  the  Spooner  farm,  and  remained 
there  until  1892,  when  Mr.  Bartholomew  moved  on  to  the  farm  left  vacant  by  the 
death  of  his  brother,  A.  P.  Bartholomew.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartholomew  have  four 
children:  Florence  A.,  born  December  27,  1875;  Clara  M.,  born  July  17,  1878;  Joseph- 
ine S..  born  June  23,  1881 ;  and  Harry  J.,  born  January  12,  1889. 

Amann,  Ignace  L.-r  was  born  in  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany),  February  ] ,  1850. 
,He  was  educated  there  and  then  came  to  the  LTnited  States,  landing  in  New  \  ork 
January  30,  1872,  and  locating  in  Verona,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming.  May  15, 
1877,  he  married  Josephine  A.  Schwarz,  who  came  from  Philadelphia,  Jefferson 
county,  N.  Y.,  when  five  years  of  age.  They  have  five  children:  Louise  V.,  Minnie 
T.,  J.  Albert,  Josephine  A.,  and  Leona  M.  Mr.  Amann  is  a  member  of  the  Benevo- 
lent Order  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  No.  60,  Rome,  N.  Y.  Anthony  Amann,  his  father, 
was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Alsace.  He  married  Theresa  Wind,  of  that  place,  by 
whom  he  had  ten  children,  of  whom  the  following  grew  to  maturity :  Joseph,  Antone, 
Salome,  Andrew,  Nicholas,  Mary  and  Ignace  L.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anthony  Amann 
are  dead.  Mrs.  Amann's  father,  Joseph  Schwarz,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1824. 
He  married  Balbina  Becherer,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1852,  going  to 
Utica  first,  afterwards  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  then  to  Philadelphia,  N.  Y.  They  had 
twelve  children:  Sabina  (who  died  at  sea),   Wilhelmina,    William  A.,   Joseph   E., 


150  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Josephine  A.,  John  S.,  Mary  M.,  Francis  L.,  Louisa  T.,  Nettie  B.,  Alvin  H.,  and 
Emma  H.  (who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen).  Mr.  Schwarz  died  July  6,  1875.  The 
family  is  of  French  and  German  descent. 

Bourke,  Miles  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Oneida  county,  May  1,  1848, 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Bourke,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1836, 
settling  in  Florence.  In  1851  he  moved  to  LTtica  where  Mr.  Bourke  worked  for  a 
telegraph  company,  and  then  for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad.  Miles  R.  Bourke 
learned  the  trade  of  plumber  and  hardware  business  with  John  Carton  of  Utica. 
He  was  appointed  to  the  Naval  Academy  by  Francis  Kernan,  but  did  not  serve, 
owing  to  lack  of  physical  development.  In  1806  he  came  to  Waterville,  where  he  con- 
ducts ageneral  hardware  and  plumbing  business.  He  is  serving  his  fourth  term  on  the 
exise  board,  and  was  chief  of  the  fire  department  one  year.  He  is  an  active  Demo- 
crat and  has  been  delegate  to  many  conventions.  He  was  formerly  in  the  Utica 
Fire  Department,  and  is  an  exempt  fireman  in  that  city.  In  1880  he  married  Mar- 
garet Landers,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  John,  Miles,  Rachel  and  Frances. 

Thomas,  Charles  H.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  April  17,  1840, 
son  of  Stephen  and  Lucy  (Goodell)  Thomas.  He  was  born  in  the  first  frame  house 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  His  mother's  family  belonged  to  Montgomery  county, 
N.  Y.  His  father's  family  were  Quakers,  and  moved  from  Dutchess  county  to  Her- 
kimer county  when  Stephen  was  twelve  years  of  age.  There  were  two  brothers, 
Henry,  of  Lone  Rock,  Wis.,  and  the  late  Dr.  D.  G.  Thomas  of  Utica,  and  one  sister 
who  married  Capt.  Holcomb  of  Litchfield.  About  1830  Stephen  became  connected 
with  Frankfort  Iron  Works,  bemg  superintendent  Hrst,  and  afterwards,  as  agent, 
he  traveled  all  over  the  State.  In  1834  he  came  to  Paris  and  bought  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  adding  to  it  until  it  contained  over  two  hundred  acres.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  put  up  a  cheese  factory  inthis  section,  where  his  .son  Charles  was  cheesemaker 
for  some  years.  He  was  an  energetic,  progressive  and  successful  farmer,  and  was 
one  of  the  men  who  rendered  efhcient  aid  in  putting  through  the  LUica,  Chenango 
and  Susquehanna  Valley  (now  D.  L.  &  W.)  railroad,  being  one  of  the  commissioners 
until  his  health  failed.  Both  parents  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- seven  years,  leaving 
two  sons,  C  H.,  and  W.  J.  Thomas  of  Westmoreland.  In  1867  Charles  H.  Thomas 
married  Frances  L.  Knight,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Knight,  M.  D.,  also  of  Quaker 
family,  coming  from  Providence,  R.  I.  He  was  a  well  known  physician  of  the  town 
of  Paris,  also  supervisor,  and  superintendent  of  schools.  Her  mother,  Lucia  (Marsh) 
Knight,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Anne  Webster,  daughter  of  Gov.  John  Webster, 
and  John  Marsh,  both  of  whose  names  are  to  be  found  on  a  fine  shaft,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  first  settlers  in  Hartford,  Conn.  Other  members  of  the  family  were, 
later  on,  first  settlers  of  Hadley,  Mass.,  New  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  still  later  of 
Whitesboro  and  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  These  families  were  both 
represented  in  the  wars  of  1776,  1812,  and  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Sergt.  Robert 
Knight  and  Dr.  Arthur  Knight,  of  Sauquoit,  served  three  years  in  the  L^nion  army. 
The  old  miUtia  commissions  of  Capt.  Nehemiah  Knight,  jr.,  rank  of  Colonel, 
"Cranston  Blues.  R.  I."  dated  1802,  signed  by  "Gov.  Arthur  Fenner,  Commander 
in  Chief  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations ;"  countersigned  by  ' '  N.  Knight, 
Senator,"  also  the  commission  of  "Lieut.  Jeremiah  Knight,  140th  N.  Y.  Infantry," 
signed  by  De  Witt  Clinton  are  still   in   the   possession   of  the  family.     Charles  and 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  151 

Frances  Thomas  have  three  sons;  Jeremiah  K.   of  Binghamton,   Stephen  G.,  and 
Irving  H.,  still  on  the  farm. 

Thompson,  Joseph  T.,  was  born  in  Durhamville,  N.  Y.,  in  1831.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  and  select  schools,  and  has  since  had  a  variety  of  occupations;  in 
earlier  years  he  was  a  farmer.  He  erected  and  has  been  interested  in  the  cheese 
factories  of  Oneida  Castle,  and  built  the  first  circular  saw  mill  in  the  town  of  Verona, 
near  Oneida,  where. he  conducted  for  fourteen  years  an  extensive  lumber  business. 
He  started  the  first  ice  business  in  Oneida,  and  is  the  originator  of  several  new  varie- 
ties of  fruit,  among  them  the  Columbus  gooseberry  and  the  Columbian  raspberry, 
being  very  valuable  additions  to  the  list  of  small  fruits.  He  is  also  an  inventor  and 
mechanic.  February  6,  1861,  he  married  Mary  S.  White,  of  Oneida  Castle,  N.  Y., 
who  was  born  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y..  in  1836.  Mr.  Thompson's  father,  Joseph  Thomp- 
son, was  born  in  Colerain,  Mass.,  September  80,  1791.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  that  day,  and  came  to  this  county  when  a  young  man.  He  married  Betsey 
Frazee,  of  Durhamville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Margaret,  Betsey, 
Rachel,  Angeline,  Joseph  T.,  as  above,  Benjamin  F.  and  Edwin.  Mr.  Thompson 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  also  an  officer  in  the  State  militia.  He  died 
in  18T0  and  his  wife  in  1877.  Mr.  Thompson's  grandfather,  Joseph  Thompson,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his  grandfather  Frazee  was  the  first  settler 
in  Durhamville,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Thompson's  father,  Harry  White,  was  born  in  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  in  1801.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  day,  and  was  a  mechanic  by 
occupation,  also  a  Baptist  minister.  He  married  Deborah  Jenne,  of  Shaftsbury,  Vt., 
by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Henry  S.,  Mary  S.,  as  above,  and  Jenne  L.  He 
died  in  18S9  and  his  wife  in  1881.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  Scotch  on  both 
sides. 

Barnard,  Josiah  E.,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  N.  Y.,  October  16,  1834,  son  of  George 
W.  and  Phoebe  Frances  Barnard.  George  W.  Barnard  was  born  May  5,  1806,  in 
Kirkland.  Mrs.  Barnard  was  born  in  Pittsfied,  and  is  still  living,  being  in  her  eighty- 
sixth  year.  Josiah  E.  Barnard  was  educated  partly  in  Westmoreland  and  partly  in 
Clinton,  and  was  connected  with  the  agricultural  manufacturing  business  for  about 
fifteen  years  in  Madison  county,  and  then  he  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  has 
since  continued.  He  married  Eliza  C.  Mansfield,  of  Madison  county,  by  whom  he 
has  one  child,  Frances  M.  Barnard,  who  was  graduated  from  Albany  Normal  School 
and  is  now  teaching  in  Tome  Institute,  Port  Deposit,  Maryland. 

Dietche,  Henry,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  February  21,  1842.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  their  schools,  and  afterward  learned  the  boot  and  shoe  trade.  In  1870  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  first  locating  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  in  1871  he  removed 
to  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and  to  New  London,  N.  Y. ,  October  1,  1872,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  shoe  and  harness  business;  he  is  also  an  ice  dealer.  November 
1,  1873,  he  married  Elizabeth  Ziller,  of  this  place,  by  whom  he  had  five  children: 
Emma,  who  died  October  28,  1887 ;  Nettie,  who  died  October  2,  1887 ;  Henry  G. ,  Joseph 
E.,  and  Lena  B.  Mr.  Dietche's  father,  Gallus  Dietche,  was  born  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Germany.  He  married  INIary  Riester  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:  Henry,  as  above,  and  Louisa.  Mr.  Dietche  died  in  1892,  and  his  wife 
in  1855.     Mrs.  Dietche's  father,  John  Ziller,  was   born  in  Hesse    Darmstadt,   Ger- 


152  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

many,  about  1802,  He  married  Margaret  Triebel,  of  Saxony,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children:  Margaret,  George  and  Elizabeth,  twins,  Adam,  Elizabeth  No.  2,  as  above. 
and  Catherine.  Elizabeth  No.  1  died  young.  Mr.  Ziller  died  in  October,  1887.  The 
nationality  of  this  family  is  German  on  both  sides. 

Daly,  William  Francis,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  September  22,  1850.  He  was 
the  son  of  Michael  and  Catharine  (Campbell)  Daly.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  Mr. 
Daly  enlisted  in  the  army  as  a  drummer  boy  but  only  went  as  far  as  Willett's  Point 
when  he  was  caught  and  brought  back  to  school.  He  remained  in  school  two  years 
and  in  1864  again  made  an  attempt  to  join  the  northern  forces  at  the  front.  He 
reached  Governor  s  Island  where  he  was  again  ca'ight  and  brought  back.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  Assumption  Academy  in  1868.  He  then  went  west  to  Dakota  and 
served  as  scout  in  the  Red  Cloud  troubles  and  in  several  campaigns  against  the 
'Apaches  in  Arizona  and  the  Commanches  in  New  Mexico.  When  the  great  Mexican 
leader  General  Diaz  took  the  field  against  the  then  recognized  government  authori- 
ties, Mr.  Daly  accepted  a  command  under  him  and  served  with  distinction  through 
the  campaign  until  the  surrender  of  Matamoras.  Mr.  Daly  came  north  in  time  to 
attend  the  Centennial  at  Philadelphia.  He  then  returned  to  Uttca  and  became  inter- 
ested in  the  sale  of  beef.  Mr.  Daly  was  the  leader  of  the  little  band  that  ran  the  first 
carload  of  dressed  beef  into  Utica  from  Chicago.  Though  the  western  beef  is  now 
almost  universally  used  in  the  east,  at  that  time  all  the  meat  dealers  of  Utica  refused 
to  buy  outside  of  Utica,  and  Mr.  Daly's  project  was  ruined.  In  the  year  1880  he 
again  went  west  to  Leadville,  Col.,  but  returned  the  following  year  to  accept  a  posi- 
tion with  the  American  Express  Company.  Later  he  was  connected  with  the  Star 
brewery  and  served  some  time  as  a  clerk  in  the  post-office.  In  1887  Mr.  Daly  formed 
a  partnership  with  J.  J.  Holland  under  the  name  Daly  &  Holland,  manufacturers  of 
barber's  supplies  and  toilet  articles.  The  firm  also  dealt  in  wall-paper,  window 
shades,  pictures  and  mouldings.  In  July,  1894,  Mr.  Holland  retired  and  Mr.  Daly 
conducted  the  business  alone.  After  his  return  from  the  west  he  married  Miss 
Catherine  C.  Venn  of  Utica,  in  June,  J877,  two  children  blessing  the  union,  Mark  A. 
and  Emma  V.  Daley.  In  May,  1881,  Mr.  Daly  was  called  to  mourn  his  wife's  death. 
On  November  IJ),  1884,  he  married  Katherine  Loftus  of  Constablcville,  Lewis  county, 
N.  Y.  Mr.  Daly  is  a  genial,  whole  souled  man  who  is  a  friend  to  everybody.  It  is 
his  special  boast  that  he  has  trod  every  foot  of  ground  on  the  western  slope  on  horse- 
back. 

McLean,  William  Gardner,  was  born  in  Stratford,  Fulton  county,  N.  Y.,  June  19, 
1868,  son  of  William  J.  and  Margaret  J.  (Gardner)  McLean,  of  Scotch  descent.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  moved  to  Utica  with  his  parents  where  he  completed  his  edu- 
cation. Immediately  afterwards  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  office  of  Charles  Mil. 
lar  &  Son,  Utica,  dealers  in  plumbers'  and  tinners'  supplies.  In  1889  he  came  to 
Waterville  as  manager  of  a  hardware  business  owMied  by  Messrs.  Millar  &  Son,  and 
in  1891  purchased  the  business  and  organized  the  firm  of  W.  G.  McLean  &  Co.  In 
1894  they  added  a  complete  line  of  furniture  to  their  present  business.  In  1890  he 
was  married  to  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  the  late  Stephen  Bridenbecker,  of  the  town  oi 
Lenox,  Madison  county.     They  have  one  son,  Charles  William  McLean. 

Parke,  Morgan  Adelbert,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  November  4,   1853,  son  of 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  153 

David  N.  and  Mary  J.  (Morgan)  Parke.  David  N.  Parke  was  born  in  Eaton,  Madi- 
son county,  in  1820,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  about  1848,  where  he  bought  a  farm, 
clearing  part  of  it  himself,  and  which  he  conducted  until  his  death,  January  22,  1888. 
Morgan  A.  Parke  was  educated  at  Whitestown,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  on  the 
old  homestead  farm.  Mr.  Parke  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  success  of  his  party.  Mr.  Parke  married  Jennie  S.  Armstrong,  daughter  of 
Chauncey  M.  Armstrong  of  Rome,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Estella  May, 
Edna  Alice,  and  Ruth  Helena.  Mr.  Parke  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Bartlett 
Baptist  church. 

Smith,  Samuel  G.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  February  3,  1833,  son  of  Richard 
and  Mary  E.  Smith.  Richard  Smith  was  born  in  England  in  1805  and  came  to 
Westmoreland  where  he  settled  about  1820.  He  engaged  in  farming  until  1889  when 
he  retired  from  active  work,  and  now  resides  with  his  son  Samuel  G.  Samuel  G. 
Smith  was  educated  in  Westmoreland.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  clothing  busi- 
ness in  Erie,  Pa.,  and  also  in  Youngstown,  and  Springfield,  Ohio;  but  he  is  now  en- 
gaged in  cultivating  his  farm  in  Westmoreland.  He  married  Charlotte  P.  Camp, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Riverius  Camp  of  Connecticut,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  children : 
KateS.  (deceased),  Lizzie  J.  and  Dudley  C.  Mr.  Smith  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  and  are  among  the  oldest  families  in  Oneida  county. 

Norton,  Orlo  B.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  July  11, 
1832,  son  of  Florris  Norton,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1793,  and  who  was  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  coming  to  this  town  when -only  eleven 
years  of  age.  He  married  Elizabeth  A.  Curry,  who  was  born  in  Bangor,  Me.,  July 
22,  1806,  and  died  September  30,  1891.  Mr.  Norton  died  February  26,  1876.  Orlo 
B.  was  educated  at  the  Vernon  Center  school,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  farm 
where  he  remained  until  the  war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  14th  N.  Y.  Heavy 
Artillery,  but  was  subsequently  transferred  to  the  6th  Heavy  Artillery,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1865  he  bought  the  farm  upon  which  he  is  now  living, 
and  February  13,  1868,  he  married  Edna  A.  Edgerton,  of  Waterville,  who  was  born 
November  13,  1835,  daughter  of  Guy  and  Esther  K.  Edgerton.  Ivir.  and  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton have  four  adopted  daughters.  Mr.  Norton  is  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  the 
town  of  Vernon,  and  has  always  been  identified  with  the  town's  best  interests. 

Morgan,  Frank  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1856,  son  of  Elias 
Morgan,  who  was  a  pioneer  farmer  here,  where  he  came  when  twenty  years  of  age 
from  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  where  he  was  born  in  1808.  For  ten  years  he  was 
in  the  employment  of  Morgan  Butler,  and  by  strict  economy  and  hard  work  he  saved 
sufficient  money  to  purchase  a  farm  near  New  Hartford,  where  he  led  a  life  of  indus- 
try and  integrity  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  community,  who  revere  his  mem- 
ory as  a  man  and  a  citizen.  By  his  death  in  1881  the  Prohibition  cause  lost  one  of  its 
most  earnest  advocates.  Frank  W.  took  a  course  at  Utica  Business  College,  and 
then  engaged  in  farming,  owning  a  farm  in  the  suburbs  of  this  village.  In  1892  he 
married  Mary  H.,  daughter  of  Frank  Kunze,  an  able  mechanic,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:  Glenn  W.,  born  August  31,  1893,  and  Iva  F.,  born  March  8,  1895.  Mr. 
Morgan  and  wife  are  both  intimately  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ; 
and  he  is  an  able  defender  of  the  temperance  cause, 
t 


154  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Donlon,  Thomas  H.,  was  bora  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  in  January,  1860,  son  of 
Patrick  and  Margaret  Donlon,  natives  of  Ireland,  and  who  first  came  to  this  country 
in  1840,  and  lived  for  a  time  in  Osceola.  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.  In  1869  they  settled 
in  Vernon,  near  Sherrill,  where  they  remained  during  their  life.  They  were  pros- 
peroiis  farmers,  and  by  industry  accumulated  considerable  property,  leaving  at  their 
death  two  large  farms;  one  is  in  Lewis  county  and  the  other  in  Vernon.  Thomas  H. 
attended  the  Sherrill  school,  and  while  yet  a  boy  entered  the  employ  of  the  Oneida 
Community,  being  engaged  in  the  trap  shop.  He  there  learned  the  machinist  trade 
in  which  he  became  proficient,  and  while  thus  employed  he  invented  and  got  pat- 
ented a  nutholder  for  lumber  wagons,  also  a  broomholder,  both  of  which  are  in 
extensive  use.  Soon  after  this  he  invented  a  spring  trap  which  possessed  superior 
qualities  over  any  other  in  the  market.  In  1888  he  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Community  and  going  to  Cortland  organized  the  Cortland  Trap  Co.,  where 
the  traps  were  manufactured.  Subsequent  important  improvements  on  this  led  to 
the  sale  of  his  trap  to  the  Oneida  Community.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Donlon  re- 
turned to  the  employ  of  the  Community,  in  which  .service  he  remained  one  year. 
Since  that  time  he  has  brought  out  several  valuable  patents,  one  of  which  being  a 
new  trap,  and  for  the  manufacture  of  which  he  has  organized  a  new  company. 

Dewhurst,  J.  C,  was 'born  in  Willowvale,  N.  Y.,  in  1858,  son  of  the  late  Jolin 
Dewhurst,  a  widely-known  resident  machinist,  who  came  to  New  Hartford  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years,  prospered  and  passed  the  balance  of  an  active  life,  near  this 
village  as  a  farmer.  J.  C.  Dewhurst,  who  was  supervisor  of  this  town  in  1887,  is 
a  prominent  architect  and  builder.  Independent  in  politics,  firm  in  bis  opinions  of 
right,  he  endorses  and  serves  the  highest  interests  of  citizenship.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  In  1883  he  married  Christina  Kuhn  of  this  place,  by  whom 
he  has  had  three  children:  Bertha,  born  in  1S84;  Herbert,  in  1887  and  De  Forest  in 
1889.     His  religious  views  are  liberal  and  are  summed  up  in  the  Golden  Rule. 

Dunham  M.  Earl,  D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.D.,  son  of  the  Rev.  Moses  and  Roxana  Dun- 
ham, and  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Dunham,  was  born  February  6,  1825,  in 
Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  kept  steadily  at  school  until  he  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  having  prepared  for  college  at  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  graduated 
from  Hamilton  College,  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  the  class  of  1847.  Three  years  later  he 
took  the  degree  of  M.  A.  in  course.  After  graduating  he  entered  upon  the  profession 
of  teaching  and  pursued  it  steadily  for  twelve  years,  holding  the  position  of  principal 
in  Berlin  Academy  for  four  years  and  in  Sauquoit  Academy  for  eight  years.  Later 
in  life  he  was  principal  of  the  famous  Whitestown  Seminary  for  three  years.  He 
was  eminently  successful  in  educational  work  and  won  a  wide  reputation  as  a  teacher. 
In  1859  he  entered  the  ministry,  being  licen.sed  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Utica.  For  the  period  of  twenty-.seven  years  he  held  his  connection  with  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  holding  pastorates  in  some  of  the  most  prominent  church  societies 
and  serving  twice  as  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  America.  In  1889  he  changed  his  church  relation  to  the  Congregationalists, 
in  which  body  he  was  honored  with  a  seat  in  the  National  Council,  and  is  now  pastor 
of  the  Plymouth  Congregational  church,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  During  the  period  of  his 
successful  ministry  he  has  received  from  Union  and  other  universities  the  degrees  of 
Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,  and  LL.  D.     His  life  has  been  an  exceedingly  busy  one,  and  in  addi- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  155 

tion  to  his  school  and  pastoral  work  he  has  occupied  the  editorial  chair  for  several 
years  as  managing  and  associate  editor  of  the  The  Temperance  Patriot,  The  Living 
Issue,  and  associate  editor  of  The  Temperance  Banner,  The  New  York  Central  News, 
and  other  reform  papers.  His  correspondence  with  secular,  religious  and  reformatory 
journals  has  been  prolific,  and  many  short  and  continued  stories  of  his  have  been 
published  in  papers  and  magazines.  He  has  also  written  and  published  two  books 
named  respectively  Here  and  Hereafter,  and  The  Philosophy  of  Prayer,  and  is  busy 
preparing  others.  Early  m  life  he  entered  upon  reform  work,  first  as  a  temperance 
reformer,  and  has  lectured  upon  this  topic  extensively  throughout  the  State  of  New 
York  and  more  or  less  in  neighboring  States  and  Canada.  His  services  have  been 
in  large  requisition  for  special  addresses  at  school  conventions  and  institutes  and 
other  special  occasions,  as  well  as  at  religious  gatherings.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  movers  in  the  prohibitory  sentiment  in  New  York  State,  and  has  been  hon- 
ored by  several  nominations  for  State  and  National  offices.  Identified-with  the  Good 
Templars  for  years  he  has  held  some  of  the  highest  offices  in  the  Grand  Worthy 
Lodge,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Right  Worthy  Grand  Lodge  of  the  World.  He 
has  also  held  high  official  positions  among  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  the  Rechabites, 
and  the  Templars  of  Honor.  As  a  presiding  officer  he  has  manifested  special  ability 
and  has  often  been  elected  chairman  of  State  conventions  and  other  gatherings.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  New  York  State  delegation  in  the  Prohibition  convention  at  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  which  put  St.  John  in  nomination  for  president  of  the  United  States.  In 
1851  he  married  Miss  Harriet  U.  Hughston,  only  daughter  of  James  Hughston,  of 
East  Guilford,  N.  Y. ,  a  lady  of  rare  abilities.  She  died  in  1859,  leaving  one  son, 
George  F.,  editor  of  the  Utica  Daily  Press,  trustee  of  Hamilton  College,  and  one  of 
the  managers  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital.  In  1862  Mr.  Dunham  married  Lydia  M. 
Johnston,  only  daughter  of  David  S.  Johnston,  of  Sj'dney,  N.  Y.,  a  lady  of  culture  and 
refinement,  who  devotes  much  of  her  time  and  energies  to  works  of  reform.  Hale 
and  hearty,  Mr.  Dunham  is  still  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  doing  an  amount  of 
work  before  which  many  a  j-ounger  man  would  shrink. 

Miller,  Frank  P.,  D.D.S.,  was  born  at  Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  October  18, 
1870  He  is  a  son  of  Perry  B.  and  Phoebe  C.  Miller,  residents  of  that  place.  Mr. 
Miller  is  a  commercial  traveler,  an  occupation  he  has  actively  followed  many  years. 
Smith  Miller,  his  father,  and  grandfather,  Dr.  Miller,  were  natives  of  Connecticut, 
but  came  to  Oneida  county  at  an  earl3'  period  of  its  settlement.  An  ox  team  and 
rude  cart  were  the  means  of  conveyance  for  the  family  to  the  new  home.  He  spent 
his  life  in  Camden,  being  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town.  Dr.  Frank  P. 
Miller  was  reared  in  Camden  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
place.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry  with  Dr.  George  P. 
Manville  of  Camden.  He  subsequently  entered  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College  and 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1891.  Dr.  Miller  then  returned  to  Camden  and 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  This  he  continued  successfully  till  De- 
cember, 1895,  at  which  time  he  moved  to  Whitesboro.  His  proficiency  in  the  science 
of  dentistry  has  already  assured  him  of  a  prosperous  business  in  his  new  home. 
October  4,  1893,  Dr.  Miller  married  Harriet  E.,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
Hume,  of  Camden,  N.  Y.     They  have  one  daughter,  now  an  infant. 

Tompkins,  C.    H.,  was  born  on   the  farm    where  he  now  resides,    February  24, 


156  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1856,  son  of  Joshua  P.  and  Angelina  (Pierce)  Tompkins.  His  grandfather,  Nathaniel 
Tompkins,  was  a  native  of  Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
in  the  town  of  Paris,  the  deed  of  his  farm  being  dated  1806.  C.  H.  Tompkins  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  all  of  his  life.  In  1877  he  married  Jennie  Brownell,  who 
died  leaving  one  daughter,  Angeline  Pierce  Tompkins,  and  in  November,  1889,  he 
married  Kittie  Brownell,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Nathaniel  Tompkins.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  also  of  the 
Patrons  of  Industry. 

Wasmuth,  Theodore,  was  born  in  Frankfort-on-the-Oder.  Prussia,  January  27, 
1854,  son  of  Fred  Wasmuth,  who  was  born  at  the  same  place,  October  23,  1826,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1859,  settling  at  Augusta.  Fred  Wasmuth  is  a  shoemaker 
and  farmer  and,  with  the  exception  of  his  two  first  years  in  the  United  States,  which 
were  spent  in  Stittville,  Oneida  county,  has  always  lived  in  Augusta.  Theodore 
Wasmuth  was  engaged  in  farming  at  Augusta  until  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he 
moved  to  Point  Rock,  town  of  Lee,  where  he  is  still  engaged  in  the  same  industry. 
He  married  Hattie  L.  Warden  of  Point  Rock,  whose  father  is  a  farmer  at  that  place. 
She  was  born  April  4,  1864,  and  was  educated  at  the  Lee  Center  Union  School. 
They  have  three  children:  Evelyn  L.,  bom  July  10,  1887;  Mary  Louise,  born  May  29, 
1892,  and  Otto  K.,  born  August  ;^1,  1894. 

Sayer,  James  W.,  was  born  in  England,  August  1,  1835.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Kent  county,  England,  where  he  was  born  April  14,  1797,  and  came  to  America 
in  1840,  settling  in  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  December,  1871.  While  in  England  he  married  Maria 
Cloak,  who  was  born  in  1798,  and  died  in  Westmoreland  in  1873.  James  W.  Sayer 
was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  five  girls  and  three  boys.  He  was  educated  at 
Westmoreland  and  Augusta,  and  after  his  school  days,  which  ended  when  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age,  he  went  to  Kendall  county.  111.,  where  he  learned  the  black- 
smith trade,  and  then  for  several  years  continued  in  that  place,  also  Grundy  county, 
and  Dwight,  111.  He  in  the  mean  time  bought  a  farm  in  that  State,  conducting  the 
affairs  of  that  enterprise.  In  1859  he  married  Annie  C.  Bradford  of  Morris,  111., 
who  died  October  5,  1871,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Lillie  A.,  born  September 
9,  1861;  George  T.,  born  February  23,  1864;  and  Hattie  A.,  born  February  25,  1866, 
who  died  September  15,  1871.  November  30,  1876  he  married  his  present  wife. 
Sarah  A.  Cackett,  a  native  of  England,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Clarence  A., 
born  June  26,  1879,  and  Myron  J.,  born  November  12,  1881. 

Drummond,  James,  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  November  6,  1840,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  when  three  years  of  age.  They  located  in  this 
vicinity,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  afterward  became  a  car- 
penter and  boat  builder,  which  business  he  carries  on  in  connection  with  his  farming. 
January  19,  1884,  he  married  Eliza  A.  Johnson,  of  the  town  of  Lee,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children:  James,  jr.,  Eliza  A.,  Nellie  G.,  Kittie  M.,  Nettie  M.,  and  Volsey  T. 
Eliza  A.  married  Otis  Cagwin,  of  this  town.  Mrs.  Drummond's  father,  Allen  John- 
son, was  born  in  the  town  of  Lee  in  1816.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
day,  and  afterward  became  a  carpenter  and  millwright.  He  married  Julia  Mosier, 
of  his  native  town,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Delia,  Abner.  Mary,  Eliza  A.. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  157 

as  above,  Job,  Helen,  and  George.     Mr.  Johnson  died  in  1889,  and  his  wife  in  No- 
vember, 1890,     The  ancestry  of  this  family  is  Scotch  and  German. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Angelia  E. — Her  late  husband,  Abner  E.  Smith,  was  born  in  New 
London,  N.  Y.,  August  16,  1838.  He  was  educated  there  and  in  the  Utica  Commer- 
cial College,  and  was  an  expert  flour  examiner  and  a  business  man.  January  21, 
1863,  he  married  Angelia  E.  Allen,  of  East  Florence,  Oneida  county,  by  whom  he 
had  two  daughters:  Ida  L.,  who  is  a  fine  artist;  and  Luella  A.,  a  skillful  musician, 
both  of  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Smith  died  June  3,  1894.  His  father,  Abner 
Smith,  was  born  in  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  February  7,  1792,  and  came  to  New  London, 
N.  Y.,  November  30,  1817.  He  married  Sally  Covill,  of  this  place,  by  whom  he  had 
five  children :  Catherine  E.,  Horace  C,  Alonzo  G.,  Herbert,  and  Nancy  C.  Mrs. 
Smith  died  February  10,  1832,  and  January  8,  1833,  Mr.  Smith  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Ruth  C.  Hibbard,  who  was  born  here  December  23,  1804,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children:  Sally  C,  Herbert  J.,  Abner  E.,  as  above,  and  Charles  T.  Mr.  Smith 
died  December  7,  1846,  and  his  wife  December  28,  1844.  Mrs.  A.  E.  Smith's  father, 
Daniel  G.  Allen,  was  born  in  Clinton,  Oneida  county,  December  26,  1814.  He  was 
educated  there  until  they  moved  to  Camden,  where  he  finished  his  education.  He 
learned  the  carriagemaker's  trade  with  Ira  Pond,  of  that  place,  which  business  he 
carried  on  several  years.  September  14,  1836,  he  married  Purmelia  Robinson,  of 
East  Florence,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Angelia  E.,  as  above,  and  a  boy  who 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Allen  died  March  5,  1886,  and  his  wife  March  12,  1889.  Her 
grandfather,  Daniel  Allen,  was  born  in  Boston  in  1772,  and  died  in  1839.  The  Allen, 
Robinson  and  Smith  families  were  defenders  of  their  country,  both  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  the  war  of  1812,  and  also  in  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  Allen  and  Mr.  Smith 
were  members  of  the  Masonic  order.  Mrs.  D.  G.  Allen  was,  and  Mrs.  Smith  is  a 
member  of  the  O.  E.  S. 

Stone,  Hon.  John  D.  F.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  July  17, 
1853.  He  is  descended  from  John  Stone,  who,  with  his  brother  William,  was  the 
son  of  a  Hertfordshire,  England,  divine.  Both  settled  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  in  1639. 
Miles  Stone,  a  weaver  by  trade,  moved  with  his  family  from  Guilford  to  Augusta 
about  1800  and  died  there  a  few  years  later.  Samuel  Stone,  his  son,  was  a  farmer 
and  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  circuit,  and  in  1798  married  Mary  Wells.  He 
was  born  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  August  23,  1776,  and  died  in  Augusta,  N.  Y. ,  Decem- 
ber 5.  1850.  Of  their  eleven  children  A.  Irvine  Stone,  the  youngest,  was  born 
August  31,  1827,  followed  farming  and  held  several  town  offices,  and  on  July  7,  1852, 
married  first  Mary  Jane  Chadwick,  who  died  April  5,  1855,  leaving  one  son,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Judge  Stone  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  at  Cazenovia  Seminary,  was  graduated  from  the  Fort  Atkinson  (Wis.) 
High  School  in  1875,  and  then  entered  the  law  school  of  Wisconsin  University  at 
Madison,  from  whicli  he  was  graduated  and  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that  State  in  1876. 
The  same  year  he  came  to  Coljoes,  N.  Y. ,  and  read  law  with  James  F.  Crawford, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  at  the  Saratoga  general  term  in  the  fall  of 
1878.  He  then  came  to  Utica,  where  he  has  since  practiced  his  profession.  He  was 
special  surrogate  of  Oneida  county  from  1886  to  1889,  and  January  1,  1890,  was  ap 
pointed  clerk  of  the  Surrogate's  Court  under  Surrogate  William  H.  Bright.  He  held 
this  position  until  April  1,  1896,  when,  having  been  elected,  he  assumed  the  duties  of 


158  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

city  judge  of  Utica.  He  is  a  member  and  ex-secretary  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
a  member  of  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  and  a  charter  member,  first  vice-president, 
and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Masonic  Club  of  LTtica.  June  11,  1879,  he  married 
Anna  M.,  daughter  of  William  S.  Jackson,  of  Utica,  and  their  children  are  Edith  M., 
Ruth  C,  Chester  A.,  and  Annabel  and  Isabel  (twins). 

Sholes,  Herbert  C,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  Oneida  county,  October  13,  185"). 
Newton  Sholes,  his  father,  married  Caroline  E.  Wood,  and  afterward  moved  from 
Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  to  Bridgewater,  where  he  now  resides,  and  where  he  has 
long  been  a  prominent  citizen,  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace,  justice  of  sessions, 
supervisor,  loan  commissioner,  etc.  Herbert  C.  Sholes  attended  the  public  schools 
and  West  Winfield  Academy  and  was  graduated  from  Whitestown  Seminary  in  1874. 
In  1S77  he  entered  the  office  of  J.  A.  <Sr  A.  B.  Steele,  of  Herkimer.  N.  Y.,  as  a  student 
at  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  Rochester  general  term  in  October,  1880. 
In  November,  1881,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Clayville,  Oneida 
county,  and  just  three  years  later  removed  to  Utica,  where  he  has  since  lesided,  and 
where  he  successfully  practiced  alone  until  May  1,  1888,  when  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Hon.  W.  T.  Dunmore,  under  the  firm  name  of  Dunmore&  Sholes.  March 
1,  1893,  this  was  changed  to  Dunmore,  Sholes  &  Ferris,  its  present  style,  by  the 
admission  of  T.  Harvej^  Ferris.  Mr.  Sholes  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  from  188S 
to  1890  inclusive,  was  special  surrogate  of  Oneida  county.  He  is  a  member  of  Fax- 
ton  Lodge,  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  public  matters. 
November  23,  1886,  he  married  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  A.  M.  Cook,  of  Evans  Mills, 
Jefferson  county,  and  they  have  one  son,  Newton  Cook  Sholes,  born  June  6,  1888. 

Halladay,  Jamc^,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y..  Novem- 
ber 14,  1846.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  is  by  occupation  a 
farmer.  March  24  1870,  he  married  C.  Elizabeth  Stooks,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children:  H.  Estella,  and  Sarah  E.  Estella  married  Herman  A. 
White,  of  this  town,  and  they  have  two  children:  Herbert  H.  and  Pearl  E.  Mr. 
Halladay's  father,  Nehemiah,  was  born  in  Vermont,  in  1807,  and  was  educated  as  a 
farmer  and  boatman.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Brodock,  of  Vienna,  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children:  Sarah  E.,  Nehemiah,  Julia  A..  Maria.  Almira,  Alziua  and  James. 
He  died  in  1888,  and  his  wife  in  1874.  Mrs.  Halladay's  father,  George  A.  Stooks, 
was  born  in  Germany,  was  educated  there,  and  came  to  the  L'^nited  States  with  his 
parents  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  located  near  Boonville,  rcmovmg  later  to  the 
town  of  Verona.  He  married  Catherine  WafTel.  of  this  county,  by  whom  he  had 
twelve  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy:  Jacob  W.,  Hannah,  John  H.,  Will- 
iam, C.  Elizabeth,  Nancy,  George  B.,  Frederick  and  Franklin.  Mrs  Stooks  died 
June  24,  1894.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  English  and  German. 

Barry,  John  J.,  son  of  Thomas,  who  came  to  Utica  from  Ireland  in  1841  and  died 
in  1873,  was  born  in  Utica,  June  11,  1863,  and  learned  the  trade  of  tin  and  ccpper- 
smith,  which  he  followed  thirteen  years  as  an  employee  of  O'Neil  &  Son,  the  pre- 
decessor of  Childs  &  Jones.  In  1888  he  opened  his  present  news  stand  and  cigar 
store  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  and  Bleeker  streets,  where  he  has  since  continued 
with  remarkable  success.  In  the  spring  of  1895  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
William  T.  Donnelley  &  Co.,  and  also  engaged  in  the  gent's  furnishing  business. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  159 

Mr.  Barry  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum    and    of  the  I.    O.    of  R.    M.,   and 
formerly  was  quite  active  in  Democratic  politics. 

Young,  Israel  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  Oneida  county,  October  17, 
1831.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  afterward  taught  school  twenty- 
four  years,  but  is  now  engaged  in  farming  in  "Verona.  August  19,  1854,  he  married 
Elizabeth  A.  Williams,  of  Glanmorganshire,  Wales,  England,  who  came  with  her 
mother  to  the  United  States  when  she  was  five  years  of  age.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren: Helen  A.,  Martha  E.,  who  died  when  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  Marcia, 
who  died  at  eight  years  of  age  (twins),  and  Ella  J.,  whodied  at  nineteen  years  of  age. 
Helen  A.  married  M.  G.  Seymour,  an  M.  E.  clergyman,  Mr.  Young's  father,  John 
B.,  was  born  at  the  old  home,  August  30,  1807.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  day,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  January  4,  1831,  he  married  Aurelia 
Fuller,  of  the  same  town,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Israel  W.,  as  above, 
Cynthia  J.,  and  Henry  C.  Mr.  Young  died  June  13,  1892,  and  his  widow  resides 
with  her  son,  Israel  W.  Mrs.  Young's  father,  David  Williams,  was  born  at  the  old 
home  in  Wales.  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Bridget  Saunders  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children,  one  of  whom  was  Elizabeth  A.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  four 
years  of  age,  and  her  mother  in  1854.  Mr.  Young's  father,  John  B.,  was  a  colonel 
in  the  State  militia,  and  Mr.  Young  himself  was  captain  in  the  same  division  at  a 
later  day.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyte  ian  church,  of  which  Mr.  Young- 
is  one  of  the  elders,  also  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 

Coole3%  Gary  W. ,  was  born  at  Newport,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  March  18,  1841. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Newport  and  advanced  school  of  Utica. 
He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  locati'ig  in 
the  town  of  Verona,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming,  also  for  the  last  twenty  years 
has  been  an  auctioneer.  December  31,  1863,  he  married  Frances  D.  Wolfe,  of  this 
town,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Wilford  B.,  Arthur  S.,  Cora  A.,  deceased,  and 
Benjamin  L.  Arthur  S.  is  a  bookkeeper  for  a  firm  in  San  Francisco  Cal.  ;  Wilford 
B.  keeps  the  King  House  in  Clockville,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.  He  marrfed  Emma 
Sassenbery,  of  Vernon,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Cora  B.,  Lawrence  M. ,  and 
G.  Wesley.  Mr.  Cooley's  father,  Lyman  Cooley,  was  born  in  Paris,  Oneida  county, 
in  1807.  He  was  a  tailor  by  occupation,  and  he  married  Joanna  Jilson,  of  Martins- 
burg,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. ,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy:  Francis  J.,  Cornelia  A.,  L.  Stuart,  and  Gary  W.,  as  above.  Mr.  Cooley 
died  November  13,  1858  and  his  wife  November  13,  1873.  Mr.  Cooley's  father,  John 
Wolfe,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1812,  and  came  to  this  county  in  1836, 
following  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Verona  village.  He  married  Alvira  Marshall,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children:  Harriet  E.,  Frances  D.,  as  above,  J.  Birney  and  Julia 
A.  He  died  in  1876,  and  his  wife  in  1883.  Mr.  Cooley's  grandfather,  Ju.stin  Cooley, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mr.  Cooley  is  a  member  of  New  London  Lodge, 
No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.     The  family  is  of  New  England  stock. 

Cushman,  Joseph  B.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  in  1838,  and  has 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  near  Vernon  village.  His  father,  Morris  Cushman, 
was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Kirkland,  born  in  1809.  His  ancestors  had  a  distinct 
line  of  descent  from  Robert  Cushman,  who  came  to  this  country  on  the  Mayflower. 


160  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Morris  Cnshman  was  a  prominent  farmer  in  Vernon,  and  died  in  Vernon  January 
10,  1895.  He  married  Janette  Loomis,  who  was  born  in  Vernon  in  1810,  and  died  in 
1867.  After  finishing  his  schooling  at  the  Vernon  Academy  at  thirteen  years  of  age 
Joseph  B.  Cushman  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  shoe  store  in  Utica,  where  he  remained 
until  1862,  when  he  gave  his  services  to  the  government  as  a  soldier  in  the  army, 
raising  a  company  which  was  a  part  of  the  old  146th  Infantry  known  as  the  Fifth 
Oneida.  He  served  as  captain  until  1864,  when  he  was  discharged.  Upon  return- 
ing home  Mr.  Cushman  purchased  a  farm,  where  he  still  remains.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  has  represented  his  town  two  terms  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and 
was  clerk  of  the  board  one  year;  he  has  also  been  a  candidate  for  member  of  assem- 
bly. He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  In  1868  Mr.  Cushman  married 
Caroline  A.  Frisbie,  of  Vernon,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Lavonne  J.,  now  a 
teacher  at  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. ;  and  Moiris  F.,  a  farmer  in  Vernon.  Since  1882 
Mr.  Cushman  has  been  .secretary  of  the  Oneida  County  Agricultural  Society. 

Breslauer,  Theobald,  was  born  in  Frankenstein,  Silesia,  Germany,  October  9,  1846, 
and  between  1861  and  1864  served  an  apprenticeship  at  glove  making,  which  he  suc- 
cessfully followed  in  the  chief  cities  of  Europe  for  several  years,  notably  in  Vienna, 
Paris,  London,  and  Berlin.  In  Breslau,  Germany,  he  engaged  in  manufacturmg 
on  his  own  account  for  a  time.  In  1873  he  came  to  America,  settled  in  Gloversville, 
N.  Y. ,  and  for  about  four  years  pursued  his  trade  in  the  extensive  glove  factories 
of  that  place.  He  moved  to  Utica  in  1877  and  established  his  present  business, 
and  since  May,  1883,  has  conducted  a  successful  trade  at  his  present  location,  182 
Genesee  street,  wholesaling  and  retailing  a  full  line  of  gloves  and  millinery.  He  is 
a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter,  No.  i)!,  R.  A.  M., 
and  Utica  Consistory,  No.  2,  being  a  32d  degree  Mason,  northern  jurisdiction.  In 
1871  he  married  Miss  Bertha  Dann,  who  learned  her  trade  of  milliner  in  Germany, 
her  native  country. 

Hart,  Seth  W.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  December  20,  1830,  son 
of  Euratas  Hart,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris,  October  25,  1799.  The  grand- 
father, Abel  Hart,  emigrated  from  Connecticut  in  1790,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
which  occupation  the  family  has  since  followed,  Seth  W.  now  owning  a  farm  of  145 
acres  of  prosperous  laud.  Euratus  Hart  married  Betsey  Walker,  of  Paris,  N.Y.,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children.  Seth  W.  received  his  education  in  the  district  school. 
He  married  Isabelle.  daughter  of  Dwight  Mosher,  of  the  town  of  Augusta,  by  whom 
he  had  three  children :  James,  Mary,  and  Susan  E. 

Start,  S.  William,  was  born  November  21,  1833,  in  Devonshire,  England,  son  of 
Robert  and  Mary  Ann  Start,  who  came  to  this  country  when  William  was  about  six 
months  old.  Robert  was  a  farmer,  settling  first  in  Deerfield,  and  next  in  Marcy. 
He  then  went  to  Clinton,  and  purchased  a  place,  retinng  from  farming,  and  died 
in  September.  1886,  in  his  eighty-third  year.  Mrs.  Start,  his  wife,  died  in  1890,  aged 
eighty  three.  William  Start  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  continues,  and  is  a 
staunch  Republican,  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  mar- 
ried Hannah  Jackson,  of  English  extraction,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons:  William 
Henry,  who  is  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business  in  Utica;  and  Lester  J.,  who  is  em- 
ployed by  his  brother  in  Utica.  Mr.  Start  and  wife  are  both  active  members  in  the 
Bartlett  Baptist  church. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  161 

Seaman,  Jerome  M.,  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  in  1846,  and  is  a  much  esteemed 
citizen  of  New  Hartford,  where  he  has  been  a  resident  for  twenty-five  years.  After 
acquiring  his  education  at  the  Dwight  &  Holbrook  Seminary  in  CUnton,  N.  Y.,  he 
resided  with  his  parents  at  Clark's  Mills,  where  his  father,  Hicks  Seaman,  was 
superintendent  of  the  Clark's  Mills  Cotton  Manufactory  for  twenty-five  years.  In 
1862  he  went  to  the  war  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  146th  Regt.  N.  Y.  State 
Volunteers  of  Infantry,  and  by  his  valiant  service  and  faithfulness  he  was  commis- 
sioned by  Gov.  Horatio  Seymour  as  second  lieutenant  of  Co.  G  of  that  regiment, 
and  afterwards  he  was  again  commissioned  by  Gov.  R.  E.  Fenton  as  first  lieutenant 
of  the  same  company,  and  at  the  close  of  the  Rebellion  he  returned  with  his  com- 
pany as  its  acting  captain.  Although  he  was  present  with  his  company  in  every 
battle  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged  from  the  time  of  his  enlistment  he  was 
never  wounded  or  imprisoned.  Previous  to  his  residence  here  he  was  employed  in 
the  cotton  mills  at  Oriskany,  which  engagement  he  entered  upon  after  he  returned 
from  the  war.  He  has  been  superintendent  of  the  weaving  department  of  the  New 
Hartford  Cotton  Manufacturmg  Company  since  his  residence  here  and  has  held  the 
office  of  trustee  of  the  village  several  terms,  and  was  president  of  the  village  from 
March,  1891,  to  March,  1896.  In  1871  he  married  Anna  Elizabeth  Reilly  of  this 
place.  They  are  worthy  and  efficient  members  of  St.  John's  Catholic  church  of  the 
village  and  took  an  active  part  in  founding  and  organizing  its  congregation. 

Scovill,  James  Van  Horn,  a  direct  descendant  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  of 
Paris,  was  born  at  Paris,  Oneida  county,  in  June,  1834,  only  child  of  Isaac  Scovill 
(who  was  born  at  Watertown,  Conn.)  His  grandfather,  Darius  Scovill,  came  to 
Paris  in  1804.  Mr.  Scovill  received  his  education  at  Paris,  Clinton,  and  Cazenovia 
Seminary.  He  removed  from  Paris  Hill  to  New  Hartford  in  1884,  where  he  pur- 
chased about  sixty  acres  of  garden  land,  which  he  has  devoted  to  dairy  productions, 
also  being  a  breeder  of  thoroughbred  Jersey  cattle,  from  which  his  place  is  known 
as  Jersey-Hurst.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  American  Dairymen's  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  he  is  a  valued  member.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  Central  New 
York  Farmers'  Club,  and  has  held  that  position  for  many  years.  He  is  also  a  life 
member  of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society.  June  1,  1882,  he  married  Miss 
Annie  Dewhurst,  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Anne  Dewhurst,  of  Graefenburg, 
Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  formerly  of  Willowvale,  Oneida  county,  at  which  place  she 
was  born.  The  result  of  the  union  has  been  six  daughters,  namely:  Jennie  Belle, 
Bessie  Murrow,  Cornelia  Mae,  Helen  Eliza,  Marianne  Howard,  and  Grace  Leona. 
The  late  Mrs.  Jane  Scovill,  mother  of  J.  V.  H.  Scovill,  was  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Thomas  Murrow,  and  a  descendant  on  her  mother's  side  of  the  Van  Horns  of  New 
York;  she  was  the  last  representative  of  this  old  and  celebrated  family,  and  Mr. 
Scovill  has  in  his  possession  a  very  interesting  document  consisting  of  original  rec- 
ords of  births  in  the  family  of  Jacobus  Van  Horn  of  New  York,  whose  father,  John 
Van  Horn,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  York  city,  which  information  may 
be  found  in  the  Colonial  History  of  New  York.  The  manuscript  is  beautifully 
written  in  Dutch  and  dated  1732. 

Lawrence,  Lewis  H.,  is  the  only  son  of  Lewis  Lawrence,  who  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Otsego,  Otsego  county,  N.Y.,  December  21,  1806,  and  died  on  Fourth  Lake, 
Fulton  Chain,  N.  Y.,  September  8,  1886.     Forty-eight  of  the  nearly  eighty  years  of 


162         '  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Lewis  Lawrence's  life  were  spent  in  Utica,  where  he  was  a  distinguished  citizen. 
He  was  of  New  England  descent  and  the  only  son  of  Daniel  and  Penelope  Law- 
rence, whose  four  daughters  died  while  Lewis  was  yet  a  lad.  He  spent  his  early 
years  on  the  parental  farm.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  Franklin,  Delaware 
county,  where  he  spent  seven  years  learning  and  following  the  carpenter's  trade.  In 
April,  1828,  he  came  to  Utica  without  an  acquaintance  and  with  only  $8  in  money. 
He  immediately  engaged  in  business  for  himself ,  and  within  a  very  short  period  was 
an  acknowledged  leader  among  the  builders  of  the  city.  About  18;U  he  began  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  lumber,  and  from  that  time  till  1865  his  mills  and  business 
were  extensive.  In  1865  he  organized  the  Utica,  Chenango  &  Susquehanna  Valley 
Railroad  Company,  became  its  president  and  treasurer,  gave  his  attention  to  the 
construction  of  the  line,  and  in  18T(t  leased  it  to  the  D.,  L.  &  W.  R.  R.  Co.  He  then 
retired  to  private  life  and  sought  rest  and  recreation  in  travel,  spending  thus  about 
three  years  in  this  country  and  Europe.  Returning  to  Utica  in  1874  he  gave  his 
time  to  various  enterprises  of  busmess  and  benevolence.  He  was  a  .staunch  Repub- 
lican, and  unwavering  Abolitionist,  a  strictly  temperance  man,  and  a  neighbor,  a 
life-long  friend,  and  a  firm  supporter  of  Hon.  Roscoe  Conkling,  in  whose  interest  he 
founded  in  1877  the  Utica  Daily  Republican.  He  was  a  member  of  Westminster 
church  and  its  strong  friend,  and  throughout  life  a  man  of  large  benevolence.  Jan- 
uary 18,  1828,  he  married  Miss  Anna  G.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Ruth  E.  Skinner, 
of  Colchester,  Conn.,  who  died  November  80,  18()S.  They  had  two  children:  Lewis 
H.,  who  survives,  and  Charlotte  A.,  who  married  ex-Mayor  Charles  E.  Barnard,  of 
of  Utica,  and  died  April  15,  188(i,  leaving  two  children :  Charles  E.  and  Miss  A.  G.  L. 

Lewis,  William  D.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1855  son  of  Dennis  Lewis, 
a  farmer,  now  of  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county.  He  graduated  from  the  Whitestown 
Seminary  in  1875,  and  began  teaching  in  1872,  wliile  yet  a  student  there.  In  1878  he 
came  to  Washington  Mills,  where  he  taught,  later  canvassing  for  the  Johnson  Ency- 
clopedia, also  for  a  life  insurance  company.  In  1884  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  here,  and  was  very  successful.  He  was  elected  school  commissioner  for  the 
First  district  of  Oneida  county  in  1887,  filling  that  office  for  three  years,  and  proving 
a  most  efficient  and  popular  official.  In  1891  he  sold  out  the  grocery  store,  and  held 
the  position  as  bookkeeper  one  year  for  the  Lewis  &  Babcock  Tool  Co.  He  is  owner 
of  the  Fruit  Evaporator  at  Washington  Mills,  to  which  he  devotes  his  attention  during 
the  season  of  operating,  and  actmg  as  traveling  salesman  for  a  Utica  house  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year.  In  1876  he  married  Emma  E.,  daughter  of  Pardon  Russell,  of 
Frankfort,  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Charles  W.,  and  Earl 
R.,  now  associated  with  the  evaporator  business;  and  Cora  E.  (decea.sed),  who  died 
m  1887  at  seven  years  of  age.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  and  Odd 
Fellows. 

Ramsdell,  I.  J.,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  September  2.  1843,  but  has  been  a 
resident  of  Oneida  county  since  1852.  In  1865  he  married  Charlotte  A.  Ellinwood, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Rev.  Julian  E.  Ramsdell,  an  Episcopal  minister  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio;  Edna  A.  Ramsdell,  and  Mr.s.  Dr.  Doolittle,  of  Bridgewater,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Ramsdell  learned  the  trade  of  wagonmaker  when  a  young  man,  and  was  for 
many  years  in  partnership  with  his  father-in-law,  Duras  Ellinwood.  Since  residing  in 
Paris  he  has  been  active  in  politics  on  the  Democratic  side,  and  was  appointed  post- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  1G3 

master  at  Paris,  December  23,  1894.  His  parents  were  Riley  and  Julia  (Jackson) 
Ramsdell.  The  Ramsdells  originally  came  from  Rhode  Island  to  Saratoga  county, 
thence  to  Madison  county,  and  then  to  Oneida  county. 

Greene,  Albert  W.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Northamptonshire,  Eng.,  February  26, 1838, 
son  of  William  and  Sophia  Greene,  natives  of  that  country,  and  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try when  Albert  was  three  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  Fulton,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. 
William  Greene  served  during  the  Rebellion  in  the  147th  N.  Y.  Infantry,  participat- 
ing in  many  of  the  important  battles  of  the  war.  Nathaniel  Greene,  his  uncle,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  at  its  close  settled  in  Savannah,  Georgia;  and 
his  grandson  was  a  classmate  of  Dr.  Greene  in  the  medical  college.  In  18f)5  Dr. 
Greene  moved  to  Palermo,  Oswego  county,  and  in  1871  was  graduated  from  the 
Mexico  Academy.  That  same  fall  he  entered  Syracuse  University,  remaining  at 
that  institution  two  years.  He  subsquently  engaged  in  teaching,  an  occupation  he 
pursued  through  seventeen  consecutive  terms.  In  1861  he  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Baltimore,  graduating  in  1884,  and  being  appomted  to  a 
position  in  the  Maryland  Woman's  Hospital,  remained  in  that  position  one  year. 
Dr.  Green  then  returned  to  Palermo  and  established  himself  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  where  he  built  up  a  very  lucrative  practice,  remaining  there  until  1894. 
At  that  time  his  health  became  impaired,  so  that  he  retired  for  a  time,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1894  he  removed  to  Oneida  Castle,  and  at  once  entered  upon  a  successful  practice 
Dr.  Greene  while  in  Palermo  was  active  in  the  Republican  politics  of  the  county, 
serving  three  years  each  as  member  of  the  county  committee,  and  the  Second 
Assembly  district.  In  the  spring  of  1895  he  was  elected  president  of  the  village  of 
Oneida  Castle,  and  is  now  surgeon  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad.  He  married  for  his 
first  wife.  Flora  Cross,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Ralph  R. ,  Ray  E.,  and  Nina 
G.     His  present  wife  is  Carrie  E.  Snell,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Edna. 

Rayhill,  James  W.,  son  of  Patrick,  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  April  17,  1847, 
came  with  his  parents  to  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  in  1857,  and  spent  his  youth 
on  the  farm  and  in  attending  the  public  schools.  West  Winfield  Seminary,  and  Utica 
Academy.  During  his  academic  studies  he  taught  school  and  read  law  with  Lewis 
H.  Babcock  of  Utica.  He  completed  his  legal  education  with  D.  C.  Pomeroy  &  Son 
and  at  Hamilton  pollege,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Utica  in  June,  1875.  He 
then  formed  a  copartnership  with  John  D.  Griffith,  which  continued  for  three  years, 
and  since  then  he  has  practiced  alone,  having  in  recent  years  the  charge  of  consider- 
able criminal  business.  He  is  a  member  of  Imperial  Council,  No.  70,  R.  A.  In 
May,  1875,  ne  married  Addie  M.,  daughter  of  Alanson  Pattengill,  of  West  Winfield, 
N.  Y. ,  and  they  have  one  son  living,  John  Wayland  Rayhill. 

Austin.  Samuel,  was  born  in  Poundridge,  Westchester  county,  N.  Y. ,  September 
9,  1836,  son  of  Henry  and  Matilda  (Avery)  Austin,  and  is  of  English  descent.  He 
was  reared  in  his  native  county,  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  wheelwright  and  machinist  trade  in  Norwalk,  Conn.  In  1855  he 
came  to  Western,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  up  to  1864,  when  he  purchased  the 
larm  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  In  1858  he 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Wolcott  and  Anna  (Teller)  Dillenbeck,  of  Western,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children,  one  of  whom  survives:  Anna  A.     Mr.  Austin  is  a  mem- 


164  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ber  of  the  F.  &  A   M.,  and  has  been  commissioner  of  highways  of  Western  for  two 
years.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Hathaway,  Gilbert,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1839,  son  of  Isaac  B. 
and  Rebecca  (Higby)  Hathaway.  He  was  reared  in  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  has  always  followed  farming  as  an  occupation,  and  since  1870 
has  resided  in  Western,  on  the  farm  he  now  owns.  His  wife  was  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Agatha  (Wellman)  Wolfe,  of  Rome,  by  whom  he  had  two  children 
living:  Levi  B.  and  Herbert  H.  Mr.  Hathaway  and  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Wolfe,  Jacob,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  August  28,  1840.  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Agatha  (Wellman)  Wolfe,  both  natives  of  Germany,  and  a  grandson  of 
Jacob  Wolfe  on  the  paternal  side,  and  of  Joseph  Wellman  on  the  maternal  side. 
Jacob  Wolfe,  father  of  our  subject,  came  to  America  about  1833  and  located  in  Deer- 
field,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  for  nine  years.  In  1842  he  located  in  Lewis 
county  and  cleared  a  farm  in  West  Turin,  a  few  years  later  moved  to  Western, 
thence  to  the  town  of  Rome,  where  he  spent  ten  years,  when  he  removed  to  the  city 
of  Rome,  where  he  died  August  6,  1895,  aged  eighty-one  years.  He  was  the  father 
of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  survive:  Jacob,  Margaret  (Mrs.  Gilbert  Hathaway), 
Henry,  Philip,  Daniel  and  Levi.  Our  subject  was  reared  in  Oneida  county  and  has 
always  been  a  farmer.  In  1870  he  married  Eliza,  daughter  of  Sanford  Sampson,  of 
Western,  and  has  four  children  living:  Cynthia  (Mrs.  Charles  Hartson),  Walter, 
Myrtie  and  Sanford.  Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Republican. 

Hooper,  John,  was  born  in  Pembrockshire,  Wales,  April  29.  1837,  son  of  David  P. 
and  Margaret  (Lewis)  Hooper,  who  came  to  America  in  1852,  and  after  spending  one 
year  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  removed  to  Cattaraugus  county,  where  the  father 
died  June  30,  1892.  John  Hooper  was  reared  in  Wales  and  New  York  State,  and 
since  1867  has  been  a  resident  of  Western,  where  he  engaged  m  farming.  In  1867 
he  married  Julia,  daughter  of  Joel  S.  and  Margaret  (Roberts)  Williams,  of  Rome,  by 
whom  he  has  five  children:  Charles  and  Celia.  twins;  Joel,  Ella,  and  Emma.  In 
September,  1861,  Mr.  Hooper  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  5th  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  and  was  in 
nearly  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  also  Gettysburg,  second  Bull  Run, 
Wilderness,  and  was  honorably  discharged  in  October,  1864. 

Van  Wagenen,  Lewis  B.,  was  born  in  Lee,  Oneida  county,  November  3,  1829,  a 
son  of  Wessel  B.  and  Lucy  (Husted)  Van  Wagenen.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
James  Van  Wagenen,  a  native  of  Johnstown,  N.Y.,  settled  with  his  family  in  the  town 
of  Lee  in  1815.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  making  edge  tools,  scythes,  etc.,  for  the 
pioneers.  In  later  life  he  removed  to  Oil  Creek,  Pa.,  where  died.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Peter  Husted,  was  a  pioneer  of  Lee  and  Western,  who  died  on  the  farm  in 
Western  now  occupied  by  our  subject.  Wessel  B.  Van  Wagenen,  father  of  Lewis  B., 
was  born  in  Johnstown,  N.Y.,  July  9,  1802,  came  to  Lee  with  his  parents  in  1815,  and. 
with  the  exception  of  ten  years  spent  in  Chautauqua  connty,  N.Y.,  has  always  resided  in 
Oneida  county,  has  lived  in  Camden  twenty  years,  and  has  always  followed  farming  as 
an  occupation.  In  early  life  he  was  captain  of  the  militia  in  the  town  of  Lee  for  many 
years.     Lewis  B.  Van  Wagenen  was  reared  in  Lee  and  educated  in  the  common  and 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  165 

select  schools.  He  has  been  more  or  less  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life,  and  since 
1877  has  been  engaged  as  agent  of  the  Farmers'  Fire  and  Lightning  Insurance  Co., 
of  Oneida,  N.  Y.,  of  which  he  and  the  late  Israel  White,  of  Western,  were  the  found- 
ers, and  which  has  been  a  success  from  the  start.  January  18,  1859,  Mr.  Van  Wag- 
enen  married  Ann,  daughter  of  Thomas  McMuUen,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  has  six 
children:  Leonora,  Edwin,  Grant,  Julia,  Herbert,  and  Edith. 

Olney,  George  B.,  was  born  in  Western,  December  7,  1852,  a  son  of  George  J.  and 
Harriet  (Brill)  Olney,  grandson  of  James  Olney,  who  was  born  October  26,  1783,  and 
who  married  Lucy  Burt,  and  great-grandson  of  William  and  Mary  (Myers)  Olney, 
who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Western,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas 
Olney,  of  Hertfordshire,  England,  who  settled  in  Salem,  Mass.,  in  1635,  where  he 
followed  his  profession  as  surveyor,  and  filled  many  positions  of  trust.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Olney  family  in  America.  In  later  life  he  left  Salem  on  account  of 
religious  persecution  and  went  with  Roger  Williams  to  Providence,  R.  I.  George  J. 
Olney,  father  of  George  B.,  was  born  in  Western,  February  22,  1821,  where  he  has 
spent  all  his  life  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Harriet, 
daughter  of  Ezra  and  Lydia  (Parks)  Clark,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  had  one  daugh- 
ter, Harriet  (Mrs.  Frank  White).  His  second  wife  was  Harriet,  daughter  of  John 
Brill,  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  George  B.,  Willard,  and 
Minnie  (Mrs.  Charles  Pillmore).  George  B.  Olney  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  since  1880  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Olney 
&  Floyd,  manufacturers  of  canned  goods,  with  factories  at  Westernville  and  Delta. 
December  10,  1879,  he  married  Amelia,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ruth  (Carey)  Hill, 
of  Western,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  George  J.  and  Max. 

Paddock,  Harvey,  was  born  in  Western,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  No- 
vember 25,  1815,  and  is  the  oldest  native  born  resident  of  Western.  He  is  a  son  of 
Daniel,  jr.,  and  Diadama (Selden)  Paddock,  both  natives  of  the  State,  the  former 
born  March  1,  1794,  and  his  wife,  February  5,  1794.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Daniel  Paddock,  sr.,  a  native  of  Albany  county,  N.  Y. ,  and  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Thomas  Selden,  a  native  of  Vermont,  settled  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  in 
1797,  where  the  latter  resided  until  his  death.  Daniel  Paddock,  sr.,  remained  in 
Rome  about  one  year,  and  in  1799  settled  in  Western,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  on 
which  he  lived  and  died.  Daniel  Paddock,  jr.,  was  reared  in  Western  from  five 
years  of  age,  where  he  spent  his  life  in  farming.  He  cleared  a  part  of  the  farm  now 
owned  by  his  son,  Harvey,  on  which  he  was  found  dead  June  3,  1831,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  murdered.  Harvey  Paddock  has  always  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead, with  the  exception  of  five  years  spent  in  Westernville  where  he  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business.  In  1841  he  married  Betsey,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Maria 
(Wagner)  Reese,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Arden  H.,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  on  the  old  homestead.  Mr.  Paddock  was  commissioner  of  highways  of 
Western  for  fifteen  years,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Haynes,  Archibald  M.,  was  born  in  Western,  April  16,  1831,  son  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Thornton)  Haynes,  natives  of  Amsterdam  and  Unadilla,  N.  Y.,  respectively.  Both 
his  paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers,  Abel  Haynes  and  Job  Thornton,  were 
pioneers  of  Western  and  farmers  by  occupation.     James  Haynes,  father  of  Archi- 


166  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

bald  M.,  was  also  a  farmer,  and  lived  and  died  in  Western.  He  was  the  father  of 
two  children:  Archibald  M.  and  John  C.  Archibald  M.  was  reared  on  the  Haynes 
homestead  in  Western  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  1853  he  went  on  the 
high  seas  as  a  sailor,  in  which  capacity  he  served  four  years,  visiting  the  principal 
seaports  of  North  and  South  America,  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  including  Japan, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  in  Western.  He  married  four 
times;  first,  to  Harriet  Ford;  second  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  William  Logan, 
of  Lee,  by  whom  he  had  five  children;  Martha  (Mrs.  Hamilton  Barringer),  James  de- 
ceased, William  deceased,  Julius  and  Margaret;  third,  to  Imogene,  daughter  of 
Hiram  G.  Bullock,  of  Western,  by  whom  he  had  four  children;  Gardner.  Henry, 
Mary  and  Sarah,  deceased;  fourth,  to  Ida,  daughter  of  Hiram  G.  Bullock,  by  whom 
he  had  two  children :  Frank  and  Wyman.  Mr.  Haynes  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  in  Western  twenty-four  years. 

Fox,  Winfield  M.,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  September  21,  1850,  one  of 
nine  children  born  to  Elijah  and  Eliza  (Farewell)  Fox.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Jefferson  county,  and  then  engaged  in  farming,  which  line  he  followed  until 
twenty-eight  years  of  age.  At  this  time  he  engaged  in  the  clothing  bu.siness  at 
Three  Mile  Bay,  Jefferson  county,  where  he  remained  four  years.  He  then  came  to 
Taberg  and  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  which  he  still  con- 
ducts. Mr.  Fox  married  Lucy  Whiting,  of  Three  Mile  Bay,  daughter  of  John  C. 
Whiting.  They  have  two  children:  Charles  W.  and  Mildred.  Mr.  Fox  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  four  years.      He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church, 

Allauson,  Thomas  B.,  was  born  in  England,  January  21,  1817,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Lee  Center  and  Annsville,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  for  many  years, 
then  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Taberg  for  twenty  years,  after  which  he  was  agent 
for  the  Taberg  blast  furnace,  but  at  the  pre.sent  time  is  unable  to  attend  to  but  little 
business,  owing  to  ill  health.  He  has  been  a  prominent  Democrat  in  this  town,  al- 
ways taking  an  active  part  in  all  campaigns,  and  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  when 
Grover  Cleveland  was  first  elected  governor.  He  was  also  supervisor  for  twelve 
years,  and  held  many  other  minor  offices.  He  married  for  his  first  wife,  Mary  J. 
Lyman,  of  Lee  Center,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Jessie,  and  they  also  have  one 
adopted  daughter.  Laura.  He  married  for  his  second  wife.  Hannah,  daughter 
of  William  Ward,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  from  England  in  1844. 

Armstrong,  David,  was  born  in  Annsville,  Oneida  county.  March  9,  1838,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  Armstrong,  of  whom  an  account  is  given  elsewhere.  David  Arm- 
strong is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  town,  owning  a  farm  of  255  acres.  In  his 
younger  days  he  was  on  the  Erie  Canal  for  twenty  years.  He  married  Jane  Rich- 
ardson, daughter  of  William  Richardson,  of  Annsville,  by  whom  he  has  eight 
children.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was  assessor  of  the  town  for 
six  years. 

Dooley,  John  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville.  February  11.  1H49.  son  of  the 
late  Thomas  Dooley,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1840,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  this  town,  where  John  J.  was  reared  and  where 
he  worked  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  attending  the  district  schools,  where 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  167 

he  laid  the  foundation  for  his  business  life.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was 
elected  collector  of  the  town,  and  under  Cleveland's  first  administration  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster,  during  which  time  he  established  his  present  business  in  the 
village  of  Taberg  as  a  general  merchant,  carrying  a  full  line  of  goods  suitable  for 
country  trade.  Mr.  Dooley  was  elected  supervisor  in  1892,  which  office  he  still  holds, 
being  re-elected  for  the  second  term.  August  20,  1884,  he  married  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Mahar,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Michael  H.,  James  F.,  Thomas 
W.,  Mariette,  Margaret  and  Emmett  J. 

Stedman,  Gilbert  R.,  was  born  July  15,  1842,  in  the  town  of  Lee,  where  he  lived 
until  seven  years  of  age,  at  which  time  his  parents  moved  to  the  town  of  Annsville. 
He  was  educated  in  Lee  and  Annsville.  He  was  a  son  of  Oliver  and  Sophia  (San- 
ford)  Stedman,  who  had  a  family  of  nine  children:  Ellen,  Joseph  (deceased),  Eliza- 
beth, Gilbert  R.,  Ann,  Susan,  Ida,  E.  K.,  and  Carrie.  In  1861  Gilbert  Stedman  en- 
listed in  the  2d  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  and  served  three  years,  being  in  the 
battles  of  Cold  Harbor,  Spottsylvania,  Deep  Bottom,  etc.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
farming,  owning  a  fine  farm  of  ninety-seven  acres.  He  married  Julia  daughter  of 
William  Streeter,  of  Ann.sville,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town.  They  have  five 
children:  William,  Bertha,  Arthur,  Jessie,  and  Frederick.  Mr.  Stedman  was  su- 
pervisor of  the  town  in  1882  and  again  in  1888,  was  commissioner  in  1878,  and  over- 
seer of  the  poor  in  1885  and  1886.  He  was  commander  of  Ballard  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
No.  551,  for  many  years  and  is  now  senior-vice;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

Dillenbeck,  Douglas  K.,  was  born  in  Western,  March  20,  1862,  son  of  Ephraim  and 
Sarah  (Keech)  Dillenbeck.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Wolcott  Dillenbeck,  a  native 
of  Germany,  was  a  pioneer  of  Western,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  on  which  he  died. 
His  wife  was  Anna  TuUy.  Ephraim  Dillenbeck,  father  of  Douglas  E.,  was  born  in 
Western,  August  25,  1833,  lived  on  a  farm  until  1866,  when  he  embarked  in  general 
merchandising  for  five  years.  In  1871  he  removed  to  North  Western,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  same  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July  25,  1892.  May 
25,  1860,  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Montague)  Keech,  of  West- 
ern, by  whom  he  had  one  .son,  Douglas  E.,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Cazenovia  Seminary,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  business  course.  In  1882 
he  located  at  Frankfort,  where  he  learned  the  drug  business  and  was  licensed  by  the 
State  Board  of  Pharmacy  in  1884.  He  then  served  as  clerk  of  the  canal  superinten- 
dent at  Western  and  Boonville  six  years,  and  since  1889  has  been  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  at  North  Western.  December  9,  1892,  he  married  Alice,  daughter  of 
James  O.  and  Emogene  (Twining)  Waldo,  of  Western.  Mr.  Dillenbeck  is  a  member 
of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  R.  A.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

Rees,  John  D.,  was  born  in  Pembrockshire,  Wales,  March  23,  1845,  a  son  of  David 
and  Martha  (Evans)  Rees,  who  came  to  America  in  1852  and  located  in  Westernville, 
where  the  father,  who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  embarked  in  business  for  himself, 
in  which  he  continued  until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  31,  1894,  aged 
eighty-four  years.  He  was  the  father  of  six  children:  Thomas,  who  died  in  the 
service  of  the  Union  in  the  late  civil  war;  Edward;  John  D.  ;  Sarah  (Mrs.  Dr. 
Johnson  Pillmore);  William,  and  Margaret.     John  D.  ^^as  reared  in  Western  from 


168  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

seven  years  of  age.  He  received  a  common  school  education,  began  life  as  a  farm 
laborer,  later  engaged  m  railroading,  and  for  twenty-five  years  has  been  engaged  in 
locomotive  engineering,  blacksmithing.  and  as  a  machinist.  Politically  Mr.  Rees  is 
a  staunch  Republican. 

Albot,  Charles  T.,  was  born  in  Bewdley  Forest,  Shropshire,  England,  February 
11.  1820,  son  of  Charles  and  Ann  (Marshall)  Albot.  He  was  educated  at  Ushaw 
College,  County  Durham,  and  in  1842  came  to  America  and  located  in  Western, 
Oneida  county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  sixteen  acres.  In 
1844  he  returned  to  England,  and  in  1845  imported  the  thoroughbred  stallion,  Con- 
sternation, which  was  the  sire  of  many  valuable  trotters  in  twelve  dilYerent  States. 
In  1849  he  went  to  California  by  the  overland  route,  where  he  spent  three  years  in 
mining,  and  hunting.  In  1852  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Western,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  up  to  1885,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Delta,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  though  he  still  owns  a  part  of  the  original  homestead  in  Western. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Margaret  Geoghan,  and  his  second  wife  was  Catherine 
Weiss,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons:  George  and  Charles  T.,  jr. 

Sly,  Andrew  J.,  was  born  in  Lee,  October 26,  1840,  son  of  Adin  and  Alma  (Arnold) 
Sly,  natives  of  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts,  respectively,  who  settled  in  Lee  in 
1827,  where  Mr.  Sly  engagefl  in  farming,  living  on  one  farm  forty  years,  when  they 
removed  to  Delta,  and  resided  there  until  his  death  in  188^3.  Their  children  were 
Eliza  F.,  Ira  H.,  Lydia  (Mrs.  L.  S.  Perry),  and  Andrew  J.  The  latter  now  owns  the 
old  homestead,  where  he  was  reared  and  lived  until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Delta, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  In  1S156  he  married  Josephine, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Eveline  (Reed)  Walden  of  North  Adams,  Mass.  She  died 
in  1885.  Mr.  Sly  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee  and 
steward.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  has  been  supervisor  and  held  other  minor 
offices  in  Lee.     He  is  a  member  of  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  P.  of  H. 

Whittaker,  George  II.,  was  born  at  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  September  17,  1851,  son  of 
Peter  and  Ann  S.  (Stevens)  Whittaker,  who  settled  at  Trenton.  They  had  eight 
children:  Elisha,  Caliuda,  Harriet,  Esther,  Levi,  Sarah,  George  H.,  and  Elmer. 
Peter  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  interested  in  both  church  and  educational 
matters.  George  H.  married  Ida,  daughter  of  William  E.  Clark,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:  Harry,  and  Ray  deceased.  After  Mrs.  Whittaker's  death,  he  married 
Jennie,  daughter  of  Hugh  Pugh,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Howard.  At  fourteen 
years  of  age,  Mr.  Whittaker  engaged  in  the  employ  of  Clark  c\:  Nicholson  in  the 
cheese  box  manufactory.  In  1877  he  associated  himself  with  Charles  H.  Clark,  and 
they  purchased  the  interest  of  Clark  &  Nicholson,  which  they  have  continued  to  the 
present  time.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  Stittville  Canning  Company.  He  belongs 
to  the  United  Friends,  also  K.  P.  Lodge  and  Floyd  Grange.  He  was  collector  for 
one  term,  and  is  interested  in  all  town  affairs. 

Thomas,  WiUiam  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  June  23,  1847, 
son  of  John  E.  and  Mary  A.  Thomas.  The  grandfather,  Evan  D.  Thomas,  came 
here  from  Wales  about  1808.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  his  children  were  John  E., 
David  H.,  William  R.,  Sarah  Ann,  Jessie,  Evan  D.,  and  Benjamin,  all  natives  of 
Oneida  county.     John  E.  was  apprenticed  as  a  wagon  maker  when  eighteen  years 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  169 

of  age,  which  business  he  followed  for  five  years.  He  then  moved  to  Mankato, 
Minn.,  where  he  remained  ten  years,  when  he  came  to  Marcy.  His  children  were 
William  E.,  John  G.,  Marion,  Sarah  Ann,  and  Robert  E.  William  E.  married  Car- 
rie J.,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Mary  Weaver,  of  Deerfield,  by  whom  he  had  six  chil- 
dren: Leroy,  Ray,  Irving,  Annie  Mary,  WiUiam  W.,  and  Laurie,  all  natives  of 
Marcy.  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  is  also  interested  in  town  and 
county  affairs,  was  highway  commissioner  three  years  and  collector  one  year. 

Marson,  Edward  M.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  April  15,  1866,  son 
of  William  Marson,  who  was  a  son  of  Edward  T.  Marson.  William  Marson  married 
Laurie  L.  McNeil,  daughter  of  Miller  McNeil,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides  in  1800,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Edward  M.,  our  subject,  and  L. 
Rowena,  who  died  August  25,  1895,  wife  of  Isaac  N.  Roberts,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  Will- 
iam Marson  was  always  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county,  being 
supervisor  of  the  town  of  Marcy  in  1879  and  of  the*town  of  Verona  in  1870-71.  Ed- 
ward M.  Marson  was  town  clerk  for  two  years.  He  married  Ellen  Nettie,  daughter 
of  David  C.  Roberts,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  William  D.,  Ruth  E.,  and 
Homer. 

Jones,  Hugh,  was  born  in  Wales,  April  4,  1850,  son  of  Hugh  and  Elizabeth  Jones. 
Hugh,  jr.,  settled  m  Oneida  county  about  1870,  and  married  Agnes,  daughter  of 
Edward  German,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Elizabeth,  Jennie  and  Ada,  all 
born  in  this  county.  Since  coming  to  this  county  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming, 
and  has  a  farm  of  about  125  acres.  He  is  interested  in  educational  work  and  an 
active  member  of  the  Weksh  M.  E.  church,  and  is  at  present  trustee. 

Kunkel,  George  M.,  jr.,  was  born  at  Whitesboro,  August  3,  1862,  son  of  George  and 
Mary  Kunkel,  who  settled  in  this  county  about  1855.  George,  sr.,  is  engaged 
in  farming,  and  is  interested  in  all  affairs  of  his  town  and  county.  George  M. 
Kunkle,  jr.,  is  one  of  ten  children:  Emma,  Leonard,  Anthony,  George  M.,  Peter, 
Mathew,  Joseph,  Mary,  Francis,  Kittie.  He  maried  Louise,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Mary  Van  Hatten.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter's  church  in  Deerfield,  and  is  also 
interested  in  all  public  enterprises. 

Alvord,  Clarence  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  January  4,  1846,  son 
of  Butler  and  Mary  (Ward)  Alvord,  whe  settled  in  Trenton  in  1838.  He  was  one  of 
three  children:  Julian  W.  (deceased),  Clarence  E.  and  Lillian  H.  (deceased).  Butler 
Alvord  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  active  in  both  educational  and  church  work. 
Clarence  E.  married  Fannie,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Susan  Sheldon,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children:  Alice  L.  and  Mary  S.  Alice  L.  attends  the  Holland  Patent 
graded  school.  Mr.  Alvord  married  for  his  second  wife,  Alice  Brooker,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Lavina  Martin.  He  engaged  in  farming  in  1877  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  P.  Lodge  of  Holland  Patent.  He  has 
a  farm  of  150  acres. 

Jones,  Even  D.,  was  born  in  Wales,  April  30,  1823,  son  of  Edward  and  Ann  Jane 
Jones,  whose  children  were:  Elizabeth,  Luke  and  Even  D.  Even  D.  settled  in 
Marcy  in  1851.  He  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  Robert  Williams,  by  whom  he  had 
ten  children:  Edward,   Robert  H.,  Anna,  William,  Mary,  wife  of  John  W.   Porter; 


170  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Laurie,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Thomas;  Jeanne,  Catherine,  wife  of  William  A. 
St.  John,  and  Martha;  also  two  deceased:  Winifred  and  Henry.  Mr.  Jones  is  en- 
gaged in  farming,  and  is  active  in  both  educational  and  church  work.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Marcy  Grange.  He  helped  to  build  the  first  railroad 
running  through  Marcy,  and  was  a  passenger  on  the  first  tram  that  ran  over  that 
road.  Jeanne  is  a  graduate  of  the  Oswego  Normal  School ;  Catherine  attended  the 
Oswego  Normal  also  the  Colgate  Academy,  and  taught  school  for  twenty  terms. 
Robert  H.  is  engaged  in  farming. 

Weaver,  Alfred  M.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  January  7,  1858,  son  of 
Alfred  and  Mary  E.  Weaver,  who  had  one  other  child,  Carrie  J.,  wife  of  William  E. 
Thomas.  Alfred,  jr.  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  Paine,  by 
whom  he  has  one  child,  Everet  A.  Mr.  Weaver  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Marcy 
Grange,  and  has  held  the  office  of  trustee,  and  his  wife  has  held  office  most  of  the 
time  since  its  organization. 

Tanner,  Levi  G.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  November  14,  1845, 
son  of  Levi  and  Mary  Ann  (Wilcox)  Tanner,  who  settled  in  this  town  about  1840. 
He  was  one  of  four  children  ;  Levi  G.,  Joseph  S.,  Mary  E.,  and  Jennie  P.  Levi,  sr., 
followed  farming  and  cheesemaking,  and  started  the  third  cheese  factory  in  this 
county.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  a  hard-working,  self-made  man.  Levi  G., 
jr.,  is  engaged  in  farming,  owning  a  farm  of  about  500  acres.  He  belongs  to 
Oriskany  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  799,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Floyd  Grange. 

Powell,  Fred  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  June  23,  1866,  sou  of  Raymer 
and  Maria  (Pickert)  Powell.  Fred  R.  was  one  of  two  children :  Fred  R.  and  Esther. 
Raymer  Powell  was  engaged  in  farming,  milling,  lumbering,  etc.  He  was  very 
active  in  town  affairs,  holding  most  of  the  town  offices  Fred  R  married  Laurie, 
daughter  of  John  T.  Owens,  by  whom  he  has  three  children :  Earl,  Maude,  and 
Blanche,  all  natives  of  the  town  of  Floyd.  Mr.  Powell  is  interested  in  educational 
affairs,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of  Industry  and  United  Friends. 

Robbins,  George  B.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  July  10,  1830, 
son  of  Royal  and  Sarah  (Dodd)  Robbins.  Royal  was  a  son  of  Elisha,  who  settled  in 
Marcy  about  1810.  George  B.  Robbins  was  one  of  four  children:  George  B.,  Mary 
Elizabeth  Nolton,  Evaline,  and  Charles.  George  B.  married  Mary  Nolton,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Nolton,  by  whom  he  has  four  children :  Caroline  Johnson;  Ida  E.,  a 
teacher  in  the  teachers'  college  of  New  York  city,  and  also  a  graduate  of  the  Oswego 
Normal  School;  Marion  E.,  and  Mabel  C. ;  also  one  deceased,  Jennie  C,  wife  of  Dr. 
William  Jones  of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  she  was  a  graduate  of  the  Oswego  Normal 
School,  and  taught  four  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Burlington,  Vt.  Mr.  Robbins 
is  public  spirited,  and  especially  interested  in  educational  affairs.  He  was  elected 
supervisor  of  the  town  of  Marcy  iii  1873. 

Edic,  Henry,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  April  2,  1823,  son  of  Jacob  and  Isa- 
belle  Edic,  whose  children  were  James,  Emily,  Henry,  Jacob,  William,  Isabelle, 
Louise,  Amos,  Mary  Esther,  Charles  J.,  Franklin,  John  Jacob.  Antonette.  Isabelle, 
who  were  all  natives  of  this  county.  Jacob  Edic  in  early  life  was  engaged  in  boat- 
ing on  the  Mohawk  River  and  later  pioneer  farming.  He  was  very  public  spirited, 
and  active  in  church  and  educational  interests.     Henry  Edic  married  Eliza,  daugh- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  171 

ter  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  Kipp,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  George  Henry,  Har- 
riet Eliza,  Frederick  Charles,  Jacob  and  Emily  Maud.  Mr.  Edic  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing; is  active  in  both  church  and  school  work,  and  has  been  trustee  of  the  school  for 
many  years.  He  was  supervisor  in  1861  and  1862,  also  assessor  for  many  years,  and 
is  now  living  retired. 

Gaymond,  George  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  May  4,  1869,  son  of  John  O. 
and  Elizabeth  (Jones)  Gaymond,  who  have  five  children:  William  George  A.,  Ira 
M.,  Emma  and  Margaret.  John  C).  settled  in  Clayville  in  1852,  and  in  Marcy  in 
1855.  In  early  life  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  at  which  he  has  since  continued. 
George  A.  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary  and  studied  law;  and  late  years 
he  has  been  engaged  as  a  commercial  traveler.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oriskany 
Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Utica,  also  the  Marcy  Grange  and  Patrons  of  Industry. 

Horrigan,  John,  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  August  8,  1842,  son  of  Patrick  Horri- 
gan,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1831.  He  first  set- 
tled in  New  York  city,  and  then  came  to  the  town  of  Florence  in  1843,  settling  on  a 
farm  near  Horence  village.  He  married  Mary  McNamara  of  New  York,  and  they 
have  five  children  who  are  living:  Mary,  John,  Bridget,  Ellen,  and  Michael.  John  is  a 
farmer,  and  since  1860,  in  addition  to  his  farming,  has  engaged  in  blacksmithiug 
and  dealt  in  agricultural  implements.  He  married  Elizabeth  Lafiferty  of  Florence, 
daughter  of  John  Lafferty,  and  they  have  a  family  of  seven  children:  Mary  F. ,  Eva 
E.,  Ellen,  Louisa,  William,  and  Lillian.  Mr.  Horrigan  was  town  clerk  for  two 
years.     In  politics  he  is  an  Independent. 

Marsh,  John. — James  Marsh  was  born  in  Canterbury,  County  Kent,  England, 
September  15,  1834.  In  1855  he  married  Elizabeth  Harvey,  and  the  same  year  sailed 
for  America,  and  located  in  Verona,  remaining  there  four  years,  when  he  removed 
to  the  Ridge,  town  of  Rome,  where  he  rented  a  farm  and  manufactured  cheese  for 
about  two  years,  and  later  spent  five  years  at  Lee  Center  and  the  Ridge.  In  1866 
he  purchased  the  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Lee,  which  is  now  owned  by  his  son  John, 
on  which  he  made  many  improvements,  including  the  erection  of  all  the  present 
buildmgs,  and  subsequently  purchased  two  other  farms  in  Lee,  on  which  he  made 
extensive  improvements  in  clearing,  fencing,  and  buildings.  Mr.  Marsh  was  a 
thrifty  and  enterprising  farmer.  His  children  were  Thomas  and  John,  both  prom- 
inent farmers  in  Lee.  In  politics  Mr.  Marsh  was  a  Democrat.  He  died  April  22, 
1891. 

Bowman,  John,  was  born  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  August  12,  1858,  son  of  Fred 
and  Verbena  (Light)  Bowman,  natives  of  Mechlenberg,  Germany.  Fred  Bowman 
came  to  America  about  1854,  locating  at  Rome,  Oneida  county,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed five  years,  and  in  1889  removed  to  Annsville,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  of 
seventy-five  acres,  and  where  he  died  May  1,  1895,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  His  chil- 
dren, were  Fred,  John,  Frank,  Sophia  (Mrs.  Charles  Regler),  and  William.  John 
Bowman  was  reared  on  the  homestead,  and  received  a  limited  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  after  attaining  his  majority  he  removed  to  Canada,  where  he 
worked  two  years  as  a  farm  hand,  then  returned  to  the  homestead,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1885,  when  he  embarked  in  the  hotel  business  at  Point  Rock,  and  re- 
mained there  seven  years.     He  then  kept  the  Central  Hotel  at  Rome  two  years,  and 


172  OtJR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  1894  purchased  the  Lee  Center  House,  which  he  has  since  successfully  continued, 
adding  extensive  improvements,  including  one  of  the  finest  barns  in  the  county,  at 
an  expense  of  $1,500.  May  12,  1885,  he  married  Carrie,  daughter  of  Frank  and 
Caroline  Dorn,  of  Ava,  Oneida  county,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  John,  jr., 
Carrie  and  Howard. 

Wallace,  Joseph  Franklin,  was  born  in  Lee,  Oneida  county,  May  21,  1850,  son  of 
John  D.  and  Ann  (Countryman)  Wallace.  His  paternal  grandparents,  John  and 
Catherine  Wallace,  were  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in  1826,  settling 
in  Verona,  Oneida  county,  later  removed  to  Lee,  where  they  died,  the  former  living 
to  112  years  of  age.  The  maternal  grandparents,  John  and  Ann  (Ej-gabroad)  Coun- 
tryman, were  natives  of  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  pioneers  of  Lee.  John  D. 
Wallace,  father  of  Joseph  Franklin,  was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany,  in  1819,  and 
came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  1826,  and  on  reaching  manhood  engaged  in 
farming,  which  business  he  followed  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1880,  aged 
sixty-one  years.  Joseph  Franklin  was  reared  in  Lee,  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  his  principal  occupation  has  been  farming,  though  he  has  been  more  or 
less  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock,  Canadian  horses,  and  real  estate.  As  a 
farmer  he  has  been  very  successful,  and  at  present  is  the  owner  of  the  old  home- 
stead, as  well  as  the  farm  on  which  he  resides.  November  7,  1872,  he  married 
Sarah  Ann,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Ann  (Thomas)  Thomas,  of  Ava,  Oneida  county, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children  living:  Mary  E.,  Florence  E.,  and  Joseph  J.  Mr. 
Wallace  is  a  charter  member  of  P.  of  I.,  No.  320,  of  Lee,  and  its  first  president.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  once  appointed  and  twice  elected  to  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  for  Lee. 

.Swancott,  David,  was  born  in  Montgomeryshire,  Wales,  August  8,  1831,  son  of 
Phillip  and  Jane  (Stevens)  Swancott.  Philip  Swancott  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and 
came  to  America  in  1839,  locating  in  Western,  Oneida  county,  and  followed  his  trade 
there  and  in  Madison  county  for  twenty-five  years.  He  died  in  1880,  aged  seventy- 
eight  years.  He  married  for  his  first  wife,  Jane,  daughter  of  William  Stevens,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children:  Philip,  Jane  (Mrs.  Charles  Hughes);  David;  Mary  (Mrs. 
John  Roberts);  and  Richard.  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mary  Humphrey, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children:  William,  Lewis,  Hannah  (Mrs.  William  Campbell); 
Margaret;  Samuel;  and  Lucy  (Mrs.  Edward  Stevens).  David  Swancott  came  to 
Western  with  his  father  in  1839,  and  his  education  was  limited  to  three  months  in 
the  common  school.  He  began  life  as  an  apprentice  to  the  tanner's  trade,  which 
business  he  followed  for  six  years  in  Western  and  Lee.  In  1860  he  removed  to 
Lewis,  Lewis  county,  and  engaged  in  farming  three  years,  when  he  embarked  in 
lumbering,  which  business  he  has  successfully  followed  in  Lewis  and  Oneida 
counties,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Lee  since  1884.  June  27,  1853,  he  married 
Diana,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza  (Hayden)  Walters,  of  Lewis  county  ,N.  Y.,  by 
whom  he  has  four  children  living;  Philip;  Jane  (Mrs.  John  Miller);  Thomas;  and 
Edward.  Mr.  Swancott  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  now  serving  his  fourth 
term  as  commissioner  of  highways. 

Smith,  Dewitt  CHnton,  was  born  in  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  January,  22,  1854, 
son  of  John  H.  and  Martha  (Harbeck)  Smith,  natives  of  New  York  and  Connecticut 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  173 

respectively.  John  H.  Smith  was  for  thirty  years  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in 
Oneida  county,  and  in  1860  located  on  a  farm  in  Lee,  residing  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  June  19,  1874,  aged  seventy  years.  He  was  the  father  of  fifteen  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity:  J.  Edwin,  Fannie  (Mrs.  Daniel  Tulloh), 
George  W.,  Helen  M.  (Mrs.  David  Tulloh),  Dewitt  C,  Marian  (Mrs.  W.  S.  Bushnell), 
Jay  W.,  Charles  H.,  deceased,  Ella  M.  (Mrs.  Frank  Patrick),  Frank  H.,  Jerome  B., 
and  Gertrude.  Dewitt  Clinton  was  reared  in  the  town  of  Lee,  and  from  six  years  of 
age  was  educated  at  the  LTnion  school  at  Lee  Center,  and  Rome  Academy,  after 
which  he  began  life  as  a  farm  laborer  and  later  engaged  in  cheesemaking,  teaching 
school  winters  up  to  1884,  when  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  for  one  j'ear  in  a  general  store 
at  West  Branch,  and  in  1885  embarked  in  general  merchandising  for  himself  at 
Point  Rock,  in  which  he  has  since  successfully  continued.  He  married  for  his  first 
wife,  Lillie  A.  Yarwood,  who  died  in  February,  1876.  His  second  wife  was  Carrie 
M. ,  daughter  of  Sidney  and  Lovina  (Osborne)  Lasuer,  of  Lee,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children:  Jennie  M.,  and  Bertha  M.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
Royal  Arcanum,  and  is  now  serving  his  first  term  as  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Lee. 
In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

Deeley,  David,  was  born  in  Durhamville,  April  18,  1866,  son  of  Thomas  and  Fan- 
nie Deeley,  who  came  to  Durhamville  in  1859.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deeley's  children  were 
Ellen,  James,  George,  Jesse,  Mary,  Thomas,  Lesse,  William,  David,  John,  Charles, 
and  Eugene,  eight  of  whom  were  born  in  Oneida  county.  Thomas  was  a  glass  man- 
ufacturer in  Durhamville  until  1874,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Jesse  married  Ameretta  Hanney,  now  deceased.  He  afterward  married  Lucy 
Canfield,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Harry  and  Winnie. 

Wyman,  Simeon T.,  was  born  in  West  Branch,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  2,  1837, 
son  of  Winslow  and  Phoebe  Wyman,  whose  other  children  were  Edward,  Samuel, 
Mary,  Sarah,  Henry,  Daniel,  John,  Hawthorn,  and  Martha.  Simeon  T.  Winslow  came 
from  Vermont  to  the  town  of  Lee  with  his  father,  where  they  engaged  in  farming, 
lumbering  and  milling.  He  was  very  active  in  religious  work  of  the  old  Quaker 
style.  He  married  Harriet,  daughter  of  George  and  Eliza  Brown,  of  the  town  of 
Lee,  and  they  have  five  children:  Flora,  widow  of  Charles  Bergman,  who  married 
Douglas  Wheeler;  George,  Mary,  deceased;  Lizzie,  and  Samuel.  Mr.  Wyman  was 
assessor  of  the  town  of  Lee  for  three  years.  His  son,  George,  is  now  located  at  West 
Branch,  and  is  engaged  in  blacksmithing 

Cook,  Albert  D.,  was  born  in  Vienna,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Ayers)  Cook. 
Albert  D.  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Amelia  Shaver,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children:  Mary,  wife  of  Elgin  A-  Post;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr.  Charles 
Nicols;  and  Harriet,  all  natives  of  Vienna.  Mr.  Cook  is  postmaster  at  Vienna,  also 
justice  of  the  peace  at  the  present  time.  He  formerly  belonged  to  Vienna  F.  &  A.  M.. 
No.  440. 

Chrestien,  Alfred  B.,  was  born  in  Rome,  May  23,  1855,  son  of  Martin  and  Margaret 
Chrestien,  and  married  Ida  A.,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Long  of  Madison 
county,  and  they  have  one  child,  Blanche  H.  Alfred  started  for  himself  as  a  farmer 
when  twenty  years  old,  which  he  followed  for  two  years,  and  then  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade,  which  he  worked  at  for  ten  years  at  Canastota  and  Bridgeport.     He 


174  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

then  moved  to  Vienna,  and  has  followed  farming  and  been  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness in  McConnellsville  ever  since.  He  has  been  excise  commissioner  and  is  treas- 
urer of  the  fraternal  society,  Order  of  the  World. 

Harden,  Charles,  was  born  in  Verona,  November  7,  1828,  son  of  Henry  H.  and 
Sarah  (Pierce)  Harden,  and  grandson  of  Ezekiel  Harden,  who  settled  here  about  1815. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  H.  Harden  were  the  parents  of  six  children:  Mary  Bird, 
Charlotte  Allen,  Henrietta  Stone,  Julian  Dean,  Maria,  and  Charles.  Charles  married 
Marcia  Jane.  He  afterward  married  Caroline,  daughter  of  Eggleston  Laniphere, 
and  they  have  three  childreit ;  Frank,  Charles  deceased,  and  George.  In  early  life 
Mr.  Harden  was  a  brick  manufacturer.  He  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
ten  years,  and  then  returned  to  Oneida  county  and  followed  farming  and  lumbering 
until  1844,  when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  chairs.  He  was  supervisor  two  terms, 
and  highway  commi.ssioner  for  six  year.s.  He  is  a  member  of  Vienna  F.  &•  A.  M., 
No.  440. 

Woodard,  Henry  M.,  was  born  near  McConnellsville,  February  14,  18:31,  son 
of  Silas  and  Almira  Nichols  Woodard.  Henry  M.  married  Ruth  Ann,  a  daughter  of 
Leman  Powell,  of  McConnellsville,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mary  A.  Woodard.  He 
commenced  life  for  himself  running  a  stage  from  McConnellsville  to  Constantia, 
which  he  followed  until  1880,  when  he  started  in  the  merchandise  business  at  North 
Bay.  He  was  elected  collector  in  1862,  and  also  in  1876-77.  In  1862  he  was  elected 
town  clerk,  which  office  he  has  held  up  to  the  present  time  with  the  exception  of 
three  years,  and  was  postmas'.er  under  Cleveland's  administration.  He  is  actively 
interested  in  educational  interests,  and  is  a  member  of  Vienna  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
No.  440. 

Bushnell,  Monroe. — Aaron  Bushncll  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lee,  November  4, 
1808,  son  of  Joshua  and  Sophia  Bushnell,  who  settled  in  the  town  of  Rome  about 
1795  and  one  year  later  moved  to  Lee.  Their  children  were  Lura,  Lucius,  Annis, 
Harriet,  Annis,  Filmore,  Aaron,  Clarissa,  Artemissa  and  Oscar.  Aaron  married 
Mary  Ann,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Annie  York,  and  they  were  the  parents  cf  eight 
children:  Alsadia,  Clarissa,  Lorin,  Marietta,  Walter,  Raymond  A.,  Chester  L., 
and  Monroe  Aaron  has  followed  lumbering,  boat  building  and  farming,  being  one 
of  the  earliest  boat  builders  in  this  section.  When  the  Midland  railroad  was  con- 
structed he  was  railroad  commissioner  and  plank  road  inspector,  and  has  been 
assessor  for  twenty-one  years.  He  was  also  active  in  educational  interests,  having 
been  trustee  for  thirty  years. 

Bailey,  Capt.  Myron  J.,  was  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  N.  V.,  January  1,  18:}4, 
son  of  Silas  and  Sallie  A.  Bailey.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris,  son  of  Silas 
and  Olive  Sweetland  Bailey,  whose  children  were  Eunice,  Silas,  Timothy,  Lyman, 
Edward,  Ora,  Abraham,  Olive  and  Almira.  The  children  of  Silas,  jr.,  were  Jay  C. 
Dorleski,  Myron  J.,  and  Charlotte.  Myron  J.  married  Adelaide  M.,  a  daughter  of 
George  W.  Coville,  and  a  native  of  the  town  of  Vienna,  and  their  children  are  Edna 
E.,  Gilford  D.,  Myron  L.,  George  S.,  Lottie  V..  Charles,  jr.,  and  S.  Wyman.  Capt. 
Myron  J.  Bailey  has  followed  farming,  and  by  trade  is  a  carpenter  and  paper  hanger, 
but  has  now  retired  from  active  business.  He  enlisted  in  Company  E  ,  101st  Regi- 
ment N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  and  was  elected  captain  of  Company  K,  of  the  same  regiment. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  175 

which  commission  he  now  holds.  He  is  serving  his  second  term  as  assessor,  and 
has  been  overseer  of  the  poor,  excise  commissioner  and  school  trustee.  He  is  a 
member  of  Vienna  F.  &  A.  M.  Lodge,  440,  of  which  he  is  past  master,  and  has  been 
secretary  for  sixteen  years,  and  has  also  been  senior  warden  and  senior  deacon.  He 
belongs  to  Sylvan  Beach  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  326,  and  West  Vienna  Grange.  In  1890 
he  was  appointed  State  inspector  of  public  works,  and  was  located  at  Solvay, 
near  Syracuse. 

Dixon,  James,  was  born  near  Dublin,  Ireland,  May  22,  1834,  son  of  John  and 
Katherine  Dixon,  who  settled  in  this  town  with  their  children,  Edward,  deceased,  John 
deceased,  and  James,  in  about  1840.  James  Dixon  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Hiram 
and  MaryCoville,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  children  :  John,  Lucy  Katherine, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  Cazenovia  Seminary  and  Oswego  Normal ;  Frank,  Mary  Clif- 
ford, and  Lizzie  Pauline,  who  was  graduated  from  Rome  Academy,  and  is  now 
attending  school  at  the  Oswego  Normal.  James  Dixon  is  a  self-made  man,  having 
started  in  life  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  working  on  the  canal  until  1865,  when  he 
moved  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  been  collector  and  is  now  serv- 
ing his  fourth  term  as  highway  commissioner,  and  in  1890  he  had  an  appointment 
on  the  State  public  works.     He  belongs  to  Vienna  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  440. 

Blasier,  Irving,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western,  January  11,  1860,  son  of  Ichabod 
and  Elizabeth  M.  Blasier.  Ichabod,  son  of  Henry,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Western, 
October  13,  1825,  and  his  children  were  Henrietta,  Francis  M.,  Esther  E.,  Celia, 
Mary,  Josephine,  Ichabod,  jr.,  Irving,  Melvin,  Lena,  Evert  E.,  Martha,  Carrie, 
Franklin  and  Charles,  of  whom  the  last  four  are  deceased.  December  12,  1880, 
Irving  married  Clara  L.,  daughter  of  Henry  L.  and  Sarah  A.  Vosburg,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Merton  Irving.  Mr.  Blasier  was  educated  in  the  Winfield  Seminary, 
and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  started  in  the  cheese  business.  In  1889  he  bought 
a  cheese  factory  at  Vienna,  and  in  1893  he  started  a  canning  factory  under  the  firm 
name  of  Freeman  &  Blasier,  and  they  do  a  business  of  about  §23,000  a  year,  and 
make  115,000  pounds  of  cheese  yearly.  He  is  a  member  of  Vienna  F.  &  A.  M. 
Lodge,  No.  440. 

Flanagan,  James  Henry,  was  born  at  West  Vienna,  December  23,  1854,  son  of 
Peter  and  Mary  E.  Flanagan.  He  married  Martha  Ann,  a  daughter  of  Willard 
Teeling,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children :  Irma,  Ida,  and  Thomas  J. 
James  Henry  has  followed  boat  building  and  farming  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  In 
1874  and  1875  he  was  elected  town  clerk,  and  in  1875  he  represented  the  3d  Oneida 
District  in  the  Assemaly,  and  in  1885  he  was  elected  supervisor,  which  office  he  has 
held  to  the  present  time.  In  1889  he  was  nominated  for  State  senator,  and  in  1892 
he  was  appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  public  works,  which  position  he  held 
for  over  three  years.  At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the  State  Democratic  Committee 
of  the  2oth  Congressional  District.  He  is  a  member  of  Vienna  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  440, 
also  of  Sylvan  Beach  I.O.O.F. 

Wilcox,  Frederick  D. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  October  8,  1839,  son  of 
Chester  Wilcox,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  came  to  the  town  of  Camden 
when  a  boy,  being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town,  making  all  of  the  roads  in  this 
.section  known  as  the  Hillsborough  roads.     He  was  a  farmer  and  speculator  in  cattle. 


176  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

He  married  Rilia  Dunbar,  of  Camden,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  Frederick 
D.  Wilcox  is  a  farmer,  and  he  now  owns  a  farm  of  130  acres  in  the  town  of  Camden, 
mostly  improved,  also  one  of  103  acres  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  mostly  woodland.  He 
married  Julia  L ,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children:  Adelbert,  Edwin,  Jane,  Ches- 
ter, Robert,  Irving,  Olive  and  Katie. 

Dana,  George  W.,  was  boru  in  the  town  of  Camden,  October  20,  1863.  His  father, 
Walter  H.  Dana,  was  born  at  South  Trenton,  and  was  by  occupation  a  painter.  He 
married  Delight  Wakefield,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children.  George  W.  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  in  which  business  he  spent  his  early  days,  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  For  about  ten  years  he  has  been  a  njember  of  the  firm  of  Gardner  & 
Dana,  manufacturers  of  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  they  being  among  the  leading  firms 
in  this  line  in  Camden.  He  married  Lillie  D.,  daughter  of  William  Curtis,  of  Cam- 
den. Mr.  Dana  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

Gardner,  Richard  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Oneida  county,  July  14, 
1842,  son  of  Peter  Gardner,  who  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1830.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  continued  to  live  in  the  town 
of  Florence  up  to  his  death.  He  married  Margaret  Little,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children.  Richard  H.  was  educated  in  the  towns  of  Florence  and  Camden.  He 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  when  a  boy,  which  he  still  follows.  In  1885  he  estal)- 
lished  a  sash  and  door  factory  in  Camden,  known  as  Gardner  &  Dana.  Mr.  Gardner 
married  Elizabeth  Orr,  of  New  York  Mills,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  who  is  now 
a  teacher  in  the  Camden  Academy. 

Rush,  Horace  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  June  29,  1865,  one  of  four  chil- 
dren of  Jacob  and  Amelia  Rush,  who  have  lived  for  many  years  in  the  town  of  Cam- 
den, the  father  being  a  carpenter  and  builder,  which  trade  his  son,  Horace  J.,  learned, 
and  through  close  attention  has  become  a  thorough  master  of  the  business,  until  at 
this  time  he  conducts  one  of  the  leading  sash  and  door  factories  of  the  town,  turning 
out  all  classes  of  outside  and  inside  finish  for  houses.  He  married  Lena  Grant,  of 
Camden.  Mr.  Rush  is  a  member  of  the  American  Mechanics,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Republican. 

Gamble,  Frederick  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  July  31.  1861.  His  father, 
James  H.  Gamble,  came  to  Camden  about  1850,  where  he  was  a  merchant  for  many 
years,  and  was  also  postmaster  of  this  village  for  thirteen  years.  Frederick  S.  is  a 
graduate  of  Camden  Academy,  and  has  been  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  for  six- 
teen years,  the  firm  being  known  as  J.  H.  Gamble  &  Son.  He  married  Jennie  E. 
Mann,  of  Camden,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Etta,  Sherry,  Carl,  Frederick,  and 
Mary.  Mr.  Gamble  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  held  the  offices  of  water  com- 
missioner, trustee  of  the  village,  also  treasurer.  He  is  a  member  of  K.  of  P.,  and 
Americam  Mechanics. 

Hayes,  Hon.  Albert  L.,  was  born  at  Hawkinsville,  in  1847,  son  of  Jonas  Hayes,  the 
most  prominent  farmer  of  that  locality,  and  whose  settlement  in  the  town  was  at  the 
early  date  of  1823.  He  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  He  married  Marinda 
Harris,  who  died  in  1874,  by  whom  he  had  five  sons.  Albert  L.  Hayes,  after  com- 
pleting an  academic  course  at  Fairfield,  began  legal  studies  at  Herkimer  in  1867.     In 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  177 

1870  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  practicing  at  Boonville.  In  the  investi- 
gations and  reformatory  legislation  which  marked  the  celebrated  "ninety-fifth  ses- 
sion" of  the  Assembly,  Mr.  Hayes  was  a  central  figure  as  one  of  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee. He  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  local  affairs,  and  has  been  a  justice 
most  of  the  time  since  1874. 

Palmer,  E.  G.,  was  born  at  Peterboro,  N.  H.,  October  19,  1836,  son  of  Benjamin 
Palmer,  and  their  paternal  lineage  traces  direct  to  the  Mayflower.  E.  G.  Palmer 
was  educated  at  Northville  and  Amsterdam,  and  his  first  independent  venture  in 
mercantile  life  was  at  Little  Falls,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  In 
1862  he  came  to  Boonville,  continuing  the  same  business  for  a  period  of  twenty-three 
years,  when  he  established  himself  as  a  florist,  at  which  he  has  achieved  marked 
success.  In  1867  he  married  Esther  Avery  of  Boonville,  descendant  of  an  old  New 
Hampshire  family,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  children:  Burton,  Ernest,  and  Elwin, 
and  also  a  son  and  daughter  who  died  in  infancy,  Mr.  Palmer  has  run  the  gamut  of 
official  life  from  treasurer  and  trustee  of  the  village  to  his  present  position  as  super- 
visor, having  been  first  elected  to  the  latter  office  in  1890. 

Douglass,  J.  W.,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  West  Leyden,  December  20,  1844,  and  is  a 
descendant  from  an  old  Connecticut  family.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Thomas  P. 
Douglass.  He  began  medical  research  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Watson,  at  West  Leyden, 
and  in  1874  entered  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital  at  Brooklyn,  graduating  in 
1877,  and  locating  at  Boonville.  Dr.  Douglass  is  a  very  popular  and  successful  prac- 
titioner, and  is  now  acting  health  officer. 

Willard,  Garry  Aaron. — The  Willard  family  has  been  known  in  Boonville  since 
the  organization  of  the  town,  and  Garry  A.  Willard,  who  still  resides  in  Boonville, 
is  one  of  its  worthiest  descendants.  His  grandfather,  Aaron  Willard,  came  to 
Boonville  from  Vermont  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  His  forefathers 
were  numbered  among  the  hardy  settlers  of  this  country,  and  were  among  the  first 
to  enlist  under  the  banners  of  the  Granite  State  boys,  which  were  carried  through 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Aaron  Willard  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  industri- 
ously plied  his  vocation  near  what  is  now  the  village  of  Boonville,  clearing  away  the 
virgin  forest  in  order  to  plant  his  crops.  Among  his  sons  was  Harvey  P.  Willard, 
father  of  Garry  Aaron.  He  possessed  fine  intellectual  attainments  and  scholarly 
tastes,  and  his  abilities  were  early  recognized.  He  was  educated  at  the  Boonville 
Academy,  and  after  his  graduation  and  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  taught  school 
in  Kentucky  and  in  various  places  in  this  State.  In  1861  he  purchased  the  Boonville 
Herald,  which  he  conducted  until  his  death  in  1887.  Garry  A.  Willard  was  born  in  1861, 
and  was  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  At  an  early  age  he  had  mastered  the 
printer's  trade,  and  after  his  graduation  from  the  Boonville  Academy  he  completed 
his  education  at  the  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  Grammar  School.  Returning  to  Boonville  he 
took  a  position  in  the  Herald  office,  mastering  the  details  of  every  department  until, 
in  1891,  he  purchased  the  paper  and  became  its  sole  responsible  head.  Since  that 
period  the  paper  under  his  management  has  grown  until  to  day,  the  Herald  plant  is 
almost  metropolitan  in  its  character,  and  the  paper  is  extensively  circulated  through- 
out Oneida,  Lewis,  and  Herkimer  counties.  A  sturdy,  never-swerving  Republican, 
of  pleasing  address  and  of  the  courage  of  his  convictions  at  all  times,  Mr.  Willard 


178  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

could  not  well  escape  the  notice  of  those  high  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  In  18111 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  by  President  Harrison  and  served  a  full  term,  and,  un- 
til his  successor  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland,  giving  the  best  of  satisfac- 
tion and  making  the  office  rank  among  the  highest  in  its  class.  In  1895  he  became 
the  candidate  of  his  party  for  county  clerk,  and  was  elected  by  the  handsome  major- 
ity of  3,500.  His  prominence  in  local  affairs  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by 
the  people  of  Boonville  is  best  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  chosen  president  of 
the  Board  of  Education  in  1892  and  re  elected  in  1898,  1894  and  1895.  In  1884  Mr. 
Willard  married  Julia  H.,  eldest  daughter  of  C.  W.  Colton,  one  of  Boonville  s  best 
known  merchants.  One  child,  a  daughter,  blessed  their  union,  and  the  family  resi- 
dence on  Schuyler  street  is  one  of  the  handsomest  in  this  village  of  lovely  homes. 

Smith,  Frank  W.,  was  born  in  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  m  1852,  .son  of  James  Smith, 
who  emigrated  to  this  country  from  Dearborn,  Eng.,  in  1840.  Frank  \X.  Smith  first 
engaged  in  dealing  in  sewing  machines  at  Utica,  where  he  remained  for  twelve 
years.  In  1892  he  established  his  present  extensive  business  on  Main  street.  Boon 
ville,  known  as  the  Conservatory  of  Music,  where  he  has  an  extensive  stock  of  pianos, 
organs,  and  sewing,  machines.  He  also  carries  a  large  stock  of  fishing  tackle  and 
sporting  goods.  Mr.  Smith  is  an  infiuential  member  of  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  of  the  G.  A. 
R.  Post,  and  is  general  superintendent  of  the  Boonville  Fair  Association.  In  1870 
he  married  Emma  Clark,  of  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  two  children: 
Norma  and  Juliet  C. 

Pratt,  Charles  W.,  a  descendant  of  an  old  English  family,  of  whom  two  brothers, 
John  and  William,  settled  in  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  the  only  son  of 
Cyrus  W.  Pratt  Cyrus  W.  Pratt  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  but  being  a  fluent  speaker, 
was  more  widely  known  and  acknowledged  as  an  orator  of  the  age.  He  was  also  an 
elder  and  founder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  his  locality.  He  married  Harriet 
Coffee,  who  still  survives  him,  and  resides  with  her  son,  C.  W.  Pratt.  He  first  began 
his  successful  business  career,  by  dealing  in  real  estate.  He  entered  mercantile  life 
with  a  general  store  at  Port  Leyden ;  then  to  Bradford,  Pa.,  where  he  was  a  prom- 
inent operator  in  the  oil  exchange  for  four  years.  He  also  engaged  in  mining  in 
Colorado  and  Arizona,  but  returned  in  1885  to  Port  Leyden  and  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business.  In  1892  he  purchased  paper  mills  at  Port  Leyden  and  Fowlersville. 
which  are  known  as  the  Gould  Paper  Co. ,  of  which  Mr.  Pratt  is  president.  He  is  now 
erecting  a  large  mill  at  Lyons  Falls,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  water  powers  in  the 
State.  In  1886  he  married  Julia  S.  Northam,  of  Port  Leyden.  by  whom  he  has  one 
son,  C.  Walter  Pratt. 

Vollmar,  Jacob,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  1840.  In  1850  his  father, 
Philip  Vollmar,  came  to  America,  and  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Oneida  county.  He 
built  a  log  house  about  five  miles  east  of  Boonville,  and  there  reared  his  five  children. 
Jacob  Vollmar  was  educated  at  the  common  school  in  Utica.  He  was  first  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  for  George  Anderson,  of  Hawkinsville,  where  he  remained  for 
twelve  years.  In  1872  he  came  to  Boonville  and  opened  a  retail  clothing  store  on 
Main  street;  a  year  later  he  bought  out  E.  P.  Thomas,  and  in  1888  purchased  his 
present  place.  In  1869  Mr.  Vollmar  married  Sarah  Kahl,  of  Hawkinsville,  who  is  of 
French  descent,  by  whom  he  has  three  children;  Eda  B.,  Henry  J.,  and  George  E. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  179 

(deceased).     Mr.  Vollmar  is  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and 
also  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 

Fisk,  J.  W.,  was  born  at  Boonville,  in  1819,  and  has  always  resided  here.  He  is 
the  son  of  James  Fisk,  who  is  closely  identified  with  the  early  settlement  of  Oneida 
county,  and  who  came  to  Boonville  from  Rhode  Island  in  1800.  J.  W.  Fisk  at  the 
present  writing,  is  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  this  place.  The  first  thirty-five  years  of 
his  life  was  spent  in  farming,  but  in  1858  he  established  a  mercantile  business  oppo- 
site the  Hulbert  House.  He  has  now  been  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  thirty- 
seven  years,  and  came  to  his  present  locality  in  1883.  In  1846  he  married  Emily  H. 
Pitcher,  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Ursula,  wife  of  Suott  M. 
Cook,  a  clergyman  of  an  Episcopal  church  in  New  York;  Erford  E.,  in  grocery  busi- 
ness here ;  and  Roseltha  Gertrude,  who  died  in  1894,  at  forty-five  years  of  age,  wife 
of  Daniel  Oorn  of  Ava.  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  Sarah  A.  Pitcher,  by  whom 
he  has  one  son,  Dwight  D.  Fisk. 

Kau,  Charles  D.,  was  born  at  Leyden,  in  1864,  son  of  Michael  Kau,  who  was  born 
near  Hamburg,  Germany.  Charles  D.  Kau  came  to  Boonville  in  1871,  and  was 
educated  at  Cazenovia,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1889  he  received  an 
appointment  as  messenger  for  five  years  with  G.  C.  Ward,  the  well-known  surveyor 
and  bridge  builder.  [Mr.  Kau  has  by  personal  effort  and  concentration  of  business 
energies,  become  a  partner  of  the  firm  of  Kau  &  Ward,  in  the  grocery  business, 
carrying  an  extensive  stock  in  groceries,  provisions,  hay,  lumber,  cement  and  boat 
men's  supplies.     Mr.  Kau  has  a  membership  of  high  rank  in  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Watson,  Mrs.  Thomas,  is  the  widow  of  the  late  Thomas  Watson,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  1820.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  came  to  America,  and  became 
apprenticed  to  a  cabinetmaker,  .Samuel  Bateman,  and  by  his  own  personal  efforts 
was  soon  able  to  enter  mercantile  life,  and  conducted  a  successful  furniture  business 
in  Boonville  for  forty-five  years.  In  1879  he  married-  Violet,  daughter  of  James 
Frazier  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Anna  L.  Mr.  Watson  was 
always  an  able  supporter  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  his  wife  and 
daughter  are  members  He  was  a  Republican  and  popular  citizen,  and  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1895,  was  mourned  by  the  whole  community. 

Austin,  Ai,  was  born  at  Lansing,  Tompkins  county,  N.  Y.,  April  15,  1863,  son  of 
Henry  Austin,  an  instructor  of  penmanship  and  drawing,  whose  rare  ability  for  his 
work  commands  the  admiration  of  all  educators.  Ai  Austin  came  to  Boonville  in 
1884  and  established  a  laundry  on  Main  street,  which  proved  a  successful  enterprise, 
and  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  married  Nancy  E.  Hull,  by  whom  he  has  one 
son,  Glenn.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  and 
his  wife  are  attendants. 

Lints,  Jeremiah,  was  born  at  Alder  Creek,  N.  Y. ,  in  1857,  son  of  Solomon  Lints,  a 
farmer,  who.se  family  are  noted  for  longevity.  The  boyhood  of  Jeremiah  Lints  was 
spent  on  a  farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  came  to  Boonville  in  1877, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  cooper  business  in  the  same  shop  on  Post  street  where  he 
now  carries  on  an  extensive  work,  manufacturing  tubs,  churns,  and  other  labor-sav- 
ing dairy  utensils;  these  he  ships  to  Rome,  Utica,  and  other  points  in  Oneida  county. 
In  1883  he  married  Elizabeth  Farley,  of  Remsen.  Mr.  Lints  is  a  member  of  the  I. 
O.  O.  F. 


IgO  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Utley,  Fred  W.,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  in  1855.  His  father. 
Isaac  Utley,  was  also  born  in  Boonville  in  1816,  of  and  old  pioneer  family.  He  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Harriet  (Crofoot)  Ballon,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Henry,  a  painter 
of  Boonville;  Jerome,  deceased;  and  Fred  W.  Mr.  Utley  died  in  1889.  In  1883 
Fred  W.  married  Maggie  F.,  daughter  of  Alexander  Finlayson,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Alice  Marion.  They  reside  on  a  sheep  and  dairy  farm  of  115  acres.  Ever 
since  the  organization  of  the  Boonville  Fair,  Mr.  Utley  has  been  superintendent  of 
the  sheep  exhibit,  being  considered  an  expert  on  the  subject. 

Barrett,  F.  A.,  was  born  at  Turin,  Lewis  county,  m  1852,  son  of  James  Barrett, 
the  well-known  proprietor  of  the  old  Railroad  House  at  Rome.  When  thirteen  years 
of  age  F.  A.  Barrett  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  and  when  eighteen  years  of 
age  went  to  sea  on  coastwise  fishing  boats,  and  there  met  all  the  hardships  and  ex- 
periences of  a  sailor's  life.  He  visited  the  East  Indies,  and  finally  returned  home 
and  settled  in  Boonville  in  1880,  and  opened  a  grocery  store,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  and  has  been  very  successful.  In  1880  he  married  Martha  A.,  daughter 
of  James  Brainard,  the  well-known  pioneer  from  Massachusetts,  who  made  the  per- 
ilous journey  here  with  an  ox  team  and  first  settled  at  Leyden.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bar- 
rett have  two  children:  Nina  and  Archie 

Buckley,  Jeremiah,  was  born  at  Boonville,  in  1859,  son  of  Patrick  Buckley  of  Irish 
birth.  Patrick  Buckley  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Hawkinsville,  deal- 
ing in  dry  goods  and  groceries,  which  enterprise  he  continued  later  at  Boonville. 
Since  1885  Jeremiah  Buckley  has  conducted  a  saloon  in  connection  with  a  restaurant 
on  Main  street,  Boonville.  In  18!t4  he  purchased  the  Central  Hotel,  which  he  has 
repaired  and  remodeled  in  a  creditable  manner,  and  his  ready  and  genial  character 
makes  him  an  efficient  landlord.  In  1885  he  married  Mary  A.  Maguire,  daughter  of 
Philip  Maguire,  of  Forestport,  by  whom  he  has  three  sons:  Frederic,  C.  Donald,  and 
Hubert.  His  personal  popularity  is  evinced  by  his  recent  election  to  the  prominent 
office  of  village  president. 

Jackson,  Walter  D.,  was  born  in  1829,  son  of  Thomas  Jackson,  of  English  and 
Scotch  descent,  who  was  born  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  member  of  the  old  pioneer 
family,  whose  records  can  be  ascertained  as  far  back  as  1747,  the  date  of  the  birth  of 
his  great-great-grandfather,  and  whose  lineage  can  be  traced  to  the  celebrated  gen- 
eral by  that  name.  Thomas  Jackson  withheld  himself  from  political  life,  and  instilled 
a  similar  aversion  in  the  minds  of  his  children,  of  whom  he  had  nine.  W.  I).  Jack- 
son has  always  resided  in  Boonville,  and  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  hav- 
ing a  farm  of  240  acres,  and  beautiful  buildings;  also  a  large  cheese  factory  which 
is  conducted  on  his  farm.  In  1862  he  married  Mary  Roberts,  daughter  of  Channery 
Roberts  of  Leyden,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Anna,  wife  of  B.  A.  Ca]iron,  the 
well-known  attorney  of  Boonville,  and  J.  Will  Jackson. 

Lewis,  John,  was  born  in  Wales,  in  1831.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents 
when  three  years  of  age  and  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  Boonville,  where  his 
father,  David  J.  Lewis,  engaged  in  farming.  John  Lewis  also  engaged  in  farming, 
and  came  to  his  present  farm  of  300  acres  in  1855,  and  has,  by  his  shrewdness  and 
thrift,  achieved  a  financial  success.  In  1855  he  married  Adeline,  daughter  of  Jesse 
Ballon,  by  whom  he  had  six  children;  Addie  H..  Ella  M..  Will  J.,  Edward  C,  Hurl- 
burt  Ballon,  and  Mabel  A. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  181 

Jackson,  Isaac  W.,  was  born  in  Fairfield  in  1815,  son  of  William  Jackson  and 
cousin  of  Andrew  Jackson.  His  boyhood  was  spent  on  the  large  farm  of  his  father's 
m  Fairfield,  where  he  received  his  education  in  the  common  school  and  academy. 
Mr.  Jackson  resides  on  his  400  acre  dairy  farm,  on  Jackson  Hill,  Boonville,  which  is 
adorned  with  spacious  and  substantial  buildings,  including  a  model  dairy  barn, 
wherein  the  most  modern  methods  are  employed,  and  which  was  erected  in  1879  un- 
der his  personal  supervision,  In  1838  he  married  Clarrissa  Ellis,  by  whom  he  had 
four  daughters:  Almira  C. ,  Melissa  I.,  Frances  A.,  and  Sophronia,  wife  of  Webster 
Billington,  of  Bridgeport,  N.  Y.,  and  the  only  daughter  who  survives  her  mother, 
whose  death  occurred  in  1846.  Mr.  Jackson  afterwards  married  Phebe  A.  Smith,  bv 
whom  he  had  two  sons:  Irving  and  Drew  W.,  both  of  whom  are  engaged  in  farming 
near  Boonville.  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  staunch  Republican,  ever  since  the  formation  of 
that  party,  previously  being  a  Democrat.  He  voted  for  Van  Buren  in  1836,  and  has 
voted  at  every  presidential  election  since,  covering  a  period  of  sixty  years.  He  is  an 
ardent  admirer  of  nature,  and  has  devoted  much  time  to  scientific  investigation. 

Burlingame,  J.  K.,  was  born  in  Holland  Patent,  N.  J.,  in  1845,  and  is  of  English 
and  Scotch  ancestry.  His  father,  Jeremiah  Burlingame,  was  born  in  Watertown, 
v/here  he  resided  as  a  farmer,  always  taking  a  foremost  part  in  all  political  move- 
ments, and  lending  his  aid  and  influence  in  promoting  every  good  cause.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  E.  Ward  of  a  prominent  Holland  Patent  family.  J.  K.  Burlingame  was 
educated  in  Watertown,  after  which  his  uncle,  Joseph  Ward,  received  him  as  book- 
keeper and  cashier  in  his  mill  and  warehouse  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich.  Having  been 
reared  on  a  farm,  his  tastes  were  more  in  keeping  with  farming,  and  after  a  resi- 
dence of  ten  years  in  Trenton  Falls,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  100  acres  in  Boonville, 
which  he  has  devoted  to  dairy  interests.  In  politics  Mr.  Burlingame  is  a  Republican. 
He  first  married  Anna  E.  Grant,  who  died  in  1879,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons: 
Walter  P.  and  Roy  Grant.  He  afterwards  married  Annette  Manchester,  of  an  old 
pioneer  family  of  this  section,  by  whom  he  has  three  daughters:  Eva  S.,  Frances  L. 
and  Blanche  B. 

Erwin,  Cornelius  B.,  was  born  in  Boonville  in  1846,  son  of  Silas  W.  Erwin,  and 
grandson  of  Peter  Erwin,  who  settled  here  at  the  beginning  of  the  century.  He  is 
also  nephew  of  the  noted  philanthropist,  Cornelius  B.  Erwin,  of  this  town,  after 
whom  he  was  named.  This  uncle's  solicitude  for  the  advancement  and  happiness  of 
those  of  his  community  is  evinced  bj'^  the  many  and  well  directed  benevolences:  The 
Erwin  Library  and  the  Park,  to  eacTi  of  which  he  bequeathed  a  legacy  for  its  main- 
tenance, and  the  Baptist  and  Presbyterian  churches,  together  with  the  Cemeterj' 
Association,  received  bequests.  Our  subject  spent  ten  years  of  his  life  in  Wabash, 
Ind. ,  as  carpenter,  and  several  years  in  Nebraska.  He  also  has  a  worthy  war  rec- 
ord, being  a  participant  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  raid,  and  was  with  the  21st  New 
York  Cavalry  at  Denver,  and  on  frontier  duty  one  year.  In  1870  he  married  Alfa- 
retta  Scoville,  who  died  in  Wabash,  Ind.,  in  1874,  and  in  1875,  he  married  Mary  B. 
Skinner  of  Wabash,  by  whom  he  has  five  children. 

Buckley,  Patrick,  was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  in  1825,  son  of  John  Buckley, 
and  is  an  able  and  highly  esteemed  man.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1847,  when 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  having  just  $5  in  his  pocket  when  he  landed.     His  having 


182  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

met  the  obstacles  of  life  so  successfully,  with  naught  save  a  pair  of  active  hands  and 
busy  brain,  is  the  real  test  of  his  character  and  ability.  He  first  settled  near  Boston, 
but  two  years  later  came  to  Boonville  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  now  owns  a 
farm  of  180  acres  about  four  miles  south  of  the  village,  where  he  has  resided  the  last 
thirty  years.  In  1852  he  married  Bridget  Carrigan  of  this  place,  by  whom  he  has 
had  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom  are  boys.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

O'Leary,  Jeremiah,  was  born  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1849.  His 
father,  Jeremiah  O'Leary,  was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  and  came  to  this 
country  when  twenty- eight  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  Utica  where  he  was  a  car- 
penter. He  came  to  Boonville  in  1843,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  as  well  as  car- 
penter work.  He  died  in  18C4.  Jeremiah  O'Leary,  jr.,  has  always  resided  in  Boon- 
ville, with  the  exception  of  twelve  years  spent  near  Lowville  at  the  millwright 
business.  Eight  years  ago  he  purchased  a  farm  of  105  acres,  and  has  since  been 
very  successful.  In  1871  he  married  Etta  Sweet,  of  Boonville,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Joslin,  C.  Eli,  was  born  in  Boonville  in  1847,  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  closely 
identified  with  the  early  history  of  the  town.  His  father,  Samuel  Joslin,  was  also 
born  in  Boonville.  His  mother  having  died  when  he  was  but  three  years  old,  he  was 
adopted  by  his  grandfather,  on  the  maternal  side,  and  to  him  he  owes  his  early 
training,  and  development  of  those  principles  which  have  predominated  throughout 
his  life,  commanding  the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  about  him.  His  first  public 
office  was  held  in  180H,  when  he  was  made  commissioner  of  highways.  In  1870  he 
married  Elizabeth  Moran,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  William  N.,  Elizabeth  A., 
Arthur  J.,  Ellen  E.,  and  Albert  J. 

Williams,  Griffith,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Remsen,  in  1840,  the  fourth  son  of 
William  H.  and  and  Jane  Williams,  who  were  natives  of  Wales  and  who  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Remsen  about  1820,  where  the  father  was  killed  by  a  horse. 
In  1861  Griffith  Williams  enlisted  in  Co.  1, 146th  N.  Y.  Inft.,  and  participated  in  many 
battles,  among  which  were  Fredericksburg,  Chaucellorsville  and  Wilderness,  where, 
during  a  charge  on  the  enem5\  he  was  badly  wounded,  the  ball  entering  his  left 
cheek,  passing  through  his  mouth,  and  carrying  away  nearly  half  of  his  right  lower 
jaw;  he  was  there  taken  prisoner  and  guarded  at  Orange  Court  House  some  si.x 
weeks  when  he,  with  seven  others,  made  their  escape  to  Washington,  where  he  then 
lay  a  month  in  a  hospital  and  had  thirty-two  pieces  of  bone  taken  from  his  jaw;  he 
was  soon  discharged  and  returned  to  Remsen,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Richard 
J.  Thomas  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  May  28,  1833.  His  father,  John  I. 
Thomas,  was  born  in  Wales,  in  1775,  one  of  two  brothers  who  came  to  America  in 
1818.  He  was  a  mason  by  trade  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  and  worked  on 
the  Erie  Canal.  He  married  Jane  Pritchard,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity.  The  father  died  in  1857,  and  the  mother  was  one  of  the 
original  eight  who  organized  the  first  Calvanistic  Methodist  society  in  Remsen  in 
1826  and  soon  erected  a  church  building,  called  Pen-y-Graig  (Top  of  the  rock).  She 
died  when  sixty-four  years  of  age.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  Griffith  Thomas  began 
life  for  himself  at  farm  work,  later  engaged  in  mason  work,  and  from   1854  to  1862 


1 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  183 

spent  his  entire  time  laying  stone  walls.  In  1861  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  126 
acres.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  while  in  the  town  of  Steuben  he  served 
as  constable,  commissioner  of  highways  and  town  clerk ;  for  the  town  of  Remsen  he 
has  .served  six  years  as  assessor  and  five  years  as  commissioner  of  highwaj^s.  He  is 
also  interested  in  educational  affairs  and  has  helped  many  poor  children  to  terms  of 
school.  In  1862  he  married  Margaret  Williams,  who  was  born  in  Remsen,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Jane  (Hughes)  Williams,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Jane, 
John  R  ,  and  William  H. 

Gainsway,  Philip  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  in  1864,  son  of  Philip 
Gainsway,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1825,  one  of  three  children  born  to 
Joseph  Gainsway,  who  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Philip  Gainsway,  father  of  Philip 
A.,  was  also  a  carpenter  by  trade,  who  came  to  America  in  1855  and  plied  his  trade 
in  Utica  for  several  years,  later  removed  to  Boonville,  where  he  became  interested 
in  Republican  politics,  filled  several  town  oflfices,  and  was  assessor  for  twelve  years. 
In  1878  he  removed  to  Remsen,  where  he  rented  a  farm,  which  his  sons  conducted 
while  he  plied  his  trade.  He  married  Magdaline  Plater,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children:  Emma,  Joseph,  Bertha,  Henry  H.,  Philip,  Mary,  and  Frank  E.  He  died 
in  June,  1886,  but  his  wife  still  survives  him  and  resides  in  Remsen.  Philip  A. 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  took  charge  of 
the  farm,  which  he  has  operated  ever  since,  conducting  a  large  dairy  of  thirty-five 
cows.  He  has  interested  himself  in  the  political  welfare  of  his  town,  and  has  served 
three  years  as  constable;  in  the  fall  of  1894  he  was  elected  delegate  to  the  Republi- 
can District  Convention  held  in  Utica;  he  executed  the  duties  of  this  office  so  satis- 
factorily that  his  townsmen  saw  fit  to  elect  him  to  the  same  office  in  August,  1895, 
the  convention  held  in  Rome.  In  1889  he  married  Sarah  A  Pugh,  who  was  born  m 
Remsen,  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Jane  (Jones)  Pugh,  now  prominent  in  the  town 
of  Steuben. 

Dayton,  Clinton  L.,  was  born  on  the  farm  and  in  the  house  he  now  resides  in 
1850.  Jonah  Dayton,  his  great-grandfather,  came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  in 
Deerficld,  thence  to  Remsen,  where  he  built  a  log  cabin  and  cleared  the  timber  from 
off  the  land.  Solomon  Dayton,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in  1785,  and  spent  nearly 
all  his  life  in  Remsen  on  the  homestead.  He  married  Fannie  Smith,  of  Vermont, 
by  whom  he  had  four  children  ;  Horace,  Almira,  Sally,  and  Abbie.  He  died  in  May, 
1865,  and  his  wife  in  February,  1869.  Horace  Dayton,  father  of  Clinton  L.,  was 
born  in  1813,  and  spent  his  whole  life  on  the  homestead,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  married  Mehitable  B.  Wolcott,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Clinton, 
and  Mrs.  Abbie  Williams,  of  Remsen.  He  died  in  1887,  and  his  wife  in  1873.  Clin- 
ton L.  Dayton  has  spent  his  life  thus  far  on  the  homestead,  which  he  took  charge  of 
in  1881,  and  has  since  successfully  operated  it,  dairying  being  his  princij^al  business, 
having  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows.  In  1880  he  married  Anna  J.  Stone,  of  Lewis  county, 
daughter  of  Duncan  and  Abigail  (Bouker)  Stone. 

Reed,  Dr.  David  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Remsen,  son  of  Ebenezer  Reed, 
who  was  born  in  Remsen  in  1820,  one  of  four  sons  and  six  daughters  born  to  Henry 
Reed,  who  was  a  native  of  Wales,  one  of  ten  sons  born  to  John  Reed,  a  Scotch- 
man, who  was  forty-six  years  of  age  when  he  was  married,  his  wife  being  but  one 


184  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

year  younger.  They  reared  ten  sons,  and  he  died  at  100  years  of  age,  his  wife  dying 
the  same  day,  aged  ninety-nine  years.  Henry  Reed,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  a  graduate  from  Cambridge  College,  and  came  to  Remsen  in  1808,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  surveying.  In  later  life  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Remsen,  and  died 
when  eighty-four  years  of  age.  Ebenezer  Reed,  father  of  David  H.,  was  a  stone- 
cutter in  early  life,  but  later  engaged  in  farming.  In  1888  he  retired  to  the  village 
of  Remsen,  where  he  now  resides.  He  married  Martha  Jones,  who  was  born  in 
Wales,  daughter  of  David  Jones,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity.  David  H.  Reed  received  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Remsen  and  Holland  Patent,  and  in  1882  was  graduated  from  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Buffalo.  He  began  practicing  the  same  year  with 
Dr.  Crane,  of  Holland  Patent,  and  later  in  the  same  year  he  established  himself  in 
Remsen  village,  where  he  has  since  resided,  enjoying  a  wide  and  lucrative  practice. 
In  1894  he  added  to  his  business  a  drug  store,  and  is  physician  and  surgeon  for  the 
Adirondack  &  St.  Lawrence  Railroad  Company.  In  1886  he  married  Nellie  L., 
daughter  of  Lewis  Francis,  of  Remsen,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Francis. 

Kent,  Bion  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Remsen,  in  1857.  Silas  Kent,  his  great- 
great-grandfather,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  of  Scotch  parentage.  John  Kent,  the 
great-grandfather,  wasalso  born  in  Connecticut,  and  came  to  Remsen  in  1791,  where 
he  cleared  a  farm  and  kept  the  first  public  house  in  the  town.  He  married  Grace  Root, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children.  Silas  Kent,  the  grandfather,  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
February,  1787,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  was  fairly  prosperous.  He  died 
when  thirty-five  years  of  age,  leaving  a  wife  and  seven  children.  Chester  G.  Kent, 
father  of  Bion  H.,  was  born  in  January,  1802,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son.  He 
was  the  oldest  of  the  family  of  seven  children,  and  on  him  depended  much  of  the 
support  of  the  family;  the  following  eight  years  after  his  father's  death  the  family 
contracted  a  store  debt  of  $101.50,  for  which  he  gave  hisnote  the  year  he  was  eighteen, 
and  paid  it  in  six  months'  time,  making  the  money  by  manufacturing  potash.  He 
spent  his  life  successfully  farming,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  acquired  4;{0 
acres  of  land,  all  of  which  he  had  cleared  of  the  tmiber.  He  was  twice  married; 
first,  to  Almira  Sheldon,  by  whom  he  had  three  children;  second,  to  Polly  Bly, 
daughter  of  William  and  Isabella  Bly,  of  Norway,  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  Silas,  Mary  J.,  and  Bion  H.  He  died  in  January,  1887,  and  his 
wife  died  five  days  later.  Bion  H.  Kent  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
was  graduated  from  Eastman's  Business  College  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  After 
the  death  of  his  father  he  purchased  the  farm  and  has  been  largely  interested  in  the 
dairy  business,  having  sixty  milch  cows,  and  since  1892  has  been  breeding  fine 
Holstein  cattle.  In  1S91  he  erected  a  fine  cheese  factory  on  his  farm  which  he  now 
conducts,  and  from  1890  to  1894  he  conducted  a  stage  route  from  Honnedaga  Station, 
which  is  located  on  his  farm,  to  Honnedaga  Lake,  for  the  Adirondack  League  Club, 
of  which  he  is  a  member.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Trenton  Lodge 
and  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  politics  he  is  an  active  Republican,  has  served  his  town 
as  assessor,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  In  1875 
he  married  Celia  A.,  daughter  of  Richard  Childs,  by  whom  he  had  one  child.  Chester 
D.  His  wife  died  November  7,  1879.  and  in  April,  1892,  he  married  Margaret 
Humphrey,  daughter  of  WiUiam  Humphrey,  of  the  town  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he 
had  one  child,  Bion  H.,  jr. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  185 

Nutt,  Edwin,  was  born  in  Floyd,  N.  Y.,  near  where  he  now  lives,  June  15,  1838, 
son  of  Austin  and  Melinda  Nutt.  Austin  Nutt  was  a  son  of  Nathan  Nutt  and  in  his 
early  life  followed  boating  on  the  Mohawk  River,  later  engaging  in  farming.  He 
served  as  commissioner  for  many  years.  He  had  two  children :  Clarence  and  May 
E.,  who  married  William  Durkin,  deceased.  Mr.  Nutt  is  a  member  of  the  Rome 
(irange,  was  its  first  master  and  has  continued  as  such  every  year  but  one;  is  also  a 
member  of  the  State  Pomona  Grange.  He  owns  a  farm  of  246  acres,  but  has  lived 
retired  for  six  years. 

Darrow,  David  E. — David  Darrow,  grandfather  of  David  E.,  was  born  in  New 
Lebanon,  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1772,  and  received  the  principles  of  a  thorough 
New  England  training,  which  prepared  him  for  a  vigorous  and  self-reliant  manhood 
requisite  for  the  pioneer.  In  1808,  having  married,  he  removed  to  West  Eaton, 
N.  Y.,  where  for  his  pure  principles  and  upright  character  he  won  the  respect  of  his 
fellow  citizens  to  such  an  extent  that  his  counsel  and  co-operation  were  deemed 
es.sential  to  the  success  of  any  enterprise.  His  father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
David  Darrow  was  for  several  years  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  West  Eaton.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Enos  and  had  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  Joseph  E.  was 
next  to  the  oldest.  Joseph  E.  Darrow,  born  in  1808,  inherited  in  a  large  degree  the 
sterling  qualities  of  his  father  and  he  became  a  representative  business  man  of  sound 
judgment  and  firm  integrity,  whose  council  and  advice  were  highly  prized  and  often 
sought  by  his  fellowmen.  He  died  in  Utica  February  13,  1893.  Of  him  it  was  truth- 
fully said  he  lived  a  spotless  life  of  eighty-five  years,  an  honest  man,  a  true  Chris- 
tian. He  was  school  inspector  for  several  years  and  a  captain  in  the  old  State  mi- 
litia. He  married  Phiebe,  daughter  of  David  Wellington,  a  very  early  settler  of 
Nelson,  Madison  county,  longa  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  father  of  a  successful 
family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  Joseph  E.  Darrow  had  four  children :  A, 
Elizabeth,  who  died  in  1848;  David  E.,  of  Utica;  Attie,  wife  of  George  S.  Tilling- 
hast,  treasurer  of  Madison  county;  and  Phoebe  A.,  deceased.  His  son,  David  E. 
Darrow,  was  born  in  Eaton  June  2,  1836,  was  educated  in  common  school  and  at 
Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  in  1859  was  united  in  marriage  with  Louesa  C.  Wright  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He  evinced  in  early  life  a  fondness  for  business  and  commercial 
pursuits,  which  he  successfully  followed  until  1885,  when  he  became  interested  with 
prominent  men  in  the  development  of  real  estate  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  in  the  Southern  States.  He  became  associated  with  men  of  national  rejD- 
utation,  among  whom  were  General  John  B.  Gordon,  of  Georgia;  General  Rose- 
crans,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  Hon.  John  J.  Knox,  of  New  York,  and  others.  In  1891 
he  became  associated  with  Hon.  Francis  Kernan,  Hon.  John  D.  Kernan,  N.  E.  Ker- 
nan  and  William  Kernan,  and  others  of  the  same  family  (all  of  Utica),  in  the  man- 
agement of  their  large  holdings  of  real  estate.  Under  his  successful  management 
East  Utica  has  largely  developed,  as  evidenced  by  the  rapid  growth  and  improve- 
ment in  that  section  of  the  city  since  1891.  He  is  manager  of  the  East  Side  Park 
Improvement  Company.  Mr.  Darrow  has  two  daughters:  Mrs.  A.  H.  Williams  of 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  Florence  A.,  wife  of  Eugene  F.  Pugh,  of  the  Utica  Daily  Press, 
both  graduates  of  Cazenovia  Seminary. 

Plumb,  Henry  A.,  was  born  in  Washington  Mills,  Oneida  county,  March  27,  1850. 
He  was  educated   at  Whitestown  Seminary,   was  graduated   from  the   Advanced 


186  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

school  in  Utica,  and  also  attended  Fairfield  Seminary.  In  July,  1867,  he  became  a 
clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  C.  H.  Williamson  of  Utica,  and  after  a  period  of  .seven 
years  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  wholesale  drug  and  grocery  establishment  of  Com- 
stock  Brothers,  where  he  remained  a  little  more  than  two  years.  In  November, 
1876,  he  formed  with  A.  G.  Luce  the  firm  of  Luce  &  Plumb,  and  engaged  in  the 
retail  drug  business  at  156  Genesee  street.  May  1,  1889.  the  firm  moved  to  198  Gen- 
esee street  and  on  December  1,  1891,  Mr.  Plumb  became  sole  proprietor.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Utica  Curling  Club,  a  vestryman  of  Calvary  Church,  and  secretary  of 
the  Central  New  York  Patent  Medicine  Dealers'  Association. 

Maxson,  Dr.  Sands  Carr,  .son  of  John  C.  and  Harriet  A.  (Rogers)  Maxson,  was 
born  in  Preston,  Chenango  county,  August  6,  1848.  His  parents  moved  to  Utica 
about  1890  and  died  here — the  mother  in  August,  1893,  and  the  father  October  1, 
1894.  Dr.  Maxson  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a  public  school  education  in 
his  native  town.  He  took  a  course  in  Oxford  Academy  in  Chenango  county,  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  S.  F.  McFarland,  of  Oxford,  now  of  Binghamton,  and  was  gradu- 
ated as  M.  D.  from  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York  in  1871.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Leonardsville,  Madison  county, 
and  except  three  years  spent  in  De  Ruyter  continued  there  successfully  for  fifteen 
years.  In  1884-85  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  in 
the  Post-Graduate  School  in  New  York  city  and  afterward  remained  for  two  sum- 
mers and  one  winter  as  instructor,  practicing  also  in  the  hospitals  of  the  city  and 
being  clinical  assistant  in  the  Manhatten  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital  and  the  New  York 
Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary.  In  1886  he  came  to  Utica,  where  he  has  become  prominent 
as  a  specialist  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear.  As  an  oculist  and 
aurist  he  has  been  eminently  successful.  Dr.  Maxson  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida 
County  Medical  Society  and  at  present  its  delegate  to  the  New  York  State  Medical 
Society,  and  a  member  and  the  president  of  the  LHica  Medical  Library  Association, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Eighth  International  Ophthalmological  Congress  held  in 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  August,  1894.  He  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  St.  Luke's 
Hospital  for  four  years  and  since  1891  has  served  as  eye  and  ear  surgeon  to  St.  Eliz- 
abeth's Hospital.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  January, 
1872,  he  married  Fanny  Estella,  daughter  of  William  Munger,  of  Palermo,  Oswego 
county,  and  their  children  are  Emma  P.  (who  died  April  7,  1885,  aged  thirteen), 
Hattie  Ivaloo,  and  Ethel  Eola. 

Goodier,  Wadsworth  S.,  was  born  in  LTtica,  August  13,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Jona- 
than Goodier,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  February  6.  1822, 
came  to  Utica  in  1850,  and  has  since  resided  there,  most  of  the  time  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  lumber  merchant.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  academy  of  Utica,  and  read  law  with  Burton  D.  Hurlburt,  of  LTtica,  who 
was  for  many  years  resident  attorney  of  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  who 
owned  and  operated  the  Utica  Steam  Woolen  Mills,  at  LTtica,  and  the  Washington 
Mills,  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Roche.s- 
ter,  on  October  10,  1879,  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  in  Utica.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1881,  on  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Hurlburt  as  attorney  for  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co., 
Mr.  Goodier  was  appointed  to  the  position  by  Judge  Henry  Hilton  of  New  York,  the 
executor  of  A.   T.  Stewart's  will,  and  still  serves  in  that  capacity.     He  makes  a 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  187 

specialty  of  real  estate  law.  He  is  a  member  of  Imperial  Council,  Royal  Arcanum. 
November  26,  1885,  he  married  Lulu  V.  Long,  daughter  of  James  H.  Long,  of  Man- 
kato,  Minn.,  and  their  children  are  James  H.,  Virginia  and  Treadway. 

James,  William  M.,  M.  D. ,  is  a  son  of  David  and  Clarissa  (Tompkins)  James,  and 
was  born  at  North  Gage  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  May  20,  1839. 
David  James,  farmer  and  brickmaker,  was  born  in  New  Jersey.  He  came  when  a 
boy  with  his  mother  to  this  section  of  the  State,  and  died  in  January,  1872,  aged 
sixty-four.  His  wife  died  in  January,  1880.  They  had  seven  children:  Thomas  T., 
who  died  in  1892;  Dr.  William  M.,  of  Utica;  Spencer  C,  of  Centerville,  Iowa;  Eme- 
line  (Mrs.  Douglas  J.  Pullman),  of  Centerville,  Iowa;  Sarah  C.  ;  Charles  A.,  of  North 
Gage,  on  the  homestead ;  and  Harriet  A.  (Mrs.  Hugh  Jones)  of  Norway,  Herkimer 
county.  Dr.  James  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  in  Whitestown  Seminary 
and  prepared  for  college  but  abandoned  the  idea  of  a  collegiate  training  to  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Luther  Guiteau,  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.  He  attended  lectures  at 
Albany  Medical  College  and  at  the  College  ot  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York 
city,  from  which  he  was  graduated  March  13,  1862.  He  was  a  member  of  the  house 
staff  in  Bellevue  Hospital  during  the  two  years  following.  While  there  he  also  per- 
formed the  duties  of  examining  surgeon  in  one  of  the  provost  marshal's  offices  for 
about  one  year.  In  March,  1864,  he  accepted  and  entered  upon  the  position  of  sur- 
geon in  Lincoln  General  Hospital  in  Washington,  where  in  consequence  of  poor 
health,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  and  return  home.  He  then  became  associated 
with  his  old  preceptor  in  Trenton  and  in  September,  1864,  entered  into  partnership 
with  him,  continuing  two  years.  In  1866  he  came  to  Whitesboro  and  in  1869  opened 
his  present  office  at  166  Genesee  St.,  Utica,  which  he  has  occupied  ever  since.  While 
in  Bellevue  he  also  took  special  instruction  in  the  diseases  of  the  eye  under  Dr.  H.  B. 
Noyes  of  New  York.  In  Boston  in  1869  he  pursued  special  courses  in  diseases  of  the 
throat.  He  also  took  a  special  course  in  the  diseases  of  women  under  Dr.  Horatio 
R.  Storer,  the  only  man  then  to  make  a  distinct  specialty  in  giving  instruction  on  the 
diseases  of  women  m  the  United  States.  Dr.  James  has  probably  performed  the  only 
operations  for  the  radical  cure  of  tic-douloureux  in  this  section  of  the  State.  He 
has  performed  almost  every  operation  known  to  surgical  science,  many  of  a  difficult 
and  intricate  character,  and  in  this  respect  his  hospital  experience  has  proven  in- 
estimably valuable.  He  has  made  hundreds  of  post-mortem  examinations,  and 
while  in  Washington  was  detailed  specially  for  this  purpose  in  the  military  hospital 
where  he  served.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society, 
and  has  written  several  articles  on  medical  subjects.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Utica 
Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  and  Utica  Commandery,  K.  T.  In 
April,  1865,  he  married  Sarah  F.  Beecher,  who  died  in  1867.  He  married  second  in 
May,  1869,  her  sister,  Marion  E.,  daughter  of  Joel  Beecher,  of  Carthage,  N.  Y.  She 
died  in  1877,  leaving  three  children:  Dr.  Frederick  W.,  of  New  York  city;  Sarah  R., 
of  Whitesboro,  and  Harry  B.,  of  Columbus,  O.  In  March,  1879,  he  married  for  his 
present  wife,  Miss  Serena  Higb^^  of  Whitesboro. 

Martin,  Noble  F. ,  son  of  Jireh,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  was  born  in  Stittville 
Oneida  county)  February  17,  1847,  and  received  a  public  school  education  in  his 
native  town.  His  father,  a  contractor,  moved  into  Stittville  about  1845,  and  died 
there  in  1890.     At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Martin   entered  the  employ  of   R.  V. 


188  OUR  COtJNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Yates  &  Son,  of  Utica,  with  whom  he  remained  nine  years.  March  12,  1878,  he  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  clothing  business  at  32  Genesee  street,  having  as  a  partner 
Henry  T.  Miller.  September  19,  1881,  the  firm  of  Martin  &  Miller  moved  to  the  cor- 
ner of  Genesee  and  Broad  streets,  and  on  April  7,  1888.  Mr.  Martin  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  and  since  then  has  been  sole  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading  retail 
clothing  establishments  in  Utica.  He  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge.  No.  47,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  Oneida  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3.  K.  T.,  Ziyara 
Temple  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  New  York  City  Consistory,  32d  degree. 
He  is  past  commander  of  the  commandery,  and  for  the  past  seven  years  has  been 
treasurer  of  the  shrine. 

Peckham,  S.  Wilber,  son  of  Andrew  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Madi.son,  Madison 
county,  November  (3,  1860,  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  com- 
munity. In  1883  he  accompanied  his  father  to  L^tica,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
The  latter  returned  to  Madison  county  and  died  there  in  June,  1893.  Mr.  Peckham 
pursued  a  course  in  the  Utica  Business  College,  engaged  in  various  occupations,  and 
for  about  two  years  was  assistant  bookkeeper  and  telegraph  operator  for  the  Franklin 
Iron  Manufacturing  Company.  On  January  23,1893,  he  accepted  his  present  posi- 
tion as  bookkeeper  for  John  H.  Sheehan  &  Co. 

Vansize,  Hibbard  K.,  is  a  son  of  Ebenezer  H.  Vansize  and  was  born  in  LUica, 
June  20,  1865.  The  family  is  of  Holland  Dutch  descent,  among  the  colonial  settlers 
of  New  York  (then  Manhattan),  and  originally  rendered  the  name  Van  Sey.sen,  Seys, 
Seize,  Sice,  and  Sise.  Joseph  Van  Sice  (or  Seysen),  an  armorer  and  gunsmith,  lived 
in  Schenectady  in  1735.  He  married  Helena  Magdaline,  daughter  of  Jan  Vrooman, 
and  from  them  descended  (1)  Johannes,  born  1726,  (2)  Simon,  born  1765,  and  Tennis, 
born  January  9,  1702.  The  latter  married,  March  22,  1821,  Eunice,  daughter  of 
Eunice  and  Ebenezer  Hebard,  who  was  born  April  20,  1797,  and  who  died  Septem- 
ber 5,  1868.  She  was  a  granddaughter  of  Abigail  (Huntington)  Kimball,  whose 
brother  Samuel  was  a  signer  of  Declaration  of  Independence,  a  governor  of  Connec- 
ticut, and  president  of  Congress.  Her  father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Tennis 
Vansize  came  to  Utica  in  1826  and  died  June  8,  1859.  He  was  first  a  school  teacher, 
built  and  conducted  the  Oneida  brewery,  and  later  had  a  grocery  store  on  the  corner 
of  Genesee  and  Devereux  streets,  the  firm  being  T.  Vansize  &  Son.  His  only  child, 
Ebenezer  H.  Vansize,  was  born  in  Johnstown,  N.  Y. ,  January  10, 1822,  became  a  part- 
ner and  finally  the  successor  of  his  father  in  Utica,  died  April  17,  1893.  August  26, 
1845,  he  married  Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Isaac  S.  and  Alva  (Merwin)  Baldwin, 
of  Durham,  Conn.,  and  who  survives  him.  They  had  two  children:  William  Baldwin 
Vansize,  a  patent  lawyer  of  New  York  city,  and  Hibbard  K.,  of  Utica.  The  latter 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  academy  of  his  native  city,  and  in  1881 
entered  the  Oneida  National  Bank  as  a  clerk,  where  he  rose  by  gradation  to  the 
position  of  teller,  to  which  he  was  appointed  in  January,  1887.  December  8,  1887, 
he  married  Cora  May,  daughter  of  Edward  R.  Norton,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Mary  Mildred. 

Scheehl,  Jacob,  son  of  Adam  and  Otilda  Scheehl,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
May  4,  1848,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1849,  settling  ih  Utica,  where 
his  father  died  in  November,  1891.     He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  German 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  189 

parochial  schools,  was  graduated  from  the  Advanced  school  in  1862,  and  spent  three 
years  each  with  Remington's  old  armory  and  Reynolds  Brothers,  shoe  manufac- 
turers. He  was  for  two  years  clerk  in  the  canal  collector's  office  under  Joseph  Faass, 
and  from  April,  1871,  to  October,  1883,  was  employed  in  the  New  York  Central 
freight  office.  On  the  opening  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad  in  1883  he  was  made 
station  agent,  and  upon  William  N.  Weaver's  death  in  July,  1887,  became  joint  agent 
of  the  two  roads.  In  July,  1891,  he  resigned,  and  with  William  F.  Hayes,  as  Scheehl 
&  Hayes,  engaged  m  the  coal  business.  In  1892  he  was  elected  alderman  of  the 
Tenth  ward  and  by  re-election  still  serves  in  that  capacity.  In  March,  1894,  and 
again  in  January,  189C,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  common  council.  He  is 
a  Democrat  and  has  been  delegate  to  several  political  conventions,  notably  those  at 
Saratoga  in  1892  and  Syracu.se  in  1895.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic  city 
committee  in  1878.  He  is  a  33d  degree  Mason  and  very  prominent  in  Masonic  circles. 
He  is  a  member  and  past  master  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  for  the  last 
fifteen  years  one  of  its  trustees,  and  past  district  deput}^  grand  master  of  this  district; 
a  member  of  Oneida  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  and  for  the  last  ten  years  its  secre- 
tary; a  member  of  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3,  K  T.,  a  member  of  the  Utica  Coun- 
cil, No.  28,  R.  &  S.  M.,  a  member  of  Ziyara  Temple  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
its  chief  raben  for  three  years,  its  acting  potentate  for  one  year,  and  its  recorder  for 
the  past  five  years;  a  member  of  L^^tica  Consistory.  No.  2,  A.  A.  S.  R. ,  in  which  rite 
he  received  the  33d  degree.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the  Masonic  board  of  trustees 
of  the  several  Masonic  bodies  of  Utica  for  the  past  twelve  years,  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Masonic  Club,  and  was  very  active  in  securing  the  Masonic  Home  for  Utica, 
being  district  deputy  grand  master  at  the  time.  He  is  a  member  and  past  regent  of 
Fort  Schuyler  Council,  No.  404,  R.  A.,  and  its  representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
the  State  for  two  years.  He  has  also  been  for  the  past  eight  years  a  trustee  of  the 
Homestead  Aid  Association  of  Utica.  In  Septembei",  1878,  he  married  Mary  Louise 
Schrader   of  Utica,  and  their  children  are  Emma  L. ,  Walter  J.,  and  one  deceased. 

Mansbach,  Simon,  was  born  in  Hesse  Castle,  Germany,  August  21,  1841,  received 
his  education  in  the  National  school  and  learned  the  trade  of  butcher  in  his  native 
country,  and  came  to  America  in  1859.  After  following  his  trade  in  New  York  city 
eight  months  and  traveling  one  year  he  learned  the  cigarmakers'  trade,  but  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health  gave  it  up  and  engaged  as  traveling  salesman  for  L.  Goldsmith,  a 
wholesale  miller  of  Oneonta,  Otsego  count}-,  living  in  Unadilla.  About  1862,  the 
latter's  brother,  Simon  Goldsmith,  opened  a  millinery  store  in  Utica  and  Mr.  Mans- 
bach was  his  travehng  salesman  for  seven  years.  In  April,  1870,  he  established  his 
present  wholesale  and  retail  millinery  business,  the  oldest  in  the  city,  being  located 
on  the  corner  of  Fayette  and  Washington  streets  since  1873.  He  has  long  been  a 
trustee  and  was  formerly  vice-president  of  the  Utica  Maennechor,  is  a  member  of 
Friendship  Lodge,  No.  551,  order  of  Harrigari,  and  a  member  of  St.  Regis  Tribe 
I.  O.  ot  R.  M.,  and  the  German  Reading  Society.  In  1873  he  married  Regina, 
daughter  of  Mandell  Goldsmith,  a  native  of  Hesse  Castle,  Germany.  She  died 
October  28,  1892,  leaving  three  daughters:  Jannette  (Mrs.  Leopold  Goldsmith),  of 
Oneonta,  Otsego  county;  Minnie  (Mrs.  Hyman  Wineburg),  of  Utica;  and  Anna 
(Mrs.  Charles  H.  Livingston),  of  Utica. 

Griffin,  Charles  A.,  was  born  in  January  20,   1845,   in  Florence,   Oneida  county. 


190  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

His  great-grandfather,  Nathaniel  Griffin,  came  from  Connecticut  to  Clinton,  N.  Y., 
in  1785,  purchased  of  Gen.  George  Washington  a  farm  near  College  Hill  (the  deed 
being  now  in  Albany),  and  died  there.  Ransom,  son  of  Nathaniel,  was  born  in 
Clinton,  had  four  children;  Ira  B.,  Emily,  Parnell,  and  Jane,  and  died  there  in  1829. 
Ira  B.  Griffin  was  born  there  March  19,  1820,  lived  after  his  father's  death  with  his 
grandfather,  and  upon  his  mother's  second  marriage  moved  to  Florence,  where  he 
still  resides.  He  is  a  farmer  and  owns  about  000  acres  of  land.  In  1864  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  K,  189th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served  until  the  war  closed,  being  commissary  ser- 
geant. He  married  Mary  Bellows,  who  died  in  1882,  leaving  three  children :  Ran- 
som and  Ella  E.  (Mrs.  Jeremiah  Dunn),  of  Florence,  and  Charles  A.,  of  Utica. 
Mary  Jane,  another  daughter,  married  H.  C.  Bickwell  in  1869  and  died  in  1870. 
Charles  A.  Griffin  attended  the  public  schools  of  Florence,  the  Camden  Union  School, 
and  Rome  Academy,  and  was  graduated  from  Eastman's  Business  College  at 
Poughkeepsie  in  February,  1865.  He  then  came  to  Utica  and  for  one  year  was 
bookkeeper  for  D.  Owens  &  Son,  bakers  and  confectioners.  For  another  year  he 
was  a  clerk  and  bookkeeper  for  Wetmore  &  Curtis,  general  merchants  of  Camden, 
and  in  1867  became  bookkeeper  for  John  Griffiths,  wholesale  dealer  in  teas,  coffees, 
and  spices  in  Fayette  street,  Utica.  January  1.  1871,  T.  J.  Griffiths  came  in  as  John 
Griffiths  &  Co. ,  and  January  1,  1872,  Mr.  Griffin  and  R.  W.  Jones  were  admitted 
partners.  In  1876  John  Griffiths  retired  and  the  other  three  continued  as  Griffiths  & 
Co.  March  1,  1879,  the  firm  became  Griffiths,  Griffin  (S:  Hoxie,  the  partners  being 
T.  J.  Griffiths,  Charles  A.  Griffin,  and  John  C.  Hoxie.  May  1,  1888,  Mr.  Griffiths 
withdrew  and  the  firm  has  since  been  Griffin  &  Hoxie.  In  1880  the  business  was 
moved  to  10  Liberty  street,  where  it  was  burned  out  in  1894.  It  was  then  estab- 
lished in  its  present  quarters  in  Catharine  street,  and  now  maintains  a  wholesale 
grocery  trade,  covering  a  radius  of  100  miles.  In  January,  1883,  'Mr.  Griffin  was 
married  to  Cornelia  W.,  daughter  of  Levi  Wheaton,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  two 
children;  Wheaton  I.,  and  Charles  A.,  jr. 

Reeder,  William  S.,  was  born  in  Kirkland.  December  27,  1852,  son  of  Simon  and 
Elizabeth  Reeder.  Simon  Reeder  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1832.  He  assisted  in  a  stone  grist  and  flouring  mill  at  Oriskany,  whence 
he  moved  to  Coustableville.  He  then  moved  to  Durhamville,  then  to  Kirkland,  then 
to  Deansville,  then  to  Vernon  Center,  from  which  place  he  came  to  Clark  Mills, 
where  he  and  his  son  William  S.  bought  the  property  now  owned  bv  William  S.  at 
Colmans,  and  at  all  these  places  he  conducted  flour  and  grist  mills.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 25,  1881.  From  the  death  of  his  father,  Simon,  till  three  years  ago  William 
S.  was  in  pai'tnership  with  his  brother,  Henry  C,  whom  he  bought  out  in  1892, 
William  S.  Reeder  was  educated  at  the  common  schools  and  Vernon  Academy,  after 
which  he  went  to  Oriskany  Falls  and  conducted  a  mill  for  two  years.  He  then  went 
to  Tonawanda,  and  from  there  to  Clark  Mills,  and  in  connection  with  his  father  he 
bought  the  property  now  known  as  Reeder's  Mills,  which  he  has  owned  and  con- 
ducted for  twenty-two  years.  In  addition  to  the  mill  he  conducts  a  general  store, 
where  he  carries  a  large  stock  of  merchandise.  Mr.  Reeder  is  a  Republican,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  is  postmaster  and  has  rep- 
resented his  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  He  married  Miss  M.  J.  Tarbox,  of 
Clark  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  three  children :   Edna   Lorine,  married  to  Charles  L. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  191 

Langdon,  of  Clark  Mills;  Edgar  B..  and  Mamie  L.  Mr.  Reeder  and  family  are 
members  of  St.  Peter's  church  at  Oriskanj^,  which  his  father  assisted  to  build,  and 
where  Mr.  Reeder  has  been  vestryman  for  twelve  years. 

Allwood,  Joseph  S.,  was  born  inHecla,  town.ship  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county, 
December  28,  1852,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Allwood.  John  Allwood  was  born  in 
England  and  came  to  Westmoreland  in  1850,  where  he  engaged  in  iron  work  at  first, 
but  soon  after  went  to  farming,  at  which  he  has  always  continued.  He  married 
Eliza  Woodard  of  Saratoga  county,  by  whom  he  has  si.x  children:  John  S.,  Laura 
B.,  Blanche  A.,  Philip  H.,  Bessie  A.,  and  Gertrude  M. 

Thomas,  W.  J.,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  August  6,  1829,  son  of 
Stephen  and  Lucy  (Goodell)  Thomas.  Stephen  Thomas  was  born  in  Dutchess 
county,  and  Lucy,  his  wife,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county.  Stephen  Thomas  was 
employed  in  Utica  in  his  early  days,  and  after  that  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
followed  to  the  time  of  his  death  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  Mrs.  Thomas  also 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  W.  J.  Thomas  was  educated  at  the  district  school 
at  Paris,  then  assisted  his  father  at  farming,  until  he  bought  a  farm  of  his  own.  Mr. 
Thomas  settled  in  Westmoreland  on  his  present  homestead  in  1866.  He  married 
Sarah  Seymour,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Elisha  Goodell 
Thomas,  Caroline  and  Mary  Thomas.  All  the  children  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist church. 

Kinney,  Hon.  Thomas  E.,  son  of  Edmond  and  Elizabeth  Kinney,  who  settled  in 
Utica  in  about  1840,  was  born  August  3,  1841,  and  received  his  preliminary  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  Assumption  Academy  of  that  city.  He  was  graduated 
in  both  academic  and  law  courses  from  the  University  of  Virginia  in  1863,  and  read 
law  in  Utica  with  Edmunds  &  Miller,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Syracuse  general 
term  in  1866.  After  two  and  one-half  years  as  managing  clerk  in  the  office  of  LI.  S. 
Senator  Francis  Kernan  he  was  elected  in  1867  city  attorney  of  Utica,  and  by  re- 
election served  three  consecutive  terms,  being  the  second  man  in  the  history  of 
Utica  to  fill  that  office  for  three  successive  years.  The  first  was  John  G.  Floyd  in 
1829  to  1831.  Dnring  that  period  Mr.  Kinney,  without  assistance  of  any  kind,  did 
the  entire  legal  business  of  the  corporation.  Later  he  was  the  Democratic  nominee 
for  special  county  judge  of  Oneida  county,  but  was  defeated  along  with  the  rest  of 
the  ticket.  He  was  afterward  the  candidate  for  county  judge  against  Judge  Sutton, 
who  was  elected  by  800  votes.  He  was  three  times  nominated  for  State  senator 
against  Hon.  Henry  J.  Coggeshall  and  each  time  defeated  by  reduced  majorities, 
receiving  more  votes  than  any  candidate  who  ever  opposed  that  Republican  stal- 
wart. In  1885,  1886  and  1887  he  was  triumphantly  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of 
L^tica,  first  on  the  independent  ticket  by  a  large  majority,  second  on  the  regular 
Democratic  ticket  by  a  greatly  increased  majority,  and  for  the  third  time  without 
opposition,  both  parties  throwing  him  their  votes  in  recognition  of  his  ability  and 
honest  efforts.  His  administrations  were  endorsed  by  all  the  citizens,  and  he  enjoys 
the  honor  of  being  the  only  man  to  hold  the  mayoraltj?  for  three  consecutive  terms. 
While  mayor  he  introduced  electricity  for  lighting,  was  the  first  to  inaugurate  asphalt 
paving,  and  led  the  movement  which  resulted  in  adopting  improved  methods  and 
modern  ideas  in  the  municipal  government,  marking  a  new  era  in  the  prosperity  of 


192  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  city.  He  stood  for  right  and  justice,  attended  and  presided  (as  was  then  the 
custom)  over  every  council  meeting,  and  did  more  than  any  other  man  to  purify  the 
city  of  gambling  and  other  illegal  institutions  and  of  dishonesty  in  politics.  His 
vetoes,  always  rendered  in  the  interests  of  the  public  welfare,  were  models  of  rhetoric 
and  executive  skill,  and  were  quoted  by  the  press  throughout  the  country.  He  has 
long  been  active  in  politics,  and  in  the  Cleveland  movement  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers against  the  Hill  snap  convention,  organizing  himself  the  counties  of  Oneida, 
Herkimer  and  Lewis.  He  was  made  State  committeeman  and  also  went  as  delegate 
to  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago  in  1892.  He  has  continuously 
practiced  his  profession  with  success,  and  has  also  been  active  in  developing  impor- 
tant real  estate  interests,  owning  several  handsome  blocks  and  building  for  himself 
on  Rt-.tger  place  one  of  the  finest  dwellings  in  the  city.  With  the  Baker  Brothers  he 
also  developed  the  valuable  quarries  at  Higginsville,  Oneida  county,  and  alone  he 
built  the  first  building  occupied  by  the  Saturday  Globe,  thus  being  instrumental  in 
aiding  that  paper  at  a  critical  period  of  its  career.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Fort 
Schuyler  Club  and  vice-president  of  the  Hom<copathic  Hospital  of  Utica.  In  August, 
1877,  he  married  Fannie,  daughter  of  the  late  D.  V.  W.  Gf)lden,  for  many  years  a 
leading  dry  goods  merchant  of  Utica,  and  their  children  arc  David  G.,  Edward  D., 
Rose  an:':  Thomas  E.,  jr. 

Wilcox,  Wallace  B.,  son  of  Benjamin  R.,  was  born  in  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  August 
17,  1852,  and  came  to  Utica  with  his  parents  in  1865.  His  paternal  and  maternal  an- 
cestry are  of  English  descent.  His  mother  belonged  to  the  Rice  family  of  Ma.ssa- 
chusetts,  who  came  to  New  England  in  the  17th  century,  and  became  prominent  in 
high  judicial  and  civil  office,  and  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  finished  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Utica  and  learned  the  trade  of  engraver  and  jeweler  with 
Selden  Collins,  with  whom  he  remained  about  fourteen  years.  In  April,  1885,  he 
purchased  his  employer's  jewelry  business  and  has  since  successfully  continued  it. 
He  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  of  the  Masonic  Club.  In 
June,  1879,  he  married  Alice  L. ,  daughter  of  David  Everest,  of  Utica,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Bessie  E. 

Munn,  John  Sherman,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  March  3,  1839,  son  of  John  Burg- 
hardt  and  Melinda (Parsons)  Munn.  John  B.  Munn  was  born  in  Whitestown  in  1802, 
and  conducted  a  farm  until  his  death  in  1886.  Mrs.  Munn  was  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut. John  Munn,  the  father  of  John  Burghardt  Munn,  came  from  Connecticut,  and 
moved  on  the  farm  in  Whitestown  in  1791.  John  S.,  the  .subject  of  the  present 
sketch,  received  a  common  school  education,  and  graduated  from  Whitestown  Semi- 
nary. He  then  engaged  in  farming,  conducting  his  father's  place.  He  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  and  deeply  interested  in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  married  Harriet 
Manktelow,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Manktelow  of  Otsego  county,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children:  John  B.  and  Alice  E.  Mr.  Munn  is  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of 
Westmoreland. 

Tibbits,  Susan,— The  late  Truman  Tibbils  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Jon- 
athan Tibbits,  who  settled  in  the  town  of  Rome,  coming  from  Rhode  Island.  He 
was  engaged  in  farming,  and  also  kept  a  hotel,  and  was  of  English  parentage.  He 
married  Judith  Niles  of  West  Hampton,  Mass.,  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children: 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  193 

Mary,  Samantha,  Sarah,  Leife,  Hannah,  Aylmer,  George,  Julia,  Eliza,  Hiram,  Cyn- 
thia, and  Truman  K.  October  10,  1837,  Truman  K.  Tibbits  married  Susan  Car- 
penter of  Kirkland,  N.  Y. ,  daughter  of  William  and  Eunice  (Coe)  Carpenter,  natives 
of  Massachusetts,  who  were  born  November  5,  1784,  and  November  1,  1788,  re- 
spectively. 

Warren,  Rev.  John  D.,  was  born  at  Hoosick,  Rensselaer  count}-,  N.  Y.  December 
11,  1845,  being  the  youngest  of  five  children.  His  father,  Dr.  John  Warren,  was  a 
leading  physician  of  that  town,  who  practiced  medicine  in  that  place  fifty  years,  hav- 
ing moved  from  his  native  place,  Ashford,  Windham  county.  Conn.,  where  he  be- 
gan his  practice  one  year  previous.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Bowdoin  College,  Maine. 
He  died  in  1882,  aged  seventy-six  years.  He  was  the  second  of  three  sons,  one  of 
whom  died  at  the  age  of  seventy -five  and  the  other  at  eighty-seven  years.  His  father, 
Luther  Warren,  moved  from  Massachusetts  to  Connecticut,  where  he  died  at  eighty 
years  of  age.  His  father's  name  was  John.  The  traditions  of  the  family  are  that 
their  ancestor  came  over  in  the  Mayflower;  it  seems  probable,  however,  that  there 
is  a  relationship  to  Joseph  Warren  of  Bunker  Hill  fame,  as  John  is  a  favorite  name 
in  all  branches  of  that  family.  Their  ancestor  came  over  with  Governor  Winthrop, 
but  claims  a  relationship  to  the  Warren  who  came  in  the  Mayflower.  October  27, 
1830,  Dr.  John  Warren  married  Susan  H.  Dimick,  of  Hoosick,  N.  Y.,  only  child  of 
Otis  and  Sarah  Dimick,  and  granddaughter  of  Henry  Schneyder,  who,  about  1762, 
settled  on  the  south  part  of  his  ten  thousand  acre  grant,  which  is  now  part  of  the 
boundary  line  between  this  State  and  Vermont.  John  D.  Warren  received  his  early 
education  at  a  district  school  and  village  academy,  and  later  was  fitted  for  college  at 
the  Newtonville  Classical  School.  Rev.  William  Arthur,  D.D.,  father  of  ex- President 
Arthur,  being  principal.  After  attending  this  school  several  terms  he  left  with  a 
companion  to  enlist  in  the  army,  but  after  a  brief  service  was  brought  home  by  his 
father,  much  to  his  displeasure,  being  under  age.  He  labored  as  salesman  for  several 
years  for  the  wholesale  clothing  firm  of  J.  B.  Wilkinson  &  Co.,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and 
later  bought  out  and  run  for  several  years  a  dry  goods  store  in  the  same  city.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Troy  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Ninth  Presbyterian  church, 
which  had  then  been  but  recently  organized,  in  a  part  of  the  cit}'-  which  has  since  be- 
come famous  as  the  place  where  Robert  Ross  lost  his  life  in  defence  of  a  free  ballot. 
At  that  time  the  church  was  surrounded  by  saloons,  to-day  it  has  the  largest  mem- 
bership of  any  church  of  its  denomination  in  the  city.  Mr.  Warren  spent  much  time 
in  evangelistic  work  in  Troy,  and  felt  called  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  work  of 
the  gospel  ministry.  He  was  taken  under  care  of  the  Troy  Presbytery  and  took  a 
special  course  in  theological  training  under  guidance  of  John  Tallock,  D.D.,  Thomas 
Clark,  D.D.,  and  Dr.  Beverage.  He  began  immediately  to  preach  under  license, 
and  later  was  ordained  at  Mechanicsville,  April  21,  1885.  His  charges  have  been 
Hoosick,  North  Gage,  Oriskany  and  Knoxboro;  the  latter  place  where  he  still  re- 
sides. August  3,  1870,  he  married  Harriet  J.  Haswell,  of  Hoosick,  N.  Y.  Mr.  War- 
ren has  a  portrait  of  his  maternal  great-great-grandmother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Jane  Hunter,  whose  father  was  General  Hunter,  after  whom  Fort  Hunter  was 
named. 

Cooper,  Henry  H.,  son  of  Samuel  and  Keziah  (Nicol)  Cooper  and  senior  member 
of  the  wholesale  clothing  firm  of  H.  H.  Cooper  &  Co.,  was  born  in  London,  England, 


I 


194  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

April  5,  1840,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Quebec,  Canada,  in  1845.  Later  the 
family  moved  to  Oswego,  N.Y. ,  where  he  completed  his  education.  In  1857  he  went 
to  Detroit,  Mich., and  with  Joseph  Yates  engaged  in  the  clothing  business  conducted 
as  a  branch  of  the  firm  of  C.  A.  Yates  &  Co.,  of  Utica.  In  1859  he  came  to  Utica 
and  entered  the  parent  house  as  a  salesman.  In  1863  he  became  bookkeeper  and 
salesman  for  H.  J.  Wood  &  Co.,  wholesale  clothiers,  and  was  admitted  to  an  interest 
in  the  business  in  1866.  In  1871  he  organized  the  firm  of  which  he  was  the  head  and 
which  is  now  continued  as  H.  H.  Cooper  &  Co.  This  concern  employs  about  700 
hands,  manufactures  and  wholesales  clothing,  and  enjoys  a  trade  extending  through- 
out the  Northern  States.  Mr.  Cooper  is  a  trustee  of  the  Utica  Savings  Bank  and 
vice-president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church. 

Proctor,  Thomas  Redfield,  was  born  in  Proctorsville,  Vt.,  May  25,  1844,  his  father 
being  a  merchant.  His  great-grandfather  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  the  founder  of  the  town  of  Proctorsville.  His  mother  was  Saloma  Redfield, 
sister  of  one  of  the  chief  justices  of  Vermont,  Isaac  F.  Redfield.  Some  of  his  ances- 
tors took  part  in  the  Boston  tea  party,  and  many  of  them  have  been  prominent  in 
civil  and  commercial  life.  Mr.  Proctor  was  educated*  in  Boston,  and  in  1862  went 
into  the  U.  S.  Navy  as  paymaster's  clerk  on  the  ship  Brandywine  of  the  North  At- 
lantic squadron.  Later  he  became  admiral's  secretary  on  the  Pacific  squadron  and 
was  aboard  the  ship  Lancaster.  He  was  secretary  to  Admiral  Pierson,  saw  con- 
siderable service  in  the  Rebellion,  and  took  part  in  the  capture  of  confederates  on 
steamer  San  Salvadore.  He  was  offered  the  position  of  paymaster  in  the  regular 
navy,  but  declined,  and  returning  to  Vermont  he  took  charge  of  the  manufacturing 
interests  left  by  his  father.  He  first  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  as  proprietor  of 
the  Tappanzee  House  in  Nyack,  N.  Y.  December  1,  1869,  he  came  to  LUica  and 
purchased  Bagg's  Hotel  and  in  1879  became  proprietor  of  the  Butterfield  Hou.se  in 
Utica.  In  1875  he  became  he  became  proprietor  of  the  Spring  House  at  Richfield 
Springs,  which  under  him  has  been  very  successful.  He  is  a  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Utica  and  in  January,  1896,  became  its  president;  is  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  House  of  Good  Shepherd,  was  for  several  years  an  officer 
of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Association;  a  director  and  the  first  and  only  vice- 
president  of  the  Utica  Press  Company.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  LUica ; 
a  trustee  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills;  a  trustee  of  the  Soldier's  Monupient  As- 
sociation ,  a  director  of  the  Utica  and  Mohawk  Street  Railroad ;  he  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and  also  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars; 
he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar 
in  the  Masonic  order.  April  9,  1891,  he  married  Miss  Maria  Watson  Williams,  of 
Utica.     Their  only  son  died  in  infancy. 

Heath,  William,  was  born  in  Corsham,  Wiltshire,  England,  September  4,  1818, 
came  to  America  in  1842,  and  settled  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Merrill  &  Hayden,  druggists  and  grocers.  In  the  spring  of  1845  he  came 
to  Utica  and  was  employed  in  the  soap  and  candle  establishment  of  Thorn  &  May- 
nard.  In  the  fall  of  1849  he  went  to  Oswego  and  engaged  in  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Heath  &  Powers,  which  later  became  Heath,  Powers  &  Co.  They  carried  on 
a  large  soap  and  candle  business  which  was  four  years  later  sold  to  W.  K.  Powers. 
Mr.  Heath  returned  to  Utica  and  joined  the  firm  of  Maynard  &  Wright.     Mr.  Wright 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  195 

subsequently  retired  and  the  firm  continued  as  Maynard,  Heath  &  Co.,  for  four 
years.  He  then  joined  in  business  with  J.  Touender  &  Co.,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Heath  &  Touender,  which  continued  until  about  1885,  when  he  retired  to  private  life. 
He  is  a  director  in  the  Utica  City  National  Bank  and  was  a  ruling  elder  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  and  for  several  years  has  been  one  of  its  trustees.  In  June, 
1851,  he  married  Mary  Cornelia  Husted,  of  Clyde,  N.  Y.,  who  bore  him  one  child, 
Mary  Louisa,  wife  of  Dr.  Earl  D.  Fuller,  of  Utica.  Mrs.  Heath  died  October  20, 
1856,  and  he  married  second,  July  26,  1859,  Julia  Northrop,  daughter  of  Clark 
Northrop,  of  Utica,  a  descendant  of  an  old  New  England  family  of  Rhode  Island. 
They  have  two  children :  Julia  M.  (Mrs.  John  Heath),  of  Leadville,  Col.,  and  Florence 

A.  of  Utica. 

White  Co  ,  N.  E.,  was  incorporated  in  September,  1865,  with  a  capital  of  §25,000 
with  T.  H.  Ferris,  president,  and  N.  E.  White,  secretary,  treasurer,  and  manager. 
The  business  was  started  in  1884  by  John  Ellis,  one  of  the  oldest  cheese  and  butter 
buyers  in  Utica,  who  commenced  when  cheese  was  first  bought  here  for  the  New 
York  and  export  market.  In  March,  1892,  N.  E.  White  became  his  successor  and 
successfully  continued  until  September,  1895,  when,  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  the 
business,  the  company  was  organized.  The  concern  are  wholesale  and  commission 
dealers  in  grocers'  and  bakers'  sundries,  flour,  feed,  grain,  baled  hay  and  straw, 
and  are  large  shippers  of  butter,  cheese  and  eggs. 

McCall,  Thomas  A  ,  was  born  in  Utica,  November  25,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Francis 

B.  McCall,  one  of  the  oldest  clothing  dealers  in  the  city.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Utica  Academy  in  1885  and  since  then  has  been  associated  with  his  father  in 
business.     In  April,  1888,  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  McCall  &  Co, 

Jones,  J.  Whitfield,  was  born  in  Wales,  England,  May  6,  1857,  and  received  a 
thorough  education  in  his  native  country,  where  he  also  became  an  expert  account- 
ant. In  1881  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Utica,  where  he  first  became 
accountant  for  General  Sylvester  Dering,  a  wholesale  and  retail  lumber  dealer,  with 
whom  he  remained  about  five  years,  since  then  he  has  followed  his  profession  on  his 
own  account,  being  often  appointed  to  examine  the  books  of  large  corporations,  the 
various  city  offices,  etc.     He  is  one  of  the  leading  accountants  in  Utica. 

Deecke,  Theodore,  was  born  in  the  "Free  City  of  Luebeck"  in  North  Germany, 
October  1,  1836,  was  educated  at  the  Gymnasium  or  High  classical  school  of  that 
city;  later  in  the  "  Free  City  of  Bremen,"  and  finally  at  the  University  of  Berlin  from 
1854  to  1858.  In  the  latter  institution  "  in  the  philo.sophic  and  medical  faculty"  pur- 
sued mathematics,  natural  history,  physics,  comparative  anatomy  of  the  vegetable 
and  animal  kingdoms,  physiology,  chemistry,  and  took  special  courses  in  general 
medicine,  pharmacognosy,  medical  diagnosis  and  pathological  anatom.y,  physiology 
and  chemistry.  He  at  the  time  published  essays  on  anatomy  and  embryology, 
1854-60  of  the  Acta  of  the  "  Halle  Society  of  Naturalists,"  in  the  "  Halle  Botanical 
Botanical  Gazette,"  the  "Acta  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences"  in  Berlin,  some 
of  which  were  translated  and  published  in  the  "  British  Philosophical  Magazine,"  in 
the  French  "  Annales  des  Sciences,"  etc.,  besides  numerous  more  or  less  popular 
papers  in  various  periodicals.  While  in  New  York  city  from  1866  to  1873  among 
other  publications  he  composed  m  1871-71  the  German  edition  of  "  Appleton's  Illus- 


196  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

trated  New  York."  In  1873  he  was  called  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  on  the  1st  of  April 
appointed  special  pathologist  to  the  N.  Y.  State  Lunatic  Asylum,  then  under  the 
superintendency  of  Dr.  John  P.  Gray.  He  was  associate  editor  of  the  "American 
Journal  of  Insanity,"  published  at  that  institution,  in  the  pages  of  which  he  laid 
down  the  results  of  most  of  his  scientific  researches,  and  and  also  reviews  from  Ger- 
man, French,  Italian  and  Spanish  professional  literature.  He  remained  in  that 
position  for  about  seventeen  years.  He  was  frequently  called  upon  to  serve  as 
expert  in  coroner's  and  court  cases  for  the  people.  Among  these  latter  were  about 
two  dozen  of  capital  cases  in  the  central  counties  of  the  State,  of  which  five  occurred 
in  the  county  of  Oneida.  He  is  at  present  engaged  privately,  in  medical,  chemical 
and  technological  examinations  and  analyses  and  in  literary  work.  In  1890  at  the 
25th  Anniversary  of  the  German  "  Utica  Miinnerchor"  he  was  elected  chief  editor  of 
the  "  Festzeitung"  a  paper  then  published  in  eight  numbers  in  honor  of  the  event. 
Besides  the  editorials  and  other  articles,  he  published  in  that  paper  for  the  benefit  of 
our  German  citizens  and  their  guests  a  "  History  and  Description  of  the  City  of 
Utica."  His  wife,  Mrs.  Anna  Deecke,  was  the  first  who,  in  1885,  established  a 
"  Froebel  Kindergarten"  in  Utica  which,  as  a  private  institution,  still  exists  and 
flourishes. 

Illingworth,  Joseph  J.,  was  born  May  4,  1827,  in  Blackburn,  England,  and  came  to 
America  in  1845,  settling  in  Providence,  R.  L  Having  just  completed  his  appren- 
ticeship as  machinist,  he  entered  what  is  now  the  Corliss  Steam  Engine  Company's 
works  in  that  city  and  remained  there  in  all  about  ten  years  setting  up  engines  and 
running  them.  In  1854  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Wamsutta  Mills  in  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  as  chief  engineer.  In  1855  he  came  to  Utica  and  accepted  a  similar 
position  in  the  L^tica  Steam  Cotton  Mills.  Their  engine,  made  by  the  Corliss  Com- 
pany, had  never  given  satisfaction,  but  he  successfully  placed  it  in  operation  and 
continued  until  the  war  broke  out.  In  1862  he  built  the  Burden  Iron  Works  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  then  ran  the  United  States  steamship  Blackstone  as  chief  engineer,  re- 
maining until  the  boat  was  wrecked  near  Cape  Cod.  In  1866  he  returned  to  Utica 
and  resumed  charge  as  chief  engineer  of  the  L'tica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  with  which 
he  has  ever  since  continued.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  R.  E.  Fenton  in- 
spector of  boilers  for  this  revenue  district,  serving  one  year.  He  is  a  member  and 
ex-president  of  the  National  Association  of  Stationary  Engmeers,  a  charter  member 
for  eight  and  one-half  years,  the  first  president  of  the  local  body  of  that  order,  and  a 
member  and  past  master  of  Oriental  Lodge  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.  May  18,  1846,  he 
was  married  in  Dover,  N.  H.,  to  Mary  Byrne,  and  of  their  six  children  two  are 
living:  John  J.,  associate  engineer  with  his  father,  and  Harry  K.,  chief  engineer  of 
the  Mohawk  Valley  Mills. 

Watkins,  Thomas  D.,  was  born  in  Plain  field,  Otsego  county,  September  4,  1870. 
was  graduated  from  West  Winfield  Academy  in  1889  and  in  the  spring  of  1890 
won  a  free  scholarship  to  Cornell  University,  which  he  entered  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year.  He  was  graduated  with  high  honors  and  received  the  degree  of  LL.B. 
from  that  university  in  1892.  He  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  law  at  that  institu- 
tion in  1893  and  received  the  degree  of  LL.M.  therefrom  in  June  of  the  same  year. 
In  the  spring  of  1896  the  American  Temperance  University  of  Tennessee  conferred 
upon  him  pro  mertto  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Svracuse 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  197 

in  April,  1893,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Josiah 
Perry,  of  Utica,  N.  Y. ,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  that  city.  On 
April  1,  1894,  he  formed  with  Albert  T.  Wilkinson  the  firm  of  Watkins  &  Wilkinson, 
which  was  dissolved  at  the  end  of  one  year  and  since  then  Mr.  Watkins  has  prac- 
ticed alone.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  member  of  as 
sembly  in  his  district,  but  was  defeated,  although  he  polled  several  hundred  more 
votes  than  his  regular  party.  He  was  appointed  corporation  counsel  for  the  citv  of 
Utica  on  January  7,  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  Samuel  Read  Lodge,  K.  P.,  and  the 
Cornell  University  Chapter  of  Delta  Chi  Fraternity.  He  is  especial!}^  active  in 
religious  and  political  circles,  never  missing  a  chance  to  say  a  word  in  favor  of  the 
betterment  of  humanity  and  the  elevation  of  citizenship. 

Baxter,  Frank  K.,  was  born  in  Utica,  October  13,  1854,  has  followed  civil  engi- 
neering since  1871,  and  has  been  in  charge  of  a  very  great  variety  of  important  work. 
He  began  with  his  brother  as  assistant  city  engineer  and  for  seven  years  experienced 
municipal  engineering  in  Utica  in  its  various  branches — paving,  sewerage,  grading, 
etc.  In  1878  he  was  appointed  to  a  position  in  the  New  York  State  Canal  Engineer- 
ing Department,  Middle  Division,  of  Syracuse,  where  he  remained  until  the  winter 
of  1879,  when  he  was  promoted  and  changed  to  the  Western  Division  with  head- 
quarters in  Rochester.  Here  he  was  assistant  engineer  under  Thomas  Evershed, 
the  designer  of  the  Niagara  Falls  Water  Power  scheme  and  an  old  canal  engineer  of 
wide  reputation.  Mr.  Baxter's  schooling  here  was  varied  and  of  the  best.  Return- 
ing to  Utica  in  1882,  owing  to  change  of  State  politics,  he  was  immediately  employed 
by  the  villages  of  Little  Falls,  Herkimer,  and  Clinton  and  the  city  of  Utica  until 
1889.  During  these  years  Mr.  Baxter  designed  and  erected  the  Clinton  water  works, 
the  Herkimer  water  works,  stone  arch  bridges  for  the  town  of  Herkimer,  and  rail- 
road work  for  private  and  public  corporations  from  preliminary  work  to  final 
construction.  In  fact  he  had  considerable  experience  in  railroad  construction.  Be- 
side the  above,  much  important  professional  work  was  performed  by  him  in  survey- 
ing large  and  valuable  tracts  of  land  in  the  central  part  of  this  State ;  estimates, 
plans,  etc.,  for  various  corporations,  including  Richfield  Springs,  Waterville,  Little 
Falls,  Herkimer,  Hamilton,  Ilion,  Mohawk,  Syracuse,  Rochester  and  Buffalo.  In 
1889  he  served  with  great  credit  as  city  engineer  of  Utica.  In  1889  and  1890  he  made 
many  very  important  surveys  for  towns  and  counties,  surveys  of  the  Masonic  Home 
property,  etc.  During  these  j^ears  important  canal  surveys,  railroad  work,  and 
much  of  the  land  outlying  Utica  was  also  laid  out  by  Mr.  Baxter.  Railroad  surveys 
in  Syracuse  were  also  made.  In  1891  he  served  again  as  city  engineer  of  Utica.  The 
excellent  separate  system  of  sewers  in  Herkimer,  N.  Y. ,  were  designed  at  this  time 
by  Mr.  Baxter  and  completed  by  him  in  1893  and  1894.  In  1893  much  of  his  time 
was  taken  up  in  consultations  with  various  corporations  in  water  and  sewerage  work. 
Mr.  Baxter  has  been  retained  in  many  important  law  suits  as  expert  engineer  in 
railroad,  water,  sewer  and  municipal  work.  He  was  employed  by  the  sewer  com- 
missioners of  Ilion  as  consulting  engineer  in  the  construction  of  its  system  of  sewers. 
In  1892  he  was  appointed  inspector  of  the  State  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners 
and  which  office  he  now  holds.  All  of  the  railroads  in  this  State  are  under  his 
supervision  as  regards  the  proper  maintenance  of  permanent  way  and  safety  to  the 
traveling  public,     Mr.  Baxter  has  always  been  a  close  student;  he  graduated  from 


198  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  public  schools  of  Utica,  Williams's  Private  school  and  the  Utica  Business  Col 
lege,  and  it  is  no  doubt  true,  as  he  puts  it,  that  civil  engineering  necessitates  con- 
stant daily  study,  and  close  application  if  success  is  desired.  His  knowledge  of 
modern  railroad  construction  and  maintenance  is  considered  most  excellent  in  all  its 
various  phases.  Seldom  one  meets  a  civil  engineer  who  has  successfully  practiced 
in  so  many  branches  of  this  grand  profession.  Mr.  Baxter  is  a  self-made  man  and 
certainly  merits  the  success  which  his  useful  life  has  attained! 

Aldridge,  Willard  C,  was  born  in  Whitesboro,  Oneida  county,  February  27,  1859, 
and  is  the  son  of  Charles  Aldridge,  who  came  here  from  Horsham,  England,  about 
1850.  Charles  is  a  tailor  by  trade.  He  was  village  clerk  some  fifteen  years,  town 
and  village  collector  for  several  years,  and  a  prominent  Odd  F"ellow.  Willard  C.  was 
deputy  postmaster  at  Whitesboro  for  about  ten  years,  and  was  appointed  postmaster 
under  Cleveland's  first  administration,  being  the  first  appointed  under  Cleveland  in 
Oneida  county  and  the  third  in  the  State.  After  serving  four  years  he  resigned  and 
engaged  in  manufacturing  cigars  in  Utica,  where  he  has  since  continued.  He  resides 
in  Whitesboro,  where  he  was  for  one  year  town  collector,  and  where  he  is  now  serv- 
ing his  second  term  as  excise  commissioner.  He  is  active  in  Democratic  politics  and 
has  been  delegate  to  local  and  State  conventions  and  also  county  committeeman. 
He  is  a  member  of  Schuyler  Lodge,  No.  147,  L  O.  O.  F. ,  in  which  he  has  held  all 
the  chairs,  and  of  which  he  is  now  a  trustee.  He  is  chairman  of  the  building  com- 
mittee of  the  Odd  Fellows  Temple  in  Utica,  and  is  worshipful  master  of  Utica  Lodge, 
No.  47,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies,  82d  degree.  Decem- 
ber 11,  1890,  he  married  Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  E.  Smith,  of  Whitesboro, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Theresa. 

Jones,  J.  Lewis,  born  in  Orange,  N.  J.,  November  19,  18:i5,  is  a  son  of  C.  F.  D. 
Jones,  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  who  was  born  in  Caldwell.  X.  J.,  September  22,  1808. 
In  October,  1838.  the  family  came  to  Utica,  where  the  father  opened  a  shoe  store  and 
also  engaged  at  his  trade.  In  1844  they  moved  to  Middle  Settlement  in  the  town  of 
New  Hartford,  where  C.  F.  D.  Jones  still  resides.  He  was  active  in  Democratic 
politics  for  many  years  and  served  as  superintendent  of  the  poor  of  Oneida  county 
two  terms.  He  was  for  ten  years  agent  for  the  State  Board  of  Commissioners  of 
Immigration  with  office  located  at  Utica,  and  has  been  justice  of  peace,  town  excise 
commissioner,  etc.  February  26,  1829,  he  married  Elizabeth  Hollum,  of  Orange, 
N.  J.,  who  was  born  April  14,  1810  and  died  October  20.  1895,  having  lived  as  hus- 
band and  wife  nearly  sixty  seven  j'ears.  They  had  six  children :  Adelia,  who  died 
young;  Antoinette,  of  New  Hartford;  J.  Lewis,  of  Utica;  Clarissa  (Mrs.  Elias  H. 
Palmer),  of  New  Hartford;  C.  F.  D.,  jr..  deceased;  and  Martha  Elizabeth  (Mrs. 
Stephen  B.  Latham),  of  Clinton,  N.  Y.  J.  Lewis  Jones  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  New  Hartford  and  remained  on  the  farm  till  about  nineteen  years  of  age. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  patternmaker  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  for  many  years  followed 
it  in  various  capacities.  In  January,  1882,  he  started  business  for  himself  on  Blan- 
dina  street  and  in  January,  1893,  moved  to  his  present  location  in  Jay  street.  He  is 
a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224  of  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Oneida  Chapter,  No.  57, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  is  vice-president  of  the  Cornhill  Building  and  Loan  Association  of 
Utica,  which  he  assisted  in  organizing.  May  18,  1864,  he  married  Cornelia  G.  Black- 
stone,  of  New  Hartford.     They  have  two  children:   Frederick  B.,  of  Warren,  Mass., 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  199 

and  Clarence  A.,  of  Utica.  Mr.  Jones  came  from  old  New  England  and  Revolhtion- 
arjr  stock,  his  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Jones,  sr. ,  having  been  born  at  Stamford, 
Conn.,  June  3,  1750. 

Stearns,  Eugene,  born  in  Utica,  August  14,  1880,  is  a  grandson  of  Dr.  Calvin 
Stearns,  from  Pittsfield  Mass.,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Utica,  who  died  here  in 
1848.  Gordis  L.  Stearns,  son  of  Dr.  Calvin,  was  born  here  in  1805,  read  law  here 
with  Thomas  E.  Clark,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  attorney  about  1826  and  very  soon 
afterward  as  solicitor,  and  practiced  his  profession  for  a  time  in  New  York  city.  He 
died  in  Utica  in  1885.  He  was  appointed  notary  public  by  Governor  De  Witt  Clinton 
in  1826.  He  married  Agnes,  daughter  of  John  B.  Langworthy,  of  Utica,  and  had 
two  children:  Eugene  and  Emily  (Mrs.  Herman  Koehler)  deceased.  The  ancestor  of 
the  family  was  Lieut.  Nathaniel  Stearns,  who  came  from  England  to  Massachusetts, 
in  1649.  Eugene  Stearns  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public  and  private  schools  and 
academy  and  taught  in  the  Advanced  school  about  one  year.  He  read  law  with 
Spencer  &  Kernan,  with  William  Tracy,  and  with  Clark  &  Richardson,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Utica  in  1855.  He  began  practice  in  this  city,  and  spent  the 
years  1860-61  in  St.  Louis  in  partnership  with  Edward  R.  Bates.  He  returned  to 
Utica  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profes.sion.  He 
was  special  surrogate  of  Oneida  county  from  1867  to  1870,  and  while  performing  the 
duties  of  that  office  conceived  and  later  published  a  table  showing  the  present  value 
of  a  wife's  'Inchoate  Right  of  Dower,"  which  has  met  with  large  success.  The  work 
was  first  published  in  July,  1888  He  was  in  the  law  office  of  Edmunds  &  Miller 
about  ten  years,  was  president  of  the  Utica  Citizens'  Corps  and  for  several  years  its 
vice-president,  and  waschief  of  staff  of  the  Republican  Continentals  during  the  political 
campaigns  of  1888  and  1892.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  librarian  of  the  Utica  Law 
Association,  which  position  he  still  holds,  being  the  first  and  only  librarian  of  that 
institution.  In  September,  1858,  he  married  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Charles  Storrs,  of 
Utica,  who  bore  him  two  children;  Emily  E.  and  Harriet  Louise  (Mrs.  Henry  P. 
Crouse).  both  of  this  city.  Mrs.  Stearns  died  May  16,  1887,  and  he  married  second, 
Sarah  E.  Mayo,  of  New  York  city,  formerly  of  Utica. 

White,  N.  Curtis,  was  born  in  Torrington,  Conn.,  September  24,  1822.  His  ances- 
tor, Elder  John  White,  came  from  England,  sailing  June  22,  1682,  and  arriving  in 
Boston  in  September,  and  in  1683  settled  with  Hooker's  congregation  in  Hartford, 
Conn.  Later  the  congregation  divided  and  Elder  White  -went  with  his  party  in 
1659  to  Hadley,  Mass.  His  eldest  son  was  Captain  Nathaniel  White,  of  Middletown, 
Conn.,  and  the  latter's  fifth  son  was  Jacob,  whose  son  Thomas  was  the  father  of 
Silas,  of  Torrington,  Conn.  Brainard  White,  .son  of  Silas,  was  born  in  1786  and  died 
at  Winsted,  Conn.,  in  1833.  He  was  the  father  of  N.  Curtis  White.  Mr.  White  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  Winsted,  Conn.,  common  schools  and  academy.  In  1838 
he  came  to  Oneida  county,  and  finished  his  studies  at  Vernon  Academy  and  Clinton 
Collegiate  Institute,  where  prepared  for  college.  While  studying  he  taught  school, 
being  for  a  time  principal  of  the  old  Whitestown  Academy.  Leaving  Clinton  Col- 
legiate Institute  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Kirkland  &  Bacon  in  Utica  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1847,  being  one  of  the  first  to  be  admitted  under  the  new  State 
Constitution.  He  began  practice  in  the  office  of  his  preceptors,  and  when  Judge 
Kirkland  went  to  New  York  city  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Bacon  &  White, 


200  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

which  continued  until  Mr.  Bacon  was  elected  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  The 
firm  then  became  White  &  Dana,  by  the  admissiou  of  William  B.  Dana,  Mr.  White's 
brother-in-law,  and  continued  until  Mr.  Dana  went  to  New  York.  Mr.  White  con- 
tinued in  practice  mostly  alone  till  1868,  when  he  went  to  New  York  city  and  en- 
gaged in  business  pursuits.  He  returned  to  Utica  in  1883  and  has  since  practiced 
his  profession.  Mr.  White  is  an  office  bearer  in  Trinity  church  of  Utica;  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Governors  of  The  Oneida  Historical  Society,  of  which  he 
is  an  active  member.  He  has  been  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  for 
over  forty  years,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Utica  Chapter  R.  A.  M.  May  12,  1858,  he 
married  Delia  White  Dana,  daughter  of  James  Dana,  of  Utica.  She  died  in  April, 
1883,  leaving  three  children :  George  Dana,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and  now  a 
resident  of  New  York  city;  Edwin  Harrison,  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Daniel 
Green  Company,  of  Dolgeville,  N.  Y. ;  and  William  Curtis,  a  student  in  Trinity 
College,  Hartford   Conn.,  class  of  1897. 

Bartow,  Pierrepont,  son  of  Edgar  John  and  Harriette  Constable  (Pierrepont)  Bar- 
tow, was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  May  17,  1843.  His  father,  a  resident  of  Brook- 
yn,  but  a  leading  merchant  of  New  York  city,  was  of  the  Bartows  of  Westchester, 
N.  Y.  Others  of  his  name  had  been  in  these  parts  before  him,  notably  Andrew  A. 
Bartow,  of  Bartow  Hill,  Herkimer  county,  who  was  connected  with  the  introduction 
of  the  great  Erie  Canal  in  New  York  State.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Hezekiah 
B.  Pierrepont  and  a  descendant  of  an  old  Connecticut  family  of  New  Haven,  and  his 
grandmother  was  a  daughter  of  William  Constable,  well  known  in  this  State  as  the 
purchaser  of  large  tracts  of  land  in  connection  with  McCormick,  Macomb,  Lynch 
and  others.  Mr.  Constable  was  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  at  one  time  aide  to 
La  Fayette.  After  the  peace  he  settled  in  New  York  as  a  merchant.  Pierrepont 
Bartow  received  his  early  education  in  Brooklyn  and  finished  at  the  English  and 
Classical  School  of  Mr.  Huntington.  In  18(52-63  he  was  employed  as  draughtsman 
at  the  Continental  Iron  Works,  Brooklyn,  in  preparing  the  jilans  for  the  monitors 
Passaic,  Cakskill,  and  others,  which  were  being  built  for  the  United  States  Navy. 
Later  he  was  connected  with  the  School  of  Mines  of  Columbia  College  for  several 
years.  In  1867  he  received  the  appointment  of  draughtsman  and  designer  for  the 
Wood  and  Mann  Steam  Engine  Company  of  Utica.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  to  a 
position  in  the  Engineer  Department  of  the  new  aqueduct  for  New  York  city,  where 
he  remained  several  years.  He  returned  to  L^tica  in  1892  and  since  then  has  prac- 
ticed his  profession  as  a  general  mechanical  engineer.  For  a  number  of  years  be- 
tween 1870  and  1880  he  followed  the  profession  of  an  artist,  and  among  his  princi- 
pal works  is  a  large  painting  for  the  Union  Ferry  Company  of  Brooklyn  represent- 
ing New  York  city  in  1790  and  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Brooklyn  Historical 
Society.  February  28,  1886,  Mr.  Bartow  married  Mrs.  Emma  C.  (Smith)  Sweet, 
whose  ancestors  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Oneida  county  and  engaged  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  Timothy  Smith  enlisted  and  served  as  a  private  in  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  before  coming  to  Oneida  county  in  1798,  when  he  settled  on  Smith  Hill. 
His  wife  was  a  Pratt,  of  another  Revolutionary  familly  of  Taunton.  Mrs.  Bartow's 
grandmother  was  a  Damuth,  a  family  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Oneida  county, 
and  conspicuous  for  their  bravery  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Captain  Mark 
Damuth  was  a  trusty  friend  of  General  Herkimer,  and  his  brother  George,  of  Deer- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  201 

field,  was  a  lieutenant,  and  John,  another  brother,  a  lieutenant  in  the  battle  of 
Oriskany.  Frederick,  Richard,  and  other  Damuths  were  also  in  the  struggle. 
George  Damuth,  a  nephew  of  Captain  Mark,  was  captured  by  the  Indians  when  an 
infant  and  ever  aftewards  bore  the  marks  of  his  captivity  in  his  cut-ears  and  nose- 
ring, which  his  grandson  and  the  late  David  Gray,  as  boys,  well  remember.  His 
wife  Caty  was  a  Christman,  another  family  who  fought  in  the  struggle  against 
Great  Britain  for  American  independence.  Mr.  Bartow  has  two  sons,  William 
Edgar  and  Francis  Pierrepont. 

Dykeman,  Theodore  W.,  son  of  Aaron,  a  commission  merchant,  was  born  in  Penn 
Yan,  N.  Y.,  April  30,  1863,  and  was  educated  at  the  Penn  Yan  Academy.  While 
there  he  lost  his  right  arm  in  a  railroad  accident.  He  then  learned  telegraphing, 
which  he  has  since  followed,  being  stationed  at  various  times  in  the  West  Shore 
Railroad  dispatcher's  office  at  Syracuse,  the  W.  U.  Telegraph  offices  in  Auburn, 
Syracuse  and  Skaneateles,  and  the  B.  H.  T.  &  W.  and  D.  &  H.  railroad  dispatchers' 
ufnces  in  Mechanicsville,  N.  Y. ,  and  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  also  in  dispatcher's  office  of  the 
Troy  &  Boston  R.  R.  at  Troy,  acting  as  night  dispatcher  for  one  year.  In  1884  he 
came  to  Utica  as  manager  of  the  Postal  Telegraph  Company,  which  position  he  has 
since  held.  When  he  came  to  Utica  in  1884,  he  did  all  his  work  alone  and  had  one 
messenger ;  now  has  ten  messengers,  one  clerk  and  two  operators.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Utica  Cycling  Club  and  the  Utica  Maennechor. 

Bushinger,  Eduard,  son  of  Andrew  and  Christina  (Abberle)  Bushinger,  was  born 
at  New  York  Mills,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  1,  1856.  He  was  educated  at  New 
York  Mills  district  school  and  at  Utica  Business  College  where  he  graduated  in  1873. 
He  was  bookkeeper  for  the  Central  New  York  Copying  House  of  Utica  lor  two  years 
and  a  half,  clerk  for  Marcus  A.  Pillsbury  for  several  years,  and  bookkeeper  in  the 
crockery  department  of  George  Dubois  &  Co.  for  a  year.  May  1,  1882,  he  became 
bookkeeper  and  afterward  teller  in  A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.'s  Bank  when  it  was  incorpo- 
rated as  a  State  Bank  in  November,  1890.  Mr.  Bushinger's  services  were  duly  rec- 
ognized and  he  was  made  cashier.  Mr.  Bushinger  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge, 
No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Royal  Arcanum,  Imperial  Council  No.  70,  and  of  Oneida 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Mary  A.  Thom- 
son, of  Utica,  who  died  January  26,  1890.  December  26,  1894,  Mr.  Bushinger  mar- 
ried M.  Adel  Roberts,  daughter  of  W.  J.  Roberts,  of  Utica. 

Dagwell,  Charles  M.,  was  born  in  Utica,  October  7,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Herbert 
Dagwell,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to  America  when  about  two  years  of  age, 
lived  in  Little  Falls  and  Oswego  county  with  his  parents,  and  while  in  his  'teens 
came  to  Utica,  and  was  married  here  to  Aurelia  S.  Tallman.  He  was  both  a  ma- 
chinist and  an  iron  monlder,  and  worked  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  foundries  of 
Hart  &  Dagwell  and  Philo  S.  Curtiss.  Charles,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  went  out  to  seek  his  own  self  support  and  worked  at  farming  on  Stony 
Island,  Lake  Ontario,  until  the  fall  of  1860,  when  he  returned  and  went  to  work  for 
Hart  &  Dagwell,  as  core  maker,  and  on  April  24,  1861,  when  only  seventeen, 
enlisted  in  Co.  B,  14th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  was  mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  at  Albany 
on  May  17;  he  served  in  the  army  two  years,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Utica,  May  24, 
1863,  by  reason  expiration  of  service.     He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Reming- 


i 


202  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ton  Armory  Co  ,  on  Franklin  street,  and  in  August.  1864,  he  went  to  New  York  and 
enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  serving  on  the  U.  S.  Gunboat  Shawmut  until  the  war 
closed.  He  came  home  and  went  to  work  for  the  Remington  Agricultural  Co.,  at 
Ilion,  also  the  American  Express  Co.  at  Utica;  was  an  active  member  of  Hiawatha 
and  Utica  Base  Ball  Clubs,  also  a  member  of  the  Utica  Volunteer  Fire  Department, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1870  was  appointed  a  patrolman  on  the  Utica  police  force,  served 
until  the  fall  of  1871,  resigned  and  went  into  the  liquor  business  with  George  Miller, 
at  210  Genesee  street,  sold  out  in  the  fall  of  1874  and  went  to  Texas,  returned  six 
months  later,  and  on  June  1,  1875,  was  appointed  a  patrolman  on  the  police  force; 
April  5,  1882,  was  made  assistant  chief,  and  July  1,  1889,  chief  to  succeed  Robert 
McElwaine,  who  died  in  June  of  that  year.  Mr.  Dagwell  has  since  held  this  position 
with  credit  and  satisfaction.  He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.&  A.  M. 
and  of  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association  ;  was  foreman  of  Engine  Co.  No.  7,  Volun- 
teers, and  is  a  charter  member  of  Post  McQuade,  No.  14,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he  was 
commander  for  three  successive  terms. 

Ryan,  William  F.,  was  born  February  11,  1851,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  V.,  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  Utica  when  one  year  old.  He  was  educated  in  the  Assumption 
Academy.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  John  A.  Davies,  a  furniture  dealer,  for  seven 
years,  and  with  M.  B.  De  Long  for  twelve  years,  following  the  trade  of  wood  polish- 
ing. In  1884  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Andrew  Steates,  as  Steates  &  Ryan,  and 
engaged  in  the  retail  furniture  business,  and  in  which  they  still  continue.  The  firm 
also  does  wood-polishing,  repairing,  etc.  Mr.  Ryan  was  school  commissioner  of 
Utica  for  two  terms,  being  elected  in  1885  and  re-elected  in  1888.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  Utica  Lodge,  No.  1979,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  now  its  presiding  officer, 
and  has  also  been  the  representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York 
and  the  Supreme  Lodge  of  the  United  States.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Benevolent  Legion,  the  Order  of  United  Friends,  Utica  Maennechor,  and  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians. 

Jones  &  Shippey,  the  iirm  of,  was  organized  in  18815  and  consists  of  John  S.  Jones 
and  George  W.  Shippey,  both  natives  of  Utica,  and  they  are  among  the  leading  con- 
tractors and  builders  in  the  city.  Among  the  important  contracts  may  be  noted  the 
Skenandoa  Yarn  Mill,  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mill,  and  Ouackenbush  air  gun 
factory  of  Herkimer,  the  Folts  Institute,  the  Paragon  Knitting  Mill,  and  the  Mohawk 
High  School  in  Herkimer  and  Mohawk.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  was  born  March  17,  183*).  His  father  William  was  one  of  the  oldest 
builders  in  Utica,  and  assisted  in  erecting  Grace,  the  Universalist,  Calvary,  St. 
Luke's  churches.  City  Hall,  and  many  residences  and  prominent  buildings,  including 
the  J.  Watson  Williams  residence,  and  the  old  cotton  mill.  .  Mr.  Shippey  was  born 
August  29,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Nathan  Shippey,  who  was  a  builder  and  a  con- 
tractor of  locks  on  the  Black  River  Canal. 

Sweeting,  Jesse  V.,  was  born  in  Schenectady  county,  N.,  Y.,  February  6,  1840. 
son  of  Alfred  and  Elizabeth  (Van  Slyke)  Sweeting.  Alfred  Sweeting  was  born  at 
the  present  family  homestead  at  Hecla,  as  also  was  his  father,  Nathaniel  Sweeting. 
He  was  born  September  2,  1809,  and  his  wife  was  born  March  21,  1820.  Jesse  V. 
Sweeting  was  educated  in  Montgomery  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  203 

He  settled  on  the  old  homestead  in  Westmoreland  in  1877,  and  married  Marj'  Rock- 
well, of  Charlestown,  Montgomery  county,  by  whom  he  had  five  children;  Lucy, 
Ella,  Libbie,  Jennie,  and  Henry.  Mrs.  Mary  Sweeting  died  June  14,  1892.  Mr. 
Sweeting  is  married  to  Martha  T.  Swan,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Lowell. 

Coan,  Luke,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  August  4,  1816,  .son  of  Ambrose  and  Anna 
Coan.  Ambrose  Coan  came  from  New  England  and  settled  in  Westmoreland, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  until  his  death.  Luke  Coan 
has  always  followed  farming,  although  in  his  early  days  he  learned  the  wagonmaker's 
trade.  He  married  Eliza  A.  Townsend,  of  Westmoreland,  who  died  June  23,  1895. 
Mr.  Coan  has  one  adopted  daughter,  Anna,  who  married  William  H.  Lunt,  of  West 
Tremont,  Me. 

Arnold,  Charles  P.,  was  born  at  the  town  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  July  31,  1809.  He 
received  a  common  school  and  commercial  education  and  has  been  engaged  in  a 
variety  of  occupations.  He  was  a  clerk  in  the  mercantile  line  for  nearly  four  years, 
was  also  in  business  with  his  faiher  in  New  London,  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  F. 
Arnold  &  Co.  until  burned  out  on  October  28,  1895.  Mr.  Arnold  is  a  member  of 
New  London  Lodge,  No.  430  F.  &  A.  M.  and  is  its  secretary.  W.  Henry  Arnold, 
his  father,  was  born  at  Augusta  Centre,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  September  5,  1839. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  was  a  farmer  and  merchant.  He  mar- 
ried twice,  first  to  Mary  C.  Waterman,  of  Illinois,  by  whom  he  had  three  children: 
Eva  J.,  Charles  F.,  and  Sarah  A.  Mrs.  Arnold  died  January  14,  1892.  He  then 
married  Mrs.  Elmira  Smith,  born  Prime.  His  father,  John,  was  born  in  Connecticut 
in  1807  and  came  to  this  State  when  a  young  man.  He  married  Sarah  Francisco, 
of  Augusta,  by  whom  he  had  five  children.  He  died  in  1884  and  his  wife  ten  days 
later.  Charles  F.  Arnold's  sister,  Eva  J.,  married  J.  Gordon  Burleigh,  formerly  of 
Vienna,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mary  E.  Mr.  Burleigh  is  a  member  of  Warren 
Lodge,  No.  84,  L  O.  O.  F.,  New  York  city.  Mrs.  Burleigh  is  a  member  of  Vesta 
Chapter,  No.  115,  O.  E.  S.,  of  New  London,  N.  Y.  The  family  is  of  English  and 
German  descent. 

Golley,  William  E.,  was  born  in  town  of  Lee,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  23,  1865. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  is  by  occupation  a  cheesemaker.  In 
1895  he  purchased  the  Fitch  &•  Bacon  Cheese  Factory,  near  Blackman  Corners,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese.  February  28,  1894,  he  married  Alice  D. 
Agans,  of  the  town  of  Lee.  Mr.  Gollej^'s  father,  William  Golley,  was  born  at  the 
old  homestead  in  Lee,  April  8,  1828.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  is 
by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  married  Esther  Bynam,  of  the  town  of  Lee,  by  whom 
he  had  four  children;  Sarah,  Charles,  William  E.,  as  above,  and  Fred  J.  Mrs.  Gol- 
ley's  father,  John  Agans,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  in  1830.  He  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  and  afterward  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Susan  Hogle, 
of  the  town  of  Floyd,  by  whom  he  has  six  children ;  Willard,  Emma,  Jennie,  Francis, 
Alice  D.,  as  above,  and  George.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  Scotch  and  German. 

Pelton,  A.  G.,  is  a  native  of  Richfield,  Otsego  county,  born  in  1850,  .son  of  Giles 
W.  Pelton,  who  is  of  Scotch  and  English  descent.  He  received  his  education  at 
Winfield  Academy,  and  after  teaching  school  for  thirteen  years,  he  engaged  in  farm- 


204  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ing.  He  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Republican  party  and  has  been  justice  of  the 
peace  since  1889.  His  father  was  an  influential  farmer  before  him,  and  is  still  a 
living  representative  of  that  sturdy  class  of  men,  who  were  the  foundation  on  which 
the  fame  of  Oneida  county  rests.  In  1884  A.  G.  Pelton  married  Nancy  Adam?,  of 
Irish  birth. 

Scoville,  William,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1831,  a  grandson  of 
Darius  Scoville,  an  early  settler  of  Paris,  N.  Y.,  coming  from  Watertown,  Conn., 
about  1800  with  Seabury  Scoville,  the  father  of  William  Scoville.  Seabury  Scoville 
spent  nearly  ninety-four  years  of  his  life  here,  dying  in  1877,  leaving  a  worthy  record 
as  a  man  and  citizen.  William  Scoville  continued  in  the  cultivation  of  the  ancestral 
acres  iintil  his  retirement  to  Washington  Mills.  His  education  was  completed  at  the 
Sauquoit  Academy.  In  1863  he  married  Lois  Porter,  of  New  Hartford,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children:  LuellaA.,  wife  of  William  Nelson;  Rufus  S. ,  and  Florence  C. 
Rufus  S.  married  Cora  H.  Foss  November  22,  1894. 

Joerissen,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Coblenz,  Germany,  February  16,  1830,  spent  his 
early  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  counting  house,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  volunteered  in 
the  army  and  served  through  the  revolution  of  1848.  June  14,  1851,  he  bade  farewell 
to  fatherland  and  sailed  for  America,  and  for  a  time  was  employed  in  New  York  city 
and  in  traveling  in  the  west.  In  1854  he  came  to  Utica  and  engaged  in  cigar  manu- 
facturing on  the  corner  of  Varick  and  Columbia  streets.  Selling  out  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Warnick  &  Brown,  cigar  manufacturers,  and  continued  till  1859,  when  be 
started  a  cigar  manufactory  on  Third  street  and  also  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
father-in-law,  John  G.  Hutten,  in  the  brewery  business;  since  then  he  has  continued 
as  a  cigar  manufacturer,  being  located  on  the  corner  of  South  and  Brinkerhoof 
streets  since  1878.  He  withdrew  from  the  brewery  business  in  1863,  when  he  opened 
a  restaurant  and  cigar  store  on  Genesee  street.  This  he  soon  sold  and  devoted  his 
time  wholly  to  cigar  manufacturing.  He  was  charity  commissioner  from  1890  to 
1893,  and  since  1867  has  been  a  member  of  the  Utica  Citizens  Corps,  becoming  an 
honorary  member  in  June,  1868.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Allamania  Lodge  I.  O.  O. 
F. ,  and  has  held  all  the  chairs  in  that  body.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Germania 
Industrial  Association,  the  Utica  Maennechor,  and  the  Utica  Tiirn  Verein,  and  a 
charter  member  of  Utica  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor. 

Burritt,  A.  W.,  was  born  in  Paris,  N.  Y.,  June  20,  1866,  son  of  William  H.  and 
Sallie  (Wicks)  Burritt.  He  followed  farming  until  1889,  at  which  time  he  commenced 
the  mercantile  business,  first  as  clerk,  and  in  1892  engaged  in  business  for  himself  as 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Burritt  &  Henkle.  His  father,  William  H.  Burritt, 
served  three  years  in  the  Rebellion,  enlisting  August  7,  1862,  in  the  8th  Regiment, 
N.  Y.  Vol.  Cav.,  was  honorably  discharged  at  Cloud's  Mills,  Va.,  June  7,  1865.  His 
grandparents  (Wicks)  came  from  Connecticut  in  1800  and  were  among  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  old  Paris. 

Hickox,  W.  Jerome,  the  son  of  J.  Wesley  and  Clarinda  Storey  Hickox,  was  born 
October  24,  1839,  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  where  he  lived  until  twenty  j^ears  of  age.  He 
then  removed  to  New  York  and  engaged  in  the  transportation  business,  which  he 
continued  for  fifteen  years.  In  1873  he  entered  into  real  estate  business  in  Oneida, 
and  June  9,  1875  he  married  Florilla,  only  daughter  of  Hon.  Timothy  and   Harriet 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  205 

Tuttle  Jenkins.  Mr.  Jenkins,  who  is  well  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished lawyers  and  ablest  citizens  of  the  State  of  New  York,  had  long  resided  in 
the  pretty  village  of  Oneida  Castle,  and  to  the  spacious  old  homestead  which  had  for 
so  many  years  been  the  center  of  pleasant  hospitality,  Mr.  Hickox  came  to  live  and 
share  his  wife's  tender  care  of  her  widowed  mother.  Mr.  Hickox  had  large  business 
interests  at  Oneida,  and  his  public  spirit  made  him  prominent  in  all  that  concerned 
the  life  of  the  village.  He  took  also  a  keen  interest  in  politics,  unalloyed  by  any  self- 
seeking,  and  he  was  warmly  appreciated  by  his  friends  for  his  most  genial  and 
gentle  nature.  Perhaps  to  his  fine  physique  and  perfect  health  was  partly  due  his 
rich  endowment  of  cheerfulness,  that  "sunshine of  the  heart"  which  was  an  irresisti- 
ble charm  in  social  intercourse.  He  died  March  4,  1894,  after  a  very  short  and  sud- 
den illness.     Few  men  have  been  more  affectionately  mourned. 

McDonald,  William,  was  born  in  1859,  and  is  an  industrious  farmer  of  his  native 
town,  Boonville,  where  he  has  resided  on  a  265  acre  farm  since  the  death  of  his 
father  William  McDonald,  which  occurred  in  1878,  at  sixty-one  years  of  age.  Will- 
iam McDonald  was  of  Irish  birth,  emigrating  from  County  Tipperary  when  nineteen 
years  old,  and  with  no  capital  settled  in  Stillwater,  Conn.  There  he  found  employ- 
ment in  a  foundry,  and  by  strict  economy  and  shrewd  business  principles,  he  pro- 
vided for  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  seven  children.  In  1888  William  Mc- 
Donald, jr.,  married  Julia  Hurley,  daughterof  Cornelius  Hurley,  of  Boonville,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children :  Mary  and  Belle.  Mr.  Hurley  belongs  to  the  Democratic  party, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

Wagner,  Edward  G.,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  February  11,  1848,  the 
oldest  son  of  Edward  and  Alida  E.  (Gray)  Wagner.  Both  of  his  parents  were  de- 
scendants of  old  Mohawk  Valley  families ;  his  father  was  descended  from  John  Peter 
Wagner  in  1709,  and  whose  only  son,  Lieut.-Col.  John  Peter  Wagner,  was  a  dis- 
tinguished oflficer  in  the  Revolutionary  war;  he  was  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  and 
after  the  wounding  of  General  Herkimer  is  said  to  have  assumed  command  of  the 
troops  and  completed  that  important  victory,  which  was  at  the  time  almost  assured ; 
several  of  his  sons  were  engaged  with  him,  and  his  son  John  was  the  grandfather  of 
Edward  Wagner,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county  in  1819,  and  died  in  Whites- 
boro  in  1886.  Mrs.  Wagner  died  in  1882;  she  was  also  a  descendant  of  an  officer  en- 
gaged in  the  battle  of  Oriskany.  Edward  G.  Wagner  was  educated  at  Whitestown 
Semmary,  and  located  in  Whitestown  in  1867,  where  his  father  had  purchased  a  large 
farm,  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  village.  This  he  now  conducts  with  his  brother 
Henry,  entirely  on  business  methods,  and  they  are  recognized  as  the  representative 
farmers  of  Whitestown.  He  has  several  times  been  president  of  the  village  of 
Whitesboro,  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party.  He  married  Ida  L.,  daughterof  Jonathan  Barnes  of  Fairfield,  Herkimer 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner  are  both  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  of 
Whitesboro. 

Odell,  Edgar  B.,  son  of  Benjamin  F.,  was  born  in  Junius,  Seneca  county,  June 
26,  1857,  and  was  educated  at  Phelps  and  in  Cazenovia  Seminary,  N.  Y.  He  entered 
his  father's  general  store  in  Phelps  and  remained  there  until  March,  1880,  being  his 
partner  the  last  two  or  three  years.     He  was  then  in  Golden,   Denver  and  Canon 


206  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

City,  Colorado,  as  a  bookkeeper  until  September,  1882,  when  he  came  to  Utica  and 
became  bookkeeper  for  Roberts  &  Hoag.  In  February,  1888,  Mr.  H6ag  having  re- 
tired, Mr.  Odell  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  A.  Roberts  &  Co.,  dry  goods 
dealers,  aad  still  continues.  He  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge  697  F.  &  A.  M., 
Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  Arcanum  Club,  and  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Masonic  Club  of  Utica.  October,  1884,  he  married  Charlotte  J. 
White,  daughter  of  the  late  Nicholas  A.  White,  of  Utica.  They  have  one  son, 
Frederick  Edgar  Odell. 

Evans,  John  V.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  January  1,  1838, 
and  he  is  a  son  of  Evan  Evans,  who  was  born  in  North  Wales  in  March  1808. 
Evan  Evans  came  to  America  in  1832  and  settled  in  Marcy  where  he  married  Sophia 
Thomas.  In  1839  they  came  to  Utica.  He  died  in  Holland  Patent  January  16,  1895. 
His  wife's  death  occurred  in  1853.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  for  a  time  had 
a  lumber  yard  on  Columbia  street,  on  the  site  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills.  He 
also  had  a  flour  and  feed  business  here.  He  had  five  children:  John  V.,  Eleanor, 
Jane  A.  (Mrs  John  Roberts),  and  Mary  S.  (Mrs.  Edward  Bice),  of  L^tica,  and  Evan 
T. ,  of  Holland  Patent.  John  V.  Evans  during  his  youth,  followed  various  occupa- 
tions, being  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Wisconsin,  engaged  in  mining  in  California,  and 
eight  years  in  stockraising  in  Nevada.  In  1885  he  returned  to  Utica  and  forming  a 
partnership  with  John  Edwards,  as  Evans  &  Edwards,  engaged  in  his  present  busi- 
ness as  dealer  in  coal  and  wood  on  the  corner  of  Court  street  and  Chenango  avenue. 
He  is  a  Republican  and  in  January,  1890,  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Charities  and  was  re-elected  in  1893,  serving  two  terms  of  three  years  each.  In 
January,  1896,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  board.  He  is  a  member  of  Utica 
Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.  April  9,  1862,  he  married  Katherine,  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Hannah  Davis,  of  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county,  and  they  have  had  five  children: 
Ernest  E.,  and  Cordie  P.,  of  L'tica,  Lena  C,  who  died  April  27,  1895,  age  twenty- 
seven;  Dr.  J.  Corliss,  a  physician  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  and  Arthur  S.  Evans. 

Elthorp,  William,  was  born  in  London,  England,  in  1837,  son  of  William,  who  was 
born  in  England  and  was  a  gas  manufacturer  and  later  a  railroad  conductor  in  Eng- 
land and  France.  He  became  wealthy  and  at  his  death  owned  some  600  acres  of 
land.  Mr.  Elthorp  married  Sarah  Burt,  by  whom  he  had  these  children :  William, 
Sarah,  George,  Alice,  Lucy,  John,  and  Mary.  They  came  to  America  in  1848,  set- 
tling in  Forestport,  where  Mr.  Elthorp  devoted  his  time  to  farming  and  lumbering 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1880.  His  wife  now  resides  in  Forestport,  aged  eighty- 
five  years.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  William,  jr..  went  to  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  where  he  was  engaged  in  railroad  tunneling.  He  then  returned  to  Forest- 
port and  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering,  and  in  1860  bought  his  first  farm,  con- 
taining fifty  acres,  of  his  father.  He  has  added  to  it  until  he  now  has  354  acres  of 
land;  he  is  still  interested  in  lumbering.  He  has  served  as  overseer  of  the  poor, 
town  collector,  etc.  In  1860  Mr.  Elthorp  married  Anna  Eliza,  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Sarah  Getman,  born  in  Manheim,  Fulton  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  fourteen 
months  later.  In  1863  Mr.  Elthorp  married  his  first  wife's  sister,  Mrs.  Sarah  E. 
(Getman)  Carpenter,  and  their  children  are  William,  Charles,  Harriet,  wife  of  James 
McArthy,  of  Grey,  Herkimer  county;  Alice,  wife  of  John  Lindsey,  also  of  Grey, 
Herkimer  county ;  and  Adeline.  Mr.  Elthorp  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  been 
a  playmate  of  Prince  Albert  when  a  boy. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  207 

Wagner,  Louis,  was  born  in  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Germany,  in  1836,  son  of 
Philip  Wagner,  who  operated  a  coopering  business  in  his  native  place,  and  Christina 
Wagner.  He  was  one  of  six  children:  Mary,  Philip  Henry,  George,  Frank,  Law- 
rence and  Louis.  Louis  Wagner  came  to  America  at  thirteen  years  of  age,  with  his 
sister.  His  brothers,  Philip  and  Frank  came  later,  and  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  ;  the  former  dying  in  Libby  Prison,  and  the  latter  shortly  after  his  re- 
lease. Louis  was  a  barber,  and  employed  in  the  finest  shops  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  and 
also  owned  and  conducted  several  shops  there,  where  he  remained  until  after  the 
war.  In  1866  he  removed  to  Forestport  and  engaged  in  lumbering  and  farming, 
which  he  conducted  successfully.  Later  years  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  his 
300  acre  farm,  the  best  of  which  he  has  cleared  of  timber.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  fraternity.  In  1855  he  married  Frederica  Beig,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1836,  and  they  have  one  son,  Louis,  who  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Singer  Sewing  Machine  Co.,  and  whose  wife  died  in  December,  1892,  leaving  four 
children:  Aneda,  Alonzo,  Rena  and  Frank. 

Davidson,  John,  was  born  in  Grayabby,  county  of  Down,  Ireland,  December  16, 
1824.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  and  grandfather  and  grandmother 
on  his  father's  side  were  from  Ayrshire,  Scotland.  His  grandfather,  on  his  mother's 
side,  was  Scotch  and  grandmother  English.  He  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
in  the  year  1833  and  shipped  from  Belfast  to  New  York,  being  si.\  weeks  and  three 
days  on  the  sea,  on  the  vessel  "Herald  of  Newcastle."  They  resided  in  New  York 
city  two  years,  after  which  they  moved  to  Lansingburg,  where  they  also  lived  two 
years.  They  then  hired  a  small  farm,  three  miles  west  of  Albany,  where  they  lived 
about  twenty  years,  following  the  occupation  of  farming  and  vegetable  gardening. 
Previous  to  moving  to  Oneida  county  the  father  had  purchased  the  farm  on  which 
they  lived,  but  later  sold  out  and  was  employed  by  John  Townsend  of  Albany,  as 
foreman  and  vegetable  gardener.  Two  years  later  they  moved  to  John  Davidson's 
present  home,  then  a  wilderness.  On  May  16,  1855,  the  father  and  son  shouldered 
their  axes,  and  commenced  clearing  for  a  house  where  the  father  died.  March  13, 
1865,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  and  the  mother  died  December  22,  1877,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six  years.  John  Davidson  was  married  in  Albany,  December  30,  1847, 
by  the  Rev.  Samuel  F.  Moran,  pastor  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  church,  of  which 
he  and  his  wife  were  both  members.  They  have  eight  sons  living:  John,  an  engi- 
neer on  the  New  York  Central  railroad;  William,  a  farmer  and  carpenter  of  Oneida 
county;  David,  a  carpenter  on  the  Bennington  railroad;  George,  a  farmer  and  car- 
penter in  Oneida  county ;  Samuel,  a  farmer  in  Onondaga  county;  and  Robert  and 
James,  both  farmers  in  Oneida  county;  also  Henry,  a  carpenter  and  care  taker  of 
Comb's  Brook  fish  hatchery  in  Herkimer  county.  One  daughter,  Mrs.  Edward 
Scanlin,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  six  years.  Mr.  Davidson  has  been  assessor  for  a 
number  of  years,  also  school  trustee,  road  overseer  and  has  had  charge  of  the  State 
reservoirs  at  Woodhull  and  Sand  Lake. 

Fardett,  Solomon,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1853,  son  of  Francis  Fardett,  a  native 
of  France,  who  was  a  sailor  in  early  life  and  came  to  Vermont  in  1830  where  he  en- 
gaged in  ship  building.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Port  Edward,  Washington  county, 
where  he  conducted  a  dry  dock,  and  was  engaged  in  building  canal  boats  for  twenty 
years;  from  there  he  removed  to  Saratoga  county  and  later  to  Forestport.     He  mar- 


208  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ried  Aurelia,  daughter  of  Emanuel  Robarge,  a  native  of  Canada,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children:  Aurelia,  Mary,  Julius,  Joseph,  Josephine,  Clementine,  John,  Solomon 
and  David.  Mrs.  Fardett  died  in  1863,  and  Mrs.  Fardette  in  1888,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three.  Solomon  Fardett  at  the  age  of  twelve  began  to  work  in  a  saw  mill, 
and  went  to  school  winters;  at  eighteen  he  engaged  in  carpenter  work  with  his 
brother  and  later  as  a  millwright.  In  1873  he  came  to  Forestport  and  has  erected  all 
the  saw  mills  in  the  town  since  that  time.  He  was  also  a  contractor  and  builder,  and 
in  1893  erected  the  mill  for  the  Forestport  Lumber  Company.  He  then  engaged  as 
foreman  of  the  mill,  which  position  he  now  holds.  He  served  as  constable  for 
several  terms.  In  1871  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  William  Elthorpe  of  Forest- 
port, by  whom  he  has  eight  children:  Bertha,  Frank,  Maud,  Fred,  Sarah,  Grace, 
Cecil  and  Venetia. 

Hovey,  Mrs.  Julietta  (Kilmer),  was  born  in  Duanesburg,  Schenectady  count}',  N.Y. , 
in  1834,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Julia  S.  (Ailing)  Kilmer;  the  former  a  native  of 
Schenectady  county,  born  in  1805,  and  the  latter,  a  native  of  Milford,  Conn.,  born 
in  1799.  William  H.  Kilmer  was  always  engaged  in  carpentry,  bridge  and  public 
work,  and  came  to  Oneida  county  in  1841,  and  in  1854  he  removed  to  Forestport, 
where  he  now  resides  with  Mrs.  Hovey  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Their  children 
were  Gideon  A.,  Philip  G.,  Julietta  D.  and  Henry  C.  In  January,  1858,  Mrs.  Hovey 
married  Philip  George  Hovey,  a  native  of  Leyden,  N.  Y.,  who  was  born  in  1833, 
son  of  George  and  Sybil  S.  Hovey.  Mr.  Hovej'  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  for  years  owned  canal  boats;  he  also  owned  large  saw  mills  and  built 
a  number  of  dwellings  in  Forestport.  He  was  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  enterprise; 
had  a  limited  education,  but  much  natural  bu.siness  ability.  He  filled  the  office  of 
commissioner  of  highways,  and  numerous  other  offices,  and  was  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hovey  had  three  children:  Kittie  H., 
wife  of  F.  X.  Solzman,  of  Forestport;  Helen  A.,  a  graduate  of  the  Oswego  Normal 
School,  and  for  several  years  a  teacher  in  Atlanta,  Ga. ;  and  Georgianna,  also  a 
teacher.  Mr.  Hovey  died  in  August,  1889,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Neejer,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Remsen,  now  apart  of  Forestport,  in  1852,  son  of 
John  Neejer,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1814,  one  of  five  sons,  Henry  and  John 
(twins),  George,  Michael,  and  Philip,  all  of  whom  came  to  the  United  States  when 
young  men.  John  Neejer  was  a  hotelkeeper  in  Boonville,  where  he  removed  in  1885, 
and  there  died.  At  one  time  he  was  very  prosperous,  but  lost  it  all  through  indors- 
ing notes  for  others.  He  married  Dorothy  Burgman,  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had 
these  children;  Sarah,  Lena,  John  H.,  and  Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Neejer  died  in  1866. 
John  H.  Neejer  was  educated  in  the  Boonville  Academy,  and  when  twenty  years  of 
age  began  for  himself,  following  various  occupations,  for  a  time  working  at  lumber- 
ing winters  and  in  a  saw  mill  summers.  In  1885  he  engaged  in  the  meat  and 
produce  business  in  Forestport,  where  he  has  established  and  controls  a  large  trade. 
He  also  owns  300  acres  of  land,  fifty  of  which  he  uses  for  general  farming  purposes 
and  the  rest  for  grazing,  having  about  100  head  of  sheep.  Mr.  Neejer  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  which  he  is  secretary.  In  1883  he  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Richard  Jones,  of  Wales. 

Manahan,  Richard  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris  in  1860,  son  of  Richard  Man- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  209 

ahan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  one  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters  born  to  Edward  Man- 
ahan,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United  States,  bringing  his 
family  with  him,  and  settled  in  Utica  He  died  in  1873,  aged  ninety-nine  years. 
Richard  Manahan,  father  of  Richard  J.,  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  for  a  time  in  Paris, 
but  in  1865  removed  to  Forestport,  where  he  engaged  in  farmuig,  and  died  in  1889, 
aged  seventy-six  years.  He  married  Mary  Brennan,  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  had 
these  children:  Mary,  Simon,  Edward,  Thomas,  Julia,  and  Richard  J.  Mrs.  Mana- 
han died  in  1862.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  Richard  J.  began  working  out  in 
Utica,  but  two  years  later  returned  to  Forestport  and  engaged  in  working  in  the 
woods  winters  and  rafting  ship  timbers  and  spiles  down  the  canal  to  Troy  summers, 
which  he  followed  until  1891,  when  he  erected  his  present  hotel  (Nehasane  House\ 
which  he  very  ably  conducts  and  where  many  sportsmen  make  their  headquarters ; 
he  also  conducts  a  livery,  grocery  and  feed  store.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  highway  commissioner.  In  1882  he  married  Ida 
Christian,  who  was  born  in  Utica,  daughter  of  James  Christian,  by  whom  he  has 
two  children :  Estella  and  Winifred. 

Mulchi,  William,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1854,  son  of  William  Mulchi,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  was  born  in  1816.  William  Mulchi,  sr.,  was  a  tanner  by  trade 
and  came  to  America  in  1848,  settling  at  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.  In  1858  he  removed  to 
the  town  of  Boonville  and  two  years  later  to  Woodhull,  where  he  died  in  1863.  His 
wife  was  Johannah  Danaha,  of  County  Waterford,  Ireland,  and  they  had  three  chil- 
dren: William,  Thomas,  and  Dennis.  Mrs.  Mulchi  died  in  1887  at  the  home  of  her 
son,  William.  At  the  age  of  eight  years  William,  jr.,  became  a  driver  on  the  canal, 
which  business  he  followed  for  fifteen  years,  being  promoted  to  steersman  and  later 
owned  and  conducted  a  boat  for  himself,  running  from  Forestport  to  Troy  and  Al- 
bany. He  was  then  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  contracting  for  seven 
years,  and  in  1891  he  erected  his  present  hotel,  known  as  the  Forestport  House.  He 
also  conducts  a  farm  of  150  acres,  making  a  specialty  of  garden  vegetables.  He  also 
runs  a  stage  for  the  Adirondack  League  Club.  Mr.  Mulchi  served  as  excise  commis- 
sioner for  six  years.  In  1875  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
Moran,  who  was  born  in  Canada.  Their  children  are  William  and  Elizabeth.  They 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  of  which  Mr.  Mulchi  is  trustee. 

Solzman,  Francis  X.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Boonville,  August  15,  1855,  son  of 
Thomas  Solzman,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in  1820,  Thomas  Solzman  was 
a  lieutenant  in  the  king's  army,  and  during  the  war  of  1848  and  1849  was  among 
those  who  revolted  against  the  king,  and  was  with  the  famous  General  Siegel  when 
in  1849  they  cut  their  way  to  the  sea,  where  they  disbanded.  He  came  to  America, 
settled  in  Boonville  and  worked  at  the  millwright  trade.  He  later  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  cleared  most  of  a  seventy-three  acre  farm,  where  he  became  very  prosper- 
ous, and  later  lost  nearly  all  through  speculating.  His  wife  was  Rosina  Southeimer 
of  Baden,  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children:  Rose,  Susan,  Sophia,  Francis 
X.,  Charles  Frederick,  Joseph,  Catherine,  and  Frederick  Charles.  He  died  in  1874, 
aud  his  wife  in  1885.  Francis  X.  remained  at  home  until  the  death  of  his  father, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Forestport ;  but  he  soon  withdrew  from 
that  business  and  engaged  in  the  meat  business  at  Boonville.  A  year  later  he  re 
turned  to  Forestport  and  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for  a  lumber  firm,  with  whom  he 


210  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

remained  several  years,  and  in  1891  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  served  three  years 
as  justice,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  office  of  supervisor,  which  office  he  filled 
for  eight  years.  In  1886  he  married  Kittie  L.  Hovey,  a  daughter  of  Philip  C.  and 
Julia  (Kilmer)  Hovey,  of  Forestport,  and  they  have  five  children:  Rilla  L. ,  Marian, 
Annetta  J.,  Myrtle  and  George  T. 

Shattuck,  Luther,  was  born  in  Floyd,  N.  Y.,  June  16,  1822,  sou  of  Asaph  and  Mary 
(Dorrel)  Shattuck,  who  came  here  from  Massachusetts  in  1806.  He  was  one  of  nine 
children:  Laurie,  Sylvia,  Ezra,  Asaph,  jr.,  WiUiam,  Louisa,  Lydia,  Calvin,  and 
Luther.  Asaph  Shattuck  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  also  interested  in  church 
work  and  educational  interests.  He  was  trustee  of  the  Floyd  LTnion  church  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  several  terms.  Luther  Shattuck  married  Cynthia,  daughter  of 
Jabes  and  Margaret  Holmes,  by  whom  he  has  three  children;  Martin  F. ,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Stone;  Charles  A.,  who  married  Carrie  Robbins;  and  Emily  C,  wife  of 
Charles  Johnson.  He  is  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  also  interested  in  church  aflfairs, 
and  has  been  trustee  of  the  Floyd  and  Stittville  church.  All  of  the  children  attended 
Whitestown  Seminary,  and  Martin  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years, 
and  Charles  A.,  town  clerk. 

Ward,  Salmon,  was  born  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  October  26,  1835,  son 
of  Josiah  and  Roxanna  (Currier)  Ward.  Josiah  Ward  settled  in  Floyd  when  two 
years  of  age.  He  married  Roxanna  Currier,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Salmon 
and  Sarah  Maria.  Mr.  Ward  died  November  2,  1857,  aged  fifty-eight  years,  and  his 
wife  died  January  2,  1869,  aged  fifty  years.  Salmon  Ward  is  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. He  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Andrew  Martin,  who  died  leaving  one 
child.  Burton.  He  then  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Levi  Crill.  For  his  third  wife  he 
married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Harriet  (Upton)  Cogswell.  Mr.  Ward  is 
a  member  of  the  Grange  and  Patrons  of  Industry. 

Potter,  George  S.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  January  10,  1842, 
son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Potter,  whose  children  were  Russell  F.,  Eliza  J.,  George  S., 
and  Allen.  Samuel  Potter  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Phebe  (Adams)  Potter,  and  their 
children  were  Lydia  J.,  Dudley,  Samuel,  Ethan  Allen,  Joseph,  Augustus,  Madison 
and  Benjamin  E.  Samuel  Potter  spent  the  early  part  of  his  life  in  teaching  school, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  also  active  in  church  and  county  affairs, 
and  was  elected  commissioner  of  deeds.  George  S.  Potter  is  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  owns  the  homestead  of  220  acres,  and  is  intere.sted  in  town  and  county 
affairs. 

Westcott,  Frank  D. ,  son  of  Stephen  S.  and  Philinda  A.  (Brown)  Westcott,  was 
born  in  Oneonta,  Otsego  county,  September  7,  1858,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Clinton  in  1866.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Clinton  Grammar  School  in  June, 
1877,  and  the  following  autumn  entered  Hamilton  College  as  a  member  of  the  class 
of  1881,  but  two  years  later  came  to  L'tica  as  a  clerk  in  charge  of  the  mail  order  de- 
partment of  Hugh  Glenn  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  was  then  for  two 
years  bookkeeper  for  Miller  &  Fincke  and  later  held  a  similar  position  in  the  whole- 
sale clothing  house  of  Tucker,  Calder  &  Co.  for  about  six  years.  January  24,  1890, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Henry  F.  Miller,  as  Miller  &  Westcott,  and  engaged 
in  the  coal  business.     In  1891  this  firm  dissolved  and  with  Elmer  E.    Parker  he 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  211 

formed  the  firm  of  Westcott  &•  Parker,  which  continued  until  July,  1894.  Since 
then  Mr.  Westcott  has  conducted  the  business  alone,  dealing  in  coal,  wood,  flour, 
and  feed.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  a  director  of  the  Cornhill  Building  and 
Loan  Association  of  Utica  and  is  secretary  and  director  of  the  Utica  Carriage  Com- 
pany. He  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  the  Royal  Arcanum 
has  been  verj'  prominent,  serving  in  almost  every  office.  He  was  regent  of  Im- 
perial Council  No.  70  three  years,  and  elected  representative  to  the  Grand  Council 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  At  his  first  session  he  was  chosen  grand  guide.  He  has 
also  served  as  grand  orator  and  grand  vice-regent,  and  was  grand  regent  from  April, 
1891,  to  April,  1898.  February  21,  1883,  he  married  Libbie  A.,  daughter  of  James 
W.  Cronkhite,  of  Little  Falls,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  have  one  son,  WilHam  Carlton. 

Fulmer,  Edgar  J.,  was  born  in  Iowa,  in  1862,  son  of  Robert  and  Louisa 
(Schaffer)  Williams.  His  father  died  in  an  army  hospital,  and  his  mother  re- 
turned with  him,  when  he  was  seven  months  old,  to  Steuben,  where  he  was 
adopted  by  Henry  Fulmer,  a  native  of  Herkimer  county,  who  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
C.  Fulmer,  who  came  to  Steuben  about  1826,  and  settled  on  400  acres,  which 
he  afterwards  cleared.  He  reared  ten  children  and  lived  to  be  sixty  years  of 
age,  and  his  wife  lived  to  be  eighty-eight.  Henry  Fulmer  spent  his  whole  life  in 
Steuben  on  the  homestead  farm.  He  served  as  commissioner  of  highways  for 
twenty  years.  He  married  Catherine  Harter,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Jacob 
Henry,  who  died  in  December,  1884,  at  sixteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Fulmer's  wife 
survives  him,  and  now  resides  with  Edgar  J.  on  the  homestead.  Since  his  death 
Edgar  J.  has  operated  the  farm  of  188  acres,  and  has  since  bought  another  farm  of 
fifty  acres.  He  keeps  twenty  cows,  and  makes  dairying  a  specialty,  and  is  also  in- 
terested in  the  raising  of  fine  sheep.  He  has  served  his  town  as  collector,  school 
clerk  and  filled  other  minor  offices.  In  1887  he  married  Carrie  Wollaber,  daughter  of 
George  H.  and  Catherine  Witherstine,  of  Steuben,  by  whom  he  has  two  children: 
Clarence  and  Lena  Joy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fulmer  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  which  Mr.  Fulmer  is  steward  and  trustee. 

Wickman,  Henry  G.,  born  on  Mohawk  Hill,  Lewis  county,  N.Y.,  January  16,  1846, 
.son  of  Sebastian  and  Margaret  Wickman,  who  came  from  Hesse,  Germany,  in  1830, 
and  were  pioneers  of  Lewis  county.  He  served  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter  and 
millwright  trades  in  Germany.  In  1857  he  went  from  Lewis  county  to  Rome.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  69th  Regt.,  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  in  service  one  year.  He  died 
in  1880  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  Mrs.  Wickman  died  in  1881.  They  were  members 
of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  at  Rome,  N.  Y.  Henry  G  was  educated  at  Rome, 
and  learned  the  wagonmaker's  trade,  after  which  he  worked  in  Oneida,  Erie,  Buf- 
falo, Syracuse,  Boonville,  and  in  1876  bought  property  in  Ava,  where  he  has  since 
carried  on  a  blacksmithing,  carriage  manufactory  and  repairing  business.  In  1867 
he  married  Phoebe  Casbaker,  of  Ava,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons:  William,  and  Fred 
(deceased).  Mrs.  Wickman  died  and  Mr.  Wickman  married  for  his  second  wife 
Maria,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Magdalene  Honsholder,  of  Westmoreland,  N.  Y. ,  by 
whom  he  has  five  children  living:  Charles,  born  November  22,  1876;  Walter,  born 
February  21,  1886;  Fred,  born  October  14,  1887;  Clarence,  born  October  8,  1888; 
and  Alvin,  born  September  28,  1889;  also  six  deceased:  Edward,  Frank,  George, 
Maud,  Russell,  and  Rena. 


212  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Zeigler,  George,  was  born  in  Ava,  N.  Y.,  April  15,  1835,  son  of  Frank  and  Mar- 
garet (Saddler)  Ziegler,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in  1833,  and  set- 
tled in  Ava.  Mr.  Ziegler  died  in  Rome,  and  Mrs.  Ziegler  died  m  Ava  in  1861.  The 
grandfather,  Simeon  Zeigler,  was  a  vineyardist  and  winemaker  in  Germany,  and 
he  spent  his  last  days  in  Ava.  George  Zeigler  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming 
except  the  time  spent  in  the  war.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  115  acres  and  keeps  a 
dairy  of  ten  cows.  In  1865  he  married  Catherine  Ernst  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  with  her  parents,  Jacob  and  Saloma  (Zeigler)  Ernst,  in  1848,  and  settled  in 
Ava,  and  they  afterwards  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  they  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Zeigler  have  had  four  children :  George,  Fred  (deceased),  Lena  and  Caroline.  August 
6,  1862,  Mr.  Zeigler  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  3d  N.  Y.  Light  Artillery,  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war. 

Morehouse,  Henry  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Half  Moon,  Saratoga  county,  N. 
Y.,  June  21,  1853,  son  of  Nathan  and  Annie  (Travers)  Morehouse.  Mr.  Morehouse 
was  born  in  Vermont,  May  5,  1824,  and  Mrs.  Morehouse  was  born  in  Half  Moon,  N. 
Y.,  December  6,  1819.  The  grandparents  were  natives  of  Vermont.  Nathan  More- 
house came  to  Saratoga  county,  from  Vermont  about  1849,  and  then  to  Ava,  where 
he  built  and  conducted  a  mill.  He  now  resides  with  his  son,  Henry  D.  Mrs.  More- 
house died  March  5,  1879.  Henry  D.  Morehouse  learned  the  trade  of  cl'eesemaker 
when  a  young  man.  He  worked  in  various  places,  and  in  1886  bought  the  factory  at 
Ava  which  he  has  since  conducted.  In  1876  he  married  Ella,  daughter  of  Asa  and 
Sarah  (Slavier)  Teachout,  of  Western,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Nellie. 
Mrs.  Morehouse  was  born  in  Western,  N.  Y.,  November  25,  1869.  Her  mother, 
Mrs.  Teachout,  died  in  1873. 

Hurlbut,  Henry,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ava,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1853,  son  of  Sam- 
uel, a  native  of  Boonville,  and  Minerva  (Bardsley)  Hurlbut,  a  native  of  Ava.  Sam- 
uel Hurlbut  came  from  Boonville  to  Ava  and  purchased  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Henry  Hurlbut,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  he  spent  his  last  days  in  Utica, 
where  he  died  in  October,  1881.  Mrs.  Hurlbut  still  lives  and  resides  with  her  son  on 
the  homestead.  Henry  Hurlbut  was  educated  at  Rome  Academy,  and  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming  on  the  homestead  farm,  except  three  years  in  the  lumber 
business  in  Western.  The  farm  of  330  acres  is  owned  by  Mr.  Hurlbut  and  his  brother 
Andrew,  who  is  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Hurlbut  has  a 
dairy  of  thirty-five  to  forty  cows.  In  1874  he  married  Nettie,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Esther  (Harris)  Potter,  by  whom  he  has  three  children  :   Ettie,  Bertie  and  Mertie. 

Gookins,  Milo,  was  born  in  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  November  25,  1842,  .son 
of  Daniel  M.  and  Eliza  (Rhodes)  Gookins,  he  a  native  of  Herkimer  county  and  she 
of  Wilna,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.  Daniel  M.  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  worked 
in  Oneida  and  Lewis  counties  and  along  the  Black  River  Canal  during  its  construc- 
tion. He  died  at  Port  Leyden  in  1881;  his  wife  also  died  in  1881.  Milo  Gookins, 
when  young,  worked  a  little  at  his  father's  trade,  but  with  the  exception  of  five  years 
in  the  war,  has  followed  farming.  In  1870  he  purchased  the  farm  of  220  acres  where 
he  now  resides,  and  keeps  a  dairy  of  about  thirty  five  cows.  In  1869  he  married 
Mary  J.  Capron,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Henrietta  Capron,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children:  Maud  L.,   Mabel,    Mira,   Elmer,   May,   Nellie,   and  Eniery.     July  8,  1861, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  213 

Mr.  Gookins  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  3d  N.  Y.  Vol.  Cav. ,  as  private,  served  all  through  the 
war,  being  honorably  discharged  as  sergeant  August  5,  1865.  He  participated  in 
seventy-five  battles  and  skirmishes,  among  vi^hich  we  mention  Trenton  Bridge,  Mill 
Creek,  Goldsboro,  assault  on  Petersburg,  Chapin's  Farm,  and  Fair  Oaks.  Mr. 
Gookins  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  been  justice  eight  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Wheelock  Post,  No.  97,  G.  A.  R. ,  of  Boonville. 

Beyel  Jacob,  was  born  in  Ava,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  June  4,  1844,  son  of  Philip 
and  Elizabeth  Beyel  Jacob  Beyel  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  attended  West  Leyden 
.school,  and  has  since  followed  farmmg  and  carpentering.  In  1873  he  married 
Addie  C,  daughter  of  Fred  and  Adaline  Myers,  by  whom  he  had  two  children  :  Ada, 
born  February  14,  1877;  and  Permilla,  born  February  6,  1888.  Mr.  Beyel  purchased 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides  in  1878;  he  now  owns  163  acres  of  land  and  keeps 
about  twenty-five  cows.  Mr.  Beyel  attends  the  Union  church  at  West  Leyden,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Grange  of  the  same  village. 

Briggs,  George,  is  a  native  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  where  he  was  born  March  11, 
1822,  and  is  the  oldest  of  five  children,  born  to  Cyrus  and  Mary  Ann  (Tinker)  Briggs. 
Mr.  Cyrus  Briggs  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1803,  and  Mrs.  Briggs  was  born  in  Lyme, 
Conn.,  in  1806.  Mr.  Briggs's  parents,  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  Briggs,  came  from 
Connecticut  and  settled  in  Rome  where  they  were  engaged  in  farming.  Mrs. 
Briggs's  parents,  Allen  and  Polly  (Maynard)  Tinker,  came  from  Connecticut  with 
an  ox  team,  and  settled  in  Floyd  about  1818.  From  there  they  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  where  Mr.  Tinker  died  in  1865,  and  his  wife  in  1885.  Cyrus  Briggs  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  the  town  of  Rome,  and  he  died  in  1838.  Mrs.  Briggs  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  and  has  resided  with  her  son  for  the  past  thirty 
years.  George  Briggs  was  reared  on  the  farm  at  Rome,  and  took  charge  of  the 
family  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  after  the  death  of  his  family.  He  worked  on 
a  farm  and  conducted  a  hotel  at  West  Branch;  and  also  ran  a  stage  line  for  four 
years.  He  was  in  the  mercantile  business  for  three  years  at  Point  Rock,  and  in 
1877  he  came  to  Ava  where  he  purchased  the  hotel  of  which  he  has  since  been 
proprietor.  Soon  after  he  bought  a  farm,  and  has  carried  on  dairy  farming,  keeping 
ten  cows.  In  1852  he  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Sallie  Mowers,  of 
Weston,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  George  H.,  who  is  married  to  Annie 
Houck,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  on  the  home  farm ;  and  Eva,  wife  of  George 
Anmon,  a  farmer  of  West  Leyden. 

Wolf,  Philip  D.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  September  5,  1843,  son  of  George 
and  Dorothy  (Jacobs)  Wolf,  who  came  from  Bavaria  to  Deerfield  in  the  spring  of  1830 
and  bought  a  farm.  Mr.  Wolf  was  engaged  in  market  gardening,  and  died  in  1890 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  and  Mrs.  Wolf  died  in  1887  at  eighty  years  of  age. 
The  grandfather,  Jacob  Wolf,  came  with  the  family  to  Deerfield  in  1830,  and  went 
West,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  while  there  died.  Philip  D.  Wolf  has  al- 
ways been  engaged  in  farming  and  market  gardening  in  Deerfield.  In  1871  he 
married  Mary  Godden,  of  Madison,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  George,  Fannie, 
Mary  and  Nellie. 

Weaver,  Charles  C,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  July  5,  1851,  son 
of  George  F.  and  Margaret  A.   Weaver.     He  was  educated  at  the  schools  of  LTtica, 


214  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  has  since  been  engaged  in  brickmaking,  being  a  partner  in  the  business  with  his 
brother,  Frederick  G.  In  1889  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  George  H.  and 
Jane  (Hicks)  Grossman,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Robert  C,  born  April  15,  1892; 
and  Harriet  J.,  born  in  December,  1895. 

Pittock,  William  D  ,  was  born  in  Marcy,  January  19,  1843,  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Smallenberger)  Pittock,  natives  of  England  and  Germany,  respectively. 
His  grandparents,  William  and  Sarah  Pittock,  came  from  England  and  settled  in 
Marcy  at  an  early  day  and  engaged  in  farming.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Charles 
Smallenberger,  came  from  Germany  to  Marcy.  William,  sr. ,  is  a  retired  farmer  of 
Deerfield,  at  eighty  years  of  age;  and  Mrs.  Pittock  is  seventy-four  years  of  age. 
William,  jr.,  learned  the  carpenter  trade  when  young,  which  has  been  his  principal 
occupation.  In  1866  he  married  Rachel  Yarky  of  Deerfield,  who  died  in  187o,  leav- 
ing one  son,  William  G.,  with  Dr.  Brown  in  Utica.  Mr.  Pittock  married  for  his 
second  wife  Mary  (Sorn)  King,  widow  of  Curtin  King,  and  sister  of  Henry  Sorn  of 
Bridgewater.  They  have  one  son,  George  W.  Pittock.  In  1871  Mr.  Pittock  built  the 
Washington  Hotel,  which  he  conducted  twenty  years.  In  1895  he  established  the 
Rheumatic  Sanitarium  at  Deerfield. 

Kasson,  Calvin  H.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  August  17,  1853,  son  of  Henry 
W.  and  Julia  E.  (Green)  Kasson,  both  natives  of  Deerfield,  he  born  in  1824  and  she 
in  1826.  Henry  W.  Kasson  engaged  in  farming  in  early  life  and  was  the  first  man 
in  Deerfield  to  engage  in  shipping  potatoes  to  New  York  city.  He  was  then  engaged 
in  the  general  mercantile  business  until  1883,  at  which  time  he  engaged  in  garden- 
ing. He  has  served  as  postmaster  at  Deerfield  for  many  years.  The  parents  of 
Mrs.  Kasson,  John  and  Matilda  (Dayton)  Green,  were  natives  of  Stoddard,  N.  H., 
and  Connecticut,  respectively.  Her  grandfather,  Jonah  Dayton,  came  from  Connec- 
ticut to  Deerfield,  thence  to  Remsen,  where  he  died.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  John  Green  came  to  Deerfield  at  an  early  day  and  engaged  in  brick- 
making  and  farming.  He  died  in  1869  and  his  wife  in  1866.  His  father  came  from 
Germany.  Calvin  H.  Kasson  was  educated  at  Utica  Commercial  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1871.  He  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with 
his  father  until  his  father  retired,  since  which  time  he  has  carried  on  the  business 
in  Deerfield  alone.  He  has  been  postmaster  since  his  father  resigned  in  1892. 
October  14,  1875,  Mr.  Kasson  married  Harriet  B.,  daughter  of  Reese  and  Jane  (Jones) 
Lewis,  natives  of  Wales.     Mrs.  Kasson  died  in  1895. 

Hicks,  Nicholas  H.,  was  born  m  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  March  29,  1834, 
son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Harter)  Hicks.  George  Hicks  was  a  farmer  of  Deer- 
field, and  died  in  1840,  and  his  wife  died  in  1884.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Nicholas 
Harter,  came  from  Herkimer  county,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Deerfield,  settling  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  our  subject.  Nicholas  H.  Hicks  was  educated  at  the  schools  of 
Utica,  and  has  since  engaged  in  farming,  now  owning  the  home  farm  of  fifty  acres, 
and  carries  on  gardening  and  truck  farming.  In  1855  he  married  Adaline,  daughter 
of  Van  and  Rebecca  Sweet,  deceased,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  George  N., 
real  estate  agent  at  Omaha,  Neb. ;  Frances,  who  died  when  twenty-eight  years  of 
age;  Herbert  D.,  stenographer,  typewriter  and  real  estate  agent  at  Chicago; 
Clarence,  a  fanner  of  Deerfield ;  and  Mary,  who  lives  at  home.  Mr.  Hicks  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  been  supervisor  of  his  town  for  seven  j^ears. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  215 

Burton,  Thomas  M.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  January  26,  1826,  son  of  Nathan, 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  Lydia  (Manchester)  Burton,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island. 
Mr.  Burton  came  to  Deerfield  in  1806,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  in  1855, 
and  Mrs.  Burton  died  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.  They  were  Univer- 
salists  in  religion.  Thomas  M.  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  excepting  nine  months 
in  a  general  store  at  Frankfort,  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  has  been 
successful.  He  owns  225  acres  of  which  he  works  100  acres,  and  rents  125  acres. 
In  1854  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Owen  and  Ellen  Owens  of  Deerfield,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children:  Nellie  M.,  wife  of  Horatio  Goodwin,  a  farmer  and 
milkman  in  Deerfield;  Nathan  W.,  engaged  in  farming  on  the  home  farm;  and  W. 
H.,  also  at  home. 

Davis,  John  L.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  July  11,  1853,  son  of  David  and  Mary 
(Thomas)  Davis,  natives  of  Wales.  His  grandparents,  Enoch,  and  Sarah  (Owens) 
Davis,  lived  and  died  in  Wales,  and  his  maternal  grandparents,  John  and  Elizabeth 
Thomas,  came  from  Wales  to  Newport,  N.  Y.,  in  1841,  where  Mr.  Thomas  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  also  as  carpenter.  David  Davis  came  to  America  in  1850,  and 
worked  in  Utica  four  years,  then  went  to  Schuyler  where  he  remained  eight  years. 
In  1862  he  settled  in  Deerfield  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
dairying,  owning  128  acres  of  land.  J.  L.  Davis  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Semi- 
nary, and  commencing  at  nineteen  years  of  age,  taught  school  for  six  years.  He 
afterward  engaged  in  farming  and  market  gardening.  In  1883  he  bought  a  farm  of 
fifty-three  acres  in  Deerfield,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  done  general  farming, 
also  market  gardening.  He  is  agent  for  the  Osborn  Harvesting  machinery  and  all 
kinds  of  farming  implements.  In  1877  he  married  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Nathan 
and  Mary  Griffith  of  West  Schuyler,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons:  Lindsley  D.  born  in 
1878;  and  Arthur  N.,  born  in  1889,  both  educated  in  the  Utica  schools.  Mr.  Davis  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  been  highway  commissioner  and  collector. 

Grossman,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  March  16,  1816,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Elizabeth  (Stewart)  Grossman.  His  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Grossman,  came  to 
Deerfield,  when  Nathaniel,  jr.,  was  only  ten  years  of  age,  being  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  place.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  was  also  engaged  in  farming. 
Nathaniel,  jr.,  learned  the  trade  of  his  father,  in  which  he  was  engaged  through  life. 
He  was  a  native  of  Taunton,  Mass.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  memory  and  a  great 
reader  of  history,  and  was  a  soldier  in  1812,  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  was  honorably 
discharged.  George  H.  also  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  and  worked  for  many 
years  with  his  father.  After  his  father's  death,  he  worked  at  the  trade  until  1865, 
when  he  settled  on  a  farm  of  136  acres  in  Deerfield,  where  he  still  resides  In  1846 
he  married  Jane  A.  Hicks,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  George  H.,  Earl  S.,  Eliza- 
beth, Curtis  (deceased),  Clarence  and  William  S.  Mrs.  Grossman  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1892.     Mr.  Grossman  was  justice  three  years,  and  assessor  nine  years. 

Wells,  Chester  A.,  was  born  near  where  he  now  resides,  February  8,  1825,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Emily  (Ward)  Wells,  who  came  from  Connecticut  to  Trenton  about  1808, 
and  their  children  were  Samuel  H.  and  Chester  A.  Mr.  Wells  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  served  as  musician  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  located  at  Sackett's  Harbor. 
He  died  at  seventy-seven  years  of  age.     Chester  A.   married  Laurie  A.  Gitteau,  by 


216  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

whom  he  had  four  children:  Laurie  E.,  Julia  E.,  Francis  E.,  and  Charles  E.  His 
second  wife  was  Harriet  M.  Mcintosh,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Francis  E., 
Julia  E.,  and  Harriet  M.  He  was  engaged  in  dairy  farming  and  live  stock,  and  has 
been  treasurer  of  Trenton  Grange,  of  which  he  is  a  member. 

Putnam,  Charles  S.,  was  born  in  Schoharie  county,  November  17,  1823,  son  of 
Sewell  and  Rebecca  (Shepard)  Putnam,  who  settled  in  Oneida  county  about  1825. 
Their  children  were  Albert,  Louisa,  Mandy,  Sevina,  Henry,  Elizabeth,  Charles  S., 
George,  Alfred,  and  Ann.  In  early  life  Mr.  Putnam  was  engaged  in  harnessmaking 
and  butchering,  but  the  latter  part  in  farming  and  dealer  of  live  stock.  Charles  S. 
Putnam  married  Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Col.  David  Hugh,  by  whom  he  has 
eight  children:  Alfred  E.,  Charles  Frederick,  Ellsworth,  Elmer,  Cora  M.,  Mary, 
Harvey  R.  and  Rebecca.  Mr.  Putnam  left  home  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  started 
as  a  cabinetmaker.  He  has  traveled  extensively  in  the  West,  where  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  mining  and  farming.  In  1872  he  returned  to  Oneida,  where  he  has  since 
lived.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Trenton  Grange. 

Wolcott,  Julius  O.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  January  10,  1837,  . 
son  of  Walter  and  Adaline  (Brainerd)  Wolcott.  Walter  Wolcott  was  a  native  of 
Trenton,  and  his  father  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town.  Mr.  Wolcott  was  born 
June  6,  1809.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  and  was  active  in  church  work,  being  a 
deacon  in  the  Baptist  church.  He  died  May  1,  1881.  Mrs.  Adeline  Wolcott  was  born 
June  7,  1814,  and  died  April  29,  1889.  Mr.  Wolcott  was  captain  in  the  State  militia, 
and  his  children  were  Olive  C  ,  wife  of  Archibald  Wells;  Julius  O.,  and  Henry  B. 
Julius  O.  married  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Hopkins)  Sheldon. 
He  is  a  member  of  Trenton  Grange. 

Pittock,  Lewis,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  May  18,  1858,  .son  of  William  and 
Margaret  Pittock.  William  Pittock  was  a  son  of  William  Pittock,  who  came  from 
England  with  his  family  in  1829.  Their  children  were  Mary  Walker,  Sarah  Johnson, 
and  William.  William,  jr.,  married  Margaret,  Smallenberger,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children:  William  D.,  Charles,  Catherine  Schrider,  Jacob,  and  Lewis.  William, 
jr.,  was  a  farmer,  also  a  mason.  Lewis  Pittcock  married  Libbie,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  Mosier,  of  Trenton,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Winneford 
and  Clara  M.  Mr.  Pittock  is  a  natural  mechanic  and  carpenter.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Holland  Patent  Grange. 

Woodbridge,  Edward,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. , 
September  23,  1834,  son  of  Edwin  aud  Sally  Woodbridge,  whose  children  were 
Charles,  Harriet,  Mary,  John,  Edward,  Nancy,  deceased,  and  Sarah.  Edwin  Wood- 
bridge  was  a  son  of  John,  who  was  killed  by  a  tree  in  1804,  two  years  after  he  settled 
in  the  county.  John  Woodbridge  jr.,  was  born  February  12,  1832,  and  married 
Lucy  A.,  daughter  of  Henry  Baker,  by  whom  he  has  one  child.  Lulu  A.  Edward 
and  John  both  live  on  the  homestead  and  follow  farming.  John  Woodbridge  and 
daughter  are  members  of  Trenton  Grange. 

Perkins,  William,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  March  3,  1823,  son 
of  Elam  and  Annie  (Merriam)  Perkins.  Elam  Perkins  commenced  life  as  a  pioneer 
and  general  farmer,  and  was  a  natural  mechanic  and  carpenter.  He  was  assessor 
of  Trenton  fifteen  years  and  supervisor  one  term.     His  children  were  William,  and 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  217 

Louise,  wife  of  George  Egert.  The  grandparents,  George  and  Lt:cy  Perkins,  came 
from  Connecticut  and  settled  in  Trenton  about  1808.  Their  children  were  Jabez, 
Daniel,  James,  and  Ellen.  William  Perkins  married  Helen  H.,  daughter  of  William 
and  Dorcas  Broadwell,  by  whom  he  has  two  children :  Annie,  wife  of  Beeman  Os- 
good;  and  Emerette,  wife  of  R.  W.  Nuthull.  Mr.  Perkins  is  very  active  in  town 
affairs,  having  been  assessor  of  the  town  for  the  past  thirty-six  years  in  succession. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  300  acres,  and  is  also  owner  of  Perkins  House,  a  summer  resort 
where  many  prominent  people  spend  their  summers. 

Owen,  John  C,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Steuben,  N.  Y.,  February  21,  1829,  son  of 
Owen  and  Mary  Owen,  and  he  settled  in  this  county  in  1820.  Mrs.  Mary  Owen  was 
a  son  of  Richard  and  Susan  Jones,  who  came  from  Wales  and  settled  in  the  town  of 
Steuben  about  1801,  and  their  children  were  Richard,  John,  Mary,  and  Isaac.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Owens's  children  were  John  C.  and  Charles,  who  resides  on  the  homestead 
in  Steuben.  John  C.  married  Charlotte  E.,  daughter  of  Wilber  Shaw.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  owning  1,000  acres,  and  also  cheese  manufacturing.  He  was 
supervisor  of  Steuben  two  years  and  justice  of  the  peace  for  one  term.  He  was  also 
president  of  Trenton  village  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Remsen  F.  &  A.  M. 
No.  677,  also  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Grange  No.  635  of  Trenton.  Owen's  brothers  and 
sisters  were  Humphrey,  Elizabeth,  Robinson,  John  W.,  Thomas  and  Kittie  Hughes. 

Nolton,  Charles  F.,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  September  14, 
1847,  son  of  Daniel  and  Angeline  Nolton,  who  came  from  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y.,  about  1834.  Daniel  Nolton  married  Catherine  Burrill,  by  whom  he  had  six 
children:  Henry,  Mary,  Catherine,  George,  Daniel  and  Jennie.  He  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Angeline  H.  Fox,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Clara,  Julia  and 
Charles  F. ,  also  one  adopted  child,  Robert  C.  Mr.  Nolton  was  a  public  spirited  man 
and  contributed  liberally  to  education.  He  donated  the  bell  on  the  chapel  of  Ham- 
ilton College,  and  was  also  a  worker  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  church.  Charles  F. 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Pattingill,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Frank  P. 
and  Julia.  His  second  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Christian  Nieman.  He  is  a 
member  and  trustee  of  the  Holland  Patent  church,  and  is  also  actively  interested  in 
educational  affairs.  His  son  Frank  is  now  attending  Hamilton  College,  at  Clinton, 
N.  Y. 

Frame,  William  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  October  25,  1858,  son 
of  vSolomon  and  Olive  (Wheeler)  Frame.  Solomon  Wheeler  came  from  Jefferson 
county  about  1838;  he  married  a  daughter  of  Schuyler  Wheeler,  who  came  from 
Herkimer  county  about  1800,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Schuyler,  William  L., 
and  two  infants,  deceased.  He  was  a  farmer  and  actively  interested  in  town  and 
county  affairs  and  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church.  William  L.  Frame  married 
Ella,  daughter  of  James  Weston,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  George  W.,  Reba, 
Ethel,  and  Genivra.  He  is  also  a  farmer  and  is  master  of  Trenton  Grange,  No. 
635,  in  which  he  has  been  very  active,  having  served  as  lecturer,  treasurer,  commer- 
cial secretary,  etc. 

Edwards,  John  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Remsen,  N.  Y.,  May  6,  1848,  son  of 
John  and  Ellen   Edwards,  who  settled  in   Oneida  county  about  1825.     He  married 
Susan  A.,  a  daughter  of  Luther  G.  and  Esther  MiUington,  residents  of  Prospect,  by 
bb 


218  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

whom  he  had  one  son,  Luther  M.,  who  married  Juha  Sweet,  of  Oriskany.  Mr.  Ed- 
ward.s  started  for  himself  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  as  a  farmer  and  school  teacher, 
which  he  continued  for  six  years,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  man- 
facture  of  cheese.  He  is  also  interested  in  farming  and  insurance.  He  is  a  member 
of  Prospect  Lodge  No.  221,  L  O.  R.  M.,  and  was  its  first  secretary.  He  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Trenton  and  town  clerk  of  the  town  of  Russia,  Herkmier 
county,  N.  Y. 

Dodge,  William  P.,  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  February  4,  1843,  son  of 
Gilbert  and  Marietta  Dodge,  who  settled  in  the  town  of  Trenton  in  1847,  and  their 
children  were  William  P.  and  Harriet.  William  P.  married  Mary  (deceased),  daugh- 
ter of  Evan  Owens,  of  Remsen,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Frank  (deceased).  He 
married  for  his  second  wife  Jennie  F. ,  daughter  of  Lorenzo  D.  Mealus,  of  Pros- 
pect, N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Glenn  P.  Mr.  Dodge  first  started  in  business 
with  his  father  in  general  merchandise  business.  In  1876  he  bought  the  Union 
Hotel,  which  he  conducted  for  five  years.  In  1881  he  was  appointed  State  game 
protector,  and  was  also  appointed  postmaster  of  the  Assembly,  and  financial  clerk  of 
the  Assembly  for  five  years.  In  1894-5  he  was  financial  clerk  of  the  Senate.  He 
belongs  to  Remsen  F.  &  A.  M.,  Trenton  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  I.  O.  R.  M.  of  Prospect  and 
was  its  first  sachem,  and  also  the  Oneida  Chapter  of  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Brown,  Charles  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  January  8,  1845,  son 
of  Oliver  and  Almira  (daughter  of  Eli  Mitchell  of  the  town  of  Ava)  Brown.  Oliver 
Brown  was  born  January  24,  1810,  in  Stonington,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  Trenton 
about  1880,  marrying  seven  years  later.  His  children  were  Henry  (deceased), 
Charles  A.,  and  Mary  A.  He  was  farmer  by  occupation.  Charles  A.  married 
Helen  M.,  a  daughter  of  Ammi  and  Susan  Mallory,  who  were  residents  of  the  town 
of  Trenton.  Mr.  ,and  Mrs.  Brown  have  one  child,  Abbie  M.  Mr.  Brown  was 
formerly  director  and  treasurer  of  Trenton  Union  Agricultural  Society  and  a  mem- 
ber of  Holland  Patent  Grange. 

Bagg,  Asahel  S. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  May  17,  1849,  son  of 
Albert  C.  and  Mary  Maria  Bagg.  His  grandfather,  Abner  Bagg,  was  an  early 
settler  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  Albert  G.  w-as  born  April  20,  1813,  and  was  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1865  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  and  was  the  first 
in  this  section  to  introduce  steam  in  its  manufacture,  and  also  invented  machinery 
for  its  manufacture.  He  died  December  6,  1875.  His  children  were  Albert  G.,  jr., 
Asahel  S.,  Frank  P.  and  John  C.  Asahel  S.  married  Kate  M.,  daughter  of  Leonard 
G.  Savage,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Grace  M.,  J.  Curtis,  and  Albert  S.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  the  Holland  Patent  Academy,  also  of  Remsen  Lodge 
F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  677.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
cheese,  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  to  the  present  time  w'ith  farming. 

Storm,  Arthur  C,  born  August  30,  1872,  in  Florence,  Oneida  county,  is  a  son  of 
William  J.  Storm,  who  was  born  there  in  1820.  William  J.  is  a  retired  merchant, 
and  has  served  as  postmaster,  town  clerk,  etc.  He  married  Sarah  McFern,  and 
their  children  are  Andrew  J.,  of  Watertown ;  Lincoln  A.,  of  Utica;  Lucy  (Mrs.  H. 
S.  Owens),  of  Williamstown,  Oswego  county ;  Lina  (Mrs.  Fred  Osborne),  of  Camden ; 
Lizzie,  of  Florence;  and  Arthur  C,  of  Utica.     Arthur  C.  Storm  was  educated  in  the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  219 

public  and  high  schools  of  Florence  and  was  graduated  from  the  Rochester  Business 
University  in  1890.  He  was  bookkeeper  and  manager  for  John  F.  Clark,  general 
merchant  of  Florence,  till  the  spring  of  1893,  when  he  came  to  Utica  and  started  his 
present  business  as  a  dealer  in  g.oceries  and  provisions.  In  1896  he  built  a  com- 
modious block  on  the  corner  of  Bleeker  and  Milgate  streets.  He  is  a  member  of 
Skenandoa  Lodge,  I.  O.  C).  F. 

Mclncrovv,  William  J.,  son  of  Thomas,  and  grandson  of  Walter  and  Catharine 
Mclncrow,  was  born  in  Utica,  February  4,  1855.  His  grandparents  came  to  America 
from  Tipperary,  Ireland,  about  1825,  and  very  soon  afterward  settled  on  afarmin  Deer- 
field,  Oneida  county,  where  Catherine  died  in  1829  and  Walter  in  1839.  Thomas  Mcln- 
crow came  to  Utica  and  died  here  in  1855.  He  married  Mary  Hughes,  who  with 
five  children  still  survives.  William  Mclncrow  attended  the  Christian  Brothers  school 
and  the  Utica  Free  Academy,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1872.  He  engaged 
in  various  occupations,  and  at  the  age  of  twent}'  years  entered  the  dry  goods  house 
of  E.  T.  Manning  &  Co.  In  April,  1895,  he  established  his  present  business  as 
a  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  garments  for  ladies,  including  cloaks,  suits,  furs,  etc.,  and 
which  is  known  as  a  "  specialty  store." 

Baker,  Charles  F.,  was  born  October  16,  1840,  in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  and  is  a 
son  of  Warren  and  Mary  A.  (Sheldon)  Baker.  His  grandfather,  Elnathan  Baker,  came 
to  Marcy  from  Connecticut  at  a  very  early  day  and  died  about  1855.  Warren  Baker 
was  born  in  Marcy  in  1809  and  died  in  1887.  He  was  a  farmer.  His  first  wife  died 
in  1854.  They  had  five  children:  Charles  P.,  of  Utica;  Silas  J.,  of  Stittville,  Oneida 
county;  Laura  F.  (Mrs.  William  G.  Spence)  of  Stittville;  Edgar  A.,  of  Utica;  and 
Fred  S.  of  Canastota.  He  married  second,  Elizabeth  Sheldon,  sister  of  his  first  wife. 
Charles  F.  Baker  was  educated  in  the  district  school  of  Marcy,  and  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  produce  business  in  Stittville,  first  with 
Daniel  Martin  and  later  alone.  He  continued  there  successfully  for  eight  years.  In 
1869  he  came  to  Utica  and  was  a  salesman  for  W.  H.  Scranton  fourteen  years.  In 
1879  he  started  his  present  floral  business  and  since  1881  has  given  it  his  whole  atten- 
tion. He  is  one  of  the  leading  florists  and  gardeners  in  the  city.  In  December  7, 
1862,  he  married  Delany,  daughter  of  Jireh  Martin,  of  Stittville.  She  died  February 
8,  1873,  aged  thirty-one,  leaving  three  children:  Frank  J.,  Angle  N. ,  and  Mary  A. 
He  married,  second,  September  24,  1874,  Helen  L.  Lent,  daughter  of  Abram  Lent 
and  Catherine  Brodock,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  one  child,  Raymond  L. ,  born  April 
24,  1876. 

Stevens,  William  C,  son  of  John  T.  and  grandson  of  Nathan  and  Agnes 
(Summerville)  Stevens,  was  born  in  Utica  January  30,  1844.  His  father  and  grand- 
father came  here  from  near  Troy  about  1818  and  were  for  many  years  extensive  con- 
tractors and  builders.  Their  lineage  is  traced  to  an  early  colonial  period  and  dcfwn 
through  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  New  England.  John  T.  Stevens  married  Eliza, 
daughter  of  William  Hackett,  of  English  descent,  and  both  are  living  in  LTtica,  at 
which  place  and  in  Wisconsin  the  subject  was  educated.  William  C.  Stevens 
enlisted  November  11,  1861,  in  Co.  C,  12th  Wisconsin  Vol.  Inf.,  was  made  commis- 
sary sergeant,  and  was  first  stationed  in  Kansas  under  Gen.  James  Lane.  His 
regiment  joined  Grant's  army  at  Columbus,  Ky. ,  and  participated  in  all  its  battles 


2-20  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

till  after  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  In  1863  it  became  the  Wisconsin  Vet.  Inf., 
and  soon  after  Mr.  Stevens  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  C.  They 
joined  Sherman  at  Rome,  Ga. ,  and  were  in  all  the  engagements  of  the  March  to  the 
Sea.  including  Kenesaw  Mountain,  capture  of  Atlanta,  and  Jonesboro,  and  until 
Johnston  surrendered.  Mr.  Stevens  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  July, 
18G5,  and  discharged  at  Madison,  Wis.,  in  September.  He  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
and  retail  seed  business  there,  and  in  1868  married  Jennie  Jaquish.  In  1872  they 
moved  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  was  connected  with  the  surveyor-general's  office  for 
four  years.  In  1876  he  returned  to  Utica  and  in  1881,  with  F.  M.  Kendrick,  engaged 
in  manufacturing  cigars  and  wholesaling  tobacco.  In  1888  he  formed  with  Robert 
Lockart  the  present  firm  of  Stevens  &  Lockart,  which  has  since  conducted  a  large 
and  successful  cigar  and  tobacco  business.  Mr.  Stevens  is  a  Republican  and  a 
member  of  Post  Bacon  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  Imperial  Council,  R.  A.  His  children  are 
Jennie  Isabelle  (Mrs.  William  H.  Carpenter),  Mary  Eliza,  and  John  William,  all  of 
Utica. 

Owen,  William  E.,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Oswestry,  on  the  border  between 
Wales  and  England,  October  25, 1844,  and  came  to  America  with  his  father,  Thomas, 
and  brother  in  1851.  The  family  settled  in  Utica,  where  the  father  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  and  died  in  1855.  Mr.  Owen  first  became  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  in 
New  York  city  and  was  employed  in  the  pistol  factory  in  Utica  during  the  war.  He 
then  spent  a  year  in  Great  Britain,  and  in  June,  1866,  entered  the  employ  of  Owen  & 
Griffith,  flour,  grain,  butter,  cheese  dealers  on  the  corner  of  Liberty  and  Seneca 
streets;  he  bought  out  the  interest  of  Mr.  Griffith  in  1870,  and  the  firm  continued  as 
W.  M.  Owen  &  Company,  until  January  1,  1889,  when  W.  E.  Owen  became  sole 
owner.  In  1871  he  married  Margaret  M.  Jones,  daughter  of  Andrew  Jones,  of  York- 
ville,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  July,  1893,  leaving  three  children:  Frederick  W.,  Augusta, 
and  Frances  G. 

Drummond,  John,  was  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  January  25,  1844,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  with  his  parents  when  a  year  old.  first  locating  near  Gloversville, 
Fulton  county,  N.  Y.,  but  in  1847  moved  to  New  London,  N.  Y.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools.  He  followed  the  canal  eighteen  years,  but  is  now  a  farmer 
and  horse  breeder,  Morgan  Hunter  and  Hambletonian  strains.  He  has  a  stock 
horse,  Fo.xie  Lambert,  seven  years  old,  and  several  colts.  March  1,  1866.  he  married 
Emily  Wilmot,  of  the  town  of  V^ienna,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Jennie  E., 
John,  Chauncey,  and  William.  Jennie  E.  married  Porter  B.  Tuttle,  of  the  town  of 
Rome.  John  married  Minnie  Bates,  of  this  town,  and  they  have  three  children: 
Harry,  Bertie,  and  Edith.  Mr.  Drummond's  father,  William  Drummond,  was  born 
at  the  old  home  in  Scotland  about  1821.  He  married  Lillie  Lauther,  of  his  native 
place,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  James,  John  L.,  as  above,  William,  Thomas, 
and  Catherine.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1845,  and  Mr.  Drummond  died 
in  1893  and  his  wife  in  1889.  Mrs.  Drummond's  father,  Luther  Wilmot,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Vienna  about  1813.  He  married  Caroline  Brodock,  of  his  native  town, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Julia,  Chauncy,  William,  Emily,  as  above,  Adeline, 
and  Josephine,  Mr.  Wilmot  died  in  1875,  and  his  wife  December  28,  1895.  Mr. 
Drummond's  father  and  two  brothers  were  soldiers  in  the  late  war.     He  also  sent  a 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  221 

thousand  dollar  substitute.     The    ancestry  of  the  family  on  the  paternal  side  is 
Scotch,  and  on  the  maternal  side,  New  England  stock,  of  English  extraction. 

Newell,  George  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  in  1840,  son  of 
Abel  Newell,  who  was  born  in  1800.  Abel  Newell  died  in  1861  in  the  house  built  by 
his  grandfather,  Theron  Newell,  long  before  the  beginning  of  this  century,  and  the 
family  taking  an  actjve  interest  in  all  local  affairs,  had  much  to  do  with  the  devel- 
opment of  the  town.  George  S.  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  owns  a  dairy 
farm  of  130  acres.  In  1866  he  married  Elizabeth  Roberts,  who  died  in  1879,  leaving 
two  sons:  George  A.  and  Charles  O.  In  1885  he  married  his  present  wife,  Sarah  J. 
Roberts. 

Wetherell,  Thomas  G.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  September  4,  1838,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Bailey)  Wetherell.  Thomas  Wetherell  was  born  in  England, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1830.  He  settled  in  Kirkland,  and  built  the  dam 
for  the  factory,  and  then  settled  in  Whitestown,  where  he  died  in  1871  aged  seventy 
years.  He  was  a  noted  Democrat  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party. 
Thomas  G.  was  educated  in  the  Delany  Institute  at  Westmoreland,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  at  which  he  still  continues.  He  has  always  been  identified  as  one 
of  the  representative  farmers  of  the  town.  He  has  a  fine  brick  residence,  which  is 
considered  the  finest  farm  house  in  the  township.  He  married  Amanda  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  and  Maria  Noble,  of  Rome,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Carrie  J., 
married  to  William  H.  Posthill  of  Syracuse ;  M.  Nettie,  married  to  James  W.  Post- 
hill  of  Syracuse;  and  George  E.,  of  Whitestown,  married  Margaret  Cunningham  of 
Londonderry. 

Davies,  Morris  J.,  M.D.,  was  born  in  Plainfield,  Otsego  county,  January  18,  1865, 
being  a  son  of  David  and  Margaret  (Richards)  Davies,  who  in  1879,  moved  with 
their  family  to  Paris,  Oneida  county,  whence  they  removed  in  1887  to  Waterville, 
Oneida  county,  where  they  still  reside.  Mr.  Davies  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Plainfield  and  Cassville  and  at  West  Winfield  Academy,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  Utica  Business  College  in  1886.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  teach- 
ing school  and  he  taught  for  five  years  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  education.  In 
the  fall  of  1886  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  A.  Moors,  of  West  Win- 
field,  N.  Y.,  and  later  studied  under  Dr.  T.  Z.  Jones,  of  Waterville.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  (medical  department  of  Colum- 
bia College)  New  York  city,  June  11,  1890,  and  on  August  1  of  that  year  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica.  Dr.  Davies  is  a  member  of  the  <  )neida 
County  Medical  Society,  and  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library  Association,  and  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Utica  Medical  Club,  of  which  he  was  secretary  and  treasurer 
from  1893  to  1895  and  president  from  March,  189^,  to  March,  1896..  Is  a  member  of 
the  staff  of  physicians  to  Faxton  Hospital.  He  is  a  member  and  past  chancellor  of 
Samuel  Read  Lodge  No.  378,  K.  P.,  a  member  of  Utica  City  Division  No.  4,  Uniform 
Rank,  K.P.,  and  surgeon  on  the  colonel's  staff  (2d  Regiment)  with  rank  of  major.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Imperial  Council  No.  70,  R.  A.,  and  a  member  and  court  physi- 
cian of  Court  Fort  Schuyler  No.  1510,  I.  O.  of  F.  October  27,  1891,  he  married 
Mina  M.,  daughter  of  William  H.  Parkhurst,  of  West  Winfield,  and  they  have  two 
children :  Margaret  Louise  and  Stanley  Parkhurst. 


222  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dodge,'  Jesse  E.,  son  of  the  late  Hiram,  was  born  in  Graefenberg,  Herkimer 
county,  N.  Y.,  January  4,  1864,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  of  Utica  and  at  the  Utica  Business  College.  He  was  for  six  years  in  the 
employ  of  M.  M.  Northrup,  manufacturer  of  candies,  of  Utica,  and  on  February  3, 
1885,  entered  the  employ  of  Newell  &  Rowe,  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  paints, 
wall  paper,  window  glass,  etc.  He  remained  with  them  and  their  successors, 
Newell,  Rowe  &  Rathbun,  Newell  &  Rathbun,  and  J.  W.  Rathbim  as  bookkeeper, 
until  December  1,  1893,  when  the  establishment  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Rathbun 
died  soon  afterward,  and  January  1,  1894,  Mr.  Dodge  formed  a  partnership  with  E. 
J.  Snyder,  under  the  firm  name  of  Dodge  &  Snyder,  purchased  the  business,  and 
has  since  continued  with  success. 

Ellinwood,  Reuben  C,  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  July  20,  1827, 
son  of  Capt.  Reuben  Ellinwood,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  came  to  the 
town  of  Kirkland,  then  a  part  of  Pans,  with  his  father,  Hanania  Ellinwood,  where 
they  cleared  a  farm  on  which  Reuben  C.  now  resides.  Reuben  Ellinwood  married 
Eunice  Hart,  and  Reuben  C.  is  the  youngest  of  fourteen  children,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.     He  now  owns  a  fine  farm  of  100  acres. 

Cleveland,  Charles  P.,  son  of  Daniel  was  born  in  Hartford,  Washington  county, 
N.Y. ,  Augu.st  4,  1845.  His  grandfather,  Horace  Cleveland,  of  Warren  county,  N.Y., 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  died  upwards  of  ninety  years  of  age.  Daniel 
Cleveland  married  Alameda  Dickinson,  whose  grandfathers,  Thomas  Dickinson  and 
Mr.  Stockwell,  served  in  the  Revolution.  She  died  in  ITtica  July  4,  1893.  He  is  a 
carpenter  and  came  to  Utica  in  1855.  Charles  F.  Cleveland  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Utica,  learned  the  trade  of  marble  cutting  at  the  age  of  fifteen  with 
R.  C.  Dodge  and  remained  with  him  until  1861.  On  Maj'  3  of  that  year  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  C,  26th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  Col.  William  H.  Christian,  and  served  till  May  23,  1863, 
being  honorably  discharged  in  Utica.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
September  17,  1862,  and  was  in  the  general  hospital,  Patterson  Park,  Baltimore, 
about  two  months  when  he  returned  to  his  regiment.  He  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  August  9,  1862;  Rappahannock  Station,  August,  1862; 
Thoroughfare  Gap,  second  Bull  Run,  Chautilly,  South  Mountain,  Md.,  Antietam, 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  and  numerous  skirmishes,  and  was  presented  with 
a  handsome  medal  by  Congress  for  gallantry  at  Antietam,  Md.,  September  17,  1862, 
for  volunteering  to  carry  the  colors  through  the  fight  and  saving  them.  Returning 
from  the  war,  he  resumed  his  trade  and  on  June  1,  1874,  was  appointed  patrolman 
on  the  police  force.  He  was  promoted  sergeant  in  May,  1882,  detective  September 
1,  1877,  and  still  holds  the  latter  position.  He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  and  Fort  Schuyler  Council  R.  A.,  an:':  is  a  charter 
member  of  Post  John  F.  McQuade,  No.  14,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Exempt  Firemen's  Association  and  of  the  26th  Regiment  Veterans'  Association,  and  a 
charter  member  of  the  40  Rounds  Veterans'  Association.  In  1865  he  married  Cath- 
erine Teresa,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Burns,  of  Utica,  and  their  children  are 
Joseph  F. ,  Charles  F,,  jr.,  (died  in  1872),  James  V.,  and  Grover. 

Martin,  Asa  F.,  was  born  January  14,  1861,  in  Whitesboro,  Oneida  county,  where 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  223 

his  father,  Martin  Fitch  Martin,  still  resides.  The  latter  came  there  from  Salem, 
Washington  county,  about  18~)0,  and  for  several  years  was  a  proprietor  of  a  stage 
line  between  Utica  and  Whitesboro  and  Westmoreland,  and  later  had  a  livery  stable 
Mr.  Martin  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  seminary  of  his  native  village  and 
in  Utica,  engaged  in  the  liverj^  business  with  his  father,  under  the  firm  name  of  M. 
F.  Martin  &  Son,  from  1888  to  1893,  and  in  the  latter  year  came  to  Utica  and  pur- 
chased of  his  uncle,  Pliny  F.  Martin,  the  Mansion  Stables  in  Fayette  street.  P.  F. 
Martin  built  this  establishment  about  1877.  In  October,  1881,  Asa  F.  Martin  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  James  H.  Peek,  of  New  York  Mills. 

Brownell,  Jonathan,  was  born  in  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  July  29,  1844.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  August  11,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  D,  134th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  was  in  Fredericksburg  battles,  Chancellorsville 
and  Gettysburg,  where  he  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  taken  prisoner  and  paroled  on 
the  field,  was  then  transferred  to  the  Western  army,  and  was  with  General  Sherman 
in  his  march  to  the  sea,  also  participated  at  the  close  of  the  war  in  the  grand  march 
through  Washington.  He  was  honorably  discharged  June  22.  1865.  In  1867  he 
married  Catherine  Hawley,  who  died  in  1868,  and  in  1871  he  married  for  his  .second 
wife,  Hannah  M.  Dygert,  of  Oneida,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  John  A., 
Flora  E.,  Edith  M.,  Susie  R.,  George  L..  William  T.  S.,  and  Earl  J.  Flora  E.  mar- 
ried Harvey  Renwick,  of  Blossville,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ethel  M.  Mr. 
Brownell's  father,  Jonathan  Brownell,  was  born  in  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1810,  and 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  married  Mary  A.  Ostrander,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  Nancy,  Robert,  and  Jonathan,  as  above.  Mrs.  Brownell  died 
December  5,  1845,  and  Mr.  Brownell  in  1894.  Mrs.  Brownell's  father,  John  Dygert, 
was  born  at  Fort  Plain,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  m  1815,  and  came  to  Oneida, 
Madison  county,  with  his  parents,  when  three  years  of  age,  where  his  father  was  killed 
by  the  Indians  in  his  own  doorway.  He  married  Betsey  Phillips,  of  Oneida,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children:  Thomas,  Eliza,  John,  Hannah  M.,  as  above,  and 
Alamanzo.  He  died  in  1887,  and  his  wife  m  1856.  Mrs.  Dygert's  grandfather  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mr.  Brownell  is  a  member  of  Joseph  H.  Warren  Post, 
No.  615,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices  with  the  exception  of 
chaplain. 

Nelbach,  John,  was  born  May  2,  1826,  in  Cologne,  Germany,  and  learned  the  trade 
of  cabinetmaker  in  his  native  town.  He  served  as  a  soldier  for  several  years,  both 
before  and  after  the  revolution  of  1848,  and  was  promoted  corporal.  In  1853  he 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Utica  where  he  followed  his  trade  until  the  fall  of 
1854,  when  he  engaged  in  business  on  Genesee  street,  being  one  of  a  corporation  of 
eighteen  members  called  the  Union  Cabinet  Association.  He  was  at  various  times 
its  secretary,  treasurer,  and  vice-president.  Six  years  later  eight  of  the  members 
retired,  and  the  other  eight  continued  under  the  same  firm  name  until  1871,  when  the 
business  was  discontinued.  This  company  manufactured  and  sold  furniture  and 
cabinet  ware,  and  also  conducted  an  undertaking  establishment.  In  1871  Mr. 
Nelbach  and  his  brother,  Peter  J.,  as  Nelbach  &  Co.,  established  a  similar 
business  and  carried  it  on  until  1876,  when  the  firm  dissolved  and  divided  the  stock. 
John  Nelbach  then  started  his  present  business  in  Fayette  street.  He  manufactures 
and  deals  extensively  in  furniture  and  also  does  undertaking.     He  is  a  member  of 


224  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

the  Germania  Industrial  Trial  Association,  and  has  several  times  been  its  president. 
He  is  also  a  member  and  was  formerly  president,  secretary,  treasurer,  etc.,  of  the 
Remmer  Catholic  Benevolent  Society,  is  president  of  St.  Joseph's  Benevolent  Society, 
and  is  ex-president  of  the  Sovereign  Association.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  was  super- 
visor of  the  Sixth  ward  two  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  building  committee  of 
St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  church.  He  is  also  a  member  of  St.  Bonaventure's 
Society  of  St.  Mary's  church,  and  a  prominent  supporter  of  the  foregoing  and  other 
institutions.  June  11,  1853,  he  was  married  in  Cologne,  Germany,  to  Barbara  Dein- 
man,  and  they  have  four  children:  Gertrude  (Mrs.  Inatz  Schoeller),  John  N.,  Charles 
B.,  and  Christina  (deceased).     The  two  sons  are  associated  with  their  father. 

Jenny  &  Nelbach,  manufacturers  of  and  dealers  in  granite  and  marble  monuments, 
became  a  firm  in  1885.  Francis  X.  Jenny,  the  senior  member,  was  born  in  Rankweil, 
Voralberg,  Tyrol,  Germany,  April  18,  1848,  learned  the  trade  of  marble  cutting  in 
his  native  country,  and  came  to  America  in  February,  1869,  settling  in  Utica.  In 
1871  he  started  business  for  himself  in  Boonville,  but  the  following  year  sold  out  and 
established  the  works  in  Utica  which  in  1885  passed  into  the  hands  of  Jenny  &-Nelbach. 
January  31,  1872,  he  married  Anna  Schreck,  of  Utica.  Their  oldest  son  is  Frank  J. 
Jenny  (the  well  known  bicycle  rider).  Joseph  J.  Nelbach  was  born  at  Kerpen,  near 
Cologne,  Germany,  in  1858,  and  came  to  America  in  August,  1872.  He  married 
Josephine,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Anna  Schreck,  of  Utica.  and  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Jenny.  The  firm  of  Jenny  &  Nelbach  is  among  the  leading  manufacturers  of 
statuary,  family  vaults,  art  monuments,  and  sarcophgi,  in  Central  New  York,  and 
has  executed  work  all  over  the  State.  Many  of  their  monuments  are  noteworthy. 
In  Forest  Hill  cemetery,  Utica,  are  the  John  Thorn,  John  Thomas,  George  F. 
Weaver,  Pritchard,  Rutherford,  Hughes.  McMuUeu,  Colling,  Binder,  and  other 
artistic  specimens.  In  St.  Agnes's  are  the  Costello.  Maher,  Ladow,  Father  Daley, 
and  Farrell  monuments,  and  in  St.  Joseph's  may  be  mentioned  those  of  Weiss  and 
Dehs,  George  Windheim,  Helfert,  and  Spath,  and  the  cemetery  cross.  Besides  they 
have  set  up  scores  of  monuments  in  Syracuse,  Canastota,  Higginsville,  Auburn, 
Ithaca,  Clayville,  West  Winfield,  Unadilla  Forks,  Richfield  Springs,  Cooperstown, 
Waterville,  Geneva,  Middleville,  Herkimer,  Richmondville,  Brookfield,  Albany, 
Rochester,  Oswego,  New  York  city,  and  Buffalo,  in  Pennsylvania,  Minnesota,  and 
even  in  Siam,  Asia.  In  fact  many  of  the  cemeteries  within  a  radius  of  500  miles  con- 
tain notable  examples  of  their  work. 

Donnelley,  William  T.,  son  of  Patrick,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  one  of  the  oldest 
Irish  settlers  of  Utica,  was  born  in  Utica,  September  7,  1860,  and  received  a  public 
school  education.  He  followed  the  trade  of  baker  for  seven  years  and  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  for  nine  years,  during  three  of  which  he  was  foreman  of  H.  J.  Hol- 
brook's  shoe  factory.  In  the  spring  of  1895  he  formed  with  his  brother-in-law,  John 
J.  Barry,  the  firm  of  W.  T.  Donnelley  &  Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  gents'  furni.shing 
business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O,  H.,  and  is  somewhat  active  in  Democratic 
politics. 

Clark,  Hiram  G.,  son  of  Hiram  S.  (born  in  Crown  Point,  N.  Y.,  and  moved  to 
Vermont  when  a  young  man),  and  grandson  of  Elam,  was  born  in  Brandon,  Rutland 
county,  Vt.,  August  6,  1843,  was  educated  in  the  public   schools  of  his  native   town' 


i 


« 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  225 

and  in  Brandon  Seminary,  and  taught  school  there  for  three  or  four  terms.  In  1864 
he  went  to  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ,  as  bookkeeper  for  Jacob  Pinkerton  &  Co. ,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1867  came  to  Utica,  where  he  engaged  in  the  same  employment  for  Harrison  Gil- 
more,  a  coal  dealer.  In  1871  he  formed  a  partnership  tinder  the  firm  name  of  H.  G. 
Clark  &  Co.,  which  continued  until  1890,  Mr.  Gilmore  being  an  inactive  partner.  In 
that  year  Mr.  Clark  succeeded  to  the  business  and  in  the  spring  of  1891  formed  a 
partnership  with  T.  L.  German,  as  Clark  &  German,  consolidating  with  his  own  the 
coal  business  of  Hiram  Gilmore  &  Co.,  in  which  Mr.  German  was  interested.  This 
firm  still  continues  and  carries  on  a  large  coal  and  wood  trade.  Mr.  Clark  was  for 
several  years  a  trustee  of  the  First  M.  E.  church.  He  is  now  a  trustee  of  Grace  M. 
E.  church  and  a  trustee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  since  the  erection  of  the  new  building  in 
1888,  and  for  the  past  four  years  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  board. 

Dimbleby,  Wesley,  was  born  September  1,  1838,  in  Oriskany,  Oneida  county,  is  a 
son  of  John,  who  came  to  America  from  England  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  town 
of  Marcy  at  a  very  early  day.  Later  John  Dimbleby  moved  to  Oriskany  village,  and 
in  1865  came  to  Utica,  where  he  died  in  1880.  He  was  a  local  M.  E.  preacher  and  a 
man  highly  respected.  Wesley  Dimbleby  was  educated  at  Oriskany,  and  when  six- 
teen came  to  Utica  and  entered  the  employ  of  A.  E.  Culver's  warehouse  and  canal 
boat  establishment.  Later  he  learned  the  molder's  trade  in  Hart  &  Dagwell's  (now 
Hart  &  Crouse's)  foundry,  where  he  remained  until  April,  23,  1861,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Citizen's  Corps.  At  Albany  he  was  transferred  to  Co.  B,  14th  N.  Y.  Vols., 
was  promoted  corporal,  and  served  two  years  in  the  Rebellion.  He  was  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  and  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  at  Harrison's 
Landing  on  July  25,  1863.  Returning  to  Utica  he  went  to  work  for  Hart  &  Dagwell 
and  remained  there  till  the  shop  was  closed.  In  1858  he  joined  the  old  volunteer  fire 
department  as  a  member  of  Washington  No.  7,  Rough  and  Ready  Hose,  of  which  he 
was  assistant  foreman  and  later  foreman.  In  1866  he  was  elected  chief  engineer  and 
re-elected  until  1874,  when  the  present  fire  department  was  organized.  He  was  at 
once  appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  new  organization  by  the  board  of  police  and 
fire  commissioners  and  has  ever  since  held  that  position  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
both  his  associates  and  the  public  at  large.  Mr.  Dimbleby  is  a  charter  member  of 
Security  Lodge  Knights  of  Honor  and  of  Post  McQuade,  No.  4  G.  A.  R.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association  and  National  Fire  Chief  Engineers, 
and  representative  of  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association. 

Childs,  William  Tapping,  was  born  in  Utica  July  1,  1862.  Lucius  Curtiss  Childs, 
his  father,  was  the  second  child  of  Parker  Morse  and  Sabina  (Robinson)  Child,  and 
was  born  in  Exeter,  Otsego  county,  November  24,  1831.  His  ancestor,  Benjamin 
Child,  came  to  America  from  England  about  1630  and  died  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in 
1678.  A  valuable  family  genealogy,  prepared  b}^  the  late  Reverend  Elias  Child,  of 
Utica,  gives  the  unbroken  lineage  of  his  descendants,  many  of  whom  were  promi- 
nent in  civil,  commercial  and  military  life.  Lucius  C.  Childs  learned  the  trade  of 
printer  and  first  established  himself  in  business  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  where 
he  was  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Boonville  Herald,  a  paper  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  old  Whig  party.  Several  years  later  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Utica, 
where  he  started  a  general  book  and  job  printing  establishment,  which  has  ever 
since  been  successfully  continued  by  the  family.     After  four  years  he  formed  a  part- 


226  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nership  with  his  brother-in-law  Henry  H.  Curtiss,  and  in  1884  the  present  firm  of  L. 
C.  Childs  &  Son  was  organized.  Mr.  Childs  was  a  successful  business  man  and  a 
public  spirited  citizen,  and  died  in  Utica  July  31,  1895.  January  13,  1853,  he  married 
Anna  Jane,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Jane  Tapping,  of  Utica,  who  survives  him.  Their 
children  were  Charles  Parker,  born  October  10,  1854,  died  July  30,  1862;  Alice  Jane, 
born  August  20,  1857;  William  Tapping,  born  July  1.  1862;  and  Carrie  Louise,  born 
December  17,  1867.  William  T.  Childs  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  L.  C.  Childs 
&  Son  in  1884  and  upon  his  father's  death  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the  busi- 
ness which  consists  of  general  printing,  lithographing,  and  blank  book  manufactur- 
ing. In  July,  1882,  he  married  S.  Alice,  daughter  of  John  G.  Fowler,  of  Utica,  and 
their  children  are  Lulu  C,  Mabel  L.  and  Johnson  F. 

Storrs,  William  Mansfield,  was  born  in  Utica  and  is  a  .son  of  Shubael  Storrs  and 
grandson  of  Ebenezer,  who  served  as  a  private  in  Captain  Experience  Storrs's  Com- 
pany, Third  Connecticut  Continental  regiment,  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Shubael 
Storrs  came  to  Utica  from  Mansfield  Conn.,  in  1803.  He  died  July  29,  1847.  Will- 
iam M.  Storrs  was  educated  in  the  Utica  Academy,  and  in  1860  engaged  in  the  fancy 
goods  business,  in  which  he  continued  eighteen  years,  at  71  Genesee  street.  In  1880 
he  took  charge  of  the  office  of  the  American  Express  Company,  a  position  he  has 
since  filled  with  credit  and  ability.  He  has  long  been  a  director  in  the  Utica  and 
Binghamton  Railroad  Company,  and  has  been  prominent  in  many  other  bu.siness 
enterprises  for  the  last  twenty-five  j^ears.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Utica 
Citizens'  Corps  from  1853  to  the  time  of  its  entering  the  N.  Y.  State  Guard,  holdirg 
every  office  in  its  gift.  He  is  a  warden  of  Trinity  Episcopal  church,  and  in  all  mat- 
ters of  a  public  nature  takes  a  lively  interest.  In  1861  he  married  Harriet  L.,  daugh- 
'  ter  of  John  Butterfield,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Utica,  and  they  have  living  four 
children;     Henry  C,  Mrs.  E.  W.  Haslehurst,  E.  Virginia  and  Sophia  B. 

Goodsell,  Lawton  B.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  December  24,  1826,  son  of  Sam- 
uel P.  and  Mercy  (Barker)  Goodsell.  Samuel  P.  Goodsell  was  born  in  Washington 
county  in  1792,  and  moved  to  Westmoreland  about  1802.  His  father,  Jacob  Good- 
sell,  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  township.  Samuel  P.  Goodsell  engaged 
in  the  manufacturing  business,  was  a  farmer,  and  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812,  where  he  was  stationed,  part  of  the  time,  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  His  entire  life 
was  passed  in  the  township  of  Westmoreland,  where  he  died  May  8.  1873,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two.  Mrs.  Goodsell,  his  wife,  was  born  in  1879,  in  Washington  county, 
and  removed  here  with  her  parents  in  1805,  where  she  lived  to  be  ninety  years  old. 
Lawton  B.  Goodsell  was  educated  in  Westmoreland,  and  engaged  in  fanning,  which 
he  still  continues.  He  has  a  fine  farm  of  140  acres  all  under  a  good  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, occupying  one  of  the  most  eligible  locations  in  the  township.  Mr.  Goodsell  is 
a  staunch  Republican,  and  one  of  the  most  active  supporters  of  his  party.  He  has 
been  assessor  of  the  town  thirteen  years.  He  married  Cordelia  Stevens  of  Lewis 
county,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Cornelia  M.,  wife  of  George  Thomas,  who 
died  August  8,  1886,  aged  thirty-one  years,  Ida  M.,  married  to  Menzo  Corey  of 
Deansboro,  N.  Y.,  and  Sarah  M.,  married  to  M.  A.  Shafer  of  Utica.  Mr.  Goodsell 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Baj^tist  church. 

Euin,  Joseph  F.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  son  of  the  late  Joseph   Euin,  who  was 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  227 

born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States,  where  he  engaged  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  business  in  Utica.  He  married  Ann  Daley,  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children:  Mary  A.,  Francis  A.,  Eliza  J.,  Joseph  F.  and  William  T.  J.  F.  Euin  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Utica,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Academy  in  1862.  He 
was  first  employed  by  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company ;  then  as  clerk  in 
the  Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghamton  Railroad  Company's  office,  and  in  1868  was 
appointed  station  and  express  agent  at  Clinton,  where  he  has  remained  up  to  this 
time,  notwithstanding  all  the  changes  of  said  road. 

French,  James  G.,  was  born  in  Whitestown  (now  New  Hartford),  Oneida  county, 
November  9,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of  John  French,  whose  binh  occurred  in  the  same 
house  about  1798.  John  French,  sr.,  grandfather  of  James  G.,  came  here  with  Judge 
Jedediah  Sanger  from  New  Hampshire,  and  settled  in  New  Hartford,  two  and  one- 
half  miles  south  of  Utica.  John,  jr.,  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  citizen  and 
figures  largely  in  the  history  of  the  town  and  vicinity.  He  died  in  1886.  His  wife 
was  Almira,  daughter  of  Robert  Gilmore,  another  early  pioneer  of  New  Hartford, 
and  of  their  thirteen  children  eight  are  living,  viz:  Mrs.  A.  J.  Lord,  Thomas,  Will- 
iam M.,  Henry  C.  and  Daniel,  of  New  Hartford;  James  G.,  of  Utica;  Francis  M., 
of  Morehouseville,  New  York;  and  Mrs.  Abbie  Pendergast,  of  Norwich,  N.  Y.  An- 
other, John,  died  in  1894.  James  G.  French  came  to  Utica  in  July,  1839,  and  has 
ever  since  made  this  city  his  home.  He  read  law  with  Dexter  Gilmore,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  here  in  1847,  and  practiced  his  profession  .successfully  until  about 
1864,  when  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business.  In  1866  he  accepted  a  position  in 
the  county  clerk's  office,  where  he  has  since  remained. 

Wood,  Francis  C,  son  of  George  W.,  was  born  in  Utica  March  8,  1837.  George 
W.  Wood  came  to  LTtica  from  Vermont  about  1834,  engaged  in  the  hardware  and 
foundry  business,  and  died  while  on  a  trip  to  New  York  city  in  1854.  He  was  a 
director  in  the  Bank  of  LTtica  and  a  trustee  and  one  of  the  building  committee  of 
Westminster  church.  Francis  G.  Wood  was  one  of  the  first  graduating  class  of 
what  is  now  the  LTtica  Free  Academy.  He  was  graduated  from  Princeton  University 
in  1858,  pursued  his  legal  studies  at  Columbia  Law  School  in  New  York  city  under 
Professor  Dwight,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1860.  He  became  managing 
clerk  in  the  office  of  Roscoe  Conkling  and  Montgomery  H.  Throop,  and  in  April, 
1861,  was  made  secretary  to  Admiral  Mervine,  who  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  Gulf  Blockading  squadron.  In  the  following  autumn  Admiral  Mervine  was 
recalled  and  Mr.  Wood  returned  to  LTtica,  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Thomas  R. 
Walker,  and  practiced  his  profession  with  success  for  several  years.  In  1864,  with 
E.  A.  Wood,  he  organized  the  Utica  Steam  Gauge  Company,  from  which  he  withdrew 
in  1882.  He  had  become  interested  in  the  organization  of  the  American  District 
Telegraph  Company,  and  later  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Central  New  York 
Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company,  of  which  he  became  a  director  and  the  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Bethany  Presbyterian  church  and  since  1861  (a  period  of  forty  years) 
superintendent  of  its  Sunday  school,  a  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Home  for  the 
Homeless,  a  trustee  of  the  Utica  Female  Academy  and  of  the  Utica  Cemetery  Asso- 
ciation, and  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills, 
and   the   Skenandoa    Cotton    Company.       In    September,    1864,    he   married    Mary 


228  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

H.,   daughter  of  E.    M.  Gilbert,  of  Utica,  and  their  children  living  are  Sarah  G., 
George  W.,  and  Anna  G. 

Douglass,  William,  was  born  in  Forfarshire,  Scotland,  October  8,  1831,  son  of 
Charles  and  Catherine  Douglass.  Charles  Douglass  died  in  1861,  and  Mrs.  Douglass 
died  in  1884.  William  Douglass  was  educated  partly  in  Scotland  and  partly  in 
Canada.  He  came  to  New  York  Mills  in  1855,  and  engaged  in  dyeing,  at  which  he 
continues.  Mr.  Douglass  is  boss  dyer  in  No.  3  mill,  which  position  he  has  held 
a  number  of  years,  being  one  of  the  oldest  employees  of  the  company.  He  married 
Mary  Agnew,  daughter  of  Ale.xander  Agnew,  of  Belfast,  County  Antrim,  Ireland, 
and  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Jennie,  Isabel,  and  W.  A.  Douglass,  who  is  a 
lawyer  in  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Hitchcock,  Albert,  was  born  at  Lebanon  Springs,  Columbia  county,  March  9,  1848, 
son  of  Julius  V.  and  Delia  Hitchcock.  Julius  Hitchcock  was  born  in  1807,  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  sheep  raising,  and  he  moved  to  Whitestown  in  1850  and  con- 
ducted a  farm  of  125  acres.  He  w^as  commissioner  of  highways  several  terms,  and 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party,  in  which  he  was  a 
staunch  Democrat.  Albert  Hitchcock  was  educated  in  the  Whitestown  Seminary, 
from  which  he  was  graduated.  He  was  for  sixteen  years  proprietor  of  the  Whites- 
town  and  Utica  Express.  He  was  for  two  years  conductor  on  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad,  and  is  now  one  of  the  firm  of  the  Central  Coal  Company  of  Whitesboro. 
Mr.  Hitchcock  owns  the  old  Wetmore  homestead,  and  this  celebrated  residence  is  110 
years  old.  There  is  on  this  property  a  spring,  out  of  which  the  Marquis  de  La  Fay- 
ette drank  when  he  was  serving  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr.  Hitchcock  married 
Elizabeth  Wetmore  of  Whitestown,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Clarence  W.,  a  drug- 
gist in  Newark,  N.  J.  Mr.  Hitchcock  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  chvirch  at  Whitesboro. 

Scott,  W.  J.,  was  born  July  28,  1823,  son  of  Marvin  and  Julia  M.  (Ives)  Scott,  and 
his  grandfather  was  Amos  Scott.  His  grandfather  on  his  mother's  side  came  to 
Bridgewater  in  1793,  and  with  his  cousin,  Jesse  Ives,  were  the  first  settlers  in  the 
town.  W.  J.  Scott  has  been  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the 
most  extensive  owners  of  farm  land  in  Central  New  York ;  his  farm  aggregating 
1,250  acres,  625  of  which  are  on  one  block  surrounding  the  homestead.  The  old 
Masonic  lodge  erected  100  years  ago  now  stands  on  his  land.  Mr.  Scott  is  full  of 
anecdotes  and  good  stories  of  the  old  times,  when  the  now  fertile  fields  were  a  wilder- 
ness. He  is  a  strong  Republican,  and  very  patriotic  to  his  party.  In  1865  he  estab- 
lished Scott's  Bank  in  Bridgewater,  and  conducted  it  successfully  for  fourteen  years, 
when  his  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  it.  In  1847  he  married  Emeline  Munn, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children :  Anna,  now  Mrs.  S.  T.  Meservey,  of  Fort  Dodge,  la. , 
Lizzie,  now  Mrs.  Charles  G.  Wood,  of  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  and  Dayton  M.  Scott,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Bridgewater, 

Beebee,  Edward  B.,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  March  11,  1845,  and  with  his 
parents  removed  to  Oneida  in  1860.  His  father,  Galutia  Beebee,  was  born  in  Brook- 
field,  Madison  county,  February  18,  1828,  and  is  a  sash  and  blind  maker  by  trade 
and  has  continued  to  reside  in  Oneida  since  his  removal  there  in  1860.  His  wife, 
Louisa   H.    Brown,    born  in  Brookfield,    July  14,  1826.     Edward    B.    attended  the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  229 

Oneida  public  schools  and  afterwards  the  Oneida  Seminar3^  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  entered  the  office  of  the  "Democratic  Union"  and  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  and  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  since  in  connection  with  that  estab- 
lishment, at  present  acting  as  foreman.  In  1883  he  bought  a  market  gardening  farm 
at  Oneida  Castle,  where  he  has  since  resided,  carrying  on  that  industry  in  connec- 
tion with  his  business  in  Oneida.  Mr.  Beebee  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  on  that 
ticket  has  been  elected  three  times  president  of  the  village,  which  office  he  now  holds, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  January  37,  1875,  he  married 
Mary  A.  Tefft,  an  accomplished  young  lady,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Almon  and 
Ann  H.  Tefft,  formerly  of  Stockbridge,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Beebe  has  ever 
been  a  helpful  adviser  and  an  exemplary  wife  and  mother;  her  ever  kind  and  cautious 
advice  has  had  much  to  do  with  her  husband's  success,  and  her  children  are  living 
testimonials  of  her  careful  and  chi-istianlike  training  She  was  born  January  34, 
1858,  near  Waterville,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  have  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing: Harry  E.,  born  May  5,  1878;  Francis  C,  born  May  30,  1880;  Susie  B.,  born 
December  7,  1883;  A.  Louisa,  born  June  38,  1888;  S.  Maxon,  born  November  12, 
1889;  C.  Ray,  born  September  9,  1894.  The  family  circle  has  once  been  broken  by 
the  death  of  the  second  daughter  who  was  an  unusually  bright  child,  whose  death 
occurred  at  the  age  of  five  months.  Harry  E.,  the  oldest  son,  is  an  ardent  student 
and  is  preparing  himself  for  a  teacher.  Mr.  Beebee  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  the  aifairs  and  improvements  of  the  village  and  energetic  in  the  work  of  im- 
provement of  the  public  schools  under  his  supervision.  He  has  one  sister,  Carrie 
A.,  who  was  born  April  10,  1868,  and  is  living  at  home  with  her  parents  in  Oneida; 
she  is  unmarried  and  is  an  expert  dressmaker,  which  occupation  she  is  at  present 
engaged  in. 

Lane,  A.  V.,  was  born  in  Vienna,  N.  Y. ,  September  23,  1862,  son  of  William  and 
Salome  (Dunton)  Lane.  His  father  was  a  lumber  merchant,  and  Mr.  Lane  was  early 
associated  with  that  business.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  a  can  maker  at  Cam 
den,  and  after  working  at  several  different  places,  including  Chicago  and  St.  Louis 
in  the  west,  and  Rome  in  this  county,  he  came  to  Sauquoit  in  1893,  and  superin- 
tended the  building  of  the  canning  factory  and  warehou.se  at  Sauquoit,  and  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  business  since.  In  1887  he  married  Emma  Mohat,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children:  Fordyce  G.  and  Catherine.  The  canning  factory  turns  out 
30,000  cases  a  year,  each  case  containing  two  dozen  packages,  and  300  people  are 
employed  in  the  busy  season. 

Maine,  August,  was  born  June  30,  1848,  in  Hannover,  Germany,  and  came  to 
America  in  1864  settling  first  in  Baltimore,  Md..  where  he  remained  three  years,  be- 
ing for  a  time  assistant  in  the  Annapolis  Army  Hospital  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
Civil  war  where  he  obtained  his  first  experience  in  medicine  and  surgery.  In  1867 
after  letters  patent  had  been  granted  to  H.  and  F.  Marx,  his  uncles,  for  the  manu- 
facturing of  wood  pulp,  he  associated  himself  with  them,  and  became  their  representa- 
tive in  various  parts  of  the  country,  finally  settling  in  Utica  in  1871.  Here  he  en- 
gaged in  the  book  business  which  he  successfully  continued  for  about  five  years. 
He  then  read  medicine  under  the  late  Dr.  Joseph  D.  Kellner,  and  continued  five 
years  longer  with  the  late  firm  of  Dr.  W.  Sawens  &  Co.,  druggists,  and  after  exami- 


230  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

nation  started  a  drug  store  in  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  but  four  ^^ears  later  returned  to  Utica  and 
started  a  drug  store  on  Columbia  Square,  West  Utica.  which  he  has  since  continued. 
He  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge  No.  47,  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  American  and  New  York 
State  Pharmaceutical  Association,  the  Utica  Maennerchor,  the  German  Sick  Aid 
Society,  the  German  Order  of  Harugarri,  the  Utica  German  Rifles  and  other  organ- 
izations. In  1875  he  married  Anna,  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  D.  Kellner  of 
Utica. 

Foster,  Mrs.  Theodosia  M. — She  married  James  H.  Foster,  son  of  Charles,  and 
they  had  two  sons:  Edward  Snow,  who  was  educated  in  the  Home  School  and 
Hamilton  College,  and  is  at  present  residing  upon  and  managing  the  home  farm ; 
and  James  Henry,  who  was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College,  class  of  '95,  being 
first  prize  debater  and  first  classical  scholar,  and  is  now  Latin  professor  in  Wabash, 
Ind.  Mr.  Foster  died  a  few  years  after  their  marriage.  Mrs.  Foster  is  the  author 
of  several  published  volumes,  and  is  known  to  the  public  as  "  Faye  Huntington." 
Daniel  D.  Toll,  Mrs.  Foster's  father,  was  born  in  1812,  and  was  educated  in  Whites- 
town  Seminary  when  it  was  known  as  Oneida  Institute.  He  married  Ruth  H., 
daughter  of  Samuel  Hills,  who  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  early  in  the 
century.  They  had  four  children:  Theodosia  M.,  Eunice  H.,  AlidaS.,  and  Adeline  F. 
Eunice  H.  has  had  remarkable  success  as  a  teacher  and  for  several  years  has  been 
associated  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Foster,  in  the  well  and  favorably  known  institution, 
The  Home  School.  For  a  few  years  the  school  was  located  at  New  Hartford,  but 
since  1888  in  the  home  of  the  Toll  family.  The  third  daughter  married  Frank 
Everett,  of  Sharon,  Conn  ,  and  their  children  were  Edward,  Ruth,  Daisy  (deceased), 
Harriet,  Richard  F.  and  Frank  W.  The  oldest  son  resides  in  Sharon,  Conn.  Mr. 
Everettt  is  dead  and  Mrs.  Everett  resides  with  her  sisters  and  their  father,  who  is 
eighty-four  years  old.  His  wife  died  in  1890.  The  fourth  daughter,  Adeline  F., 
married  Henry  Velie  Clark,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  1892.  The  family  bave 
resided  on  the  homestead  since  1815,  Simon  De  Witt  Toll  being  the  first  to  settle  here. 
He  was  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Susan  (Switz)  Toll,  and  was  born  in  Albany  in  1780. 
He  married  Susan  Conde,  a  native  of  Schenectady  county,  the  granddaughter  of 
Adam  Conde,  a  French  Huguenot  who  fled  to  Holland  on  account  of  religious  per- 
secution and  emigrated  to  America  in  the  sixteenth  century,  settling  at  Schenectady. 
He  was  of  the  family  of  the  "Princes  of  Conde"  and  was  himself  known  as  the 
"  Chevalier."  The  Tolls  descended  from  Karl  Hansen  Toll,  who  was  of  Norwegian 
descent,  but  came  to  America  from  Holland  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century 
and  settled  at  Schenectady,  the  family  being  for  several  generations  among  the 
most  noted  for  wealth  and  influence  in  that  region.  Of  the  eleven  children  of  Daniel 
Toll  and  Susan  Conde  only  two  are  living,  Daniel  D.  and  Parthenia  Ogden,  wife  of 
A.  C.  McDannald,  of  Central  College,  Ohio.  The  first  of  the  Fosters  was  one  Chris- 
topher, on  the  shipping  list  as  a  farmer  when  he  embarked  at  London,  June  17,  1635, 
in  the  ship  Abigail.  The  Snows  (maternal  ancestors  of  James  H.  Foster)  came  in 
1622,  and  the  Hopkins  whom  this  Snow  ancestor  married  came  in  the  Mayflower. 

Beck,  Christopher,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  December  18,  1841.  He  came 
with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  ten  years  of  age,  and  located  in  Coon  rod 
Settlement,  near  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Verona  three  years  later.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer.     March  31,  1880,  he 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  231 

married  Allie  J.  Poppleton,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Ernina  C. 
and  A.  Leora.  Peter  Beck,  father  of  Christopher,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in 
Germany  in  1804,  was  educated  there  and  aftewards  engaged  in  farming.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  White,  also  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Jacob  J., 
Elizabeth,  Caroline,  Mary,  Christopher,  Catherine,  Addie,  and  two  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  Beck  died  in  1877,  and  his  wife  in  1885.  Mrs.  Beck's  father,  Zenas 
Poppleton,  was  born  in  this  county  in  1837.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Josephine  A.  Hess,  of  this  town,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children:  Allie  J.,  and  Archie  H.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Pop- 
pleton married  Pauline  Gates,  formerly  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children. 

Stone,  Richard,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1815.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  has  since  followed  a 
variety  of  occupations.  He  followed  the  canal  for  thirty  j'ears,  but  is  now  a  farmer. 
In  1840  he  married  Olive  A.  Hardin,  of  Verona,  who  was  born  in  Granville,  N.  Y. 
They  had  four  children:  Alvin  R.,  who  married  Emma  Boyd,  of  Western,  and  has 
six  children ;  Everitt  L.,  who  married  Sarah  West  and  has  three  children ;  Frances 
L.,  who  married  S.  E.  Burdick,  of  this  town,  and  has  two  children ;  and  Agnes  A., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years.  Mrs.  Stone  died  in  1879.  His  father,  Oliver  Stone, 
was  born  in  Braintree,  Vt.,  in  1761  and  came  to  this  State  at  an  early  day.  He  mar- 
ried twice,  his  second  wife  being  Lydia  Mentor,  born  in  Brattleborough,  Vt.,  by 
whom  he  had  nine  children.  He  died  February  2,  1831,  and  his  wife  in  1870.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Richard  Stone  has  $7.50  in  Continental 
currency  in  his  possession.     The  family  is  of  English,  Irish,  and  Scotch  descent. 

Gilchrist,  Florence. — The  late  Charles  W.  Gilchrist  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  N. 
Y. ,  July  7,  1825.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  afterwards  engaged 
in  farming.  He  came  to  this  county  when  a  young  man,  and  June  25,  1874,  married 
Florence  Brown,  formerly  of  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  F. 
Agnes  and  Alice  B.  Mr.  Gilchrist  died  February  19,  1895.  The  ancestry  of  Mrs. 
Gilchrist's  family  is  Scotch,  dating  back  to  1774. 

Sherrill,  L.  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1840,  son  of  Joseph  Allen 
Sherrill,  who  is  now  living  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  in  the  town  where  he  was  born, 
and  who  is  a  man  of  much  ability  and  a  great  reader.  L.  T.  Sherrill  is  a  representa- 
tive of  a  family  closely  identified  with  the  early  history  of  the  town  of  New  Hart- 
ford, and  his  paternal  ancestors  figured  in  the  growth  of  the  nation,  being  active 
participants  at  the  Boston  tea  party,  and  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  His  grand- 
father, Lewis  Sherrill,  came  here  from  East  Hampton,  L.  I.,  before  1800.  Mr.  Sher- 
rill received  his  education  in  New  Hartford,  and  in  Utica,  and  was  for  several  years 
a  salesman  in  an  importer's  house  at  New  York;  but  in  1863  went  to  the  front  with 
the  23d  Brooklyn  Regiment,  and  was  in  service  three  months,  going  out  as  a  private 
soldier,  and  returning  as  lieutenant.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  a  staff  officer  in 
Utica.  In  1868  he  married  Adelaide  E.,  daughter  of  Goodwin  P.  Soper,  a  lumber 
merchant  at  Oneida,  N.  Y. ,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Cecelia  Adelaide,  class 
of '93  Smith  College,  now  in  the  library  at  Utica;  Arthur  Lewis,  a  student  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  New  York ;  Grace  Munger,  an  art  student  of 


232  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Smith  College,  also  in  the  library  at  Utica;  and  Goodwin  Allen,  pursuing  studies  in 
Boston,  Mass.  Mr.  Sherrill  is  a  member  or  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his 
father  has  been  elder  for  fifty-four  years. 

Porter,  J.  M.  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1837,  son  of  Rufus  Porter, 
who  was  born  in  Connecticut.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Captain  John  Porter, 
and  a  representative  of  a  family  identified  with  the  settlement  of  the  town,  his  grand- 
father, Martin  Porter,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  here.  Mr.  Porter  was  educated 
at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  first  engaged  in  farming.  In  early  life  he  began 
making  cider  on  his  farm,  and  in  1886  moved  into  town  and  built  the  cider  mill  here, 
relinquishing  all  care  of  the  farm  to  his  son,  Eugene  C.  Porter.  He  has  also  two 
daughters,  Nettie  R.  and  Grace  A.  ;  and  one  son,  Wallace,  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years.    Mr.  Porter  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  his  party  as  supervisor  and  assessor. 

Griffith,  William  H.,  was  born  in  the  southern  part  of  Wales,  in  1833,  and  came  to 
New  Hartford  when  ten  years  of  age,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  from  boyhood,  and  owns  seventy  acres,  where  his 
father,  John  Griffith,  settled.  John  Griffith  was  born  in  Wales  in  1800,  coming  to 
this  country  in  1842.  He  first  worked  the  quarry  located  on  the  farm,  and  once  did 
a  large  business  in  building  stone.  His  industry  and  integrity  placed  him  in  the  • 
front  rank  of  the  men  of  the  county,  and  he  died  at  eighty-two  years  of  age.  lu 
1864  William  H.  married  Amelia  Dennig,  of  Washington  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  four 
children:  Wallace,  who  is  residing  at  home;  George,  an  expert  mechanic,  and  a 
valued  employee  of  the  Ilion  typewriter  works;  Carrie,  wife  of  Delos  Terry,  who  is 
station  agent  on  the  D.,  L.  &  W.  R.  R.  at  Washington  Mills;  and  Hettie,  who  is 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Griffith  is  an  ardent  Republican,  serving  acceptably  in  the 
offices  of  collector  and  highway  commissioner. 

Barnes,  Samuel  C,  was  born  in  Russia,  Herkimer  county,  April  21,  1844,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Lydia  Barnes.  Samuel  Barnes  was  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  coopering  business.  He  died  in  1871,  aged  eighty  years.  Samuel  C. 
was  educated  in  New  York  Mills,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  mill.  In  the  late 
civil  war  he  volunteered  and  went  to  the  front  with  Co.  A,  97th  Infantry,  and  was  in 
the  battles  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Rappahanock  River,  and  Second 
Bull  Run,  and  although  in  some  of  the  hottest  battles  of  the  war,  escaped  without  a 
wound  and  was  discharged  by  reason  of  disability.  Mr.  Barnes  is  second  hand  mule 
spinner  in  Mill  No.  1.  He  married  Jennie  A.  Herron,  daughter  of  James  Herron  of 
New  York  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Jennie  S.,  married  to  Frederick 
Shaw  of  New  York  Mills.  Mr.  Barnes  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oriental 
Lodge  No.  234,  and  also  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

Mallory,  A.  P.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  in  1826,  as  was  also 
his  father,  Samuel  Mallory,  who  was  born  in  1800.  The  latter  died  in  1873,  after  a 
long  and  useful  life  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  The  grandfather  came 
from  Connecticut  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century.  Mr.  A.  P.  Mallory  has  been  in- 
strumental in  opening  and  developing  an  extensive  quarry  of  building  stone,  for 
which  he  finds  ready  market  in  and  about  Utica.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
his  party  as  commissioner  of  highways.  In  1859  he  married  Margaret  GriflSth  of 
Welsh  parentage,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  James  D. ;  Mary,  wife  of  F.  B.  Sev- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  233 

erance,   a  Methodist   Episcopal  minister;    Howard  A.;    and   Susan,   wife  of   James 
Davis,  of  Washington  Mills. 

Ashmore,  George,  was  born  in  England  May  23,  1821,  came  to  America  in  1841, 
and  has  since  resided  in  Utica,  following  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder.  He  has 
worked  on  a  large  number  of  the  finer  buildings  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  carpenters 
in  the  city.  May  23,  1854,  he  married  Hester  Kimball,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  five 
children:  Thomas  George,  John  E,  (a  photo-engraver  in  Syracuse),  Wallace  E.  (a 
painter  in  Syracuse),  Mary  L.  and  Nellie  E. 

Martin,  Chester  H.,  was  born  in  Vienna,  Oneida  county,  in  1859.  His  father, 
Stephen  J.  Martin,  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  following  that  occupation  through 
life.  He  was  also  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  his  parents  having  settled  there  in  the 
early  history  of  the  county.  The  Martin  ancestors  came  from  England  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  century.  He  married  Phoebette  Gager,  a  native  of  Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  who 
died  in  1865,  and  Mr.  Martin  is  still  living  in  Oneida  county.  After  attending  school 
in  Vienna  Chester  H.  Martin  made  a  three  years'  tour  through  the  western  part  of 
the  country,  visiting  nearly  all  of  the  States.  Upon  his  return  he  went  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  where  he  engaged  in  carpentry  and  bitilding  for  ten  years.  In  1890  he  re- 
turned to  Oneida  county,  settling  in  Oneida  Castle,  and  built  a  handsome  block,  the 
first  floor  of  which  he  occupies  with  a  general  store.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  married  Anna  Gager,  a  native  of  Vienna, 
who  was  born  in  1862,  and  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Lucile  M.,  Etta  O.,  Earn- 
est A.  and  Stephen  J. 

Van  Swall,  Pernett,  was  born  near  Vernon  Center,  N.  Y.,  in  1854,  being  the  second 
in  a  family  of  five  children.  His  father,  George  W.  Van  Swall,  is  a  leading  farmer 
of  the  town  of  Vernon.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  and  lived  sev- 
eral years  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  previous  to  locating  in  Vernon,  and  his  father, 
John  Van  Swall,  came  from  Albany,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Oneida 
county,  and  the  parents  of  the  elder  Van  Swall  were  natives  of  Germany.  George 
W.  Van  Swall  married  Delia  M.  Chesbro,  a  native  of  the  town  of  Marshall,  who  is 
still  living  at  Vernon  Center.  Pernett  received  his  education  at  Vernon  Center,  after 
which  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-three  3'ears  of  age,  when 
he  engaged  in  the  meat  business  at  Vernon  Center  for  considerable  time;  and  finally 
running  the  grist  and  saw  mill  at  that  place,  they  having  come  into  his  possession. 
He  discontinued  the  meat  business,  and'  for  the  next  six  years,  conducted  the  two 
mills  mentioned.  In  1894  he  sold  the  mill  property  and  rented  the  hotel  at  Lowell, 
N.  Y.,  taking  possession  January  1,  1895.  He  is  an  active  Republican,  and  has  held 
several  town  offices.     He  has  one  son,  Havviey  H.,  who  was  born  in  1880. 

Wight,  Lyman  L.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Wales,  Mass.,  July  21,  1822,  son  of  Phmy 
and  Anna  Fletcher  Wight.  Lyman  L.  came  to  Whitesboro  in  1844  and  studied 
medicine  with  Drs.  Thomas  and  Gardner.  From  1847  to  1849  he  practiced  in  New 
York;  then  his  health  failed  and  he  returned  to  Whitesboro  in  1850.  In  1863  Dr. 
Wight  in  connection  with  George  Williams  started  a  cheese  factory  in  Whitesboro, 
and  later  the  bought  out  Mr.  Williams's  interest  and  conducted  this  factory  alone. 
He  was  interested  in  five  factories  located  in  New  Hartford,  Walesville,  Colman's 
Mills,  Kirkland,  and  Whitesboro.  Dr.  Wight  was  instrumental  in  forming  the 
dd 


234  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Board  of  Trade  in  Utica,  and  of  which  body  he  was  president  for  about  fifteen  years. 
He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Farmers'  Chib  in  Oneida  county.  Dr.  Wight 
was  the  largest  cheese  manufacturer  in  Oneida  county,  and  he  was  also  the  pioneer 
manufacturer  in  turning  out  a  large  cheese,  making  one  that  weighed  5,233  pounds, 
which  was  unheard  of  at  that  time.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  politics,  and  was  on 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  two  terms,  and  was  chairman  of  the  County  Committee. 
He  is  also  owner  of  the  pipe  and  water  works  system  of  Whitesboro ;  this  water  comes 
from  the  springs  on  the  doctor's  farm,  and  is  piped  by  him  throughout  the  village, 
supplying  the  houses.  Dr.  Wight  married  Mary  M.,  daughter  of  Julius  Watkins,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  Oneida  county,  and  also  president  of  the  bank  in  his  place. 
They  have  one  son,  J.  W.  Wight,  of  Whitesboro,  N.  Y. 

Sneil,  Ira  L. ,  was  born  October  5,  1841.  In  1869  he  came  from  Stockbridge, 
first  settling  on  a  farm  about  four  miles  south  of  Oneida  Castle,  and  two  years  later 
he  bought  the  farm  at  Kenwood,  where  he  has  since  resided.  His  father,  Frederick 
Snell,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Manheim,  Herkimer  county,  in  1804,  and  moved  to 
Stockbridge  in  1822,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  August  29,  1873. 
He  became  one  of  the  leading  as  well  as  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the  county, 
and  his  grandfather,  with  six  brothers,  was  in  the  famous  battle  of  Oriskany,  and  it 
is  said  that  five  of  them  were  killed  during  the  engagement.  He  married  Nancy 
Stam,  also  of  Herkimer  county,  who  »vas  born  in  1811,  and  died  in  1881.  Ira  L.  Snell 
has  for  a  number  of  years  been  an  active  and  earnest  worker  in  the  Democratic 
ranks,  and  has  several  times  represented  his  assembly  district  in  the  State  Conven- 
tion. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  now  a  director  in  the  Farmers'  and  Mer- 
chants' Bank  of  Oneida,  N.  Y  He  is  also  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Oneida  Savings 
Bank.  In  1870  he  married  Ellen  J.  Eaton,  who  was  born  in  Stockbridge  in  1845,  by 
whom  he  has  two  daughters:  S.  Edith,  and  Harriet  E. 

Merwin,  Hon.  Milton  H.,  son  of  Alan  son  and  Amanda  (Kimball)  Merwin,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y. ,  June  16,  1832,  and  is  descended  from 
Miles  Merwin,  who  came  from  the  North  of  England  and  settled  near  Milford,  Conn., 
about  1640.  James  Merwin,  father  of  Alanson,  moved  to  Leyden  from  Haddam, 
Conn.,  in  1800,  and  served  as  a  soldier  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  the  war  of  1812.  Judge 
Merwin  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  Oneida  Confer- 
ence Seminary  at  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1848  entered  Hamilton  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1852.  He  read  law  in  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  with  Joseph 
Mullin,  afterward  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
Watertown  general  term  in  July,  1853.  He  practiced  in  the  office  of  his  preceptor 
as  clerk  or  partner  until  the  election  of  Mr.  Mullin  to  the  Supreme  Court  bench  in 
the  fall  of  1857.  Judge  Merwin  then  continued  in  the  practice  until  October,  1874, 
when  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  John  A.  Dix,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
place  of  Judge  Charles  H.  Doolittle,  of  Utica,  deceased.  Meantime  Judge  Merwin 
had  served  a  term  of  four  years  as  surrogate  of  Jefferson  county,  and  also  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1867-68.  At  the  following  election  in 
November,  1874,  he  was  elected  to  the  Supreme  Court  bench  for  a  full  term  of  four- 
teen years,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  took  up  his  residence  in  Utica.  On  the  expi- 
ration of  his  terin  he  was  re-elected  in  November,  1888,  for  another  period  of  four- 
teen years.     As  a  jurist  Judge  Merwin  has  officiated  with  ability,  credit  and  dignity. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  235 

He  is  well  versed  in  the  science  of  the  law  and  is  universally  regarded  as  an  upright, 
conscientious,  and  honored  member  of  the  bench.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Term  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  January  1,  1889,  to  January  1,  1896,  when  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Appellate  Division  of  that  tribunal.  Judge  Merwin  was 
married  in  November,  1858,  to  Miss  Helen  E.,  daughter  of  Ira  Knapp,  of  Middle 
Granville,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.     The}'  have  five  children. 

Crouse,  John  M.,  senior  member  of  the  firm  John  M.  Grouse  &  Son,  wholesale 
grocers,  of  Utica,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  Crouse,  who  joined  his  brother,  John  Crouse, 
in  the  business  as  a  general  store  in  Canastota,  N.  Y.,  in  1827.  In  1860  Daniel 
Crouse  moved  the  concern  to  Utica  and  established  a  wholesale  trade,  taking  the 
name  of  Daniel  Crouse,  Son  &  Co.  In  1871  this  was  changed  to  Daniel  Crouse  & 
Sons,  and  in  1881  to  J.  M.  &  C.  B.  Crouse,  both  sons  of  Daniel.  In  1894  the  present 
firm  of  John  M.  Crouse  &  Son  succeeded  to  the  business,  C.  B.  Crouse  retiring  and 
Beecher  M.  Crouse  son  of  John  M.  being  admitted.  Daniel  Crouse  was  born  in  1805 
in  Minden,  N.  Y.,  settled  in  Utica  in  1863,  and  died  here  in  September,  1877.  In 
1833  he  married  Catherine  Jane  Beecher,  who  survives,  and  of  their  five  children 
three  are  living:  Daniel  N.,  Charles  B.,  and  John  M.,  all  of  Utica.  The  firm  whose 
business  be  founded  nearly  seventy  years  age  does  an  extensive  wholesale  grocery 
trade,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prosperous  concerns  of  the  kind  in  Central 
New  York.  Their  present  store  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and  John  streets  was  built 
by  Daniel  Crouse  and  Daniel  N.  Crouse  in  1871.  In  1874  the  firm  established  a  large 
packing  and  provision  business  on  Catherine  street,  and  still  continues  it  in  con- 
nection with  the  store.  John  M.  Crouse  is  a  director  of  the  Oneida  National  Bank, 
the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills,  the  Roberts-Wicks 
Company,  and  the  Mohawk  Valley  Scotch  Cap  Factory. 

Cook,  Mathias,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Cologne,  Germany,  April  26,  1840,  and  received 
instruction  in  the  gymnasia  there  until  he  attained  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he  came 
to  America  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Columbus,  Ohio  There  he  taught  school 
and  music,  and  by  this  means  earned  enough  to  pay  for  a  thorough  medical  educa- 
tion at  Starling  Medical  College  in  Columbus.  In  1863  he  entered  the  army  as  as 
sistant  surgeon  of  United  States  volunteers,  afterwards  serving  as  a  surgeon  of  the 
Second  Ohio  Cavalry  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866  he  came  to  Utica,  where 
he  has  since  lived  practicing  his  profession.  In  1870-71  he  served  in  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war  as  a  volunteer  surgeon.  The  doctor  is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R. ,  and  surgeon  of  Bacon  Post,  No.  53,  and  has  also  been  its  commander. 
At  the  Syracuse  encampment  he  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  National  Encampment 
in  September,  1888.  After  Mr.  Cleveland  was  elected  the  first  time  for  the  presi- 
dency exGov.  Horatio  Seymour  urged  him  to  become  a  candidate  for  a  foreign  con- 
sulship, but  various  posts  of  the  G.  A.  R.  recommended  him  as  an  examining  surgeon 
for  pensions,  which  latter  appointment  he  received  and  held  during  Mr.  Cleveland's 
first  term.  In  1889  he  was  elected  by  a  large  majority  as  one  of  the  coroners  of 
Oneida  county,  mostly  due  to  his  popularity  and  the  help  of  his  comi-ades,  who  again 
in  1893  recommended  him  to  his  former  position  on  the  Board  of  Examining  Surgeons 
for  Pensions,  of  which  board  he  is  now  the  president.  Dr.  Cook  is,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, the  oldest  practicing  physician  in  Utica,  and  alwaj^s  ready  to  advise,  par- 
ticularly a  deserving  soldier.     He  takes  special  interest   in   microscopical  studies. 


236  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  Count}'  Medical  Society,  and  for  thirty  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Utica  Maennechor,  of  which  he  has  been  president.  April  30,  1866,  Dr. 
Cook  married  Josephine  Brendle,  a  native  of  Paris,  France. 

Capron,  C.  G.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  June  6,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
S.  Capron,  who  came  here  with  his  parents  from  Lewis  county,  and  for  several  years 
has  been  a  partner  in  the  extensive  dry  goods  firm  of  J.  B.  Wells,  Son  &  Co.  His 
grandfather  was  the  Hon.  David  Gray  of  Marcy,  who  died  in  September,  1895.  Dr. 
Capron  was  educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  city,  at  Whites- 
town  Seminary,  and  in  the  Utica  Advanced  School,  and  prepared  for  college  at  Dr. 
Holbrook's  Military  Academy  in  Sing  Sing.  He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Frank  F. 
Laird,  one  of  the  leading  homtropathists  of  Utica,  and  was  graduated  from  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  in  1890.  During  the  last  six  months  of  his 
course  there  he  was  interne  in  the  Children's  Homoeopathic  Hospital.  In  May,  1890, 
he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica,  where  he  has  already  acquired 
success,  having  offices  with  his  preceptor.  Dr.  Laird.  Dr.  Capron  is  a  member  of 
the  Oneida  County  HonKjeopathic  Medical  Society  and  its  president  for  1896,  and  for 
two  years  prior  to  this  served  as  its  secretary  and  treasurer.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and  a  member  and  examining  surgeon  of 
Imperial  Council,  No.  70,  R.  A.  June  21,  1893,  he  married  Carolyn  M.,  daughter 
of  James  W.  Rathbun,  of  Utica. 

Olds,  Marquis  I).,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Oxford,  N.  Y.,  August  27,  1850,  son  of 
Ezra  and  Eliza  (Brockway)  Olds.  He  worked  at  farm  work  until  twenty  years  of 
age,  beginning  at  S4  a  month.  He  next  conducted  a  restaurant  during  one  winter, 
when  he  took  a  position  on  the  old  Syracuse  and  Binghamton  railroad,  to  learn 
operating  and  the  duties  of  agent.  He  applied  to  the  old  Oswego  and  Midland  rail- 
road for  a  position,  and  was  appointed  agent  and  operator  at  New  Berlin  Junction. 
He  remained  there  two  years,  when  the  Oswego  and  Midland  railroad  failed,  and  he 
came  to  Deansville  in  March,  1875,  as  agent  and  operator,  a  position  he  has  filled 
with  ability  and  success,  and  he  has  also  had  charge  of  the  coal  department  since 
1885.  Mr.  Olds  married  Carrie  F.  Root,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Edna 
Florence  and  Howard  Root  Olds. 

MacFarland,  Mrs.  L.  W.,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
families  of  New  Hartford.  Her  father,  Hon.  Samuel  Hicks,  came  here  in  1807  from 
East  Hampton,  L.  I.  He  was  the  son  of  Captain  Zacheriah  Hicks  and  Rebecca 
Conkling-Sherrill,  and  was  born  at  East  Hampton  October  7,  1783.  Coming  to  this 
place  at  the  age  of  twentj^-one,  he  became  the  business  manager  of  the  New  Hart- 
ford Cotton  Manufacturing  Company.  Resigning  this  position  in  1837,  he  devoted 
his  attention  to  real  estate  and  other  business  interests.  In  politics  he  was  an  "Old 
time  Whig,"  and  in  1824  was  one  of  the  presidential  electors  for  John  Quincy  Adams. 
February  18,  1818,  he  married  Lucinda  Huntington,  of  Walpole,  N.  H.,  one  of  whose 
ancestors  was  appointed  by  Washington  major  of  the  first  troops  that  left  Connecti- 
cut at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  Another  ancestor  was  one  of  the  four  offi- 
cers who  originated  the  Society  of  The  Cincinnati,  and  another,  Samuel  Huntington, 
was  the  twelfth  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  president  of  the 
Continental  Congress  after  Hancock  resigned.     She  was  also  descended  from   the 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  237 

same  ancestor  as  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant.  She  died  October  8,  1820,  leaving  two 
children.  The  youngest,  Lucinda  Huntington  Hicks,  married  Luther  Wheelock 
Mac Farland  of  North  Adams,  Mass.,  and  resides  in  the  old  mansion  built  by  her 
father  in  1826.  Mrs.  MacFarland's  reminiscences  of  old  New  Hartford,  of  the  cul- 
tured society,  and  of  the  men  and  women,  who,  going  froni  here,  have  become 
prominent  in  the  country,  are  delightful  to  listen  to. 

De  Votie,  Duane  D.,  is  a  son  of  Peter  E.  De  Votie,  who  was  born  in  Vernon  Cen- 
ter in  1807,  but  lived  the  greater  part  of  his  time  on  the  Seneca  road  in  the  town  of 
Vernon.  His  ancestors  came  to  this  country  from  France  in  1743,  and  the  father  of 
Peter  E.  settled  in  Vernon  Center  in  1801,  where  he  followed  farming  and  speculat- 
ing. He  married  Maria  P.  Mandeville,  who  was  born  March  6,  1839,  and  is  now 
living  on  the  old  homestead.  Duane  D.  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  and 
received  his  education  at  Vernon,  after  which  he  remained  on  the  farm  until  1876, 
when  he  traveled  through  the  Western  States,  spending  nearly  five  years  mostly  in 
the  employ  of  the  government.  In  the  latter  part  of  1880  he  returned  home,  and  has 
since  had  complete  charge  of  the  farm.  He  has  devoted  much  time  to  politics,  and 
is  a  Democrat  and  closely  identified  with  the  interest  of  the  party. 

Gardner,  Mrs.  O.  S. — The  late  Orson  S.  Gardner  was  born  in  Sauquoit,  N.  Y.,  July 
1,  1820,  son  of  Asa  and  Dorothy  Gardner.  Orson  S.  came  to  New  York  Mills  when 
sixteen  years  of  age.  He  worked  a  short  time  in  Rochester,  and  then  returned  to 
New  York  Mills,  where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  mills  for  many  years,  and  was 
one  of  its  most  faithful  and  esteemed  employees.  He  was  an  attendant  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  and  was  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  chapter,  and  Yahnundahsis"  Lodge.  He  was 
a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  was  highly  respected.  He  married  Eleanor  Man- 
ning, who  survives  him  with  two  children:     M.  Eleanora  and  Frederick  A. 

Norton,  Samuel  D.,  was  born  in  Vernon,  near  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1843.  His  grandfather  settled  in  the  town  in  1807,  when  Philo  Norton, 
father  of  Samuel  D.,  was  seven  years  of  age.  They  had  immigrated  from  Connec- 
ticut, and  settled  near  what  afterwards  became  Vernon  Center.  Philo  Norton  mar- 
ried Emily  Bartholomew,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1804,  but  who  was  then  a 
resident  of  Augusta,  and  she  died  at 'Vernon  Center  in  1881.  Mr.  Norto  i  devoted 
his  life  to  farming,  and  in  which  he  was  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  town.  Samuel  D. 
attended  school  at  Vernon,  and  at  the  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming.  He  has  for  several  years  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  married  Mary  M.  Tracy,  a  native  of  Vernon,  and  daughter  of  Samuel  D.  and 
Emily  J.  Tracy.  She  was  born  September  11,  1849,  and  received  her  education  at 
Vernon,  and  the  Home  Seminary  at  Clinton,  N.  Y. 

Davis.  I.  E.,  was  born  in  Fulton  county,  February  22,  1852,  son  of  Jacob  B.  and 
Sarah  Davis,  and  learned  the  trade  of  joiner  with  his  father,  subsequently  perfect- 
ing himself  at  Rockwood.  In  1867  he  came  to  Holman  City  with  his  father,  who 
started  the  business,  now  conducted  by  I.  E.  Davis.  Mr.  Davis  has  a  thoroughly 
equipped  factory  for  doing  all  kinds  of  wood  work,  such  as  sawing,  planing,  scroll 
sawing,  turning,  etc.  He  also  makes  cisterns,  tubs,  and  tanks,  for  which  he  has  a 
good  reputation  for  best  work,  and  also  owns  a  cider  mill.     In  1879  he  married  Miss 


238  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Ida  Hopkins,  of  Waterville,  daughter  of  Thomas  Hopkins  (a  descendant  of  Stephen 
Hopkins).  He  has  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Raymond.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellow  Lodge  No.  108,  at  Sauquoit,  of  which  he  is  secretary.  Mr.  Davis's  family  is 
a  branch  of  the  family  of  which  Jeff.  Davis  was  a  scion. 

Kenney,  Marcus  E.,  was  born  in  Truxton,  Cortland  county,  April  8,  1848,  received 
his  education  at  Cortland  Academy  and  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at  Trnxton  in  partnership  with  his  father, 
Hosea  M.,  with  whom  he  was  thus  associated  for  nineteen  years.  In  1886  he  came 
to  Utica  and  for  two  years  traveled  for  Russel  Wheeler  and  for  one  year  for  D.  H. 
Rowe  &  Co.,  of  Chicago.  Having  taken  up  the  studies  of  an  optician,  he  purchased 
on  December  10,  1890,  the  optical  business  of  A.  J.  McCall,  and  on  January  26,  1891, 
was  graduated  from  the  Ophthalmic  College  and  Hospital  of  Chicago.  On  May  80, 
1893,  his  son,  Arthur  M.,  was  graduated  from  the  same  institution  and  has  since  been 
his  business  associate.  Mr.  Kenney  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Oneida  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Imperial  Council  No.  70,  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Com- 
mercial Travelers'  Mutual  Accident  Association  of  America,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Tabernacle  Baptist  church. 

Lmsley  Harvey,  is  a  native  of  Middlebury,  Vt.,  and  in  1833,  when  but  one  year 
old.  came  with  his  parents  to  Madison  county,  settling  in  the  town  of  Lenox.  His 
father,  Hiram  Linsley.  was  a  lifelong  farmer,  and  was  born  in  1796.  He  married 
Maria  Rugg,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died  in  1874.  Mr.  Linsley  died  in  1876. 
Harvey  Linsley,  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  was  bound  out  until  he  became  of  age.  In 
the  mean  time  he  attended  the  public  school  in  Klockville,  Madison  county,  and 
afterwards  pursued  his  farm  life.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  having  bought  his  remain- 
ing time  of  service,  he  went  to  Wampsville,  and  soon  after,  in  1862,  enlisted  in  the 
157th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  remaining  in  the  service  for  three  years,  and  while  there  he  re- 
ceived a  severe  wound  from  a  shot  in  the  left  side.  He  was  promoted  from  private 
to  corporal,  then  to  fifth  sergeant,  and  finally  to  third  sergeant,  serving  in  that 
official  capacity  during  the  rest  of  the  war.  Since  his  return  from  the  army  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  in  Madison  and  Oneida  counties,  having  occupied  his 
present  farm  residence  for  a  long  period  of  time.  He  married  Lucretia  C.  Stam. 
daughter  of  George  D.  and  Elizabeth  Stam,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Blanche, 
married  to  George  I.  Lloyd,  who  is  in  business  in  Syracuse. 

Ely,  Belle,  is  one  of  the  most  notable  personages  of  Oneida  county  to-day,  and  as 
the  last  representative  of  her  line  of  the  Ely  family,  she  inherits  not  only  a  large 
farm  property,  but  also  the  ability  of  her  ancestors  that  accumulated  it,  and  there  is 
no  farm  in  the  town  better  managed  than  her  300  acre  homestead,  and  she  supervi.ses 
it  entirely  herself.  Her  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Ely,  settled  on  the  present  home- 
stead when  the  country  was  a  wilderness,  and  his  neighbors  were  a  very  few  white 
people  and  mostly  Brothertown  Indians.  He  had  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  Her 
grandfather,  Thomas  Aden  Ely,  was  the  second  son  of  Thomas;  he  remained  on  the 
homestead,  and  was  the  father  of  one  son  and  one  daughter.  Francis  Alonzo,  the 
son,  was  the  father  of  Belle.  He  also  spent  his  life  on  the  homestead,  adding  to  its 
acres  as  his  ancestors  had  done  and  improving  the  comfort  and  beauty  of  the  old 
home.     The  bounteous  orchard  now  surrounding  the  horse  and  the  thrifty  maples 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  239 

growing  along  the  highway  and  yard  bear  testimony  to  his  love  of  nature ;  and  the 
little  water-house  by  the  roadside,  built  by  himself  with  his  mother's  ancient 
spinning-wheel  on  the  top,  furnishes  many  cooling  draughts  for  weary  beast  and 
thirsty  man,  and  brings  to  the  minds  of  his  many  friends  his  ever-ready  joke  and 
pleasant  smile.  He  died  October  10,  1890,  and  his  wife,  Charlotte  (Parmlee)  Ely, 
died  July  11,  1867.  Miss  Ely  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  is  widely  noted  for  her 
business  ability. 

Mason,  Harry,  was  born  in  Huntingdonshire,  England,  in  1839,  where  he  spent  his 
earlier  boyhood  days,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  London,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  care  of  horses.  After  five  years  in  this  line  of  employment,  he  enlisted 
in  the  army,  which  soon  took  him  to  East  India,  and  later  to  many  countries  of  the 
world.  After  being  quartered  in  India  eight  years,  he  returned  to  Colchester  and 
remained  three  or  four  years  at  the  various  army  quarters,  and  finally  in  1868  he 
purchased  of  the  government  a  discharge  from  its  service.  He  then  spent  a  year  in 
Ireland,  and  in  the  following  year  came  to  America,  and  connected  himself  with  the 
Oneida  Community  Laundry  for  a  period  of  eleven  years,  and  three  years  farming, 
and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been  herdsman.  His  father,  Henry  Mason,  was  born 
m  1801,  and  died  in  1894:  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Thurburn)  Mason,  born  in 
1803,  is  still  living  In  1870  he  married  Mary  Rowe,  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England, 
by  whom  he  has  four  children. 

Powell,  John  N.,  was  born  near  where  he  now  resides,  in  Trenton,  April  24,  1823, 
son  of  Isaac  and  Lydia  (Wood)  Powell,  who  came  from  Lanesboro,  Mass.,  with  a 
yoke  of  oxen,  and  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Trenton.  They  had 
nine  children:  Laurie,  George,  Lydia,  Lewis,  Leman,  David  Ruth,  John  and 
Esther,  all  born  on  the  Powell  homestead.  He  was  a  pioneer  farmer,  and  a  member 
and  active  worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  John  N.  married  Lucy 
Elizabeth  Fowler,  and  is  interested  in  town  and  county  aftairs. 

Rhodes,  A-  J-,  was  born  in  Pans,  N.  Y.,  March  6,  1845,  son  of  Samuel  B.  and 
Elizabeth  (Davis)  Rhodes.  He  lived  on  a  farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  into  the  office  of  S.  A.  Millard  and  remained  two  years.  He  then  engaged 
in  railroading,  which  he  has  followed  successfully.  In  1868  he  was  appointed  agent 
at  Clayville,  and  has  filled  that  office  for  twenty-seven  years.  He  has  also  been  in 
the  coal  busmess  since  1868,  and  sold  the  first  coal  brought  by  railroad  in  Clayville. 
He  is  at  present  president  of  the  village,  and  was  supervisor  of  the  town  in  1879-80- 
81  and  has  also  filled  other  offices.  In  1869  he  married  Susan  Brown,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children:   Fred  A.,  Blanche,  and  Clara  V. 

Small,  W.  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  N.Y.,  son  of  David  and  Susannah 
(Richards)  Small.  He  received  an  academical  education,  and  afterwards  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1891  he  married  Alta  V.,  daughter  of  Rockwell  B.  and  Lucinda 
Brown.  Her  grandfather  was  Asbel  Brown,  and  her  great  grandfather,  John  Brown, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Madison  county,  and  he  served  seven  years  as  a 
patriot  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mrs.  Brown  died  in  March,  1894.  Mr. 
Small  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Burgess,  William  A.,  M.D.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  West  Win  field,  Herkimer 
county,  June  26,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  T.  and  Marion  (McKown)  Burgess.     He 


240  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  graduated  from  West  Winfield  Academy  in  1882,  read  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  S. 
B.  Spencer,  of  West  Winfield,  and  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1888.  After  a  few  months'  practice  in 
Clayville,  Oneida  county,  he  came  to  Utica  in  1889,  and  has  since  built  up  a  large 
general  and  surgical  business.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  visiting  phy.sician  to  St. 
Elizabeth's  Hospital  and  in  1892  the  visiting  surgeon,  which  post  he  still  holds.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  medical  and  surgical  staffs  of  the  Masonic  Home  since 
the  organization  of  the  Board  in  1893  and  is  attending  physician  to  the  Infants' 
Hospital  (opened  in  1895).  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  a  permanent  member  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Society.  He  was  a  charter  member,  and  one  of  the  organ- 
izers, the  first  president  of  the  Utica  Medical  Club,  is  assistant  surgeon  of  the  28th 
Separate  Co.,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
a  charter  member  of  the  Masonic  Club.  February  25,  1885,  Dr.  Burgess  married 
Leila  I.  Chapman,  daughter  of  P.  A.  Chapman,  of  LTnadilla  Forks,  Otsego  county, 
and  they  have  two  children:  Isaac  Thayer  and  Evangeline. 

Donlon,  Joseph  M.,  was  born  August  10,  1852,  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Lewis, 
Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Donlon,  a  native  of  county  West  Meath, 
Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  1831  and  .settled  in  Lewis  county  about  1845,  where 
he  still  lives.  Mr.  Donlon  attended  the  public  schools  and  remained  on  the  farm 
until  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  learned  the  stone-cutter's  trade  in  Elizabeth, 
N.  J.  His  health  failed,  and  after  two  years  at  home  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Proctor  &  Hill,  tanners,  of  Forestport,  Oneida  county,  and  remained  five  years.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Utica  and  engaged  in  the  retail  grocery  business  on  the  corner  of 
Center  and  Milgate  streets,  where  he  has  since  continued  ;  later  he  added  a  general 
line  of  merchandise  and  now  carries  on  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  trade.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  has  always  been  a  trustee  of  St.  Agnes  Roman  Catholic 
church,  organized  in  1889,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  'affairs.  April  28, 
1885,  he  married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Edward  Coughlin^  of  Utica,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Katharine  and  Mary. 

Kincaid,  Frederick  W. — In  June,  1841,  George  Kincaid  came  to  Utica  from  New 
York  city.  He  was  a  direct  descendant  of  a  family  once  prominent  in  Scotland  mili- 
tary history,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  to  California  in  1849,  where  he  attained 
prominence  in  quartz  mining.  He  returned  in  1861  and  from  that  time  his  life  was 
spent  in  Utica.  He  was  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  and  for  many  years  was  an  officer 
of  Utica  Commandery  Knights  Templar,  and  at  one  time  was  its  eminent  com- 
mander. He  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  living.  He  died  in  1898.  His 
oldest  son,  J.  C.  P.  Kincaid,  who  has  spent  his  life  in  Utica,  was  born  in  1840  and 
was  for  many  years  a  merchant.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  United  States  collector 
of  internal  revenue,  and  served  under  Presidents  Grant,  Hayes,  and  Garfield  and  a 
short  time  under  Arthur.  He  was  also  for  six  years  a  school  commissioner  of  Utica 
and  for  four  years  president  of  the  board.  First  Lieutenant  Frederick  W.  Kincaid, 
of  the  Utica  Citizen  Corps,  Forty-fourth  Separate  Co.,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  his  oldest  liv- 
ing son,  was  born  in  1867,  and  has  attained  a  high  reputation  as  an  officer  in  the 
National  Guard.  He,  with  two  brothers  now  deceased,  Alrick  G.  and  J.  C.  P.,  jr., 
have  with  their  father  been  active  members  of  that  famous  organization.     Both 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  ^  241 

great-grandfathers  on  his  mother's  side  were  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  and  one  on 
his  father's  side  was  a  veteran  of  1812. 

Hubbell  Family.— In  December,  1789,  there  came  to  old  Fort  Schuyler,  from  Lanes- 
boro,  Mass.,  Mathew  Hubbell,  who  had  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  and 
was  at  the  battle  of  Bennington.  He  purchased  a  farm,  which  included  much  of 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Eighth  ward  of  Utica.  He  died  in  1819.  Of  a  large 
family,  the  most  closely  identified  with  the  growth  of  Utica  was  his  son,  the  late 
Hon.  Alrick  Hubbell,  who  was  born  in  1801  and  died  in  1877.  In  early  years  he  be- 
became  colonel  of  what  was  then  the  211th  Regiment  of  State  militia.  He  was  twice 
mayor  of  the  city  and  served  two  terms  in  the  State  Senate.  From  1816  to  1818  he 
was  clerk  for  Col.  Benjamin  Walker,  the  former  aid  and  confidential  friend  to  Baron 
Steuben.  At  the  time  of  his  death  Mr.  Hubbell  had  hved  seventy-six  years  on  the 
same  street  and  within  half  a  mile  of  the  house  where  he  was  born.  Two  sons, 
Henry  S-  and  Alfred  S.  Hubbell,  of  Buffalo,  and  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Albon  P.  Mann, 
of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  P.  Kincaid,  of  Utica,  survive  him.  The  latter,  with  her 
two  sons,  Lieut.  Frederick  W.  Kincaid,  and  Robert  C,  are  undoubtedly  the  only 
living  direct  representatives  in  Utica  of  any  family  who  settled  here  as  early  as 
1789. 

McLean,  Mrs.  A.  Waters,  New  Hartford. — Perhaps  no  one  thus  far  in  the  history 
of  the  church  was  more  faithful  to  it  and  more  useful  in  it  in  various  capacities  than 
Elder  Charles  McLean.  His  connection  with  this  church  dates  back  to  1834  and 
almost  from  the  very  beginning  we  find  him  called  to  various  positions  of  responsi- 
bility, clerk  of  the  congregation,  trustee,  treasurer.  Business  interests  calling  him 
to  Upper  New  York  Mills  he  lived  there  for  several  years  returning  here  in  1851. 
And  in  1852  he  was  elected  a  ruling  elder,  exercising  the  office  until  his  death  in  1877. 
Sagacious,  firm,  benevolent,  large-mmded,  his  memory  still  lingers  with  this  church 
as  a  benediction.  The  house  he  occupied  for  so  many  years  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Central  New  York,  a  stately  landmark  associated  with  many  interesting  incidents  of 
by-gone  days.  It  was  built  as  early  as  1791  with  old-fashioned  hip-roof  and  lantern 
cupola  by  Col.  Jedediah  Sanger,  the  founder  of  the  town.  Prominent  in  the  coun- 
cils of  Royal  Arch  Masonry,  his  devotion  to  the  order  led  him  to  make  the  entire 
third  story  of  his  own  dwelling  into  one  large  room,  Hghted  by  the  cupola,  amply 
and  beautifully  fitted  up  for  a  Masonic  lodge,  which  was  constituted  there  April  6, 
1792,  as  Amicable  Lodge  No.  25.  In  formation  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  March  14,  1798,  Jedediah  Sanger  was  chosen  to  one  of  the  highest 
offices  of  that  august  body  in  connection  with  De  Witt  Clinton.  The  first  magis- 
trates, judges,  members  of  assembly,  congressmen,  supervisors,  veterans  of  the 
Revolution  and  of  the  war  of  1812  met  in  the  early  lodge  room.  To  write  out  their 
history  would  fill  many  a  volume.  Mr.  Sanger  possessed  ability,  great  energy,  de- 
cision of  character,  close  application  to  business  and  strict  integrity.  He  was  chosen 
the  first  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Whitestown.  In  1894  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Herkimer  and  Oneida  counties  in  the  Assembly  of  our  State.  In  1797  he  went  to 
the  State  Senate.  In  1798  he  was  appointed  first  judge  of  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
Following  Judge  Sanger  are  two  other  judges  who  have  lived  in  the  old  house; 
Judge  Ledyard  Talcott  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  State  and  Judge  Charles 
Fraser  McLean  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  Stftte.     The  second  owner  was 


242  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Frederick  Stanley  who  purchased  it  of  Judge  Sanger  in  1807.  Samuel  Austin 
Talcott,  who  was  one  of  the  most  talented  and  extraordinary  men  of  the  age,  mar- 
ried Mary  Eliza,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  Mr.  Stanley  and  resided  in  the  house. 
Gen.  Joseph  Kirkland  having  removed  to  Utica,  Mr.  Talcott  maintained  a  law  office 
in  New  Hartford  and  also  in  Utica  with  his  partner  and  contemporary  of  his  college 
days,  William  H.  Maynard,  until  1821,  when  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  received 
the  appointment  of  attorney-general  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  made  his  home 
in  Albany  during  the  administration  of  his  office,  then  he  removed  to  New  York  city 
where  he  practiced  law  until  his  death  in  1836  in  his  forty-second  year.  His  two 
sons  spent  their  early  years  in  New  Hartford.  John  Ledyard,  the  eldest,  studied 
with  Josiah  Spencer  in  Utica  and  became  one  of  the  foremost  exponents  of  law  in 
the  State.  Thomas  Grosvenor,  the  youngest  son,  was  a  lawyer  of  ability  and  set- 
tled in  Hartford,  Conn.  Mr.  Stanley  sold  the  house  in  1824  to  Mr.  John  Lyon  who 
came  to  New  Hartford  from  New  Jersey  in  1805.  He  was  a  large  owner  of  real 
estate;  he  had  the  store  opposite  his  dwelling,  the  grist  mill,  and  paper  mill  where 
he  is  said  to  have  made  the  first  writing  paper  in  the  county,  perhaps  in  the  State. 
After  Mr.  Lyon's  death  in  1852  Mr.  Charles  McLean  bought  the  property.  Mrs. 
McLean,  who  was  born  in  1810,  is  still  living,  bright  in  mind  and  perfect  in  health. 
The  brick  stage  tavern,  long  owned  and  occupied  by  Noah  Porter,  is  still  standing, 
though  now  converted  into  a  dwelling.  Being  at  the  intersection  of  the  Seneca  turn- 
pike— later  Genesee — and  the  Oxford  and  Chenango  turnpike,  many  four-horse 
stages  stopped  on  their  way  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  also  covered  wagons  in  which 
families  traveled  to  homes  in  the  new  west.  An  electric  car  has  replaced  the  four 
horse  stage  coach.  The  toll  gates  which  exacted  tribute  every  ten  miles  have  disap- 
peared. The  store  where  the  early  post-office  was  kept  is  still  standing  on  land 
given  by  Judge  Sanger  to  the  First  Religious  Society  of  New  Hartford,  a  perpetual 
lease  with  the  yearly  rent  of  "one  wheat  corn."  The  dwelling  next  south  is  the 
building  where  the  Whitestown  Gazette  was  published  in  1794,  by  William  McLean, 
the  beginning  of  the  Utica  Morning  Herald.  The  grist  mill  built  by  Judge  Sanger 
in  1709;  the  paper  mill  adjoining;  the  large  Sanger  barn  where  the  First  church  was 
formed  August  27,  1791 ;  and  the  first  court  of  Oneida  county  (then  Herkimer)  was 
held  in  October,  1793.  Amidst  all  the  changes  the  house  so  well  built  bj^  Judge 
Sanger  more  than  one  hundred  years  ago  remains  little  changed  and  is  still  kept  as 
the  home  of  the  McLean  family. 

Stately  she  stands,  her  terraced  gardens  broad 

Still  wander  down  to  Sadequada's  flood; 

Her  open  door,  her  welcoming  halls  and  hearth, 

Still  call  her  children  from  around  the  earth. 

Fuess,  Philip,  jr.,  was  born  in  Annweiler,  Bavaria,  January  5,  1852.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  brewer  in  the  old  country,  and  came  to  America  in  1868,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  He  has  resided  in  this 
county  twenty-seven  years,  and  has  been  on  his  present  farm  twelve  years.  He  has 
long  been  regarded  as  a  leading  man  in  Marshall,  and  was  assessor  of  the  town  nine 
years.  He  was  elected  supervisor  in  the  spring  of  1894,  and  is  at  present  filling  that 
office.  He  purchased  his  present  farm  when  it  was  in  poor  shape,  and  has  improved 
it  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  finest  places  in  the  town.  In  1877  he  married  Maria  Mc- 
Guire,  of  New  York  city,  by  whom  he  has  a  family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  243 

Metz,  Charles  W. ,  was  born  in  province  of  Nassau,  Germany,  March  15,  1836, 
came  to  America  with  his  mother  in  June,  1852,  and  first  settled  in  Salisbury  Center, 
Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.  He  afterwards  went  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder,  and  about  1856,  located  permanently  in  Utica, 
where  he  was  for  several  years  under  the  instruction  of  A.  J.  Lathrop  and  also  of 
Timothy  Cronin,  two  of  the  leading  contractors  of  the  city.  In  1861  Mr.  Metz  began 
contracting  on  his  own  account,  and  since  1872  has  had  mostly  all  the  building  con- 
tracts let  by  the  Utica  State  Hospital.  Since  1890  he  has  been  permanent  master 
mechanic  of  that  institution,  having  charge  of  all  the  buildings  and  the  workmen 
thereon.  Besides  attending  to  these  duties,  which  now  command  his  entire  atten- 
tion, he  also  erected  before  1890  a  large  addition  to  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum  and 
also  a  number  of  dwellings  and  other  structures.  July  21,  1859,  he  married  Selma 
Sophie  Obst,  who  died  June  14,  1866,  leaving  three  children:  Emma  (Mrs.  Charles  S. 
Spiegelberg),  of  Waltham,  Mass.  ;  Matilda  B.  (Mrs.  John  Lindner),  of  Carlisle,  Pa.  : 
and  Charles  H.,  of  Waltham,  Mass.  September  20,  1866,  Mr.  Metz  married  a  second 
time  Matilda  M.  Geinitz,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  has  resided  at  232  Court  street 
sinc&  1870. 

Jones,  John  R.,  was  born  February  ,12,  1837,  in  Wales,  England,  and  is  a  son  of 
Rees  J.  and  Gwenne  Jones,  who  came  with  their  family  to  America  in  1841  and 
settled  in  Utica.  The  family  soon  removed  to  a  farm  in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  and 
later  to  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  on  the  old  Dr.  Paine  farm,  where  Rees  J.  died 
in  August,  1895,  aged  eighty-two.  His  wife  died  in  1842,  and  he  married,  second, 
Susan  Morgan,  who  survives  him.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two  sons  and  four 
daughters:  John  R..  of  Utica;  Margaret,  widow  of  Richard  Hughes,  of  New  Hart- 
ford; Henry,  of  Rome;  Winnie  (Mrs.  William  Denbigh),  of  Port  Byron,  111.;  and 
Jane  and  Laura,  both  deceased.  John  R.  Jones  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Marcy  and  in  j^rivate  schools  of  L'^tica,  and  remained  on  the  farm  till  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  Chicago,  and  about  1859  became  the  first  conductor 
on  the  first  street  car  ever  run  in  that  city.  He  continued  in  street  railroading 
about  five  years.  On  May  22,  1862,  he  was  appointed  an  attendant  and  super- 
visor of  the  Utica  State  Hospital,  and  from  1871  to  1887  he  was  clerk  and  store- 
keeper there.  Since  January,  1887,  he  has  held  the  responsible  position  of  steward. 
He  was  second  and  first  lieutenant  in  the  45th  Regiment  N.  G.  for  seven  years,  or 
until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out.  and  he  commanded  his  company  as  acting  cap- 
tain when  Lincoln's  remains  passed  through  Utica.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.O.O.F. 
March  19,  1863,  he  married  Jennie  M.,  daughter  of  Evan  Lewis,  of  Utica,  and 
they  have  two  sons:  John  L.  and  George  H. 

Jones,  Lewis,  son  of  Morgan  and  Mary  (Lumley)  Jones,  was  born  in  Machynlleth, 
Montgomeryshire,  Wales,  October  10,  1810,  settled  in  Utica  in  1827,  being  among 
the  very  early  Welsh  residents,  and  died  here  September  2,  1874.  He  received  a 
collegiate  education  and  was  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for  several  years,  becoming  an 
expert.  He  was  clerk  in  Whiting's  crockery  store  until  1850,  when  he  became  pro- 
prietor of  China  Hall,  the  largest  crockery  establishment  in  the  city.  Business  re- 
verses in  1856  and  1857  compelled  him  to  retire  from  business,  and  afterward  he  was 
a  clerk  in  the  New  York  Central  freight  office  and  for  eight  years  bookkeeper  for  the 
Utica  Herald   until  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis  February  2,   1873.      He  always 


244  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

took  an  active  interest  m  municipal  affairs  and  served  one  year  as  city  treasurer, 
but  declined  a  re-election  on  account  of  his  health,  though  he  was  urged  by  citi- 
zens of  all  political  parties  to  accept  it.  He  was  an  excellent  Welsh  scholar,  a 
fluent  writer  in  that  language,  and  at  one  time  a  frequent  contributor  to  Welsh 
magazines.  He  was  an  honest,  upright  man,  a  loyal  and  respected  citizen,  and  a 
kind  and  sympathetic  benefactor.  He  traveled  extensively  through  the  Eastern, 
Southern,  and  Western  States,  and  visited  Wales  and  other  parts  of  Europe  in  1835, 
1840,  1845,  and  1851.  In  October,  1880,  he  married  Eleanor  Hughes,  who  was  born 
December  14,  1807,  and  died  October  7,  1892.  Their  children  were:  Morgan  A., 
John  H.  (deceased),  Mary  (deceased),  Lewis  A.,  Sarah  E.,  Katherine  E.,  Thomas  M. 

Watson,  William  L.,  was  born  in  Utica,  March  27,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Di-. 
William  H.  and  Sarah  Thompson  (Carlile)  Watson.  His  father  is  one  of  the  most 
eminent  physicians  and  surgeons  of  that  city.  Mr.  Watson  attended  the  public 
schools  and  was  a  graduate  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy  in  1874.  He  attended 
Phillips  Exeter  Academy  at  Exeter,  N.  H..  in  1874-75,  and  entered  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1879.  He  has  always  lived  in  Utica  and  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  city,  and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  has  been  extensively  interested  in 
real  estate  operations.  He  is  a  member  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club,  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
and  the  Arcanum  Club.  He  was  married,  first,  October  12,  1887,  to  Miss  Alice  G. 
Parkinson,  daughter  of  E.  K.  Parkinson  of  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.  She  died  October 
4,  1893,  leaving  one  daughter,  Alice.  Mr.  Watson  married,  second,  April  22,  1896, 
Miss  Ellen  Swan,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Swan,  of  Baltimore,  Md. 

Harrer,  Karl,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  Januar\'  18,  1844,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parents,  Mathias  and  Julia  Harrer,  in  1852.  They  settled  in  Utica, 
where  the  mother  died  about  1884  and  the  father  in  1892.  Mathias  Harrer  was  a  silk 
plush  weaver  by  trade.  Karl  Harrer  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Utica  and 
learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  of  his  uncle.  Captain  Frederick  Harrer  (who  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gaines  Mills  and  died  in  1862,  and  from  whom  Harrer  Post 
G.  A.  R.  was  named).  Mr.  Harrer  followed  his  trade  as  journeymen  until  1872,  when 
he  established  his  present  business  as  shoemaker  and  dealer  in  Whitesboro  street. 
In  1894  his  son,  George  M.,  was  admitted  to  jjartnership  under  the  firm  name  of 
Karl  Harrer  &  Son.  Mr.  Harrer  was  two  terms  supervisor  from  the  Sixth  ward,  and 
since  the  spring  of  1893  he  has  served  as  alderman.  He  is  a  member  for  many  j-ears 
and  a  trustee  of  Utica  Lodge  No.  242,  order  of  Harugari,  is  a  member  and  was  for- 
merly trustee  of  Zion's  German  Lutheran  church  and  president  of  its  parochial  school 
for  sixteen  years;  and  is  now  a  trustee  of  the  L^tica  Maennerchor,  treasurer  of  the 
Baden  Sick  Aid  Society,  and  a  member  of  the  Utica  German  Literary  Society.  He 
was  married  in  November,  1868,  to  Belinda  Knox,  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Julia  (Mrs.  Frederick  Hammes),  George  M.,  Katharine  and 
Frederick,  all  of  Utica. 

Morehouse,  Hon.  George  C,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  May 
14,  1846.  His  father,  James  L.,  a  teacher,  died  in  Oswego  county  in  1860;  the  death 
of  his  mother,  Emeline  Crane,  a  teacher  of  music  in  the  old  Fairfield  Seminary, 
occurred  in  Herkimer  county  in  1888.  Judge  Morehouse  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Brooklyn,  where  his  parents  lived  several  years.     He  also  attended  Falley 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  245 

Seminary  in  Fulton  and  the  State  Normal  School  at  Oswego,  and  was  graduated  as 
B.  S.  from  Cornell  University  in  1873  In  1874  he  came  to  Utica  and  read  law  with 
Hon.  William  J.  Bacon  and  H.  P.  MacKoon,  later  with  Hon.  William  B.  Sutton,  and 
in  1875  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  Hamilton  College,  being  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Clmton  in  May  of  that  year.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica 
as  managing  clerk  for  Mr.  Sutton,  and  m  1876  77  became  his  partner  under  the  firm 
name  of  Sutton  &  Morehouse.  This  continued  until  1885-86,  when  the  partnership 
was  dissolved.  Judge  Morehouse  practiced  alone  until  March,  1893,  when  he  was 
elected  city  judge  which  office  he  held  until  April  1,  1896.  He  then  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  has  been  an  active  Republican,  and  served  two  years 
as  supervisor  of  the  Eleventh  ward.  He  is  a  member  and  past  master  of  Oriental 
Lodge  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  Oneida  Chapter  No.  57,  R. 
A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.  T.,  and  the  Scottish  Rite 
bodies,  32d  degree.  Northern  jurisdiction.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Fort  Schuyler 
Council,  R.  A.,  and  Oneida  Lodge  No.  70,  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  1877  he  married  Eugenia 
M.,  daughter  of  Henry  Miller,  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1879.  In  1888  he  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  Charles  Breen,  of  Trenton,  and  they  have  three  sons,  Law- 
rence, Merwin  and  Russell. 

Cantwell,  John  A.,  city  clerk  of  Utica,  was  born  in  that  city  September  14,  1861, 
son  of  Roderick  J.  and  Mary  (Conlon)  Cantwell,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  city.  He  learned  the  printing  trade  in  the  composing  room  of  the 
Sunday  Tribune,  finishing  his  apprenticeship  in  1881.  After  learning  his  trade  he 
spent  one  year  in  travelling,  during  which  time  he  worked  on  most  of  the  leading 
journals  in  the  west.  Returning  to  L^tica  he  accepted  the  position  of  foreman  of  the 
composing  room  in  the  office  in  which  he  serv-ed  his  apprenticeship,  holding  such 
position  until  his  appointment  as  city  clerk.  During  the  period  in  which  he  was 
employed  in  the  printing  business  he  issued  many  creditable  periodicals  and  papers, 
notably  among  which  was  the  Illustrated  Daily,  illustrating  the  events  transpiring 
on  the  grounds  each  day  during  the  last  State  Fair  held  in  U^tica.  In  1884  he  was 
elected  by  the  Utica  Typographical  Union  delegate  to  the  International  Typographi- 
cal Union  Convention  then  held  in  Buffalo.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  active 
in  politics  since  reaching  his  majority,  and  for  the  past  six  years  has  been  secretary 
of  the  Democratic  City  Committee.  Mr.  Cantwell  is  unmarried.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Arcanum,  and  Union  Social  Clubs,  also  of  the  Typographical  Union,  Trades 
Assembly,  Knights  of  Honor,  C.  B.  L.,  and  Saturday  Globe  Benefit  Association. 

Culliton,  John,  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  Januarj-,  28,  1849,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1865 ;  after  spending  one  year  in  Rochester,  six  years  in  Canandai- 
gua,  two  years  in  Honeoye,  N.  Y.,  a  short  time  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  and  also  in 
Washington  Mills,  N.  Y.,  he  came  to  Clayville  in  1888,  and  in  1889  he  assumed  the 
proprietorship  of  the  Murray  House,  which  has  since  ranked  as  a  first-class  hotel 
with  the  traveling  public.  Mr.  Culliton  is  an  influential  Democrat,  and  was  post- 
master of  Clayville  under  Cleveland's  first  administration,  and  was  also  collector 
when  in  New  Hartford.  In  1876  he  married  Ellen  Fitzmaurice,  of  Canandaigua, 
who  died  in  1880  leaving  one  child,  Mary  Culliton,  and  his  present  wife  is  Emogene 
Rogers  of  Washington  Mills. 


240  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dobson  Family. — In  1828  William  Noble  Dobson  came  to  this  country  from  Eng- 
land with  his  family,  and  located  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  He  be- 
gan business  as  a  tallow  chandler ;  he  was  also  an  expert  bookkeeper,  and  at  various 
times  took  charge  of  the  books  of  some  of  the  leading  business  firms  of  Utica.  He 
died  in  Syracuse  in  1838,  leaving  a  wife  and  four  sons:  William  B.,  Charles  L.,  Fred- 
erick H.,  and  Alfred  B.  In  1840  the  family  removed  to  Utica.  Charles  L.  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  fruit  business  in  a  very  modest  way  at  the  corner  of  Genesee 
and  Fayette  streets,  but  with  industry  and  perseverance  became  successful  and 
prosperous.  He  afterward  removed  his  business  to  Oneida  Square,  where  he  sold 
out  to  his  brother,  Alfred  B.  He  then  taught  dancing  schools,  and  for  thirty-two 
years  was  the  leading  tutor  of  the  gentle  art  in  Central  New  York.  In  1892  he 
retired  from  active  life  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to  the  management  of  his  large 
real  estate  interests.  In  1878  he  erected  the  Dobson  block  on  Oneida  Square,  and  in 
1895  built  the  Dobson  flats  on  Genesee  street  and  Dobson  Hall  on  Oneida  street. 
William  B.  Dobson  removed  to  Binghamton,  where  he  died  in  1858.  Frederick  H. 
removed  at  the  same  time,  enlisted  in  the  X^nion  Army  in  1862,  and  died  in  the  Wind- 
mill Point  Hospital,  on  the  Potomac  River,  in  1863.  Alfred  B.  Dobson  sold  out  his 
business  and  retired  in  1875. 

Rowley,  Warren  C,  of  the  firm  of  Rowley  &  Horton,  Utica,  was  born  in  Trenton, 
N.  Y.,  September  28,  1841.  The  pioneer  ancestor  of  the  family,  Henry  Rowley, 
came  to  the  Plymouth  Colony  from  England  in  the  Ann,  in  1632  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  Scituate;  he  later  removed  with  pastor  John  Lothj-op  to  Barnstable 
where  he  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors.  In  1C43  he  was  one  of  the  Barnstable 
Committee;  in  1644  and  1650  a  representative  to  the  General  Court;  in  1661  removed 
to  Falmouth  where  he  died  1G73.  His  wife,  from  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
descended,  was  Frances,  daughter  of  William  Palmer  who  came  to  America  in  the 
"  Fortune,"  in  1621.  Moses  Rowley,  sr. ,  son  of  Henry  and  Frances  Rowley,  moved 
with  his  father  from  Scituate  to  Barnstable  and  later  to  Falmouth  where  he  held 
many  offices  of  trust  and  was  representative  to  the  General  Court  for  several  terms; 
he  died  in  1705;  his  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Dr.  Matthew  Fuller,  at  one 
time  surgeon-general  of  the  colony,  and  granddaughter  of  Edward  Fuller  who  came 
in  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  Moses  Rowley,  jr.,  the  next  in  line,  was  born  in  Barn- 
stable in  1654,  removed  to  Falmouth  and  later  to  East  Haddam,  Conn.,  where  he 
died  in  1735.  His  wife  Mary  died  in  1764  aged  ninety-seven  years.  Their  son,  Ebe- 
nezer,  sr.,  was  born  in  Falmouth  in  1695,  married  in  1719  Mary  Church,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Richard  Church,  "the  warrior,"  who  came  to  New  England  in  1630. 
Ebenezer,  sr.,  died  in  1757  in  East  Haddam,  Conn.,  where  his  son,  Ebenezer,  jr., 
was  born  October  20,  1727.  The  latter  died  in  February,  1811,  having  married,  Oc- 
tober 18,  1750,  Susanna  Anable,  a  great-granddaughter  of  Anthonj^  Anable,  who 
came  to  Plymouth  1623.  Asher  Rowley,  son  of  Ebenezer,  jr.,  was  born  in  Haddam, 
Conn.,  in  1766,  and  died  in  Winsted,  Conn.,  in  1843,  where  he  had  resir.ed  many 
years.  In  1792  he  married  Mehitabel,  daughter  of  Lieut.  Jonathan  Dunham,  who 
served  as  corporal  in  Capt.  Amos  Jones's  company,  Col.  Jonathan  Latimer's  regi- 
ment, under  Gates  at  Saratoga  and  elsewhere.  He  was  descended  from  John  Dun- 
ham, one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  colony.  Warren  Dunham  Rowley,  son  of  Asher 
and  Mehitabel,  and  father  of  Warren  C.  Rowley,  whose  name  appears  at  the  head 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  247 

of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Winsted,  Conn.,  June  20,  1800.  He  received  a  good  edu- 
cation and  devoted  several  years  to  teaching  in  various  institutions  of  learning.  In 
1825  he  removed  to  Utica  and  later  to  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  He  was  for  several  terms  justice  of  the  peace  and  commissioner 
of  schools.  In  politics  he  was  an  ardent  Whig;  he  died  September  5,  1854.  His 
wife,  Harriet  Maria  Curry,  was  born  in  Trenton  on  July  4,  1818,  and  died  in  Utica 
February  14,  1889.  Her  father  Maj.  Issac  Curry,  was  a  lieutenant  in  Capt.  Farn- 
hara's  company.  Col.  Cleveland's  72d  New  York  regiment  under  Brig.-Gen.  Oliver 
Collins,  which  did  service  at  Sackett's  Harbor  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  for  many 
years  an  agent  of  the  Holland  Land  Company;  served  several  terms  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  supervisor,  and  in  1847  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature ;  he  died 
in  Trenton  in  1854.  The  father  of  Maj.  Isaac  Curry  was  John  Curry,  a  native  of 
Dumfries,  Scotland,  who  came  to  this  country  about  1796  and  married  Cornelia, 
sister  of  John  Post,  the  first  merchant  of  Utica.  Warren  C.  Rowley  acquired  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  of  Trenton  and  completed  a  course  of 
study  at  Fairfield  Seminary.  He  first  engaged  in  business  for  himself  as  a  general 
merchant  in  Trenton  and  in  1866  removed  to  Utica  where  with  his  uncle,  Orrin 
Curry,  and  his  brother,  H.  Curtis  Rowley,  he  engaged  in  the  paper  and  stationery 
.trade,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  Curry,  Rowley  &  Co.  About  one  year  later  Mr. 
Curry  retired  from  business  and  George  C.  Horton  was  admitted  the  firm  being 
Rowley  Bros.  &  Co.  This  partnership  continued  until  1879  when  H.  C.  Rowley  re- 
tired and  removed  to  Springfield,  Mass.  The  firm  then  adopted  its  present  name, 
Rowley  &  Horton.  This  is  the  oldest  paper  house  in  Utica  and  has  always  enjoyed 
great  prosperity.  In  politics  Mr.  Rowley  is  a  Republican  and  he  feels  a  pride  in 
having  cast  his  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  also  for  every  succeeding  presiden- 
tial nominee  of  his  party.  He  is  a  member  of  various  societies  and  organizations, 
including  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  in  which  he  has  a  special  interest  and  has 
been  its  treasurer  for  several  years.  He  was  one  of  the  original  organizers  of  the 
Plymouth  Congregational  church  in  1883  and  has  been  one  of  its  trustees  from  the 
beginning.  Mr.  Rowley  married,  August  3,  1870,  Julia  A.  Waite,  born  in  Carthage, 
N.  Y  ,  October  20  1848,  daughter  of  Rev.  Hiram  H.  Waite,  who  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant from  Richard  Waite,  the  marshal  of  the  Plymouth  Colony  in  1654,  also  a 
"Commissary  of  the  Horse"  in  an  expedition  against  the  Narragansett  Indians  the 
same  year,  and  a  member  of  the  "  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery,"  1638.  He  was 
also  the  grandson  of  a  second  Richard  Waite,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  who  served 
in  Lieut. -Colonel  Flagg's  regiment  which  marched  from  Leicester  on  the  alarm  of 
Bennington.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rowley  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Edith  Adella, 
born  in  Utica,  March  2,  1873,  a  graduate  of  Mrs.  Piatt's  Seminary,  also  the  Utica 
Conservatory  of  Music,  and  Henry  Waite,  born  March  7,  1879,  now  (1896)  a  student 
at  the  Utica  Academy. 

Graves,  C.  H.,  was  born  in  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  connected  with 
the  railway  business  since  ten  years  of  age.  He  began  as  water  boy,  subsequently 
learning  operating,  and  worked  at  North  Norwich.  He  then  went  to  Washington 
Mills  and  from  there  to  Fulton.  Returning  to  the  D.,  L.  &  W.  R.  R.,  he  worked  as 
extra  operator  for  a  time,  when  he  went  to  the  N.  Y.,  O.  &  W.,  and  filled  a  position  at 
Smyrna;  from  there  he  went  to  Sherburne  as  assistant,  and  thence  to  North  Nor- 


248  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

wich  as  agent,  which  position  he  filled  for  eight  years,  when  he  was  promoted  and 
sent  to  Waterville  in  1891.  In  1888  Mr.  Graves  married  Hattie  L.  Brooks  of  North 
Norwich,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Graves  is  a  member  of  the  International  Association  of  ticket 
agents. 

Quinlan,  T  trick  F.,  son  of  James,  was  born  in  County  Waterford,  Ireland,  March 
17,  1848,  call,  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1851,  and  settled  in  Utica.  where  his 
father  died  in  1872.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  learning  the  plumber's  trade 
with  John  Carton,  with  whom  he  continued  fourteen  years,  and  following  this  he  was 
with  Edward  Martin  for  eight  years.  In  1885  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Edward 
D.  Tuigg  and  William  Foley,  as  Ouinlan,  Tuigg  &  Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  general 
plumbing,  steam  and  hot  water  heating,  and  steam  and  gas-fitting  business,  which 
they  still  continue.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  trustee  of  the  Fire- 
man's Benevolent  Association,  and  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Plumbing  Exammers. 
In  politics  he  has  been  an  active  Democrat,  and  served  four  years  as  alderman  of 
the  Fifth  ward,  four  years  as  police  commissioner  under  Mayors  Sherman  and 
Kinney,  three  years  as  health  commissioner  under  Mayors  Darrow  and  Goodwin. 
For  fourteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  Co.  B,  Fire  Zouaves,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  and  for 
about  eight  years  its  first  lieutenant. 

Hicks,  Alpheus,  son  of  Jacob,  was  born  in  Wisconsm  October  5,  1846,  and  in  1847 
came  with  his  parents  to  Lee,  Oneida  county,  where  his  father  died  in  1850.  In  1856 
his  mother  married  Ezekiel  Van  Dresar,  and  he  remained  on  the  farm  in  Western 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  his  uncle.  In 
1867  he  married  Amelia  C.  Crill,  a  native  of  North  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  and 
resided  on  a  farm  in  Western  and  Trenton  five  years  each.  During  the  next  ten 
years  he  was  proprietor  of  Hicks's  mills,  near  Rome,  and  later  was  engaged  in  mill- 
ing in  Delta.  In  August,  1889,  he  came  to  Utica,  and  with  Charles  S.  Davis  kept  a 
livery  on  Hotel  street  for  a  year.  Mr.  Davis  then  sold  out  to  John  B.  Whitten  and 
since  then  the  firm  has  been  Hicks  &  Whitten.  Mr.  Hicks  is  a  member  of  the 
Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M..  Fort  Schuyler  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  K.  P.  He 
has  three  children :  Mabel  A. ,  William  A. ,  and  Edward  C. 

Gibson,  William  M.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida  county.  May  12,  1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  William  T.  Gibson,  now  of  Utica,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  in 
this  county  since  1854.  He  attended  the  Utica  Free  Academy  and  in  1875  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  medicine  in  1878.  He  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  Bellevue 
Hospital  under  the  late  Dr.  Alfred  L.  Loomis  of  New  York,  and  in  1879  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica  with  the  late  Dr.  Daniel  G.  Thomas,  and  since  his 
death  in  1880,  has  continued  alone.  He  was  made  attending  physician  to  the  Utica 
Dispensary  in  1880,  physician  in  charge  in  1881,  and  a  trustee  in  1882,  and  held 
appointment  on  the  corps  of  city  physicians  for  the  Eleventh  ward  from  1880  to  1889. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  in  1878  and  was  its  pres- 
dent  in  1889;  was  made  a  member  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library  Association  in  1879 
and  served  as  its  president  in  1884  and  1885 ;  has  been  a  member  of  the  staff  of  St. 
Luke's  Hospital  since  1883.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  American  Climatological 
Society  (a  branch  of  the  Congress  of  American  Physicians  and  Surgeons)  in  1892,  also 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  249 

to  membership  in  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  1893.  In  1894  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Flower  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital. 
He  has  been  a  vestryman  and  warden  of  St.  George's  Episcopal  church  since  1888, 
and  is  thoroughly  interested  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  city  and  its  institu- 
tions. In  June,  1888,  he  married  Mary  Louise,  eldest  daughter  of  Wir.amM.  Burr,  of 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  and  their  children  are:  William  Burr,  born  April  1'^  1889;  Anna 
Katharine,  born  July  22,  1891;  Mary  Burr,  born  May  23,  1893;  and  Lmily  Martha, 
born  April  4,  1895. 

Sparrow,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Shropshire,  England,  in  1818.  He  was  educated  in 
their  .schools,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  in  1832,  settling  in 
Florence,  Oneida  county.  He  finished  his  education  in  this  country,  graduating 
from  Oberlin  College  in  the  class  of  1851.  He  was  principal  of  Camden  Seminary 
two  3'ears,  then  went  to  California  where  he  remained  nine  years,  a  portion  of  the 
time  employed  as  bank  clerk  in  San  Francisco,  and  the  balance  in  teaching  and 
assisting  in  organizing  the  educational  system  of  the  State,  serving  as  a  member  of 
the  committee  which  selected  the  site  for  the  University  of  California,  also  member 
of  Board  of  Education  of  Alameda  county  for  some  years.  He  returned  to  this 
locality  in  1861,  and  in  1863  settled  on  a  farm  near  Oneida,  Oneida  county.  Here 
he  built  and  operated  the  Verona  Central  cheese  factory,  being  a  pioneer  in  thisline, 
his  being  the  third  cheese  factory  in  operation.  June  24,  1862,  he  married  P.  Eliza 
Sanford  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  T.  Sanford,  who  was 
born  in  Camden  in  1863.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Oberlin  College 
and  afterward  taught  school,  but  is  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  March 
10,  1894,  he  married  Jane  Gawm,  formerly  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Gladys  Ethelind.  Mrs.  Joseph  Sparrow's  father,  Linus  Sanfo  -d,  was  born 
in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  January  16,  1782,  and  came  to  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  when  a 
young  man.  He  was  for  years  a  successful  teacher,  afterward  engaging  in  mercan- 
tile business.  Was  twice  married,  first  to  Polly  Woods,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons, 
Samuel  T.  W.,  who  was  a  prominent  physician  and  also  engaged  quite  extensively 
in  real  estate.  William  W.,  the  second  son,  was  in  mercantile  business.  Mrs.  San- 
ford died  May  18,  1818.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Rhoda  Alcott  of  Connecti- 
cut, by  whom  he  had  five  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  P.  Eliza  as  above. 
She  was  a  teacher  for  a  number  of  years  in  Camden's  public  and  private  schools. 
Mr.  Sanford,  her  father,  was  repeatedly  elected  to  public  offices,  and  was  one  whose 
counsels  were  often  sought  and  whose  name  was  closely  connected  with  the  success 
of  Camden's  interests.  He  was  largely  instrumental  m  locating  and  planning  their 
cemetery.  He  died  May  29,  1842,  his  wife  May  11,  1881.  The  ancestry  of  the  family 
is  English  and  Scotch. 

Wolf.  Henry,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  October  28,  1824,  son  of  Henry  and  Magdaline 
(Schmidt)  Wolf,  both  natives  of  Bavaria  where  they  lived  and  died.  Both  father  and 
grandfather  were  farmers  in  Germany.  Henry  Wolf,  jr.,  came  to  America  in 
August,  1849,  and  settled  in  Ava,  where  he  has  always  resided,  commencing  as  a 
farm  hand.  He  soon  bought  220  acres  of  land,  120  of  which  he  cleared.  In  1852 
he  married  Catherine  Traxel,  daughter  of  Jacob  Traxel,  of  Ava,  by  whom  he  had 
five  children:  Caroline  S.,  Jacob  H.,  Henry  J.,  William  C,  and  Katie,  who  died  in 
ff 


250  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

infancy.     Mrs.  Wolf  died  April  28,  1893.     In  1891  Mr.  Wolf  sold  the  farm  to  his  son, 
William  C. 

Harris,  James,  is  a  native  of  Prince  Edward  Island,  where  he  was  born  in  1888, 
son  of  Thomas  Harris.  His  father's  people  were  from  Bath,  England,  and  his 
mother's  people  were  from  Aberdeen,  Scotland.  See  was  a  descendant  of  the  Ken- 
nedy family.  James  Harris  began  his  education  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  continued  his 
studies  in  this  county  into  which  he  came  with  his  parents  about  the  3'ear  1849.  In 
1863  he  engaged  in  bookkeeping  here  for  Charles  McLean;  he  also  kept  books  for 
the  firm  of  McLean,  Royce  &  Co.,  doing  business  in  Utica.  In  1867  he  opened  up  a 
general  store  in  company  with  Lafayette  Royce  at  Chadwicks,  but  after  a  year  sold 
out  to  Mr.  Royce  and  engaged  in  business  in  LUica  with  George  W.  Chadwick,  late 
of  Chadwicks,  until  1870,  when  he  returned  here  and  took  charge  of  the  office  work 
of  the  New  Hartford  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company,  then  just  organized.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  company  and  March  15,  1871,  he  was 
appomted  secretary.  October  15,  1874,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
company's  business,  all  of  which  offices  he  has  continued  to  hold  up  to  the  present 
time.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Union  Free  school,  dis- 
trict No.  1,  and  president  of  the  village.  In  1868  he  married  Phebe  Horrocks,  of 
Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  one  of  whom,  George  Elbert, 
died  when  two  years  and  ten  months  of  age.  He  is  a  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the 
Butler  Memorial  Hall,  a  building  erected  and  given  to  the  town  by  the  late  Morgan 
Butler. 

Smith,  Charles  E.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  March  22,  1837.  He 
was  one  of  a  family  of  three  children,  of  whom  he  is  the  only  survivor.  His  father, 
Edwin  Smith,  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Conn.,  in  1805;  he  came  to  Whitesboro  in 
1836,  and  engaged  in  an  active  commercial  life,  with  which  he  was  prominently 
identified  up  to  a  short  time  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1885.  He  married 
Helen  A.  Burns,  of  Hagaman's  Mills,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1889. 
Dr.  Smith  received  his  education  at  the  Whitesboro  district  school  and  the  Whites- 
town  Seminary,  which  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  educational  institu- 
tions of  the  State.  After  completing  his  course  there  he  entered  the  Albany  Medical 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1858.  He  then  returned  to  White.sboro 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  has  since  continued.  He 
is  not  only  popular  and  successful  in  his  profession,  but  is  also  successful  in  business 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him.  He  has  for  many  years  been  an  earnest  Re 
publican  in  politics  and  has  wielded  a  strong  influence  in  the  party's  affairs  in  town 
and  county.  He  was  postmaster  at  Whitesboro  for  twenty  successive  years,  an  office 
which  he  conducted  with  much  satisfaction  to  the  citizens  of  the  town  and  village. 
In  his  professional  circle  Dr.  Smith  has  been  recognized  and  honored  in  many  ways. 
He  has  served  as  president  of  the  County  Medical  Society  and  has  been  its  delegate 
to  the  State  Medical  Society.  In  1861  he  married  Theresa  A.  Marchisi,  of  L'tica,  by 
whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Anna  M.  Mrs.  Smith  died  in  1867,  and  for  his  second 
wife  Dr.  Smith  married  Anna  L.  Malsan,  a  native  of  Clyde,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children:  Adrian  W.,  Claude  M.,  and  Bertha  B.  Mrs.  Smith  was  educated  at 
Miss  Butler's  private  school  at  Hudson,  the  Sacred  Heart  Convent  at  Albany,  and  at 
Miss  Hart's  school  at  Farmington,  Conn. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  251 

Cronin,  James  V.,  son  of  Timothy,  was  born  in  Utica,  February  14,  1861.  His 
father,  a  carpenter  and  builder,  was  born  m  Ireland,  in  1828,  came  to  America  in 
1829  with  his  parents,  and  finally  settled  in  Utica,  where  he  died  in  1871.  Mr. 
Cronin  was  educated  in  the  Christian  Brothers'  Assumption  Academy,  and  in  1879 
enlisted  on  a  man  of  war  in  the  U.  S.  navy,  serving  four  years.  He  then  spent  four 
years  in  mining  in  Colorado  and  California,  and  re-enlisting  in  the  navy  served  six 
years  more,  completing  a  service  of  ten  years.  He  was  attached  at  various  times  to 
the  North  Atlantic,  North  Pacific,  South  Pacific,  and  South  Atlantic  stations,  and  on 
the  U.  S.  man  of  war  Alliance  participated  in  the  search  for  the  Jeannette  expedi- 
tion. Returning  to  Utica  in  1893  he  was  shipping  clerk  in  a  foundry  for  a  short  time 
and  then  became  manager  of  the  Utica  Carpet  Cleaning  Works. 

Norton,  Mrs.  E.  A.,  is  the  widow  of  the  late  G.  P.  Norton,  who  was  born  at  Che- 
shire, Conn.,  in  1817,  where  he  was  a  clockmaker.  He  came  to  Leyden  in  1840,  where 
he  erected  a  saw  mill  and  cheese  box  factory.  In  1874  he  came  to  Boonville,  where 
he  engaged  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  sashes,  doors  and  blinds.  In  1864  he 
married  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  (Roberts)  Dowd,  widow  of  James  Dowd.  She  had  four  chil- 
dren: Ellsworth,  born  in  1866,  and  died  in  1870;  Lizzie,  born  in  1868;  Roscoe  George, 
born  in  1870;  and  John  Arthur,  born  in  1874. 

Clark,  William  A.,  was  born  in  Utica  May  13,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  A. 
Clark,  who  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  about  1835,  and  came  to  Utica,  where  he 
still  resides,  a  banker,  real  estate  dealer,  an  insurance  agent,  in  1858.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Utica  public  schools  and  academy,  and  entered  his  father's  office. 
In  1888  he  entered  the  pay  department  of  the  West  Shore  railroad  and  continued 
about  six  months,  or  until  the  road  went  into  the  receiver's  hands.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1884,  he  entered  the  office  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills  as  a  clerk  and 
has  ever  since  been  connected  with  that  corporation,  acting  at  the  present  time  as 
assistant  secretary  and  treasurer  of  both  these  and  the  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton  Mills. 
He  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Imperial  Council  No.  70, 
R.  A. ,  the  Arcanum  Club,  the  Utica  Citizens  Corps,  and  the  Forty-fourth  Separate 
Company,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.  He  is  a  sergeant  in  the  Forty-fourth  Separate  Company 
and  for  eight  years  served  as  its  clerk.  He  is  also  an  associate  member  of  the  Mili- 
tary Service  Institution  situated  on  Governor's  Island,  and  was  for  two  years  (1892- 
93)  secretary  of  the  Board  of  School  Commissioners  of  Utica.  June  18,  1889,  he  mar- 
ried Ann  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Edwin  Peckham,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  five  chil- 
dren: Kenyon  H.,  Natalie  P.,  Irving  B.,  and  Leonard  S.  and  Lois  S.  (twins). 

Zimmerman,  Mrs.  L. — The  late  Leonard  Zimmerman  was  born  in  Germany,  April 
5,  1839,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  when  fourteen  years  of  age, 
locating  in  the  town  of  Verona.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  was  a 
cooper  by  occupation.  March  5,  1865,  he  married  Mary  Hart,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children;  Fannie  A.,  Leonard  F.,  Hattie  L. ,  Alva  H.,  Amelia  A. 
and  Mary  E.,  who  died  February  17,  1874.  Leonard  F.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railway,  married  Georgia  Lyon,  of  Illinois,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children:  Leatha  F.  and  Flo: ence  E.  They  now  reside  in  Utah.  Amelia  A.  is  a 
school  teacher.  Leonard  Zimmerman  died  March  11,  1894.  Mrs.  Zimmerman's 
father,  John  Hart,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1813,  and  was  educated  there.     In  1835 


252  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

he  married  Harriet  Pratch,  of  his  native  place,  and  they  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1842.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  Fred- 
erick, Harriet  C,  William,  Mary  C,  as  above,  George  J.,  Frances  E.  and  Alva  G. 
Mr.  Hart  died  August  19.  1892,  and  his  wife  September  1,  1894.  The  ancestry  of 
this  family  is  German  on  both  sides. 

Graves,  Ferdinand  V.,  was  born  at  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  where  in  his  boyhood  he 
was  an  intimate  friend  of  James  Fenimore  Cooper.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and 
came  to  Boonville  when  twenty-nine  years  of  age.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D, 
146th  Regiment,  and  participated  in  many  important  battles.  He  became  first  lieu- 
tenant and  raised  two  companies  from  Boonville.  He  was  also  a  prominent  figure 
in  the  nomination  of  John  C.  Fremont.  Since  the  war  he  has  resided  in  Boonville 
and  lived  a  retired  life.  He  married  Phebe  M.  Brinkerhoff,  of  a  celebrated  family 
of  local  pioneers,  who  died  soon  after  celebrating  her  golden  wedding.  She  left 
four  sons  and  live  daughters,  one  of  the  sons  being  Byron  P.  Graves,  who  took  care 
o/his  father  in  his  declining  years  and  until  his  death.  Mr.  Graves  was  for  thirty 
years  a  clothing  merchant  in  Boonville,  and  has  been  president  of  the  village. 

Kent,  M.  J.,  was  born  in  Limerick,  Ireland,  November  9,  1844,  and  came  to 
America  with  his  parents,  John  and  Mary  Kent,  in  June,  1846.  His  father  being 
overseer  of  coloring  in  the  woolen  mills  in  Massachusetts,  he  resided  in  that  State 
for  some  time.  He  next  moved  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  from  there  to  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  then  to  Skaneateles,  N.  Y.,  from  which  place  he  went  to  Pascoag,  R.  I.,  then 
to  Carolina  R.  I.,  and  from  there  to  Dayville  Conn.  He  worked  successively  in 
Auburn,  N.  Y.,  Oswego  Falls,  N.  Y.,  Bennington,  Vt.,  Frankhn,  N.  J.,  LUica,  N. 
Y.,  Lisbon  Falls,  Me.,  Rockville,  Conn.,  Beacon  Falls,  Conn,  and  Skaneateles,  N. 
Y.,  finally  settling  in  Clayville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1886.  In  September,  1893, 
he  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  and  has  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  stocked  stores  in  this  part  of  the  country.  In  1876  Mr.  Kent  married  Bridget 
Maher,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Jennie.  Mr.  Kent  takes  a  great  interest  in 
educational  matters,  aiid  has  been  trustee  of  the  Clayville  Union  school  for  eight 
years,  four  years  of  which  he  has  been  president  and  three  years  secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Education. 

Dwyer,  Michael,  was  born  in  Ireland,  August  28,  1845,  and  came  to  America  in 
1852  with  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Nora  (Hickey)  Dwyer,  who  settled  and  died  in 
Utica.  She  died  in  1880  and  he  in  1881.  He  was  graduated  from  Assumption  Acad- 
emy in  1859,  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  In  1862  he  learned  the  butcher's 
trade,  and  in  1863  went  west,  where  he  remained  until  1865,  when  he  returned  to 
Utica  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1868  he  began  railroading  and  in  1872  established 
his  present  business  in  Bleecker  street.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Holy  Name  Society 
of  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs. 
July  23,  1876,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Lackey,  of  the  town  of  Annsville, 
Oneida  county.  Their  children  living  are  Nora,  Thomas,  Catherine,  John,  Margue- 
rite and  Agnes;  two  died  in  infancy.     Mrs.  Dwyer  died  February  13,  1893. 

Haley,  Hon.  Cornelius,  was  born  in  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  December  20,  1860,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Haley,  natives  of  Ireland ;  Mr.  Haley  still  lives  in  that  village ; 
Mrs.  Haley  died  June  2,  1896.     He  received  a  public  school  education  and  at  the  age 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  253 

of  eleven  entered  the  woolen  mills  in  Little  Falls  where  he  remained  about  five  years. 
The  family  then  moved  to  near  Schuyler's  Lake,  Otsego  county,  but  two  years  later 
returned  to  Little  Falls,  where  he  again  entered  the  woolen  mills.  He  soon  went  to 
New  Jersey  and  learned  the  moulders'  trade,  which  he  followed  for  several  years. 
He  came  to  LTtica  in  1883.  In  1890  he  was  nominated  for  member  of  assembly  by 
the  Democrats  and  the  labor  organizations  of  the  city  and  was  elected  by  a  handsome 
majority.  He  was  re-elected  in  1891  and  again  in  1892,  and  served  in  all  three  terms. 
During  his  first  year  in  the  assembly  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  canals, 
labor,  industries,  etc.  During  the  second  year  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  labor  and  industries,  and  a  member  of  the  committee  on  excise  and  canals. 
During  his  third  term  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  railroads,  elec- 
tricity, gas  and  w.-^ter,  and  others.  He  introduced  and  succeeded  in  passing  a  bill 
making  ten  hours  a  legal  day's  work  on  steam  surface  railroads,  and  was  prominent 
in  other  legislative  movements.  May  27,  1893,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Flower  and  the  commissioner  of  labor  T.  J.  Dowling  as  chief  clerk  of  the  Bureau  of 
Statistics  and  Labor  at  Albany,  which  position  he  held  until  April  23,  1896,  when  he 
resigned.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  several  labor  and  other  organizations  of 
Utica.  December  28,  188G,  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
Hannon,  of  Sharon,  Mercer  county,  Pa.,  who  died  October  14,  1892,  leaving  two 
children:  Mamie  Perpetua  and  James  Bernard. 

Avery  J.  B. — Billious  Avery  was  born  in  the  town  of  Salisbury,  Herkimer 
county,  N.  Y.,  January  1,  1802,  and  died  in  Oneida  Castle,  N.  Y.,  August  11,  1870. 
March  21,  1824,  he  married  Levina,  daughter  of  Col.  Ichabod  Bartlett,  of  Salisbury. 
She  died  August  15,  1833,  leaving  him  three  sons:  Milton  B.,  Morgan  L.,  and  Oscar 
F.  Avery.  May  13  1838,  he  married  Melinda  Adelaide  Norton,  daughter  of  James 
Norton,  of  Norway,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  New  York,  January  14, 
1880.  Their  children  are  Emeline  L.  and  James  B.  Avery.  He  filled  many  offices 
of  trust  both  in  his  native  town  and  in  the  town  of  his  adoption.  For  .several  years 
he  represented  his  town  as  supervisor,  and  for  nearly  thirty  consecutive  years  was 
justice  of  the  peace  of  the  town  in  which  he  lived.  In  1854  he  represented  his  party 
as  candidate  for  member  of  assembly  of  his  district.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Oneida 
Castle,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  politics 
he  was  a  staunch  Republican  from  the  first  foundation  of  that  party.  James  B.  Avery 
son  of  Billious  Avery,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  November 
19,  1844.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  with  his  parents  removed  from  Salisbury  to  Oneida 
Castle,  N.  Y.,  where  he  with  his  sister  occupies  the  family  homestead.  At  the  age  of 
eleven  Mr.  Avery  began  the  foundation  of  his  subsequent  education  in  the  Experi- 
mental School,  a  training  school  of  the  Normal  College  at  Albany,  N.  Y.  He 
prosecuted  his  preparatory  studies  in  Oneida  and  Whitestown  Seminaries  and 
entered  Hamilton  College,  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  as  sophomore  in  the  autumn  of  1864, 
taking  his  Bachelor  degree  in  1867  and  three  years  later  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts.  He  has  served  his  village  acceptably  in  various  capacities,  and  also  the  town 
of  Vernon  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  For  a  number  of  years  he  conducted  a  private 
classical  school  at  his  residence  at  Oneida  Castle,  preparing  students  for  various 
colleges. 

Peck,  Dwight  Bristol. — The  Peck  family  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  oldest  in  the 


254  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

town  of  Marshall,  being  descended  from  Paul  Peck,  who  came  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  in 
1635  and  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  colony ;  was  ordained  deacon  in  the  first  church 
in  Hartford  under  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker.  Zebulon,  of  the  fifth  generation,  came  to 
Marshall  from  Connecticut  in  1801  to  join  his  son  Isaac,  who  came  in  1797.  He  was 
a  remarkable  man  in  many  ways,  and  especially  noted  as  a  deep  thinker  and  concise 
writer.  Was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature  for  fourteen  sessions  and  a 
delegate  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1788.  Isaac  Peck,  his  son,  was  the 
father  ot  George  Bristol  Peck,  a  substantial  and  influential  citizen,  and  he  was  the 
father  of  Dwight  B.  Peck.  In  February,  1869  Dwight  B.  Peck  married  Ada 
Marie  Lewis,  by  whom  he  had  tw^o  sons:  Paul,  who  died  in  1885,  and  Percival  D., 
who  lives  with  his  parents  at  the  homestead,  which  contains  many  heirlooms  and 
much  of  historic  interest.  Mrs.  Peck  is  a  writer  of  ability,  contributing  to  many 
leading  periodicals.  The  early  pedigree  and  arms  of  the  Pecks  may  be  found  in  the 
British  Museum  under  the  date  of  November  20,  1620.  Marriages  with  two  heiresses 
of  rank  formed  the  quarterings.     The  motto  is  "  Probitatem  Quam  Divitias." 

Fisher,  G.  M.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Johnstowm,  N.  Y.,  April  6,  1868,  son  of  Henry 
and  Lenora  (Yager)  Fisher,  of  Newport,  where  the  doctor  spent  twenty  years  of  his 
life.  His  grandfather,  Rev.  George  Fisher,  was  an  Englishman.  He  was  born  in 
1805,  and  came  to  America  when  an  infant.  George  Fisher,  the  doctor's  grand- 
father, also  an  Englishman,  served  under  Lord  Nelson,  and  was  with  him  when  he 
was  killed.  He  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  Utica,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Fisher  was 
educated  at  Colgate  University,  and  Albany  Medical  College,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1892.  He  then  became  assistant  to  K.  H.  Bissel  of  Troy 
for  one  year;  and  in  1893  he  came  to  Clayville.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida 
County  Medical  Society,  and  also  the  Rensselaer  County  Medical  Society.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Sauquoit  Lodge. 

Green,  Adelbert,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides. 
January  29,  1847,  son  of  Daniel  and  Irene  (Hammett)  Green.  In  1869  he  married 
Mary  Jones,  daughter  of  John  R.  Jones,  of  Paris,  by  whom  he  had  three  children: 
Wallace,  Ida  and  Cora;  the  two  latter  are  teachers.  Mr.  Green  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  takes  an  intelligent  and  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party,  by 
which  he  is  highly  valued.  He  has  frequently  been  delegate  to  county  conventions 
and  has  repeatedly  served  on  committees. 

Delester,  John,  was  born  in  France,  October  25,  1829,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary 
(Lemut)  Delester,  natives  of  France,  who  came  to  Utica  in  1832.  Mr.  Peter  Delester 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  was  in  the  war  under  Napoleon  at  the  battle  of 
Waterloo.  He  married  at  the  age  of  forty,  and  reared  nine  children ;  and  he  died  in 
Utica  at  ninety-five  years  of  age.  John  Delester  came  to  America  with  his  parents, 
and  in  1855  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Charles  Smallinberge,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  an  early  settler  in  Marcy.  Mr.  Delester  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Marcy 
and  in  1871  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  the  extract  of  witch  hazel  in  connection 
with  his  farm  work.  In  1892  he  retired  from  his  farm  work  and  came  to  Deerlield 
Corners,  and  is  still  engaged  in  the  extract  business. 

Irion,  Elias,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1835,  son  of  Elia.s  and  Maria  Irion,  also  of 
Germany,   where   Mrs.   Irion  died.     Elias  Irion,   sr.,   came  to  America  when  well 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  255 

advanced  in  years,  and  settled  in  Wisconsin  with  his  children,  where  he  died.  Elias 
Irion,  jr.,  came  to  America  in  1860,  and  settled  in  Deerfield,  where  he  has  since  car- 
ried on  market  gardening.  In  1863  he  married  Rachel  Wolf,  sister  of  George  D. 
Wolf. 

Evans,  Owen  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  April  2,  1849,  son  of  Owen  J.  and 
Rose  (Owen)  Evans,  who  settled  in  Floyd  about  1830.  Their  children  were  Jane 
(deceased),  John,  William  (deceased),  Owen  J.,  Mary  Jane  (deceased)  and  Charles, 
all  natives  of  Floyd.  Owen  J.  Evans,  sr. ,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  dairy  farmers  and 
was  active  in  educational  interests.  Owen  J.,  jr.,  engaged  in  teaching  school  at  the 
age  of  twenty,  but  is  now  engaged  in  farming  and  civil  engineering.  He  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  Whitestown  Seminary.  He  was  elected  supervisor  in  1886  and  is  very  active 
in  school  work. 

Wynn,  John  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  September  8,  1856,  son  of  George 
and  Jane  Wynn,  who  came  from  Wales  in  1850,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
was  also  active  in  matters  of  public  interest.  John  D.  Wynn  was  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren, all  natives  of  this  county  except  the  oldest.  He  married  Mary  Jane,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Martha  (Pigott)  Smith,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Rosa  M.  Mr. 
Wynn  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  elected  constable  one  year.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Patrons  of  Industry,  of  which  he  is  treasurer,  also  a  member  of  Wright 
Settlement  Grange. 

Smith,  Daniel,  was  born  December  24,  1818,  son  of  John  and  Mary  Smith,  who 
settled  in  the  town  of  Floyd  about  1830.  John  Smith  was  a  pioneer  farmer  and  was 
active  in  the  M.  E.  church  of  Western.  Daniel  Smith  married  -Martha,  daughter  of 
James  Pigott,  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Rome.  They  have  two  children:  Mary  Jane, 
wife  of  John  Wynn  ;  and  Emaline,  both  born  in  the  Smith  homestead.  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Presbj^terian  church. 

Jones,  R.  K.,  M.  D  ,  was  born  at  Hollyhead,  Wales,  September  21,  1840,  son  of 
the  Rev.  Richard  Jones.  He  is  the  eldest  of  eight  children,  and  settled  m  this 
county  in  1871,  where  he  has  practiced  medicine,  and  also  been  engaged  in  larming. 
He  studied  medicine  in  Dublin,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Ledwich  School  of 
Medicine  and  Combe  Maternity  Hospital.  He  was  assistant  surgeon  of  Union  par- 
ish of  Hollyhead.  He  first  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  but  later  came  to  Floyd  where 
he  has  since  followed  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  married  Ellen  T.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  Jones.  He  was  formerly  of  the  Welsh  Congregational  church,  and  is 
active  in  church  and  educational  interests.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  one 
term,  and  is  now  a  retired  physician. 

Williams,  Thomas  H.,  was  born  in  Comarshire,  Wales,  January  8,  1833,  son  of 
John  and  Rosemond  Williams,  who  settled  in  Floyd  in  1852  with  his  family,  and 
have  six  children  now  living:  David,  John,  Elizabeth,  Thomas  H.,  Edward,  Howell 
and  William.  John  Williams  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  very  active  in  town  and 
county  affairs.  Thomas  H.  Williams  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joel  S.  and 
Margaret  (Roberts)  Williams,  who  died  leaving  nine  children:  John,  Edwin,  Rose- 
mond, Prichard,  Julia,  Walter,  Mary,  Everett  and  Thomas.  He  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Elizabeth,   daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Eliza  Nichols.     He  enlisted  in 


25C  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Rome,  August,  1862,  in  Co.  H,  llTth  Regiment  N.  Y.  Volunteers,  and  served  twenty- 
two  months  in  regimental  hospital  until  mustered  out,  June,  1865.  He  is  engaged 
in  farming,  and  is  very  active  in  educational  interests  and  town  and  county  affairs, 
and  was  commissioner  of  highways  for  two  terms. 

Miller,  Philip  J.,  was  born  January  28,  1838,  son  of  Peter  and  Margaret  Miller, 
who  were  natives  of  Alsace,  Germany.  Philip  settled  in  Oneida  county  in  1865,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Peter  Bahrr  of  Germany, 
by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Emma,  wife  of  Welcome  Van  Buskirk;  William, 
and  Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Sporie.  William  Miller  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  L.  Prichard,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Clarence,  Katie  and 
Rena.  William  is  also  engaged  in  farming,  and  like  his  father  is  interested  in  both 
town  and  county  affairs,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  the  educational  interests  of  his 
town.     He  is  a  member  of  the  S.  F.  I. 

Dewey,  Rev.  Sanger,  was  born  in  Turin,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  March  27  1823, 
youngest  son  of  Chester  Dewey,  who  was  born  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  in  1787,  and 
came  to  Leyden,  N.  Y.,  in  1801  with  his  parents,  and  for  several  years  followed  the 
business  of  a  clothier,  but  afterwards  bought  a  farm  in  Turin  and  spent  the  rest  of 
his  life  in  that  industry.  He  died  in  Turin  in  1844.  He  was  a  descendant  of,  and 
the  sixth  generation  from,  Thomas  Dewey,  who  came  from  England  in  1633.  He 
married  Phebe  Wetmore,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  died  in  December,  1845. 
The  Rev.  Sanger  Dewey  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
thirteen  years  of  age  of  which  his  parents  had  long  been  honored  members.  At 
twenty-one  he  received  exhorter's  license,  and  on  March  18,  1848,  was  licensed  to 
preach.  The  following  June,  after  spending  several  years  teaching,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  junior  preacher  on  the  Steuben  circuit  (which  then  embraced  several  towns) 
with  residence  in  Trenton.  The  next  year  he  joined  the  Black  River  Conference 
on  probation.  In  1851  he  was  received  in  full  connection  and  ordained  deacon,  and 
two  years  later  was  ordained  elder.  He  has  been  pastor  in  the  following  charges: 
Steuben,  Oriskany,  East  Canada  Creek,  Marcy,  Brackett's  Bridge  (now  Dolgeville), 
Delta  and  Westernville  (two  full  terms),  New  London,  North  Manlius,  Jordan,  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor,  Hermon,  Rodman,  Ogdensburg  district,  Antwerp,  Brownville  and 
Dexter,  Martinsburg  and  Glendale,  Taberg,  Deansboro,  Vernon  Center,  and  in 
April,  1896,  was  appointed  to  Constableville.  On  November  13,  1851,  he  married 
Miss  Chloe  G.  Williams,  of  Oriskany,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters.  She  was 
born  September  28,  1820,  and  died  in  Taberg  October  16,  1883.  On  October  14, 
1891,  he  married  Miss  Addie  R.  Crofoot,  of  Constableville,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  the 
late  Benjamin  P.  Crofoot.  She  was  born  December  1,  1850,  and  was  educated  at 
Cazenovia  Seminary. 

Grace,  John,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  in  November,  1843,  son  of  John  and 
Ann  Grace.  John  was  a  native  of  Deerfield,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  he 
died  in  1867  in  his  eighty-third  year.  John  Grace  was  educated  in  Deerfield,  and 
came  to  Whitesboro  in  1886,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  has 
a  fine  farm  of  eighty-one  acres,  all  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat.  He  married  Annie,  daughter  of  Charles  Ferguson,  of  Whites- 
boro. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  257 

Morgan,  John  S.,  was  born  in  Wales,  March  25,  1866,  son  of  David  and  Eliza 
Morgan.  The  family  moved  to  New  York  Mills  in  1869.  David  Morgan  came  here 
first  in  1867,  and  returned  with  his  family  in  1869.  David  Morgan  is  employed  on 
mason  work  of  No.  1  Mill.  John  S.  Morgan  was  educated  in  New  York  Mills,  after 
which  he  learned  the  machinist  trade,  and  is  now  in  charge  as  boss  machinist  of  No. 
2  Mill.  December  26,  1887,  he  married  Harriet  Ellen,  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Elizabeth  Watkins,  of  New  York  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  David  Watkins 
Morgan.  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  member  of  Samuel  Campbell  Council,  Royal  Arcanum, 
also  Oriental  Lodge  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Davis,  Eugene,  born  in  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county,  June  18,  1850,  is  a  son  of 
David  W.  Davis,  a  shoemaker,  who  had  previously  followed  trade  in  Utica  for  a 
time.  David  W.  married  Lydia  »Stevens,  a  native  of  Herkimer  county,  who  is  living 
in  Richfield  Springs  aged  eightj^  six.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Their  children  were  Charles  S.,  of  Utica;  Harriet  (Mrs.  Chauncey  Johnson),  of  Yon- 
kers,  N.  Y.  ;  Hiel,  of  Utica;  Susan  (Mrs.  James  Castler),  of  Richfield  Springs;  and 
Eugene,  of  Utica.  Eugene  Davis  was  educated  in  the  Frankfort  public  schools  and 
first  engaged  in  various  business  occupations,  pnncipally  in  the  carting  and  livery 
business  and  hotel  keeping  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  for  several  years.  In  1881  became 
to  Utica  and  engaged  in  carting,  and  in  1888  purchased  his  present  livery  and  sales 
stable  of  John  Butterfield.  He  then  combined  the  livery  business  and  carting  on  an 
extensive  scale  and  also  extended  the  boarding  and  sales  stable  enterprise.  He  is  a 
member  of  Oriental  Codge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  LTtica  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T. ,  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies,  320,  Fort  Schuyler  Council,  R.  A.,  and 
Fort  Schuyler  Club.  In  February,  1882,  he  married  Nellie  McKennan,  of  Utica, 
and  they  have  four  children:  Chauncey  W.,  Lillian,  George  A.,  and  Bessie. 

Crippin,  A.  E.,  was  born  in  Decatur,  Otsego  county,  December  13,  1861,  son  of 
George  and  Catherine  Crippin.  Mr.  Crippin  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Otsego 
and  Oneida  counties,  after  which  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Mills  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  and  is  now  overseer  of  the  weaving  department  of  No.  2  mill. 
In  1837  he  married  Miss  Lucy  Harington  of  Kasoag,  Oswego  county ,  he  is  a  member 
of  Schuyler  Lodge  No.  147,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  Samuel  Campbell  Council  No.  1090  Royal 
Arcanum ;  in  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

Thonripson,  Henry  D.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  in  1826,  and  since  his 
retirement  twenty  years  ago  from  farming  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  village.  He 
is  the  only  child  of  Ethan  Thompson,  who  came  here  from  Connecticut  when  a  boy. 
Ethan  Thompson  took  a  lively  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  welfare  of  the 
town ;  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  and  was  always  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  died  in  1881,  aged  ninety-two  years.  Henry  D.  Thompson  married 
Mary  J.  Webster. 

Vanderzee,  H.  B.,  was  born  at  Schodack,  N.  Y.,  in  1855,  one  of  three  children  of 
Mathias  and  Katherme  (Marble)  Vanderzee,  and  is  a  descendant  of  a  Dutch  family 
whose  lineage  is  traced  to  Holland.  He  received  his  education  in  the  Troy  Business 
College,  and  his  first  business  engagement  was  in  the  woolen  mills  at  that  place. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  New  Hartford  since  1888,  and  assistant  superintendent  two 
years  on  the  Belt  Line,  having  served  several  years  as  conductor  and  also  as  motor- 


258  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

man  for  a  time.  Fifteen  years  ago  he  married  Maggie  Boyle  of  Yorkville,  by  whom 
he  has  one  son,  George,  aged  eleven  years.  Mr.  Vanderzee  is  an  honorary  member 
of  Troy  Fire  Department. 

Davies,  R.  M.,  was  born  in  Wales  in  1827.  son  of  John  R.  Davies,  who  came  from 
Wales  when  R.  M.  Davies  was  five  years  old  and  settled  in  Utica  where  he  always 
resided.  Mr.  Davies  acquired  an  education  by  his  own  efforts  and  first  engaged  in 
farming ;  but  in  1843  was  emploj^ed  in  a  factory  at  Oriskany  where  he  remained  seven 
years.  In  1850  he  married  Jane  Purdy,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Ella,  Henry, 
Margaret,  and  George  W.,  who  died  at  eleven  years  of  age.  He  spent  three  years 
in  California  and  New  Mexico,  mining  and  railroading.  Mr.  Davies  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party  from  the  time  of  its  organization,  and  was  super- 
visor in  1882. 

Stevens,  Franklin,  was  born  in  Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  August  18,  1813. 
He  obtained  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
many  occupations.  He  was  a  merchant  in  Cleveland,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  dur- 
ing the  war.  He  has  had  much  experience  as  a  hotel  man  and  has  conducted  the 
Lake  Beach  Hotel  at  Sylvan  Beach,  N.  Y.,  for  the  past  thirteen  years.  In  1834  he 
married  Marj'  R.  Potter,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Ellen, 
who  married  C.  C.  Cady,  now  of  Boston,  Mass. ;  Welthena,  who  is  at  home;  and  one 
deceased.  Mr.  Stevens's  father,  William,  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  came  to  this 
State  when  a  young  man.  He  married  Marinda  Pond,  of  Camden,  N.  Y.,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children:  Henry,  Menzo,  Franklin,  Gilbert,  and  Welthena.  Mr.  Stevens 
was  town  clerk  of  Cleveland  for  one  year. 

Buell,  Wales,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Walesville,  Oneida  county,  March  31,  1837,  son 
of  Alton  and  Julia  Ann  (Wales)  Buell.  Alton  Buell  was  the  son  of  Benjamin  Buell 
of  Westmoreland,  and  Julia  Ann  Buell  was  the  daughter  of  Jonathan  Wales,  who 
came  from  Windham,  Conn.,  in  1797,  settled  in  Whitestown  and  built  up  the  village 
of  Walesville,  and  in  addition  to  residences,  he  built  the  paper  mill,  hotel  and  other 
buildings.  The  larger  portion  of  the  village  of  Walesville  was  built  by  Jonathan 
Wales  and  Alton  Buell.  Mr.  Wales  died  in  1838.  Alton  Buell  built  up  the  village 
of  Walesville  from  the  point  where  Jonathan  Wales  left  off,  and  also  the  stove 
foundry,  which  was  run  as  A.  Buell  &  Co.  They  manufactured  the  Walesville  cook 
stove,  in  which  wood  was  used,  and  it  was  the  greatest  stove  of  its  day,  known  and 
sold  in  every  section  of  the  country.  Dr.  Wales  Buell  was  educated  at  Whitestown 
and  Fairfield  Seminaries,  and  at  the  Bellevue  Medical  College  in  New  York.  He 
practiced  in  Utica  six  years,  and  removed  to  Walesville,  where  he  has  since  prac- 
ticed. Dr.  Buell's  family  is  the  oldest  in  the  county,  and  have  done  almost  the  entire 
work  of  building  up  one  of  the  oldest  villages. 

Parmelee,  David  E. ,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  May  12,  1821,  and  was  one  of  the  ten 
children  of  Chester  and  Haddassah  Parmelee.  Chester  Parmelee  came  here  from 
Connecticut  ninety-five  years  ago,  and  was  about  nineteen  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  settled  here.  His  father  and  brother  died  soon  after  coming  here.  David 
E.  Parmelee  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Kirkland,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  he  followed  up  to  a  few  years  ago,  when  he  moved  to  the  village  of  Clin- 
ton.    He  is  the  owner  of  the  old  homestead  farm  of  130  acres.     December  8,  1846,  he 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  259 

married  for  his  first  wife,  Amy  Pierce,  and  January  14,  1852,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Cole,  by  whom  he  has  two  children :  Flora  R.  and  Charles  W.  Mr.  Parmelee  was 
for  six  years  town  assessor,  and  for  nine  years  village  assessor. 

Fowler,  William  H.,  jr.,  was  born  at  Trenton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  June  13,  18c.O. 
His  father,  William  H.  Fowler,  was  born  at  Fairfield,  Conn.,  November  8,  1801,  and 
died  at  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  April  17, 1896.  In  1827  he  removed  to  Trenton,  N.  Y.  In 
1832  he  moved  to  Cold  Brook,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  carried  on  a  furni- 
ture and  undertaking  business  for  fifty  years.  In  1829  while  in  Connecticut  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Ives  of  New  Haven,  who  was  born  in  1803,  and  died  in  Cold  Brook  in  De- 
cember, 1881.  William  H.,  jr.,  was  educated  in  the  common  school  in  Cold  Brook, 
where  he  lived  until  twenty-three  years  of  age ;  from  which  place  he  went  to  Poland, 
Herkimer  county,  and  was  manager  of  the  Union  store,  a  position  he  held  for 
twelve  successive  years.  December  25,  1857,  he  was  married  to  Mary  M.  Slocum, 
daughter  of  Sidney  Slocum  of  Cold  Brook.  In  1866  Mr.  Fowler  moved  to  Trenton, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  became  associated  with  Levi  Wheaton,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Wheaton  &  Fowler,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  and  remained  until  1870,  when 
he  settled  at  Oriskany  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  is  now  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  trade.  Mr  and  Mrs.  Fowler  have  three  children:  Frank 
S.,  born  January  31,  1861 ;  Ruth  Ives,  born  March  30,  1866;  and  Nettie  E.,  born  De- 
cember 3,  1872.  Frank  S.  is  engaged  with  his  father  in  business,  and  October  15, 
1884,  he  married  Anna  Louisa  Root,  of  Madison,  N.  Y.  April  19  Ruth  Ives  married 
Clifton  C.  Newell,  of  Oriskany  Falls.  Mr.  Fowler  has  been  identified  with  the  Pro- 
hibition party  for  the  past  ten  years. 

Palmer,  E.  H.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1837.  His 
father,  Joshua  Palmer,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  was  an  early  settler  of  this 
town,  keeping  a  "half-way  house"  on  the  Whitestown  road.  He  married  Adaline 
Sanford,  of  New  Hartford,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  of  whom  E.  H.  is  the  only 
survivor:  Ai,  Celia,  Elias  H.,  and  Esther.  Elias  H.  Palmer  has  spent  his  whole 
life  here,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer.  In  1860  he  married  Clara  H.  Jones,  of  an 
old  local  pioneer  family,  also  of  Connecticut,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Belle, 
now  the  wife  of  William  Owens,  of  Whitestown. 

Munger,  Charles,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fenner,  Madison  county,  N.  Y. , 
April  26,  1841,  and  has  been  nearly  twenty-five  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  at  Knoxboro,  having  at  that  time  just  graduated  from  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  college  at  New  York  city,  and  his  professional  work  began  with  his  resi- 
dence in  Knoxboro.  He  attended  the  Cazenovia  Seminary,  previous  to  entering 
upon  his  medical  course,  which  included  one  j^ear  at  Ann  Arbor  and  two  years  at 
Bellevue,  graduating  in  1871.  Dr.  Munger's  father  was  Chauncey  Munger,  also  a 
native  of  the  town  of  Fenner,  and  a  lifelong  farmer  in  that  section.  Chauncey 
Munger's  father  was  one  of  the  first  three  settlers  in  the  township,  and  a  part  of  the 
farm  upon  which  he  settled  in  1793  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family  descend- 
ants. Chauncey  Munger  married  Minerva  Hathaway,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
who  was  born  in  1803,  and  died  at  the  homestead  in  1868.  A  noteworthy  accom- 
plishment of  her  early  life  was  the  weaving  of  a  bed  counterpane  when  she  was  six- 
teen years  of  age,  which,  although  seventy-six  years  old,  is  still  in  use  in  Dr.  Mun- 


260  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ger's  home.  Mr.  Hunger  died  at  his  son's  home  in  Knoxboro  in  1879.  Mr.  Munger 
married  Mary  E.  Strong,  a  native  of  Stockbridge,  who  was  born  April  20,  1842,  and 
she  died  June  1,  1881,  leaving  two  daughters:  Jessie  Strong,  born  July  11,  1874,  and 
H.  Louise,  born  September  5,  1876.  Dr.  Munger  married  for  his  second  wife,  Emma 
O.,  daughter  of  W.  G.  Strong,  of  Knoxboro,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  children: 
Edith  Frances,  born  November  28,  1886;  Margaret  Strong,  born  May  26,  1892,  and 
Robert  Strong  (deceased),  born  October  19,  1894. 

Foster,  Burton  G.,  was  born  May  15, 1838,  in  Greenville,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Greenville  Academy,  coming  to  this  part  of 
the  State  in  1867,  where  he  conducted  a  stock  farm  of  choice  blooded  Ayershire  and 
Jersey  cattle.  December  8,  1869,  he  married  Estelle  Silvernail,  of  Oneida  Valley, 
N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Nellie  M.,  Burton  G.,  jr.,  Homer  B. ,  Theo- 
dore and  John  H.  Mr.  Foster's  father,  Theodore  Foster,  was  born  in  Westerlo,  Al- 
bany county,  N.  Y.,  December  28,  1797.  He  was  of  New  England  or  Connecticut 
stock.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day,  and  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer 
by  occupation,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  April  18,  1833,  he  mar 
ried  Maria  Moore,  of  Rensselaerville.  Albany  county,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren: Joseph,  Benjamin  and  Burton  G.,  as  above.  Mr.  Foster  died  in  April,  1877, 
and  his  wife  August  10,  1880.  Burton  G.  Foster's  grandfather,  Apollos  Moore,  came 
from  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  settled  near  Rensselaerville  in  1785,  coming  on  foot  while 
his  wife  rode  a  horse  that  cost  five  dollars,  as  stated  in  an  old  directory  of  Albany 
county,  carrying  with  them  all  their  worldly  goods.  Mr.  Moore  afterwards  became  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  supervisor,  and  was  the  first  judge  of  Albany  county,  an  office  he  held 
until  he  was  nearly  seventy  years  old.  He  had  a  store  on  his  farm,  also  a  large 
flouring  mill  in  the  village ;  also  was  a  foremost  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
He  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  enlisting  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  and 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war;  he  also  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  died  in  1840, 
aged  seventj'-six  years.  Mr.  Foster's  father,  John  H.  Silvernail,  was  born  in  Colum- 
bia county,  N.  Y.,  September  30,  1817.  He  married  Helen  Johnson,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  children:  Homer,  Estelle,  Alfred  J.,  Bradish,  Mary,  Henry,  John  H.  and 
Helen.  He  died  January  13,  1886,  and  his  wife  July  18,  1885.  The  family  are  of 
New  England  stock.  Mr.  Foster  is  now  a  farmer  and  horse  breeder  of  first-class 
trotting  stock,  at  his  farm,  Oneida  stock  farm,  one  mile  east  of  Oneida,  N.  Y.  He 
has  a  horse  of  the  Electioneer  and  Wilkes  blood  of  Senator  Stanford's  California 
breed.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Verona  five  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Oneida 
Lodge  No.  270,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  politics  a  Republican. 

Chamberlin,  George  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  October  24,  1829. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Vernon  Academy  and  afterwards 
taught  school  for  five  years,  but  is  now  engaged  in  farming.  August  11,  1850,  he 
married  H.  Ellen  Fleishman,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Marion 
F.,  Rhoda  A.  and  Bayard  L.  Mr.  Chamberlin's  father,  Loel  Chamberlin,  was  born 
in  Vermont,  February  12,  1793,  and  came  to  this  State  and  county  with  his  parents 
when  a  boy.  He  was  educated  in  Clinton  common  schools,  after  which  he  engaged 
in  farming.  He  married  Elizabeth  Lanning,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children:  Samuel,  Isaac  W.  Eliza,  Meriba,  three  infants  not  named,  George  L.,  as 
above,  and  Rhoda.     He  was  in  the  war  of  1812.     He  died  November  25,  1872,  aged 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  261 

eighty  years,  and  his  wife  May  20,  1884,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  Mrs.  Chamber- 
Hn's  father,  Augustus  Fleishman,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  in  1823,  where  he 
was  educated,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1858  and  located  here.  He  married  Ellen  Gladwell,  formerly  of  England,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children:  Frederick,  William,  Ellen,  Emma,  Josephine,  Julia  George, 
Charles  and  Evelyn.     The  ancestry  of  this  family  is  English  and  German. 

Gerwig,  Frederick,  was  born  near  New  London,  in  the  town  of  Verona,  November 
21,  1843.  He  was  educated  in  thedistrict  schools,  and  afterward  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade.  July  19^  1884,  he  married  Catherine  Angley,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children:  Edward  W.,  Laura  M.,  Bertha  A.,  Frederick  B., 
Martha  B.,  Frank  C,  and  Elmer  H.  Mr.  Gerwig  is  a  contractor  and  builder  with 
his  brother  George.  Mr.  Gerwig's  father,  Frederick  Gerwig,  was  born  in  Alsace, 
France,  in  1821,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  when  nine  years  of 
age  locating  in  this  town,  where  he  was  a  boat  builder  by  occupation.  He  married 
Barbara  Ruby,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children:  Frederick,  as  above, 
Margaret,  Elizabeth,  Barbara,  George,  Jacob,  Caroline,  Amelia,  Sarah,  Charles,  and 
Benjamin.  Mr.  Gerwig  died  in  1877.  Mrs.  Gerwig's  father,  Jacob  Angley,  was 
born  in  Germany.  He  married  Margaret  Fembel,  and  came  the  the  United  States 
locating  in  Rome,  N.  Y.  They  had  twelve  children,  three  of  whom  survive.  The 
father  and  mother  are  dead.  Mr.  Gerwig  is  a  member  of  Romania  Lodge,  No.  271, 
A.  O.  U.  W..  of  Rome,  N.  Y.     The  family  are  of  German  ancestry  on  both  sides. 

Leete,  Pelatiah  W.,  was  born  in  Guilford,  New  Haven  county.  Conn.,  May  4,  1815, 
and  came  to  Verona,  N.  Y.,  with  his  parents  when  three  years  of  age.  He  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  public  schools,  and  in  early  life  was  a  boat  builder.  He  is  a  natural 
mathematician,  and  his  main  business  is  that  of  a  civil  engineer  and  surveyor.  He 
has  served  the  town  of  Vienna  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  school  commissioner.  He 
has  been  married  twice,  first  in  1846,  to  Elizabeth  Fuller,  and  they  had  one  son, 
Pelatiah  W.,  jr.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Leete  died  in  1855  and 
he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Jennie  E.  Gardner,  of  the  town  of  Amboy,  Oswego 
county,  in  1870,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Arthur  L.  Mrs.  Leete  is  station  agent, 
telegraph  operator,  and  express  agent  at  West  Vienna,  for  the  past  seven  years,  on 
the  Ontario  and  Western  Railway.  This  old  family  is  of  New  England  stock,  and 
dates  back  to  England  to  1639.  William  Leete  was  the  first  of  the  family  in  this 
country ;  he  became  governor  of  New  Haven  colony,  and  when  Hartford  and  New 
Haven  united,  was  governor  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  which  position  he  held  when 
he  died.  Mr.  Leete  is  the  fifth  of  the  name  of  Pelatiah,  his  son  the  sixth,  and  his 
grandson  the  seventh. 

Gates,  Henry  L.,  son  of  Nathan  Gates  and  Phebe  York  was  born  in  Brookfield, 
Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  May  12,  1859.  His  grandfather,  David  Gates,  was  the  pio- 
neer settler  in  the  Beaver  Creek  Valley  in  the  town  of  Brookfield  having  come  there 
from  Putney,  Vermont,  in  April,  1793.  The  old  Gates  mansion  at  Putney  w^here 
David  Gates  was  born  is  still  standing.  Mr.  Gates  was  educated  at  Brookfield 
Academy,  read  law  in  his  native  village  with  S.  B.  Daboll,  now  circuit  judge  in 
Michigan,  and  in  West  Wmfield  with  the  late  Hon.  S.  S.  Morgan,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Ithaca  in  1882.     He  first  practiced  in  Brookfield,  where  he  also  served 


262  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

one  year  as  town  clerk.  In  1882  Mr.  Gates  was  married  to  Miss  Roxie  Waterman 
of  Utica.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Utica  and  was  associated  in  business  for  two  years 
with  the  late  John  G.  Jones.  Since  then  he  has  practied  alone.  In  1890  and  again 
in  1894  Mr.  Gates  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  still  serves  in  that  capacity. 
Although  having  decided  cases  numbering  into  the  thousands  his  decisions  have  only 
been  appealed  from  five  times  and  none  have  ever  been  reversed.  Mr.  Gates  has 
been  assistant  journal  clerk  of  the  Assembly  of  the  State  of  New  York  since  January 
1,  1894.  For  the  last  five  years  Mr.  Gates  has  been  chairman  of  the  Republican  City 
Committee  of  the  city  of  Utica.  He  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge  No.  33,  B.  P.  O. 
Elks,  Faxton  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  Samuel  Read  Lodge  K.  P.,  the  Utica  Mannerchor, 
one  of  the  original  Board  of  Governors  of  the  Masonic  Club,  a  director  in  the  Oneida 
County  Sportsmen's  Association,  and  for  many  years  a  vice-president  of  the  New 
York  State  Association  for  the  Protection  of  Fish  and  Game.  Mr.  Gates  as  a  lawyer 
ranks  high  among  the  younger  members  of  the  bar. 

Small,  Lewis  J.,  was  born  October  7.  1852,  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  and  is  a 
son  of  Gottlieb  Small,  who  came  from  Germany  and  died  in  Deerfield  March  10,  1860. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  Utica  Business  College,  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  engaged  as  clerk  for  Weaver  &  Watkins,  general 
merchants  of  Deerfield  Corners,  with  whom  he  remained  for  five  years.  He  then 
became  a  clerk  in  Utica  for  Roberts,  Butler  &  Co.,  wholesale  clothing  manufacturers, 
spending  five  years  in  the  stock  department  and  seven  years  in  the  office  of  the 
manufacturing  department  as  bookkeeper.  In  1889  he  organized  with  G.  A.  Grant 
as  president  and  the  late  F.  W.  Kuhu  as  vice  president,  the  Utica  Clothing  Company, 
incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $15,000.  Mr.  Kuhn  retired  in  1892  and  George 
E.  Vail  became  vice-president.  Mr.  Small  is  secretary  and  treasurer.  November  25, 
1891,  he  married  Eleanor  J.,  daughter  of  the  late  Robert  R  Watkins,  of  Holland 
Patent,  Oneida  county.  They  have  one  son,  Harold  Watkins,  born  August  15, 
1893. 

Quinn,  John,  born  January  6,  1840,  in  Boonville,  Oneida  county,  is  a  sou  of  John 
yuinn,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1802,  came  to  America  in  1833.  and  settled 
in  Quebec,  Canada.  About  1838  John,  sr.,  went  to  Boonville,  in  1856  moved  to 
Rome,  and  in  1861  located  in  Utica,  where  he  died  in  1878.  John  Quinn,  jr..  went  to 
Arizona  Territory  in  1858  and  remained  there  till  the  war  broke  out.  He  then  came 
to  Utica  and  joined  the  family,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Gulf  Brewery  where 
he  remained  until  1874.  In  that  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John  Myres, 
James  O'Toole  and  Thomas  Quinn  (his  elder  brother)  and  built  the  Star  Brewery  on 
the  corner  of  Mohawk  and  Jay  streets,  the  firm  being  J.  Myres  &  Co.,  which  still  con- 
tinues. The  capacity  of  this  brewery  is  about  30,000  barrels  a  year.  In  1888  the 
same  men  and  six  others  incorporated  the  Eagle  Brewery  Company  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000,  and  built  the  present  Eagle  Brewery  on  the  corner  of  Jay  street  and  Third 
avenue.  Its  capacity  is  50,000  barrels  per  year.  Mr.  Quinn  has  been  president  since 
the  incorporation.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Charities  since  1879,  and 
was  its  president  in  1895.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  a  member 
of  the  C.  B.  L.  May  2,  1864,  he  married  Ann  T.  Venn,  of  Utica,  who  died  Decem- 
ber 10,  1881.  They  had  nine  children  of  whom  four  are  living:  Frederick  J.,  Rebecca 
H.   (Mrs.  Thomas  Hobbs),  Anna  and  Margaret  E.     January  10,   1883,  he  married 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  263 

second,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  (Welch)  Kelly,  and  they  have  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are 
living:  Bessie,  Thomas,  John,  Agnes,  Mary,  and  Harry. 

Sharp,  Charles  W.,  was  born  in  Morrisville,  Madison  county,  August  12,  1842,  and 
is  a  son  of  Charles  H.  Sharp,  a  mechanic,  who  came  with  his  family  to  New  York 
Mills  in  1853  and  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1886.  He  learned  the  trade  of  scythemaker 
and  machinist  in  the  town  of  Paris,  Oneida  county.  In  July,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  G,  117th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  as  a  musician,  and  remained  with  his  regiment  two  years 
and.  eleven  months,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  honorably  discharged  June  6, 
1865,  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  and  mustered  out  at  Sj^racuse  on  June  17,  1865. 
In  1877  he  came  to  Uticaand  engaged  in  manufacturing  and  bottling  small  beer  and 
soda  water,  which  he  still  continues.  He  is  an  active  Republican,  and  was  formerly 
a  member  of  Post  Reynolds  G.  A.  R.  and  its  commander  nine  years.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  Post  Bacon,  and  active  in  G.  A.  R.  circles.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  the  chief's  staff  under  Gen.  S.  S.  Burdett,  and  later  one  of  the  State 
G.  A.  R.  inspectors.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  general  committee  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
Department  State  of  New  York,  and  was  active  in  securing  the  annual  encampment 
for  Utica  in  May  1896.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Utica  Lodge  Knights  of  Honor. 
He  married  first  Martha  Lloyd,  of  Clayville,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  had  one  daughter, 
Jennie  M.  (Mrs.  Nathaniel  Crask)  of  Utica.  In  April,  1874,  he  married,  second, 
Carrie  A.  Tillson,  also  of  Clayville,  Oneida  county,  and  they  have  one  daughter. 
Grace  A. 

Ball,  Emmett  J.,  was  born  in  Marcellus,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  November  22, 
1852,  son  of  Daniel  and  Esther  (Wood)  Ball.  Daniel  Ball  was  district  attorney  of 
Oneida  county  from  1868  to  1872.  Emmett  J.  was  educated  in  Whitestown  Semi- 
nary and  was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  the  class  of  1875.  He  received 
the  degree  of  LL.B.  from  Hamilton  College  Law  School  in  1876,  and  the  same  year 
opened  a  law  office  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  city  of  Utica. 
In  1886  he  and  his  brother,  Willard  D.,  formed  a  copartnership.  Emmett  J.  held 
the  office  of  special  surrogate  of  Oneida  county  for  two  terms,  from  1878  to  1884.  He 
was  the  candidate  for  city  judge  of  Utica,  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  1882,  and  was 
defeated  by  Judge  P.  F.  Bulger.  Mr.  Ball  is  unmarried.  He  is  a  Mason,  an  Odd 
Fellow,  a  veteran  of  the  Utica  Citizen  Corps  and  a  member  of  Royal  Arcanum. 

Barney,  Moses,  was  born  in  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  December  23,  1833,  came 
to  America  in  1854,  and  first  settled  at  Fort  Hamilton  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  A  year 
later  he  moved  to  Holland  Patent,  Oneida  county,  and  in  1856  located  m  Utica. 
where  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  a  period  of  forty  years. 
He  has  occupied  his  present  quarters  in  Elizabeth  street  since  1872,  and  is  the  oldest 
liveryman  in  continuous  busiliess  in  the  city.  He  was  the  first  Democratic  alderman 
elected  from  the  Fourth  ward  and  served  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Mohawk  Valle}^ 
Lodge  Knights  of  Honor,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Gulf  Brewery  and  Brew- 
ing Company,  which  he  has  continuously  served  as  president.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  originators  of  the  Eagle  Brewing  Company. 

Kelly,  Patrick  E.,  city  treasurer  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  that  city  March  27, 
1851,  son  of  Thomas  and  Ann  (Doody)  Kelly.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Assumption  Academy.     He  learned  the  printer's  trade 


264  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  the  composing  room  of  the  Utica  Observer,  and  was  pubHsherof  the  Sunday  Trib- 
une for  eighteen  years.  Mr.  Kelly  was  excise  commissioner  of  the  city  for  four 
years,  and  was  appointed  city  treasurer  January  11,  1896.  January  23,  1872,  he 
married  Ellen  M.  Carroll,  of  Utica.  Mr.  Kelly  is  a  member  of  the  Elks,  Maenuer- 
chor,  Utica  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor,  of  which  he  has  been  treasurer  for  many 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  being  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
printing  and  supplies.  He  also  a  member  of  the  Utica  Division,  Ancient  Order  of 
Hibernians. 

James,  A.  Willard,  was  born  June  20,  1863,  in  Utica,  as  was  also  his  father,  Arthur 
M.,  who  was  a  son  of  Joseph  James,  who  came  here  from  Welsh  Bush,  town  of 
Frankfort,  and  followed  his  trade  of  architect  and  builder,  and  who  was  prominent 
in  church  work,  being  for  several  years  an  officer  in  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Utica  and  became  a  clerk  of  Bradstreet's 
Commercial  agency.  In  1883  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  Henry 
Hopson,  real  estate  and  fire  insurance,  with  whom  he  has  since  remained.  Mr- 
James  has  been  an  active  Republican,  and  in  1893  was  elected  city  assessor  of  the 
Tenth  ward  for  two  years,  being  re-elected  in  November,  1895,  for  another  term. 
He  has  been  ward  and  city  committeeman  several  times  and  a  delegate  to  several 
political  conventions.  He  is  the  official  appraiser  of  real  estate  for  the  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  New  York  and  a  member  and  past  noble  grand  of  Oneida 
Lodge,  No.  70,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  a  member  and  past  chief  of  Tri-M'-'unt  Encampment, 
No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F.     He  is  al.so  a  trustee  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Union. 

Bannigan,  Michael  T.,  son  of  Patrick,  was  born  in  Utica,  November  22,  1868,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Assumption  Academj'  in  1881.  His  father  came  from 
Ireland  about  1845,  and  is  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Bannigan  &  Weber, 
masons  and  contractors.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  Michael  T.  entered  the  employ  of 
J.  A.  Marrow  &  Co.,  coal  dealers,  with  whom  he  remained  two  and  one-half  years, 
when  he  became  bookkeeper  and  rodman  in  the  city  surveyor's  office.  After  filling 
these  positions  for  three  years  he  spent  one  year  in  the  post-office  under  Postmaster 
E.  Prentiss  Bailey,  and  later  four  months  as  city  treasurer  to  examine  the  books 
under  appointment  of  the  Common  Council.  In  April,  1891,  he  accepted  his  present 
position  as  cashier  for  the  Warren- Scharf  Asphalt  Paving  Company. 

Bagg,  Egbert,  is  a  great-grandson  of  Moses  Bagg,  sr.,  \vho  came  to  Utica  with  his 
wife  and  two  sons  from  Westfield,  Mass.,  m  1794.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and  also 
kept  a  log,  and  later  a  frame,  tavern  on  the  east  side  of  Bagg's  square.  His  son^ 
Moses  Bagg,  jr.,  became  a  merchant  and  afterward  took  charge  of  the  tavern,  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  Bagg's  hotel  of  to-day.  In  1812-15  he  erected  the  central  por- 
tion of  the  present  building  and  to  it  he  subsequently  added  on  either  side.  He 
kept  the  hotel  with  brief  intermissions  until  1836,  when  it  was  sold  to  a  company. 
Egbert  Bagg,  son  of  Moses,  jr.,  was  born  February  2,  1820,  was  educated  at  Geneva 
(now  Hobart)  College,  was  engaged  on  the  Erie  Canal  enlargement,  completed  a 
course  of  law  study,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  William  Roberts,  then  foreman 
of  the  New  York  Cotton  Mills  machine  shop,  and  engaged  in  machine  making  in 
Utica.  Later  Mr.  Bagg  gave  himself  to  surveying  and  in  1853-54  was  surveyor  of 
the  city.     From  1855  to  1861  he  resided  in  Fort   Dodge,  la.     In  1862  he  became 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  265 

quartermaster  with  rank  of  first  lieutenant  in  the  117th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  rose  rapidly, 
and  in  August,  1864,  was  made  major.  He  was  engaged  in  thirteen  fights,  nine  of 
which  were  pitched  battles,  and  had  command  of  the  regiment  in  several  engage- 
ments. At  Fort  Fisher  he  distinguished  himself,  was  wounded,  and  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  service  was  brevetted  lieutenant-colonel  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment. He  was  again  surveyor  of  the  city  from  1866  to  1869  and  in  1878,  and 
was  both  surveyor  and  superintendent  of  Forest  Hill  Cemetery.  He  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1885,  while  on  a  trip  to  Europe.  His  wife  was  Cornelia,  daughter  of  Mont- 
gomery Hunt,  and  sister  of  Justice  Ward  Hunt,  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court.  Their  son,  Egbert  Bagg,  was  born  August  10,  1850,  was  educated  at 
Hobart  College  and  Cornell  University,  and  since  1871  has  been  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business,  first  as  clerk  for  Hoyt  &  Butler,  later  as  clerk  for  Erastus  Clark 
&  Co.,  subsequently  as  a  member  of  the  last  named  firm,  and  since  1884  alone. 
He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Utica  Citizens'  Corps,  rising  from  private 
to  captain.  On  the  death  of  his  father  in  1885  he  was  elected  to  succeed  the  latter 
as  a  member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  in  which  struggle  Daniel  Bagg,  father  of 
Moses,  sr.,  participated.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  and  an 
associate  member  of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  and  has  written  numer- 
ous articles  on  birds  for  leading  magazines  and  periodicals.  In  connection  with 
Dr.  William  L.  Ralph  he  wrote  a  paper  on  "Birds  of  Oneida  County,"  which  was 
read  before  the  Oneida  Historical  Society  and  published  in  the  society's  proceedings 
and  also  in  book  form,  and  has  since  been  the  authority  for  Central  New  York.  He 
married  in  1882,  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  William  Clarke. 

Barber,  William  F.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1836. 
He  completed  his  education  at  Fort  Plain  Seminary,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  several  years.  Besides  conducting  an  insurance  business,  he  is  at 
present  an  egg  dealer.  In  politics  Mr.  Barber  is  a  Republican ;  he  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  for  four  years,  and  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  assessor.  His 
father,  George  Barber,  was  also  a  farmer,  and  died  in  1843,  from  injuries  received 
by  accidentally  jumping  on  a  pitchfork.  In  1866  Mr.  Barber  married  Adelaide, 
daughter  of  Abner  H.  Waters,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
Estella  M.,  Alice  J.,  and  Roy  De  Forest. 

Siegman,  Frederick,  was  born  in  Rome,  March  8,  1849,  son  of  Frederick  and  Ros- 
anna  Siegman,  who  came  from  Bavaria,  landed  in  New  York,  and  came  by  the  canal 
to  Rome.  In  1846  he  first  began  work  in  Adams's  foundry,  then  assisted  in  building 
the  second  track  of  the  N.  Y.  C.  R.  R.  and  also  assisted  on  the  R.,  W.  &  O.  R.  R. 
From  Rome  he  went  to  Taberg,  from  there  he  returned  to  Rome,  and  about  1857 
came  to  Westmoreland,  where  he  first  rented  a  farm,  and  subsequently  purchased 
one  which  he  conducted  until  he  retired  from  active  work.  He  died  in  May,  1891, 
aged  eighty-four  years.  Frederick  Siegman,  jr.,  was  educated  at  the  district  school, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  at  which  he  has  since  continued.  He  married 
Charlotte  Herrick,  of  New  London,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Lela, 
Lydia  I.,  Fred  J.,  and  Florence. 

Lee,  Robert,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  March  14,  1845,  son  of  Thomas  and  Lola 
hli 


266  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

(Candee)  Lee.  Thomas  Lee  was  born  in  1806,  and  Lola,  his  wife,  was  born  in  1809. 
Thomas  Lee  was  a  merchant  in  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  Westmore- 
land in  1838  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  continued  till  his  death  in  1892. 
Robert  Lee  was  educated  in  the  district  school  at  Westmoreland,  and  the  liberal  in- 
stitute at  Clinton.  He  married  Irsie  Barber,  daughter  of  B.  Franklin  Barber,  of 
Oneida  county,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children:  Merritt  E.,  Frank  D.,  who  died 
when  sixteen  months  old,  Fred  J.  and  Lola  P.  Mr.  Lee  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Westmoreland,  and  is  a  prominent  Republican,  highly  esteemed, 
and  has  contributed  efficient  efforts  in  support  of  his  party.  He  has  been  collector 
of  the  town,  and  commissioner  of  highways. 

Foote,  Samuel  G.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  February  8,  1849,  son  of  John  B. 
and  Mary  P.  Foote.  John  B.  Foote  was  born  in  North  Adams,  Mass..  February  10, 
1807,  and  died  January  24,  1870.  He  was  educated  at  Williams  College,  Mass.,  and 
was  a  minister  prior  to  his  settlement  in  Westmoreland,  where  he  came  in  1839. 
Mrs.  Foote  was  born  in  1805  and  died  July  30,  1888.  She  came  to  Westmoreland 
when  she  was  four  years  old,  and  lived  here  seventy-nine  years.  Samuel  G.  Foote 
was  educated  in  Clinton,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old  homestead.  His 
grandfather,  Aaron  Foote,  was  the  inventor  of  the  original  threshing  machine,  from 
which  the  great  modern  improvements  in  this  line  have  sprung. 

Cottman,  Joseph  S.,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  August  9,  1836.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  afterward  learned  the  plumber's  trade,  which  busi- 
ness he  followed  about  thirty-four  years.  In  December,  1860,  he  married  Frances 
Mattison,  of  Rome,  N.  Y. ,  who  died  October  4,  1881.  In  that  year  Mr.  Cottman  sold 
his  business  and  came  to  Sylvan  Beach,  N.  Y.,  where  he  is  proprietor  and  captain  of 
the  steamboat,  L.  C.  Spencer,  on  Oneida  Lake.  He  also  has  a  shop  there,  well 
stocked  with  machinery  for  performing  skillful  jobs  in  iron  and  wood  work.  Mr. 
Cottman's  father,  William  B.  Cottman,  was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Pennsylvania, 
July  27,  1793.  He  was  educated  there,  and  was  a  chair  manufacturer  by  trade. 
November  26,  1818,  he  married  Maria  A.  Streiby,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he 
had  eleven  children :  F.  Louisa,  John  A. ,  George  S. ,  Sally  A. ,  William  B. ,  Joseph  S. , 
who  died  in  infancy,  Maria,  who  also  died  in  infancy,  Joseph  S.,  as  above,  Anna  E., 
Edward  S.,  and  Martha  J.  Mr.  Cottman  died  in  1876,  and  his  wife  in  1871,  aged 
seventy-four  years.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  English  and  German. 

Groves,  Adelbert  D.,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  July  18,  1853,  son  of  Allen  and  Ada- 
line  J.  Groves.  Allen  Groves  came  from  Massachusetts  and  settled  in  Kirkland, 
where  he  conducted  a  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  6,  1878,  aged  sixty- 
two  years.  Mrs.  Groves  is  still  living  in  Westmoreland,  and  is  seventy  years  of  age. 
Adelbert  D.  was  educated  in  Westmoreland,  and  also  at  Whitestown  Seminary, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  which  he  followed  until  his  death,  in  April,  1896. 
He  married  Annie  Thompson,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  had  three  children: 
Newton  B.,  Irwin  A.,  and  Hartley  I. 

Fargo,  Orrin  S.,  was  born  in  Chittenango,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1847.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  has  followed  the  canal  all  his  life  in  connec- 
tion with  farming.  September  6,  1869,  he  married  Eliza  Cooley,  of  the  town  of  Ve- 
rona, who  was  born  in  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  one   daughter,  Laura  E. ,  who 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  267 

married  William  A.  Wright,  of  New  London,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  two  children: 
O.  Leroy  and  Beulah  L  Mr.  Fargo's  father,  Simon  Fargo,  was  born  in  New  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  in  1814,  and  came  to  Madison  county  when  a  young  man.  He  married 
Jerusha  Thompson,  of  Clockville,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children:  Clinton,  Maryette,  Jerusha,  Orrin  S. ,  as  above,  Edward,  George,  and 
Alice.  Mrs.  Fargo  died  about  1856.  Mrs.  Fargo's  father,  Simon  Cooley,  was  born 
at  the  old  home  in  Germany,  in  1817.  He  married  Eva  D.  Manuel,  of  his  native 
place,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except  Mrs.  Fargo.  The 
family  came  to  the  LTnited  States  in  1852.  Mr.  Wright  is  a  member  of  New  London 
Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  English  and  German 
extraction. 

Siegman,  Leopold,  was  born  September  8,  1858,  son  of  Frederick  and  Rosanna 
(Newcomb)  Siegman.  Frederick  was  a  native  of  Bavaria,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1846,  settled  in  Rome,  and  assisted  in  building  the  Rome  &  Watertown 
railroad,  also  in  building  the  second  track  on  the  New  York  Central  R.  R.,  then  set- 
tled m  Westmoreland,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1876,  when  he  retired.  He 
died  May  2,  1891.  Leopold  was  educated  at  the  district  school  at  Westmoreland, 
and  then  engaged  in  farming.  In  addition  to  farming  he  also  deals  largely  in  butter, 
eggs,  and  meat,  which  he  buys  throughout  the  country,  and  ships  to  the  city  mar- 
kets. Mr.  Siegman  married  Helen  D.  Effenberger  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  has  one 
son,  Harold  Henry. 

Ensworth,  George  W.,  was  born  m  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  in  1836,  the 
youngest  of  a  large  family  of  Ezra  Ensworth,  of  Connecticut  birth,  who  came  here 
in  1792,  when  two  years  of  age;  his  father,  Elihu  Ensworth,  having  died  when  he 
was  fifteen  years  of  age,  a  widowed  mother  and  two  sisters  were  left  to  his  care. 
He  bravely  met  with  these  adversities  of  fortune,  and  at  one  time  peddled  home 
made  cheese  in  Utica,  when  there  were  so  few  buildings  that  he  could  visit  them  all 
in  less  than  one  hour.  He  died  at  ninety-three  years  of  age ;  his  wife,  Hannah 
(Munson)  Ensworth,  having  died  previously,  January  17,  1876,  leaving  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  three  are  now  living.  George  W.  has  always  occupied  the  old 
homestead  of  200  acres  on  the  site  where  his  father  lived  for  ninety  years.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Munson,  once  kept  a  hotel,  or  as  it  was  then  called,  a  half-way 
house,  on  the  site  where  the  W.  S.  R.  R.  now  crosses  Genesee  street.  In  1872  Mr. 
Ensworth  married  Josephine  Wilcox,  of  Portland,  Chautauqua  county,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children:  William  E.,  who  is  engaged  m  farming  at  home;  and  Libbie  E., 
who  died  in  1891,  at  fourteen  years  of  age. 

Aldrich  Reuben  M.,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Madison  county,  June  15,  1825,  son  of 
Zimri  and  Sarah  (Mills)  Aldrich.  Zimri  was  born  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  in  1791,  and 
died  July  17,  1881.  He  always  followed  the  occupation  of  fanning.  Sarah  Aldrich 
was  born  in  Paris,  Oneida  county,  in  1805,  and  died  March  28,  1891.  Reuben  M. 
Aldrich  was  educated  in  Westmoreland,  where  he  has  lived  since  he  was  seven  years 
old.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  in  the  township  of  Westmoreland.  Mr. 
Aldrich  married  Mary  Goodwin,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Libbie,  who  mar- 
ried George  Teal,  son  of  William  Teal,  of  Westmoreland. 

Dempsey,  Thomas  E.,  was  born  at  College  Hill,  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  July  14, 


268  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1857,  son  of  John  Dempsey,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1848,  settling  in  Utica,  where  he  followed  his  trade  as  mason  ;  later  he  engaged 
in  farming  on  College  Hill.  He  now  lives  retired  in  Clinton  village.  He  married 
Catherine  Lyons,  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children.  Thomas  E.  Dempsey 
was  educated  in  the  old  Liberal  Institute  at  Clinton.  He  taught  in  the  village  schools 
for  about  three  years,  and  in  1881  he  engaged  in  the  buying  of  hops,  which  business 
he  still  follows.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  school  board  which  organ- 
ized the  Union  School  and  Academy  and  erected  one  of  the  finest  school  buildings 
in  the  State.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Clinton  Burial  Case  Company, 
and  was  its  secretary  and  treasurer  for  about  three  years,  but  resigned  upon  the 
transfer  to  Utica. 

Sanders,  E.  E.,  was  born  in  Columbia,  N.  Y.,  March  25,  1862,  son  of  William  and 
Frances  Sanders.  He  learned  the  trade  of  cheese  maker  when  quite  young,  which 
he  followed  for  twelve  years,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  for  five  years.  In  1801 
he  purchased  the  Hibbard  House  in  Bridgewater,  which  he  has  since  conducted  suc- 
cessfully, and  is  a  very  popular  host.  ,In  1886  he  married  Bertha  M.  Eckler,  by  whom 
he  had  one  daughter.  Hazel.  Mr.  Sanders  is  an  active  and  influential  Republican, 
and  at  present  is  street  commissioner  of  the  village  of  Bridgewater,  and  has  been 
delegate  to  several  Republican  conventions. 

Horton,  George  C,  son  of  James,  was  born  in  Sandisfield,  Berkshire  county,  Mass., 
July  10,  1843,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Herkimer,  N.  Y.,  in  the  spring  of  1849. 
There  James  Horton  was  for  three  years  the  buyer  and  salesman  for  the  Laflin 
Brothers  Paper  Company,  manufacturers  of  writing  papers.  Leaving  them  he  en- 
gaged in  the  powder  business  in  Frankfort  and  continued  until  his  death  in  1870. 
George  C.  Horton  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  ^erkimer  and  Frankfort, 
Whitestown  Seminary,  and  at  Hamilton  College,  teaching  school  in  the  mean  while 
during  part  of  each  year  for  eight  successive  years.  His  school  teaching  commenced 
in  the  fall  of  1860.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he  settled  in  Utica  and  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Rowley  Brothers  &  Co.,  which  in  January,  1879,  was  changed  to  Row- 
ley &  Horton.  This  is  the  oldest  paper  firm  in  Utica.  Mr.  Horton  is  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church,  and  has  been  very  prominent  in  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  serving  as  one  of  the  trustees  since  its  organization,  as 
treasiirer  of  the  board  since  February,  1895,  as  its  first  secretary,  and  two  years  as 
its  president.  He  was  one  of  its  founders,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  its  growth  and  prosperity. 

Bielby,  Isaac  P.,  son  of  Thomas  A.,  was  born  March  11,  1847,  in  Oriskany,  Oneida 
county,  in  the  old  house  just  west  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  now  used  as  a  grocery 
store.  Thomas  A.  was  born  near  Malton,  England,  in  June,  1800;  he  came  to 
America  and  located  in  the  western  part  of  Oneida  count)'^  in  1827,  and  in  1828  set- 
tled in  Oriskany  where  he  had  charge  of  conveydng  woolen  goods  to  New  York  city 
for  Newton  S.  Dexter  &  Co. ,  proprietors  of  the  first  woolen  factory  establishment 
in  the  United  States  for  manufacturing  supplies  for  the  Federal  army  in  the  war  of 
1812.  In  1852  Mr.  Bielby  settled  on  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Oris- 
kany, in  the  town  of  .Whitestown,  which  Isaac  P.  now  owns.  There  he  died  in 
December,  1873.     In  politics  originally  a  Whig,  and  an  early  Abotitionist,  and  later 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  269 

a  Republican  ;  he  was  a  college  bred  man,  and  civil  engineer;  he  held  several  local 
offices,  and  in  the  military  rose  through  the  various  grades  in  the  service  to  lieuten- 
ant-colonel, to  which  he  was  appointed  by  his  friend  and  coworker,  Governor  Will- 
iam H.  Seward.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  his 
father  a  major  in  the  British  army  who  distinguished  himself  with  Wellington  in  the 
battle  of  Waterloo.  Mr.  Bielby  married  Christy  Ann,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Eliza- 
beth Prudens,  pioneers  of  Oriskany.  She  survives  him.  Their  children  were 
Thomas  Picton  and  John  Allison,  both  deceased;  Isaac  Prudens  of  Utica;  William 
James,  who  occupies  the  homestead;  and  Elizabeth  Ann,  who  married  Bielby  Yates 
and  died  in  1872.  Isaac  Prudens,  father  of  Mrs.  Bielby,  was  a  deacon  and  local 
Methodist  preacher,  widely  known  as  an  earnest  Christian,  and  died  in  1870,  aged 
nearly  eighty  years.  His  wife  died  about  1871.  Isaac  Prudens  Bielby  attended  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  town,  Misses  Cunningham  and  Grahame's,  Whitestown 
Seminary,  and  Oberlin  College  in  Ohio.  He  read  law  with  Johnson  &  Prescott  of 
Rome,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Buffalo  in  June,  1875,  and  began  practice  in  the 
office  of  his  preceptors.  Becoming  deeply  interested  in  religion  he  entered  Auburn 
Theological  Seminary  to  master  the  Hebrew  and  Chaldean  languages.  While  there 
his  home  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  all  his  property  lost  in  the  ruins.  He  returned 
to  the  homestead  to  settle  the  estate  and  lift  the  encumbrances,  and  also  practice  law 
at  Oriskany.  January  1,  1876,  he  entered  the  sheriff's  office  as  counsel  under  George 
Benedict,  and  has  remained  there  ever  since,  and  has  been  attorney  for  the  sheriffs 
in  all  the  courts  and  before  the  governors.  Mr.  Bielby  became  an  active  abolitionist 
from  his  boyhood  and  in  the  Lincoln  campaign  joined  the  Republican  Wideawakes, 
now  the  Utica  Continentals,  of  which  he  is  still  a  member.  In  1861  he  was  a  drum- 
mer in  the  recruiting  service  and  a  member  of  the  Whitestown  Seminary  cadets. 
He  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  .second  N.  Y.  Volunteers,  but  was  too  young  to  muster.  He 
afterwards  served  in  the  145th  Regiment.  In  September,  1864,  he  was  mustered 
into  Co.  C,  14th  N.  Y.  H.  A.  and  served  till  his  discharge  in  September,  1865.  In 
the  great  temperance  reform  movement  of  1877  he  was  one  of  the  most  able  and 
eloquent  advocates,  being  the  friend  and  companion  of  the  lamented  John  P.  French. 
In  the  political  campaign  of  1880  he  raised  the  Lawrence  cadets  (afterwares  recog- 
nized as  the  Conkling  Unconditionals)  and  of  which  he  was  captain.  He  was  a 
lieutenant-colonel  on  General  Grant's  staff  of  the  Boys  in  Blue,  a  national  veteran 
organization,  which  local  organization  became  the  Forty  Roundel  s  in  the  Blaine  and 
Logan  campaign  of  1884.  He  was  also  commander  of  the  Plumed  Knights  and 
adjutant-general  of  the  Thirteenth  Division  (Central.  New  York)  of  the  Boys  in  Blue, 
and  is  now  president  of  the  Forty  Rounders  and  the  Veterans'  Organization  of  Oneida 
County.  He  has  been  very  active  in  politics  and  has  often  been  nominated  for  office, 
but  has  declined  to  run.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Roman  Lodge,  and  since  April, 
1876,  has  been  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  U^tica.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Veteran 
Masonic  Association,  a  charter  member  of  the  Masonic  Club,  and  for  many  years 
active  in  the  I.  O.  G.  T.,  holding  offices  in  the  Grand  and  Supreme  Grand  Lodges. 
He  was  also  for  many  years  an  officer  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  joined  the  G.  A.  R. 
in  Illinois  in  1866  and  in  1867  became  a  member  of  Post  Worth,  Westmoreland ; 
later  he  joined  Post  Ross,  New  York  Mills,  and  about  1872  became  the  first  chaplain 
of  Post  Skiller  of  Rome  of  which  he  was  the  organizer  and  charter  member.     He  is 


270  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

now  a  past  commander  of  Bacon  Post,  Utica,  was  president  of  the  old  Utica  Veteran 
Zouaves,  and  formerly  chaplain  with  the  rank  of  captain  of  the  26th  Battalion  N.  G. 
Januarys?,  1886,  he  married  Anna  E. ,  daughter  of  Langford  T.  and  Elizabeth 
Hewett.  Mr.  Hewett  is  an  old  engineer  on  the  D.  L.  &  W.  Railroad  and  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Paris,  Oneida  county.  He  is  one  of  the  histor- 
ians of  Oneida  county,  and  author  of  a  book  of  patriotic  .songs.  Illustrated  History 
of  Utica,  Sheriffs  of  Oneida  County,  District  Attorneys  and  Surrogates  of  Oneida 
County,  and  other  works  of  the  different  organizations  to  which  he  belongs.  He  is 
a  member  and  officer  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  has  the  reputation  of  being 
an  eloquent  advocate,  a  competent  official  and  faithful  public  servant. 

Comstock,  Ira  Morris,  was  born  at  Salisbury,  N.  Y.,  Januar}'  1,  1856,  son  of  Morris 
W.  and  Sarah  (Rice)  Comstock,  and  grandson  of  Ira  Comstock,  moving  to  Whites- 
town  from  Salisbury  in  April,  1866.  With  a  preparatory  education  at  Whitestown 
Seminary  and  Utica  Busines  College,  he  began  to  read  medicine  in  1876  at  Whites- 
town  under  Mm.  M.  James,  M.  D.,  of  that  place;  attended  three  courses  of  lectures 
at  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  was  graduated  February  18,  1879; 
also  took  post-graduate  instruction  at  the  same  institution  in  1880.  On  May  1, 1880. 
Dr.  Comstock  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  at  New  York  Mills,  and  has  made 
no  change  in  location  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society. 
He  is  visiting  physician  to  Faxton  Hospital;  assistant  surgeon  Patriarchs  Militant; 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  ;  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  of 
the  League  of  American  Wheelmen ;  and  of  the  Order  of  United  Friends  and  A.  O, 
U.  W\  ;  also  medical  examiner  for  several  life  insurance  companies.  April  7,  1880, 
he  married  Emma  L.  Bartlett,  of  Williamstown,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
Morris  W.,  May  Asenath,  Aletha  Emma,  and  Charles  Ward. 

Hale,  Andrew  Jerome,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sangerfield,  N.  Y.,  April  14,  1825, 
and  died  in  Waterville,  N.Y.,  May  8,  1896.  His  grandparents,  Minerva  Hale  and 
wife,  were  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town,  having  come  to  it  in  1798  from  Con- 
necticut, and  the  large  farm  which  they  cleared  and  cultivated  was  in  the  possession 
of  their  grandson  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Their  oldest  son.  Seneca,  was  the  first 
male  child  born  in  Sangerfield;  thus  three  generations  of  the  family  have  been  in- 
timately connected  with  the  history  of  the  town  and  have  been  among  its  foremost 
citizens.  In  early  life  Mr.  Hale  engaged  in  the  culture  of  hops  and  the  wool  in- 
dustry, afterwards  substituting  dairying  for  the  wool  business.  In  1873  he  moved 
into  the  village  of  Waterville,  N.  Y. ,  letting  his  farm  on  shares.  At  one  time  he 
was  engaged  with  Charles  Bacon  and  W.  P.  Locke,  all  of  Waterville,  in  buying  hops 
for  brewers.  Mr.  Hale  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  for  many 
years  both  an  elder  and  trustee.  In  the  Waterville  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
he  was  an  active  member  and  held  the  post  of  worthy  master  for  eight  years.  In 
politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  afterwards  a  staunch  Republican,  and  had  served 
his  town  as  assessor  and  highway  commissioner,  and  also  had  been  trustee  of  the 
village  for  some  time.  He  was  public  spirited  and  always  encouraged  with  substan- 
tial help  all  enterprises.  When  the  Utica,  Chenango  and  Susquehanna  Valley  Rail- 
road was  built  he  took  a  large  block  of  stock.  He  generally  attended  county  con- 
ventions of  his  party  and  in   1892  he  attended  the   Congressional   Convention.     Mr, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  271 

Hale  married   Maria,   daughter  of  Horace  F.    Locke,  of  the   same  town.     His  wife 
survives  him,  also  a  daughter,  Mrs.  D.  H.  Livermore,  of  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Adkins,  F.  A.,  was  born  in  Otsego  count3^  June  5,  1851.  He  followed  railroading 
for  twenty  years  on  the  New  York  Central,  holding  every  position  from  brakeman 
to  conductor.  Six  years  ago  he  purchased  the  Junction  House  at  Richfield  Junc- 
tion, and  has  since  conducted  it  with  great  success.  In  1873  he  married  Emma 
Matteson,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Frank,  Linden,  and  Raymond.  Mr. 
Adkins's  father,  Emerj'  Adkins,  was  for  years  connected  with  the  hotel  business 
in  this  county,  being  at  one  time  proprietor  of  the  old  Sherman  House  in  Utica. 
His  mother,  Anna  (Talbot)  Adkins,  is  still  living  and  resides  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Ad- 
kins has  a  model  little  hotel,  admirably  conducted  and  capable  of  accommodating 
twenty  guests.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  No.  581. 

Armbrust,  John,  was  born  in  Ebenezer,  Erie  county,  N.  Y. ,  January  12,  1869,  son 
of  John  and  Charlotte  (Landefeld)  Armbrust.  In  1889  he  came  to  Sauquoit  and  en- 
gaged in  the  butter  and  cheese  business  and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sauquoit  milk 
station,  where  they  ship  from  100  to  125  cans  of  milk  daily,  and  make  500  pounds  of 
high  grade  butter  each  week.  In  1892  he  married  Ada  E.  Cress.  Mr.  Armbrust  is 
an  enterprising  and  progressive  young  business  man,  and  the  industry  he  rep- 
resents so  ably  is  an  important  factor  in  the  business  life  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

Dewing,  W.  H.,"M.D.,  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  June  4, 
1858,  and  was  educated  in  Whitesboro  Seminary  and  Hahnemann  Medical  College 
of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1882.  In  1885  he  settled  in  Clay- 
ville,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Dewing  is  a 
son  of  George  and  Mary  (Ball)  Dewing,  and  his  grandfather  came  from  New  Eng- 
land to  Litchfield  about  100  years  ago.  Dr.  Dewmg  married  Olive  E.  Van  Auken, 
by  whom  he  has  two  children :  George  and  Ethel  Mary.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Oneida  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  and  has  been  president  of  that 
organization. 

Costigan,  W.  H.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  May  24,  1861.  He  followed 
farming  until  1891,  at  which  time  he  opened  a  furniture  and  undertaking  establish- 
ment in  Sauquoit,  which  has  steadily  increased  in  volume  and  popularity  from  its  in- 
ception under  his  able  management.  Mr.  Costigan's  parents  were  Daniel  and 
Catherme  Costigan,  of  the  town  of  Paris.  Their  children  are  W.  H.,  Francis  I.,  and 
Mrs.  William  McGuirk,  of  North  Bridgewater. 

Carpenter,  W.  H.,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  where  he  has  lived  all  his  life. 
May  17,  1847,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1880,  when  he  retired,  but  later 
went  into  the  saw  mill  business,  and  also  conducts  a  wagon  shop  and  a  cider  mill, 
his  three  industries  forming  a  prominent  and  notable  factor  in  the  manufacturing  in- 
terests of  the  Sauquoit  Valley.  Mr.  Carpenter  is  a  thorough  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness man,  who  not  only  holds  a  front  place  among  the  business  men  of  this  part  of 
the  county,  but  is  also  highly  respected  for  his  integrity  and  progressive  ideas.  He 
possesses  a  great  deal  of  literary  ability  inherited  from  his  mother,  who  was  a 
cultured  and  literary  woman.  Mr.  Carpenter's  parents  were  Lucas  and  Alphea 
(Radford)  Carpenter.     His  great-grandfather  Carpenter  came  from  England  and  was 


272  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

one  of  the  early  settlers.  His  grandfather,  Oliver  Caipenter,  was  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, and  settled  in  Oneida  county,  so  that  this  family  has  been  associated  with 
the  growth  and  progress  of  Oneida  county  during  its  entire  history.  October  26, 
1870,  Mr.  Carpenter  married  Mary  E.  Jones,  by  whom  he  has  one  .son,  Arthur  L., 
who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  conducting  of  their  various  enterprises.  He 
is  a  popular  and  talented  young  man,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Clayville  Band. 

McGurk,  William,  was  born  in  Ireland,  June  14,  1841,  and  came  to  America  when 
seven  years  of  age.  His  parents  settled  in  Clayville,  and  his  home  has  been  in  this 
State  all  his  life.  September  6,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  July,  1865. 
He  served  in  the  Fifth  Army  Corps,  and  participated  in  all  the  battles  in  which  his 
regiment  engaged,  including  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Mine  Run,  Gettys- 
burg, Cold  Harbor,  all  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  and  was  at  Appomattox  when 
Lee  surrendered.  In  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  he  was  shot  through  the  hand  with  a 
buck-shot,  and  was  in  the  hospital  one  month  and  twenty  days.  Mr.  McGurk  mar- 
ried for  his  first  wife,  Annie  Leary,  who  died  leaving  eight  children:  William  J., 
John,  Francis,  Emma,  now  Mrs.  William  Kerwin,  Maggie,  Florence,  and  Leo. 
October  19,  1893,  he  married  his  present  wife,  Mary  Costigan,  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Grace.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post  and  of  the  Patrons  of  In- 
dustry. 

Loomis,  U.  L.,  was  born  in  Cassville,  July  6,  1856,  son  of  George  R.  and  Clarissa 
(Maxson)  Loomis.  He  began  for  himself  by  first  engaging  as  clerk  in  the  store  he 
now  owns;  and  has  been  twenty-seven  years  in  this  stand,  seventeen  of  which  he  has 
been  in  business  for  himself,  and  in  1888  he  purchased  the  property.  He  is  an  active 
Republican  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  town  committee  for  five  years,  and  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  for  over  ten  years.  In  1778  he  married  Julia  Nichols,  by 
whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Martha  L.  Mr.  Loomis  was  postmaster  of  Cassville 
under  President  Harrison. 

King,  A.  E.,  was  born  in  Clayville,  January  21,  1855,  son  of  Harmon  H.  and 
Hannah  King.  Mr.  King  has  been  connected  with  the  foundry  business  all  his  life, 
and  the  enterprise  which  he  now  conducts  was  founded  in  Holman  City  by  his 
father,  and  Mr.  King  has  been  sole  proprietor  for  nine  years.  The  plant  consists  of 
a  machine  shop  and  foundry,  and  with  the  outlying  premises  comprises  three  acres 
of  ground.  In  1876  he  married  Jennie  Talcott,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters: 
Florence  and  Dora.  Mr.  King  proposes  to  move  his  foundry  to  Clayville  in  the  near 
future. 

Johnson,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paris,  N.  Y.,  July  11,  1827,  son  of 
Lloyd,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  Laura  (Luce)  Johnson,  a  native  of  Vermont. 
His  grandfather,  Sampson  Johnson,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Paris, 
In  1852  he  married  Kate  A.,  daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Fidelia  (Eldred)  Brace,  by 
whom  he  has  two  sons:  Bert  C.  and  Fred.  The  latter  is  a  member  of  the  Patrons 
of  Industry,  and  is  a  prominent  Odd  Fellow,  in  which  he  is  noble  grand.  Mrs. 
Johnson's  grandfather  was  Capt.  Asel  Brace  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Mr.  Johnson 
has  been  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life,  and  has  been  inspector  of  elections  for 
nearly  forty  years  in  succession. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  273 

Latus,  George  F.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  August  11,  1852, 
son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Stokes)  Latus,  natives  of  England.  His  grandfather, 
Henry  Latus,  came  to  Bridgewater  about  seventy  years  ago.  After  receiving  a  lib- 
eral public  school  education,  he  engaged  in  farming  for  about  seven  years.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  two  he  went  west  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business;  and  May  1, 
1894,  he  engaged  in  business  in  Clayville,  Oneida  county,  and  conducts  one  of  the 
best  general  stores  in  the  town  of  Paris.  He  conducted  a  store  in  Chicago  for 
twenty  years  previous  to  settling  in  Clayville,  and  is  a  thoroughly  experienced  and 
successful-  business  man.  He  married  Mary  Ann  McDevitt,  of  Belvedere,  111.  by 
whom  he  has  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 

Chapman,  W.  H.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  April  19,  1844,  son  of  Gates 
W.  and  Elmira  (Robbins)  Chapman.  In  1861,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  enlLsted  in 
Co.  B,  121st  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served  in  the  Sixth  Army  Corps,  participating  in  all 
the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged  up  to  Fredericksburg,  where  he  was 
terribly  wounded  in  seven  places  by  bullets  and  shell.  He  was  two  years  in  the 
hospital,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1891  Messrs.  W. 
H.  &  E.  T.  Chapman  opened  the  Cottage  Hotel  at  Clayville,  which  they  have  smce 
successfully  conducted.  January  2,  1867,  Mr.  Chapman  married  Mary  E.  Johnston. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Chadwicks  Post,  and  in  politics  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican. 

Biggar,  Rev.  David  I.,  is  a  native  of  Quebec,  Canada,  but  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  the  United  States.  His  father,  James  Biggar,  came  from  Roxboro- 
-shire,  Scotland,  where  he  was  born  in  1790.  He  engaged  in  teaching  until  1819. 
when  he  came  into  possession  of  aland  grant  of  several  hundred  acres  from  the  Brit- 
ish government,  and  settled  upon  it  at  Huntington,  where  David  I.  was  born.  After 
settling  in  Canada  he  married  Janette  Murray,  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  but  a  resi- 
dent of  the  province  of  Quebec,  who  was  born  in  1800,  and  died  in  1855.  Mr.  Big- 
gar died  in  1851.  David  I.  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  were 
born  at  the  original  homestead.  He  attended  the  Huntington  Academy,  and  pre- 
pared for  college  at  the  Burr  Seminary,  at  Manchester,  Vt.  He  then  entered  Am- 
herst College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1862.  After  spending  three  years  at 
Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  he  preached  a  year  and  a  half  at  Norwich  Corners, 
near  Utica,  and  then  acted  as  pastor  for  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Vernon  for  ten 
years.  From  that  place  he  went  to  Camillus,  where  he  remained  for  seven  and  a 
half  years,  and  from  there  he  was  called  to  the  Owasco  church,  where  he  preached 
for  five  years.  In  1890  the  Vernon  Center  Presbyterian  Society  called  him  to  the 
church  there,  and  he  is  now  engaged  in  building  up  and  strengthening  the  church 
society.  He  married  Mary  E.  Wood,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield,  N.  Y.,  June  27. 
1843,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Butterfield,  Charles,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon  in  1830,  and  has  lived  in  the 
town  since ;  his  residence  since  1844  being  at  Skenandoah,  a  small  settlement  one 
mile  north  of  Oneida  Castle.  He  is  descended  from  a  family  eminent  in  history  as 
soldiers  and  generals,  from  the  early  English  wars  down  to  our  late  Civil  war.  His 
father,  Samuel  Butterfield,  moved  there  at  that  time  and  built  up  a  large  industry, 
which  he  carried  on  for  more  than  twenty  years.     It  was  there  that  he  started  the 


274  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

manufacture  of  ingrain  carpets,  this  being  one  of  the  first  in  the  country.  Previous 
to  this  he  was  a  partner  with  S.  Newton  Dexter  in  the  same  hne  at  Oriskany.  Mr. 
Butterfield  was  the  leader  and  means  of  Skenandoah  becoming  an  important  busi- 
ness point  in  early  times.  He  was  born  in  England  in  1792,  and  died  in  1879.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Laister,  also  a  native  of  England,  who  died  in  1868,  leaving  a 
family  of  seven  children.  Charles  Butterfield  is  now  occupying  the  old  family  house 
at  Skenandoah.  Since  his  father's  death  and  for  some  time  previous  he  has  carried 
on  a  large  farm.  He  has  always  been  an  active  Republican,  and  has  held  several 
important  offices,  being  at  the  present  time  justice  of  the  peace. 

Coon,  Luke  H.,  was  born  in  Fabius,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  November  13,  1835, 
son  of  Samuel  Coon,  who  was  born  in  Cherry  Valley,  N.  Y.,  in  1805.  He  was  prin- 
cipally engaged  in  farming,  and  accumulated  considerable  property.  While  in  Fa- 
bius he  was  a  hatter,  but  in  1843  he  moved  to  Homer,  Cortland  county,  and  bought 
the  farm  upon  which  he  spent  all  but  the  last  two  years  of  his  life,  having  at  that 
time  retired  from  active  labor,  and  he  died  in  1893.  He  married  Sarah  Thompson, 
also  a  native  of  Cherry  Valley,  who  w^as  born  in  1801,  and  died  in  Oneida  Castle  in 
1893.  Luke  H.  was  the  fifth  child  in  a  family  of  nine,  and  after  his  school  days  in 
Fabius  and  Homer,  he  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty- one  years  of  age.  He 
then  worked  for  some  time  on  a  farm  in  summicr,  and  attended  school  in  winter.  He 
afterwards  learned  the  painter's  trade,  and  devoted  some  time  to  that  vocation, 
mostly  in  Homer  and  vicinity.  In  1860  he  entered  into  the  hotel  business  in  Canada, 
at  the  same  time  speculating  in  horses.  Returning  to  Lockport,  he  spent  a  year  in 
a  paper  mill,  and  twenty-one  years  ago  he  bought  the  Sherman  House  at  the  Castle, 
and  has  been  proprietor  since,  having  one  burned  out  and  rebuilt.  In  1864  he  mar- 
ried Perice  Conger,  who  was  born  in  Ovid,  N.  Y.,  in  1846,  and  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Grace  A.,  born  May  27,  1878. 

Cody,  Francis  A.,  jr.,  was  born  at  Vernon  Center,  N.  Y.,  June  19,  1852,  son  of 
Francis  A.  Cody,  who  was  also  born  at  Vernon  Center  in  January,  1820.  His  great- 
grandfather was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  town,  having  settled  near  what  is  now 
Vernon  Center  before  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  the  family  has  ever  since 
been  identified  with  the  growth  and  progress  of  the  town.  Peter  Cody  was  the  first 
postmaster  appointed  at  the  Center.  Francis  A.  Cody  devoted  his  life  to  agriculture 
in  Vernon  until  1879,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  and  moved  to  Oneida 
Castle,  where  he  is  now  living.  He  married  Phcx-be  Faulkner,  who  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Fenner,  Madison  county,  in  1823,  and  died  in  Vernon,  in  January,  1868. 
Her  ancestors  were  of  Scotch  descent.  Francis  A.  Cody,  jr.,  attended  the  Vernon 
Center  school  and  afterwards  took  a  course  at  the  Whitestown  Seminary  after  which 
he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming,  in  which  he  has  since  been  eminently 
successful.  Mr.  Cody  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  for  two  terms  was  elected  to 
represent  his  town  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  February  4,  1880,  he  married  Mary 
R.  Carey,  daughter  of  James  A.  and  Rosetta  H.  Cary,  who  was  born  January  26, 
1855,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  James  C,  born  March  7,  1884,  and  Francis  A., 
born  February  26,  1888. 

Risley,  John  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  June  4,  1856, 
son  of  Herman  G.  Risley,  who  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Oneida  county  until  1866, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  275 

when  he  moved  to  Jefferson  county,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Ellisburg,  that  county. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  army  from  1862  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  married  Juliette 
Vanswall,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  August  3,  1840,  and  died  July  7, 
1862.  John  R.  attended  the  Deanville  Academy,  after  which  he  engaged  as  clerk 
with  Hatheway  &  Reynolds,  merchants  at  Oriskany  Falls,  for  one  year.  After  this 
he  conducted  the  Vanswall  farm  near  Oriskany  Falls  until  1887,  at  which  time  he 
moved  to  Vernon  Center  and  bought  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  January 
26,  1887,  he  married  Estella  S.,  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Harriet  E.  Klock,  who 
was  born  in  Oneida,  March  10,  1860,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Lawrence  G.  Mrs. 
Risley  received  her  education  at  the  Onondaga  Valley  Academy,  and  the  Oneida 
public  schools. 

Lewis,  Marion  P.,  is  a  native  of  Sennett,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born 
February  1,  1851,  and  his  father,  Edward  J.  Lewis,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New 
Hartford,  N.  Y. ,  in  1820;  and  his  father,  Russell  Lewis,  came  to  New  Hartford  from 
Connecticut  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century.  Edward  J.  lived  in  that  town  till 
1840,  when  he  removed  to  Cayuga  county,  after  which  they  moved  to  the  town  of 
Vernon  in  1859,  where  they  have  since  resided.  Mr.  Lewis  married  Jane  Stevenson, 
who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sennett  in  1825,  and  died  in  Vernon  in  June,  1892. 
Marion  P.  attended  the  school  in  Vernon,  subsequently  spending  some  time  at  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  still 
continues.  He  married  Alice  D.,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Mary  Ma.son,  who  was 
born  in  Vernon,  in  November,  1849,  and  by  whom  Mr.  Lewis  has  two  children:  De 
Verny,  born  June  8,1878;  and  Winifred,  born  May  8,  1881.  Mr.  Lewis  was  engaged 
in  the  meat  business  in  Waterville  for  about  four  years,  and  retired  from  that  to  en- 
gage in  farming. 

Olmsted,  Henry  L.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  May  8,  1811, 
and  spent  his  early  life  there,  but  since  1842  has  been  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Ver- 
non, living  continuously  upon  the  same  farm,  which  is  situated  near  Kenwood  sta- 
tion. His  father,  Gamaliel  Olmsted,  came  from  Connecticut,  where  he  was  born  in 
1760.  He  served  four  years  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  in  1782  emigrated  to 
LTtica,  and  a  little  later  settled  in  what  is  now  New  Hartford.  He  was  the  first  to 
purcha.se  land  in  the  town,  the  receipt  for  payment  thereon  being  now  in  the  possess- 
ion of  Henry  Olmsted,  dated  1788.  He  finally  moved  to  Willowdale,  where  he  died 
in  1832.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Downer,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died  in  1870. 
In  1835  Henry  L.  married  Samantha  Budlong,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  one  in  California  and  three  at  home.  Mr.  Olmsted's  farm  was  at 
one  time  a  part  of  the  Indian  lands,  he  having  bought  it  at  auction  in  1842. 

Hamilton,  William,  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1814,  and 
received  his  early  education  at  the  district  school  on  Stockbridge  Hill.  He  came 
from  Stockbridge  in  1842  and  has  since  resided  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  near  Sherrill. 
His  father,  Elias  Hamilton,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  Stockbridge,  where  he  came 
from  Massachusetts  in  1808.  In  1842  he  moved  into  the  town  of  Vernon  and  lived 
there  until  his  death  in  1844.  He  was  born  in  1776,  and  his  wife.  Amy  Lamb,  was 
also  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1777,  and  died  in  1832.  Mr.  Hamilton  has  long  been 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Oneida  county,  now  owning   three  farms  in  Vernon 


276  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

adjacent  to  Sherrill.  He  first  married  Amanda  Smith,  a  native  of  Vernon,  who  died 
in  1858,  after  which  he  married  his  present  wife,  Helen  Garlock,  also  a  native  of 
Vernon,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  one  of  whom,  a  daughter,  is  now  living  in 
Sherrill,  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Thurston,  now  deceased. 

Watson,  James  was  born  in  England  in  1843,  and  received  his  education  before 
coming  to  this  country.  He  came  from  England  in  1866  and  settled  at  Kenwood, 
N.  Y.,  in  the  employ  of  the  Oneida  Community.  His  father,  John  Watson,  was  also 
a  native  of  England,  where  he  was  born  in  1813,  and  died  in  1895 ;  and  his  wife, 
Jane  Garner,  also  died  in  1895.  After  coming  to  this  country  Mr.  Watson  engaged 
for  a  time  on  the  farm,  and  then  in  the  dye  house  in  connection  with  the  silk  depart- 
ment of  the  Community ;  he  there  learned  the  trade,  and  for  the  past  twenty  years 
has  had  charge  of  the  dye  works  of  the  silk  departmeat.  He  married  Eliza  Coaks, 
born  and  educated  in  Ramsey,  England,  by  whom  he  has  four  children :  Rhoda, 
Maud,  Clarence  and  Clara.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
society  of  Oneida  Castle. 

Smith,  George  W. ,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  April  19,  1844,  and  although 
a  native  of  the  town,  he  has  lived  as  much  outside  as  withm  its  borders.  His  father 
came  from  Turin,  Lewis  county,  and  settled,  when  a  young  man,  about  three  miles 
south  of  Vernon  village,  living  there  until  his  death.  His  wife,  Mary  A.  Leffingwell, 
is  a  native  of  Vernon,  and  was  born  in  1815,  and  she  is  still  living  in  Vernon. 
George  W.  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  four  children,  and  finished  his  education  at 
the  Vernon  Academy  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  after  which  he  returned  to 
the  farm,  remaining  three  years.  He  then  entered  the  store  of  J.  Harry  Walters  in 
Oneida,  as  a  clerk,  where  he  continued  for  three  years,  after  which  he  again  re- 
turned to  the  farm  for  six  years.  After  that  he  was  employed  for  some  time  as  a 
manager  of  the  bakery  of  the  Oneida  Community,  and  this  continued  for  three  years. 
He  was  next  engaged  as  proprietor  of  a  bakery  in  Lyons,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  end  of 
two  years,  the  Vienna  Pressed  Yeast  Company  requested  bira  to  act  as  their  travel- 
ing salesman,  which  position  he  accepted  and  continued  for  ten  years.  In  1888  he 
started  a  bakery,  confectionery  and  lunch  room  in  Oneida,  N.  Y.,  and  by  good  busi- 
ness management  has  built  up  a  large  wholesale  and  retail  business,  having  the 
finest  bakery  and  cafe  in  Oneida.  In  1867  he  married  Marie  Winchell,  a  native  of 
Gouverneur,  N.  Y.  In  addition  to  his  business  in  Oneida,  he  also  conducts  a  farm 
of  315  acres  in  Vernon. 

Scott,  W.  I.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  Madison  county,  April  8,  1849,  son  of  Giles 
Scott,  who  is  a  native  of  Madison  county,  and  Elizabeth  G.  (Babcock)  Scott  He  has 
resided  in  Oneida  county  for  the  past  eight  years,  and  has  an  attractive  residence  at 
Bridgewater  Center.  In  1888  he  married  Alice  R.  Robbins,  whose  parents  are  na- 
tives of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Scott's  grandparents  on  both  his  mother's  and  father's 
side,  are  eastern  people. 

Robinson,  Henry,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.,  January  2,  1840,  son  of  Henry 
L.  and  Mary  A.  (Maxson)  Robinson.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  engaged  as  clerk, 
and  followed  that  occupation  for  four  years,  at  which  time  the  war  broke  out,  and 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  4th  Mich.  Infantry,  and  participated  in  all  the  engagements  of 
the  regiment,  including  Bull  ^un,  the  battles  of  the  Peninsular  Campaign,  Chancel- 


I 


i 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  277 

lorsville,  Fredericksburg,  Antietam,  and  Gettysburg,  where  he  was  wounded  the 
second  day's  battle.  He  was  then  in  the  hospital  for  nine  months,  after  which  he 
rejoined  his  regiment,  and  served  out  his  three  years  time.  In  1866  he  married 
Sarah  A.  Brockway,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Mrs.  Burton  Bryant  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  Lynn  Robinson.  Mrs.  Robinson's  family  came  from  Connecticut,  and 
her  father  settled  on  the  land  where  the  Robinsons  now  live ;  and  their  residence 
and  farm  known  as  Maple  Dell,  is  one  of  the  prettiest  places  in  Oneida  county.  Mr. 
Robinson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  G.  A.  R.  He  was  postmaster 
under  President  Johnson,  and  has  been  town  clerk,  and  also  supervisor  of  Bridge- 
water. 

Leonard,  Franklin,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Smyrna,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1837,  son  of  Rufus  and  Navagal  (Green)  Leonard.  He  wss  employed  in  the 
Springfield  armory  during  the  war,  and  made  60,000  gun  barrels  for  the  United 
States  government  while  there.  He  was  one  of  ten  men  selected  for  special  work 
in  the  armory,  when  the  English  experts  struck.  After  leaving  Springfield  he 
was  foreman  of  the  Stearns  Manufacturing  Works  in  Erie,  Pa.,  for  two  years;  and 
was  then  with  the  Otis  Forge  &  Iron  Co.  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  for  over  two  years. 
He  next  had  charge  of  the  smithing  department  of  the  city  forge  and  iron  works  for 
nine  years,  then  came  to  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  had  charge  of  the  frame  work  in 
the  locomotive  works  for  over  nine  years;  when  he  took  the  position  of  foreman  of 
the  forge  and  blacksmith  department  of  the  Rogers  Locomotive  Works.  Leaving 
there  he  came  to  Bridgewater  and  purchased  a  farm  where  he  settled  down,  and  he 
has  now  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  Leonard  is  an  inven- 
tor of  note,  and  has  taken  out  eleven  different  patents.  He  invented  the  first  time 
lock  for  safes  ever  used,  an  improved  corn  harvester,  also  a  link  machine,  and  many 
other  notable  devices.  Mr.  Leonard  married  Fannie  Bates,  by  whom  he  has  two 
sons:  Cassius,  who  married  Grace  Joslyn,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Jessie;  and 
Rufus,  who  married  Alice  Randall,  and  they  have  one  son,  Louis. 

Burgess,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  August  23,  183r,  son  of  Hiram 
and  Mahala  P.  (Morey)  Burgess,  who  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  George  H.  was 
engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1864  he  came  to  Oneida  county,  settling  in  the  town  of 
Bridgewater.  In  1858  he  married  Larinda  A.  Loomis,  who  died  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Flora  E.  Crist.  He  married  for  his  second  wife  Addie  L.  Allen,  who  died 
January  19,  1895.  Mr.  Burgess  is  a  successful  and  highly  respected  gentleman,  and 
and  he  has  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater.  He  was  justice  of 
the  peace  for  ten  years,  and  has  been  delegate  to  county  and  Slate  Republican  con- 
ventions. 

Luther,  Thomas  and  Mary.— The  late  John  Luther  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Dun- 
barton,  Scotland,  November  14,  1814,  and  was  educated  there,  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1849,  remaining  for  a  time  in  New  York  city  and  then  locating  near 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he  resided  several  years.  He  was  a  machinist  by  trade.  In 
1852  he  purchased  the  homestead  in  the  town  of  Rome,  and  came  to  reside  upon  it 
about  the  year  1855.  July  3,  1860,  he  married  Janet  Robertson,  of  the  town  of  Cam- 
den, by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Mary  B.,  Nettie,  John  H.,  and  Thomas  W. 
Mary  B.  is  a  school  teacher,  and  is  now  principal  of  the  school  in  New  London,  N.Y. 


278  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mr.  Lauther  died  May  30,  1884.  Mrs.  Lauther's  father,  John  Robertson,  was  born 
in  Scotland  in  1787.  He  married  Mary  Lawson,  who  was  born  in  the  same  year  and 
place,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in-  1852, 
locating  in  Camden,  N.  Y.     Both  father  and  mother  are  dead. 

Thomas,  Hugh  E.,  son  of  Ellis,  was  born  in  Utica,  October  22,  1860.  His  father, 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  came  here  from  Wales,  England,  in  1852,  was  foreman  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railroad  repair  shops,  and  died  in  1878,  aged  fifty- six.  Mr. 
Thomas,  after  leaving  the  public  schools  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  became  a  clerk  in  the 
clothing  store  of  T.  Solomon  Griffiths,  with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership  in  1883 
under  the  firm  name  of  T.  S.  Griffiths  &  Co.  In  1891  he  succeeded  to  the  business. 
He  is  an  active  Republican,  was  a  delegate  to  the  vState  Convention  at  Rochester  in 
1891,  and  at  Saratoga  in  1895,  and  is  now  and  has  been  for  several  years  city  and 
county  committeeman  from  the  Tenth  ward  of  Utica. 

Georg,  Emil  J.,  was  born  in  Utica,  November  9,  1871.  His  father,  Joseph  Georg, 
a  native  of  Alsace,  Germany,  came  to  America  in  1858,  and  settled  in  Utica,  where 
he  was  first  a  teamster  for  a  few  years.  He  then  started  in  the  wood  business  on  a 
small  scale  and  in  1877  engaged  also  in  the  retail  coal  trade,  in  which  he  successfully 
continued  till  his  death,  May  17,  1892,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five.  In  1890  his  son 
Joseph  L.  became  his  partner  under  the  firm  name  of  Joseph  Georg  &  Son.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  the  Germania  Industrial  Association,  and  other 
benevolent  movements.  He  married  Frances  Hurstell,  a  native  of  Alsace,  Ger- 
many, who  survives  him.  Their  children  were  Joseph  L.,  and  Emma  M.,  both  de- 
ceased, and  Sophia  M.  and  Emil  J.,  of  Utica.  Emil  J.  Georg  was  educated  in  the 
Utica  public  schools  and  Business  College,  learned  the  trade  of  brass  turner,  and 
upon  his  father's  death  became  a  partner  in  the  coal  and  wood  business  with  his 
brother  Joseph  L.,  as  Joseph  Georg's  Sons.  His  brother  died  April  25,  1895,  and 
since  then  he  has  continued  the  business  alone  under  the  name  of  Joseph  Georg's 
Son.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Utica  Maennechor,  the  Knights  of  St.  George,  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Utica  Cycling  Club,  the  Young  Men's  Sodality  of  St.  Joseph's 
church,  and  the  Coal  Exchange. 

Lindsley,  Smith  M.,  was  born  in  Monticello,  N.  Y.,  in  1847.  His  grandfather, 
Eliud  Lindsley.  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Sullivan  county,  and  is  prominently  men- 
tioned in  the  histories  of  that  county.  His  father,  Rufus  B.,  was  a  well  known 
farmer  and  stock  dealer  while  his  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Smith  Weed,  of  whose 
family  the  famous  Smith  Weed,  of  Clinton  county,  is  a  member.  Mr.  Lindsley  was 
graduated  from  the  Monticello  Academy  as  valedictorian  of  his  class  and  completed 
his  studies  at  the  Wyoming  Seminary  and  College  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  after- 
wards a  member  of  the  faculty  of  that  institution  for  one  year.  He  then  read  law  in 
Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  till  1869,  when  became  to  Utica  and  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
Francis  Kernan.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870  and  immediately  entered  upon 
his  successful  professional  career  in  Utica.  A  Democrat  m  politics  he  was  elected 
city  attorney  by  popular  vote  in  1872  and  served  two  terms.  Since  then  he  has 
decHned  many  political  honors  and  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  his  extensive  law 
practice.  In  1885  he  became  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chittenango 
and  still  holds  that  position.     He  is  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  a  prominent  mera- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  279 

ber  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  having  served  two  years  from  1887  as  supreme  regent  of 
that  order.  His  work  in  furthering  the  interests  of  this  latter  organization  has  given 
him  a  wide  reputation.  In  1873  he  married  Dorlissa,  daughter  of  John  W.  John- 
ston, a  prominent  lawyer  of  Sullivan  county.  In  1895  he  was  unanimously  nomi- 
nated by  his  party  for  justice  of  the  Supreme  Courtof  the  State,  but  he  declined  to  run. 

Kent,  Perry  E.,  son  of  Ela  and  Ann  E. ,  was  born  in  Greig,  Lewis  county,  Julv  25. 
1855.  The  family  is  of  English  extraction  and  descends  from  Enos  Kent,  who  was 
among  the  Pilgrim  ssettlers  of  Massachusetts  and  later  one  of  the  founders  of  Kent, 
Conn.,  which  took  his  name.  Enos,  great-grandfather  of  Perry  E.  (brother  of  James 
Kent,  LL.  D.,  the  celebrated  jurist,  chancellor  of  N.  Y. ,  and  once  a  professor  at  Co 
lumbia  College),  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  while  his  son  served  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Ela  Kent  was  a  captain  in  the  old  Lewis  county  militia  and  an  early  school 
teacher,  and  married  Ann  E.  Wheeler,  of  Scotch  descent.  They  had  three  children: 
Mrs.  J.  E.  Lewis  and  Perry  E.  of  Utica,  and  R.  E.  H.  Kent,  of  Lee,  Oneida  county. 
Perry  E.  Kent  attended  the  Boonville  High  School  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  entered 
the  then  Black  River  Herald  office,  which  his  father  had  been  instrumental  in  found- 
ing as  the  Boonville  Ledger.  In  1869  he  entered  the  office  of  the  Geneva  Courier. 
Later  he  was  assistant  foreman  of  the  Illion  Citizen  and  still  later  assistant  instructor 
at  the  Cornell  University  Press.  Afterward  he  was  foreman  and  finally  manager  of 
the  Phelps  Citizen,  superintendent  of  the  Geneva  Courier,  and  connected  with  the  job 
printing  office  of  the  Scranton,  Pa.,  Republican.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he  came  to  Utica 
to  accept  a  position  with  Curtis  &  Childs,  job  printers,  and  in  1880 he  started  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  Seneca  Falls.  After  three  years  of  success  in  business  he  returned 
to  Utica,  and  again  entered  business  which  afterwards  became  the  firm  of  Kent  & 
Fierstein ;  sellmg  out  his  interest  there  in  1888  he  established  his  present  job  print- 
ing office  on  the  corner  of  Genesee  and  Bleecker  streets.  In  January,  1893,  William 
E.  Davies  was  admitted  to  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Kent  &  Davies.  Mr. 
Kent  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  since  1881,  is  a  past  grand,  and  also  a  past  chief  patri- 
arch of  the  Encampment  and  a  member  of  Canton  Utica,  No.  3  P.  M.  He  joined 
the  K.  of  P.  in  1882  and  was  chancellor  commander  two  terms;  he  became  a  Mason 
in  1886.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  in  1886  joined  the  Utica  Citi- 
zens' Corps,  which  was  subsequently  mustered  into  the  National  Guard  as  the  44th 
Separate  Co.  After  serving  five  years  he  joined  the  28th  Separate  Co.,  Utica  City 
Guards,  in  1893,  and  is  an  exempt  fireman.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Old 
Fort  Schuyler  Rifle  Association  and  the  Utica  Cycling  Club,  and  for  several  years 
has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  South  Street  M.  E.  church. 
As  a  marksman  in  military  circles  he  has  won  valuable  medals  and  handsome 
trophies.  During  the  first  year  that  the  expert  class  was  authorized  by  the  State  he 
was  the  only  man  outside  of  New  York  city  to  qualify  as  an  "expert"  marksman 
and  the  seventh  in  the  State  at  large  to  receive  the  decoration  for  long  distance 
shooting.  In  1893  he  won  a  gold  medal  at  the  World's  Fair.  In  1895  he  won  gold 
and  silver  medals  at  the  International  Scheutzenbund  at  Glendale,  L.  I.  In  1878  he 
married  Carrie  E.  Sheeler,  and  their  children  are  Lulu  Bell,  Harold  L.,  Leslie  Mar- 
guerite. 

Benton,  George,  was  born  at  Frankfort,   Herkimer  county,   N.  Y.,  in  1836,  son  of 
the   late  Jarnes  Benton.     He   came  to   Utica  in  1839,  where  he  was  educated  in 


280  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Williams's  Private  School,  and  began  his  agricultural  pursuits  at  his  present  location, 
a  200  acre  dairy  farm  overlooking  Utica,  it  being  the  old  homestead  where  his  father 
resided  for  twenty-five  years.  The  latter  was  a  man  of  rare  ability  and  a  prominent 
builder  of  Utica,  who  died  at  ninety  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  Warwickshire, 
England,  in  1805,  and  his  parents  being  poor,  and  he  the  oldest  of  the  family,  he  was 
early  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  After  acquiring  his  trade  as  a  builder,  he  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Utica,  where  he  was  a  man  of  great  discrimination  and  tact, 
an  essential  requisite  of  an  employer  of  many  men  of  whose  welfare  he  was  ever 
mindful.  He  upheld  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  was  elected  mayor 
of  Utica  in  1878  by  the  Workingman's  party.  He  married  Susan  Bradley,  of  Eng- 
lish birth,  who  died  in  1889,  leaving  five  children.  In  1867  George  Benton  married 
Rhoda,  daughter  of  Thomas  Wheatley,  of  New  Hartford,  by  whom  he  had  twelve 
children,  of  whom  eight  are  now  living.  Mr.  Benton  was  elected  supervisor  in  1890, 
by  the  largest  majority  ever  received  by  a  Democrat  in  New  Hartford. 

Selbach,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  V.,  February  15,  1866,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  Selbach.  John  Selbach  was  born  in  Germany,  and  came  to  America  over  forty 
years  ago.  He  was  first  a  merchant  in  Utica,  and  later  engaged  in  farming,  at  which 
he  continued,  until  he  retired  in  1892  Mrs.  Selbach  died  in  1872.  John  H.  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Utica,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  also 
a  milk  dealer,  running  a  route  in  Utica.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  in 
Whitesboro,  and  is  also  school  trustee.  He  married  Catherine  Miller,  of  Whitesboro, 
by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Mary  and  Fred.  Mr.  Selbach  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Paul's  church  at  Whitestown. 

Gates,  William  M.,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills,  February  18,  1844,  son  of  James 
and  Mary  Ann  Gates.  James  Gates  came  from  England  in  18;}2,  and  was  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  soap  and  candles.  He  died  in  1887.  William  M.  Gates  spent  his 
early  life  on  a  farm,  and  when  he  came  to  Whitesboro,  he  engaged  in  the  cheese 
manufacturing  business,  and  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  ten  years.  He  afterwards 
engaged  in  building,  but  of  late  years  has  been  retired  from  active  business.  He 
married  Lizzie  Kennedy,  of  Marcy,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Libbie  B.  Gates, 
who  is  interested  in  kindergarten  work.  Mr.  Gates  is  school  trustee  of  Whitesboro, 
a  position  he  has  held  for  a  long  time,  and  he  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Village 
Board.  Mr.  Gates  and  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Whites- 
boro. 

Tyler,  Henry  H.,  son  of  Dr.  John  Tyler,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lee,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  August  1,  1831.  Henry  H.  Tyler  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Rome, 
attending  the  first  school  term  organized  in  the  Rome  Academy.  He  engaged  in 
mechanical  business  for  a  number  of  j-ears,  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  at 
which  he  has  since  continued.  In  politics  Mr.  Tvler  has  been  an  independent  Re- 
publican. Mr.  Tyler  is  a  successful  well  known  farmer  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland 
where  he  resides,  and  his  place  is  noticeable  for  its  tasteful  and  attractive  appear- 
ance. He  married  Elizabeth  A.  Stevens,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons:  Bayard  H., 
whoisan  artistin  Yonkers,  N.  Y. ;  Fred  A.,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Pease  Furnace  Co. 
of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  C.  Edwin,  connected  with  the  mercantile  business  in  Rome;  and 
Jesse  S.,  who  is  at  the  homestead  farm.     Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Tyler,  his  wife,  died  in 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  281 

1886,  and  he  is  now  married  to  Mrs.  E.  F.  Terpening  of  Westmoreland.  His  father, 
Dr.  John  Tyler,  was  a  prominent  physician  of  Rome  for  many  years.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-three.  Asa  P.  Tyler,  the  grandfather  of  Henry  H.  Tyler,  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  and  was  one  of  the  earlest  settlers  in  Rome,  there  being  but  five 
houses  where  the  city  of  Utica  now  stands  at  the  time  of  his  settling  in  Rome.  At 
a  little  later  date  the  territory  where  Rome  now  stands  was  sold  at  auction  at  Johns- 
town for  taxes  at  $1.00  per  acre. 

Bell,  Henry  Dwight,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  September  4,  1840,  son  of 
John  Morris  and  Sarah  Bell.  John  Morris  Bell  was  the  son  of  Phineas  Bell,  a  soldier 
in  the  American  Revolution ;  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Bell  was  the  daughter  of  Anson  Smith 
of  Walesville,  N.  Y.  Henry  D.  was  educated  at  the  district  school,  and  at  the 
Whitestown  Seminary.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  at  which  he  always  continued. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Bell  married  Helen  Rogers  of  Whitestown,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children:  Louis  W. ,  Edna  and  Grace. 

Miller,  Morris  S.,  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  Augusta,  where  he  wasborn  February 
10,  1843,  son  of  Morris  S.  Miller,  who  was  also  born  m  the  town  of  Augusta  in  1814, 
and  was  for  many  years  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  that  town.  He 
lived  in  the  town  fortj^  years,  when  he  removed  to  Deansville  and  resided  there  for 
a  period  of  twenty  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Augusta,  settling  in  Oriskany 
Falls,  living  there  seven  or  eight  years,  when  he  retired  and  came  to  Oneida  Castle, 
where  he  died  in  1887;  his  father,  Isaac  C.  Miller,  came  from  Connecticut,  settling  in 
the  town  of  Kirkland,  and  at  one  time  he  and  his  four  sons  owned  a  body  of  land 
covering  a  distance  of  four  miles  in  length.  Morris  S.  Miller,  sr.,  married  Lucinda 
Wood,  of  Augusta,  who  was  born  in  1817,  and  died  in  Oneida  Ca.stle  in  1891.  Morris 
S.  Miller,  jr.,  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  and  received  his  education  at 
Augusta  and  Deansville,  after  which  he  devoted  himself  to  stock  raising,  principally 
that  of  fine  horses.  He  is  an  active  Republican, and  in  the  years  1885  and  1886  rep- 
resented his  town  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  He  married  Jane  A.  Cody,  daughter 
of  F.  A.  and  Phoebe  Cody,  of  Vernon  Center,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Allen,  Hiram  J.,  was  born  in  Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  November  11, 
1831,  son  of  Henry  Allen  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont.  H.  J.  Allen  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  employ  of  the  government,  and  has  gained  a  great  knowledge  of 
traveling,  and  when  quite  young,  was  in  California,  Mexico  and  many  other  places 
of  interest.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  which  business  he  fol- 
lowed many  years.  He  was  the  builder  of  two  of  the  Hamilton  College  buildings, 
also  two  of  the  society  buildings,  and  at  present  conducts  the  leading  plumbing 
business  and  hardware  store  in  the  village.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Mercantile  Co- 
operative Co.  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  married  Adelaide  Clough,  of  Vermont,  by  whom 
he  has  seven  children:  Walter  H.,  Nellie  M.,  Alice  D.,  Edith  V.,  Herbert,  Harold 
and  Leslie  H.     Mr.  Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Cross,  John  Cleveland,  was  born  in  Stirlingville,  Jefferson  county,  N.Y.,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1833,  and  was  a  son  of  Theodore  and  Harriet  ((Seymour)  Cross.     Theodore 
Cross  was  born  in  Weare,   N.  H.,   November  14,   1804.     His  ancestors  came  from 
Massachusetts,  being  among  the  first  settlers  of  Ipswich,  Haverhill  and  Methuen, 
ij 


282  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

where  they  held  a  large  colonial  and  Indian  grant  of  land,  a  portion  of  which,  the 
homestead  farm  with  house  originally  built  about  1640,  is  still  in  the  possession  of 
George  L.  Cross,  the  seventh  lineal  descendant  of  the  original  owner.  Many  mem- 
bers of  the  family  served  in  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  wars,  and  were  prom- 
inent in  the  early  history  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  being  connected 
with  the  Adams,  Cleveland,  Choate,  Eastman  and  Burbank  families  of  those  States. 
Theodore  Cross  came  to  the  town  of  Philadelphia  in  1818,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  lumbering  till  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Boonville,  N.  Y. ,  carrying  on 
with  his  son  the  butter  and  cheese  business  He  died  at  Oriskany  Falls  in  1881. 
John  C.  Cross  was  educated  at  the  Governeur  Academy  in  St.  Lawrence  county, 
N.  Y.,  graduating  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  W.  W.  & 
I.  N.  Herrick,  general  merchants  in  Philadelphia,  N.  Y.  After  one  year  of  service 
there  he  went  to  Boonville  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  an  uncle.  John  Cross,  with  whom, 
after  three  years,  he  entered  into  partnership.  Selling  out  there  in  1858,  he  removed 
to  New  York  city,  engaging  in  the  general  produce  and  commission  business.  He 
continued  there  until  1861,  when  he  removed  to  Oriskany  Falls,  N.  Y. ,  and  for  the 
next  seventeen  years  was  there  engaged  as  a  general  merchant.  He  has  since  been 
engaged  as  an  e.xtensive  farmer  and  dealer  in  hops.  He  is  one  of  the  largest  hop- 
growers  in  the  State,  having  now  eighty  acres  devoted  to  that  product.  He  was 
elected  the  first  president  of  the  village  of  Oriskany  Falls  upon  its  incorporation  in 
1888.  December  5,  1855,  he  married  Permelia  V.  Goodrich,  daughter  of  Hon.  Caleb 
Goodrich,  of  Boonville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Theodore  La  Mont, 
born  February  9,  1858,  now  a  practicing  attorney  at  Utica,  N.  Y.  ;  Harriet  Louisa, 
born  June  16,  1860,  who  died  August  9,  1894;  Kathlenn,  born  March  25,  1870,  now 
living  with  her  parents;  and  Wylie  C,  born  May  1,  1861,  and  died  May  7,  1851. 

Hinman,  William,  born  in  Stockbndge,  N.  Y.,  August  15,  1832,  and  moved  to 
Knoxboro  with  his  parents,  where  he  has  resided  since  1838.  His  father,  Harlow 
Hinman,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Stock- 
bridge.  He  engaged  in  farming  for  a  time,  and  conducted  the  hotel  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Knoxboro.  He  married  Caroline  Powers,  of  Augusta,  and  she  died  in  Knox- 
boro in  1860,  and  Mr.  Hinman  died  April  5,  1853.  William  Hinman  was  educated  at 
Knoxboro,  and  when  his  course  was  completed,  returned  to  his  fathers  farm.  He 
has  conducted  it,  accumulating  and  adding  to  it  each  year,  until  he  has  now  one  of 
the  finest  farm  properties  in  the  county.  Mr.  Hinman  has  been  supervisor  for 
several  terms,  and  is  now  president  of  the  Oneida  Agricultural  Society,  and  has 
also  been  school  trustee  for  thirty  years.  January  1,  1854,  he  married  Abbie 
Vaughn,  of  Augusta,  who  was  born  October  1,  1833,  and  by  whom  he  has  four 
children:  Charles  V.,  born  June  12,  1856;  William  J.,  born  July  4,  1858;  George  G. , 
born  September  7,  1864;  and  Maud  E.,  born  November  6,  1872. 

Nichols,  Charles  F.,  M.D.,  was  born  in  Milton,  Sussex  county,  Del.,  June  8,  1865, 
son  of  Captain  Charles  and  Susan  Nichols.  Charles  is  captain  in  the  navy,  which  he 
joined  about  forty  years  ago.  Charles  F.  was  graduated  from  St.  John's  College  at 
Brandy  wine,  Del.,  in  1881,  after  which  he  took  a  medical  course  at  Baltimore  Uni- 
versity, served  two  years  in  the  University  Hospital,  and  was  graduated  in  1886. 
In  1887  he  located  at  Vienna,  where  he  has  practiced  to  the  present  time.  He  is 
wholly  a  self-made  man,  public  spirited  and  actively  interested  in  educational  aff"airs. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  283 

He  is  a  member  of  Sj-lvan  Beach  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  encampment  at  Oneida.  In 
the  subordinate  lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  he  has  held  all  the  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
lodge.  Mr.  Nichols  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Nancy  Cook, 
by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Albert  Cook. 

O'Brien,  John,  was  born  in  Ireland,  September  6,  1839,  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
(McCarthy)  O'Brien.  John  O'Brien  was  educated  in  Ireland  and  America.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1854.  and  first  began  at  railroading,  then  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  bought  the  life  lease  of  Joshua  Stivers,  which  he  afterwards  sold ;  then  he 
returned  and  bought  back  the  lease  he  formerly  owned,  where  he  lived  three  years. 
He  sold  it  to  George  Clark,  and  moved  to  M.  H.  Tenant's  farm,  which  he  leased  for 
five  years,  for  $."300  per  year.  He  was  elected  road  commissioner  of  the  city  of  Rome, 
where  he  served  two  years  in  succession.  He  then  moved  on  to  the  Brook  farm,  in 
the  Second  ward  in  Rome,  and  lived  there  one  year;  from  here  he  moved  on  to  the 
Phone.x  Abbe  place,  known  as  the  Jim  Kirkland  farm,  and  lived  there  three  years; 
he  afterwards  moved  on  to  a  farm  known  as  the  Moore,  Montgomery  and  Schneider 
farm;  there  he  attended  an  indicating  station  on  the  New  York  Central  for  two 
years.  He  then  moved  on  to  the  farm  known  as  the  William  Evans  farm,  where  he 
lived  one  year;  then  moved  on  to  the  John  Fleming  farm  and  lived  one  year.  He 
then  moved  on  to  his  present  farm,  where  he  has  resided  for  the  past  nine  years. 
He  married  Honora  Ouinn,  of  Ireland,  by  whom  he  has  eight  children:  Michael  J., 
William,  John  T.,  Annie,  Mary,  Rosie,  Maggie  and  Fannie.  Mr.  O'Brien,  although 
a  Democrat,  was  elected  for  two  terms  in  succession,  commissioner  of  highways  in 
the  township  of  Westmoreland.  This  town  is  Republican  by  a  large  majority,  and 
Mr.  O'Brien  is  the  only  Democrat  who  was  ever  elected  to  that  office  in  this  town- 
ship. 

Wasserman,  Felix,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1826,  son  of  Felix  and  Barbara  Was- 
serman.  Felix  Wasserman,  jr.,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1860,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  m  farming.  He  married  Darasia  Smith,  of  Germany,  by  whom  he 
had  one  son,  George  Wasserman,  who  is  a  farmer  of  Waterville,  N.  Y. 

Hamlin,  Edward  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Floyd,  Oneida  county,  November 
28,  1842,  son  of  Joseph  S.  Hamlin,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  was  born  July  20. 
1810,  where  he  lived  until  six  years  of  age,  moving  with  his  parents  to  Holland  Pat- 
ent, N'.  Y.  Joseph  S.  Hamlin  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1833  married  Delia 
Willard  of  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  who  was  born  July  25,  1817.  Edward  A.  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  district  school  where  he  lived,  and  afterwards  completed 
a  course  at  the  Whitestown  Seminary.  Leaving  school  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  re- 
turned to  the  farm,  and  continued  at  that  industry  until  1867,  living  in  the  mean  time 
at  Floyd  and  Trenton,  N.  Y.  In  1867  he  settled  at  Oriskany  Falls,  and  with  James 
A.  Douglass,  as  Douglass  &  Hamlin,  conducted  a  lumber  business;  this  partnership 
continued  ten  years,  after  which  Mr.  Hamlin  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  his 
partner,  and  returned  to  his  former  occupation,  settling  on  a  farm  adjacent  to  the 
village,  and  has  continued  farming,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  to  the  present 
time.  In  June,  1895,  he,  with  C.  C.  Newell  and  C.  E.  Hains,  organized  the  Oriskany 
Falls  Knitting  Company,  to  manufacture  sweaters  and  knit  goods.  February  12, 
1873,  Mr.  Hamlin  married  Georgia  A.  Newell,  a  native  of  Oriskany  Falls,  who  was 


284  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

born  July  22,  1847,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Preston  N.  Hamhn,  born  October  5, 
1875.  Mrs.  Hamlin  acquired  her  edtication  at  the  Oriskany  Falls  school  and  Caze- 
novia  Seminary. 

Rawnsley,  William,  settled  in  the  town  of  Lee,  Oneida  county,  in  1838,  where  he 
came  from  Woonsocket,  R.  I.,  with  his  father,  William  Rawnsley,  who  was  a  native 
of  Bradford,  England,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  William,  jr.,  was  only  a 
few  years  of  age.  After  a  residence  of  a  few  years  at  Woonsocket,  they  came  to  the 
town  of  Lee.  Mr.  Rawnsley  was  a  cotton  weaver  by  trade,  engaging  in  that  occu- 
pation in  England  and  also  at  Woonsocket.  After  settling  m  Lee,  he  bought  a  farm 
and  devoted  the  rest  of  his  life  to  that  industry.  He  died  March  11,  1861,  being 
eighty-one  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Mercy  (Hodgson)  Rawnsley,  was  also  a  native  of 
Bradford,  England,  and  died  in  Lee,  one  year  before  her  husband.  William,  jr., 
received  his  education  in  Woonsocket,  R.  L,  and  was  first  employed  in  a  cotton  fac- 
tory. After  a  few  years  at  this  service,  he  settled  down  to  farm  life  with  his  father; 
continued  but  a  short  time,  however,  when  he  moved  to  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  spent 
three  years  as  salesman  for  a  book  concern.  In  1848  he  returned  to  Lee  and  bought 
a  farm,  upon  which  he  lived  one  year,  when  he  went  to  the  town  of  Ava;  then  to 
West  Branch,  where  he  spent  some  time  as  clerk  in  a  store ;  after  this  he  returned 
again  to  Lee  and  purchased  another  farm,  where  he  resided  for  fifteen  years.  In 
1882  he  settled  at  Oriskany  falls,  where  he  has  resided  since.  He  first  married 
Deborah  Peacock,  of  English  birth,  who  died  in  1853;  after  which  he  married  Caro- 
line Sexton,  of  Lee,  anr:  she  died  January  17,  1882.  The  children  were:  Elizabeth, 
born  in  1846,  and  now  married  to  Eri  Sherman,  of  Boonville;  Henry,  born  at  Ava  in 
1850,  and  is  now  living  at  Oriskany  Falls;  William,  born  in  1852,  also  living  at  Oris- 
kany Falls,  and  Horace,  born  in  1854,  a  farmer  at  West  Branch,  Oneida  county. 

Wilgus,  Elmer  T.,  was  born  in  Bartlett,  June  15,  1860,  .son  of  Thomas  and  Martha 
Wilgus.  Thomas  Wilgus  was  a  boat  owner  and  farmer,  and  he  died  about  1872. 
Elmer  T.  Wilgus  was  educated  in  Westmoreland,  and  has  always  followed  farming. 
He  married  Anna  Scott,  of  Westmoreland. 

Snow,  Eugene,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  May  31,  1851.  His 
father,  Zibeon  Snow,  was  born  in  1798  and  died  in  1858.  He  was  a  general  merchant 
and  speculator  in  Vernon,  and  married  Sabrina  Larrabee,  who  was  born  in  Vermont 
in  1808  and  died  in  Vernon  in  1878.  Eugene  Snow  was  educated  in  Binghamton 
and  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  after  which  he  returned  to  Vernon  and  purchased  the  Barber 
farm,  where  he  lived  for  fourteen  years,  but  upon  on  the  death  of  his  wife's  father 
in  1881,  he  took  possession  of  the  Dodge  homestead,  where  he  is  now  engaged  with 
his  son,  G.  Percy,  in  the  breeding  of  trotters,  road  and  carriage  horses,  in  which  he 
has  been  very  successful.  He  owns  and  has  bred  some  of  the  finest  horses  in  the 
State,  for  one  of  which,  the  leading  sire  on  the  farm,  "  Mambritonian,"  purchased 
from  the  famous  Woodburn  farm,  Kentucky,  Mr.  Snow  refused  an  offer  in  1891  of 
$30,000.  Among  the  many  noted  horses  Mr.  Snow  has  owned  and  developed  are 
Mambritonian  2:20^;  Tony  Klock  2:18^;  Klick  Klock  2:14|;  Prmsonian  2;2()i;  Billy 
Hilton  2:20;  Nankeen  2:26:^,  and  others.  He  has  now  on  the  farm  about  sixty  head. 
In  January,  1872,  he  married  Algenia  A.  Dodge,  who  was  born  January  12,  1853, 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Sarah  (Hougham)  Dodge,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  285 

dren:  George  P.,  born  June  30,  1875;  Eunice  R.,  born  January  23,  1880;  and  Doro- 
thy D.,  born  April  18,  1894. 

Warren,  Charles  K.,  was  born  near  Newell's  Corners,  where  he  still  lives,  May  3, 
1858.  His  father,  Col.  William  F.  Warren,  was  born  at  the  same  place.  May  17,  1816, 
and  died  there  February  22,  1895.  Colonel  Warren  was  an  active  and  representative 
man  of  the  community  and  left  his  son  a  farm  of  250  acres.  He  married  Caroline 
Deck,  of  Madison,  who  was  born  June  6,  1824.  The  father  of  Colonel  Warren  came 
from  Massachusetts  and  was  the  second  settler  in  that  part  of  the  county,  having 
located  on  the  Warren  farm  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago.  Charles  K.  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  at  Knoxboro  and  then  returned  to  the  farm,  where 
he  has  since  remained.  January  7,  1888,  Mr.  Warren  married  Alice  E.  French,  of 
Norwich,  N.  Y. ,  who  was  educated  at  Norwich  and  Knoxboro,  living  for  some  time 
in  early  life  in  the  latter  place.  The  Warren  homestead  occupies  a  picturesque  site 
and  the  house  built  nearly  100  years  ago  is  still  standing. 

Wasmuth,  Fred  W.,  was  born  in  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  February  18,  1862.  His  father 
was  born  at  Frankfort-on-theOder,  Prussia,  October  22,  1826.  He  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade  and  came  to  America  in  1859.  He  married  Mary  L.  Baldwin,  who  was  born 
at  Hamburg  i  i  1823  and  died  in  Augusta  in  1891.  Fred  W.  attended  the  Augusta 
Academy  and  upon  leaving  school  engaged  in  farming  for  a  time.  He  then  entered 
into  the  mercantile  business  with  Wayne  C.  Russell  in  1885,  in  which  he  continued 
for  one  year,  then  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  conducted  the  business  alone 
until  1890,  when  he  sold  out  to  Franciscoe  &  Hurty.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming,  making  a  specialty  of  hops  and  berries.  Mr.  Wasmuth  married  Mary  E. 
Dudley,  of  Augusta,  who  was  born  January  21,  1863,  and  died  June  9,  1892.  He  has 
been  successively  postmaster,  deputy  sheriff,  member  of  the  County  Committee,  and 
is  now  town  assessor. 

Thayer,  Emory  R.,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Otsego  county,  September  17,  1853, 
son  of  Julius  P.  Thayer,  who  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  a  lifelong  resident  of 
Otsego  county,  as  were  his  ancestors.  He  was  born  in  1826,  and  died  in  1860.  His 
wife,  Lucy  H.  (Bates)  Thayer,  was  born  in  Dutchess  county  in  1828,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing at  Westford,  N.  Y.  Emory  R.  Thayer  received  his  education  at  the  district 
school  and  the  Westford  Literary  Institute.  Upon  coming  to  Oneida  county  he  first 
settled  in  Rome,  where  he  remained  for  one  year,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Vernon, 
where  he  was  employed  on  a  farm,  and  worked  three  years  in  Madison  county,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Oneida  county  and  for  the  next  five  vears 
rented  a  farm.  October  13,  1875,  he  married  Emma,  daughter  of  Daniel  W.  and 
Elizabeth  Eaton  of  Augusta,  by  whom  he  has  four  children :  Robert  E.,  who  was 
born  March  9,  1876;  Elizabeth  E.,  born  January  11,  1879;  Maud,  who  was  born 
March  20,  1883;  and  Lulu,  born  July  20,  1884. 

Strong  Warren  C,  was  born  October  30,  1832,  and  has  spent  his  lifetime  in  his 
native  town,  for  man}^  years  living  in  the  village  of  Knoxboro,  which  is  his  present 
residence.  His  father,  Solomon  Strong,  was  born  March  1,  1784,  and  came  from 
Union,  Tolland  count}-.  Conn.,  in  1810,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  summer  and 
teaching  school  in  winter.  He  bought  a  farm  situated  about  two  miles  north 
of  Knoxboro,  where  he  settled,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  industry.     After 


286  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

coming  to  Augusta  he  married  Filena  Horton,  also  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  was 
born  in  1789,  and  died  in  1861.  Mr.  Strong  died  April  4,  1876.  Warren  G.  received 
his  education  at  Augusta  district  school  and  academy,  finishing  at  Kellogg's  then  a 
well  known  school  at  Clinton,  N.  Y. ;  after  which  he  returned  home  and  engaged  in 
farming.  They  acquired  an  immense  area  of  land,  upon  which  he  remained  till  1887, 
long  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He  married  Frances,  daughter  of  Sumner  Smith, 
of  Kuoxboro,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Strong  has 
held  several  important  political  positions. 

Smith,  Myrtalu  F.,  was  born  in  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  October  26  1834, 
son  of  Joseph  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Pitcher,  Chenango  coounty,  in  1792,  and  who  was 
a  large  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  water  lime  and  sewer  pipe,  his  trade  extending 
over  many  counties.  He  finally  removed  to  Bouckville,  N.  Y.,  and  later  to  Morris- 
ville,  where  he  died  in  1846.  His  wife,  Martha  (Cook)  Smith,  was  born  in  1796,  and 
died  in  Morrisville,  in  1850.  The  grandfather  of  M.  F.  Smith  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Chenango  county,  having  migrated  from  Connecticut  about  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  Myrtalu  F.  Smith  received  his  education  at  Bouckville  and 
the  Morrisville  Academy,  and  after  leaving  school  he  worked  for  a  time  on  a  farm, 
and  then  went  to  Wiscon.sin,  where  he  remained  until  1862,  when  he  returned  and 
settled  in  Knoxboro,  his  present  home.  He  continued  to  serve  for  twelve  years  as 
clerk  for  J.  C.  Knox  &  Co.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  adjacent  to  the  village,  and 
in  1885  bought  out  the  Van  Evera  store,  and  with  his  sons  has  continued  the  business 
since  under  the  the  firm  name  of  M.  F.  Smith  &  Sons.  Mr.  Smith  was  for 
several  years  assessor,  and  from  1887  to  1891  was  supervisor.  In  1856  he  married 
Sarah  Whitely,  a  native  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Fanny  C,  William 
M.,  Robert  P.  and  Edward  G.  William  M.  and  Edward  G.  are  the  partners  in  the 
business. 

vSpaulding  William  P.,  was  born  m  Stockbridge,  N.  Y.,  May  2,  1838,  son  of 
Philander  Spaulding,  who  is  descended  from  an  English  family,  and  who  was  born 
in  Stockbridge,  N.  Y.,  February  9,  1820  and  remained  in  Stockbridge  until  1864,  when 
he  moved  to  Lenox,  Madison  county,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  been  a 
farmer  and  speculator  all  his  life,  and  is  now  largely  interested  in  one  of  the  leading 
banks  in  Oneida.  He  married  Sarah  Marshall,  of  Stockbridge,  who  died  in  1866. 
William  P.  Spaulding  attended  school  in  Lenox,  Oneida  Castle  Union  school,  and 
Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  came  to  Knoxboro  to  assume  the 
charge  of  his  father's  farm.  After  conducting  it  successfully  for  two  years  he  bought 
it,  and  has  continued  to  reside  there.  Mr.  Spaulding  is  a  Republican,  and  in  1886-7 
held  the  office  of  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  for  three  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
excise  board.  He  married  Ida,  daughter  of  George  and  Viletta  Ballard,  of  Ilion,  who 
was  born  October  11,  i860. 

Bellinger,  Daniel  H.,  is  of  German  descent,  although  his  father,  Daniel  P.,  was 
born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1820.  Daniel  P.  Bellinger  came  to  Knoxboro  in 
1856  and  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  married  Phoebe  Hunt, 
who  was  born  in  Warren,  Herkimer  county,  m  1822  and  died  in  January,  1895. 
Daniel  H.  was  educated  at  Knoxboro  and  the  Augusta  Academy,  after  which  he  was 
engaged  as  a    clerk    in   a  clothing  store   for  three   years.     He    was    then  called 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  287 

here  on  account  of  sickness  and  has  since  continued  on  the  farm,  being  quite 
as  prosperous  and  successful  as  his  father,  and  though  but  thirty-eight  years  of  age 
is  one  of  the  foremost  farmers  in  Augusta.  He  married  Sarah  A.  WiUiams.  who  was 
born  in  Knoxboro,  January,  1863. 

Kendall,  Eugene  M.,  was  born  on  the  homestead  whei'e  he  now  lives  in  Augusta, 
May  20,  1852,  son  of  Leonard  Jarvis  Kendall,  who  is  also  living  at  the  old  homestead, 
was  born  at  Augusta  Center,  July  31,  1810,  and  whose  father  came  from  Massachu- 
setts in  1810,  and  was  pastor  for  several  years  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Au- 
gusta. Leonard  J.  married  Olive  J.,  daughter  of  Calvin  Kendall,  January  19,  1835, 
and  she  died  March  18,  1839.  October  1,  1840,  he  married  Sarah  R.  Spencer,  and 
she  died  September  20,  1855;  he  then,  in  1856,  married  his  present  wife.  Eugene  M. 
Kendall  received  his  education  at  Oneida  Academy  and  Plattsville,  Wis.,  where  he 
spent  one  year,  after  which  he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming  and  still  con- 
tmues.  January  19,  1881,  he  married  Jennie,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Jones 
of  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  who  was  born  April  2,  1857,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  place.  They  have  two  children:  Mary  Louise,  born  April  3,  1885, 
and  Leonard  Jarvis,  born  August  16,  1889.  Mr.  Kendall  is  an  active  Republican, 
and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Society  at  Knoxboro. 

Nye,  Willis  C,  was  born  at  Galesburg,  111.,  July  29,  1858,  and  at  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1866  removed  with  his  mother  to  Oriskany  Falls.  His  father,  Richard 
Nye,  was  born  in  Hubbardsville,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1822.  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Cleveland  Medical  College,  and  practiced  that  profession  until  his 
death.  In  1855  he  married  Sarah  M.  Peebles,  of  Oriskany  Falls,  and  soon  after  they 
removed  to  Galesburg,  and  Dr.  Nye  practiced  medicine  in  Galesburg,  Morris  and 
Havana  successively  up  to  his  death  in  the  latter  place.  When  twenty-one  years 
of  age  Willis  C.  Nye  went  to  Chicago  and  embarked  as  dealer  in  sand  and  gravel, 
the  product  of  beds  owned  adjacent  to  the  city.  In  1898  he  returned  to  Oriskany 
Falls  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  C.  Nye  &  Co., 
and  in  September,  1894,  he  entered  into  co-partnership  with  C.  B.  Keith,  in  the  coal 
business  at  Oriskany  Falls,  under  the  firm  name  of  Keith  &  Nye. 

Norton,  Peter  J.,  is  a  native  of  Schleswig,  Germany,  where  he  was  born  January 
26,  1858.  His  father  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  place,  having  been  born  in  1825, 
and  died  in  1870.  His  mother,  al?o  a  native  of  the  same  place,  was  born  in  1827, 
and  died  in  1866.  Peter  J.  attended  the  school  in  his  native  town  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age,  and  soon  after  the  death  of  his  father  came  to  America  and  settled 
at  Oriskany  Falls,  where  for  two  years  he  attended  the  public  school.  He  was  then 
employed  on  a  farm  for  three  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business. 
In  1855  he  built  the  Madison  House  at  Oriskany  Falls  and  conducted  it  for  seven 
years;  he  then  sold  the  hotel  and  bought  a  farm  adjacent  to  the  village;  in  the  same 
year  he  purchased  the  Sargent  House,  and  now  conducts  both  farm  and  hotel. 
April  22,  1885,  he  married  Mary  Eustice  of  Oriskany  Falls,  by  whom  he  has  three 
children:  Lois  J.,  born  March  17,  1888;  Harry  J.,  born  July  31,  1892;  and  Mary,  born 
February  15,  1894, 

Merritt,  Rev.  George,  was  born  at  Barrington,  111.,  July  15,  1855,  son  of  Mark 
Merritt,  who  was  born  at  Hastings-on-the-Sea,  England,  July  4,  1810,  and  at  twelve 


288  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years  of  age  went  to  sea  as  a  sailor,  which  he  followed  for  twenty  years;  then  emi- 
grating to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  as  first  mate  on  a  boat  running  on  Lake  Mich- 
igan. After  three  years  he  abandoned  this  and  removed  to  Harrington,  111.,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  devoted  some  time  to  agriculture.  After  ten  years  he  sold 
the  farm  and  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  iron 
and  continued  in  that  until  incapacitated  for  work.  He  died  April  1,  1873.  June  21, 
1844,  he  married  Ann  M.  Wynd,  of  Chicago,  111.,  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born 
January  14,  1817,  and  she  died  at  Chicago,  June  14,  1872.  George  Merrittwas  grad- 
uated from  the  public  school  and  high  school  of  Chicago,  and  then  entered  the 
Northwestern  University,  remaming  six  years,  graduating  in  1880  in  the  classical 
course,  and  in  1882  in  the  theological  department.  His  first  charge  as  minister  was 
at  Maple  Park  near  Chicago,  111.,  and  after  six  months  removed  to  Minnesota,  hav- 
ing pastorates  at  Jackson,  Hester,  Ortonville,  Ada.  and  Little  Falls,  successively. 
In  1867  he  was  transferred  to  the  Northern  New  York  Conference,  and  stationed  at 
Oswego  Center  for  one  and  one-half  years.  His  next  charge  was  at  Trenton,  N.  Y., 
for  two  years,  and  then  at  Taberg,  N.  Y.,  for  three  years,  and  finally  at  Oriskany 
Falls  in  1894.  June  13,  1889,  he  married  Mary  J.  Gormley,  of  Oswego,  a  graduate  of 
the  Chautauqua  University,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Ruth  B.,  born  April  6, 
1890. 

McElhinney,  Daniel  E.,  was  born  in  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  November 
24  1853.  His  father,  William  J.  McElhinney,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1848,  settling  in  Marshall,  N.  Y.  He  died  in  February,  1890,  aged 
seventy-three  years.  His  wife,  Margaret,  survives  him,  being  now  sixty  three  years 
of  age.  In  early  life  Daniel  E.  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  with  his  father 
in  the  town  where  he  was  born.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
place,  and  afterward  taught  school  there  and  at  Sangerfield  for  four  years,  engag- 
ing during  vacation  in  clerking  and  canvassing  for  the  sale  of  books,  etc.,  continu- 
ing his  clerkship  for  some  time.  In  1891  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Oriskany  Falls,  conducting  a  general  store  under  the  firm  name  of  D.  E.  McElhin- 
ney &  Co.,  which  he  continued  until  November,  1893,  when  he  was  appointed 
postmaster.  Mr.  McElhinney  has  occupied  many  important  town  and  village 
offices,  and  is  now  chief  of  the  Oriskany  Fire  Department,  in  which  he  takes  a 
great  interest. 

Thornley,  Edward,  was  born  in  England,  January  23,  1831,  son  of  Charles  and 
Mary  Thornley.  Edward  Thornley  came  to  the  United  States  in  1848,  and  settled 
in  "Westmoreland  on  his  present  farm  in  1852.  He  married  Eliza  Carwardine, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Carwardine,  of  English  extraction.  M^.  Thornley  is 
a  staunch  Republican  in  politics,  and  contributes  his  best  efforts  to  the  support  of 
his  party. 

French,  Frank  W.,  was  born  at  Deansville,  N.  Y. ,  June  5,  1864,  son  of  Abel  W. 
French,  who  removed  in  early  life  from  Chenango  county  to  Deansville  and  lived 
there  about  twenty-five  years  previous  to  locating  permanently  in  Augusta.  Abel 
W.  French  was  born  January  22,  1828,  and  died  August  17,  1881.  His  wife  was 
Mary  J.,  a  daughter  of  Caleb  Burleson,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Augusta.  She  was 
born  March  6,  1838,  and  is  now  living  in  Augusta.     Frank  W.  French  was  educated 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  289 

at  Augusta  and  Knoxboro  Union  School.  He  has  a  large  farm,  which  he  conducts 
during  the  summer.  He  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  and  is  now  one  of  the 
justices  of  the  peace  in  his  town.  November  28,  1888,  Mr.  French  married  Ada 
M.,  daughter  of  Edward  Tudman,  who  was  born  in  Lowell,  Oneida  county,  N.Y., 
August  9,  1864. 

Barker,  Laurens  M.,  was  born  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y. ,  October  4,  1828,  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides.  His  grandfather,  Laurens  H.,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
Oneida  county,  coming  from  Connecticut  in  1797,  and  settling  on  what  afterwards 
became  known  as  Barker  Hill,  when  there  was  not  a  house  within  several  miles  of 
his  own  rudely  constructed  home.  Laurens  H.,  father  of  Laurens  M.,  was  born  May 
9,  1804,  and  spent  his  life  on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  died  October  20,  1869. 
Laui-ens  M.  Barker  received  his  education  at  the  district  school  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home,  after  which  he  settled  down  to  farm  life.  January  3,  1872,  he  married  his 
consin,  Phebe  Barker,  of  Oriskany  Falls,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Charles  H.,  born 
July  13,  1874.  Mr.  Barker's  farm  occupies  a  commanding,  picturesque  site,  upon 
which  they  raise  large  crops  of  hops. 

Jones,  William,  was  born  in  Wales,  May  13,  1837,  son  of  William  and  Mary  Jones. 
William  Jones,  jr.,  came  to  this  country  in  1857,  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
has  always  followed.  He  left  home  when  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  working  his 
way  up  entirely  through  his  own  eiforts.  He  married  Jean  Mallon,  of  Irish  extrac- 
tion, by  whom  he  has  four  children:   William,  Robert,  Mary  and  Margaret. 

Tyler,  Cyrus  H.,  was  born  in  Lee,  Oneida  county,  March  11,  1830.  Asa  Pease 
Tyler,  his  grandfather,  came  to  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers.  Asa 
Pease,  son  of  Dr.  John  Tyler,  was  born  in  Rome,  and  was  one  of  its  most  early  and 
prominent  physicians.  His  entire  life  was  spent  in  practicing  in  Rome,  except  for 
a  period  of  several  years,  where  he  was  noted  for  his  liberal  and  progressive  ideas. 
Cyrus  H.  Tyler  was  educated  at  Rome  attending  the  select  schools  until  the  academy 
opened,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  Having  delicate  health,  he  chose  the  occu- 
pation of  farming  at  which  he  has  always  continued.  Mr.  Tyler  was  a  staunch  Re- 
publican, until  he  became  a  Prohibitionist.  Mr.  Tyler  married  Martha  Smith,  of 
English  extraction,  by  whom  he  has  six  children:  John  R.,  Henrietta  S.,  William 
Henry,  Katie  A.,  Cyrus  W.  and  EHza  M.  John  R.  Tyler  is  in  the  mill  and  feed  busi- 
ness at  Waterville ;  William  Henry  Tyler  has  a  large  creamery  business  in  Rome ; 
and  Cyrus  W.  Tyler  is  running  a  branch  creamery  at  Westmoreland.  Mr.  Tyler 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Westmoreland,  and  he 
is  secretary  of  the  Kirkland  Creamery  Association,  and  is  one  of  the  representative 
farmers  of  Westmoreland. 

Storey,  William  H.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  August  26,  1866,  son  of  Joel  and 
Mary  J.  Storey.  Joel  Storey  came  from  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Westmoreland,  about 
1850,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  which  he  has  since  followed.  William  H. 
was  educated  in  Westmoreland,  and  partly  in  Rome,  and  after  receiving  his  educa- 
tion, he  engaged  in  the  cheese  business  with  his  brother,  having  a  finely  appointed 
factory,  where  they  handle  about  10,000  pounds  of  milk  a  day,  and  turn  out  about 
2,000  boxes  of  cheese  a  year,  which  is  supplied  principally  for  export.  This  is  one 
of  the  standard  industries  of  Westmoreland.     Mr,  Storey  married  Jennette  Abbe  of 


290  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:    Mary  J.,  William  H.  and  Lloyd. 
Mr.  Storey  is  a  member  of  the  Hampton  Lodge,  No.  347,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Stoddard,  Dwight  L.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  September  29,  1843,  son  of 
Reuben  and  Mary  C.  Stoddard.  Reuben  Stoddard  was  born  in  Sheffield,  Berkshire 
county.  Mass,  July  18,  1807,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  in  1838,  where  he  conducted 
a  farm  during  his  lifetime.  He  died  March  10.  1887,  in  his  eightieth  year.  Mary  C. 
Stoddard  died  January  29,  1892,  in  her  eighty-first  year.  Dwight  L.  Stoddard  was 
educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary  from  which  he  was  graduated,  taking  his  diploma 
in  1866,  after  which  he  engaged  in  teaching,  which  he  afterward  relinquished  to 
give  his  entire  attention  to  farming.  Mr.  Stoddard  is  a  staunch  Republican,  al- 
though his  sympathies  are  largely  with  Prohibition.  Mr.  Stoddard  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church  at  Westmoreland. 

Olney,  Thomas  J.,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  October  12,  1826,  son  of  James  and 
Phoebe  (Smith)  Olney.  James  Olney  came  from  Connecticut.  He  had  a  cloth 
dressing  establishment,  rope  walk,  and  also  carried  on  farming.  He  lived  in  West- 
moreland till  his  death  m  1841.  Thomas  J.  Olney  received  a  district  school  educa- 
tion;  engaged  in  farming;  then  became  owner  of  the  grist  mill  and  saw  mill;  went 
into  the  coal  and  feed  business;  and  also  bought  out  the  Heckla  works,  which  is  now 
his  private  property.  Mr.  Olney  has  been  road  commissioner  for  sixteen  years,  and 
is  a  staunch  Republican.  He  has  been  supervisor  four  years;  is  a  prominent  Mason, 
and  has  been  master  of  his  lodge  for  four  t^rms.  He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow.  Mr. 
Olney  married  Frances  Thornly,  of  English  extraction,  by  whom  he  has  one  daugh- 
ter, married  to  Frank  M.  Wilson.  He  also  had  one  son,  Charles,  who  died  in  his 
twenty-first  year.  Mr.  Olney  is  one  of  the  most  popular  citizens,  and  energetic  busi- 
ness men  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  and  has  always  been  prominent  in  all  its 
aft'airs. 

Nicholson,  William,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  September  2,  1822,  son  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  Nicholson.  John  Nicholson  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Washing- 
ton county,  July  29,  1788,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  May  6,  1811,  where  he  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  m  the  northeast  section  of  the  town.  He  was  a  surveyor  and 
farmer,  and  surveyed  the  roads  and  a  large  part  of  the  adjacent  territory.  He  was 
assessor  of  the  town,  also  supervisor,  and  a  man  noted  for  his  high  principle  and 
strict  integrity.  William  Nicholson  has  always  been  a  farmer,  owning  and  conduct- 
ing the  farm  that  was  owned  by  his  father,  and  partly  cleared  by  both  father  and 
son.  William  Nicholson  married  Mary  Julia,  daughter  of  John  Green,  of  Deerfield, 
by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Anna  G.  John  Green's  father,  also  named  John, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Deerfield,  and  one  of  the  pioneer  brickmakers  of 
the  county. 

Kellogg,  Hiram  Spencer,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  May  23,  1843,  son  of  Uriah 
and  Mary  E.  (Nichols)  Kellogg.  Uriah  Kellogg  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Oneida 
county,  and  came  to  Westmoreland  in  1840,  where  he  conducted  a  farm  until  his 
death  in  1890.  Mrs.  Mary  Kellogg,  his  wife,  was  born  in  New  Hartford  in  1815,  and 
died  in  Westmoreland  in  1884.  Hiram  Spencer  Kellogg  was  educated  at  the  Will- 
iams Collegiate  Institute.  He  then  went  west  and  engaged  in  the  express  business 
for  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  farming.     He  has  always  been  prominent  in 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  291 

politics,  and  has  been  successful,  although  a  Democrat,  in  being  elected  supervisor 
in  a  town  that  has  always  given  a  large  Republican  majority.  This  was  due  to  Mr. 
Kellogg's  popularity,  and  the  high  personal  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  mem- 
bers of  both  parties;  this  being  a  very  notable  instance  in  the  history  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Kellogg  is  a  member  of  the  Hampton  lodge  No.  347,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  Ma- 
sons in  his  lodge.  He  married  Fannie  A.  Slocum,  of  Clinton,  by  whom  he  has  three 
children:  Clara  L.,  Charles  S.  and  Lena  M.  Clara  L.  Kellogg  is  married  to  Dr. 
Samuel  Gilford,  of  Whitesboro,  Oneida  county.  Mr.  Kellogg  was  inspector  of  the 
middle  division  of  the  canals  of  the  State  of  New  York  for  three  years,  and  was  also 
on  the  Democratic  county  committee. 

Van  Slyke,  John  P.  was  born  m  Hrrkimer  county,  August  39,  1848.  His  father, 
Emanual  Van  Slyke,  was  born  in  1814,  and  was  a  farmer.  He  came  to  Westmore- 
land from  Clinton  in  1859.  He  married  Catherine  Helmer,  by  whom  he  had  four 
sons:  Emanual,  Gladden,  Sidney  and  John  P.,  who  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Herkimer  and  Clinton,  and  is  now  one  of  the  best  known  farmers  of  West- 
moreland 

Houghton,  Thomas,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Barton,  Leicestershire,  England, 
February  4,  1822,  and  came  to  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  in  1852,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  March,  1892.  He  married  Hannah  Har- 
rison, who  was  born  in  Rathby,  Leicestershire,  England,  and  they  came  to  West- 
moreland, with  three  children  who  were  born  in  England:  Fannie,  Mary  Ann  and 
Thomas.  The  children  born  in  this  country  were  George  H.,  born  November  6,  1852, 
a  practicing  physician  in  Albany;  John,  born  September  22,  1854;  Ira,  born  March 
1,  1856;  Edwin,  born  March  6,  18.58;  Frederick  (deceased)  and  Seth  Albert,  born 
January  12,  1866.  Ira  Houghton  is  a  farmer  in  Westmoreland,  Edwin  is  in  Des 
Moines,  Iowa;  and  Seth  Albert  is  farming  in  Westmoreland. 

Shedd,  Philander,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  July  27,  1835,  son  of  Dyer  and  Polly 
(Bratt)  Shedd,  natives  of  Stephentown,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  he  born  May  30, 
1797,  and  she  April  29,  1821.  The  grandfather,  Isaiah  Shedd,  settled  in  Westmore- 
land in  1803,  on  what  has  since  been  the  family  homestead.  Philander  Shedd  was 
educated  in  Westmoreland,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  also  taught 
school  for  a  few  years.  He  married  Emma  Sandford,  of  Westmoreland,  bj'  whom 
he  has  four  children:     Francis,  Morris,  William  and  Harriet 

Reese,  O.  W.,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  February  1,  1835,  son  of  Moses 
and  Phoebe  (Lewis)  Reese.  Moses  Reese  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  building,  during  his  lifetime.  He  died  in 
Rome,  1880,  in  his  seventy-eighth  year.,  Mrs.  Reese,  his  wife,  died  in  the  fall  of  1884 
in  her  seventy-fourth  year.  O.  W.  Reese  was  educated  in  Utica,  then  went  to 
Schuyler,  and  from  there  settled  in  Westmoreland  in  the  spring  of  1860.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Parks  of  Herkimer  county,  bj^  whom  he  has  seven  children :  Cora  A., 
Mildred  E.,  Georgiana,  Willie  O.,  James  L. ,  Clarence  E.,  and  Lottie  Reese.  Mil- 
dred E.  is  married  and  lives  in  Redtield,"  Oswego  county.  Mr.  Reese  and  family  are 
members  of  the  Bai^tist  church  of.  Westmoreland. 

Hunt,  Mrs.  A.  A.,  M.  D.,  is  the  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Verona  Springs 
House,  and  Isadora  B.  Pajme  is  the  conductor  and  manager.     This  is  a  noted  sum- 


292  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

mer  resort,  having  accommodations  for  about  eighty  guests.  The  celebrated  Verona 
Mineral  Springs  are  located  on  the  hotel  grounds;  these  springs  have  long  been 
noted  for  their  valuable  medical  properties.  This  hotel  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  old- 
est of  its  kind  in  the  country,  having  a  reputation  that  has  been  increasing  for  over 
half  a  century.  It  is  unsurpassed  in  location  and  surroundings,  and  is  one  of  the 
pleasantest  and  best  kept  summer  resorts  in  Oneida  county,  in  addition  to  the  val- 
uable curative  properties  of  its  celebrated  mineral  springs.  Mrs.  Dr.  Hunt  has 
owned  the  property  for  many  years. 

Freinberger,  Fred,  was  born  in  Germany,  February  2,  1844,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Margaret  Freinberger.  Jacob  Freinberger  came  to  Westmoreland  in  1865,  where 
he  conducted  a  farm  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1892.  Mrs.  Freinberger,  his  wife, 
died  in  1887.  Fred  Freinberger  was  educated  in  Lewis  county,  and  then  came  to 
Westmoreland,  and  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  has  since  continued.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Holmes,  daughter  of  James  Holmes,  of  Lewis  county,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children:  William,  Harriet  and  Cora.  Harriet  is  married  to  Albert  Jenkins 
of  Westmoreland.  Mr.  Freinberger  belongs  to  the  Grangers.  He  has  worked  his 
own  way  in  the  world,  and  owns  and  conducts  two  fine  farms  in  Westmoreland 
township. 

Freinberger,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1844,  son  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
Freinberger.  Jacob  Freinberger  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  later  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  settled  in  Westmoreland  in  1864.  George  H.  Freinberger  came  to  the 
United  States  about  1850.  He  enlisted  in  Company  L,  5th  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery, 
and  participated  in  the  following  engagements:  Fisher's  Hill,  Harper's  Ferry,  Mary- 
land Heights,  Bolivar  Heights,  Loudon  Heights,  Charlestown,  and  Winchester. 
He  was  wounded  and  received  apension.  He  married  Martha  J. ,  daughter  of  James 
Holmes,  a  farmer  of  New  Bremen,  Lewis  county,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
Ida  May,  wife  of  William  H.  Joy,  of  Montague,  Lewis  county,  Frank  J.,  George  J., 
and  James  H. 

Comstock,  Jas.  M. — Edgar  J.  Comstock  was  born  in  ICirkland,  November  27,  1858, 
son  of  James  M.  and  Eliza  Comstock.  James  M.  Comstock  was  born  in  Kirklaud, 
April  20,  1821,  where  he  was  educated,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  at  which 
he  has  always  continued,  moving  to  Westmoreland  in  1854.  Mrs.  Comstock  died  in 
1886.  Edgar  J.  Comstock  married  Ada  Lathram,  who  died  in  1891,  and  he  married 
for  his  second  wife,  Mary  E.  Stebbins,  by  whom  he  has  two  children :  Raymond  L. , 
and  Hazel  I. 

Brush,  Charles  W.,  was  born  in  Rome,  August  28,  1835,  son  of  Elijah  and  Laura 
Brush.  Elijah  Brush,  learned  the  builders'  trade  in  early  life,  and  followed  it  perman- 
ently. He  was  one  of  the  largest  builders,  in  his  day,  in  the  entire  county;  his 
operations  extending  all  through  the  county,  although  the  larger  part  of  his  work  was 
done  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  county.  Many  of  the  finest  residences  in  Oneida 
county  are  evidences  of  his  energy  and  ability  as  a  builder.  He  also  dealt  largely  in 
real  estate,  bu3ang  numbers  of  farms,  which  he  leased.  Perhaps  there  are  few  men 
to  whose  energy  and  ability,  Oneida  county  owes  more,  than  to  the  efforts  of  Elijah 
Brush.  Mr.  Brush  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  Charles  W.  Brush  was  educated 
in  Oneida  county,  and  is  largely  interested  in  farming.     He  married  Helen  L.  Knox, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  293 

Rome,  by  wbom  he  has  one  son,  E.  Knox  Brush,  who  is  in  charge  of  one  of  the  de- 
partments of  the  State  Hospital  at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.  E.  Knox  Brush  married  Annie 
Cosgrove,  of  Ottawa   Canada. 

Brill,  Fred  J.,  was  born  in  Lowell,  township  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county, 
July  20,  1850,  son  of  William  and  Mary  O.  Brill.  William  Brill  was  born  in  Saratoga 
county,  April  1,  1823.  He  kept  a  store  in  North  Western  for  three  years,  coming  to 
Lowell  in  1848,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men  in  the  township,  and  was  supervisor  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died  August  7, 
1888.  Fred  J.  Brill  was  educated  in  Cazenovia,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  is  also  a  large  distiller  of  witch  hazel,  distilling  it  from  the  shrub  and  shipping 
the  product  all  over  the  country.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cheese. 
He  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  E.  Day,  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  John, 
now  attending  school. 

Brennan  Thomas,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  March  23,  1855,  son  of  Frank  and 
Mary  Brennan.  Frank  Brennan  is  a  farmer  and  has  been  conducting  a  farm  in  West- 
moreland for  twenty-two  years.  Thomas  Brennan  was  educated  in  Paris,  Kirkland 
and  Westmoreland,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  in  Westmoreland.  He 
married  Mary  Riley,  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Lizzie. 

Johnson,  James,  was  born  in  Rome,  September  1,  1842,  son  of  Thomas  and  Han- 
nah Johnson.  Thomas  came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  .settled  in  Westmore- 
land, N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  February 
7,  1882.  James  Johnson  was  educated  in  Rome,  then  moved  to  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party. 

Marshall,  Elmiron  C,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  Oneida  county,  August  9,  1847,  son 
of  Townsend  and  Elmira  (Comstock)  Marshall.  Townsend  Marshall  was  born  in 
Perryville,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  which  business 
he  conducted  as  long  as  his  health  permitted.  He  moved  from  Madison  county  to 
Kirkland,  where  he  died  in  1892,  aged  eighty-three  years.  Mrs.  Marshall  died 
August  12,  1847.  Elmiron  C.  was  educated  at  the  district  .schools  of  Kirkland,  and 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  went  to  Iowa,  then  returned  to  Kirkland,  where 
he  remained  eleven  years,  and  from  there  he  moved  to  Westmoreland  where  he  has 
been  for  the  last  eleven  years  engaged  in  farming  and  building.  He  married 
Virginia  Poston,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children:  Albert  E.,  Bv.rton  E.,  Carrie  A., 
Flora  B.,  Wesley  A.,  Leslie  A.,   Kittie  M.,  Harriet,  Elmer,  Royal  L.;  and  George  H. 

Law,  William  C,  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  June  3,  1871,  son  of  vVilliam  and 
Sarah  (Knapp)  Law,  also  natives  of  Westmoreland.  Consider  Law,  grandfather  of 
William  C  Law,  was  born  in  Paris,  and  married  Joanah  Comstock.  William  Law, 
father  of  William  C.  Law,  was  born  February  3,  1829.  He  was  a  farmer,  being  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  best  known  in  the  township  of  Westmoreland.  He  was 
a  staunch  Republican,  and  an  active  and  efficient  supporter  of  his  party.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Law  had  five  children:  Charles  K.,  who  is  a  practicing  physician  in  Jersey 
City,  N.  J.  ;  and  William  C,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching  school,  and  also  conducts 
the  family  homestead. 


294  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Lawes,  Richard,  was  born  in  London,  Eng.,  December  9,  1857,  son  of  Richard  and 
Mary  Ann  (Bennett)  Lawes.  Richard  Lawes,  jr.,  was  educated  at  the  Clinton  Liberal 
Institute  and  the  Grammar  School,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  Remarried 
Josie  Lind,  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Richard  Gordon  and  Mary  Eliza- 
beth. Mr.  Lawes  is  a  prominent  Republican,  standing  among  the  leaders  of  his  party  in 
the  township  of  Westmoreland,  and  contributing  the  most  efficient  services  in  the 
aid  and  support  of  his  party. 

Kelly,  Martin,  was  born  in  Ireland,  November  1,  1842,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Kelly.  John  Kelly  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Westmoreland,  and 
engaged  in  farming,  and  where  he  died  February  12,  1865.  Martin  Kelly  was  edu- 
cated in  Westmoreland,  and  then  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  since  followed. 
He  married  Susie  McLaughlin. 

Freinberger,  John  J.,  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  June  10,  1858,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Barbara  Freinberger.  John  J.  was  educated  in  Westmoreland,  after 
which  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  which  business  he  followed  for  many  years, 
but  is  now  extensively  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Cora  Crandall,  of  Brook- 
field,  by  whom  he  has  one  child.  May  A. 

Gould,  George  A.  W.,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1855,  son  of  George  S.  and 
Anna  A.  (Knowles)  Gould.  George  S.  Gould  has  always  been  a  farmer,  and  is  at 
present  living  in  Rhode  Island.  The  homestead  farm  originally  belonged  to  Daniel 
Peckham ;  his  father  first  moved  here,  and  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county.  G.  A.  W.  Gould  was  educated  in  Rhode  Island,  and  settled  in  Westmore- 
land in  1879.  He  married  Sarah  N.  Hunt,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  has  six 
children:  Archer,  Alison,  Leslie,  Ethel,  Horace  and  Harold. 

Joy,  William  H.,  was  born  in  Canada,  February  3.  18^1,  son  of  Alfred  and  Betsey 
(Spencer)  Joy.  William  H.  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Montague,  Lewis  county, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Ida,  daughter  of  George 
Freinberger,  of  Westmoreland  by  whom  he  had  three  children;  Lewis  T.,  Levant, 
and  Pearl  M. 

Ball,  Chester  A.,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  182G,  and  came  to  Vernon  in  1852. 
His  father,  Adonijah  Ball,  was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born  in  1791,  and  died 
in  1828.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  Chester  A.  Ball  settled  in 
Vernon  and  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  which  he  has  since  continued  successfully 
in  Vernon  Center.  In  1855  he  married  Margaretta  McLean,  who  was  born  in  Scot- 
land in  1836,  a  descendant  of  the  most  noted  Scotch  ancestry.  She  has  taken  a 
prominent  place  and  interest  in  the  historical  and  church  affairs  at  Vernon  Center, 
and  it  was  at  their  house  that  the  Presbyterian  society  of  that  place  was  organized, 
and  also  the  place  of  the  first  funeral  in  the  settlement.  Mrs.  Ball  is  now  postmis- 
tress at  Vernon  Center.  They  have  had  four  children;  Anna  M.,  born  October  1, 
1857;  Ella  S.,  born  Septembers,  1859;  John  C,  born  November  11,  1861;  and  Mi- 
riam M.,  born  November  19,  1864.  John  C.  is  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  is  now 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Pompey  Hill,  Onondaga  county;  Anna  M.  is 
the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  McCullough,  of  Remsen ;  and  Ella  S.  married  Lorenzo  R.  Paxton, 
of  Vernon  Center. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  295 

Groff,  Benjamin,  was  born  in  1833,  son  of  Benjamin  Groff.  He  is  a  treasurer  and 
general  manager  of  the  Chadwick  Mills,  and  came  to  New  Hartford  with  his  parents 
at  six  years  of  age,  and  began  work  in  these  mills  when  only  nine  years  old.  He 
struggled  through  this  hard  apprenticeship,  attending  evening  school  and  a  Sunday 
school  to  acquire  an  education.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  had  charge  of  a  room 
and  had  been  superintendent  since  1871.  At  Mr.  Chadwick's  death  in  1885  a  stock 
company  was  formed,  and  Mr.  GroiT  was  elected  to  his  present  position.  He  has  in 
his  possession  an  old  flintlock  musket  carried  by  his  grandfather,  John  Groff,  in  the 
war  of  1813.  He  married  Betsey  Wrigley,  by  w^hom  he  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters;  but  only  one  son  and  one  daughter  are  now  living. 

Remmer,  Captain  Joseph  H.,  born  August  23,  1850,  in  Utica,  is  a  son  of  Michael 
Remmer,  who  came  here  from  Alsace-Loraine,  Germany,  about  1840,  and  died  in 
1866.  Michael  was  a  contractor  and  builder  and  aided  in  the  construction  of  many 
dwellings  and  other  buildings,  and  was  assessor  of  the  old  Sixth  ward  for  four  years 
until  his  death.  Captain  Remmer  first  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  1875  and 
continued  about  three  years,  when  he  sold  out.  Later  he  was  traveling  salesman 
for  George  Young,  baker,  for  about  twelve  years,  and  still  later,  he  engaged  in  the 
meat  business  for  twelve  years.  In  March,  1892,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John 
Cox,  as  Cox  &  Remmer,  and  purchased  the  old  C.  Weiss  &  Co.  furniture  establish- 
ment on  the  corner  of  Fayette  and  State  streets  where  they  have  since  continued 
successfully  as  wholesale  and  retail  furniture  dealers.  Captain  Remmer  joined  the 
26th  Regiment  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y. ,  September  3,  1868,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  promi- 
nent figure  in  local  militia  circles.  He  was  successively  made  corporal,  sergeant, 
and  on  March  10,  1873,  captain  of  Co.  C,  of  the  26th  Regiment,  which  was  mustered 
out  in  1881,  the  28th  Separate  Company  being  retained,  and  formed  by  the  members 
of  the  old  body  of  this  compau)';  at  its  organization  he  was  elected  captain,  a  post 
he  has  ever  since  filled  with  conspicuous  ability.  He  temporarily  commanded  a 
regiment  of  separate  companies  at  the  Washington  Centennial  Celebration  in  New 
York  city,  April  30,  1889,  and  commanded  troops  during  the  Buffalo  railroad  riots  in 
1892.  He  has  also  been  appointed  to  command  at  several  State  encampments,  act- 
ing in  the  capacity  of  major.  In  1894  he  was  awarded  a  valuable  gold  medal  by  the 
State  of  New  York  for  long  and  meritorious  service  in  the  militia.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Royal  Arcanum,  aud  a  member  of  St.  Patrick's 
Roman  Catholic  church  and  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  building  its  new  edifice  in 
1895.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  is  a  prominent  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  various  conventions.  October  28,  1875, 
he  married  Margaret  M.,  daughter  of  Thomas  Nichols,  of  St.  Louis  Missouri,  and 
of  their  five  children  two  are  living:   Harry  T.  and  Marguerite. 

Hughes,  Robert  P.,  was  born  in  North  Wales,  Denbeighshire,  February  24,  1832, 
son  of  Hugh  and  Elizabeth  (Everett)  Hughes.  Mr.  Hugh  Hughes  with  his  family 
came  to  the  L'nited  States  in  1837,  settling  first  in  Western,  then  in  Constableville 
and  then  went  to  Remsen.  In  these  places  he  conducted  flour  mills,  and  he  is  sup- 
posed to  have  made  the  first  oatmeal  prepared  in  this  State,  adapting  his  own  ma- 
chinery to  that  purpose.  His  death  occurred  when  he  was  within  three  months  of 
being  ninety  years  of  age.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Mills  for  about 
forty  years.     Robert  P.  Hughes  came  to  New  York  Mills  at  thirteen  years  of  age, 


296  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  entered  the  employ  of  the  company,  and  worked  his  way  through  the  mills,  fill- 
ing various  positions,  and  he  is  now  overseer  of  two  departments,  and  has  been  in 
the  employ  of  the  mill  over  fifty  years.  He  married  Marcia  Averill.  daughter  of  Alba 
Crafts  of  Otsego  county.  Her  grandfather,  Joseph  Crafts,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  attached  to  the  personal  staff"  of  Washington.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes 
had  three  children:  Josephine,  married  to  Frank  S.  Williams,  of  Clinton,  a  lawyer 
in  New  York  city;  Edward  R.  and  Franklm  R.  (deceased). 

Chapman,  William  Wallace,  was  born  in  New  Harlford,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  in 
1844,  son  of  William  H.  Chapman,  who  was  also  born  here,  and  was  of  English 
birth.  The  grandparents  came  to  America  in  1810  and  settled  in  New  Hartford. 
During  his  lifetime  William  H.  Chapman  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  social  and 
political  life  of  this  locality.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  represented  his 
assembly  district  in  the  State  Legislature  in  18(58.  He  was  also  a  successful  business 
man  and  conducted  a  hotel  here  during  the  period  of  the  greatest  commercial  activ- 
ity at  Washington  Mills.  This  business  was  pursued  by  his  son,  William  W.,  until 
the  unfortunate  loss  of  his  hearing  necessitated  his  retirement  to  a  farm. 

Roberts,  Henry  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  December 
1,  1858,  son  of  Ellis  R.  Roberts,  who  was  also  born  in  that  town,  where  he  was  for 
a  number  of  years  in  the  mercantile  business.  His  grandfather  was  born  in  Wales, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1818,  where  he  first  settled  in  Utica.  Ellis  R.  Rob- 
erts married  Anna  Johns,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children.  Henry  W.  Roberts  was  a  graduate  of  Clinton  Grammar  School 
in  1878,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  most  of  his  life.  He  was 
for  six  years  clerk  in  the  store  of  Comstock  Brothers,  of  Utica,  and  has  been  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  in  Clinton  for  seven  years.  He  married  Anna  Clark,  of  this  town, 
by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Gertrude.  Mr.  Roberts  was  town  clerk  for  three 
years,  and  at  present  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  serving  his  .second 
term,  and  he  is  also  one  of  the  county  committee. 

Burns,  Owen  J.,  was  born  in  this  village,  April  22,  1859,  son  of  Patrick  Burns,  who 
was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1855.  He  followed  peddling 
for  about  twenty  years,  and  then  with  his  son,  Owen  J.  Burns,  started  in  business, 
and  died  in  about  a  year,  and  since  the  business  has  been  conducted  by  the  son. 
Owen  J.  Burns  has  become  one  of  the  leading  men  ot  the  town,  being  for  three  years 
in  the  office  of  town  clerk,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  Clinton  Institute  and  Grammar  School.  He  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  Coffa,  of  Kirkland,  by  whom  he  has  four  children; 
Robert,  Alice,  Gregory  and  Leonard. 

Billingham,  Fred  G.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  October  30,  1860.  son  of 
Richard  J.  Billingham.  Fred  G.  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  about  three  years  ago,  when  he  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Clinton  House,  in 
the  village  of  Clinton,  where  he  and  his  wife,  Ella  (Griffith)  Billingham,  are  always 
ready  to  care  for  the  guests  in  a  manner  which  proves  their  ability  in  this  line. 

Blake,  Frank,  was  born  in  Clayville,  August  80,  18G8,  and  is  of  old  Irish  stock,  his 
father,  Peter  Blake,  being  born  in  Ireland.     Peter   Blake   kept  the  Blake  House  in 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  297 

Clinton  for  about  twenty  years,  and  enlisted  in  1862,  serving  through  the  entire  war. 
Frank  Blake  received  his  education  in  the  schools  in  Clinton,  and  was  clerk  in  his 
father's  hotel.  He  engaged  with  a  Buffalo  house,  where  he  formed  an  idea  of  the 
furniture  and  undertaking  business,  which  he  established  in  1889  in  Clinton.  He 
married  Jessie  D.,  daughter  of  W.  L.  Hart  of  Clinton.  Mr.  Blake  is  at  present  town 
clerk  being  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  1894. 

Dempsey,  J.  L.,  was  born  in  Ireland,  April  29,  1848,  and  came  to  this  country  with 
his  parents,  John  and  Catherine  (Lyons)  Dempsey,  when  only  three  months  old.  He 
was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Clinton,  where  he  has  resided  as  a  respected  citizen  and 
business  man  for  years.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
Union  school  and  academy,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Education.  He 
was  elected  member  from  the  second  assembly  district  of  Oneida  county  in  1889,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1891.  He  married  Kate  Blake,  daughter  of  Michael  Blake  of  Kirk- 
land,  by  whom  he  has  seven  children:  John  A.,  Francis  M.,  Joseph  W.,  Elizabeth 
M.,  Katie,  Rose  and  James  L. 

McBride,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  July  5,  1850,  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
McBride,  who  were  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847,  where 
they  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children : 
John  E.,  Bridget,  Ellen,  Catherine  and  Thomas.  The  latter  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools,  and  early  learned  the  carpenter  trade.  He  soon  became  one  of 
Clinton's  contractors  and  builders,  erecting  the  Union  school  and  academy,  and 
many  other  buildings.  About  a  year  and  a  half  ago  he  started  the  manufacture  of 
step  ladders,  fruit  baskets  and  crates,  which  has  developed  into  one  of  Clinton's  most 
prosperous  enterprises.  He  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Arthur  and  Anna 
O'Neil  of  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county. 

Goodfellow,  Mrs.  C.  H. — The  late  Charles  H.  Goodfellow  was  born  in  Kirkland, 
December,  1836,  son  of  Charles  Goodfellow,  who  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to 
Clinton  in  1831.  Charles  Goodfellow  was  engaged  in  the  storage  business,  but  died 
at  eighty-seven  years  of  age  on  a  farm  in  this  town.  He  married  Christianna  Good- 
fellow, by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  Charles  H.  Goodfellow  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Clinton,  and  learned  the  trade  of  tinsmith,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business,  which  he  conducted  for  twenty-eight  years  prior  to  his  death, 
December  14,  1894.  He  married  Jeanette  McChesney,  daughter  of  William  McChes- 
ney  of  Richland,  Oswego  county,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Katie  E.,  Anna, 
William  and  Jeanette.  William  Goodfellow  now  conducts  his  father's  business  in 
Clinton. 

,  Everett,  Charles  M.,  was  born  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  April  7,  1843,  son  of  Hiram  G. 
Everett,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  in  1801.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Blockstone,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  her  father,  Edward 
Blockstone,  being  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town,  coming  from  Connecticut. 
They  had  two  children:  Edward  B.  and  Charles  M.,  the  latter  the  only  surviving 
one.  Charles  M.  Everett  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  Hamilton  College, 
and  was  employed  in  the  office  of  ex-Judge  Williams  of  Clinton  for  four  years.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocerj'  business  in  Utica  and  New  York  city,  but  for 
the  last  fifteen  years  has  been  traveling.  He  has  been  president  of  the  school  board, 
U 


298  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

since  the  organization  of  the  Union  school  and  academy  of  Chnton.  He  married 
Mary  V.,  daughter  of  William  Groves,  who  was  one  of  the  two  first  graduates  of  the 
Hamilton  College,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  William  G.,  Edward  R.,  and  John 
Groves.     Mr.  Everett  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  169,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Clinton. 

Evans,  jr.,  Richard,  was  born  in  the  town  and  house  where  he  now  resides,  June 
21,  1848,  son  of  Richard  W.  Evans,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1812,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1835,  and  was  first  employed  in  New  York  city,  coming  to  the  town 
of  Kirkland  in  1844,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  remaining  here  a  number  of  years, 

then  moved  to  Utica  where  he  lived  retired.     He  married  Jones,  of  England, 

by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Robert,  deceased,  who  was  superintendent  of  the 
county  house  until  his  death;  Ellis  J.,  a  farmer  in  Kansas;  and  Richard,  who  is  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  town,  owning  one  farm  of  190  acres,  and  another  of 
fifty  acres,  his  principal  crops  being  hops,  hay  and  corn.  He  married  Hannah  L. , 
daughter  of  George  Comstock,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  George  B.  and 
Adella  D. 

Burrows,  Mrs.  H.  F. — William  N.  Marsh  was  born  in  September,  1804,  and  died  in 
the  house  where  he  was  born  in  1884.  His  father,  Nathan  Marsh,  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts at  an  early  day,  before  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  cleared  a  farm  qf  fifty 
acres,  built  a  log  cabin,  and  through  untiring  efforts,  they  now  own  a  fine  farm  of 
100  acres.  William  N.  Marsh  married  Mary  A.  Gridley,  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren: Eliza  M.,  deceased,  Helen  M.,  George  G.,  and  Samuel,  deceased.  He  married 
for  his  second  wife,  Eveline  Gridley,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  In  the  house  where 
Mr.  Marsh  was  born  there  now  lives  four  generations,  something  that  can  seldom  be 
said  of  any  family. 

Comstock,  M.  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kirkland,  July  16,  1850,  on  the  farm 
where  he 'now  lives,  son  of  Franklin  and  Lucy  Comstock.  Levi  Comstock,  grand- 
father of  M.  L.  Comstock,  came  to  this  town  in  the  year  1792  and  clared  a  farm  near 
where  our  subject  now  lives  and  built  a  log  cabin.  M.  L.  Comstock  is  one  of  the 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living:  Melvin,  Roselma,  and  Hecox,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kirkland  and  Whitestown  Seminary.  A  fact 
worthy  of  notice  in  Mr.  Comstock's  life  was  his  untiring  efforts  in  establishing  the 
Chuckery  post-office,  and  in  which  he  was  successful.  He  is  engaged  ni  farming, 
now  owning  a  farm  of  sixty  acres.  He  married  Jewell,  daughter  of  William  and 
Lucy  Graham,  of  New  Hartford,  by  whom  he  has  one  son.  Wallace  G.,  of  the  Union 
school  of  New  Hartford,  and  who  also  took  a  course  in  the  agricultural  department 
of  the  Cornell  University.  Mr  Comstock  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Harding,  L.  S.,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  October,  1822,  son  of  Stephen 
Harding,  who  was  born  in  Worcester  count}',  Mass.,  and  where  he  died.  L.  S. 
Harding  came  to  Madison  county  when  nine  years  of  age ;  at  that  time  they  came 
through  Albany,  where  they  were  testing  the  engine,  which  was  exhibited  at  the 
world's  fair  in  Chicago,  it  being  a  duplicate  of  the  first  engine  in  this  State.  At  the 
age  of  thirty  years  L.  S.  Harding  bought  the  historical  place  in  the  town  known  as 
the  Kirkland  homestead,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  being  the  minister  who  Chris- 
tianized the  Indians,  and  this  place  has  the  most  historical  record  of  any  property  in 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  299 

this  town  or  in  Oneida  county.  Stephen  Harding  married  Augusta  White,  b}^ 
whom  he  had  five  children:  Jabus,  Lt:cy,  L.  S.,  Samuel  and  Medina.  L.  S.  Hard- 
ing received  his  first  education  in  New  England  States,  and  finished  in  Hamilton 
College.  He  is  engaged  in  farming,  owning  a  farm  of  140  acres.  He  married 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Maj.  Rutherford  Barker,  by  whom  he  has  three  children: 
Stephen  R.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  a  stock  dealer  in  Virginia;  Henry 
W..  a  lumber  dealer  in  Michigan;  and  Mary  L.,  wife  of  William  M.  Dwight,  of 
Detroit,  Mich. 

Armstrong,  Amos  P. ,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  October  10,  1838,  a  son  of  Sylvester 
and  Olive  Armstrong,  who  were  born  in  Vermont  and  Kirkland,  and  whose  ancestors 
were  from  Connecticut.  Sylvester  Armstrong  married  Olive,  daughter  of  Levi 
Munger,  of  Kirkland,  b}- whom  he  had  seven  children :  Ellen  K.,  Harriet,  Betsey, 
Sarah,  Elvira,  Lillie  and  Amos  P.  Amos  P.  Armstrong  was  educated  in  Kirkland, 
and  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  taught  school  up  to  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
117th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served  up  to  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865.  He  was  assessor 
of  the  town  from  1880  to  1894,  when  he  was  elected  supervisor,  which  office  he  now 
fills.  He  married  Kittie,  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia  House,  of  Clinton  village, 
and  who  died  in  1884.  Mr.  Armstrong  is  a  member  of  Hinkley  Post  No.  227, 
G.  A.  R..  past  master  of  Clinton  Grange  No.  370,  and  also  member  of  the  Clinton 
Lodge  No.  196,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Pearl,  H.  D.,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Madison  county,  July  13,  1835,  son  of  E.  C. 
Pearl,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Kirkland,  where  he  conducted  a  large  boot 
and  shoe  business.  He  emig  ated  from  Connecticut  in  the  early  days  of  this  county, 
at  that  time  a  wilderness,  inhabited  by  the  Indians.  E.  C  Pearl  married  Caroline 
Upham,  of  Hamilton,  Madison  county,  by  whom  he  had  five  children.  H.  D.  Pearl 
was  educated  in  the  district  school,  and  is  engaged  in  farming,  owning  a  farm  of 
thirty  acres.  He  has  filled  the  office  of  assessor,  and  also  excise  commissioner.  He 
first  married  Harriet,  daughter  of  Andrew  Mills,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers.  His 
present  wife  is  Mrs.  Adelaide  Pollard,  daughter  of  Chester  Jenks,  of  the  town  of 
Marshall.     Mr.  Pearl  is  a  member  of  the  Clinton  Lodge  No.  169,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Grannis,  Mrs.  C.  E. — Cyrus  Grannis  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1815. 
In  early  life  he  learned  the  carpenter  and  joiner  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  later  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  followed  until  his  death  in  1885. 
He  married  the  widow  of  Theodore  Wilcox,  who  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida 
county.  She  had  four  children:  Libbie,  Hattie,  Franklin  and  Goodwin.  The  sons 
are  both  farmers,  one  in  the  town  of  Kirkland  on  the  homestead  of  his  father,  Theo- 
dore Wilcox,  the  other  conducts  a  large  farm  on  Paris  Hill,  in  the  town  of  Paris. 

Woodin,  Julia. — John  M.  Woodin  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  January 
21,  1825.  His  father,  Ephraim  Woodin,  was  born  in  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
came  to  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1800,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
followed  until  his  death.  He  married  Sarah  Cooper,  of  Dutchess  count)',  by  whom 
he  had  five  children:  Mary  A.,  William  C,  Giles  E.,  Laura,  and  John  M..  who 
learned  the  carpenter  trade  which  he  followed  in  connection  with  his  farming,  own- 
ing a  farm  of  sixty-one  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1894.  He 
married  Julia  Comstock.  who  was  born  in  Kirkland,  April  28,  1829,  by  whom  he  had 


300  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

four  children;  Alice  C,  born  in  1852;  Ella  C,  born  in  1854;  Ida  May,  born  in  1856; 
and  Charley,  born  in  1858. 

Austin,  David,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Richfield,  Oswego  county,  March  14,  1841, 
son  of  John  Austin,  who  was  born  in  Vermont,  and  came  to  this  State  when  a  boy 
with  his  parents,  settling  in  Oswego  county.  When  David  Austin  was  two  years  of 
age,  his  father  came  to  Oneida  county,  and  settled  m  the  town  of  Paris,  from  which 
they  moved  to  Marshall,  where  they  continued  to  reside.  He  married  Lydia  Galop 
of  Oswego  county,  her  father,  Daniel  Galop,  being  one  of  the  pioneers  from  Connec- 
ticut. David  Austin  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Marshall,  and  the  acad- 
emy of  this  place.  He  has  been  a  prosperous  farmer  in  the  town  of  Kirkland  for 
about  thirty-seven  years,  owning  a  farm  of  eighty-two  acres.  He  married  Mary 
Crane  of  Madison  county,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Norman  J.,  Elmer  C.  and 
Edith.  Mr.  Austin  was  elected  road  commissioner  in  1894,  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
for  a  period  of  two  years. 

Barker,  John  S.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  March  16,  1826, 
and  is  one  of  the  descendants  of  M.  W.  Barker,  who  lived  for  a  long  time  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Clinton,  where  he  died  in  1893  at  ninety-one  years  of  age.  John  S.  Barker 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  first 
married  Caroline  Barnard,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Charles  H.,  J.  M.  and 
William  I.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Ellen  E.  Barber  of  Kirkland,  by  whom  he 
has  one  son,  John  E. 

Kelsey,  Mrs.  A.  P. — Ambrose  P.  Kelsey  was  born  in  Sauquoit,  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  August  80,  1833.  He  prepared  for  the  sophomore  class  in  college  at  the  Sau- 
quoit Academy.  His  preference  for  the  natural  sciences  was  very  decided  and  in 
his  senior  year  he  received  the  first  Underwood  prize  in  chemistrj\  After  graduat- 
ing he  taught  the  natural  sciences  in  Wilson  Academy  for  one  year.  In  1857  he  was 
appointed  principal  in  the  Cincinnatus  Academy,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years;  and  was  then  called  to  the  chair  of  natural  sciences  in  the  State  Normrl 
School  at  Albany.  Two  years  later  he  removed  to  Farmington,  Me.,  where  he  suc- 
cessfully established  the  first  normal  school  in  that  State,  he  being  the  first  principal. 
In  1878  Professor  Kelsey  was  called  to  Clinton  to  accept  the  chair  of  natural  history 
in  Hamilton  College,  which  position  he  occupied  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  De- 
cember 24,  1862,  Professor  Kelsey  married  Ellen  V.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Robert 
Goodenow,  of  Farmington,  Me.  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  Professor  Kelsey 
died,  deeply  mourned  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

McAra,  William  F. ,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Stirling,  Scotland,  October  24,  1854, 
son  of  James  and  Jessie  (Ferguson)  McAra,  James  McAra  being  forester  for  Lord 
Abercrombie  at  Airthrey,  receiving  his  education  in  the  parish  schools  of  Locherbie 
and  Lochenaben,  and  was  apprenticed  as  gardener  at  the  country  seat  of  Sir  William 
Jardine,  of  Locherbie,  Scotland,  whose  extensive  ranges  of  glass  were  famed  for 
their  collection  of  tropical  fruits,  flowers  and  rare  plants.  Here  he  remained  for  five 
years,  removing  to  Birroughtree  Gardens;  thence  to  the  country  seat  of  Sir  Richard 
Musgrave,  of  Eden  Hall,  Penrith.  England ;  was  foreman  at  Caldwell  House,  the 
summer  home  of  Colonel  Mure,  M.  P.  for  Renfrewshire;  was  appointed  head  gar- 
dener to  Henry  Weiss,  esq.,  of  Edgbarton,  Birmingham,  England,  and  was  for  four 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  301 

years  in  a  similar  capacity  with  Tipping  Lawden  at  the  Uplands,  Handsworth, 
Birmingham ;  removing  to  America  in  1882,  he  received  the  appointment  of  head 
gardener  to  Charlemagne  Tower  at  his  country  home  in  Waterville,  where  he  has 
resided  upwards  of  thirteen  years,  and  is  now  overseer  for  Miss  Henrietta  Page 
Tower,  at  her  summer  home  in  Waterville.  He  is  a  past  master  of  Sanger  Lodge 
No.  129,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  a  past  secretary  and  past  high  priest  of  Warren 
Chapter  No.  22,  R.  A.  M.,  and  a  past  regent  of  Waterville  Council  No.  398,  Royal 
Arcanum. 

Miller,  Jacob,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in  December,  1835,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  three  years  of  age,  locating  in  New  London, 
N.  Y.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  is  a  carpenter  and  farmer  by 
occupation.  August  4,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  117th  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  and 
was  in  several  general  engagements  and  many  skirmishes.  November  1,  1864,  he 
was  promoted  sergeant,  and  was  honorably  discharged  June  6,  1865.  August  10. 
1865.  he  married  Anna  Sisbrower,  by  whom  he  had  six  children :  Jacob,  who  died  at 
twenty-nine  years  of  age;  Francis  H.,  Mary  R,,  Elizabeth  C,  Clara  E.,  and  Charles 
A.  Francis  H.  married  Margaret  Hoffman.  Mary  R.  married  Charles  Rounds,  of 
Green's  Corners,  and  they  have  two  children,  Raymond,  and  a  baby  not  named. 
Mrs.  Miller  died  February  19,  1881,  and  January  18,  1863,  Mr.  Miller  married  for  his 
second  wife  Theresa  F.  Essinger,  of  Verona.  Mrs.  Miller's  father,  William  Essinger, 
was  born  in  Germany,  September  22,  1822.  He  married  Catherine  Sees,  of  his  native 
place,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  John,  Seuly,  Frederick,  George,  Joseph, 
Thei-esa  F.,  as  above,  Catherine,  Margaret  and  Francis.  Mr.  Essinger  died  April 
25,  1893.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  Skillin  Post  No.  47,  G.  A.  R.,  Department  of 
New  York.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  French  and  German. 

Ague,  Philip  C,  was  born  at  Lawton  Bridge,  in  Verona,  April  23,  1854.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  has  always  followed  farming.  January  24,  1882, 
he  married  Caroline  Kline,  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Walter  K., 
Mary  M.,  and  Oscar  G.  Mr.  Ague's  father,  Jacob,  was  born  in  Bavaria  in  1820,  was 
educated  there,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  locating  in 
Verona.  He  married  Margaret  Roth,  formerly  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children:  Philip  C,  Francis,  Jacob,  Daniel,  and  Catherine;  all  of  whom  are  now 
dead,  with  the  exception  of  our  subject,  Philip  C.  Mr.  Ague  died  in  1885.  Mrs. 
Ague's  father,  Jacob  Kline,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in  1812.  He  was  educated 
there  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  locating  in  Verona. 
He  married  Margaret  Wiedrick,  formerly  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  maturity:  George  J.,  Eva  M.,  Elizabeth,  Margaret, 
Caroline,  Amelia,  Jacob,  Alice,  and  Sarah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ague  are  members  of  St. 
Peter's  German  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  deacons.  The  ancestry 
of  the  family  is  German  on  both  sides. 

St.  John,  N.  J.,  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  September  7,  1850,  and  came  to  this 
country  when  eight  years  of  age,  and  has  resided  in  Waterville  for  the  past  thirty- 
two  years.  He  learned  the  trade  of  harness  maker  and  followed  it  for  twelve  years, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  The  Central  Hotel  in  Waterville  was  built 
by  him.     He  has  also  been  largely  interested  in  farming  for  years.     He  first  married 


302  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mary  Burnett,  who  died  leaving  two  daughters:  Mary  Imogean  and  Carrie.  His 
present  wife  is  Alice  Wilson,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters:  Maud  and  Annie. 
Mr.  St.  John  is  a  prominent  Democrat;  he  also  takes  a  great  interest  in  horses,  and 
owns  some  fine  stock. 

Wheeler,  E.  A.,  -was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  and  moved  to  Clayville,  with  his 
parents,  when  four  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  117th  N.  Y.  Vols,  August  4, 
1862,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Petersburg  Bluff,  Bermuda  Hundred,  etc. 
He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
G.  A.  R.  He  was  commander  of  the  post  four  years,  and  is  also  a  prominent  Mason. 
He  is  at  present  trustee  of  the  village  of  Waterville  and  water  commissioner.  In 
18G5  he  married  Anna  Barker,  who  died,  leaving  four  children :  Mrs.  F.  A.  Gifford, 
Mrs.  Louise  M.  Case,  Lillie,  Millie  B.  and  Nellie  F.  Wheeler.  His  present  wife  is 
Silvina  E.  Bates,  of  Cassville,  N.  Y. 

Owen,  Robert  C,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  December  14,  1828.  His  father, 
Richard  Owen,  was  born  in  Wales  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  seventeen 
years  of  age,  and  settled  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  He  afterward  removed  to  Oneida  county 
where  he  married  Eleanor  Edwards,  who  was  born  in  Deerfield,  N.  Y.  Later 
he  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Floyd  where  he  remained  until  his  death 
Robert  C,  the  eldest  of  five  children,  received  a  common  school  education.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  White  Brothers  in  Alder  Creek, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  several  years.  He  was  afterwards  employed  as  clerk  in 
the  store  of  J.  Howe  &  Co.  in  Remsen,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in  the  firm  of  Hill  Brothers, 
Rome,  N.  Y.  In  1857  he  started  for  himself  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Rome,  re- 
moving to  Clinton,  N.  Y. ,  in  1860,  where  has  since  remained  being  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  town.  In  1857  he  married  Blanche  Edwards,  of  Remsen,  N.  Y.,  by 
whom  he  has  four  children  :  Ida  M.,  Nellie  B.,  Jennie  V.,  and  Milton  Edwards.  Mr. 
Owen  is  a  stockholder  in  the  New  Hartford  Cotton  Company,  also  in  the  Citizens' 
Bank  and  Trust  Company,  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  a  director  in  Texas  Loan 
Agency  of  Corsicana,  Texas.  About  twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Owen  was  elected  ruling 
elder,  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Clinton,  which  offices  he 
still  holds. 

Blake,  John,  was  born  in  Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1844.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  .schools,  and  is  a  farmer  and  market  gardener  by  occupation.  August 
6,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  113th  N.  Y.  Vols.  Nov.  7,  1865,  his  regiment  was  con- 
solidated with  the  7th  Heavy  Artillery,  of  the  Second  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  was  wounded  in  the  leg  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  and  on  -June  19,  1864,  in 
the  battle  of  Petersburg,  was  wounded  in  the  hand  and  forearm  with  rifle  bullets, 
and  in  the  back  with  a  piece  of  shell,  four  ounces  and  a  half  of  which  was  extracted 
by  the  surgeon.  He  was  left  on  the  field  for  dead  sixty  four  hours,  and  yet  survives 
to  tell  the  story.  February  12,  1865,  he  was  honorably  discharged  by  surgeon's  cer- 
tificate of  disability  from  Finlay  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he 
married  Emily  E.  Dunn,  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  has  eight  children:  Mary  M.,  Julia 
E.,  E.  Isabel,  Adeline  E.,  John  L.,  Clara  L.,  Carrie  I.,  and  Howard  L. 

Dye,  Daniel  C,  M.  D.,  son  of  Amasa  A.  and  Caroline  (Hutchinson)  Dye,  was  born 
in  Rockwood,  Fulton  county,  June  23,  1860,  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Nelson   Everest 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  303 

of  his  native  village,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Department  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  June  23,  1885,  his  diploma 
being  endorsed  by  the  faculty  of  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  of  New  York 
city.  In  the  fall  of  1886  he  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Utica, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Dr.  Dye  is  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical 
Society  and  on  April  14,  1896,  was  elected  its  president  He  is  also  a  member  and 
for  four  years  was  secretary  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library  A.ssociation  and  later  its 
delegate  to  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  a  permanent  mem- 
ber. He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Utica  Medical  Club  and  in  March,  1896,  was 
elected  its  president  He  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  Medical  Officers  of  the 
National  Guard  and  Naval  Militia  of  New  York  State,  first  lisutenant  and  perman- 
ently commissioned  (October  1,  1890)  assistant  surgeon' of  the  44th  Separate  Co. 
N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  ward  physician  of  the  Eighth  ward,  and  surgeon  on  the  staff  of  St. 
Elizabeth's  Hospital,  of  which  he  was  resident  physician  three  and  one-half  years. 
June  23,  1892,  he  married  Jessie  M.,  daughter  of  Alonzo  B.  Walling,  of  Utica,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Dorothy  Jessie. 

Hewett,  C.  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  March  27,  1830,  son  of  Jedediah 
and  Falley  (King)  Hewett.  He  learned  the  trade  of  joiner  and  carpenter,  and  worked 
at  it  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  engaged  m  wagon  building,  which  he  followed  for 
twenty-six  years,  retiring  in  1895.  In  1850  he  married  Adeline  C.  Wilmott,  by  whom 
he  has  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Richard  Corcoran  of  Albion,  Mich.,  and  Nellie  A.,  born 
in  Appleton,  Wis.,  in  1860. 

Roberts,  Henry  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  December 
1,  1858,  son  of  Ellis  R.  Roberts,  who  was  also  born  in  that  town,  where  he  was  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  mercantile  business.  His  grandfather  was  born  in  Wales, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1818,  and  first  settled  in  Utica.  Ellis  R.  Roberts 
married  Ann  Johns,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children.  Henry  W.  Roberts  was  a  graduate  ot  the  Clinton  grammar  school  in 
1878,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  most  of  his  life.  He  was  for 
six  years  (1883  to  1889)  clerk  in  the  store  of  Comstock  Brothers,  of  Utica,  and  since 
1889  has  been  in  business  for  himself  in  Clinton  for  seven  years.  He  married  Anna 
Clark,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Gertrude,  and  one  child  deceased, 
Vincent  Ellis  Roberts.  Mr.  Roberts  was  town  clerk  for  three  years,  and  at  present 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  serving  his  second  term,  and  he  is  also 
Republican  county  committeeman  for  his  town,  and  a  stockholder  and  treasurer  of 
Empire  Park  Granite  and  Marble  Co.,  located  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Barker,  Laurens  M.,  was  born  in  Oriskany  Falls,  N.  Y.,  October  3,  1828,  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides.  His  grandfather.  Munson,  and  his  brother  Miles  were 
pioneers  in  Oneida  county,  coming  from  Connecticut  in  1797,  with  an  ox  team  and 
settling  on  what  after  became  known  as  Barker  Hill,  when  there  was  not  a  house 
within  several  miles  of  their  own  rudely  constructed  homes.  Laurens  H.,  father  of 
Laurens  M.,  was  born  May  9,  1804,  and  spent  his  life  on  the  old  homestead,  where  he 
died  October  20,  1869.  Laurens  M.  Barker  received  his  education  at  the  district 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  after  which  he  settled  down  to  farm  life.  January 
3,  1872,  he  married  Phebe  Barker   of    Oriskany  Falls,  by  whom  he  has  one  son, 


304  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Charles  H.,  born  July  13,  1874.     Mr.  Barker's  farm  occupies  a  commanding  pictur- 
esque site,  upon  which  they  raise  large  crops  of  hops. 

Dempsey,  Hon.  James  L.,  son  of  John  and  Catharine  (Lyons)  Dempsey,  was  born 
April  29,  1848,  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  the  same 
year,  settling  first  in  New  York  city.  In  1849  the  family  came  to  Utica  and  in  1853 
moved  thence  to  a  farm  in  Westmoreland.  In  1856  they  settled  in  Kirkland,  Oneida 
county,  where  his  parents  still  live.  John  Dempsey  is  a  farmer  and  mason  by  oc- 
cupation. He  had  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  James  L.,  Terrence  J.. 
Thomas  E.,  all  of  Clinton;  John  J.  of  the  town  of  Kirkland;  William,  of  CUnton; 
Mury  J.  (Mrs.  John  R.  Tierney),  of  Lairdsville,, Oneida  county;  Anna  (Mrs.  John 
Nichols),  of  Utica;  and  Nellie  (Mrs.  Michael  Dolan),  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  James  L. 
Dempsey  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kirkland,  learned  the  trade  of  mason 
and  builder,  and  for  a  time  carried  on  a  successful  contracting  business.  In  1870  he 
became  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  Clinton,  his  partner  being  Peter  Blake,  his  brother- 
in-law,  continuing  seven  years.  In  1869  he  commenced  dealing  in  hops  and  farm 
produce,  and  has  ever  since  continued  in  that  business  with  unusual  success.  He 
has  been  an  extensive  operator  in  this  connection,  buying,  handling,  and  shipping 
large  quantities  of  hops,  etc.  In  1886  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  first  directors 
of  the  Clinton  Bnrial  Case  Compan3%  since  removed  to  Utica.  He  was  the  prime 
mover  and  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  the  location  of  the  Clinton  Canning 
Company  in  the  village  of  Clinton,  the  leading  manufacturing  mdustry  there.  Mr. 
Dempsey  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  village 
of  Clinton,  contributing  liberally  of  both  time  and  means  toward  every  worthy  en- 
terprise, and  encouraging  all  movements  promising  general  benefit.  Public  spirited, 
progressive,  and  energetic  he  is  prominently  identified  with  the  town,  and  is  active 
in  furthering  its  moral  and  material  mterests.  He  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  has 
been  for  several  years  an  influential  member  of  that  party.  In  1890  and  1891  he 
represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature,  where,  as  the  records  show,  he 
looked  carefully  after  the  interests  of  his  constituents,  and  especially  after  the  wel- 
fare of  the  farming  and  laboring  classes.  As  member  of  assembly  he  was  instru- 
mental m  starting  the  movements  which  resulted  in  the  selling  of  the  old  county 
farm  and  poor  house  at  Rome  for  §209,000,  which  gave  to  the  county  the  present 
county  house  and  poor  farm  and  also  the  Rome  State  Custodial  Asylum,  two  insti- 
tutions of  permanent  local  as  well  as  general  value.  He  has  been  a  trustee  and  one 
of  the  water  commissioners  of  the  village  of  Clinton  since  the  spring  of  1898.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  first  sewer  commission,  and  as  such  was  instrumental  in 
introducing  the  present  sewerage  system,  resigning  to  become  village  trustee.  In 
all  matters  of  local  improvement  he  has  taken  a  conspicuous  part,  and  has  labored 
assiduously  for  the  benefit  of  the  place.  May  19,  1870,  he  married  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Michael  Blake,  of  the  town  of  Kirkland,  and  they  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren: John  A.,  Francis  M.,  Joseph  W.,  Elizabeth  Maria,  James  L.,  jr.,  Kate,  Robert 
(deceased),  and  Rose. 

Foster,  William  S.,  president  of  the  Foster  Brothers  Manufacturing  Company  of 
Utica,  was  born  in  Durhamville,  Oneida  county,  February  15,  1848,  and  is  the  fifth 
of  six  sons  of  Orson  Foster,  a  native  of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  born  in  June,  1809. 
Orson  Foster  lived  in  Clinton,  N.Y.,  during  his  youthful  life,  and  about  1835  settled 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  305 

in  Durhamville.  He  was  a  farmer,  millwright,  and  contractor,  prominent  in  local 
affairs,  and  served  two  terms  as  supervisor.  He  died  in  Utica  in  February,  1893. 
He  married  Dulina  A.  Smith,  of  Verona,  whose  death  occurred  in  1891.  Their  chil- 
dren were  Albert  N.,  deceased;  Oscar  S.,  of  Utica;  Charles  M.,  deceased;  Theo- 
dore, of  Utica;  WiUiam  S.,  of  Utica;  and  Niles  H.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  William  S. 
Foster  conducted  his  father's  farm  for  a  time.  His  brother,  Oscar  S.,  had  become 
a  partner  and  finally  sole  owner  of  the  furniture  manufacturing  business  of  C.  T. 
Segar  &  Co.,  in  Utica,  which  was  originally  established  by  Mr.  Segar  in  a  building 
on  John  street  in  1871.  In  January,  1881,  William  S.  Foster  purchased  a  half  inter- 
est in  the  concern  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  S.  Foster  &  Brother,  which  in  1885  was 
changed  to  Foster  Brothers.  In  April,  1892,  the  establishment  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  of  $70,000,  and  adopted  the  present  style  of  the  Foster  Brothers  Manu- 
facturing Company  with  William  S.  Foster  as  president  and  Oscar  S.  Foster  as 
secretary  and  treasurer.  January  1,  1888,  the  concern  occupied  its  present  plant  on 
Broad  street,  and  in  the  fall  of  1893  the  manufacture  of  iron  beds,  brass  trimmed, 
was  commenced.  Prior  to  that  the  business  had  been  confined  to  the  manufacture 
of  springs  and  spring  beds,  woven  wire  cots,  cribs,  etc.  Now  all  these  articles  are 
manufactured  on  a  large  scale  and  about  seventy-five  hands  are  employed,  the  trade 
extending  throughout  the  United  States.  They  are  also  interested  in  the  Foster 
Brothers  Manufacturing  Company  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  of  which  Oscar  S.  is  presi- 
dent; the  Foster  Brothers  Manufacturing  Company  of  St.  Louis,  of  which  Oscar  S. 
is  president  and  Niles  H.  is  secretary  and  treasurer;  and  is  also  interested  in  the 
Rome  Metallic  Bedstead  Company  of  Rome,  N.  Y. 

Jewett,  James  G.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  now  a  portion  of  Utica,  August  17, 
1807,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Jewett.  Samuel  Jewett  was  born  in  Jeffrey,  N.  H. , 
November  17,  1765,  and  died  January  81,  1831.  Sarah,  his  wife,  was  born  April  27, 
1769,  and  died  February  12,  1861.  James  G.  Jewett  was  educated  at  the  Utica 
Academy,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farniing.  He  married  Orissa  F.  Rhodes,  of 
Paris,  Oneida  county,  N.Y.,  who  died  in  August,  1870,  aged  forty-eight  years.  They 
had  these  children:  Annette  O.  ;  Sarah  E.,  who  married  J.  J.  Taylor,  of  Forest  City, 
la.;  Samuel  F.,  who  lives  at  Elgin,  Ills.;  Emma  E.,  deceased;  James  G.,  jr.,  who 
is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  Hampton  Lodge  No.  347  and  Fort  Stanwix  Chapter  No. 
153;  Lillias  C. ,  who  married  Carl  4-  Bliesmer,  both  deceased;  Charles  F.,  deceased; 
Grant  R.,  who  is  in  Circle  City,  Alaska;  Arthur  P.,  in  Port  Angeles,  Wash. ;  Grant 
R.,  is  also  a  Mason,  Hampton  Lodge  No.  347,  and  Arthur  P.  also  belongs  to  the 
same  lodge,  No.  347,  and  Fort  Stanwix  Chapter  No.  153. 

Glatt,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Forbach,  France,  in  1824  and  in  1833  came  to  this 
country  with  his  father  and  seven  other  children,  he  (Joseph)  being  the  younger  of 
the  eight.  Joseph  Glatt,  sr. ,  was  a  brick  and  tile  manufacturer  by  trade,  which  he 
followed  in  France;  but  upon  coming  to  this  country  settled  on  a  farm  in  Deerfield, 
remaining  there  until  1854,  when  he  moved  to  Utica,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  days,  living  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-three  years.  While  in  France  he 
was  ten  years  in  the  French  revolution  and  was  one  of  Napoleon's  body  guard. 
Joseph,  jr.,  and  a  sister  in  Iowa  are  the  only  surviving  members  of  the  family.  In 
1851  he  married  Sarah  A.  Johnson,  of  Deerfield,  and  moved  to  New  Hartford  on  a 
farm  of  250  acres,  where  he  still  resides.     In  1858  his  wife  died,  leaving  three  chil- 


306  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

dren:  George  A.,  Phebe  M.,  and  Ernest  J.  In  18(52  Mr.  Glatt  married  H.  Cornelia, 
daughter  of  the  late  Peter  and  Delia  A.  Smith,  old  and  much  respected  citizens  of 
New  York  Mills.  His  present  wife  was  for  a  number  of  years  an  experienced 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  They  have  one  son,  Albert  Smith,  born 
November  28,  1863. 

Thorneley,  Edward,  was  born  in  England,  January  23,  1831,  son  of  Charles  and 
Mary  Thorneley.  Edward  Thorneley  came  to  the  United  States  in  1848,  and  settled 
in  Westmoreland  on  his  present  farm  in  1852.  He  married  Eliza  Carwardine, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Carwardine,  of  English  extraction.  Mr.  Thorneley  is  a 
staunch  Republican  in  politics,  and  contributes  his  best  efforts  to  the  support  of  his 
party. 

Bacon,  Ezekiel,  son  of  Rev.  John  Bacon,  was  born  September  1,  1776.  His 
father  was  pastor  of  South  church,  Boston,  later  a  resident  of  Stockbridge,  Mass., 
a  representative  to  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  and  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  and  for  several  years  the  presiding  judge  of  the  Berkshire  Common  Pleas. 
When  fourteen  Mr.  Bacon  entered  Yale  College  and  was  graduated  in  1794.  He 
read  law  with  Judge  Reeve  in  Licthfield,  Conn.,  and  with  Nathan  Dane  in  Beverly, 
Mass.,  and  practiced  for  some  years  in  Berk.shire  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature  in  1806  and  1807,  and  represented  his  county  in  Congress 
from  1807  to  1813,  serving  one  year  as  chairman  of  the  ways  and  means  committee. 
He  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  Common  Pleas  for  the 
Western  district  of  Massachusetts,  and  soon  after  assuming  the  office  was  made  first 
comptroller  of  the  treasury  by  President  Madison.  On  account  of  ill  health  he  re- 
signed this  latter  oflice  within  two  years  and  came  to  Utica,  where  he  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  mercantile  firm  of  Alexander  Seymour  &  Co.  In  1818  he  was  appointed 
associate  judge  of  the  Court  of  Commcm  Pleas;  in  1819  he  was  elected  to  the  Assem- 
bly;  in  1821  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention.  About  1824 
he  was  nominated  for  Congress  but  was  defeated  by  Henry  R.  Storrs  by  less  than 
100  votes.  In  October,  1825,  he  was  selected  by  the  citizens  of  Utica  to  do  honor  to 
Governor  De  Witt  Clinton  in  locally  celebrating  the  Erie  Canal.  He  was  also  at  one 
time  chief  of  a  packet  boat  company.  Judge  Bacon  was  for  a  while  the  main  edi- 
torial writer  on  the  Oneida  Whig  and  Utica  Daily  Gazette,  to  both  of  which  he  fre- 
quently contributed  valuable  articles.  At  his  death  on  October  18,  1870,  he  was  the 
oldest  living  graduate  of  Yale  College  and  the  last  representative  of  Madison's  ad- 
ministration. In  1799  he  married  Abby,  daughter  of  Dr.  Reuben  Smith,  of  Litch- 
field, Conn.,  and  their  children  were  John  H.,  William  J.,  Francis,  Elizabeth  (Mrs. 
Henry  Colt),  and  Fanny  (Mrs.  Theodore  Pomeroy).  William  Johnson  Bacon  was 
born  in  Williamstown,  Mass.,  February  18,  1803,  came  with  his  parents  to  Utica  in 
1815,  and  was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1822.  He  read  law  with  Gen. 
Joseph  Kirkland  and  his  son,  Charles  P.,  and  also  in  the  law  school  of  Judge  Gould, 
of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1824.  Soon  afterward  he  be- 
came partner  of  Samuel  D.  Dakin  in  the  proprietorship  and  editing  of  the  Sentinel 
and  Gazette,  now  the  Utica  Morning  Herald,  for  about  two  years.  He  then  resumed 
his  profession  and  in  1832  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Charles  P. 
Kirkland,  which  continued  successfully  until  Mr.  Kirkland's  removal  to  New  York 
in   1851.     In  1853  Mr.    Bacon   was  judge   of   the   Supreme   Court,    and  by  re-elec- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  307 

tion  remained  on  the  bench  sixteen  years,  retiring  in  1870.  Afterward  he 
acted  as  counsel  and  referee.  He  was  a  most  able  jurist,  high  minded,  and 
dignified.  He  was  city  attorney  in  1837,  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1850, 
and  was  sent  to  Congress  as  a  Republican  in  1876.  He  was  for  many  years 
a  trustee  of  Hamilton  College ;  for  more  than  twenty  years  a  director  of  the 
Oneida  County  Bible  Society ;  a  director  of  the  Second  National  Bank ;  a  trustee  and 
president  of  the  Savmgs  Bank  of  Utica;  a  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Utica 
Gaslight  Company  and  the  Forest  Hill  Cemetery  Association;  a  director  of  the  Utica 
and  Black  River  Railroad,  Company,  the  Utica  Water  Works  Company,  and  the 
Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills ;  a  trustee  of  the  Home  for  the  Homeless,  and  consulting 
manager  of  the  Utica  Orphan  Asylum ;  councilor  and  vice-president  of  the  Oneida 
Historical  Society;  a  trustee  of  the  Saratoga  Monument  Association;  and  president 
of  the  Utica  Philharmonic  Association.  He  was  a  profund  Bible  student  and  an  able 
writer  and  speaker.  For  forty-nine  years  he  was  an  ofhcer  of  the  Reformed  church. 
He  died  July  3,  1889.  His  first  wife  was  Eliza  daughter  of  Gen.  Joseph  Kirkland, 
and  their  only  surviving  child  is  Mrs.  Seth  W.  Crittenden.  He  married  second,  Mrs. 
Susan  Sloane  Gillett. 

Tracy,  Charles,  was  born  at  Vernon  Center,  in  1851,  and  spent  the  early  part  of 
his  life  in  that  vicinity.  The  Tracys  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Oneida 
connty,  and  were  also  the  foremost  citizens,  having  been  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment and  progress  of  that  part  of  the  country.  His  father,  Samuel  Dill  Tracy,  was 
born  at  Ridge  Mills,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  October  23,  1813.  When  a  mere  boy  he 
went  to  work  for  Joshua  Hathaway,  one  of  the  first  merchants  in  the  city  of  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  and  in  1828  he  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  learned  the  art  of  piano 
making,  in  company  with  Steinway,  Chickering,  Hardman,  Nunn  Bros.,  and  others 
who  were  learning  the  trade  at  that  time.  Leaving  New  York  he  went  to  Albany 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  twenties,  and  had  the  honor  of  stringing  and  tuning  the  first 
piano  manufactured  in  this  State  (outside  of  New  York  city),  for  George  Meecham 
&  Co.,  of  Albany.  Leaving  Albany  he  located  at  Hampton,  Oneida  county,  where 
he  built  several  pianos;  later  on  he  moved  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  where  William  H. 
Beebe  and  the  late  E.  D.  Buckingham,  of  Utica,  learned  the  piano  trade  of  him.  Mr. 
Tracy  invented  the  "back  catch  "  and  "  spring  jack  "  that  were  first  made  in  square 
pianos.  He  was  the  first  American  piano  tuner  in  Oneida  county,  where  he  prac- 
ticed tuning  for  over  fifty  years.  He  married  Emily  Jane,  daughter  of  Silas  and 
P^-udence  (Gridley)  Crocker,  by  whom  he  had  these  children:  James,  Henry  C.^ 
Mary  Maria,  Charles,  Luna  Jane,  Samuel  D.,  jr.,  and  Edwin  C,  all  of  whom  are 
deceased  but  Mary  Maria  (Mrs.  S.  D.  Norton),  Charles,  and  Edwin  C,  who  is  post- 
master at  Vernon  Center.  Charles  Tracy  is  connected  with  Buckingham,  Moak  & 
Marklove,  piano  dealers  in  Utica.  He  is  a  musician  of  considerable  reputation,  and 
one  of  the  most  skillful  piano  tuners  in  the  State.  His  paternal  grandparents,  Silas 
and  Prudence  (Gridley)  Crocker,  came  from  Connecticut  and  settled  in  Vernon,  N. 
Y.,  in  1802.  With  them  came  Titus  Pettibone,  a  brother-in-law,  who  married  Cyn- 
thia Gridley.  They  settled  on  and  cleared  up  a  lot  of  sixteen  acres,  which  is  now 
owned  by  Clayton  Lewin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crocker  had  these  children:  Silas,  Edwin, 
Mary  and  Emily  Jane,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

Meyer,  Otto  Angus,  was  born  at   Prospect,  N.  Y.,  February  1,  1861.     His  father. 


308  OUR  COUNTY  AlND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dr.  William  Meyer,  was  a  prosperous  and  much  respected  physician  who  had  a  large 
practice  in  that  section.  The  family  came  to  Utica  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  nine  years  of  age.  Mr.  Meyer  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy.  During  his  school  days  he  worked  morn- 
ings, Saturdays,  and  vacations  in  the  circulation  department  of  the  Utica  Herald, 
which  department  was  then  in  charge  of  the  late  William  H.  Tutton.  In  this  way 
he  early  acquired  a  knowledge  of  an  important  branch  of  the  newspaper  business 
which  has  smce  stood  him  in  good  stead.  After  leaving  the  academy  he  was  for  a 
year  and  a  half  employed  as  the  business  manager  of  the  Sunday  Tribune,  then 
owned  by  P.  E.  Kelly.  He  made  a  marked  success  of  this  enterprise,  and  in  charge 
of  both  the  advertising  and  circulation  departments  of  that  paper  rendered  valuable 
service.  When  in  March,  1883,  the  corporation  known  as  the  Utica  Press  Company 
was  organized,  Mr.  Meyer  was  induced  to  go  with  the  new  concern  as  its  secretary 
and  treasurer  and  its  business  manager,  positions  he  has  since  continued  in,  with 
credit  to  himself  and  profit  to  all  concerned.  Two  or  three  years  later  Mr.  Meyer 
and  another  secured  a  controlling  interest  in  the  stock  of  the  company,  whose  busi- 
ness under  his  direction  has  shown  steady  and  substantial  growth,  till  the  Daily  and 
the  Weekly  Press  have  come  to  be  recognized  as  among  the  most  prosperous  leaders 
of  Central  New  York  journalism.  To  Mr.  Meyer's  energy  and  good  business  judg- 
ment much  of  the  success  of  these  papers  is  due.  Few  have  a  wider  acquaintance  or 
are  more  popular  with  those  who  have  business  with  newspapers.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Newspaper  Publishers'  Association  and  has  been  honored  with  ap- 
pointments on  some  of  its  important  committees.  For  several  years  he  has  been  a 
director  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Utica.  He  belongs  to  the  Fort  Schuyler 
Club  and  to  the  Utica  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Mr.  Meyer  is  deservedlj'  regarded  as 
one  of  the  brightest  of  the  city's  young  business  men. 

Kirkland,  George  A.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  November  24,  1858,  son  of  Charles 
and  Elizabeth  Kirkland.  Charles  Kirkland  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to  this 
country  and  engaged  in  the  wagon  manufacturing  business.  He  entered  the  gen- 
eral mercantile  business  in  Utica,  and  then  removed  to  Whitesboro,  where  he 
started  the  mercantile  business  in  the  fall  of  1868,  being  the  business  now  owned 
and  conducted  by  his  son,  George  A.  Mr.  Kirkland  died  in  March,  1893.  George 
A.  was  educated  at  Whitestown  Seminary,  and  started  in  the  mercantile  business  as 
clerk  for  his  father,  and  assisted  his  father  until  1889,  when  he  became  sole  proprie- 
tor of  the  business,  and  it  is  the  oldest  and  largest  mercantile  business  in  the  village 
of  Whitesboro.  Mr.  Kirkland  married  Gertrude  Peck,  of  New  York  Mills,  by  whom 
he  has  one  son,  Charles  Kirkland. 

Crandall,  J.  Wells,  was  born  in  Kirkland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y. ,  December  21, 
1826,  and  when  seven  years  of  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  Oswego  county, 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  has  had  numerous  occupations, 
mostly  farming,  until  he  retired  in  1883.  He  came  to  Fish  Creek  in  1883  and  erected 
a  fine  residence,  finishing  it  in  January,  1885.  In  1851  he  married  Cynthia  Luke, 
of  Amboy,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  July  22,  1884.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married  Mrs.  Lurana  M.  (Potter)  Babcock,  of  West  Monroe.  She  had  three  children 
by  her  first  marriage:  Willis  G.  Babcock,  a  physician,  with  a  drug  store  and  practice 
in  Cleveland,  Oswego  county;  Alice  V.  and  Gracia  R.  Babcock,  who  died  at  the  age 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  309 

of  twenty-one  years.  Mr.  Crandall's  father,  Daniel  Crandall,  was  born  in  Brook- 
field,  N.  Y. ,  was  educated  there,  and  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation,  conducting  a 
business  in  Kirkland.  He  married  Martha  Wells,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children : 
Daniel,  Pattie,  Horace,  William,  Warren,  J.  Wells,  Charles,  and  Fannie ;  only  three 
of  them  are  now  living.  Mr.  Crandall  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one,  and  his  wife  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one  years.     The  family  is  of  New  England  stock. 

Joy,  William  H.,  was  born  in  Canada,  February  3,  1861,  son  of  Alfred  and  Betsey 
(Spencer)  Joy.  William  H.  was  educated  in  the  town  of  Montague,  Lewis  county, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  He  married  Ida,  daughter  of  George 
Freiberger,  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Louis  F.,  Lavant,  and 
Paul  M. 

Butterfield,  Samuel,  was  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1792.  His  grandfather, 
John  Butterfield,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Minden  in  Germany,  1760.  His  father 
and  three  elder  brothers  died  in  the  English  army.  Mr.  Butterfield  came  to  America 
in  1827  with  two  sons  by  his  first  wife  (William  and  Samuel).  In  1828  he  married 
Elizabeth  Laister  (a  native  of  England),  a  sister  of  Thomas  Laister,  of  New  Hart- 
ford. In  1830  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Vernon,  remained  about  two  years  and  went 
back  to  New  Hartford  where  he  carriend  on  business  until  1838,  when  he  went  into 
partnership  with  the  late  S.  Newton  Dexter,  of  Whitestown,  and  manufactured  in- 
grain carpets  at  Oriskany.  In  1844  he  moved  to  Sconondoa  and  carried  on  the  same 
business  with  his  son  William  for  about  twenty  years;  they  employed  about  thirty 
hands.  Mr.  B.,  son  of  Thomas,  carried  on  the  business  of  manufacture  and  sale  of 
leather.  Thomas  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Vernon  several  times.  About 
twenty  years  ago  he  moved  to  Buffalo  where  he  died  in  1888.  Samuel,  jr.,  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Republic  during  the  late  war;  he  died  in  1882.  William  died  in  1891. 
Mr.  Butterfield's  three  daughters  (Mrs.  Wilson,  Mrs.  Woodhull,  Mrs.  Stewart),  are 
still  living,  also  his  son  Charles,  who  is  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  town  of 
Vernon,  and  lives  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  D.  Patton,  daughter  of  William,  at  the  old 
homestead.  During  the  time  Mr.  Butterfield  and  his  sons  were  carrying  on  business, 
Sconondoa  was  a  lively  little  hamlet. 

Whitcher,  Rev.  Benjamin  Williams,  was  born  in  Rochester,  Vt.,  December,  8, 
1811,  his  father,  Stephen,  a  native  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  being  one  of  a  large  family, 
of  which  Thomas  Whitcher,  who  came  from  England  to  New  England  in  1638,  was 
the  founder.  Mr.  Whitcher  was  graduated  from  Geneva  College  in  1840  and  after- 
ward continued  and  completed  his  theological  studies  at  the  General  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  New  York  city.  He  was  ordained 
by  the  late  Bishop  De  Lancey  in  1844  and  settled  in  Whitestown,  Oneida  county, 
where  he  organized  and  became  the  first  rector  of  St.  John's  church.  Afterward  he 
officiated  at  Saratoga  Springs  and  Oswego,  and  later  had  charge  of  the  parishes  at 
Theresa  and  Redwood,  N.  Y.  During  his  ministry  he  was  earnest  and  active  in 
urging  people  to  baptism  and  the  sacraments,  and  was  recognized  as  a  high  church- 
man. When  the  O.xford  or  "  tractarian  movement"  was  at  its  height  he  was  a 
student.  This  movement  was  a  school  of  thought  led  by  Cardinal  Newman  and 
other  great  minds.  In  1850  Mr.  Whitcher  was  received  into  St.  John's  church, 
Utica,   by  the  late   Bishop  McFarland,  and  for  a  score  of  years  thereafter  was  en- 


310  .  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

gaged  in  lecturing,  becoming  widely  known  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  His 
lectures  were  on  subjects  connected  with  the  Catholic  faith.  Although  he  re- 
nounced the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  he  never  forgot  the  courtesy  of  the  clergy 
with  whom  he  had  been  associated.  A  man  of  commanding  presence  he  possessed 
a  logical  manner  of  reasoning  and  a  singularly  conciliating  style  of  address.  In 
1877  he  published  a  book,  "  The  Story  of  a  Convert,"  which  was  favorably  com- 
mented upon  by  the  celebrated  reviewer,  Brownson.  In  1847  he  married  Frances 
Miriam  Berry,  of  Whitesboro,  who  was  distinguished  as  the  author  of  the  "Widow 
Bedott  Papers,"  which  have  been  dramatized  and  accorded  a  foremost  place  among 
humorous  writings.  She  died  in  January,  1852,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1853  he  mar- 
ried Martha  Letetia  Ward,  of  Jefferson  count}',  who  survives  him.  In  1855  Mrs.  M. 
L.  Whitcher  collected  and  arranged  the  scattered  newspaper  articles  which  became 
the  well  known  "Widow  Bedott  Papers,"  printed  by  James  C.  Derby  m  1856.  She 
also  finished  a  manuscript,  "  Trials  and  Changes,"  which  had  been  begun  by  Mrs. 
Frances  M.  Whitcher  and  left  incomplete  by  her  death.  This  story  with  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  its  author  and  a  story  entitled,  "  The  Widow  Spriggs,"  were  published 
in  1867.  Mrs.  Whitcher  is  a  talented  writer,  both  in  prose  and  poetry,  as  the  follow- 
ing stanzas  entitled  "In  Memory  of  Nellie,"  abundantly  illustrate: 

Two  years  ago,  dear  child,  to-day 
Thy  gentle  spirit  passed  away 

From  earth  and  pain; 
All  calmly  then  my  grief  I  hid, 
And  wrote  upon  thy  coffin  lid, 

'•To  die  is  gain." 
Two  weary,  sad  and  bitter  years, 
Alone  in  sorrow  and  in  tears — 

A  sad  refrain. 
Yet  watching  by  the  low  green  mound, 
Which  thy  dear  dust  makes  holy  ground, 

I  can  not  weep. 
Such  kindly  thoughts  of  hopeful  rest. 
And  peace  and  joy  among  the  blest. 

Soft  vigils  keep; 
And  bid  me  only  "  stand  and  wait " 
Till  He  unclose  life's  sunset  gate. 

Who  gave  thee  sleep. 

Mr.  Whitcher  was  a  cousin  of  John  Greenleaf  Whittier,  and  died  December  17,  1891, 
while  the  poet  was  celebrating  his  eighty-fourth  birthday.  Besides  his  wife  he  left 
four  daughters  and  two  sons:  Alice  Miriam,  wife  of  William  S.  Wood,  of  Muskegon, 
Mich. ;  Mary  Lavina,  widow  of  Warren  F.  Thayer,  of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D. ;  Frances 
Margaret;  Caroline  E.  ;  Ward  W.,  of  Rome;  and  Charles  E.,  of  Whitesboro. 

Callahan,  W.  C,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  July  28,  1870,  son  of  Den- 
nis and  Catherine  (Carpenter)  Callahan,  and  the  family  have  lived  in  Morrisville, 
Madison  county,  for  fifty  years.  He  was  educated  at  the  Morrisville  Union  School 
and  Baltimore  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1892.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Waterville,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was 
in  partnership  until  January  1,  1895,  when  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own,  where  he 
is  meeting  with  the  success  his  abilities  merit.  He  is  especially  successful  in  crown 
and  bridge  work,  nnd  met  with  surprising  success  in  reinserting  the  natural  teeth. 
Dr.  Callahan  is  a  member  of  the  Pickwick  Club. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  311 

Young,  Robert  Grant,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills,  Oneida  Count3^  June  26,  1849, 
the  youngest  of  nine  children  of  William  and  Jean  (Buchanan)  Young,  who  came  to 
America  from  near  Paisley,  Scotland,  about  fifty-five  years  ago.  Attending  the 
common  schools  until  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  work  for  the  New  York  Mills  Co., 
in  the  weave  room,  leaving  there  four  years  later  to  take  charge  of  the  weaving  de- 
partment of  the  Clark's  Mills  Co.,  at  Clarks  Mills,  New  York.  In  January,  1872,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Utica  Cotton  Co.,  at  New  Hartford  and  remained  there 
over  eight  years.  In  1880  he  left  New  Hartford  to  engage  in  the  Manufacturers' 
Supply  business  in  Utica,  but  this  not  proving  a  success  he  again  accepted  his  former 
position  with  the  Utica  Cotton  Co.  in  New  Hartford.  March  15,  1889,  he  began  work 
for  the  Utica  Belt  Line  Street  Railroad  Co.  as  an  engineer.  Four  months  later  he 
was  made  master  mechanic  of  the  company  and  held  that  position  until  October  1, 
when  he  assumed  charge  of  the  road  as  superintendent,  being  also  a  director,  which 
position  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the 
Masonic  Club,  and  in  religion  is  a  Presbyterian.  He  married,  June  4,  1871,  Anna 
Lillian  Clark,  eldest  daughter  of  De  Marcus  and  Mary  E.  (Walker)  Clark,  formerly 
of  Elgin,  111.,  but  at  that  time  residing  at  Clark's  Mills,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Young's  ances- 
tors came  to  this  coimtry  from  England  among  the  first  settlers  here,  and  in  religious 
faith  are  Episcopalians.  They  have  three  children  living:  Virginia  May,  Harold 
Clark,  and  Leslie  Bernard. 

Beers,  G.  P.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  September 
22,  1859,  son  of  L.  M.  and  Sarah  (Kershaw)  Beers.  His  grandfather  was  Garry  P. 
Beers,  of  Connecticut,  and  his  great-great-grandfather  Hurd  had  the  management 
of  the  postal  affairs  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  and  held  his  commission  from  King 
George.  At  twenty-one  years  of  age  G.  P.  Beers  engaged  in  the  painting  and  paper 
hanging  business,  which  he  has  since  followed  with  marked  success.  In  1892  the 
partnership  of  Beers  &  Davies  was  formed.  On  January  14,  1895,  Mr.  Beers  married 
Nellie  Simmons  of  Waterville.  Mr.  Beers  is  a  noted  musician.  He  has  been  leader 
of  the  Waterville  Band  .since  its  organization  in  1886.  He  was  a  good  cornet  player 
at  the  age  of  ten  years;  a  member  of  the  Deansville  Band  at  thirteen  years,  and 
leader  of  that  band  at  sixteen. 

Bardeen,  John,  was  born  at  Paris  Hill,  N,  Y. ,  December  5,  1863,  son  of  William 
and  Ellen  (Simmons)  Bardeen,  residents  of  Oneida  county.  He  was  educated  in 
Waterville  and  learned  the  trade  of  harness  maker.  He  has  been  successfully  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself  for  seven  years,  andisamember  of  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
and  is  also  special  policeman  in  the  Waterville  police  force.  In  1889  he  married  Mary 
Gibbons  of  Hanover. 

Fuess,  L.  P.,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  February  14,  1858,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Johanna  (Woerner)  Fuess,  natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  He  received  an  academic 
education,  and  read  law  with  E.  H.  Lamb  of  Waterville,  and  at  Columbia  Law  School. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  March,  1882,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced  law  in 
Waterville.  He  was  town  clerk  for  several  years  and  has  been  justice  of  the  peace. 
In  October,  1883,  he  married  Helen  A.  Moore  of  Syracuse. 

Goodwin,  S.  W.,  was  born  in  Waterville  in  1850,  son  of  Daniel  B.  and  Catherine 
(Bacon)  Goodwin,  natives  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  Oneida  county,  respectively.     He 


312  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  village,  and  at  the  military  college  in  Worcester, 
Mass.,  after  which  he  engaged  in  banking.  He  was  assistant  cashier  of  the  Water- 
ville  National  Bank  for  ten  years,  cashier  for  six  years,  and  has  been  president  one 
year.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  village  of  Waterville,  and  is  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Goodwin  &  Rice,  the  leading  insurance  house  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

Brainard,  I.  D.,  was  born  in  Hubbardsville,  N.  Y.,  September  27,  1846,  son  of  Ira 
and  Jemima  (Beebe)  Brainard.  He  was  educated  at  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  the  hop  business,  and  his  firm  is  one  of  the  largest  in 
Central  New  York.  .In  1891  the  firm  of  Charles  Green,  Son  &  Co.,  hop  merchants 
and  bankers,  was  formed.  The  banking  house  is  in  Waterville,  and  is  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Brainard.  He  has  been  president  of  the  village  two  terms,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  ten  years.  In  1870  Mr.  Brainard  married  M. 
Geneva  Green,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Charles  Green  Brainard. 

Edwards,  L.  D.,  is  a  native  of  Wales,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents, 
David  L.  and  Ann  (Roberts)  Edwards,  when  thirteen  weeks  old,  and  settled  in 
Oneida  county,  but  afterwards  removed  to  Lewis  county,  and  later  they  returned 
to  Oneida  county.  L.  D.  Edwards  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  Winfield 
Seminary.  He  taught  school  for  ten  terms  in  Oneida  and  Wyoming  counties,  and 
studied  in  Waterville.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  January  9,  1880.  Mr.  Edwards 
was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Marshall  in  1887  and  1888,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace 
in  1886.  He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Sangerfield  in  1891,  and  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  board.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Chapter  and  Utica  Com- 
mandery.  In  18S1  he  married  Margaret  A.,  only  daughter  of  Isaac  Jones  of  Water- 
ville. 

Jenks,  M.  S.,  is  a  native  of  Deansville,  son  of  Chester  and  Emily  (Cowan)  Jenks, 
natives  of  Massachusetts.  His  father  being  a  farmer,  he  spent  his  early  life  on  a 
farm,  and  has  always  been  identified  with  the  hop  industry,  for  which  this  part  of 
the  country  is  celebrated.  He  has  been  a  hop  dealer  for  forty-three  years,  and  has 
been  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Manheim.  In  1866  he  married  Mary  Browning,  by 
whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Mrs.  D.  C.  Morgan  of  Clinton. 

Jones,  T.  Z.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Waterville,  June  23,  1860,  and  after  an  academic 
course,  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  entering  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  col- 
lege. New  York,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1883.  He  spent  thirteen  months  as  a 
physician  in  the  Insane  Asylum  on  Blackwell's  Island,  when  he  accepted  a  position 
in  Ossawatomie,  Kansas;  his  failing  health  forced  him  to  resign  this  position,  and  he 
came  to  Waterville  in  1884,  where  he  built  up  a  large  practice.  In  1892  he  went  to 
London,  England,  and  took  a  post  graduate  medical  course.  Dr.  Jones  is  a  member 
of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  of  both  the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  in 
Masonry.  His  father  was  Zephaniah  Jones,  a  native  of  Remsen,  this  county,  and 
his  mother  was  Margaret  Goodwin,  a  native  of  Wales.  In  1893  Dr.  Jones  married 
Clara  Allen. 

Eastman,  W.  J.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  and  educated  in  Waterville. 
His  father  was  Virgil  S.  Eastman  of  Marshall,  and  his  grandfather,  Socrates  East- 
man. His  mother,  Julia  (Lincoln)  Eastman,  was  a  native  of  Ionia,  Mich.,  and  was 
the  first  white  child  born  in  that  county.      He  engaged   in  the  electrical  and  bicycle 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  313 

business  in  1893,  which  he  has  since  successfully  conducted.     Mr.  Eastman  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  popular  Waterville  Band. 

Hilsinger,  Myron,  was  born  in  Milford,  N.  Y. ,  son  of  Samuel  and  Alvira  (Oster- 
hout)  Hilsinger.  He  has  been  a  horseman  all  of  his  life,  excepting  a  short  time  in 
the  mercantile  business.  Since  the  Waterville  race  track  came  into  his  control,  it 
has  been  noted  for  its  excellent  training  facilities,  and  Mr.  Hilsinger  has  a  reputa- 
tion second  to  none  for  handling  horses.  He  came  to  Waterville  in  the  spring  of 
1889.  In  1880  he  married  Ida,  daughter  of  David  Baird,  one  of  the  greatest  horse- 
men of  his  day,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Hubbard,  George  M.,  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  August,  1822,  son  of  Maximus 
and  Zilpha  (Sylvester)  Hubbard.  His  grandfather,  Simon  Hubbard,  came  to  Wayne 
county  in  1790,  and  George  M.  Hubbard  still  owns  the  land  upon  which  he  settled. 
Mr.  Hubbard  has  been  engaged  in  distilling,  brewing  and  farming,  and  is  now  con- 
ducting a  coal  and  mill  business.  He  is  married  to  Myra  M.  Scott,  by  whom  he  has 
one  daughter,  Helen,  wife  of  H.  M.  King,  who  is  in  partnership  with  him.  Mr. 
Hubbard  is  a  prominent  Mason,  also  a  Knight  Templar,  and  has  belonged  to  the 
fraternity  for  over  three  years. 

Bensted,  W.  H.,  is  a  native  of  England,  and  came  to  America  when  seventeen 
years  of  age.  He  resided  one  year  in  Hamilton,  two  years  in  Madison,  and  came  to 
Waterville  in  1886,  since  which  time  he  has  conducted  the  leading  meat  business  of 
the  place.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  chief  engineer  of  the 
Waterville  fire  department.  In  1889  Mr.  Bensted  married  Mary  Jane  Maxted,  a 
native  of  England,  and  they  have  one  son,  Clarence  Bensted. 

Finn,  E.  L. ,  is  a  native  of  Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  and  for  five  years  has 
successfully  conducted  a  popular  meat  business,  which  was  established  by  his  father 
seventeen  years  ago.  Henry  Finn,  father  of  E.  L. ,  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  he  died  in  1890.  He  married  Mary  Lindsley.  E.  L.  Finn  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  both  the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter.  He  has  held  several 
offices  in  the  order. 

Mason,  C.  B.,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  March  29,  1837,  and  remained 
there  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  his  father  moved  to  Vernon,  and, 
after  remaining  there  a  short  time,  came  to  Sangerfield.  In  1860  Mr.  Mason  married 
Emily,  daughter  of  Wanton  and  Betsey  (Croft)  Gorton.  The  Gorton  family  has  been 
in  New  York  for  over  a  century.  Mr.  Mason  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  most 
successful  farmers  of  Oneida  county.  For  the  history  of  the  ancestry  of  C.  B.  Mason 
see  article  on  John  C.  Mason. 

Mason,  John  C. ,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  December  4,  1839,  son  of  Edward 
A.  Mason,  one  of  seven  brothers,  who  settled  in  Madison  county.  His  grandfather, 
David  Mason,  came  from  Connecticut.  John  C.  Mason  came  to  Waterville  when 
thirteen  years  of  age,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  He  is  engaged  in  farming, 
in  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  He  is  an  able  financier  and  thorough  business 
man,  and  personally  looks  after  the  details  of  his  large  interests.  In  1864  he  mar- 
ried Emma  M.  Jones,  of  Otsego  county,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  William 
E.,  Mrs.  B.  G.  Lawrence  and  Eva. 


314  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Mulverhill,  F.  C,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in  1848.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder,  at  which  he  ?till  continues.  In  1858  he  enlisted 
in  the  regular  army,  Co.  C,  3d  U.  S.  Infantry,  and  served  until  1863,  participating  in 
the  battles  of  Gaines  Mills,  Fort  Pickens,  Malvern  Hill,  Fredericksburg,  Second  Bull 
Run,  Antietam  and  Gettysburg,  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg. 
He  also  served  in  the  Indian  war  against  the  Mojaves  in  Arizona.  In  1870  he 
married  Elizabeth  Gagan,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  Flann  C,  Thomas  E., 
Daniel  Sheridan,  Patrick  Henry,  and  Mary  Ellen.  Mr.  Mulverhill  has  been  collector 
for  the  town  of  Marshall,  and  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1895. 

Monroe,  C.  Wilbur,  was  born  in  Sangerfield,  June  12,  1870,  son  of  Charles  D.  and 
Josephine  A.  (Everson)  Monroe.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  Water- 
ville  Academy,  graduating  in  1889.  He  then  took  a  course  in  the  Cornell  University, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  m  1892.  He  also  read  law  in  the  office  of 
the  late  E.  H.  Lamb,  and  with  Jones  &  Townsend,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
November  15,  1894.  He  opened  an  office  in  Waterville,  and  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  his  profession  since  that  date.  He  is  the  present  justice  of  the  peace  for 
Waterville,  and  has  held  office  since  March  6.  1894.  April  5,  1894,  he  married  Nina 
Sophia  King  of  Waterville. 

Putnam,  E.  B.,  was  born  in  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  Columbia  College.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  January  1,  1882.  He 
now  resides  in  Rochester,  where  he  follows  the  practice  of  his  profession,  but  has  a 
summer  residence  near  Waterville.  He  is  a  member  of  Kent  Club,  of  Rochester, 
the  Genesee  Valley  Club,  and  other  social  organizations.  In  1882  Mr.  Putnam  mar- 
ried Grace  Williams  Tower,  daughter  of  Charlemagne  Tower,  of  Philadelphia,  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Putnam's  father,  George  Putnam,  was  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
highly  respected  men  of  this  part  of  the  country.  He  married  Sarah  M.  Bill, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Earle  Bill,  in  his  day  a  prominent  physician  in  Ihe  northern  part  of 
the  State. 

Putnam,  Frederick  W.,  was  born  in  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  in  1861,  son  of  George  and 
Sarah  M.  (Bill)  Putnam.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Bill,  a  prominent  phy- 
sician of  his  day,  and  the  family  came  from  Connecticut.  The  Putnam  family  came 
from  Massachusetts,  and  George  Putnam  was  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  this  place,  where  he  died  in  1891.  F.  W.  Putnam  received  a  liberal 
education  in  both  academy  and  college,  and  took  charge  of  the  business  left  by  his 
father. 

Potter,  G.  R.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Morris,  Otsego  county,  August  17,  1846. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  and  followed  it  for  many  years,  after  which  he 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Sherburne,  then  at  Oriskany  Falls,  and  finally  pur- 
chased the  Central  Hotel  at  Waterville  in  1887.  This  he  has  recently  improved  and 
enlarged.  September  1,  1866,  he  married  Mary  E.  Roberts,  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Anna  D.,  wife  of  C.  W.  Perry.  Mr.  Potter  is  a  member  of  the  Red  Men, 
and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  a  great  many  friends. 

Waldo,  Wellington,  was  born  in  Bridgewater,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Waterville.  H  received  a  common  school  and 
academic  education.     He  first  educated  himself  for  the  dental  profession,  which  he 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  315 

followed  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  took  up  surveying,  to  which  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  for  the  last  twelve  years.  He  has  done  a  great  deal  of  farm  surveying  and 
possesses  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  this  part  of  the  country.  He 
was  for  some  time  interested  in  milling  in  Waterville,  btit  has  lately  disposed  of  that 
business.  Although  not  desiring  office,  he  has  been  president  of  the  village  of 
Waterville  during  the  years  1891-92-93,  and  was  again  elected  for  1895,  which  term 
of  office  he  is  now  serving.  His  father,  Ephraim  Waldo,  jr.,  came  from  Connecticut 
with  his  father,  Ephraim  Waldo,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Bridgewater. 
Ephraim  Waldo,  jr.,  died  in  1885. 

Snell,  Albert  M.,  was  born  in  Sangerfield  in  1842,  son  of  Josiah  and  Betsey  (Fel- 
ton)  Snell,  natives  of  New  England.  He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder, 
in  which  he  is  now  prominently  engaged;  he  also  added  lumber  and  erected  a 
planing  mill,  thoroughly  equipping  himself  for  any  kind  of  contracts.  In  1872  he 
married  Harriet  Melvin,  a  native  of  the  town  of  Marshall. 

Williams,  R.  C,  was  born  in  Wales  and  came  to  America  in  1852,  when  three 
3'ears  of  age.  He  is  a  son  of  William  Williams,  who  came  to  America  in  1851,  and 
died  in  1883,  and  Mary  (Hughes)  Williams.  He  lived  on  a  farm  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  which  he  has  since 
followed  successfully.  In  1893  he  started  in  business  alone  and  conducts  one  of 
the  leading  stores  in  Waterville,  dealing  in  dry  goods  and  groceries.  In  1892  he 
married  Catherine,  daughter  of  David  L.  Edwards,  of  Cassville,  and  sister  of  Mr. 
Edwards,  a  prominent  attorney  in  Waterville.  They  have  three  children :  Norman, 
Raymond,  and  Mary. 

Singleton,  W.  H.,  was  born  in  Utica,  September  16,  1842,  son  of  Richard  Single- 
ton, of  Leeds,  Yorkshire,  England,  who  came  to  America  in  1887,  and  Eliza  (Booth) 
Singleton,  of  Bradford,  England.  His  grandfather,  W^illiam  Singleton,  was  one  of 
three  brothers  who  conducted  an  extensive  lumber  business  in  Ediugburgh,  Scotland. 
W.  H.  Singleton  moved  to  Newark,  N.  J,,  with  his  parents  in  1844,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education,  and  at  sixteen  j^ears  of  age  he  moved  to  Whitesboro,  where  he 
lived  ten  years.  He  then  went  to  Clinton  for  one  year,  and  after  traveling  for  a 
year  through  the  Western  States  he  returned  to  Whitesboro  and  remained  eight 
years,  and  from  there  he  came  to  Waterville,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  all  of  his  business  life,  as 
was  his  father  before  him.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in  this  part  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Singleton  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  both  the  Blue  Lodge 
and  Chapter,  and  has  held  offices  in  both.  He  has  also  been  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  village  for  two  years.  In  1870  he  married  Mary  E. 
Bagg,  of  Kirkland,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons:  Grove  W.  and  Harry  Earl  Singleton. 

Smith,  F.  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Clayton,  Jefferson  county,  July  19,  1834. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith  and  wagon  builder,  and  after  living  a  while  in 
Herkimer  county  and  Boonville  he  came  to  Waterville.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  village  and  was  also  highway  commissioner  for  four  years.  He  married  Kate 
Vincent,  of  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  William  J.,  F.  B.,  Mrs. 
WiUiam  G.  Stone,  K.  ISIaude,  and  Ethel  B. 

Waters,  J.  F.,  is  a  native  of  Oriskany  Falls,  N  Y.,  where  he  lived  until  nine  years 


316  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  age,  when  he  came  to  Waterville.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but  five  years 
of  age,  and  his  mother  when  he  was  nine  years  old.  leaving  him  at  this  early  age  to 
support  himself.  He  has  been  in  business  for  himself  nine  years,  and  has  a  high 
business  reputation.  In  1894  Mr.  Waters  married  Maggie  Tierman,  of  Paris  Hill, 
N.  Y. 

McCamus,  Lucia  C,  is  a  native  of  Sangerfield,  and  the  only  surviving  member  of 
the  family  of  Julius  Candee.  In  1851  she  married  Mr.  McCamus,  who  died  in  1864, 
and  in  1887  she  returned  to  Waterville,  and  has  since  resided  in  the  old  Candee 
homestead.  Her  parents  were  Julius  and  Lucia  (Osborn)  Candee.  Julius  Candee 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  February  19,  1800,  and  came  to  Sangerfield  when  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  November,  1826,  he  married  Lucia  Osborne,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  day  in  Waterville,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  business  for  fifty-one  years.  He  was  vice-president  of  the  Water- 
ville Bank  for  many  years,  and  president  for  two  years.  His  long  life  was  distin- 
guished for  honesty  and  benevolence,  and  he  was  greatly  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.     Mr.  Candee  died  July  2,  1880,  and  his  wife  m  1887. 

Mason,  Morris,  was  born  in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  July  17,  1852,  son  of  Edward  Mason. 
In  1872  he  married  Margaret  Foster,  by  whom  he  has  four  children :  Edward,  Frank, 
Harold  and  ]\Iaud.  Mr.  Mason  is  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in  stock,  and  is 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  county. 

Marvin,  W.  Tyler,  was  born  July  2,  1842,  son  of  Alonzo  and  Mary  (Beach)  Marvin. 
He  engaged  in  farming  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  the  stone 
business,  and  followed  it  until  1892.  He  laid  nearly  all  of  the  stone  walks  and  curb- 
ing in  Waterville,  and  did  the  cut  work  on  the  Candee  block,  and  on  the  crematory. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  114th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war, 
being  honorably  discharged  June  8,  1865.  He  served  with  the  Army  of  the  Gulf  two 
years,  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Port  Hudson,  etc.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A. 
R.,  and  has  been  secretary  of  the  organization.  In  1861  he  married  Lucretia  Bald- 
win, by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Dallas  ^Marvin,  who  is  manager  of  Irwin's  general 
store.  Mr.  Marvin  has  conducted  a  splendid  livery  business  for  the  past  .seven 
years. 

McElhinney,  N.  B.,  was  born  in  Waterville,  May  20,  1865,  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  McElhinney,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  about  fifty  years 
ago.  N.  B.  McElhinney  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  all  of  his  life,  excepting 
SIX  years  which  he  spent  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1888  he  married  Lizzie,  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Ellen  Murray,  of  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children:  William,  John  and  Margaret.  Mr.  McElhinney  was  engaged  in 
liquor  business  for  four  years,  with  Rooch  &  Foley,  but  in  the  spring  of  1895  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself,  and  is  a  popular  gentleman,  highly  esteemed  by  all 
who  know  him. 

Matthews,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  and  came  to  the  LTnited  States 
at  the  age  of  seven  years.  He  has  lived  in  Waterville  for  twenty-three  years,  and 
has  been  very  successful  in  all  of  his  undertakings.  He  married  Louisa,  daughter 
of  Jeremiah  Kuapp,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Frances.     He  learned  the  trade 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  317 

of  a  shoemaker  in  Carthage,  N.  Y.,  and  followed  it  for  many  years,  after  which  he 
engaged  in  the  liquor  business.  Mr.  Matthews  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of 
Waterville. 

Gossin,  William  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  October  3, 
1845,  son  of  Andrew  and  Rose  (Sheridan)  Gossin.  He  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
time,  and  took  up  cheese  making,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  liquor  business,  and 
the  firm  of  Reed  &  Gossin  existed  in  Waterville  for  sixteen  years,  and  in  1887  Mr. 
Gossin  retired.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and  a  member  of  both  the  Blue  Lodge 
and  Chapter,  and  is  one  of  the  excise  commissioners  for  Sangerfield,  an  office  which 
he  has  held  for  two  terms.  In  1873  he  married  Mary  E.  Benedict,  deceased,  and  in 
1889  he  married  Carrie  L.  Berrill. 

Doolittle,  F.  C,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Charles  and  Eliza  (Coates) 
Doolittle.  His  grandfather  was  a  patriot  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  came  from 
Connecticut.  F.  C.  Doolittle  was  educated  in  Buffalo.  He  is  a  bookkeeper,  and  for 
the  past  thirteen  years  for  the  Hop  Extract  Co.,  which  time  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Waterville.  In  1870  he  married  Emma  C.  Hill,  by  whom  he  has  two  children: 
Alexander,  who  is  a  law  student  in  U^tica  and  graduated  from  the  Columbia  College 
in  the  class  of  1893;  and  Elizabeth  Doolittle. 

Lumbard,  H.,  was  born  in  Waterville,  July  16,  1825,  and  learned  the  harness  busi- 
ness with  his  father,  Philip  Lumbard,  who  walked  from  Massachusetts  and  settled 
here  over  eighty  years  ago.  His  mother  was  Abigail  Winchester  of  New  Hartford, 
daughter  of  Lucretia  Pyporn,  a  French  lady.  Mr.  H.  Lumbard  followed  the  harness 
busmess  for  some  years,  and  was  noted  for  the  superior  quality  of  goods  he  carried. 
After  giving  up  this  business  he  engaged  in  farming  and  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
of  Sangerfield,  and  also  the  leading  auctioneer  of  the  southern  part  of  Oneida  county. 
He  has  also  done  a  great  deal  of  patent  right  busmess  here  and  in  Ohio  and  Michi- 
gan. 

Huggins,  E.  H.,  was  born  in  England,  June  19,  1845,  and  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1852,  when  they  settled  in  Waterville.  Mr.  Huggins  learned  the 
butcher  trade,  and  followed  it  for  several  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming. 
After  fifteen  years  of  that  occupation  he  returned  to  the  meat  business,  as  partner  of 
the  firm  of  Huggins  &  Melvm,  October  1,  1895.  Mr.  Huggins  married  Margaret 
Jones,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  George,  Clarence  and  Hattie,  now  Mrs. 
Walter  Mack.  Mr.  Huggins  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity. 

Freiberger,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1840,  son  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
Freiberger.  He  was  a  tanner  by  trade  and  later  engaged  in  farming;  he  settled  in 
Westmoreland  in  1864.  George  H.  Freiberger  came  to  the  LTnited  States  when  six 
years  of  age;  he  enlisted  in  Co.  L,  5th  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery  and  participated  in 
the  following  engrgements:  Fisher's  Hill,  Harper's  Ferry,  Maryland  Heights, 
Bailey's  Heights,  Loudon  Heights,  Charlestown  and  Winchester,  and  for  disability 
receives  a  pension.  He  married  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  James  Holmes,  a  farmer  of 
New  Bremen,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.  His  parents  came  from  Connecticut  when  the 
country  was  new;  there  were  four  children  born  to  them:  Ida  May,  wife  of  William 
Joy  of  Montague,  Frank  J.,  George  J.,  and  James  H. 


318  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Evans,  Richard  T.,  was  born  in  the  town  and  house  where  he  now  resides,  June 
21,  1848,  son  of  Richard  W.  Evans,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1812,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1835,  and  was  first  employed  in  New  York  city,  coming  to  the  town 
of  Kirkland  in  1844,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  remaining  here  a  number  of  years, 
then  moved  to  Utica,  where  he  lived  retired.  He  married  Miss  Jones  of  England, 
by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Robert,  deceased,  who  was  superintendent  of  the 
county  house  until  his  death;  Ellis  J.,  a  farmer  in  Kansas;  and  Richard,  who  is  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  town,  owning  one  farm  of  190  acres,  and  another  of 
fifty  acres,  his  principal  crops  being  hops,  hay  and  corn.  He  married  Hannah  L., 
daughter  of  George  Comstock,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  George  R.  and 
Adella  D. 

Martin  M.  P.,  was  born  in  Salem,  Washington  county,  son  of  Adam  and  Elmira 
(Fitch)  Martin.  Mr.  Martin  has  been  connected  with  the  postal  service,  and  has  also 
been  connected  with  a  mercantile  business  in  New  York,  and  was  proprietor  of  the 
stage  line  running  from  Hecla  to  Utica.  He  sold  out  that  line  and  went  to  Utica, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  livery  business  for  over  thirty  years.  Mr.^Martin  re- 
tired from  business  in  1889  and  is  now  living  in  Whitesboro.  He  married  Irene 
Parks,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Asa  F.  and  Pliny  F.  Asa  F.  is  engaged  in 
business  for  himself  in  Utica,  and  Pliny  F.  is  engaged  in  the  flour,  feed  and  grain 
business  in  "Whitesboro. 

Whitten,  John  B.,  was  born  in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  January  2,  1846,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Isabella  (Mclntyre)  Whitten.  Daniel  Whitten  was  born  in  Scotland,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Clyde,  in  1809,  and  came  to  this  country  when  seventeen  years  of 
age.  He  engaged  in  farming,  at  which  he  has  always  continued,  and  is  still  living 
in  good  health.  Mrs.  Whitten  died  in  1874.  John  B.  Whitten  was  educated  in 
Marcy,  and  at  Whitestown  Seminary.  He  first  engaged  as  carpenter  and  builder, 
and  later  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  Whitesboro.  He  married  Mary  F. 
Curie  of  New  York  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  three  children  ;  William  D.,  John  S.,  and 
Jennie  F.  Mrs.  Whitten  died  February  22,  1890.  Mr.  Whitten  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  in  Whitesboro. 

Williams,  W.  B.,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  August  18,  1836,  son  of  Jesse  Williams, 
who  was  a  son  of  David  Williams  who  was  born  in  1752.  David  Williams  had  five 
brothers,  all  of  whom  served  in  the  American  Revolution,  one  of  them  being  killed 
in  this  war.  Jesse  Williams  was  born  in  1800.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  also  a  manu- 
facturer of  cheese.  He  was  the  first  man  to  manufacture  cheese  in  a  factory,  and 
the  factory  built  by  Jesse  Williams  in  1851  was  the  first  built  in  the  world  for  the 
manufacture  of  cheese.  Prior  to  this  factory  the  manufacture  of  cheese  had  always 
been  a  home  industry.  He  was  always  engaged  in  farming,  and  continued  the  man- 
ufacture of  cheese  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1864.  W.  B.  Williams  was 
educated  in  Rome,  and  then  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  for  about  twenty  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  at  which  he  still  continues.  He  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  and  ener- 
getic men  in  this  township,  and  has  been  engaged  in  various  enterprises.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  A.  Aucutt,  who  died  in  1870,  leaving  four  children:  Nettie  F. ,  Edwin  W., 
Dewitt  C,  and  Howard.     Mr.  Williams  is  now  married  to   Mary  E.   MacMorris,   of 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  319 

Whitesboro,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Mary  A.,  Stacy  H.,  and  Florence  L. 
Nettie  F.  is  married  to  William  S.  Thomas;  Edwin  W.  is  superintendent  of  a  large 
shirt  factory  at  Hoosick  Falls;  Dewitt  is  at  Aurora,  111.,  and  Howard  is  superintend- 
ent of  a  shirt  factory  at  Mechanicsville,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  both 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Symonds,  James,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  August  1,  1836,  son  of  Francis 
and  Mercy  Symonds.  Francis  Symonds  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  in  1797,  and 
followed  the  occupation  of  merchant  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1861.  Mrs.  Symonds 
died  in  1849.  James  Symonds  came  to  Whitesboro  in  1836.  He  was  educated  in 
Whitesboro,  and  then  started  in  business,  selling  merchandise  on  the  banks  of  the 
Erie  Canal  for  forty-eight  years.  He  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Mar- 
garet Clark,  of  Marcy,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons;  Albert  A.,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-four;  Charles  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five;  and  James  T.,  who  is 
now  living,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  and  who  is  in  business  with  his  father,  and 
also  engaged  in  the  bicycle  business  in  Whitesboro.  Mr.  Symonds  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Whitestown,  of  which  Mr.  Symonds  is  deacon.  He 
is  the  earliest  established  merchant  now  living,  engaged  in  business  in  the  township 
of  Whitestown. 

Cole,  John  N.,  was  born  in  Floyd,  N.  Y.,  March  1,  1850,  son  of  Thomas  and  Ann 
Cole.  Thomas  Cole  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  Vernon  at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 
John  N.  was  educated  in  Whitestown,  first  at  the  public  schools,  and  then  at  Whites- 
town  Seminary.  He  then  engaged  to  work  for  the  Quigley  Manufacturing  Co.,  re- 
maining there  until  1880,  when  he  started  in  business  for  himself,  beginning  in  the 
furniture  business  on  a  small  scale.  He  has  built  up  a  large  business  and  carries  a 
stock  that  is  not  surpassed  in  size  by  any  furniture  store  in  Oneida  county,  and  this 
is  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  Mr.  Cole's  warehouse  is  located  in  a  small  village; 
and  people  send  from  the  large  places  to  buy  his  goods  which  he  ships  as  far  as  New 
England,  and  all  of  his  furniture  is  sold  to  the  consumer.  This  is  a  unique  business 
differing  from  all  others  in  the  fact  that  in  a  small  village,  the  largest  stock  of  goods 
in  the  county  is  carried.  Mr.  Cole  married  Ella  J.  Serlye,  who  died  in  1886,  leaving 
one  daughter,  Mabel  E.,  and  lie  is  now  married  to  Fannie  M.  Kellogg  of  Westmore 
land. 

Cavana,  James,  was  born  in  Marcy,  N.  Y.,  February  36,  1833,  son  of  Martin  and 
Betsey  (Thurston)  Cavana.  Martin  Cavana  was  born  in  Utica,  when  it  was  first  set- 
tled, and  what  is  now  Utica,  then  comprising  a  few  log  houses.  From  Utica  he 
went  to  Marcy,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  November  9,  1860.  His  wife  was  born  in  Whitestown,  and  died  in  Marcy, 
May  11,  1880.  James  Cavana  was  educated  partly  at  the  Whitestown  Academy,  and 
partly  at  the  Delany  Institute  in  Westmoreland,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming 
in  Marcy.  He  was  elected  town  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  in  Marcy  for 
nine  years.  He  was  also  prominent  in  politics,  and  was  elected  supervisor  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  During  the  civil  war,  he  was  enrolling  officer  and  assessor  in  the 
town  of  Marcy.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  always  contributed  active 
efforts  to  the  support  of  his  party.  He  married  Sarah  Wolcott  of  Marcy,  by  whom 
he  had  two  children:     C.  J.   Cavana,   and  one  who  is  deceased.     Mrs.  Cavana  died 


320  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

April  8,  1883,  and  Mr.  Cavana  married  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Carrie  Hannahs  of 
Richfield  Springs,  who  died  March  16,  1893.  Mr.  Cavana  is  now  married  to  Jeannette 
Ranstead,  of  Chicago,  111. 

Ackroyd,  Joseph,  was  born  at  Little  Falls,  Herkimer  county  November  23,  1847, 
son  of  Abram  and  Harriet  (Robinson)  Ackroyd,  natives  of  England.  Abram  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1842.  He  was  a  dyer  and  followed  this  occupation  in  New 
York  Mills  until  he  retired  m  1880,  and  he  died  in  1887,  aged  seventy-seven  years, 
and  his  wife  died  in  1882,  at  seventy-six  years  of  age.  Joseph  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  at  New  York  Mills  and  Whitestown  Seminary,  then  engaged  as 
clerk,  remaining  until  he  went  in  business  for  himself.  Mr.  Ackroyd  has  been  very 
prominent  in  politics,  being  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  elected  supervisor  of  the 
town,  justice  of  the  peace,  and  member  of  assembly  in  a  district  that  is  strongly 
Republican.  Mr.  Ackroyd  is  a  merchant  and  undertaker,  and  is  foreman  of  the  fire 
company.  He  is  president  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Union  and  also  of  the  Anti-Treat 
Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  was  the  first  postmaster 
appointed  in  Oneida  county  under  Mr.  Cleveland's  administration.  He  married 
Adeline  Hoag,  daughter  of  Sylvanus  Hoag,  an  old  and  respected  merchant  of  York- 
ville,  by  whom  he  has  two  children :  Harriet  C.  and  Sylvanus  H. 

Pender.  William,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1832,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1853,  and  first  settled  in  Deerfield.  He  afterwards  went  to  Marcy  and  engaged  in 
farming,  and  then  came  to  Whitestown,  where  he  hired  a  farm,  and  later  bought  his 
present  one.  He  al.so  assisted  Dr.  Wight  on  his  farm,  and  then  resumed  the  culti- 
vation of  his  own  farm,  and  he  has  a  good  farm  all  under  cultivation.  He  married 
Sarah  J.  Metcalf,  of  Whitestown.  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Charles  and  Will- 
iam. Charles  is  engaged  in  the  creamery  business,  and  William  assists  his  father 
on  the  farm.     Mr.  Pender  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  church  at  Whitestown. 

Hall,  Henry  L.,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  September  29,  1846,  son  of  Luther 
L.  and  Patience  S.  Hall.  Luther  L.  Hall  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
both  grandfathers  on  his  father's  and  mother's  side  were  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Luther  L.  first  settled  in  Floyd.  He  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  came  to  Whites- 
town,  N.  Y.,  and  bought  the  family  homestead,  which  has  been  in  possession  of  the 
family  for  forty-seven  years.  Henry  L.  was  educated  at  the  Whitestown  Seminary, 
and  then  started  in  the  milk  business  in  Utica,  and  also  in  supplying  the  city  with 
garden  vegetables.  He  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  He  is  a 
real  estate  dealer,  and  owns  the  principal  business  block  in  Yorkville,  also  several 
farms  in  the  county,  and  is  interested  in  the  canning  factory  at  Whitesboro.  He 
has  always  been  noted  as  one  of  the  most  active  and  leading  business  men  of  the 
township.  He  married  Kate  L.  Russell,  of  Jersey  City,  by  whom  he  has  two  chil- 
dren:  Henry  Russell,  and  Bertha  Alene. 

Glatt,  A.  S.,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  November  28,  1863,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Amelia  Glatt.  Joseph  Glatt  came  from  France  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  and 
his  family  settled  in  Deerfield.  A.  S.  Glatt  received  his  education  in  New  Hartford 
and  Utica,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming,  including  gardening  and  greenhouse 
business.  He  raises  vegetables  and  flowers,  sending  his  flowers  to  Rochester  and 
Buffalo.  Mr.  Glatt  married  Catherine  Owens,  of  Kirkland,  by  whom  he  has  seven 
children:  La  Mott,  Edith  M.,  Bertha,  Joseph,  Ella,  Charles,  and  George. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  321 

Crisman,  William  N.,  was  born  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  April  10,  1837,  son  of  William 
and  Sapry  (Kenyon)  Crisman.  William  Crisman  was  a  farmer  and  also  a  hotel 
keeper  m  Oriskany,  and  was  a  man  noted  for  his  generosity.  His  wife,  Sapry  (Ken- 
yon) Crisman,  was  born  in  Lee  Center,  and  died  in  Oriskany.  William  N.  received 
his  education  in  Oriskany,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  and  in  manufactur- 
mg,  making  knit  and  other  goods,  and  in  addition  to  his  farming  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  manufacturing  for  over  thirty  years.  He  is  a  stav:nch  Republican  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  married  Mary  Ann  Tier  of 
Oriskany,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children:  Sarah,  married  to  H.  G.  Millington 
of  Waterville ;  Emma  B.  (deceased),  Orrin  W.  and  H.  Edward.  Orrin  W.  is  con- 
ducting the  mineral  spring  at  Franklin  Iron  Works,  and  H.  Edward  is  assisting  his 
father  m  the  manufacturing  business. 

Bliss,  Frederick,  was  born  in  Floyd,  N.  Y.,  February  5,  1859,  son  of  Jonathan  and 
Maria  A.  Bliss.  Jonathan  Bliss  was  engaged  in  farming  during  his  lifetime.  He 
was  born  in  1819  and  died  in  1887.  Frederick  was  educated  in  the  Whitesboro  dis- 
trict school  and  at  business  college,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  and  still  con- 
tinues. He  also  conducted  the  Oriskany  Mill,  which  property  he  bought  and  in- 
stalled steam  power  in  the  mill  instead  of  water  power;  but  after  conducting  it  for 
three  years  he  sold  it.  and  gave  his  attention  entirely  to  farming.  Mr.  Bliss  mar- 
ried Lillian  M.  Champlin  of  Whitesboro,  by  whom  he  has  five  children:  Stuart  J., 
Henry  F.,  Spencer  E.,  .Sarah  M.  and  Ruth  F.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  Mr.  Bliss  and  his  father  have  always  been  staunch  Republi- 
cans. 

Cooper,  Lansing  B.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  N.  Y.,  March  12,  1835,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Zada  Cooper;  and  William  was  the  son  of  William,  sr. ,  who  moved  to  this 
county  in  1827.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  but  engaged  in  farming  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1855.  William,  jr.,  was  also  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  born 
in  Albany,  and  was  apprenticed  to  a  hatter,  and  after  learning  that  trade,  he  left 
Albany  and  came  to  Whitestown,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  now  retired 
and  living  on  the  old  homestead  farm  at  the  age  of  eighty-four;  and  his  wife,  Zada 
Cooper,  is  also  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  and  she  has  a  twin  sister,  Mrs.  L.  M. 
Allen  of  Floyd,  who  is  also  living  in  good  health.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  were  mar- 
ried sixty-one  years,  March  4,  1895,  and  they  have  eleven  grandchildren  and  one 
great-grandchild.  Lansing  B.  Cooper  was  educated  at  the  common  schools,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming  on  the  homestead  farm.  He  married  Mary  E.  Van- 
derhoof,  of  Floyd,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  William  A.,  who  is  now  assisting  his 
father  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Cooper  and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church  at 
New  York  Mills.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  actively  interested  in  the  success 
of  his  party.  His  brother,  William  Henry  Cooper,  is  night  boss  at  the  New  York 
Central  freight  yard  at  L^tica;  his  brother  Albert  is  in  the  Wyoming  Conference, 
and  his  brother  John  W.  is  practicing  medicine  at  Granville,  Mich. 

Douglass,  A.  P.,  was  born  in  Whitestowm,  N.  Y.,  February  20,  1826,  son  of  Albert 
and  Anna  (Phelps)  Douglass.  Albert  Douglass  was  also  born  on  this  farm  in  1805, 
son  of  Daniel  Douglass,  who  was  born  in  New  London,  Conn.,  February  12,  1768. 
He  settled  on  the  old  homestead  in  1794,  and  resided  here  until  his  death  in  1832. 


322  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

His  son  Albert  was  also  a  farmer,  and  conducted  the  old  homestead  farm  until  his 
death  in  1841.  Arthur  P.  was  educated  in  the  district  school,  after  which  he  engaged 
in  farming,  and  still  continues.  He  married  Esther,  daughter  of  Asa  Hewett,  of 
Sodus,  Wayne  county,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Anna  Frances,  married  to 
William  Ashley;  Edna  Lucy,  married  to  Prof.  M.  L.  Brown ;  and  Addison  H.,  who  is 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Douglass  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  success  of  his  party.  Mrs.  Douglass  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Walesville. 

Rose,  F.  W.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Ohio,  September  30,  1852,  son  of 
Horace  P.  and  Margaret  (Stephenson)  Rose.  Dr.  Rose  graduated  from  the  Cincin- 
nati College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  June,  1874,  and  then  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  Greene  county,  Ohio,  where  he  practiced  until  1884.  He  then  removed 
to  Clay  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  practiced  until  1889,  and  removed  to  Hastings, 
Adams  county.  Neb.,  where  he  devised  the  system  of  treatment  that  bears 
his  name.  Here  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John  Nafe,  L.  M.  Whitney,  and 
William  B.  Coggeshall,  cousin  of  Senator  Coggeshall,  and  removed  from  Hastings, 
to  Grand  Island,  Neb.  He  left  a  sanitarium  there  in  charge  of  Dr.  Henry  Jackson, 
and  in  January,  1892,  came  to  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  upon  the  treatment  of 
alcoholism  at  the  Willard  House,  where  he  remained  till  September  17,  1894,  when 
he  opened  a  sanitarium  in  Whitesboro  in  the  commodious  building  in  which  the  cele- 
brated Whitestown  Seminary  was  formerly  located.  Dr.  Rose  is  medical  director 
in  chief  of  his  system,  known  as  the  Baker  Rose  Gold  Cure,  and  imder  his  super- 
vision and  direction,  physicians  are  educated,  who  conduct  the  system  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  and  the  world.  Among  the  various  branches  of  Dr.  Rose's  sys- 
tem may  be  mentioned  the  following:  Cornwall  on  the  Hudson;  Albion,  N.  Y. ; 
Boston,  Mass.;  South  Manchester,  Conn.;  Dallas,  Texas;  Guthrie,  Oklahama;  and 
Logansport,  Ind.  The  following  are  some  of  the  branches  in  Europe:  Copenhagen, 
Denmark;  Stockholm,  Sweden ;  and  Kupie,  Finland. 

Brownell,  James  B.,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Nathaniel  S.  and 
Abbey  L.  (Barker)  Brownell.  Nathaniel  S.  was  born  in  Little  Compton,  R.  L,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  tanning  business  in  Rhode  Island,  where  he  still  resides,  having 
retired  from  active  business.  James  B.  was  educated  in  Hamilton  and  then  became 
a  commercial  traveler.  He  later  engaged  in  market  gardening,  in  which  he  is  still 
engaged  supplying  the  Utica  and  Rome  markets.  He  married  Mary  Throop, 
of  Hamilton,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Kate.  Mrs.  Brownell  died  in  187G,  and 
later  Mr.  Brownell  married  Kate  Wentworth  of  Madison,  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Mary  E. 

Bardsley,  John  S. ,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills,  April  26,  1859,  son  of  Josiah  and 
Mary  Bardsley,  natives  of  England,  who  came  to  New  York  Mills,  where  they  have 
resided  about  forty  years.  John  S.  was  educated  at  the  New  York  Mills  public 
school,  and  then  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  business.  He  entered  the  postal  ser- 
vice as  deputy  in  which  position  he  served  about  eleven  years,  and  then  became  post- 
master, and  during  all  this  period,  he  was  conducting  a  grocery  business,  which  he 
sold  out  in  1895.  Mr.  Bardsley  at  the  present  time  owns  and  conducts  the  New  York 
Mills  and  Utica  Express,  in  addition  to  holding  the  position  of  postmaster.     He  mar- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  323 

ried  Ellen  A.  Goodrich  of  Yorkville,  and  he  is  a  member  of  Faxton   Lodge  of  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Herbage,  Mrs.  William. — The  late  William  Herbage  was  born  in  Northampton- 
shire, England,  son  of  James  and  Martha  Herbage.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1830,  first  coming  to  Utica,  and  from  there  to  New  York  Mills.  He  was  employed 
by  the  New  York  Mills  to  do  their  painting,  both  of  the  mills  and  residence  prop- 
erty, and  was  engaged  in  this  work  for  almost  sixty  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  was  a  man  highly  esteemed  in  the  community  in  which 
he  lived.  He  married  Janet,  daughter  of  George  and  Christine  Braid  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Mary;  William,  living  in  Whitehall,  N. 
Y.  ;  Janet;  and  Fi-ances,  married  to  C.  J.  Barber  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Herbage 
died  April  19,  1889. 

Wilson,  Charles  W.,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills,  September  18,  1851,  son  of 
William  and  Charlotte  Wilson.  William  came  from  England  and  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  company  about  forty  years.  He  was  one  of  the  overseers  in  the  mills,  and 
was  noted  for  his  success  as  a  financier,  and  when  he  died  he  was  one  of  the  princi- 
pal property  owners  in  New  York  Mills,  having  laid  the  foundation  of  his  success  in 
the  mills,  which  was  increased  by  wise  investments.  Charles  W.  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  New  York  Mills,  and  in  Whitestown  Seminary.  Mr.  Wilson 
was  emploj-ed  in  New  York  Mills,  and  then  was  absent  for  twelve  years.  He  is  now 
foreman  in  the  carding  room.  His  mother,  Charlotte  (Babcock)  Wilson,  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Babcock,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New  York  Mills.  Mr. 
Wilson  married  Bessie  E.  Smith  of  Camden,  N.  Y.,  bj^  whom  he  has  three  children: 
W.  Edward,  Florence  A.  and  Maud  C.  Mr.  and'  Mrs.  Wilson  are  both  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  York  Mills,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Faxton  Lodge  No.  697,  Utica,  Oneida  Chapter  No.  57,  also  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  Royal  Arcanum. 

Cooper,  Robert,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  April  12,  1841,  son  of  Peter  and  Jean- 
nette  (Petrie)  Cooper.  Peter  Cooper  was  born  in  the  Orkney  Islands,  Scotland,  and 
engaged  in  boot  and  shoe  manufacturing,  and  in  farming.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years,  and  his  wife  also  died  at  the  same  age.  Robert  Cooper  enlisted 
in  the  late  civil  war,  February  5,  1862,  and  went  to  the  front  with  the  5th  Regt.  N. 
Y.  Vols,  at  Piedmont,  W.  Va.,  June  5,  1864.  Mr.  Cooper  was  captured  by  the  Con- 
federates and  taken  to  Andersonville.  He  had  two  brothers,  William  L.  and  David, 
who  were  in  the  same  regiment,  and  captured  at  the  same  time.  William  died  at 
Annapolis  May  10,  1865,  and  David  died  a  Confederate  prisoner  at  Stanton,  July  24, 
1864.  Robert  Cooper  was  in  Andersonville  prison  from  July  12,  to  October  28,  1864, 
when  he  was  removed  to  Millen,  Ga. ,  and  from  there  to  Florence,  S.  C.  He  passed 
almost  nine  months  in  Confederate  prisons,  and  was  paroled  February  25,  1865.  He 
was  one  of  two  out  of  twenty-four  that  returned  from  captivity,  as  all  of  the  others 
died.  Mr.  Cooper  married  Francis  Naomi  Munn,  of  Orwell,  Oswego  county,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children:  Flora  J.,  married  to  Fred  Wooley  of  New  York  Mills; 
William  E. ;  John  P.,  married  to  Ann  Bradley;  George  W. ;  Robert  L.  ;  Anna  B. ; 
Nellie  E.  ;  and  Rollo  B.  Mr.  Cooper  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  New  York  Mills,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 


324  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hepworth,  Joseph,  was  born  in  England,  October  27,  1840,  son  of  William  and 
Judith  Hepworth.  The  family  came  to  this  country  in  1842,  and  first  settled  in  Oris- 
kany,  where  they  lived  three  years,  and  from  there  moved  to  New  York  Mills  about 
fifty  years  ago.  William  Hepworth  was  in  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Mills  for 
over  forty  years,  and  died  in  1887.  Joseph  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
New  York  Mills,  and  Whitestown  Seminar^-,  after  which  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  New  York  Mills.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  he  volunteered  and  went  to 
the  front  with  Co.  L,  14th  New  York  Artillery,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
the  Wilderness,  Cold  Harbor,  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and  Petersburg.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Petersburg,  June  17,  1864,  and  was  taken  direct  to  Andersonville 
prison,  where  he  spent  four  months,  and  was  then  removed  to  Florence,  where  he 
spent  two  months.  He  was  paroled  at  Florence,  and  then  exchanged  after  he  re- 
turned to  the  Union  lines.  He  was  mustered  out  by  reason  of  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  participated  in  some  of  the  hottest  battles  of  the  war,  and  was  fortunate  in  escap- 
ing without  a  wound,  but  was  compelled  to  endure  the  horrors  of  Andersonville 
prison.  Mr.  Hepworth  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  has  been  commander  for  a 
number  of  terms.  He  married  Sarah  Ackroyd  of  New  York  Mills  by  whom  he  has 
two  children:  William  and  Addie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hepworth  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church,  of  which  he  is  trustee  and  also  superintendent  of  the  Sundajr 
school.  He  has  been  a  merchant  in  New  York  Mills  about  twenty-two  years,  and 
carries  a  large  and  varied  stock  of  merchandise.  His  son  William  is  associated  with 
him,  the  firm  now  being  J.  Hepworth  &  Son. 

Reilly,  Rev.  Thomas  W.,  was  born  in  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  January  29,  1844,  sou  of 
Thomas  and  Catherine  (Gibney)  Reilly.  Thomas  W.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
then  in  the  University  of  Ottawa,  after  which  he  entered  the  Provincial  Seminary 
at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  1865,  where  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  June  6.  1868.  His 
first  appointment  was  as  assistant  to  St  Mary's  church  at  Albany,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year,  when  he  was  given  charge  of  Delaware  and  Schoharie  counties, 
and  also  a  part  of  Greene  county.  These  missions  consisted  of  a  few  people  scat- 
tered here  and  there,  but  the  father  organized  them,  and  formed  a  parish  in  Cobles- 
kill,  where  he  built  St.  Paul's  church.  He  established  another  parish  and  erected 
the  Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  at  Stamford,  and  this  was  the  fii'st  church  in  all  the 
great  original  diocese  of  Albany  that  was  dedicated  to  the  Sacred  Heart.  He  then 
established  another  parish  and  church  in  the  village  of  Hunter  in  the  Catskill 
Mountains.  Father  Reilly  continued  in  this  work  until  1874,  and  left  in  these  mis- 
sions, where  he  began  without  anything,  over  §20,000  of  property.  He  then  went 
to  Waterville  where  he  assumed  charge  of  St.  Bernard's  church  and  St.  Joseph's  in 
Oriskany  Falls.  Father  Reilly  rebuilt  the  church  which  he  found  in  a  poor  condi- 
tion, graded  the  cemetery,  and  established  St.  Bernard's  School,  which  he  main- 
tained for  three  years  at  his  own  expense.  He  resigned  and  was  appointed  to  St. 
John's  church  of  Syracuse,  the  present  cathedral  of  the  new  Catholic  Diocese  of 
Syracuse,  where  he  assisted  the  Rev.  Joseph  Gurdet,  who  was  advanced  in  years, 
and  unable  to  continue  the  active  duties  of  pastor,  where  he  remained  twelve  years, 
and  in  February,  1890,  he  was  appointed  to  St.  Paul's  church  m  Whitesboro,  St. 
John's  in  New  Hartford,  and  St.  Leo's  in  Holland  Patent;  and  he  has  also  purchased 
land  for  a  church  in  Oriskany,  and  is  organizing  a  new  parish  at  Gang  Mills.     Dur- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  325 

ing  his  present  pastorate  he  has  built  a  fine  parsonage  in  Whitesboro,  and  also  made 
other  improvements. 

Mackie,  William  S.,  was  born  in  New  York  Mills,  N.  Y.,  April  7,  1859,  son  of 
William  and  Maria  Mackie.  William  Mackie  came  from  Scotland  to  New  York  Mills 
in  1852,  where  he  was  postmaster  for  eleven  years.  He  was  a  merchant  of  New 
York  Mills,  and  also  conducted  a  large  boarding  house.  He  took  a  lively  interest  in 
politics,  and  was  a  staunch  Republican.  He  died  May  24,  1895.  William  S.  Mackie 
was  educated  in  the  Whitestown  Seminary,  after  which  he  read  law  in  the  office  of 
S.  M.  Lindsley,  of  Utica,  and  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  became  as.socialed 
with  Mr.  Lindsley,  and  is  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  the  profession.  He 
has  been  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  township  of  Whitestown  for  twelve  years,  and 
has  been  school  trustee  for  fifteen  years.  He  married  Charlotte  C.  Cummings,  of 
New  York  Mills,  by  whom  he  has  six  children:  Edith,  Mary,  Grace,  Helen,  J.  Will- 
iam, and  Lottie. 

Kelly,  Edward,  was  born  ni  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.,  December  19,  1858,  son  of  Edward 
and  Mary  Kelly,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Whitesboro.  Mr.  Kelly  died  in  1886.  Edward  Kelly  was  educated  in  Whitesboro, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  and  the  creamery  business.  He  is  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  butter,  which  he  supplies  to  the  trade  in  his  immediate  vicinity. 
He  married  L.  Mina  De  Long,  of  Oswego  county,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Edward 
De  Verne  Kelly.     Mr.  Kelly  is  a  member  of  the  Oriskany  Lodge  No.  799,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Sweet,  Herman  L. ,  was  born  in  Marcy  N.  Y.,  May  10,  1858,  son  of  Levi  and  Julia 
(Browning)  Sweet.  Levi  Sweet  was  born  in  Milford,  Otsego  county,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  during  his  lifetime.  He  came  to  Marcy  when  eight  years  of  age, 
where  he  died  August  4,  1875.  Mrs.  Sweet  is  still  living  in  good  health,  and  her 
mother  is  also  living  at  the  age  of  ninety-two.  Herman  L.  Sweet  was  educated  at 
Whitestown  Seminary,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1877,  after  which  he  engaged 
in  business  for  himself  as  a  merchant  at  Oriskany.  The  firm  is  now  Sweet  &  Baer, 
and  consists  of  H.  L.  Sweet,  George  A.  Baer  and  W.  A.  Baer,  and  they  conduct 
the  largest  business  in  Oriskany.  Mr.  Sweet  married  Florence,  daughter  of  Luther 
G.  Williams,  of  Oriskany,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Florence  Lee,  Stuart  W., 
and  Harrison.  Mr.  Sweet  is  a  member  of  Oriskany  Lodge  No.  799,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
the  Schuyler  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Utica. 

Allison,  William  E.,  was  born  in  Illinois,  January  9,  1862,  son  of  William  and 
Emeline  Allison.  William  Allison  has  always  been  engaged  in  the  commercial 
business,  and  he  resides  in  Rome,  N.  Y.  William  E.  was  educated  at  Clinton 
Grammar  School,  after  which  he  engaged  in  manufacturing,  conducting  a  knitting 
mill  business  for  five  years,  then  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  and  later  in  the 
electric  business,  and  then  organized  a  knitting  mills  company  in  Oriskany.  He 
afterwards  sold  out  and  started  as  a  florist,  and  although  he  started  this  business  in 
a  small  way,  he  has  now  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  business.  He  raises 
specialties  in  plants  which  he  ships  to  the  wholesale  trade  throughout  the  entire 
country.  He  married  Adah,  daughter  of  S.  W.  Baker,  by  whom  he  has  one  son, 
Seward  W.  Allison.  Mr.  Allison  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church,  and  Mrs.  Allison 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Oriskany. 


326  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

"  McLean,  John,  was  born  in  Scotland,  January  28,  1827,  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
McLean.  They  came  to  New  Hartford  October  1,  1841,  and  John  McLean, sr.,  then 
entered  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Mills  as  dyer,  and  continued  in  that  position 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  and  Mrs.  McLean  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine.  John  McLean,  jr.,  was  educated  partly  in  New  Hartford,  and  also 
attended  night  school  at  New  York  Mills.  He  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  mills 
for  fifty-four  years,  and  passed  through  various  grades  in  the  department  in  which 
he  started  to  work.  He  is  now  overseer  in  the  department,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest 
employees  of  the  company  now  living.  Mr.  McLean  married  Yioletta  Bardsley. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLean  are  both  membersof  the  Wolcott  Memorial  Presbyterian  church 
at  New  York  Mills,  of  which  Mr.  McLean  is  an  elder. 

Bardsley,  Josiah,  was  born  in  Lancashire,  England,  January  1,  182fi,  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  Bardsley.  Mrs.  Bardsley  died  in  England  in  18.jO.  John  Bardsley 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1851  and  settled  at  New  York  Mills.  Josiah  Bardsley 
worked  in  the  mills  in  England  when  a  little  over  eight  years  of  age,  and  at  eighteen 
years  of  age  had  learned  the  trade  of  mule  spinning,  at  which  he  has  since  continued. 
When  he  first  came  to  New  York  Mills  he  worked  in  the  dye  house  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  resumed  his  trade  of  mule  spinning  in  the  mills.  He  is  now  boss  mule 
spinner,  and  has  had  charge  of  the  mulespinning  in  Mill  No.  4  for  thirty-seven  years. 
He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  Stafford  of  England,  by  whom  he  has  seven 
children:  Sarah  Jane,  Joseph,^  Yioletta,  Ella,  John  S.,  Edward,  and  Lottie.  In  1892 
he  vi.sited  England  on  a  three  months'  vacation.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bardsley  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church  at  New  York  Mills. 

Corbitt,  James,  was  born  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  January  29,  18r)5,  son  of  James  and 
Sarah  Ann  Corbitt.  James  Corbitt  died  in  1861.  James  Corbitt,  jr.,  was  educated 
in  Oriskany  and  was  a  State  officer  for  over  seven  years.  He  began  as  proprietor  of 
the  Park  House  at  Whitesboro  in  1890.  It  was  then  a  frame  building,  wliich  burned 
down  January  28,  1893,  and  Mr.  Corbitt  then  constructed  a  handsome  brick  hotel  on 
the  same  site,  which  was  built  under  his  own  supervision.  It  is  constructed  of  brick, 
and  finished  principally  in  hard  wood.  It  overlooks  beautiful  grounds,  and  is  an 
ideal  summer  residence,  always  full  during  the  summer  months  with  people  from 
Utica  and  other  large  cities.  Mr.  Corbitt  is  a  thorough  hotel  man,  and  the  house  is 
conducted  in  a  first'class  manner,  in  keepingvvith  the  building  and  its  surroundings. 

Crandall,  Charles  E.,  was  born  at  Yerona  Center,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1833.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  remained  on  the  farm  un- 
til he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  then  learned  the  currier's  trade,  which  business 
he  followed  until  1859,  when  he  became  a  manufacturer  of  boots  and  shoes.  He  con- 
tinued this  business  six  years,  then  added  the  grocery  business,  and  in  1872  began 
conducting  a  general  store,  which  he  still  follows  with  success,  taking  his  son,  Will- 
ard  L.,  into  partnership  April  1,  1885,  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  E.  Crandall  &  Son. 
October  5,  1853,  he  married  Maria  T.,  daughter  of  George  C.  Cad  well,  of  Verona,  by 
whom  he  has  three  sons:  George  C,  Willard  L.  and  Charles  F.  George  C.  mar- 
ried Minnie  Bell,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Florence.  Willard  L. 
married  Marian  Barrett,  of  Medina,  Orleans  county,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Charles  A.  and  Barrett  L.     Charles  F.  resides  at  home  and  runs  the  stage  route, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES,  327 

carrying  the  mail.  Mrs.  Crandall's  father,  George  C.  Cadwell,  was  justice  of  the 
peace  twenty  years.  Willard  L.  Crandall  is  treasurer  of  the  School  Board,  also 
president  of  the  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  Dutch  extraction. 

Klammer,  Charles  N.,  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  December  6,  1840.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  all  his  early  days  were  spent  as  a  barber,  but 
since  he  came  to  Durhamville  has  been  farming  his  own  land.  August  29,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  B,  149th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  serving  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  par- 
ticipating in  all  the  engagements  with  his  regiment,  with  the  exception  of  Gettys- 
burg, being  at  that  time  a  i^risoner  of  war ;  he  was  captured  in  the  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville,  and  was  confined  in  Libby  and  Belle  Isle  prisons.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  June  12,  1860,  and  returned  to  Syracuse.  October  8,  1867,  he  married 
Mrs.  Frances  (Archambeault)  Morse,  of  Oneida,  formerly  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  had 
one  son,  Elmer,  a  barber  by  trade,  who  married  Agnes  Lampman,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children,  Harriet  J.  and  Frances  E.  Mr.  Klammer's  father,  Christian,  was  born 
in  Alsace,  France  (now  Germany),  in  1812.  He  married  Mary  Rakel,  of  his  native 
place,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Christine,  Jane,  Charles  N.,  Elizabeth  and 
Joseph.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1840  and  located  in  Syracuse,  where  he 
died  in  1879,  and  his  wife  in  1846.  Mr.  Klammer  is  a  member  of  John  R.  Stuart 
Post,  No.  176,  G.  A.  R.,  Department  of  New  York.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is 
French  and  German. 

Starr,  John  P.,  jr. — John  P.  Starr,  sr.,  was  born  in  this  county,  and  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools.  He  married  Philena  Peckham,  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  by  whom 
he  had  four  children,  the  oldest  of  whom  died  at  twelve  years  of  age:  John  P.,  jr., 
as  above,  Kate  A.  and  Norman  S.  Mr.  Starr's  mother,  Helen  S.,  married  for  her 
second  husband  Ezra  Mansfield,  who  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  in  1797,  and  came 
to  this  county  when  a  young  man,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  was  assessor  of  the  town  over  twenty  years;  also  justice  of  the 
peace  forty-eight  years.  He  died  August  25,  1892.  Mrs.  Mansfield  s  father,  Stephen 
Parkhurst,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1780,  and  came  to  Oneida  county  when 
two  years  of  age.  He  married  Sarah  Gibson,  of  Great  Barrington,  Mass  ,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children:  Alice  A.,  Sarah  M.,  Emeline  E.,  Phoebe  A.,  William  S., 
Catherine  A.,  John  G. ,  Helen  M.,  as  above,  and  Helen  M.,  No.  1,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  Parkhurst  died  in  1859.  The  family  are  of  New  England  stock  on  both 
sides. 

Ferris,  V.  Seaman,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Flushing,  Queens  county,  N.  Y., 
March  4,  1841.  He  was  partly  educated  there  and  afterward  in  Brooklyn.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  clerk,  then  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on  his  father's  land  in 
Hamilton  county  for  twelve  years,  afterwards  in  Herkimer  county  for  eleven  years, 
and  then  came  to  this  town.  December  28,  1868,  he  married  Alma  J.  Miller, 
formerly  of  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons:  Jesse  S.,  a  clerk  at  Ver- 
ona Station  with  Hugh  H.  Miller,  a  merchant  of  that  place;  and  Eugene  B. ,  a 
farmer  at  home.  John  M.  Ferris,  father  of  V.  Seaman,  was  born  in  Westchester 
county,  N.  Y.,  in  1794.  He  was  educated  there,  and  was  a  boat  owner  and  a  lum- 
berman He  married  EHzabeth  U.  Powell,  by  whom  he  had  five  children :  Anna, 
George  P.,  John  T.,  V.  Seaman,  and  Esther  P.     Mr.  Ferris  died  in  1861,  and  his  wife 


328  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

in  1846.  Nicholas  Miller,  father  of  Mrs.  Ferris,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.Y., 
in  1809.  He  was  educated  there,  and  was  a  sawyer  by  occupation.  He  married 
Angeline  Barker,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children :  Peter,  Daniel 
H.,  John  H.,  Almira,  Joseph,  Arceolia,  Hugh  H.,  and  Ellen  M.  Mr.  Miller  died  in 
June,  1864.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  English  and  Dutch. 

Bates,  Charles  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y., 
September  26,  1860.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  October  8,  1881,  he  married  Estella  H.  Elmer,  of  this  town,  by  whom 
he  had  four  children:  Harvey,  Elmer  N.,  Bessie  M.,  and  Viola  E.  Mr.  Bates's 
father,  Harvey  Bates,  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  in  1836.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  that  time,  and  always  followed  farming  until  he  became  an  invalid.  He 
married  Julia  Emory,  of  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
Ida  A.,  Charles  E.,  as  above.  Alma  L.,  and  Mary.  Mr.  Bates  came  to  this  county 
when  a  young  man.  He  died  March  12,  1893.  Mrs.  Bates's  father,  William  Elmer, 
was  born  in  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1824,  where  he  was  educated.  He  married 
Emily  Brownell,  of  that  county,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  George  L.,  deceased, 
Luella,  deceased,  Jennie  S.,  Louisa  M.,  Estella  H.,  as  above,  and  William  H.  The 
family  came  to  this  county  in  1865.  Mr.  Elmer  died  September  30,  1894,  and  his 
wife  February  26,  1889.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  on  the  paternal  side  is  Scotch, 
and  on  the  maternal  side,  New  England  stock. 

Dohn,  Frederick,  was  born  near  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  October  13,  1843. 
He  was  educated  there,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1866  and  first  located  in 
New  York  city,  but  after  a  period  of  ten  months  went  to  West  Virginia,  coming  to 
the  town  of  Verona  in  1870.  He  married  Mrs.  Margaret  Coles,  of  this  town, 
formerly  of  Westmoreland,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living: 
Jennie  P.,  wife  of  Mr.  Cheesbro,  and  they  have  one  son,  Frederick;  Christina,  who 
is  at  the  head  of  the  housekeeping  establishment ;  Sarah,  a  stenographer  at  Rome, 
N.  Y. ;  and  Emma,  who  resides  at  home.  Mrs.  Dohn  died  September  20,  1894.  Mr. 
Dohn  is  a  farmer  and  proprietor  of  a  cider  mill,  making  about  2,000  barrels  annually : 
he  also  manufactures  vinegar.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  canning  factory  called  the 
"Criterion,"  putting  up  about  2,000  cases  of  tomatoes  per  year.  Mr.  Dohn  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  Rome  Council  No.  150,  Royal  Arcanum. 

Clark,  Roland  H.,  was  born  in  Turin,  Lewis  county,  N.Y.,  May  10,  1849.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  is  by  occupation  a  farmer.  September  22,  1874, 
he  married  Jennie  F.  Hills,  of  his  native  town,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Edward 
D.,  now  a  student  in  the  Union  School.  The  family  became  residents  of  Verona, 
November  22,  1894.  Mr.  Clark's  father,  Philo  Clark,  was  born  in  Granby,  Conn., 
November  17,  1797,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day,  coming  to  Lewis 
county  with  his  parents  when  five  years  of  age.  April  18,  1827,  he  married  Amy  A- 
Hubbard,  formerly  of  Connecticut,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy:  Lucinda  A.,  Julius  L.,  Milton  P.,  Roland  H.,  as  above,  and 
Lorinda.  He  died  March  15,  1890,  and  his  wife  November  20,  1882.  Mrs.  Clark's 
father,  Andrew  W.  Hills,  was  born  in  Turin,  Lewis  county.  N.  Y.,  October  22,  1834, 
and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools.  He  married  Josephine  Gookins,  by  whom 
he  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy:  Jennie  F.,  as  above,  and  Alice, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  329 

who  married  Noah  Whiltlesay,  of  Greig.  Mr.  Hills  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war, 
and  died  in  Anderson ville  prison,  starved  to  death.  His  wife  died  March  20,  1895. 
Mrs.  Clark's  grandfather,  Cornelius  Hills,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Lowville,  Lewis 
county,  May  12,  1807,  He  married  Harriet  Salmond,  by  whom  he  had  five  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church  of  Verona,  of  which  he  is  one 
of  the  stewards.  He  is  also  collector  of  the  Union  School.  The  family  are  of  New 
England  stock,  and  of  English  and  Scotch  ancestry. 

Ressegue,  James  M.,  was  born  on  the  homestead  May  8,  1838,  and  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools.  He  was  a  resident  of  Buffalo  twenty-two  years,  and  was 
captain  and  part  owner  of  steam  tug  boats,  but  is  now  a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Ve- 
rona. December  5,  1865,  he  married  Frances  C.  Eads,  of  Buffalo,  and  they  had  these 
children;  Florence,  who  married  Forrest  Wilson,  of  the  town  of  Westmoreland; 
Harley  H.,  who  is  a  paper  hanger  by  occupation,  and  is  also  a  fine  elocutionist;  and 
Lyle  M.,  a  student  at  school.  Mr.  Ressegue's  father,  James,  was  born  in  1813,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day.  He  married  Lydia  Leet,  of  Verona,  N.  Y. , 
by  whom  he  had  these  childreen:  Maria,  Harley,  Emily,  Caroline,  Henry,  Mary, 
Eliza,  Ellen,  and  James  M.,  as  above.  Mr.  Ressegue  died  in  1851,  and  his  wife  in 
1864.  Mrs.  Ressegue's  father,  Hiram  B.  Eads,  was  born  in  Oneida  count}',  in  1806. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
married  Desire  Williams,  of  his  native  county,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children: 
Sarah  A.,  Polly,  Nancy  Frances  C,  Fannie,  Abigail,  William  B.,  Alonzo  B.,  and 
Benjamin  F.  Mr.  Eads  died  in  1854,  and  his  wife  in  1889.  Mr.  Ressegue  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  No.  150,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Ressegue's  grandfather, 
David  Williams,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  ancestry  of  the  family 
is  French  and  Welsh. 

Carpenter,  Horace  M.,  was  born  in  Herkimer,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  February 
16,  1838.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  came  to  this  county  in  1860. 
He  is  a  general  and  dairy  farmer.  November  14,  1878,  he  married  Eliza  Rener,  of 
this  town,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Florence  and  Harry.  Mr.  Carpenter's 
father,  Samuel  Carpenter,  was  born  in  Herkimer,  in  1810.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  the  day,  and  was  also  a  farmer.  He  married  Caroline  Stevens  of  that 
county,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Horace  M.,  as  above,  Stephen,  and  Al- 
mira.  He  died  January  7,  1888,  and  his  wife,  April  7,  1892.  His  grandfather, 
Stephen  Carpenter,  was  born  in  Rhode  Lsland.  He  married,  and  in  1788  came  to 
Herkimer  county  with  an  ox  team,  and  drove  two  cows  and  some  sheep.  Mrs.  Car- 
penter's father,  Frederick  Rener,  was  born  in  Switzerland  July  6,  1830,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  locating  in  this  county.  He  married 
Susanna  Bechthept,  of  this  county,  formerly  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children:  Eliza,  as  above,  Philip,  Susie,  George,  Theresa,  Louisa,  Kate,  Minnie, 
who  died  in  infancy,  Frederick,  and  Charles.  Mr.  Carpenter's  great-grandfather, 
Frederick  Stevens,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Ori.skany.  The  ancestry  of  the  family 
is  English,  Swiss  and  German. 

Tafft,  Julian  E.,  was  born  in  Oneida,  N.  Y.,   May  3,   1858.     He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools   and  Oneida  Seminary   and   now  follows  farming.     He  married 
Emily  S.  Frisbie,  of  Verona,   N.   Y.,   by  whom  he  has  two  sons:     Charles  F.  aiid 
PP 


330  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

James  H.  Mr.  Tafft's  father,  James  S.,  was  born  in  Swansea,  N.  H. ,  in  1812,  where 
he  was  educated.  James  S.  Tafft  came  to  this  State  when  twenty-one  years  of  age: 
he  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor.  He  married  twice,  second  to  Julia  A.  Robinson, 
of  Dunstable,  Mass.,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Emma,  died  in  infancy,  Flor- 
ence, Marian,  Julian  E.,  and  Murray.  He  died  November  13,  1888.  Julian  E.  Tafft 
is  a  fine  musician.     The  family  is  of  New  England  and  Scotch  descent. 

Maurer,  George  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  June  15,  1854.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  De- 
cember 15,  1881,  he  married  Caroline  Niece,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children:  Arthur  G. ,  and  Esther  C.  Mr.  Maurer's father,  George  Maurer,  was  born 
in  Germany  in  1823.  He  was  educated  there  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a 
young  man  and  located  here.  He  married  Salome  Esche,  formerly  of  Alsace,  Ger- 
many, by  when  he  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living:  Amelia.  George  H., 
as  above,  Henry  P.,  William  and  Jacob.  Mr.  Maurer  died  in  July,  1885.  Mrs.  Maurer's 
father,  George  Niece,  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1819.  He  was  educated  there  and 
came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  locating  in  this  town.  He  married 
Barbara  Clau,  formerly  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Barbara, 
George.  Eve,  Salome,  Caroline,  as  above,  and  Alice  M.  Mr.  Niece  died  in  1884. 
The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  German  on  both  sides. 

Shepard,  Luther  M.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N  Y.,  in  1832.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools,  and  has  always  followed  farming.  March  23,  1854,  he 
married  Barbara  Bell,  of  this  town  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Estella  B.,  Etta 
A.,  and  Fred  L.,  who  married  Agnes  Hamilton  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  Shepard's 
father,  Luther  Shepard,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  about  1780,  and  came  to  this  town 
in  1803,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  married  twice,  first  to  Polly  Mer- 
riam,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Sophia,  Joseph,  and  Mary  Ann.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife  he  married  Eliza  Nichols,  of  the  town  of  Vienna,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children : 'Eliza,  Juliette,  Harriet,  Luther  M.,  as  above,  Sarah  J.,  George  A.,  Delight, 
and  Edward.  Mr.  Shepard  died  April  20,  1868,  and  his  wife  April  2,  1855.  Mrs. 
Shepard's  father,  Paul  Bell,  was  born  in  France,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
when  a  young  man,  and  was  employed  in  a  New  York  French  importing  house.  He 
married  Miss  Wagner,  formerly  of  France,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Barbara, 
as  above.  Mr.  Bell  died  when  Mrs.  Shepard  was  a  little  girl,  and  his  wife  Febru- 
ary 10,  1892.  The  ancestry  of  the  Shepard  family  is  of  Puritan  New  England  stock, 
and  Mrs.  Shepard's  people  were  of  French  and  German  origin. 

Knittel,  Joseph,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in  June,  1833.  He  was  educated 
there  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1861,  locating  in  the  town  of  Verona.  He 
enlisted  twice,  first  in  the  Oneida  Cavalry,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  1863,  when  he  re-enlisted  in  the  same  company  and  regiment  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866  he  married  Mary  Goodsell.  of  Westmoreland,  by 
whom  he  had  ten  children:  Minnie,  Annie,  Josephine,  William,  Caroline  (who  died 
in  infancy),  Caroline,  Louisa,  Frank  (who  died  in  infancy),  Frank,  and  Catharine. 
Minnie  is  also  dead.  Mr.  Knittel  is  a  member  of  Joseph  H.  Warren  Post.  No.  615, 
G.  A.  R.,  Department  of  New  York.     The  family  is  of  French  origin. 

Cagwin,  Marenus,  was  born  on  the  homestead  near  Verona,  July  24,  1838.     He  was 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  331 

educated  in  the  district  and  select  schools,  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Novem- 
ber 32,  1871,  he  married  Christine  Mattice,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  George 
H.,  Frank  L.,  Mabel  G.,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Pearl  M.  The  oldest  son  is  a  stu- 
dent in  Utica  Business  College ;  Frank  L.  is  a  student  in  the  union  school  at  Verona. 
Mr.  Cagwin's  father,  Abial  Cagwin,  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1802,  and  came  to 
this  State  with  his  parents  when  an  infant.  He  married  Desire  Chase  of  Saratoga 
county,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Lydia  J.,  Mary  E.,  Marenus,  Henry  A.  and 
Julia  M.  Mr.  Cagwin  died  in  18()8,  and  his  wife  July  20,  1887.  Mrs.  Cagwin's  father, 
Peter  Mattice,  was  born  in  Germany,  was  educated  there,  and  married  Mrs.  Ger- 
trude (Fisher)  Myers,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  three  children;  Christine, 
George,  and  Catherine.  Mrs.  Mattice  died  when  Mrs.  Cagwin  was  six  years  old. 
The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  New  England  and  German  nationality. 

Lorenz,  Anton,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  April  8,  1841.  He  was  partly  edu- 
cated there,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  when  ten  years  of  age, 
locating  in  the  town  of  Verona,  where  he  finished  his  education  in  the  district 
schools,  after  which  he  engaged  as  a  farm  hand.  June  24,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A, 
117th  N.  y.  Vols.,  and  served  in  the  Army  of  the  James.  He  was  wounded  in  the 
hip  in  the  battle  of  Drury's  Bluff,  was  transferred  to  Co.  E,  24th  Veteran  Reserves 
and  was  honorably  discharged  June  25,  1865,  when  he  returned  to  Verona,  N.  Y.  In 
1864  he  married  Barbara  Strell,  of  Rome,  N.  Y. ,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children: 
Ida  B.,  Frank  J.,  Catherine  M.,  Emma  E.,  Rose  I.,  Mary  C,  Anton  J.,  and  Caroline 
B.  Catherine  M.  married  John  Bisenf elder,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  three 
children:  Albert  F.,  Pauline  I.,  and  Margaret  E.  Mrs.  Lorenz's  father,  Joseph 
Strell,  was  born  in  Austria,  and  upon  his  death  his  wife  married  for  her  second  hus- 
band, Casper  Streabb,  and  they  had  five  children.  The  family  came  here  in  1853  and 
located  in  Oneida,  where  they  remained  five  years  when  they  settled  in  Rome,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Lorenz  is  a  member  of  Joseph  H.  Warren  Post,  No.  615,  G.  A.  R..  Dept.  N.  Y. 
He  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  N.  Y.  C.  &  H.  R.  R.  Co.  twenty-six  years,  and  his 
son,  Frank  J.,  ten  years. 

Reed,  Mrs.  Laura  D. — The  late  William  Reed  was  born  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  in  1825, 
and  died  July  31,  1866.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  2d  Artillery,  N.  Y.  Vols.,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  on  account  of  sickness  in  1865.  In  1847  he  married  Laura  D. 
Smith,  of  the  town  of  Lenox,  Madison  county,  by  whom  he  had  two  children: 
Elmer  and  Flora  L.  Elmer  married  Kate  Williams,  of  Wampsville,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Ellis,  Florence  and  Raymond.  Flora  L.  married  Victor  Eddy,  and 
they  had  two  children  ;  Stewart,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Glenny  C,  who  married 
Albert  Burton ;  they  have  one  daughter,  Vera  M.  Mr.  Eddy  was  born  in  Madison 
county  in  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  has  always  been  a 
farmer.  His  father,  George  W. ,  was  born  in  Cazenovia  about  1814,  and  was  a 
blacksmith  and  farmer.     He  married  Louisa  Benjamin,  and  they  had  seven  children. 

Foster,  Nathaniel  W.,  was  born  on  the  homstead,  near  Durhamville,  N.  Y.,  May 
10,  1832,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Clinton  Liberal  In.stitute.  He 
has  been  a  salesman  on  the  road  several  years,  but  is  now  a  farmer  and  horse  breeder. 
December  15,    1862,   he  married  Lucy  Clark,  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  one  son, 


332  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE). 

Frank  C.  Mrs.  Foster  died  in  1866,  and  March  18,  1874,  he  married  Rebecca  Smith, 
of  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county.  December  22,  1886,  Frank  C.  Foster  married  Anna 
M.  Currin,  by  whom  he  had  two  daughters:  Lucy  M.,  and  Evelina  M.  Mr.  Foster's 
father,  Franklin  Foster,  was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  January  30,  1805  and 
in  October,  1829,  he  married  Maria  Segar,  of  New  York  Mills,  and  they  came  here 
in  January,  1830.  They  had  three  children:  Nathaniel  W. ,  as  above,  Mary  S.,  and 
Elnora,  who  died  in  infancy.  Three  of  the  Foster  brothers  came  here  into  the 
primeval  forest,  where  wild  beasts  were  plenty;  two  of  them  were  contractors 
(Julius  and  Orson),  and  erected  the  trestle  on  the  N.  Y.  C.  &  H.  R.  R.,  at  Oneida, 
and  were  the  pioneer  contractors  on  the  N.  Y. ,  E.  &  W.  Railroad  near  Elmira. 
Franklin  Foster  died  in  1878,  and  his  wife  in  1876.  His  grandfather,  Nathaniel 
Foster,  was  born  in  1778,  and  his  great-grandfather,  Timothy  Foster,  in  1749. 
Jonah,  son  of  Josiah,  was  born  on  Long  Island,  February  7,  1721. 

Newton,  Frank  J.,  was  born  on  the  homestead  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y., 
October  1,  1862,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Cazenovia  Seminary. 
He  was  bookkeeper  and  shipping  clerk  in  the  glass  factory  five  years,  and  after- 
wards carried  on  a  meat  market  in  Durhamville  five  years,  but  is  now  a  farmer  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Dunbarton.  December  25,  1884,  he  married  Mira  A.  Mills,  of 
the  town  of  Lenox,  Madison  county,  by  whom  he  had  four  children;  Harry  M., 
Minnie  M.,  Howard  F. ,  and  Fred  W.  James  K.  Newton,  father  of  Frank  J  ,  was 
born  in  this  town,  October  9,  1819,  and  was  educated  there.  He  followed  the  canal 
for  six  years,  but  later  engaged  in  farming'.  He  married  Martha  Jordan,  of  Boon- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Theresa,  Melissa,  and  Frank  J.  Mr. 
Newton  died  February  6,  1888,  and  his  wife  February  20,  1885.  Mrs.  Newton's 
father,  Nathan  Mills,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Grafton,  Ren.sselaer  county,  March  17, 
1831.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  came  to  this  county  when  a 
young  man.  He  married  Angeline  Manchester,  of  the  toivn  of  Lenox,  Madison 
county,  and  they  have  five  children:  Mira  A.,  Minnie  L.,  George  E.,  Hattie  A.,  and 
S.  Emma. 

Baker,  Daniel,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  August  4,  1832,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  located  in  Deerfield, 
where  he  was  educated.  He  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  and  has  since  followed  the 
occupation  of  contractor  and  builder.  October  27,  1857,  he  married  Eliza  Ague,  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy: 
William,  E.  Frederick,  Henry  L.,  and  Louisa  C.  Frederick  married  Myra  Collins, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Lester  H.  Frederick  Baker,  father  of  Daniel,  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  in  1801.  He  married  Mary  Haper,  of  his  native  State,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children ;  Daniel,  Caroline,  Henry,  Dorothy,  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1845,  where  Mr.  Baker  died  in  1856,  and 
his  wife  about  1880.  Daniel  Baker  is  one  of  the  inspectors  on  the  Erie  Canal.  The 
family  on  both  sides  are  German-American. 

Yager,  Helen. — The  late  Luther  E.  Yager  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  May 
14,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  was  in  the  late  war  as  drummer  boy,  and  bugler  in  the  cavalry  branch  of  the 
service,  and  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service.     May  7,  1867,  he  married 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  333 

Helen  Suits,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Burton  E.,  who  is  a 
farmer  on  the  homestead  with  his  mother.  December  7,  1888,  he  married  Alice  W. 
Spavin  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Luther  E.  and  Flossie  P.  Mr. 
Yager  died  March  2,  1881.  Mrs.  Yager's  father,  Christopher  Suits,  was  born  in 
Stone  Arabia,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  October  19,  1812,  and  came  here  with  his 
parents  when  a  child.  March  19,  1844,  he  married  Barbara  Wagner,  of  this  town 
formerly  of  France,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Helen,  Christopher,  William  H. 
and  Mrs.  Mary  R.  Kilts.  Mr.  Suits  died  September  6,  1886,  and  his  wife  December 
13,  1888.     The  family  have  resided  on  this  homestead  since  1856. 

Suits,  Mrs.  Verena  C. — The  late  William  H.  Suits  was  born  on  the  homestead  in 
the  town  of  Verona,  March  19.  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
Oneida  Seminary,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  September  29,  1872,  he  married 
Verena  Cook,  of  the  town  of  Vienna,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Jennie  M., 
E.  Leroy,  Guy  A.,  and  Bessie  P.  Mr.  Suits  died  November  23,  1895.  Mrs.  Suits's 
father,  Andrew  Cook,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Palatine,  Montgomery  county,  N. 
Y.,  November  11,  1800.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  came  to  the  town  of  Vienna  when  a  voung  man,  and  married 
Jane  Covil,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  who  was  born  April  4,  1811,  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children:  Betsy,  John,  Charles,  George,  Casper,  Joseph,  and  Verena.  Mr. 
Cook  died  in  December,  1893,  and  his  wife  about  1868.  The  ancestry  of  this  family 
is  Dutch,  Welsh  and  Swiss. 

Wright,  George  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Vienna,  March  11,  1863,  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  Canastota  Academy,  and  was  graduated  from  East- 
man's Commercial  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  after  which  he  taught  school  three  years. 
He  has  had  numerous  occupations,  finally  engaging  in  the  merchandise  business 
February  1,  1887.  February  17,  1895,  he  married  Mary  E.  Weismouth,  of  this  town. 
Mr.  Wright's  father,  Reuben  B.  Wright,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Camden,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1837,  and  came  to  the  town  of  Vienna  when  eight  years  of  age.  He  was  edu- 
cated m  the  common  schools,  and  was  a  cheesemaker  by  trade.  February  12.  1862, 
he  married  Mary  A.  Herder,  of  the  town  of  Vienna,  formerly  of  Wurtemburg,  Ger- 
many, by  whom  he  had  two  children:  George  E.,  and  Frances  J.,  now  Mrs.  Bar- 
low, of  New  London.  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Wright"s  father,  Casper  Wei.smouth,  was  born 
in  Germany,  in  1831,  was  educated  there  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  when  ten  years  of  age,  locating  in  the  town  of  Verona,  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Miller,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children :  Catherine,  Joseph, 
Nancy,  John,  Margaret,  Mary  E.,  Anna,  Caroline,  and  Bertha.  Mr.  Wright  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1887,  and  continued  in  office 
until  1893,  and  since  that  time  has  been  acting  as  deputy.  He  has  also  been  justice 
of  the  peace  six  years,  and  is  now  notary  public. 

Covel,  Stephen  A.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Viepna,  N.  Y.,  April  10,  1830.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  after  which  he  followed  the  canal  twenty  years, 
was  a  shipper  in  Buffalo  six  years,  a  farmer  in  Wayne  county  four  years,  and  a  mer- 
chant in  Niagara  county  several  years.  In  1873  he  purchased  the  old  homestead,  and 
came  to  reside  in  New  London  in  1883.  He  has  resided  in  Dakota  six  years,  with 
the  exception  of  one  winter.     In  1851  he  married  Louisa  Brown,  af  his  native  place, 


334  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Albert  I..,who  married  Sarah  Taber,  of  Walworth,  Wayne 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  son,  Harry.  The  family  are  residents  of  Glovers- 
ville,  Fulton  county,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Covell  died  in  1892,  and  Mr.  Covell  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Linda  E.  (Brown)  Chapman,  of  his  native  place.  Mr.  Covell's 
father,  Stephen  A.,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  1805,  and  came  to  this  State  with 
his  parents  when  a  child,  locating  in  the  town  of  Vienna.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  and 
supervisor.  He  married  Lydia  Holden,  of  the  town  of  Vienna,  by  whom  he  had 
thirteen  children:  Andrew  and  Ada,  twins,  Stephen  A.,  as  above,  Laura  J.,  Henry 
and  Harriet,  twins,  Benjamin,  deceased,  John,  Emeline  and  Emily,  twins,  Horace, 
Franklin  and  Luther.  Mr.  Covell  died  in  1889,  and  his  wife  in  1866.  Mrs.  Covell's 
father  Sanford  Brown,  was  born  in  New  Baltimore,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1804. 
He  married  Ruth  Hicks,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children: 
George,  William  T.,  Marcus,  Linda  E.,  as  above,  Mary,  Worthington,  Abbie  A., 
Sanford,  George  2d,  Emma  and  Steven.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  died  in  1892.  Mr. 
Covell  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  been  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Vienna 
three  years.  He  is  a  member  of  New  London  Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.  The 
ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  New  England  stock. 

Collins,  Reuben,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y.,  March  27,  1833.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  has  followed  the  canal  all  his  life  in  connec- 
tion with  farming.  In  June,  1861,  he  married  Emily  Collins,  of  his  native  town,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children:  Orrin  D.,  Emma  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
and  Lottie  A.  April  7,  1890,  Orrin  D.  married  Nettie  M.  Gibbs,  of  Wayne  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  they  have  had  three  children:  Florence  E..  Edgar,  who  died  in  infancy, 
and  Eva  J.  Mr.  Collins's  father,  Joel  Collins,  was  born  in  this  county,  about  1800. 
He  was  educated  in  the  .schools  of  his  day,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
married  Esther  Ferguson,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children:  Richard, 
Emeline,  William,  Mehetable,  Caroline,  Stephen,  Reuben,  as  above,  and  Matilda. 
He  died  about  1890,  and  his  wife  about  1870.  Mrs.  Collins's  father,  Job  Collins,  was 
born  about  1776.  He  married  Almedia  Lanmg,  of  the  town  of  Verona,  by  whom 
he  had  nine  children:  Beti^ey,  Nathan,  Sarah,  Alfred,  Acus,  Charles,  Keziah,  Wash- 
ington and  Emily.  Mr.  Collins  died  in  1850,  and  his  wife  in  1876.  Mr.  Collins  is  a 
member  of  New  London  Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mrs.  Collins  is  a  member  of 
Vesta  Chapter,  No.  115,  O.  E.  S.,  as  is  also  the  daughter,  Lottie  A.  The  ancestry 
of  the  family  is  of  New  England  stock,  of  Scotch  extraction. 

Drummond,  Thomas,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  near  the  old  homestead, 
March  26,  1845,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools.  He  followed  the  canal  be- 
fore and  after  the  war,  but  is  now  a  hotel  keeper  in  New  London,  N.  Y.  January 
7,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  participated  in  several  heavy  en- 
gagements, and  was  wounded  in  the  left  hand  and  wrist  in  the  battle  before  Peters- 
burg; on  June  16,  1864,  he  was  sent  to  Grove  Hospital,  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  was  trans- 
ferred to  general  hospital  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  and  was  honorably  discharged  by  surg- 
eon's certificate  of  disability  May  25,  1865.  April  16,  1868.  he  married  Emma  G. 
Guest,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Eugene  E.,  Charles  T.  and 
Gertrude  M.  Mrs.  Drummond's  father,  William  Guest,  was  born  in  England  about 
1810.     He  married  Sarah  Forward,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  ten  chil- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  335 

dren:  Jemima,  William,  Joseph.  Thomas,  Henry,  Mary,  James,  Eugene,  Emma 
G.,  as  above,  and  Jerome,  who  died  in  his  fourth  year.  The  family  came  to  the 
United  States  after  four  children  were  born,  and  located  in  the  town  of  Verona.  Mr. 
Guest  died  in  1879,  and  his  wife  in  1880.  Mr.  Drummond  is  a  member  of  New  Lon- 
don Lodge  420,  F.  &  A.  M.     The  ancestry  of  this  family  is  Scotch  and  English. 

Bacon,  Hiram  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Oppenheim,  Fulton  county,  N.  Y., 
April  8,  182G.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  the  Little  Falls  Academy, 
then  engaged  in  farming.  July  4,  1850,  he  married  Sarah  J.  Barker,  of  his  native 
place,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  H.  Eugenia,  David  E.  and  Alice  A.  H. 
Eugenia  married  Jacob  Seme,  of  this  town,  and  they  have  five  children:    Harold  J., 

D.  Alvin,  Sidney  G.,  Jennie  M.  and  Frank  H.  David  E.  Bacon  married  Emma 
Cagwin,  of  this  town.  Alice  A.  married  John  W.  Owen,  of  Rome.  N.  Y. ,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Spencer  and  Mildred.     August  7,  1862,  Mr.  Bacon  enlisted  in  Co. 

E,  117th  Infy.,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  and  participated  in  twelve  general  engagements  and 
was  honorably  discharged  June  20,  1865.  He  is  a  member  of  Joseph  H.  Warren 
Post  No.  615,  Verona,  N.  Y.  Jonathan  Bacon,  his  father,  was  born  in  Fulton  county, 
N.  Y.,  about  1787.  He  married  Huldah  Davies,  formerly  of  Massachusetts,  bv 
whom  he  had  seven  children:  Davis  W.,  Warren  A.,  William  S.,  Harriet,  George 
H.,  Hiram  H.  and  Eliza  A.  He  died  when  a  young  man  and  his  widow  died  in  1871, 
aged  eighty-two  years.  Mrs.  Bacon's  father,  David  Barker,  was  born  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, January  5,  1797.  He  married  Lois  Heald,  of  his  native  State,  who  was  born 
in  December,  1801.  They  had  four  children:  David,  Lois,  Mary  and  Sarah  J.  Mr. 
Barker  died  October  18,  1846,  and  his  wife  in  1863.  Mr.  and  I\Irs.  Bacon  are  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  church  of  New  London,  N.  Y.,  and  he  is  steward  of  the  church. 
The  family  is  of  English  and  Scotch  descent. 

Conley,  William,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona,  N.  Y. ,  July  1,  1830,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  has  been  foreman  of  public  works,  canal,  etc., 
se\en  years,  was  keeper  of  the  insane  department  at  the  county  house  seven  years, 
but  IS  now  engaged  in  farming  in  the  town  of  Verona.  In  1856  he  married  Nancv 
He.ss,  formerly  of  Herkimer  >county,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  George  H.,  and 
William  D.  George  H.  married  Helen  Wanzey,  of  Amityville,  Long  Island,  where 
they  reside.  They  have  one  son,  William  G.  William  D.  married  Hattie  Marcellus, 
of  New  London,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Conley's  father,  Michael  Conley,  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1196,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  locating  in  this  town.  He 
had  a  contract  on  the  canal  when  it  was  first  being  made  at  Oriskany.  He  married 
Mary  McGahn,  of  the  town  of  Half  Moon,  Saratoga  county,  by  whom  he  had  twelve 
children:  Edward,  Mary  Ann,  John,  James,  Jane,  William,  Henry,  Hugh,  Michael, 
Helen,  Elizabeth  and  Margaret,  only  five  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Conley  died  in 
1852.  Mrs.  Michael  Conley  died  in  1874,  and  Mrs.  William  Conley  August  16,  1892. 
Mr.  Conley  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  church  at  New  London,  of  which  he  is  trustee. 
The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  Irish  and  Scotch. 

Darrow,  Nicholas  N.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y., 
June  12,  1825.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  early  day,  and  has  had  a 
variety  of  occupations,  farming,  and  has  also  followed  the  canal  several  years.  He 
served  in  the  United  States  Navy  three  and  a  half  years,  on  the  flag  ship  Indepeq- 


33G  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

dence,  in  the  Miditerranean  Sea.  March  18,  1855,  he  married  Margaret  Rant,  of  the 
town  of  Vienna,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Mary  A.,  who  died  at  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Darrow  has  served  as  assessor  several  years,  and  is  a  member  of 
New  London  Lodge,  No.  20,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  holds  the  office  of  junior  deacon, 
Mr.  Darrow's  father,  Nicholas  N.  Darrow,  was  born  in  Schenectady  county,  N.  Y. 
Remarried  Mary  Akin,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  six  children.  Our  sub 
ject  is  the  oldest  living  member  of  the  family.  Mr.  Darrow,  sr.,  was  in  the  "  patriot 
war"  in  Canada,  was  tried,  and  never  heard  of  again.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Mary 
Darrow,  died  in  1845.  Mr.  Darrow's  grandfather,  Daniel  Darrow,  served  under 
Washington,  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  family  on  both  sides  are  of  New  Eng- 
land stock,  of  English  and  German  origin. 

Weismantle,  Casper,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  January  6,  1881.  He  was 
educated  there,  and  has  had  a  variety  of  occupations  since  he  came  to  the  United 
States;  driving  stage  for  others  and  on  his  own  account,  followed  the  canal  for  several 
years,  and  conducted  a  general  store  at  Grove  Sj^rings  several  years,  but  now  lives 
retired.  May  15,  185(5,  he  married  Elizabeth  Miller,  of  New  London,  by  whom  he 
had  nine  children:  Catherine,  Nancy  E.,  Joseph  H.,  John  A.,  Margaret,  Maryette, 
Annie  W.,  Carrie  R.,  and  Francis  B.  Mrs.  Weismantle's  father,  Joseph  Miller,  was 
born  in  Alsace,  France,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man.  He 
married  Catherine  Seigel,  formerly  of  his  native  country,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children;  Catherine,  Elizabeth,  as  above,  Joseph,  Nancy,  and  Mary  F.  Both  father 
and  mother  are  dead.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  on  both  sides  is  German. 

Ague,  Charles,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  Decimber,  1846,  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  six  months  of  age,  locating  in  this  town  where 
he  was  educated  in  the  district  schools.  He  has  followed  the  canal  for  thirty  years 
in  connection  with  farming.  April  26,  1880,  he  married  Caroline  Sipp,  of  this  town, 
by  whom  he  had  one  daughter.  Bertha  A.  Mr.  Ague's  father,  Paul  Ague,  was  born 
at  the  old  home  in  Germany,  where  he  was  educated.  He  married  Elizabeth  Schmidt, 
of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Catherine,  now  Mrs.  Martin 
Snyder,  of  New  London,  N.  Y. ;  and  Charles,  as  above.  Paul  Ague  died  in  1848, 
the  result  of  an  accident.  For  her  second  husband  Mrs.  Ague  married  Jacob  Kropp, 
of  the  town  of  Verona,  and  thej'  had  six  children:  Elizabeth,  Salome,  Amelia  L. , 
Edward  J.,  George  M.,  and  William  H.  Elizabeth  married  William  Reiger,  of  this 
town,  and  they  had  six  children:  Martin,  Camelia,  William,  Emil,  Edwin  and  Cora. 
Salome  married  Michael  Ungerer,  of  Verona.  Amelia  died  in  1872.  Edward  J. 
married  Catherine  Lan.scidel,  now  of  LTtica.  George  married  Matilda  Borer,  of  this 
locality.  Mrs.  Ague's  father,  William  Sipp,  was  born  in  Hes.se-Darmstadt,  Germany, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man.  He  married  Helen  Maherh,  of 
the  town  of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Caroline,  as  above,  William, 
Peter,  Helen,  Amelia,  Philipena,  John,  Lewis  and  Jacob.  Mrs.  Sipp  died  in  1888. 
Mr.  Sipp  is  a  member  of  the  World's  Mutual  Benefit  Association,  of  Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

Wright,  George  P.,  was  born  in  Verona,  near  New  London,  N.  Y.,  March  1,  1854. 
He  was  educated  in  the  district  school,  followed  the  canal  twenty-five  years  with 
success,  and  kept  a  hotel  three  years.  November  7,  1876,  he  married  Julia  A.  Raut, 
of  the   town   of  Verona,  by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Daisy  L..  Edith  A.,  and 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  337 

George  E.  Daisy  L.  married  John  Link,  of  Iliou,  N.  Y.  Edith  A.  died  at  eleven 
months  of  age.  George  E.  is  a  student  at  school.  Mr.  Wright's  father,  John  Wright, 
was  born  in  Germany,  June  2,  1822.  He  was  educated  there  and  came  to  the  United 
States  about  1842  and  located  in  Croghan,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.  About  1846  he 
married  Christina  Gates,  formerly  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children : 
Mary,  deceased,  John,  deceased,  George  P.,  as  above,  Louisa,  deceased,  Amelia, 
deceased,  William  and  E.  Isabel.  The  family  have  resided  in  this  county  since  1850. 
Mrs.  Wright  died  Feb.  17,  1892.  Mrs.  Wright's  father,  John  Raut,  was  born  near 
Fish  Creek,  in  the  town  of  Vienna  in  1836.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
and  was  a  boatman  and  farmer  by  occupation.  About  1858  he  married  Helen  Lar- 
rabee,  of  the  town  of  Vienna  by  whom  he  had  seven  children:  Mary,  who  died  at 
five  years  of  age;  Julia  A.,  as  above;  Everett,  who  died  at  seven  years  of  age; 
Christopher  H.,  E.  Allie,  who  died  at  two  years  of  age;  John  W.  and  Blanche  D. 
Mr.  Wright  is  a  member  of  New  London  Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Mrs. 
Wright  is  a  member  of  Vesta  Chapter  No.  115,  O.  E.  S. ,  in  which  she  holds  the 
position  of  associate  conductress.  The  ancestry  of  this  family  is  German  on  both 
sides. 

Armstrong,  George  H.,  of  Armstrong,  Baker  &  Co.,  of  New  Hartford,  is  the  son 
of  the  late  well-known  James  Armstrong,  who  was  one  of  the  most  worthy  and 
prominent  citizens  of  the  place.  He  occupied  many  positions  of  trust  and  honor, 
one  of  which  being  a  seat  in  the  State  Legislature.  The  works  of  Armstrong  & 
Baker  wei'e  originally  established  by  him  in  1864,  and  have  since  grown  mto  one  of 
the  most  important  industries  of  the  place,  furnishing  employment  to  about  seventy 
people.  The  present  firm  was  organized  in  1871,  as  the  New  Hartford  Knitting  Mill, 
and  their  entire  output  consists  of  children's  wear  of  all  grades,  which  is  handled 
by  commission  in  New  York  city. 

Risley,  Orville,  was  born  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  in  1850,  son  of  Chauncey  Risley, 
who  came  with  his  own  team  to  Madison  county,  from  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  in  1833. 
He  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  families  to  whom  the  town  of  New  Hartford  is 
indebted  for  it,s  name ;  they  having  emigrated  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  Richard 
Risley  settled  with  its  founder,  Thomas  Hooker,  in  1635,  after  having  escaped  the 
religious  persecutions  in  England.  Chauncey  Risley  died  in  1894,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years,  leaving  a  widow,  who  is  still  living  at  eighty  years  of  age, 
having  brought  up  twelve  children,  of  whom  eight  are  now  living,  the  youngest 
being  forty  j'ears  of  age.  Orville  Risley  was  educated  in  Hamilton,  and  came  to 
this  town  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  for  sixteen  years 
has  been  engaged  in  an  extensive  creamery  business  with  his  brother  Fremont  A. 
Risley,  located  at  New  York  Mills.  In  1873  he  married  Ada  Perkins,  of  Chenango 
county,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Fenimore  C,  an  art  student  in  New  York; 
Walter  C.  ;  Floyd  F.  ;  and  Lena. 

Henderson,  W.  H.,  was  born  at  Richland,  Oswego  county,  in  1839.  During  early 
life  he  was  engaged  in  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace,  and  after  a  tour  of 
the  far  west,  including  four  years  in  Northern  Dakota,  he  purchased  the  Chapman 
Hotel  property  at  Washington  Mills.  In  1861  he  married  Frances  Menter,_  of  Rich- 
land, N.  Y.  His  father,  David  Henderson,  formerly  conducted  a  hotel  at  Richland, 
N.  Y. 


338  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Adams,  Charles  H.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  in  1826,  son  of 
James  Adams.  His  grandfather,  James  Adams,  came  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  at  a 
very  early  date,  and  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  ot  Washington  Mills.  Charles  H. 
received  his  education  in  his  native  place,  and  having  been  reared  on  a  farm,  en- 
gaged in  that  occupation,  and  at  which  he  still  continues,  occupying  the  old  home- 
stead. In  1850  he  married  Elizabeth  Thomas,  of  Utica.  by  whom  he  has  two  chil- 
dren: Celia,  wife  of  John  Emery;  and  Minnie,  wife  of  George  Neice. 

Prescott,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1856,  son  of  Daniel 
Morgan  Prescott.  He  is  the  owner  of  the  farm  with  which  the  name  of  Prescott  has 
been  identified  over  one  hundred  years,  and  which  descended  from  father  to  son  for 
many  generations.  His  great-grandfather  came  here  from  Connecticut  when  his 
grandfather,  Oliver  Prescott,  was  but  four  years  of  age.  The  death  of  his  father, 
Daniel  Morgan  Prescott,  in  1805,  removed  from  the  community  a  beloved  and  ven- 
erable citizen ;  he  held  the  offices  of  assessor  and  collector,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  one  term,  and  also  held  many  important  positions  about  the  State 
Capitol — postmaster,  sergeant-at-arms,  and  librarian.  He  married  Lydia  M.  Bacon, 
of  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  five  sons  and  one  daughter:  and 
she  still  survives  him  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  D.  D.  Prescott,  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  is  a  staunch  Republican,  but  not  an  office  holder.  He  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  1880  he  married  Stella  Schooley,  of  Litch- 
field, by  whom  he  has  four  children:  Fannie  S.,  Walter  D.,  Arthur  A.,  and  Eva  E. 

Kellogg,  Henry  G.,  was  born  in  the  house  where  he  still  lives  in  1838,  which  was 
erected  by  his  great-grandfather  in  1790.  This  great-grandfather,  Webster  Kellogg, 
the  first  of  the  family  who  settled  here,  came  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  first  lived 
in  a  log  house.  This  house  was  built  in  what  is  now  a  suburb  of  New  Hartford,  and 
where  is  located  the  fifty  acre  dairy  farm,  which  has  been  handed  down  the  paternal 
line  to  Henry  G.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican,  as  was  his  father  Frederic  and  grand- 
father Webster  Frederic  before  him  ;  and  is  also  an  efficient  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  In  1862  he  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  John  Reed,  of  New  Hart- 
ford, and  their  daughter  Annie  E.,  now  wife  of  S.  Maxwell  Mclntyre  of  Philadel- 
phia, is  the  representative  of  the  fifth  generation  of  the  Kellogg  family  here. 

Tibbitts,  Milton  G.,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  New  Hartford,  came  here  from 
Kirkland,  where  he  had  been  previously  engaged  in  farming,  and  located  on  a  130 
acre  farm,  his  present  residence.  He  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  originally  from 
Rhode  Island,  of  English  and  Scotch  ancestry,  and  son  of  Truman  Tibbitts,  a  farmer 
of  East  Rome,  where  Milton  G.  was  born  in  1841,  and  from  which  place  he  came  to 
Kirkland  when  six  years  of  age.  There  he  allied  himself  with  a  family  of  national 
historical  interest,  by  marriage  to  Susan  J.  Peck,  daughter  of  Charles  P.  Peck.  She 
is  the  representative  of  the  eighth  generation  of  Jean  Paul  Peck,  who  came  to 
America  in  1636,  and  settled  at  Boston,  founding  the  family.  Her  great-grandfather 
was  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress.     She  is  the  mother  of  seven  children. 

Tyler,  H.  N.,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1850.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Whitestown  Seminary,  also  studied  medicine,  and  has  practiced  to  some 
extent.  His  father,  the  late  Dr.  A.  N.  Tyler,  was  born  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  in  1818,  and 
there  began  his  medical  studies,     He  practiced  first  at  Sauquoit  five  years,  then 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  339 

came  to  New  Hartford.  He  married  Jennie  M.  Carpenter  of  a  Vermont  family.  By 
his  untiring  devotion  to  his  calling  his  practice  soon  became  large,  extending  mto 
adjoining  towns,  and  for  forty  years  this  successful  practitioner  carried  on  his  work, 
loved  and  honored  for  his  uprightness  of  character  and  kindheartedness.  His  death 
in  1889  at  seventy-four  years  of  age  was  mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

Campbell,  Roderic,  was  born  in  Scotland,  in  1846,  where  he  was  educated,  gradu- 
ating from  the  Inverness  Royal  Academy.  He  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father,  Kenneth  Campbell,  as  a  florist.  He  came  to  America  in  1867,  locating  in 
Brooklyn,  where  he  remamed  until  1875,  when  he  came  here  and  took  charge  of  the 
Forest  Hill  Cemetery.  Mr.  Campbell  is  an  expert  landscape  gardener  and  florist, 
under  whose  skillful  hands  the  cemetery  has  developed  into  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  its  kind  in  Central  New  York.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. He  married  Jessie  Mitchell  of  Brooklyn,  by  whom  he  had  four  children: 
Douglas  Henry  (deceased),  Lyman  Forest  (deceased),  Catherine  Finlay  and  Annie 
Morrison. 

Smith,  E.  C,  was  born  in  Boonville,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Leslie  H.  Smith.  He  was  for 
some  time  clerk  at  Bagg's  Hotel,  and  was  with  Mrs.  Lynch's  jewelry  house  of  New 
York  for  four  years.  He  was  also  clerk  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  in  New  York  city. 
Mr.  Smith  is  the  owner  and  manager  of  an  extensive  vineyard  of  twenty-two  acres 
on  the  Capron  road,  which  he  established  and  planted  in  1885.  It  is  devoted  to  all 
choice  varieties  of  grapes  and  currants,  which  find  a  ready  market  m  Utica.  He  is 
engaged  in  an  enterprise  which  with  his  industry  and  integrity  cannot  but  place  him 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  young  men  of  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church. 

Seaton,  J.  W.,  was  born  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1844,  son  of  John  Seaton,  who  was 
born  at  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  to  Utica  in  1832.  Being  a  tailor  by  trade,  he 
resumed  his  work  here,  and  remained  at  one  location  on  Blandina  street  for  twentv- 
five  years.  J.  W.  Seaton  was  reared  and  educated  upon  the  New  Hartford  farm, 
where  his  father  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  He  is  living  in  an 
elegant  home  on  Genesee  street,  which  he  erected  in  1889;  but  he  is  still  interested 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  with  his  brother  owns  large  and  productive  farms.  In 
1864  he  married  Frances  Thickens,  of  Utica,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Albert  J.,  born 
in  1865,  who  is  married  and  with  three  children  resides  with  his  father,  while  en- 
gaged in  business  in  LUica.  Mr.  J.  W.  Seaton  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  trustee 
of  the  village. 

Van  Auken,  Myron  W.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Ira,  Cayuga  county,  N. 
Y.,  June  6,  1852.  He  attended  district  schools,  the  Union  Academy  at  Red  Creek, 
N.  Y.,  and  Fairfield  Seminary  at  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  and  then  entered  Cornell  Univer- 
sity, whefe  he  took  a  classical  coursie  of  four  years  and  received  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
Subsequently  he  was  graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School,  where  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  was  conferred  upon  him.  In  1875  he  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Utica, 
where  be  has  ever  since  followed  his  profession.  He  has  twice  held  the  office  of  cor- 
poration counsel  of  Utica,  and  was  once  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  the  office  of 
district  attorney  of  Oneida  county.  He  is  the  general  attorney  for  many  of  the  cor- 
porations and  large  business  firms  of  the  city.     He  is  a  director  and  an  officer  or 


340  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

member  of  business  corporations,  and  is  active  in  every  movement  that  tends  to  the 
development  and  prosperity  of  the  city  and  the  welfare  of  the  community.  In  1889 
he  was  a  member  of  a  committee  of  nine  appointed  to  select  a  suitable  site  for  a 
Home  to  be  established  by  the  Masonic  fraternity  of  the  State  of  New  York  for  indi- 
gent Masons,  their  wives,  widows  and  orphans.  Through  his  efforts,  after  an  ex- 
citing competition  with  other  cities,  and  after  a  prolonged  struggle,  the  site  was  lo- 
cated in  Utica,  in  which  there  has  since  been  erected  one  main  building  costing 
$200,000,  and  a  building  for  children  costing  $50,000,  and  numerous  other  buildings 
will  follow  to  carry  out  the  noble  charity  of  this  beneficent  fraternity.  Mr.  Van 
Auken  is  one  of  the  foremost  Masons  as  well  as  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Utica, 
and  it  was  mainly  through  his  untiring  efforts  and  personal  support  that  the  Masonic 
Home  was  secured  for  that  city. 

Kernan,  Nicholas  E..  is  a  native  of  Utica  and  a  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Francis  Ker- 
nan,  whose  parents.  Gen.  William  and  Rose  (Stubbs)  Kernan,  were  natives  of  Ire- 
land and  early  settlers  in  Tyrone,  Schuyler  county.  There  Hon.  Francis  Kernan 
was  born  January  14,  1816.  He  was  educated  at  Georgetown  College  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  read  law  in  Watkins,  N.  Y.,  with  his  brother-in-law,  Edward  Quinn, 
came  to  Utica  in  1839  and  finished  his  legal  studies  under  Hon.  Joshua  Spencer,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  July,  1840.  He  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Spencer  and 
practiced  until  1857,  being  for  three  years  previously  reporter  of  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals. He  became  very  active  in  Democratic  politics,  and  in  1860  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly.  In  1862,  and  again  in  1864,  he  was  elected  to  Congress  over  his  Repub- 
lican opponent,  Hon.  Roscoe  Conkling,  and  at  the  close  of  his  second  term  resumed 
the  practice  of  law.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1867-68,  and  was  defeated  by  General  Dix  as  candidate  for  governor  in  1872.  He 
was  State  senator  from  1875  to  1881.  He  died  September  7,  1892.  In  1843  he  mar- 
ried Hannah,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Devereux,  a  prominent  early  resident  of  Utica, 
and  they  had  ten  children.  Nicholas  E.  Kernan  was  graduated  from  Seton  Hall 
College  in  New  Jersey,  read  law  in  his  fathers  office,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  W.  &  J.  D.  Kernan,  now  W.  &  N.  E.  Kernan.  He 
is  prominent  in  various  business  and  manufacturing  enterprises  and  is  connected 
with  several  large  corporations.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Mohawk  Valley 
Cotton  Mills,  is  vice-president  of  the  Oneida  Knittmg  Mills,  president  of  the  Sken- 
andoa  Cotton  Company,  president  of  the  Utica  Burial  Case  Company,  treasurer  of 
the  Utica  Pipe  Foundry  Company,  member  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club,  and  president  of 
the  Lotus  Club.  He  married  Miss  Harriet  Jenkins  and  their  children  are  John  A., 
Isabelle,  Margaret,  Mary,  Florence.  Adelaide,  Nicholas,  Michael,  Meredith,  Grace 
and  Edith. 

Searle,  Charles  H.,  son  of  William  Nelson  and  Eliza  (Rogers)  Searle,  was  born  in 
Leonardsville,  Madison  county,  June  23,  1842,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  at  Whitestown  Academy  and  in  Cazenovia  Seminary,  and  was 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in  1869.  He  read  law  in  Syracuse  with  Pratt, 
Mitchell  &  Brown,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  city  in  the  fall  of  1870.  He 
then  opened  an  office  in  Leonardsville  and  practiced  his  profession  until  January  1, 
1873,  when  he  came  to  Utica  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Daniel  Ball,  which  con- 
tinued till  the  latter's  death  in  the  spring  of  1875.     Since  then  he  has  practiced  alone 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  341 

except  during  the  year  1883,  when  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Searle,  Dunmore 
&  Willis.  Mr.  Searle  was  school  commissioner  of  the  city  of  Utica  one  term,  but 
otherwise  has  held  no  public  office.  In  July,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  189th  N.  Y. 
Vols.,  as  first  lieutenant,  and  remained  with  his  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  in  the  Fifth  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  until  Lee  surrendered.  He 
is  a  member  and  past  commander  of  Bacon  Post,  No.  53,  G.  A.  R.  In  1876  he  mar- 
ried Annie  Pier,  who  died  in  1879  leaving  one  son,  Homer  W.  In  1885  he  married, 
second,  Alice  L.  Hotchkiss,  of  Phelps,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  three  daughters:  Alice 
L.,  Annie  P.  and  Ruth. 

Crandall,  Dr.  Charles  S.,  was  born  in  Leonardsville,  Madison  county,  September 
24,  1858,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of  Dr.  Hiram  S.  Crandall,  whose  father,  Oliver  C, 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  locality.  Oliver  C.  came  from  Rhode  Island,  and 
died  in  Leonardsville  in  1864  aged  nearly  ninety-two.  The  family  are  lineal  de- 
scendants of  Lord  John  Crandall  of  England.  Dr.  Hiram  S.,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight,  is  still  practicing  medicine  in  Leonardsville,  making  a  specialty,  as  he  has  for 
many  years,  of  diseases  of  women.  He  married  Frances  A.  Sisson,  of  Plainfield, 
Otsego  county,  who  died  in  1889,  aged  seventy.  They  had  five  children;  Stephen 
H.,  of  Leonardsville;  Mary  D.  (Mrs.  Ellis  J.  Dunn),  of  New  Market,  N.  J.;  Lucius 
A.,  of  Frankfort,  N.  Y. ;  L.  Adelle,  widow  of  Silas  K.  Hawkins,  of  Burlington  Flats, 
N.  Y.  ;  and  Dr.  Charles  S.,  of  Utica.  Dr.  Charles  S.  Crandall  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Leonardsville  and  at  New  Berlin  Academy,  read  medicine  with  his 
father,  and  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  New 
York  city  in  1882.  He  took  special  courses  in  physical  diagnosis  in  the  wards 
of  Bellevue  Hospital  under  the  late  Dr.  Alfred  L.  Loomis,  the  celebrated  con- 
sumptive specialist;  a  special  course  in  operative  surgery  and  bandaging  under  Prof. 
J.  W.  Wright,  M.  D. ;  a  special  course  in  physiological  labratory  work  and  micros- 
copy under  Prof.  J.  W.  S.  Arnold,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  ;  and  a  special  course  in  chemistry 
under  Prof.  John  Draper,  M.  D. ,  LL.  D.,  and  after  graduating  he  practiced  in 
Leonardsville,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884  went  to  Sherburne,  Chenango  county, 
where  he  remained  five  years.  In  the  spring  of  1889  he  came  to  Utica,  where  he  has 
since  successfully  practiced  his  profession,  making  a  specialty  of  diseases  of  women. 
December  30,  1886,  he  married  Ada  M.,  daughter  of  Leander  Harwood,  of  Sher- 
burne, N.  Y.     They  have  two  children,  Lee  S.  and  Frances  R. 

Cassidy,  Fred  A.,  was  born  in  Utica,  September  23,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick 
Cassidy,  who  came  here  from  below  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1811,  and  was  the  first  settler 
on  Steel's  Hill.  Patrick  Cassidy  was  a  farmer  and  subsequently  a  foreman  in  the 
great  stage  business  that  centered  in  Utica.  Later  he  traveled  extensively  with 
Governor  Clinton's  nephew,  and  afterward  engaged  in  the  restaurant  and  milling 
business.  He  died  in  Utica  in  1881.  Fred  A.  Cassidy  after  leaving  the  public 
schools  was  in  the  employ  of  John  H.  Douglass,  a  prominent  undertaker  in  Utica, 
until  the  latter's  death  December  3,  1881,  when  he  purchased  the  business  and  has 
ever  since  continued  it.  He  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge,  No.  697.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Utica  Chapter  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3,  K.  T.,  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum, the  Citizens'  Corps  Veterans'  Association,  and  the  Oneida  County  and  New 
York  State  Undertakers'  Associations. 


342  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Alsheimer,  John  G.,  was  born  June  10,  1855,  in  Marcy,  Oneida  county,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  G.  Alsheimer,  sr.,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  came  to  America  about  1853, 
and  finally  died  in  Utica  April  29,  1894,  aged  sixty-two.  He  was  a  farmer  and  con- 
tractor. John  G.  Alsheimer,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  Utica  Business  College,  from  which  he  was  gradviated.  He  first  en- 
gaged in  various  employments.  In  1877  he  started  a  grocery  business,  which  he 
successfully  continued  until  May,  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  and  of 
St.  Joseph's  Benevolent  Society.  In  1877  he  married  Mary  M.,  daughter  of  Andrew 
J.  Muringer,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  had  three  children:  Mary  M.,  William,  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Marsden,  Dr.  William  Robb,  was  born  June  30,  1853,  in  Sauquoit,  Oneida  county, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Briggs  Marsden,  and  Jenette  Robb.  She  was  born  in  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  and  is  living  in  Utica.  Thomas  B.  Marsden  was  born  in  Darwin, 
England,  in  1824,  came  to  Oneida  county,  in  1839  with  his  father,  John,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  here,  though  he  was  a  paper  maker  by  trade.  He  was  drowned  acci- 
dentally October  3,  in  the  town  of  Darling,  Ontario,  Canada.  Dr.  Marsden  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Utica  and  had  eight  years  private  tutelage  in  Meri- 
den.  Conn.,  and  in  Utica.  He  began  reading  medicine  in  this  city  in  February  1877, 
with  Doctors  Daniel  D.  and  P.  H.  Thomas,  and  was  graduated  from  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1881.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he 
pursued  special  studies  at  that  institution  and  the  same  year,  after  a  tour  of  the  west, 
began  practice  in  Meriden,  Conn.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Utica  where  he  has  since 
followed  his  profession.  While  in  Meriden  he  was  a  member  of  the  New  Haven 
Company,  the  Connecticut  State,  and  the  Meriden  Medical  societies.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  the  Utica  Medical  Library  Association, 
the  Utica  Medical  Club,  and  the  Sons  of  St.  George.  He  has  been  for  the  past  three 
years  ward  physician  of  the  second  ward. 

Bowes,  John  A.,  is  a  son  of  John  R.,  who  was  born  in  England,  in  1827,  came  to 
Utica  in  1842,  and  still  resides  here,  having  been  engaged  for  over  fifty  years  in  the 
wool  business,  buying  principally  for  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.,  and  later  for  the  Globe 
Woolen  Company.  He  was  born  in  Utica,  September  23,  lS(i2,  received  a  public 
school  education,  and  in  1879  entered  the  employ  of  B.  Wilson  &  Co.,  wholesale  deal- 
ers in  paper,  with  whom  he  remained  about  ten  years.  August  1,  1889,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  brothers,  Henry  L.  and  Charles  S.,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Bowes  Brothers,  and  established  their  present  business  as  wholesale  dealers  in 
paper,  twine,  stationery,  and  woodenware.  Henry  L.  Bowes  was  born  March  1, 
1861,  and  for  several  years  prior  to  June,  1889,  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  B.  Wil- 
son &  Co.     Charles  S.  Bowes  was  born  November  '  7,  1866. 

Ehrsara,  George,  was  born  October  10,  1858,  in  Utica,  where  his  father,  John,  set- 
tled about  1855,  coming  here  from  Germany,  John  Ehrsam  has  been  for  several 
years  actively  engaged  in  the  cabinet  and  furniture  business.  George  Ehrsam  was 
educated  in  the  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city.  He  learned  and  followed  the 
tailor's  trade  until  1882,  when  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  B.  L.  Fitch  under  the 
firm  name  of  Ehrsam  &  Fitch,  and  engaged  in  the  merchant  tailoring  business. 
This  is  one  of  the  leading  custom  clothing  firms  in  Utica. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  343 

Entwistle,  John,  born  in  Lancashire,  England,  May  28,  1840,  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
an::  Ann  (Pierson)  Entwistle  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1842.  In  1848 
the  family  went  to  Chicago,  where  the  father  died  in  1855.  In  1856  they  came  to 
Utica,  where  the  mother  still  resides  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  John  Entwistle 
was  educated  in  the  Chicago  public  schools.  Coming  to  Utica  he  entered  the  em 
ploy  of  Avery  N.  Lord,  manufacturer  of  soda  water,  etc.,  and  remained  with  him 
nine  years.  He  was  the  first  janitor  of  the  Government  building,  holding  the  posi- 
tion three  years,  and  since  1865  has  been  engaged  in  general  merchandise  in  Bleecker 
street,  building  the  present  block  in  1894.  In  1860  he  married  Mary  Ann  Beard,  of 
New  Hartford,  Oneida  county,  and  they  have  five  sons;  Joseph  (foreman  of  the 
Skenandoa  Mills),  James,  John,  jr.,  Ralph  (engaged  in  the  meat  market  business  in 
his  father's  block),  and  Thomas. 

Davies,  Arthur  H.,  is  a  son  of  David  J.  H.  and  Sarah  A.  Davies,  natives  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  Utica  in  1873.  In  1888  David  established  a  steam  laundry  on 
Columbia  street  and  conducted  it  until  1888,  when  his  wife  and  son,  Arthur  H.,  as- 
sumed the  management. 

Fitch,  Bordman  L.,  son  of  James  H.,  was  born  in  Utica,  November  12,  1860,  and 
received  a  good  public  school  education.  His  father  came  to  LTtica  from  Salem, 
Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  and  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoe  specialties. 
After  leaving  school  Mr.  Fitch  remained  with  his  father  until  1884,  when  he  joined 
with  George  Ehrsam  in  forming  the  firm  of  Ehrsam  &  Fitch,  which  has  since  carried 
on  one  of  the  leading  merchant  tailoring  establishments  in  the  city. 

Kilbourn,  Judson  G.  M.  D. ,  son  of  Francis  S. ,  was  born  in  Plainfield,  Otsego 
county,  January  11,  1860,  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  and  at  West  Winfield  Academy,  and  was  graduated  from  Sauquoit 
Academy  in  1879.  He  read  medicine  in  West  Winfield  with  Dr.  James  F.  Huntlev, 
and  in  March,  1884,  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  New  York  City.  In  July  of  that  year  he  commenced  active  prac- 
tice in  Utica,  where  he  has  become  a  leading  physician  and  surgeon.  Latterly  he 
has  given  special  attention  to  surgical  work,  in  which  he  has  acquired  eminent  suc- 
cess. Dr.  Kilbourn  is  a  member  and  was  for  five  years  secretary  of  the  Utica 
Medical  Library  Association;  and  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society. 
He  was  physician  and  surgeon  to  the  City  Hospital,  house  physician  and  surgeon  on 
the  staff  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  physician  to  the  Utica  City  Dispensary  each 
four  years,  and  is  now  surgeon  and  gynecologist  to  St.  Elizabeth's  and  Faxton  Hos- 
pitals. He  is  a  member  of  Imperial  Council,  R.  A.,  and  president  of  the  Oneida 
County  Sportsmen's  Associ9.tion.  In  1889  he  married  Nella  E.  Armstrong,  of  Plain- 
field,  N.  Y. 

Brucker,  George  L.,  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  town  line  between  Marcy  and 
Trenton,  August  7,  1860,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  Brucker,  who  came  from  Alsace, 
France,  in  1856,  and  settled  in  Utica,  whence  he  soon  removed  to  the  abovemen- 
tioned  farm.  The  family  went  to  Englewood,  N.  J.,  in  1863,  where  Jacob  died  in 
1892.  George  L.  Brucker  was  educated  and  remained  in  Englewood  until  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  when  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  plumber  and  gas  fitter  in  New 
York  city.     He  then   came  to  Utica  for  four  and  one-half  years  was  with  Wicks, 


! 


344  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Hughes  &  Griffiths.  In  1887  he  established  for  himself  in  West  street  and  in  1888 
came  to  his  present  location  in  South  street,  where  he  carries  on  a  general  plumbing 
and  gas  and  steam  fitting  business.  He  is  a  member  of  Allamania  Lodge,  I.O.O.F., 
the  Utica  Maennechor  and  the  Germania  Industrial  Association.  December  25, 
1883,  he  married  Louisa  H.  Brucker,  his  cousin,  and  the}'  have  three  children: 
Clarence  Wilham,  Laura  Savilla,  and  Leroy  Harold. 

Jones,  Edwin  E.,  was  born  June  30,  1861,  in  Rome,  N,  Y.,  is  a  son  of  Owen  Jones, 
who  came  from  Carnaervonshire,  Anglesea,  North  Wales,  about  1845,  settled  in  New 
York  city,  whence  he  went  to  Rome,  and  thence  in  1862  came  to  Utica,  where  he  died 
in  1886.  He  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public  schools  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
entered  the  drug  store  of  Williamson  &  Dunning,  with  whom  he  remained  about  four 
years.  He  was  then  with  J.  H.  Sheehan  &  Co.  about  two  years,  and  in  1884  started 
in  the  drug  busmess  for  himself  on  the  corner  of  South  and  Miller  streets,  in  a  sec- 
tion locally  known  as  "Cornhill,"  where  he  still  continues.  He  is  a  member 
of  Fort  Schuyler  Council  R.  A.  In  January,  1885,  he  married  AlmenaH.,  daughter 
of  John  O.  Jones,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  three  children :  Laura  Odessa,  Catherine 
Anna  and  Edna  Francis. 

Knight,  Charles  B.,  was  born  in  Scranton,  Pa.,  October  24,  1864,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Keystone  Seminary  at  Factoryville,  Pa.,  in  1880,  and  from  Eastman's 
Busmess  College  at  Poughkeepsie  in  188L  Following  this  he  had  charge  of  the 
books  of  Jermyn  &  Co.,  of  Scranton,  for  two  years,  and  in  1883  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  produce  business  there.  In  1884  his  brother,  M.  S.  Knight,  became  a 
partner  and  the  firm  of  M.  S.  &  C.  B.  Knight  continued  about  two  years,  when  the 
business  was  enlarged  and  another  brother,  E.  W.,  admitted  under  the  style  of 
Knight  Brothers.  This  firm  dissolved  in  1889,  Charles  B.  becoming  the  successor 
and  continuing  until  1891,  when  the  business  was  burned  out.  He  then,  through 
the  influence  of  friends,  came  to  Utica,  where  Albert  C.  Parker,  his  father-in-law 
and  former  business  partner,  settled  at  the  same  time,  and  in  March,  1892,  the  two 
formed  the  present  firm  of  Knight  &  Parker,  wholesale  dealers  in  soft  coal  and  retail 
dealers  in  hard  coal.  Mr.  Knight  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  of  F. ,  and  K.  P., 
and  captain  of  the  uniform  rank  of  the  latter,  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Club,  sec- 
retary and  trustee  of  the  Cycling  Club,  and  a  trustee  of  the  Universalist  Church  of 
the  Reconciliation. 

O'Reilly,  Patrick  J.,  was  born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  July  5,  1855,  attended  Mrs. 
Fox's  private  school  and  w^as  graduated  from  the  Christian  Brothers  Academy  in 
1874  and  spent  two  years  as  clerk  in  a  large  wholesale  and  retail  crockery  store  in 
that  city.  From  1875  to  18*9  he  was  bookkeeper  for  John  Cunningham.  Sons  &  Co., 
carriage  manufacturers.  He  then  came  to  Utica  and  established  himself  in  business 
as  an  undertaker  and  embalmer,  located  at  230  Bleecker  street.  He  at  once  insti- 
tuted new  ideas  and  improved  methods,  being  among  the  first  to  perfect  a  treatment 
for  the  prevention  of  decomposition  of  human  bodies.  He  was  treasurer  of  the  Oneida 
Club  during  its  existence,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  several  social  and  benevo- 
lent organizations.  May  17,  1883,  he  was  inarried  in  Toronto,  Canada,  to  Theresa 
M.,  daughter  of  John  Sheridan,  of  Rochester,  and  their  children  are  Edward  Patrick, 
Genevieve  El  wood  and  Charles  Raymond  (twins),   Frank  Sheridan,   Stella  Louise, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  345 

Lois  Theresa,  Howard  Bernard,  and  Theresa  Lozier  (deceased).  Mr.  Sheridan  was 
an  extensive  contractor  in  the  construction  of  the  Erie  canal,  having  a  contract  for 
excavating  that  portion  between  a  point  in  Wayne  county  and  through  the  Monte- 
zuma marshes. 

Moshier,  William  B.,  was  born  in  Martinsburg,  Lew'is  county,  in  1856,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  G.,  a  farme; .  His  brother  Charles  was  born  in  the  town  of  Russia,  Herki- 
mer county,  July  15,  1853.  In  1877  the  two  started  in  business  selling  tea  on  the 
road.  In  January,  1878,  they  established  a  general  store  in  Salisbury,  Herkimer 
county,  and  continued  there  until  1882,  the  firm  being  Moshier  Brothers.  Thence 
they  came  to  Utica  and  formed  their  present  business  which  consists  of  wholesale 
teas,  coffees,  spices,  and  flavoring  extracts,  and  baking  powder.  Their  trade  extends 
through  New  York  and  New  England  and  the  West.  Mr.  Moshier  is  a  32d  degree 
Mason. 

Morris,  Price,  was  born  August  3,  1853,  in  Wales  England,  where  he  followed  the 
butter  and  grocery  business  from  a  j^outh.  He  came  to  America  in  1882  and  settled 
in  Utica,  where  he  engaged  in  his  present  business  as  a  grocer  and  provision  dealer. 
He  is  a  member  of  Skenandoa  Lodge  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  was  married  first  in  Wales,  in 
April,  1880,  to  Ellen,  daughter  of  David'  Morris,  who  died  in  1890.  He  married 
second  in  May,  1895,  Ruth,  daughter  of  Evan  Davies,  of  Denbeighshire,  Wales. 

Smith,  W.  Harvey,  born  January  23,  1865,  at  Davenport,  Delaware  county,  N.  Y  , 
IS  a  son  of  J.  Wallace  and  Susan  M.  (Montgomery)  Smith.  In  1866  the  family  moved 
to  Schenevus,  Otsego  county,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  union  school  and 
academy.  When  fifteen  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  baker  and  confectioner  in 
West  Winfield,  N.  Y. ,  and  continued  there  three  years.  He  was  employed  two  years 
in  Fort  Plain  Spring  and  Axle  works,  and  returning  to  West  Winfield  resumed  his 
trade.  He  married  there,  in  1885,  Ida  E.  Cole,  and  in  the  fall  went  to  Waterville 
and  engaged  one  year  in  the  bakery  and  confectionery  business,  to  which  in  1886  his 
father  succeeded.  In  1891  he  came  to  Utica  and  entered  the  employ  of  A.  L.  Owens 
and  remained  with  him  about  three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1894  he  started  his 
present  bakery  and  confectionery  store  in  Bleecker  street.  He  is  a  member  of  Im- 
perial Council  No.  70  R.  A.,  the  Arcanum  Club,  Samuel  Read  Lodge  No.  378,  K.  of 
P.,  Utica  city  Division  No.  4  Uniform  Rank  K.  of  P.  and  its  present  second  lieuten- 
ant, and  is  vice-president  of  the  Boss  Bakers'  Association  of  Utica.  He  has  one 
son,  Leo  C. 

Patterson,  John  H.,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Grierson)  Patterson,  was  born  in  Dum- 
fries, Scotland,  November  8,  1846,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1848, 
settling  in  Utica,  where  his  father  died  in  October,  1892,  and  his  mother  in  May, 
1892.  John  Patterson  was  a  hatter  and  later  a  fur  maker,  being  associated  with  the 
firm  of  George  Westcott  &  Co.  for  many  years.  The  family  lived  in  Kentucky  from 
1855  to  1861.  April  18,  1861,  John  Patterson  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  14th  N.  Y.  Vols., 
and  served  two  years,  participating  in  the  battles  of  West  Point,  Va. ,  Hanover 
Court  House,  Mechanicsville,  Gaines  Mills,  Savage  Station,  Malvern  Hill,  Fred- 
ericksburg, Chancellorsville,  and  others,  being  wounded  at  Malvern  Hill,  July  1, 
1862.  In  September,  1862,  he  was  made  corporal  and  placed  in  the  color  guard,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Utica,  May  23,  1863.     He  was  a  clerk  for  J.  Harter  & 


:346  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Son  till  November,  1865,  when  he  went  to  Mexico  and  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  reg- 
ular army  under  General  Cortenuss,  serving  three  years  and  becoming  lieutenant. 
He  was  then  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  in  Texas  until  1873,  when  he  returned 
to  Utica,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  carpentering,  building,  and  real  estate  ope- 
rations. He  was  a  member  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Union  of  Utica  during  its 
existence  and  is  now  a  member  of  Bacon  Post,  No.  5,  G.  A.  R.,  which  he  has  served 
as  quartermaster  and  as  a  delegate  to  State  and  National  encampments.  August 
18,  1889,  he  married  Mrs.  Mary  M.  R.  Parks,  a  local  writer  and  public  speaker  of 
prominence,  who  died  May  21,  1895. 

McPherson,  Henry  A.,  was  born  in  Utica,  June  18,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Mc- 
Pherson,  a  shoemaker,  who  came  here  from  Scotland  in  1852.  After  leaving  school 
he  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  shoe  business  until  1885,  when  he  purchased 
the  old  Wilkinson  laundry,  which  he  still  continues.  His  father  still  lives  m  Utica. 
and  has  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in  Scotch  societies. 

Elwood,  Ernest  J.,  son  of  William  Elwood,  a  builder,  was  born  in  Stockbridge, 
Madison  county,  February  19,  1856,  finished  his  education  in  the  Oneida  Union 
School,  and  spent  five  years  in  the  office  of  the  Oneida  Union  learning  the  printer's 
trade.  He  was  then  in  Watertown  and  Syracuse  two  years  and  in  1877  came  to 
Utica  where  he  followed  his  trade  in  the  offices  of  the  Herald  and  Observer.  Later 
he  was  proof  reader  for  L.  C.  Childs  &  Son,  and  in  March,  1894,  established  his 
present  job  printing  business,  forming  with  A.  J.  Fierstine  the  firm  of  Fierstine  & 
Elwood.  Mr.  Elwood  is  a  member  of  Skenandoah  Lodge,  No.  95.  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
was  for  seven  years  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Odd  Fellows  L^^nion.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Tri-Mount  Encampment,  No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F.  During  the  years  1884, 
1885,  1886, 1887,  and  1889,  he  served  as  supervisor  of  the  Second  ward  and  in  1886-87 
was  reading  clerk  of  the  board.  He  is  an  active  Democrat  and  in  1893  was  candi- 
date for  member  of  assembly  for  the  first  district,  but  was  defeated,  although  he  was 
ahead  of  his  ticket,  the  district  being  overwhelmingljr  Rupublican. 

Brown,  Brayton  E.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fowler,  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y., 
October  7,  1864,  received  his  education  in  Spragueville,  and  remained  with  his  father 
on  a  dairy  farm  until  the  age  of  sixteen,  when  he  accepted  a  clerkship  with  his  uncle, 
Lester  Munson,  a  general  merchant  in  Sandy  Creek.  In  1882  he  came  to  Utica  and 
entered  the  employ  of  A.  L.  Owens,  a  wholesale  milk  dealer,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained four  and  one-half  years.  In  December,  1886,  he  established  himself  in  busi- 
ness as  a  wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in  general  dairy  products  and  as  a  manufacturer 
of  butter,  etc.     He  is  a  member  of  Central  City  Lodge  No.  68,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Sessions,  F.  W.,  engaged  in  the  millinery  business  in  Utica  in  1888,  and  has  since 
built  up  one  of  the  leading  establishments  in  Central  New  York.  He  employs  dur- 
ing the  busy  season  about  fifty  hands,  besides  several  traveling  salesmen,  has  an 
office  in  New  York  city,  and  enjoys  a  wholesale  and  retail  trade  covering  the  entire 
State.  The  business  was  first  located  at  204  Genesee  street,  whence  it  was  moved 
February  15,  1891,  to  its  present  quarters,  where  it  has  nearly  tripled  its  original  ca- 
pacity. 

Reusswig,  George  A-,  born  in   Utic^.,  November  10,  1867,  is  a  son  of  Ernest  H. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  347 

Reusswig,  who  came  to  this  cit}-  from  Germany  in  1859  and  died  here  in  February, 
1895.  Ernest  H.  was  a  merchant  tailor  in  Utica  for  thirty  years,  being  for  seven- 
teen years  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Belts  &  Reusswig,  and  eleven  of  Westcott  & 
Reusswig.  He  was  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Germania 
Industrial  Association,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  oldest  merchant  tailor  in 
Utica.  George  A.  Reusswig,  after  leaving  the  public  schools,  learned  the  tailor's 
trade  with  his  father,  and  for  eight  years  followed  it  in  Buffalo.  In  September,  1894, 
he  returned  to  Utica  to  take  charge  of  his  father's  business,  and  upon  the  latter's 
death  became  his  successor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Maennechor  and  the  Germania 
Industrial  Association. 

Taylor,  Lorenzo  M.,  son  of  Job  and  Polly  (Burdick)  Taylor,  was  born  in  Bergen, 
Genesee  county,  July  11,  1819,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Utica  in  1839.  Job 
Taylor  was  first  a  cotton  manufacturer,  but  in  Utica  kept  the  Farmer's  Tavern,  com- 
monly called  the  Bull's  Head,  where  the  store  of  Job  Parker's  Sons  now  stands. 
Later  he  kept  the  Cottage  Inn  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and  Bridge  streets,  another  on 

the  corner  of  Whitesboro  and streets,  and  a  third  on  the  corner  of  Fayette  and 

Cornelia  streets.  He  died  about  1853,  and  his  wife  about  1870.  Lorenzo  M.  Taylor 
completed  a  thorough  education  in  the  Utica  public  schools  and  academy  in  1838.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen,  having  studied  civil  engineering  at  the  academy  under  Prof. 
Prentice  (later  of  Geneva  College)  and  William  M.  Williams,  he  was  appointed  city 
surveyor  of  Utica  and  held  that  ofitice  for  eleven  consecutive  years,  being  the  second 
mcumbent  under  the  city  charter.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  and  deputy, 
William  B.  Taylor,  who  served  seven  years,  who  was  subsequently  State  engineer 
three  terms,  and  who  died  in  February,  1895,  aged  seventy-one.  Since  retiring  from 
the  city  surveyor's  office  Mr.  Taylor  has  been  engaged  in  civil  engineering  and  the 
real  estate  business.  He  has  laid  out  and  sold  more  than  700  acres  of  city  building 
lots.  Among  the  tracts  he  has  developed  are  the  Kemble,  Schuyler,  Seymour, 
Stocking  and  Devereux  farms.  In  1843  he  married  Susan  L.,  daughter  of  Luther 
Rumrill,  of  Utica,  who  died  March  1,  1889.  They  had  two  children:  Charles  S.,  a 
civil  engineer  and  surveyor  associated  with  his  father,  and  Emily  (Mrs.  Leonard  V. 
Beebe),  who  died  in  February,  1889. 

Remmer,  William  M.,  son  of  Michael,  was  born  in  Utica  December  5,  1865,  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  advanced  schools  and  academy  of  his  native  city,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  LTtica  Business  College  in  1885.  He  was  then  a  clerk  in  a  shoe 
store  until  February,  1887,  when  he  became  armorer  of  the  38Lh  and  44th  Separate 
Cos.,  N.  G.  N  Y.,  which  position  he  still  holds,  and  he  is  also  first  sergeant  of  the 
38th  Separate  Co.  In  1889  he  married  Mary  E.  McCarthy,  of  Greenbush,  N.  Y.,  and 
they  have  two  children,  William  Joseph  and  Clarence  Edward. 

Remmer,  Louis,  son  of  Michael,  was  born  September  18,  1861,  in  Utica,  and  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  which  he  followed  until  1893.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
John  F.  Harve}',  as  Remner  &  Harvey,  and  engaged  in  manufacturing  cigars  in 
Varick  street,  where  he  still  continues  the  business  successfully.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  38th  Separate  Company,  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  since  1889.  In  August,  1895, 
he  married  Almira  B.  French,  eldest  daughter  of  Daniel  W.  French,  of  New  Hart 
ford,  Oneida  county. 


348  OUR  COUNTY  a:ND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Salisbury,  Albert  C,  son  of  Noyes,  was  born  in  KiUawog,  Broome  county,  June 
20,  1855,  and  when  sixteen  years  old  began  life  as  a  telegraph  operator  at  Norwich, 
N.  Y.  He  was  afterward  stationed  at  Waterville,  and  also  at  North  Brookfield,  where 
he  was  station  agent.  In  the  spring  of  1873  he  came  to  Utica  as  night  train  dis- 
patcher for  the  D. ,  L.  &  W.  Railroad.  A  year  later  he  went  to  Waterville  as  station 
agent,  and  after  eighteen  months  returned  to  Utica  as  chief  train  dispatcher,  which 
position  he  held  until  1881,  when  he  was  made  assistant  division  superintendent.  In 
1892  he  was  promoted  to  superintendent.  His  active  life  has  been  spent  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  D.,  L.  &  W.  Railroad  Company  and  he  has  been  identified  with  that  cor- 
poration longer  than  any  other  man.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  Extension  Car 
Step  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  1894,  and  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M..  Imperial  Council  R.  A.,  and  Arcanum  and 
Fort  Schuyler  Clubs.  In  1876  he  married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Deloss  C.  Terry  of 
Sangerfield. 

Kuolt,  Joseph,  was  born  August  5,  1845,  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  was  educated 
and  learned  the  trades  of  painter,  decorator,  and  stucco  worker  in  his  native  city  and 
followed  them  until  1866,  when  he  was  drafted  as  a  solder  and  served  in  Austria- 
Prussian  war.  In  1867  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Utica,  where  he  followed 
painting  until  1869.  He  then  engaged  in  that  business  himself  and  at  times  em- 
ployed from  twelve  to  fifteen  hands.  In  April,  1873,  he  purchased  a  grocery  store  of 
the  late  George  Haenl,  at  the  junction  of  Varick  .street  and  Sunset  avenue,  and  con- 
tinued this  business  for  twenty  years.  In  1866  he  purchased  the  woolen  cloth  de- 
partment of  the  widow  of  Mr.  Haenl,  and  since  1893  has  been  a  dealer  in  woolen 
cloth  and  tailors'  trimmings  exclusively.  In  1892  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law,  William  Rein,  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Utica  Paper  Novelty  Co., 
and  since  then  has  also  carried  on  a  large  business  in  Deerfield  manufacturing  paper 
novelties,  boxes,  etc.  Mr.  Kuolt  is  president  and  one  of  the  originators  of  the  West 
Utica  Improvement  Association,  a  trustee  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Homestead 
Aid  Association  of  Utica;  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  since  1867  and 
one  of  its  trustees  since  18' 3,  and  was  president  of  the  Common  Council  about  twelve 
years.  April  17,  1873,  he  married  Sophie  C,  daughter  of  John  Rein,  of  Wurtem- 
burg,  Germany.     They  have  three  children:     Eugene  J.,  Oscar  W.,  and  Sophie  A. 

Breitenstein,  George  Frederick,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  January  19,  1852,  and 
is  a  son  of  Frederick  Breitenstein,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  with  his  family 
to  Utica  in  1854  and  died  here  September  23, 1895,  aged  sixty-seven.  George  P.  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  Utica  and  when  sixteen  engaged  in  the 
meat  business  with  his  father,  with  whom  he  continued  until  1874.  He  then  opened 
a  meat  market  for  himself  in  State  street  and  carried  on  business  four  years.  In 
1878  he  was  appointed  tillerman  of  hook  and  ladder  truck  number  one,  Utica  fire  de- 
partment, with  which  he  has  since  been  connected.  He  was  promoted  superintend- 
ent of  the  police  and  fire  telegraph  in  May,  1895,  and  still  holds  that  position.  He 
is  a  member  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Firemen's  Relief  Association  of 
Utica,  and  for  a  time  served  as  one  of  its  first  trustees.  August  19,  1874,  he  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  John  Heimberger,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  four  children:  Cora, 
Arthur,  Grace  and  Pearl. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  349 

Tuigg,  Edward  D.,  son  of  David  and  Julia  Tuigg,  was  born  in  Ireland,  December 

25,  1853,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1855,  setting  in  Utica,  where  his 
father  died  in  1888  and  his  mother  in  1895.  He  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public 
schools  and  the  Christian  Brothers  Academ3^  and  was  employed  in  the  railroad  shops 
in  Utica  about  two  years.  He  then  learned  the  plumber's  trade  with  William  H. 
Kavanagh  and  later  with  Edward  Martin,  remaining  with  the  latter  for  sixteen 
years.  In  1885  he  formed  a  partnership  with  William  Dwyer  and  Patrick  F.  Quin- 
lan.  as  Dwyer,  Quinlan  &  Co.,  and  established  his  present  business.  Mr.  Dwyer 
withdrew  in  1886  and  William  Foley  was  admitted,  and  since  then  the  firm  has  been 
Quinlan,  Tuigg  &  Co.  The  firm  does  a  general  plumbing  and  gas  and  steam  fitting 
business,  and  among  the  buildings  in  which  their  work  appears  are  the  residences  of 
William  T.  and  Thomas  F.  Baker,  the  Saturday  Globe  building.  City  Hall,  Court 
House,  the  new  State  Armony,  and  many  others.  Mr.  Tuigg  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor. 

Mason,  George  C,  was  born  March  30,  1845,  in  Norwich,  Chenango  county,  and 
is  a  son  of  Hon.  William  N.  Mason,  a  prominent  lawyer,  and  United  States  commis- 
sioner, special  county  judge,  etc.  He  was  educated  in  the  Norwich  common  schools 
and  academy,  and  first  learned  the  printer's  trade,  w^hich  he  followed  about  three 
years  in  the  Chenango  Union  office  in  Norwich.  He  then  went  west  and  entered  the 
employ  of  James  S.  Waterman,  a  prominent  banker  and  dealer  in  real  estate  in 
Sycamore,  111.,  with  whom  he  remained  about  three  years.  Returning  to  Norwich 
he  soon  accepted  a  position  with  Walter  M.  Conkey,  the  first  treasurer  of  the  Mid- 
land Railroad,  and  about  three  years  later  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  Nor- 
wich, continuing  till  1874.  He  then  sold  out,  came  to  Utica  and  entered  the  employ 
of  Owen,  Pixley  &  Co.,  wholesale  clothing  manufacturers,  and  has  been  with  Mr. 
Pixley  in  the  same  capacity  ever  since,  being  at  present  his  bookkeeper.  Mr. 
Mason  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Kirkland 
Canning  Company,  and  is  a  member  of  Faxton  Loage  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  its 
master  at  the  time  of  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  and  dedication  of  the  Masonic 
Home.  He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  of  Fort  Schuyler  Coun- 
cil, R.  A.,  and  is  president  of  the  Arcanum  Club  of  Utica.     He  was  married  June 

26,  1872,  to  Josephine  Bliven,  of  Norwich,  and  they  have  one  son,  Charles  B.,  a 
graduate  of  Cornell  University,  class  of  1894.  He  won  the  scholarship  in  the  post- 
graduate course  in  1895,  and  was  a  prominent  athlete,  winning  the  welter  weight 
prize  in  boxing,  and  being  a  member  of  the  'Varsity  foot  ball  team  in  1894-95,  play- 
ing in  all  the  noted  games  of  that  year.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Glee 
Club  that  went  to  England  in  1895,  and  is  now  a  law  student  with  Van  Auken  & 
Pitcher  in  Utica. 

Maloy,  John  F.,  son  of  Bernard  and  Mary  (Kelley)  Maloy,  natives  of  County  Fer- 
managh, Ireland,  was  born  in  Utica,  August  9,  1854.  His  father,  who  for  about 
forty  years  was  gardener  for  Lewis  H.  Lawrence,  died  here  March  4,  1891.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Christian  Brothers  Academy,  and  became  a  clerk  for  H.  J.  Holbrook 
&  Co.,  wholesale  manufacturers  of  ladies'  shoes,  remaining  with  them  twelve  years, 
or  until  they  went  out  of  business.  He  then  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  for  two 
years,  and  in  1884  started  his  present  restaurant.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Honor  and  president  of  the  Liquor  Dealers'   Association  of  Utica.     October  27 


350  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

1881,   he  married  Sarah  J.,   daughter  of  William  O'Reilly,  of  Utica,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  Leonard,  William,  John,  Francis,  Thomas,  and  Anna. 

Nugent,  Patrick  F.,  was  born  in  Ireland,  March  17,  1845,  learned  the  tailor's  trade 
and  came  to  America  in  1868,  settling  in  Utica.  He  followed  his  trade  here  as  a 
journeyman  until  March,  1872,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  Griffiths,  Roberts  & 
Butler,  wholesale  clothing  manufacturers,  and  remained  with  them  twelve  years, 
having  charge  as  foreman  of  the  manufactory.  April  1,  1892,  he  accepted  his  pres- 
ent position  as  superintendent  of  the  manufactory  of  Rockwell,  Rhodes  <S:  Co.. 
wholesale  clothiers.  In  1875  he  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Frank  McHugh,  of 
Utica,  and  they  have  four  children:  Agnes,  Robert  J.,  Thomas,  and  Frank. 

Swancott,  Benjamin  L.,  son  of  Philip,  a  native  of  Wales,  England,  was  born  in 
West  Branch,  in  the  town  of  Ava,  Oneida  county,  August  20,  1848.  His  father  was 
a  tanner  and  currier,  and  settled  in  Ava  about  1845,  where  he  had  a  large  tannery 
for  many  years.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Morrisville,  Caze- 
novia,  and  Brookfield,  engaged  first  in  farming,  and  learned  and  for  nine  years  fol- 
lowed the  tanner's  trade.  In  March,  1879,  he  came  to  Utica,  and  finally  purchased 
a  livery  and  boarding  stable  in  Maiden  lane,  which  he  continued  until  the  spring  of 
1894,  when  he  purchased  his  present  livery  stable  in  Washington  street  of  M.  M.  & 
P.  F.  Martin.  He  is  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  December,  1867,  he 
married  Blendelia  L.,  daughter  of  Charles  P.  Maxson,  of  Brookfield,  Madison 
county,  and  they  have  two  children:  Frederick  Eugene,  who  is  associeted  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father,  and  Edna  Pearl,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

German,  Jerome  B.,  son  of  Daniel,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county, 
August  30,  1855.  Daniel  German,  a  native  of  Welsh  Pool,  North  Wales,  came  to 
America  about  1836  and  settled  in  New  Hartford,  where  he  died  in  1881.  He  was  an 
overseer  in  the  cotton  mills  there  for  many  years  He  married  Jane  Jones,  who  was 
born  in  Newtown.  Wales,  March  22,  1814,  and  who  survives  him.  Their  children 
were  George,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  David,  Salome,  Mary  J.  (Mrs.  Wayne  E. 
Gifford),  and  Jerome  B.,  all  residents  of  New  Hartford.  Jerome  B.  German,  the 
youngest,  was  graduated  from  the  Utica  Business  College  in  1871,  and  for  about  one 
year  was  bookkeeper  for  Sylvester  Deering,  a  lumber  dealer.  He  then  held  a  similar 
position  for  four  years  in  the  knitting  factory  of  ex-Senator  S.  S.  Lowery,  and  dur- 
ing another  four  years  was  a  clerk  in  the  Utica  post-office  under  Postmasters  Clark 
and  Stevens.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  New  Hart- 
ford and  successfully  continued  about  five  years.  In  1893  he  became  a  partner  of 
the  commission  firm  of  H.  H.  Ilurd  &  Co.,  grain,  fiour,  and  feed  dealers,  which  was 
started  at  the  present  location,  corner  of  Seneca  and  Liberty  streets,  about  1865. 
Mr.  German  was  treasurer  of  the  village  of  Hartford  three  years  and  was  chorister 
of  the  M.  E.  church  there  about  twelve  years,  being  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
its  Sunday  school  for  more  than  that  period.  He  resides  in  New  Hartford  though 
his  business  is  in  Utica.  In  1877  he  married  Sarah  R.,  daughter  of  Joseph  P.  Rich- 
ardson, the  provost  marshal  at  Utica  during  the  Civil  war.  They  have  two  sons: 
Harold  Richardson  and  Jerome  Bradbury. 

Thomas,  Frank  E.,  is  a  .son  of  Thomas  R.  and  the  junior  member  of  the  wholesale 
fruit  and  oyster  firm  of  T.  R.  Thomas  &  Co.     Thomas  R.  Thomas  was  born  Septem- 


I 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  351 

ber  23,  1831,  in  Wales,  England,  where  his  father  died,  and  came  to  America  with 
his  widowed  mother  in  1841,  setthng  in  Remsen,  Oneida  county.  In  1849  he  came 
to  Utica  and  engaged  in  various  employments  until  1852,  when  he  established  a  re- 
tail fruit  business.  In  1854  he  started  a  wholesale  and  retail  fruit  and  oyster 
establishment  in  Liberty  street,  and  since  about  1888  has  done  wholesaling  ex- 
clusively. In  1854  he  formed  a  partnership  with  David  J.  Evans,  and  from  1855  to 
1858  he  continued  alone.  He  then  with  T.  H.  Jones,  formed  the  firm  of  Thomas  & 
Jones,  but  was  again  alone  from  1859  to  1881.  He  then  took  in  his  half-brother, 
Griffith  M.  Jones,  as  a  partner  and  continued  till  April,  1894,  when  Mr.  Jones  retired 
and  his  son,  Frank  E.  Thomas  came  in  as  T.  R.  Thomas  &  Co.  Mr.  Thomas  was 
alderman  of  the  Second  ward  from  1870  to  1874,  was  charity  commissioner  about 
eight  years,  is  a  director  in  the  City  National  Bank,  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge 
F.  &  A.  M.  since  1856  and  its  trustee  for  twenty  three  years,  and  member  of  Oneida 
Chapter  R.  A.  M.  and  of  Utica  Commandery  K.  T.  May  4,  1858,  he  married  Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  John  Richards,  of  LTtica,  and  they  have  had  five  children  of  whom 
two  are  living:  Clara  M.  (Mrs.  Beriah  G.  Williams)  and  Frank  E.,  both  of  Utica. 

Gammel,  George  W.,  was  born  in  Utica  February  23,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
Gammel,  who  was  born  in  Germany  April  21,  1822,  came  to  Utica  in  1853,  and  died 
here  February  18,  1895.  Robert  established  the  present  restaurant  business  of  his 
son  in  1860.  Hehadcome  to  America m  1848  because  of  the  German  revolution,  in  which 
he  was  an  active  patriot.  He  married  Emilie  Baruschkey,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many January  1,  1823,  and  of  their  twelve  children  four  are  living,  viz;  Charles, 
George  W.,  and  Mrs.  Will  H.  Roberts,  of  Utica,  and  l^obert  W.,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Charles  served  for  two  years  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  as  a  member  of  the  11th 
N.  Y.  Cav.  His  brother,  William,  enlisted  at  the  age  of  fourteen  in  Co.  H,  146th 
N.  Y.  Vols.,  being  the  youngest  man  to  enlist  from  Oneida  county,  and  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  White  Oak  Swamp  in  1865,  after  serving  gallantly  for  two  and  one-half 
years.  George  W.  Gammel  was  reared  in  his  father's  business  and  in  1880  became 
his  partner  under  the  firm  name  of  Robert  Gammel  &  Son.  In  1883  the  senior  mem- 
ber retired  and  since  then  he  has  continued  the  business  alone.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Elks,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Order  of  Harrugari,  the  German  Literary  Society,  the  Utica 
Turn  Verein,  the  Maennechor.  and  the  German  Mutual  Benvolent  Association.  In 
1893  he  married  Phebe,  daughter  of  John  Z.  Brown,  of  Frankfort,  N.  Y. 

Kernan,  Hon.  William,  was  born  September  4,  1831,  in  the  town  of  Tyrone,  Steu- 
ben county,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Rose  A.  (Stubbs)  Kernan.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  that  town  and  at  the  academy  in  Utica,  where  he  set- 
tled in  1850.  He  read  law  with  his  brother,  Hon.  Francis  Kernan,  and  brother-in- 
law,  George  E.  Ouinn,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Utica  in  January,  1857.  Be. 
gan  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kernan,  Quinn  &  Ker- 
nan. Mr.  Quinn  died  in  August,  1863,  and  the  firm  continued  as  F.  &-  W.  Kernan 
until  1867  when  it  became  W.  &  J.  D.  Kernan.  In  1883  J.  D.  Kernan,  having  been 
appointed  railroad  commissioner,  the  present  firm  of  W.  &  N.  E.  Kernan  was  organ- 
ized. This  is  one  of  the  strongest  law  firms  in  Central  New  York.  Mr.  Kernan 
was  school  commissioner  of  L^tica  five  terms,  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Utica  Water 
Works  Company,  a  member  and  trustee  of  St.  John's  church  and  a  member  of  Fort 
Schuyler  Club.     In  September,  1862,  he  married  Frances  E.  Warnick,  daughter  of 


352  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Leslfe  A.  Warnick,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  seven  children:  Ellen  W.,  Leslie  A., 
John  B.,  Edward,  James,  William,  jr.,  and  Warnick.  Leslie  W.  Kern  an  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1890  and  immediately  afterward  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
W.  &  N.  E.  Kernan. 

Pitcher,  Herbert  D.,  son  of  Dwight  C.  and  Phebe  A.  Pitcher,  was  born  October  13, 
1860,  in  Boonville,  Oneida  count}-,  where  his  paternal  grandfather  became  a  very 
early  settler.  He  was  graduated  from  Boonville  Academy,  read  law  m  L' tica  with 
Cookinham  &  Sherman,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Syracuse  in  1888.  Since 
then  he  has  been  a  law  partn,er  of  Myron  W.  Van  Auken,  the  firm  name  being  Van 
Auken  &  Pitcher. 

Thomas,  Rees  E.,  was  born  in  Landilofawr,  Carmarthenshire,  South  Wales,  June 
30,  1857,  was  graduated  from  Llandovery  College  in  1876,  read  law  in  his  native  vil- 
lage with  J.  Prothero  Lewis  until  December,  1879,  and  then  came  to  America,  set- 
tUng  in  Utica,  where  in  March,  1880,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  W.  &  J.  D.  Ker- 
nan. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Utica  general  term  in  April,  1886,  but  contin- 
ued as  managing  clerk  for  his  preceptors  and  their  successors  until  January,  1890,  a 
period  of  nine  years,  when  he  opened  his  present  office.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
real  estate  and  title  law.  In  January.  1890,  with  George  D.  Frank  as  a  partner,  he 
organized  the  Central  New  York  Abstract  and  Title  Company,  which  he  has  con- 
ducted alone  since  1894.  He  is  somewhat  active  in  Democratic  political  circles  and 
was  attorney  for  the  Excise  Board  of  the  city  in  1891,  1892  a  id  1893.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber and  past  master  of  Faxton  Lodge  No.  697  F.  &  A.  M.,  a  member  and  past  grand 
of  Oneida  lodge  No.  70,  I.  O  O.  F.  ;  a  member  and  past  chief  patriarch  of  Tri- 
Mount  Encampment  No.  24,  I.  O.  O.  F, ;  a  member  of  Canton  LTtica  No.  23,  I.  O.  O.  F. ; 
and  past  district  deputy  grand  master  and  past  district  deputy  grand  patriarch  'of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  He  is  past  regent  of  Fort  Schuyler  Council  No.  404 
R.  A.,  and  past  district  deputy  grand  regent.  He  is  a  member  of  Oneida  Chapter 
No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  past  sachem  of  Teugaga  Tribe  No.  138,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  past  district 
deputy  and  past  grand  representative  for  the  State  of  New  York  to  the  Grand  Coun- 
cil of  the  United  States,  a  charter  member  and  the  first  and  present  secretary  of  the 
Masonic  Club  of  Utica,  a  member  of  Utica  Lodge  Knights  of  Honor  and  Our  Coim- 
cil  Home  Circle,  and  a  member  of  the  Utica  Mannerchor.  June  23,  1879,  he  was 
married  in  Wales  to  Mary  Anna  Williams,  and  they  have  five  children  living:  Mabel 
Anna,  Sarah  Llewelyn,  Herbert  Francis,  Harold  Pryse  and  Tudor  Lloyd. 

Rogers,  J.  Frank,  one  of  the  most  energetic  practitioners  at  the  Utica  bar,  was 
sworn  in  as  an  attorney  and  counselor  at  law  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  June,  1881,  and 
the  December  following  opened  an  office  m  the  city  of  Utica,  where  he  has  since 
practiced  his  profession,  early  acquiring  a  large  clientage.  He  is  a  studious  and  a 
painstaking  counselor,  a  keen  examiner  of  witnesses  in  the  trial  of  a  cause,  and  a 
forceful  speaker  to  court  and  jury.  Mr.  Rogers  was  born  in  Ripley,  Somerset 
county,  Maine,  June  20,  1846,  son  of  John  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Grant)  Rogers.  He  ob- 
tained his  education  at  the  High  School  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  afterward  learned 
the  watchmaker  and  jeweler's  trade  and  worked  at  it  steadily  for  eleven  years,  being 
employed  during  that  period  at  the  Howard  Watch  Factory  at  Boston,  by  the  Amer- 
ican Watch  Company  at  Waltham,   Mass. ,   and  the  Hampden  Watch  Company  at 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  353 

Springfield,  Mass  In  1869  he  removed  to  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  employed  by 
O.  B.  Rudd.  In  1875  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held  for 
four  years,  and  has  been  attorney  for  the  Excise  Board  of  Utica  for  three  years. 
August  23,  1871,  Mr.  Rogers  married  Anna  M.,  daughter  of  P.  A.  Skiif,  of  Frankfort, 
Herkimer  county.     She  died  August  25,  1895. 

Coupe,  James,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county,  about  four 
miles  southeast  of  Utica,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Coupe.  When  he  was  six  years  old 
his  father  and  family  removed  to  the  homestead  about  two  miles  from  Utica,  on  the 
Minden  turnpike,  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  where  he  remained  till  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  His  father  died  when  he  was  thirteen,  leaving  his  mother 
with  five  sons  and  five  daughters.  He  entered  the  law  office  of  John  F.  Seymour,  of 
Utica,  and  there  completed  his  law  studies.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  he, 
with  his  brother,  Henry  F.,  formed  the  law  firm  of  Henry  F.  &  James  Coupe,  with 
offices  at  IGO  Genesee  street,  where  they  have  since  continued.  The  firm  has  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  all  its  branches,  except  that  in  the  marine  courts, 
both  civil  and  criminal.  They  have  tried  many  important  criminal  cases  as  well  as 
causes  of  civil  action;  several  cases  were  for  capital  crimes.  Perhaps  the  most 
noted  one  was  the  defense  of  Michael  Cafaldo,  who  was  charged  with  having  in  the 
night  shot  a  co-workman  in  the  village  of  Remsen,  Oneida  county,  and  resulted  in 
acquittal  of  defendant.  Another  case  was  that  of  the  People  vs.  Laaze,  a  French- 
man, who  murdered  his  wife  with  an  axe  some  distance  west  of  Rome.  The  de- 
fense was  successful  in  that  the  defendant,  instead  of  being  found  guilty  in  the  first 
degree,  was  found  guilty  in  the  second  degree  and  sentenced  to  Auburn  for  life. 
Still  another  case  was  the  defense  in  the  People  vs.  McElwaine,  which  rose  out  of 
the  escape  of  O'Brien  in  1895.  This  was  the  first  of  the  defendants  tried,  who  were 
acquitted.  During  the  trial  great  public  interest  was  taken  and  much  excitement 
prevailed,  and  at  the  time  it  was  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  greatest  trials  ever 
held  m  the  courthouse  in  Utica.  They  also  engaged  in  the  trial  of  many  other  im- 
portant criminal  cases  and  a  very  large  number  of  civil  actions  in  various  courts  of 
this  county  and  other  counties  in  the  State,  in  all  of  which  success  has  followed. 
Henry  F.  Coupe,  senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  special  city  judge  of  Utica  and  has 
also  served  as  one  of  the  city  school  commissioners.  During  his  term  the  school 
system  of  Utica  was  revised  and  many  changes  and  improvements  made.  The  old 
system  was  entirely  abandoned  and  a  course  of  studies  laid  out  which  conformed  to 
the  most  improved  method  of  education  and  has  since  prevailed.  James  Coupe  was 
corporation  counsel  one  term  and  is  now  acting  as  a  member  of  the  police  and  fire 
commission  of  the  city.  Both  are  Democrats  and  have  been  very  active  in  politics, 
and  have  always  taken  much  interest  in  the  public  welfare  of  the  city.  James 
Coupe  was  urged  to  accept  the  nomination  for  mayor  on  several  occasions,  but  has 
eschewed  public  office.  Henry  F.  married  Miss  Mary  Sweeney,  of  New  Hartford, 
and  they  have  three  children. 

Mclncrow,  Richard  W.,  son  of  William  and  Maria  A.  (Thornbury)  Mclncrow,  was 
born  in  Utica,  June  15,  1839.  His  father  came  from  Cashel,  County  Tipperary,  Ire- 
land, to  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  when  ten  years  of  age,  and  died  in  Utica,  in  1861. 
Mr.  Mclncrow  was  graduated  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy  in  1857,  read  law  with 
Kernan,  Quinn  &  Kernan,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Syracuse  in  October,  1^60, 


354  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

He  practiced  in  the  office  of  his  preceptors  until  March,  1863,  when  he  formed  apart 
nership  with  J.  Thomas  Spriggs,  as  Spriggs  and  Mclncrow,  which  continued  until 
March,  1870.     Since  then  he  has  practiced  alone,   and  as  a  lawyer  enjoys  a  wide 
reputation.     He  has  been  in  Democratic  politics  and  was  city  attorney  in  1866.     His 
brother,  Thomas  S.,  was  clerk  of  the  city  of  Utica  for  seventeen  years. 

Boss,  Joseph,  son  of  Peter,  was  born  August  23,  "1860,  in  Utica,  where  his  father 
still  resides,  coming  here  from  Germany  about  1845.  He  was  for  four  years  in  the 
employ  of  Sherwood  &  Hemmens,  tobacco  dealers,  for  another  four  years  with  the 
U.  S.  Express  Company,  and  for  eight  years  with  the  old  baggage  express  hrm  of 
Dunn&  Lent,  having  charge  of  their  business  during  the  last  two  years.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1887,  he  established  his  present  baggage  express  and  livery  business.  Mr.  Boss 
was  married  in  1886  to  Matilda  Briggs,  of  Mohawk  Hill,  Lewis  county,  and  they 
have  two  children;     Joseph  John  and  Helen  Mergret. 

Uoolittle,  Henry  A.,  was  born  at  Paris,  Oneida  county.  N.  Y.,  May  22,  1857.  He 
went  to  Utica  in  1873  and  entered  the  employ  of  F.  H.  &  G.  W.  Shepherd,  dry  goods 
dealers,  where  he  remained  several  years.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Senator 
Francis  Kernan,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Hamilton  College  Law  School  in  April. 
1878,  at  which  time  he  was  duly  admitted  to  practice.  Since  his  admission  to  the 
bar  he  has  practiced  his  profession  at  Utica,  and  is  now  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Doolittle  &  Hazard.  Mr.  Doolittle  was  supervisor  of  the  Eighth  ward 
of  the  city  in  1883.  In  1883-84-85  he  was  the  examiner  of  guardians'  accounts,  un- 
der Van  Dresar  &  Bliss.  He  was  attorney  for  the  Board  of  Excise  of  Utica  in  1884 
and  1885.  Mr.  Doolittle  is  largely  interested  in  real  estate  and  in  various  business 
enterprises.  He  is  president  of  the  Utica  Fire  Extinguisher  Company,  and  treas- 
urer and  general  manager  of  the  Baker-Rose  Gold  Cure  Company,  both  of  which 
corporations  have  their  principal  place  of  business  at  Utica. 

Chase,  Dr.  Ch'arles  E. .  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y. ,  May  (!,  1851,  the  son  of  Ira  and 
Alma  (Hyatt)  Chase.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city  and 
at  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
in  1873.  He  opened  an  office  in  Utica  that  year,  where  he  has  since  practiced  his 
profession.  January  18,  1882,  Dr.  Chase  married  Cornelia  M.  Francis,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children :  Francis  Temple,  and  Eleanor  Gertrude  Chase.  Dr.  Chase  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  the  State  and  County  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  societies,  and  has  been  the  attending  physician  of  the  House  of  the 
Good  Shepherd,  a  hospital  for  children,  for  many  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
staff  of  the  Home  Hospital.     Dr.  Chase  is  a  member  of  the  Arcanum  Club. 

Davies.  John  S.,  was  born  in  Wales,  England,  March  25,  1851,  learned  the  mer- 
chant tailor's  trade  in  London  with  the  noted  firm  of  Squires  &  Son  in  Saville  Row, 
and  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Utica  in  May,  1874.  He  follow^ed  his  trade  here 
until  1880,  when  he  established  his  present  merchant  tailoring  business.  He  is  a 
member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3,  K.  T., 
and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  choir  of  Westminster  church 
for  several  3'ears. 

Horsey,  Dr.  George  F.,  son  of  Edward,  was  born   in  Kingston,  Ontario,   Canada, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  355 

August  31,  1846,  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  citj^ 
His  father,  a  native  of  England,  was  a  government  architect,  came  to  Canada  in 
1839,  and  died  in  Kingston  in  1869.  Dr.  Horsey  studied  dentistry  with  Dr.  B.  W. 
Day,  of  Kingston,  was  graduated  from  Roj'al  College  of  Dental  Surgeons  of  Ontario, 
at  Toronto,  March  5,  1875,  and  began  practice  in  Chicago.  In  1878  he  came  to 
Utica  and  practiced  about  ten  years.  He  was  the  first  dentist  outside  of  New  York 
city  to  take  up  the  practice  of  crown  and  bridge  work,  beginning  in  1882.  In  1887 
he  went  to  Mexico  and  spent  a  few  months  instructing  dentists  in  that  work,  and  in 
1888  returned  to  Utica.  In  May  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  South  America  and  in- 
structed dentists  in  Buenos  Ayres,  Monteviedo,  and  Riode  Janeiro.  He  thence  went 
to  London  and  practiced  a  short  time  and  returned  to  Utica  in  January,  1890.  In 
the  fall  he  went  to  Mexico  for  his  health  and  remained  three  years,  practicing  most 
of  the  time.  He  again  returned  to  Utica  in  1893  and  since  then  has  followed  opera- 
tive dentistry.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  2,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Kings- 
ton. June  20,  1878,  he  married  Harriet  L.  Tuttle,  a  native  of  Watertown,  N.  Y., 
and  their  children  are  Burton  T.,  George  F.,  jr.,  Edward  Noyes  and  Julia  T. 

Babcock,  Mrs.  G.  D.,  born  Elizabeth  Clark,  of  Poughkeepsie,  is  the  widow  of  the 
late  George  Denison  Babcock,  whom  she  married  in  1843.  They  had  six  children, 
but  only  one  daughter  is  living,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  C.  Ogden.  Mr.  Babcock 
was  a  representative  of  an  old  Connecticut  familj^  and  a  son  of  Denison  Babcock,  who 
settled  in  New  Hartford,  where  George  D.  was  born  in  1818,  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  last  century,  being  a  central  figure  in  the  development  of  the  town.  Mr. 
Babcock  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  he  was 
united  when  twelve  years  of  age,  and  where  he  was  for  many  years  a  faithful  teacher 
in  the  Sabbath  school.     His  death  occurred  in  1874.- 

Titus,  E.,  was  born  at  Forge  Hollow  in  1856,  son  of  Hosea  B.  and  Harmony  (New- 
ton) Titus.  Hosea  Titus  was  also  a  native  of  Forge  Hollow,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Central  New  York  Farmers'  Club,  and  also  conducts  the  forge  at  Forge  Hollow, 
which  was  established  by  William  Titus,  his  father,  in  1800.  Mr.  E.  Titus  married 
Minerva  Buckingham,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:     Florence,  Anna  and  Ruth. 

Melvin,  Culler,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  N.  Y.,  April  5,  1841,  son  of  James 
and  Harmony  Melvin.  His  grandfather,  James  Melvin,  was  a  native  of  England. 
Mr.  Melvin  has  been  engaged  in  farming  all  his  life  and  owns  a  fine  farm  of  237 
acres.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Marshall.  He  married  Ellen  Snell,  by 
whom  he  has  a  family  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Porter,  N.  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  February  12,  1850,  son  of 
Aaron  and  Paulina  (Vaughan)  Porter.  The  family  originally  came  from  Connecti- 
cut, and  his  grandfather,  Reuben,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  section.  Mr. 
Porter  was  engaged  in  farming  for  twenty  years,  after  which  he  embarked  in  the 
hotel  business  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  in  the  county.  In  1868  he  married 
Favorite  Miller,  by  whom  he  had  three  children:  Adelbert,  who  married  Elsie  Gard- 
ner, and  assists  his  father  in  the  hotel  business  in  the  Hamilton  House  at  Deansboro; 
Mrs.  Bowner,  and  Mrs.  Hawkins. 

Davis,  Evan  J.,  was  born  in  Madison  county,   November  1,  1844,  son  of  Daniel  M. 


I 


356  OtIR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

and  Mary  (Jones)  Davis.  The  family  came  originally  from  North  Wales  in  1840. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  one 
of  the  progressive  men  of  Marshall,  and  has  been  assessor  of  the  town  and  commis 
sioner  of  highways,  and  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  county  com- 
mittee for  eight  years.  In  1865  Mr.  Davis  married  Phoebe  Austin,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children:     Ellis  J.,  married  to  Minnie  Stafford,  and  Ruth  Edna  Davis. 

Clark,  O.  Arthur,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  BHdgewater,  N.  Y.,  August  13. 
1868.  He  was  educated  at  the  Brookfield  Academy,  and  Baltimore  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  April  17,  1894,  standing  first  in  a  class  of  ninety-seven 
graduates,  and  carried  off  the  honors  of  his  class.  He  is  a  son  of  Orrin  A.  and  Mary 
A.  (Spencer)  Clark.  May  29,  1894,  he  married  Jessie  R.,  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Frances  Palmer  of  Brookfield.  Dr.  Clark  has  established  a  practice  in  Deansville 
and  stands  high  in  his  profession  as  well  as  public  favor. 

Young,  Thomas  P.,  was  born  in  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  December  18,  1818,  son  of 
Shaw  and  Hannah  (Drummond)  Young,  natives  of  Norvvalk,  Conn.  Mrs.  Young 
lived  to  be  102  years  of  age.  His  grandfather,  William  Young,  was  from  Northeast, 
Conn.,  and  his  grandmother  was  from  Cape  Cod,  and  was  of  old  Puritan  stock. 
Thomas  P.  Young  came  to  the  town  of  Marshall  in  1834,  and  has  resided  on  his  pres- 
ent farm  for  forty-fi\,'e  years.  In  1844  he  married  Mary  Ann  Millard,  by  whom  he 
has  two  daughters:     Mrs.  Julius  Day  of  Deansboro,  and  Harriet  Young. 

Sexton,  Michael  H.,  son  of  Patrick  and  Margaret  (Conway)  Sexton,  natives  of 
County  Clare,  Ireland,  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida  county.  May  19,  1859.  His 
parents  came  to  this  country  when  children,  and  were  married  in  Corning,  N.  Y. 
They  finally  settled  permanently  in  Waterville,  where  Mrs.  Sexton  died  October  11, 
1879.  Mr.  Sexton  is  a  stone  mason  by  trade,  and  now  resides  in  Utica.  Of  their 
eight  children  five  are  living.  Michael  H.  Sexton  was  educated  in  Waterville  Acad- 
emy, in  St.  Joseph's  College  in  Ot^wa,  Canada,  and  spent  two  years  in  Will- 
iston  "^  Seminary,  in  Easthampton,  Mass.  He  went  from  Williston  Seminary 
to  Hamilton  College,  but  did  not  graduate.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  bought 
his  time  from  his  father,  and  immediately  began  the  task  of  obtaining  an  edu- 
cation. With  no  capital  excepting  honesty,  and  no  influence  excepting  that  born 
of  a  grim  determination,  he  began  his  career  of  self  education.  He  left  Hamilton 
College  and  taught  school  at  Brothertown,  Oneida  county,  to  acquire  funds,  and  for  a 
short  time  thereafter  read  law  in  Waterville  with  E.  H.  Lamb,  and  again  went  upon 
the  farm,  and  there  continued  until  the  fall  of  1883,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Utica, 
and  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  R.  O.  &  J.  G.  Jones,  and  later  fin- 
ished his  clerkship  with  Hon.  W.  T.  Dunmore,  and  in  January,  1887,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  his  studies,  both  literary  and  legal,  were 
frequently  interrupted  by  work  on  the  farm  or  in  teaching  school  to  sujjply  the 
needed  funds  for  continued  effort,  be  was  admitted  on  his  first  examination  at  the 
end  of  his  clerkship.  After  his  admission  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Judge 
Dunmore,  which  continued  until  1889,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced  alone. 
Though  his  family  and  relatives  are  Democrats,  Mr.  Sexton  has  always  been  a 
staunch  Republican,  and  in  1887  was  nominated  for  member  of  assemblj^  for  the 
Utica  district,  but  was  defeated  by  a  very  small  majority  by  J.  Harry   Kent.     Since, 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  357 

then  he  has  acquired  considerable  prominence  as  a  stump  speaker  and  campaign 
orator.  He  is  pre  eminently  a  self-made  man,  and  since  coming  to  Utica  a  poor  boy 
has  accumulated  a  fair  competency.  He  is  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind  and  has  se- 
cured letters  patent  on  two  or  three  appliances  which  promise  much  success.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Elks,  and  of  the  I.  O.  of  R.  M.,  and  as  a  gifted  writer  and  a  tal- 
ented elocutionist,  has  won  a  very  good  reputation.  He  is  very  successful  in  his 
chosen  profession,  and  a  bright  future  is  predicted  for  him  by  his  associates  at  the 
bar.  April  20,  1887,  he  married  Mattie  F.  Creagan,  of  Utica,  and  their  children  are 
Marguerite,  Warren  M.,  and  Howard  P. 

Churchill,  George  Clarence,  son  of  Alfred,  was  born  in  Utica  April  14,  1829.  Al- 
fred Churchill,  born  at  Chatham,  Conn.,  August  29,  1790,  removed  with  his  father, 
Daniel,  to  the  town  of  Richfield,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1795,  and, came 
to  Utica  in  1826,  where  he  died  January  10,  1865,  He  served  the  city  several  years 
as  alderman,  and  for  over  thirty  years  w^as  owner  and  proprietor  of  Bagg's  Hotel. 
He  married  Miss  Emma,  daughter  of  Matthew  Derbyshire  of  Hartwick,  Otsego 
county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  August  26,  1866.  Their  children  were:  Alfred  Derbyshire, 
died  December  27,  1853;  George  Clarence,  Charlotte  D.,  died  February  26,  1834. 
George  Clarence  Churchill  was  educated  at  the  Utica  Academy  and  in  1851  was 
graduated  from  Rutgers  College,  N.  J.  He  then  spent  three  years  as  a  civil  engi- 
neer, after  which  he  became  a  student  in  the  law  office  of  Mann  &  Edmonds,  of 
Utica.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  in  1857.  He  is  a  director 
in  the  Second  National  Bank,  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  Mohawk  Valley  Cotton 
Company  and  the  Utica  Water  Works  Company,  and  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  of 
Utica,  the  Utica  Female  Academy  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  In  1861  he  married  Miss 
Annie  S.,  daughter  of  Hervey  Brayton,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  daughter 
living— Annie  Churchill,  wife  of  Edward  D.  Mathews,  of  Utica. 

Sink,  William  W.,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1853,  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  Sink.  William  Sink  was  educated  in  Utica,  N.  Y.  He  engaged  in  the  rail- 
road business  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  was  employed  in  Utica  eight  years,  after 
which  he  went  to  Little  Falls  and  then  came  to  Oriskany  in  1881,  where  he  has  been 
engaged  as  station  and  express  agent,  also  freight  and  ticket  agent.  Mr.  Sink  is 
school  trustee  in  Oriskany,  where  he  has  served  on  the  board  for  nine  years.  He 
married  Jennie  Thomas  of  Chittenango,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  two  children.  Sey- 
mour and  Anna.  Mr.  Sink  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Schuyler  Lodge  No.  147 
of  Utica,  and  is  a  vestryman  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Oriskany,  of  which  his  wife 
is  a  member. 

MacGarrity,  James  H.,  born  in  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  September  6,  1862,  was  edu- 
cated and  for  several  years  clerked  in  shoe  and  dry  goods  stores  in  his  native  city. 
In  1880  he  became  the  city  ticket  agent  for  the  R.,  W.  &  O.  and  LTtica  «fe  Black  River 
Railroads,  and  about  1881  went  to  Watertown  to  accept  a  position  in  the  general 
offices  of  these  companies,  which  at  that  time  pooled  their  passenger  business.  In 
October,  1883,  he  came  to  Utica  as  a  clerk  for  the  West  Shore  Railroad  and  later 
held  a  similar  post  in  the  New  York  Central  office.  Upon  the  consolidation  of  these 
lines  on  May  1,  1887,  he  became  the  Utica  city  passenger  agent  for  the  D.  L.  &  W. 
Railroad  Company,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Arcanum  Club. 


358  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Eynon,  Dr.  David  Slade,  son  of  John,  was  born  in  Utica,  March  17.  1863.  John 
Eynon  was  born  in  Fishguard,  Pembrokeshire,  South  Wales.  England,  in  October. 
1816,  settled  permanently  in  Utica  in  1846,  where  he  died  in  August,  1886.  His  wife. 
Esther  E.  Williams,  born  in  South  Wales  in  1835.  survives  him.  Their  children 
were  Dr.  David  S.  of  Utica;  Dr.  William  G.,  of  New  York  city;  and  John  S.,  of 
Boston,  Mass.  Dr.  David  S.  Eynon  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public  schools  and 
academy.  He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  James  Garrcttson  of  Philadelphia,  and  Dr. 
Wallace  Clark,  of  Utica,  was  graduated  as  M.  D.  from  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Col- 
lege of  Philadelphia  in  1886,  and  spent  some  time  in  the  Orthopedic  Hospital  of  that 
city.  In  1887  he  began  practice  in  Ashland,  Wis  ,  and  came  to  Utica  in  1890.  In 
1891,  1892,  and  1893  he  took  post-graduate  courses  in  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear 
Infirmary,  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  and  Aural  Institute  under  Dr.  Knapp,  and  the 
Will's  Eye  Hospital  in  Philadelphia,  and  since  1892  has  made  a  specialty  of  diseases 
of  the  eye  and  ear.  He  is  secretary  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  a  member 
and  formerly  treasurer  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library  Association,  a  member  and  ex- 
president  of  the  Utica  Medical  Club,  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
the  Masonic  Club,  and  a  member  of  the  medical  staffs  of  St.  Elizabeth's  and  Faxton 
Hospitals  and  the  Masonic  Home.  August  26,  1887,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
Dr.  J.  G.  Parshall,  of  Cooperstown,  N.Y.,  who  died  Decembers,  1892,  leaving  one  son, 
Stuart.  May  (i,  1896,  he  married,  second,  Anna  J.,  daughter  of  Dr.  George  Seymour, 
of  Utica. 

McElhinney,  Daniel  E.,  was  born  in  Marshall,  Oneida,  county,  N.  Y.,  November 
24,  1853.  His  father,  William  J.  McElhinney,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1848,  settling  in  Marshall.  N.  Y.  He  died  in  February,  1890,  aged  seventy- 
three  years.  His  wife,  Margaret,  survives  him,  being  now  sixty-three  years  of  age. 
In  early  life  Daniel  E.  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  with  his  grandfather,  the 
late  Daniel  Shields,  in  the  town  where  he  was  born.  He  was  educated  at  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  place,  and  afterward  taught  school  there  and  at  Sangerfield  for 
four  years,  engaging  during  vacation  in  clerking  and  canvassing  for  the  sale 
of  books,  continuing  his  clerkship  for  some  time.  In  1891  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Oriskany  Falls,  conducting  a  general  store  under  the  firm 
name  of  D.  E.  McElhinney  &  Co.,  which  he  continued  until  in  November,  1893, 
when  he  was  appointed  postmaster.  Mr.  McElhinney  has  occupied  many  important 
town  and  village  offices,  and  is  now  chief  of  the  Oriskany  Fire  Department,  in  which 
he  takes  a  great  interest. 

Doolittle,  Hon.  Charles  A.,  was  born  in  Utica  September  22,  1849.  Hon.  Charles 
H.  Doolittle,  his  father,  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Harvey  Doolittle,  of  Herkimer,  and  was 
born  in  that  village  February  19,  1816.  He  was  graduated  from  Amherst  College  in 
1836,  read  law  with  Simeon  Ford,  of  Little  Falls,  and  later  with  Denio  &  Hunt,  of 
Utica,  and  was  admitted  in  1839.  He  soon  became  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  in 
Central  New  York.  In  1869  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  ably 
filled  that  office  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  sea.  May  21,  1874.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  Utica  in  1839,  1844,  and  1845,  and  mayor  of 
the  city  in  1853.  He  was  also  president  of  the  Oneida  County  National  Bank,  a 
manager  of  the  Utica  State  Hospital,  and  a  vestryman  of  Grace  church.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Julia  T.  Shearman,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  and  their  children  living  are  Hon. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  359 

Charles  A.,  Mrs.  A.  Coxe,  William  S.,  Julius  T.,  and  Miss  Isabel,  all  of  Utica. 
Charles  A.  Doolittle  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  from  Amherst  College 
in  1872  and  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  Hamilton  College  in  1875,  after  read- 
ing law  in  Utica  with  Adams  &  Swan.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Syracuse  in 
1875  and  began  practice  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Adams,  Swan  &  Doolittle.  He 
was  appointed  United  States  commissioner  of  jurors  by  Judge  Blatchford,  served  as 
mayor  of  Utica  in  1883  and  1884,  and  as  a  director  in  the  Oneida  County  Bank  and 
an  original  direector  of  the  American  District  Telegraph  Company  of  Utica,  now 
the  Central  Telephone  Company.  He  was  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  church,  Utica, 
and  is  a  charter  member  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club. 

Keith,  Myron,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  January  9,  1825,  son  of  John  and  vSarah 
(Mason)  Keith.  His  grandfather,  John  Keith,  came  from  Connecticut,  and  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier;  and  his  grandfather,  Ezra  Mason,  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts. Mr.  Keith  engaged  in  farming  in  Oneida  county  for  thirty-four  years.  In 
1852  he  married  Sabra  L.  Kinney,  by  whom  he  has  two  children  Wayne  V.  Keith,  who 
married  a  Miss  Gruman,  and  Nettie  Keith.  Mr.  Keith  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  sixteen  years,  a  longer  period  than  any  other  man  in  Marshall. 

Vale,  J.  Palmer,  was  born  in  Munnsville,  Madison  county,  October  20,  1852,  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  A.  Yale.  John  Yale  died  October  4  1884,  and  Sarah  A.,  his  wife, 
is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight.  J.  Palmer  Yale  studied  law^  for  three 
years  from  1876  to  1879  with  S.  H.  Babcock  of  Utica.  He  then  went  to  Wisconsin 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  1883,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Waterville,  and  he 
resides  on  a  farm  that  has  been  in  the  Yale  family  for  seventy  five  years.  In  1883 
Mr.  Yale  married  Mary  A.  Carpenter,  by  whom  he  has  two  children;  Isabelle  and 
Charles. 

Bartlett,  Dr.  Howard  G.,  was  born  at  Lee  Center,  Oneida  county,  November  5, 
1863,  a  son  of  John  Bartlett,  who  was  also  born  at  Lee  Center,  July  26,  1832.  The 
ancestors  were  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  and  came  to  this  county  about 
1820.  John  Bartlett  married  Dolly  N.  Hodge,  by  whom  he  had  two  children  :  Minnie 
L.,  wife  of  James  A.  Corey;  and  Howard  G.,  who  remained  on  the  farm  with  his 
father  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  attended  the  district  schools.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  Clinton  Grammar  school,  after  which  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine,  and  in  1885  entered  Bellevue  College,  where  he  remained  until  1888. 
In  1891  he  was  graduated  from  Long  Island  Hospital,  and  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  1894,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  located  in  the  village  of  Clinton.  He  married  Anna  Luther,  of  Cazenovia, 
N.  Y 

Pratt,  Charles  T.,  was  born  at  Clark  Mills,  N.  Y.,  September  25,  1859,  son  of 
Henry  and  Julia  (Carleton)  Pratt.  He  began  for  himself  as  a  machinist  in  Clark 
Mills,  and  after  spending  three  years  there,  he  was  employed  as  foreman  in  the  shop 
of  the  Utica  Cotton  Mills  at  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  for  five  years;  after  which  he  had 
charge  of  the  Hunter  &  Babcock  Mfg.  Co.'s  mills  at  Washington  Mills,  N.  Y.,  for 
two  years.  After  spending  two  years  at  Albany,  he  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  tak- 
ing charge  of  the  mechanical  department  of  the  Lewis  &  Babcock  Mfg.  Co.,  and  in 
1890  organized  the  Pratt  Chuck  Co.,  of  which  he  is  president.     Mr.   Pratt  designed 


I 


360  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

all  the  fine  machinery  with  which  the  shops  are  equipped,  and  has  eleven  different 
patents  on  drill  chucks,  as  well  as  manj'  on  different  devices.  In  1887  he  married 
Julia  Durrenbeck. 

Hermant,  Ernest  T.,  was  born  in  France,  February'  23,  1840,  son  of  Cassimere  and 
Clementine  Hermant,  natives  of  France,  who  came  to  Utica  in  1856  and  thence  to 
Deerfield,  where  they  reside,  he  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  and  she  at  the  age  of 
eighty.  He  is  a  wheelwright  and  blacksmith,  and  for  a  number  of  years  carried  on 
the  business  at  Deerfield  with  his  son  Edward  T.,  who  still  runs  the  shop,  Mr.  Her- 
mant having  retired  a  few  years  ago.  Ernest  T.  was  educated  in  France,  and  Will- 
iams's private  school  at  Utica.  He  engaged  in  farming  for  three  years,  selling  out 
in  1878.  In  1884  he  bought  seven  acres,  to  which  he  has  added  si.\  acres,  and  all  of 
which  he  cultivates  as  a  market  garden.  He  carried  on  a  greenhouse  business  at 
Deerfield  from  1885  to  1894,  when  he  rented  his  business  to  Mr.  Soller.  September 
11,  1870,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  George  Pfluger  of  Deerfield,  a  native  of 
Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hermant  have  four  children:  Flora,  Theodore  C,  William 
E.,  and  Leo  M.  He  is  a  member  of  Skenandoa  Lodge,  No.  95,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also 
of  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer  at  LTtica,  N.  Y. 

Davis,  George,  was  born  in  West  Turin,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  July  23,  1828,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  this  town  when  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  and  afterwards  engaged  in  farming  which  he  followed  until 
he  retired.  December  27.  1857,  he  married  Lavina  A.  Swan,  of  Lenox,  Madison 
county.  Mr.  Davis's  father,  Jonathan  Davis,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1798.  He 
was  educated  there,  and  was  also  a  farmer.  In  1822  he  came  to  this  .State  and 
located  in  Lewis  county.  He  married  Mary  M.  Allen  of  West  Turin,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children:  George,  as  above,  and  Ann  S. ,  now  Mrs.  Bowers  of  Whitesboro. 
Mr.  Davis  died  February  23,  187(5,  and  his  wife  January  17,  1888.  Mrs.  Davis  was 
the  sixth  in  descent  from  Samuel  Allen  of  England.  Her  father,  Ebenezer  Allen, 
was  born  in  Connecticut  in  17(59,  and  came  with  an  ox  team  and  cart  in  company 
with  James  Allen,  in  1796,  through  the  Mohawk  Valley  to  Utica,' which  city  then  had 
only  nineteen  log  houses.  Mrs.  Davis's  sister,  Lavina,  married  William  Guest,  of 
New  London,  and  resides  on  the  Davis  homestead  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis.  Mr. 
Guest  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Canastota,  No.  331,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr. 
Davis's  grandfather,  Samuel  Davis,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1768.  He  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Governor  Gordon  of  that  State.  Mrs.  George  Davis's  father, 
Alonzo  Swan,  was  born  in  Stephentown,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  June  4,  1803. 
He  married  Phoebe  Earl,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy:  Alonzo  E.,  Emily  B.,  Mortimer  R.,  Martha  E.,  Lavina  A.,  as  above,  and 
John  A.  Both  father  and  mother  are  dead.  The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  Welsh 
and  Scotch. 

Cochran,  John  M.,  is  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  where  he  has  resided,  and  all  of 
his  business  life  has  been  spent  in  Oneida  village.  He  was  born  in  Durhamville,  N. 
Y.,  in  1859,  and  was  educated  in  Oneida  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  His  father,  Rev. 
Andrew  Cochran,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county  in  1817,  and  was  for  thirty-five 
years  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Oneida  Castle.  He  was  a  man  whose 
christian  character  made  him  beloved  and  revered  by  all  who  knew  him.     He  built 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  361 

up  a  flourishing  societ}'  and  in  1884  erected  a  new  church  edifice,  which  was  dedi- 
cated the  "Cochran  Memorial  Church."  Mr.  Cochran  prepared  for  the  ministry  at 
the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  and  began  his  labors  when  thirty  two  years  of 
age,  his  first  charge  being  at  Durhamville.  His  wife,  Catherine  More,  of  Durham- 
villa,  is  now  living  at  Oneida  Castle.  Rev.  Mr.  Cochran  died  in  1886.  After  receiv- 
ing his  education,  John  M.  Cochran  engaged  as  clerk  in  Oneida  with  Randall  & 
Barker,  dry  goods  dealers,  and  remained  in  that  position  for  a  period  of  twelve  years, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  had  saved  enough  to  purchase  the  business  from  the 
partners,  and  which  he  has  since  conducted,  building  up  a  prosperous  trade.  He 
married  Marilla,  daughter  of  C.  A.  and  Adelia  Wells,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  C. 
Wells  Cochran,  born  February  11,  1895. 

Candee,  J.  W. — The  late  William  Candee  was  born  in  Sangerfield,  N.  Y.,  May  16, 
1831,  and  was  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  married  Lucia  Newberry,  of  Detroit, 
Mich.,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Lucia  Clark,  wife  of  W.  S.  Hawkins,  Kate 
Louise,  Julius  Warner  and  W.  H.  Candee  (deceased),  Mrs.  Candee's  father,  Julius 
Newberry,  was  a  merchant  of  Detroit,  Mich.  The  family  all  belonged  to  Sanger- 
field but  Julius  and  Oliver,  who  moved  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  Oliver  was  a  cele- 
brated boat  builder.  He  built  the  Michigan,  the  largest  steamboat  at  that  time  on 
the  lakes.  He  participated  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  the  war  of  1812.  Walter 
Loomis  Newberry  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1804  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Young  Men's  Library  of  Chicago.  Amasa  Stoughton  Newberry  was  a  well 
known  agriculturist  of  Sangerfield,  and  served  in  the  State  Assembly.  He  was 
also  vice-president  of  the  WaterviUe  Bank  before  it  became  a  national  bank,  and  he 
died  April  15,  1858.  Julius  Warner  Candee,  the  only  representative  of  the  family, 
is  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years,  who  resides  with  his  mother.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  St.  John's  Military  School  and  at  schools  at  Linwood,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Pickwick  Club  and  his  college  societies.    William  Candee  died  in  March,  1886. 

Gorton,  F.  T.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Brookfield.  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  October  22, 
1843,  son  of  Thomas  Rogers  and  Prudence  (Treat)  Gorton.  His  great-grandfather, 
Samuel  Gorton,  settled  in  Brookfield  in  1776,  and  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  F.  T.  Gorton  was  educated  at  Whitestown  and  Cazenovia.  He  attended 
medical  lectures  at  the  Michigan  University  and  was  graduated  from  the  University 
Medical  College  of  New  York  City  in  1871,  after  which  he  commenced  practice  in 
WaterviUe  and  established  a  high  reputation  in  medical  circles.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society,  and  has  been  coroner  of  the  county  two  terms. 
He  has  also  been  village  trustee  two  terms,  and  was  United  States  pension  exam- 
iner from  January,  1872,  until  October  1,  1893.  Dr.  Gorton  married  Ali da  C,  daugh- 
ter of  C.  A.  Budlong  of  Cassville,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters. 

Maher  Brothers. — The  si.K  brothers  who  comprise  this  enterprising  firm  are  a  part 
of  Oneida  county,  interested  in  its  progress,  alive  to  all  its  interests,  and  active  in 
every  movement  projected  for  its  material  advancement.  All  are  natives  of  Carlow, 
Ireland — the  senior  partner,  John  L.  Maher,  being  born  December  1,  1856;  William, 
September  21,  1860;  James  P.,  December  31,  1863;  Thomas  J.,  June  5,  1865;  Edward 
J.,  October  20,  1868;  and  Laurence  P.,  September  29,  1869.  The  death  of  a  re- 
tt 


362  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

spected  father  in  1870  left  eight  small  children,  among  whom  were  two  daughters, 
one  being  Sister  Mary  Laurence,  now  of  the  Convent  of  Mercy,  Greenbush,  N.  Y., 
the  other  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  E.  Brown,  of  Utica.  This  presented  a  difficult  task  to 
a  devoted  mother  with  moderate  means.  After  a  short  business  training  in  Dublin 
John  L.,  in  1874,  came  to  America,  where  his  uncle,  the  late  Edward  Maher,  well 
and  favorably  known  to  the  older  residents  of  Utica,  was  engaged  in  the  clothing 
trade.  Securing  ready  employment  he  steadily  forged  ahead,  and  in  1880  formed  a 
copartnership  with  his  uncle  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  Maher  &  Co.  In  1878  James 
P.  joined  his  brother  and  on  the  death  of  their  mother  in  1881  all  the  remaining  chil- 
dren came  to  Utica.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Edward  Maher  in  1866  the  six  brothers 
established  the  present  firm  of  Maher  Brothers,  first  at  44  Genesee  street  and  in  1893 
at  56  and  57  Franklin  square.  Here  they  have  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  clothing 
establishments  between  New  York  and  Buffalo,  occupying  four  stories,  or  an  area  of 
more  than  20,000  square  feet.  Their  business  has  grown  to  very  large  proportions 
and  covers  several  branches,  including  those  of  manufacturing  and  jobbing.  Other 
stores  are  being  established  by  the  firm  in  adjacent  cities,  leaving  the  one  in  Utica 
as  a  center.  Their  business  has  been  conducted  from  the  first  along  those  honorable 
and  progressive  lines  which  insure  success  and  obtain  the  best  practical  results,  and 
theirs  is  to-day  one  of  the  representative  institutions  of  the  county.  But  it  is  as  pub- 
lic spirited  and  enterprising  citizens  that  each  member  of  the  firm  has  acquired  a 
reptuation  that  is  as  commendable  as  it  is  permanent.  Imbued  with  a  laudable 
patriotism  for  their  adopted  country  they  have  on  several  occasions  exemplified  that 
spirit  which  is  dear  to  the  hearts  of  native-burn  Americans.  Their  effort  during  the 
recent  State  encampment  of  the  G.  A.  R.  was  noteworthy,  and  the  Utica  Daily 
Herald  of  May  19,  1896,  said:  "Probably  the  finest  collection  of  relics  of  the  war 
for  the  Union  and  the  war  for  Independence  ever  displayed  in  this  city  is  that 
arranged  by  Maher  Brothers  at  their  clothing  establishment  in  Franklin  Square. 
The  firm  is  famous  for  its  patriotic  spirit  and  always  takes  advantage  of  opportuni- 
ties to  prepare  for  the  people  valuable  displays  on  occasions  like  the  encampment. 
The  present  exhibition  is  the  best  ever  prepared  by  the  firm  and  should  be  noticed  by 
every  one  of  the  thousands  who  will  fill  Utica  to  overflowing  to-day."  The  same 
day  the  Observer  said:  "To  the  thoughtfulness  of  Maher  Brothers  is  due  the 
credit  for  the  collection  and  display  of  the  rarest  and  most  interesting  relics  of  the 
late  Rebellion  and  of  Colonial  days  ever  seen  in  this  part  of  the  State."  The  Press 
said:  "  It  is  a  far  larger  and  better  display,  in  historic  value,  than  the  one  heretofore 
made  by  the  same  firm.  The  decorations  on  the  outside  of  the  store  are  the  hand- 
somest in  the  city."  Space  will  not  permit  of  mention  of  the  numerous  historic 
articles  collected  and  displayed  on  this  and  other  occasions,  but  suffice  it  to  say 
that  most  of  them  have  a  local  value  and  an  absorbing  interest.  Two  uncles  of  the 
Maher  Brothers  were  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  one  being  killed  in 
battle,  the  other  dying  of  fever  contracted  in  service.  Five  of  the  brothers  are  mar- 
ried and  have  families,  and  all  enjoy  eminent  distinction  as  representative  and  enter- 
prising citizens 

McTiernan,  William,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  July,  1847,  and  came  to  America  in 
1870,  settling  in  Utica,  where  he  first  engaged  in  railroading.  Two  years  later  he 
visited  his  native  country  for  a  few  months  and  returning  to  Utica  entered  the  em- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  363 

ploy  of  Wood  &  Mann,  proprietors  of  a  large  machine  shop.  Later  he  was  steward 
of  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  about  four  years.  In  1880  he  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self as  a  dealer  in  groceries  on  the  corner  of  Bleecker  and  Second  streets.  About 
three  y^ars  later  he  sold  out  and  under  the  firm  of  Mooney  &  McTiernan  engaged  in 
the  brewing  business,  which  they  continued  about  two  years.  In  1894  he  started  his 
present  grocery  store  on  the  corner  of  Bleecker  and  Wetmore  streets.  In  1884  he 
was  elected  alderman  of  the  Fifth  ward  and  served  two  years.  He  was  health  com- 
missioner under  Mayor  Goodwin  for  three  years  and  in  1885  was  elected  a  charity 
commissioner  for  three  years.  In  1880  he  married  Annie  Dempsey,  of  Utica,  and 
they  have  four  children:  Charles,  William,  John,  and  Mary. 

Milgate,  Henry  E.,  was  born  in  Utica,  September  9,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
H.  Milgate,  a  native  of  England,  and  a  farmer,  who  died  here  about  1884.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Utica  public  schools,  and  about  the  age  of  seventeen  went  to  Rome 
and  engaged  in  the  millinery  business,  which  he  continued  about  two  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Utica  and  opened  a  fish  and  poultry  market  with  his  brothers,  Will- 
iam T.  and  Ellsworth  W.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Milgate  Brothers.  They  con- 
tinued in  business  about  eight  years,  or  until  December,  1895,  when  they  sold  out. 
About  1880  the  firm  also  purchased  of  the  Snyder  estate  a  large  gardenmg  and  hot 
house  supply  business  in  Steuben  street,  and  of  this  H.  E.  Milgate  became  sole  pi-o- 
prietor  in  1895,  the  firm  dissolving.  Mr.  Milgate  was  married  in  1879  to  Wilhelmenia 
Hienrich,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  two  children:   Walter  H.,  and  Raymond  G. 

Lynch,  Anthony  V.,  came  from  Eaton,  Madison  county,  to  Utica  in  May,  1873, 
and  for  a  few  years  was  engaged  in  various  business  occupations.  He  was  superin- 
tendent in  Hon.  S.  S.  Lowery's  Knitting  Mill  from  1878  to  1881,  and  then  started  a 
furnishing  goods  business,  which  he  still  continues,  the  present  firm  being  Lynch  & 
Kelly.  In  1885  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  G.  Duffy,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Lynch  &  Duffy,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  Scotch  caps,  continuing  until 
Mr.  Duffy's  death  in  1887.  Since  then  the  business  has  been  successfully  continued 
under  the  style  of  the  Lynch  Scotch  Cap  Company.  They  manufacture  Scotch  caps, 
tam  o'shanters,  toques,  etc.  Mr.  Lynch  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  branch 
63,  C.  M.  B.  A.,  and  its  first  president,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  C.  B.  L.,  and  the 
A.  O.  H.  In  1885  he  married  Theresa  M.  Gaynor,  sister  of  Judge  William  J.  Gaynor, 
of  Brooklyn,  and  they  have  one  son,  A.  Vincent  Lynch,  born  August  23,  1887. 

Jones,  Dr.  Herbert  Gordon,  was  born  in  LTtica,  July  26,  1857  and  is  a  son  of  John 
Francis  Jones,  who  came  here  from  Wales,  England,  with  his  parents,  Cadwallader 
and  Ann  Jones,  when  young,  and  died  here  in  1875,  aged  forty-six  years.  John  F. 
was  a  stock  raiser  and  provision  dealer,  and  manned  Jane,  daughter  of  Herbert 
Williams,  of  Steuben,  Oneida  county,  who  died  in  1873.  Of  their  six  children  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest.  Dr.  Jones  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public 
schools  and  academy  and  spent  two  years  in  Whitestown  Seminary.  Later  he  was 
a  pupil  in  John  Williams's  private  school  in  Utica.  He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Ed- 
win Hutchinson  in  Utica  and  was  appointed  house  surgeon  to  St.  Elizabeth's  Hos- 
pital, a  position  he  held  two  years.  The  partnership  continued  until  Dr.  Hutchin- 
son's death  in  1887,  since  which  time  Dr.  Jones  has  practiced  alone,  giving  special 
attention  to  surgery  and  to  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear.     After  two 


3G4  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

years  as  house  surgeon  to  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital  he  was  appointed  (in  1882)  attend- 
ing surgeon  to  that  institution,  which  position  he  held  five  years,  when  he  resigned 
to  accept  the  appointment  of  surgeon  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  still  serves  in  this 
capacity.  He  has  been  surgeon  of  the  West  Shore  Railroad  since  1884  and  medical 
director  of  the  order  of  United  Friends  since  1890.  He  was  elected  coronor  of  Oneida 
county  in  1884  and  served  two  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Utica  Medical  Library 
Association,  a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  and  its  treasurer  since 
1886,  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  a  member  of  the 
National  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons,  and  a  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Association  of  Railway  Surgeons.  He  was  a  delegate  from  the  Oneida  County 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association  in  1887  and  1888.  In  the 
order  of  United  Friends  he  has  been  since  1888  imperial  trustee  in  the  Imperial 
Council,  and  for  four  years  previous  to  that  was  the  first  representative  of  the  Grand 
Council  of  New  York  in  the  Imperial  Council  of  the  United  States.  He  was  one  of 
the  active  promoters  and  organizers  of  that  order  in  1881  and  has  always  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  its  growth  and  welfare.  Dr.  Jones  is  also  a  member  of  the  Utica 
Maennechor  and  a  member  of  Faxton  Lodge  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter 
No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery,  No.  4,  K.  T..  and  the  Scottish  Rite  Bodies, 
and  Central  City  Consistory  of  Syracuse,  Northern  Jurisdiction.  He  has  been  one 
of  the  surgeons  to  the  Masonic  Home  in  Utica  ever  since  its  inception  and  was  very 
active  in  securing  the  location  and  obtaining  subscriptions,  being  a  member  of  the 
subscription  committee.  He  has  read  many  valuable  papers  on  surgery  and 
kindred  subjects  before  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  and  the  Utica 
Medical  Library  Association,  and  several  of  them  have  been  published  in  the  New 
York  Medical  Journal  and  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Times.  June  15,  1882,  Dr. 
Jones  married  Katherine  E.,  daughter  of  Henry  D.  Perry,  of  Utica,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Harold  S.,  Mildred  K..  and  Stuart  G. 

Howarth,  Frederick  E.,  was  born  in  Utica  August  13,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
Howarth  who  came  from  England  about  1834  and  for  several  years  was  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  cement  pipe.  He  was  educated  in  the  Utica  public  schools  and 
was  graduated  from  the  advanced  school  in  1881 ,  and  then  became  a  clerk  for  Howarth 
&  Ballard,  druggists,  with  whom  he  remained  nine  years.  In  1891  he  organized  and 
incorporated  the  Utica  Cabinet  Company,  capitalized  at  §10,000,  and  has  since  been 
its  secretary  and  manager.  This  company  manufactures  roll-top  desks,  office  sup- 
plies, and  wood  novelties,  and  utilizes  the  works  formerly  occupied  by  the  Utica  Fur- 
niture company  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and  Gilbert  streets  in  East  L^tica.  Mr. 
Howarth  is  a  member  of  the  LTtica  Citizen  Corps,  of  Faxton  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,'.and 
of  Imperial  Council  R.  A.  He  was  married  September  12,  1894,  to  Miss  Nellie  L., 
daughter  of  Micajah  Pinkney,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Fuller,  Asa  O.,  born  August  3,  1836,  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  was  the  youngest 
of  five  children  of  Orrin  I.  Fuller,  a  native  of  New  England,  who  came  to  Rome  at 
an  early  day.  Orrin  I.  Fuller  was  a  farmer  and  deputy  sheriff,  and  was  drowned  at 
Albany  by  the  t>reaking  of  a  drawbridge  in  1840.  His  children  were  Mrs.  Cordelia 
Bush,  of  Utica :  John  T.,  who  died  in  California ;  David,  who  died  in  Utica ;  and  Mrs. 
Jane  A.  Harvey,  and  Asa  O.,  of  Utica.  Asa  O.  Fuller  engaged  in  butchering  for 
about  three  years,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  silversmith  in  Utica.     Later  he  en- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  365 

tered  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
for  several  years  or  until  he  lost  his  right  arm  and  left  hand.  He  subsequently  be- 
came a  contractor  on  railroads  and  later  engaged  in  heavy  trucking  and  city  express 
business  m  Utica,  and  still  continues  in  both  enterprises,  carrying  on  also  large  con- 
tracting interests.  He  did  all  the  excavating  for  the  New  Masonic  Home,  the  Sken- 
andoa  Cotton  Mills,  and  Mohawk  Valley  Mills  extension,  and  also  put  in  the 
machinery  of  these  two  establishments.  He  is  an  active  Republican.  July  19,  1871, 
he  married  Mrs.  Fannie  A.  Kellogg,  daughter  of  Tracy  Wade,  of  Utica,  and  they 
have  four  children:     Cora,  Orrin  ().,  Fannie  Amelia,  and  Lucina. 

Flume,  Frank  V.,  son  of  George  and  Mary  Flume,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany 
March  8,  1843,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1849.  The  family  first  set- 
tled in  Schoharie  county,  but  moved  thence  to  Montgomery  county  about  1858. 
There  his  father  died  in  1862.  His  mother  resides  in  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Flame 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  first  engaged  in  farming  and  later  in  a  saw 
mill.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Utica  and  became  a  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  J. 
Parker's  Sons,  with  whom  he  remained  three  and  one-half  years.  He  then  learned 
the  carpenter  s  trade,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members 
of  the  carpenter's  union  and  served  as  its  secretary  for  a  short  time.  September  15, 
1870,  he  married  Angeline,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Naomi  (Dunster)  Martin,  of 
Tenterdon,  county  Kent,  England.  They  have  one  son,  Truman  Frederick,  born 
August  3,   1871,  and  now  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Fuller,  Charles  Y.,  was  born  December  25,  1850,  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  A.  (Lewis)  Fuller.  Charles  Fuller,  son  of  Ebenezer,  was 
born  in  Schenectady  county  and  was  a  broom  maker  by  trade,  and  died  in  1857.  He 
was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Ebenezer  Fuller,  of  the  Mayflower.  His  wife  survives 
him.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Sanborn  Ford,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and 
was  present  at  Fort  Montgomery  and  the  Siege  of  Yorktovvn,  and  witnessed  the 
surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  Charles  Y.  Fuller  came  to  Utica  with  his  mother  m 
1857,  and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city  In  1886  he  began 
learning  the  stone  cutter's  trade  in  Lockport,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  remained  about  seven 
years.  Later  he  was  employed  for  eleven  years  on  the  State  capitol  at  Albany.  In 
1887  he  returned  to  Utica  and  in  1888  engaged  in  cut  stone  contracting,  which  he 
still  successfully  continues.  Among  the  many  buildings  he  has  erected  are  the  Oli- 
vet church  on  Howard  avenue,  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  on  Bleecker  street 
(1893),  and  St.  Patrick's  church  on  Columbia  street  in  Utica,  the  Parochial  school  in 
Little  Falls;  the  Hieber  building,  Walton  High  School,  Second  National  Bank  build- 
ing, Oneida  Historical  building  (Munson  Williams  Memorial),  schools  Nos.  20  and  21 
and  the  Albany  Street  school  in  Utica.  He  has  also  erected  many  other  large  build- 
ings in  Central  New  York,  including  numerous  fine  residences,  blocks,  etc.  He  is 
an  active  Republican  and  has  been  delegate  to  several  local  conventions.  He  is  a 
member  of  Oneida  Lodge  No.  224  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Samuel  Reed  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and 
of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  April  23,  1887,  he  married  Augusta  Blumenthal,  of  Utica, 
but  a  native  of  Germany,  and  they  have  three  children:  George  L.,  Albert  B.,  and 
AdaC. 

Adams,  George  W.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Marshall,  Oneida  county,  in  1837,  and 


/ 


366  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

spent  his  boyhood  on  a  farm.  Orphaned  in  early  life  he  was  left  wholly  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources  for  his  support  and  education.  The  eight  hour  law  was  not 
in  force  in  those  days,  and  there  was  much  more  opportunity  for  a  boy  to  work  than 
to  play  or  study.  In  1852  Mr.  Adams  went  to  the  Jefferson  County  Institute  at 
Watertown,  N.  Y.,  preparatory  to  entering  college.  After  three  years  of  alternate 
work  and  study  he  entered  in  1855  the  freshman  class  of  Union  College.  Two  years 
of  the  college  term  was  spent  at  Fairfield  Seminary.  In  1859  he  was  graduated  from 
old  Union,  having  there  won  the  Blatchford  prize  for  literary  and  oratorical  work. 
After  teaching  a  private  school  at  Brown ville,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  Adams  commenced  to 
study  law  with  Doolittle  &  Babcock,  and  in  1868  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1864 
he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Senator  Richardson,  which  continued  some  fifteen 
years.  At  one  time  James  F.  Mann  was  a  member  of  the  firm.  In  1869  Mr.  Adams 
married  Laura  Crouse,  who  died  in  1889,  leaving  two  sons,  Daniel  C.  and  George 
W.,  jr.  The  former  was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1895;  the  latter  is  now  at- 
tending school  in  L'^tica.  Mr.  Adams  has  always  been  a  Republican  and  at  one  time 
was  quite  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  Politics  was  not,  however,  con- 
genial to  his  tastes,  and  in  1867,  when  Congress  passed  a  national  act  of  bankruptcy, 
he  turned  his  attention  especially  to  that  law,  acquired  a  very  extensive  practice  un- 
der it,  and  was  connected  with  most  of  the  leading  bankruptcy  cases  in  this  part  of 
the  State.  For  some  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  director  of  the  Utica,  Clinton  and 
Binghamton  Railroad  and  is  now  the  counsel  of  that  corporation.  He  is  quite  a 
large  land  holder  in  the  east  end  of  the  city  and  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
growth  of  Utica.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Fort  Schuyler  Club,  a  member  of 
the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Club  of  New  York  city,  and  president  of  the  Utica  Art  As- 
sociation. While  Mr.  Adams  is  a  man  of  pronounced  convictions  he  is  liberal 
minded,  and  tolerant  of  the  opinions  of  others.  He  has  enlarged  his  mind  by  for- 
eign travel  and  is  a  lover  of  music  and  paintings,  as  many  specimens  of  the  latter 
which  now  adorn  the  walls  of  his  house  will  fully  testify.  He  is  a  devout  follower 
of  Isaac  Walton,  and  few  men  know  the  North  Woods  more  thoroughly  than  he. 
For  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  an  attendant  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church . 

Brayton,  M.  Jesse,  son  of  Almond  and  Caroline  (Schermerhorn)  Brayton,  was  born 
on  a  farm  near  the  Herkimer-Oneida  county  line  July  20,  1852,  attended  Fairfield 
Seminary,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute.  His  ancestors 
were  Rhode  Islanders.  His  grandfather,  Jesse  Brayton,  came  with  several  brothers 
to  Newport,  Herkimer  county,  and  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  very  early  in  the  pres- 
ent century.  In  1860  his  parents  settled  in  Deerfield,  where  his  father  died  in 
January,  1886.  His  mother  survives.  Mr.  Brayton  read  law  in  Utica  with  J. 
Thomas  Spriggs  and  later  with  D.  C.  Pomeroy,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
in  Syracuse  in  1876.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Utica  with  D.  E.  Pomeroy. 
with  whom  he  was  associated  for  about  five  years.  He  then  practiced  alone  until 
January,  1883,  when  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk,  which  position  he  held 
until  he  was  elected  county  clerk  in  1885.  He  served  in  this  capacity  from  January 
1,  1886,  to  December,  31,  1888.  He  had  become  interested  in  the  Utica  Electric 
Light  Company  and  since  the  close  of  his  term  as  county  clerk  has  served  as  its 
secretary  and   treasurer,    and   has  also  acted  in   the  same  capacity  for   the    Utica 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  367 

Manufacturing  and  Supply  Company.  Mr.  Brayton  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery  No.  3,  K.  T.,  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  the  L  O.  O.  F.  In  January,  1885,  he  married  Cora  B.,  of  Ilion, 
daughter  of  Joseph  A.  Johnson. 

Bensberg,  Frederick  W. ,  was  born  in  Utica,  May  3,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Fred- 
erick W.  and  Barbara  Bensberg,  who  came  from  Germany  to  America  and  settled  in 
Utica  in  1850,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Bensberg,  sr. , 
was  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  coal  business  here  until  his  death.  Frederick  W. , 
his  son,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  advanced  schools  of  Utica,  graduating  in 
1862,  and  when  eleven  years  of  age  commenced  to  learn  the  trade,  first  in  the  Herald 
office,  where  he  was  employed  from  1863  to  1881,  being  assistant  foreman  during  the 
last  twelve  years.  In  1881  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Utica  Daily  Press  and 
has  since  been  its  foreman.  When  the  company  was  incorporated  in  1882  he  was 
made  a  director  and  a  member  of  the  executive  committee,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Mr.  Bensberg  is  a  staunch  Republican,  was  school  commissioner  of  Utica 
for  three  years  (1891,  1892,  and  1893).  February  29,  1873,  he  married  Miss  Georgia 
A.  Perkins.  They  have  had  two  children:  Florence  P.,  and  Frederick  P.  (who  died 
aged  two  years). 

Cranwell,  Frank  J.,  son  of  James,  is  of  Irish  and  English  descent  and  was  born 
in  Utica  January  20,  1870.  His  father  is  one  of  the  oldest  contractors  and  builders 
in  Central  New  York,  and  as  such  is  not  only  well  known  in  this  State,  but  in  New 
Jersey  and  elsewhere.  He  has  erected  many  of  the  more  notable  buildings  in  LTtica, 
New  York  city,  and  other  points,  and  is  still  active  in  his  lifelong  business.  Frank 
J.  Cranwell  was  graduated  from  the  Assumption  Academy  in  1889  and  later  from 
the  Utica  Busmess  College.  As  soon  as  he  could  do  anything  he  identified  himself 
with  his  father's  business,  which  he  has  always  followed.  In  1889  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Edward  H.,  which  was  dissolved  in  May,  1896.  His 
first  contract  was  the  construction  of  the  Grimes  and  Pelton  block  in  Ilion  in  1889- 
90.  Since  then  he  has  erected  several  factory  buildings  at  Dolgeville,  the  Metro- 
politan Hotel  in  Little  Falls,  the  Utica  Carriage  Factory  and  St.  Agnes  church  on 
Blandina  street  in  LTtica,  the  Ilion  Memorial  Public  Library  building,  the  Leach 
building  in  LTtica,  the  Frankfort  High  School,  the  Hotaling  building  in  Ilion,  the 
Johnson  stone  residence  at  Palatine  Bridge,  and  many  others.  In  1895  he  married 
May  Anna  M.  Hermann,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Olive  Marguerite. 

Divine,  Fred  D.,  was  born  July  17,  1856,  in  LTtica,  in  the  house  No.  76  State  street, 
in  which  he  has  always  lived.  He  is  a  son  of  Deloss  Divine,  who  was  born  at  Hope 
Factory,  Otsego  county,  came  to  Utica  in  1855,  and  died  here  February  14,  1892, 
aged  seventy-six.  Deloss  Divine  was  a  roll  coverer  in  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  oldest  employee  in  that  estalishment.  He  mar- 
ried Martha  J.  Higby,  of  Canoga,  Seneca  county,  who  survives  him.  They  had  two 
children:  Mrs.  Chester  M.  Smith,  of  Westfield,  N.  J.,  and  Fred  D.  Divine,  of  Utica. 
The  latter  was  graduated  from  the  Utica  Free  Academy  in  1876,  and  engaged  in 
manufacturing  hand-made  fishing  rods,  which  he  still  continues.  On  his  father's 
death  he  succeeded  to  the  latter's  position  in  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills.  He  also 
does  electric  plating  and  manufactures  boats,  camp  stools,  cots,  etc.     He  is  a  mem- 


368  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

ber  of  Oriental  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery 
No.  3,  K.  T.,  and  Ziyara  Temple  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  and  Arcanum  Clubs,  the  Onondaga  Fishermen's  Association,  the 
Oneida  Company  Sportsmen's  Club,  the  Michigan  Sportsmen's  Association,  and 
many  other  sporting  organizations.  January  27,  1886,  he  married  Ada  C,  daughter 
of  William  McDufifee,  of  New  York  city. 

Davis,  Charles  P.,  was  born  in  Alcester,  England,  in  1823,  learned  the  trade  of 
glass  stainmg  in  Stratford  on  Avon,  Warwickshire,  and  came  to  America  in  1850, 
settling  in  LTtica,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  died  April  17,  1877. 
Here  he  established  the  stained  glass  works  now  conducted  by  the  firm  of  Charles 
P.  Davis's  Sons.  He  was  the  first  stained  glass  worker  in  the  city  and  one  of  the 
earliest  establishments  of  the  kind  west  of  New  York.  Being  a  practical  workman, 
a  skillful  and  artistic  designer,  he  was  successful  from  the  start  and  won  a  wide  and 
enduring  reputation.  His  first  work  in  LUica  was  executed  on  Trinity  church.  Af- 
terward he  designed  the  windows  of  many  of  the  finest  churches  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, particularly  those  of  this  State,  and.  also  executed  large  contracts  on  numer- 
ous important  buildings.  He  was  a  good  nauralist  and  an  expert  taxidermist,  for 
both  of  which  he  had  a  natural  inclination,  and  at  his  death  he  left  a  fine  and  valu- 
able collection  of  birds,  insects,  etc.  He  was  an  active  and  prominent  Democrat, 
but  never  sought  or  held  public  office.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  St. 
George's  church.  He  married  in  England,  Mary  Callaway,  who  died  in  1864,  leav- 
ing children;  Joseph  P.,  William  A.,  Frederick  J.,  and  Charles  C.  Davis,  Mrs.  Will- 
iam H.  Trembly  and  Mrs.  A.  H.  Richardson  and  Albert  Davis  (both  deceased). 
LTpon  Mr.  Davis's  death  the  stained  glass  business  passed  to  his  sons  Joseph  P., 
William  A.,  Frederick  J.,  and  Charles  C,  who  formed  the  present  firm  of  Charles  P. 
Davis's  Sons.  Later  Joseph  P.  and  Charles  C.  withdrew,  leaving  the  business  to 
the  management  of  the  other  two  brothers.  Frederick  J.  Davis  follows  his  father  as 
naturalist  and  taxidermist  and  carries  on  these  professions  in  connection  with  the 
firm's  stained  glass  busines.s. 

Daily  Dennis  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  Oneida  county,  January  23, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Cornelius  Daily,  who  was  born  in  County  Cork.  Ireland,  in  1804, 
and  died  January  26.  1894.  Cornelius  Daily  came  to  America  about  1832,  landing  in 
Quebec,  Canada.  A  few  months  later  he  became  foreman  on  the  construction  of  the 
railroad  from  Boston  to  Worcester,  the  first  equipped  steam  railroad  in  the  United 
States,  which  position  he  held  for  about  six  years.  He  then  came  to  Rome,  N.  Y., 
by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  settled  on  an  unbroken  farm  in  the  north  part 
of  Annsville,  where  he  lived  and  died.  He  cleared  the  farm,  which  comprised  100 
acres,  and  lived  to  see  the  country  transformed  from  a  wilderness  to  a  fertile  section. 
He  was  one  of.  the  first  settlers  of  that  part  of  the  town,  and  was  active  in  all  local 
affairs,  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  especially  interested  in  education,  serving  as 
school  trustee  for  many  years.  He  was  married  in  Ireland  in  1831  to  Margaret 
Mahoney,  who  died  May  26,  1893,  in  her  eighty-third  year.  Their  children  were 
Mary,  deceased,  who  married  Thomas  Murphy,  who  died  in  the  army  during  the  civil 
war;  Katharine  Teresa,  of  Lynn,  Mass.;  Margaret  Maria,  deceased;  B.  Amelia,  of 
LUica,  who  married  Lieut.  Wallace  Mott,  who  died  in  the  army;  Ellen  (Mrs.  P.  T. 
O'Toole),  deceased;  Jane  of  Utica;  Dennis  L.,  of  Utica;  Rose  A.  (widow  of  Martin 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  369 

Hinton),  of  Utica;  and  George  P.,  who  resides  on  the  homestead  in  Munnsville. 
Dennis  L.  Daily  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Annsville.  He  remained  on  the  homestead  until  1877,  when  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Company.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  came  to  Utica  and 
in  1885  established  his  present  grocery  business  in  Sunset  avenue.  In  Annsville  he 
took  an  active  part  in  local  politics  and  served  two  terms  as  town  collector  and  one 
term  as  assessor.  In  Utica  he  has  also  taken  an  active  interest  in  local  political 
affairs.  June  7,  1882,  he  married  Katharine  M.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Sullivan,  of 
Utica,  and  they  have  six  children:  Cornelius  Sullivan,  Margaret  Maria,  Ellen  Jane, 
Katharine  Teresa,  Mary  Loretta,  and  George  Vincent. 

Davis,  George  A.,  son  of  Charles  S.,  was  born  in  Utica  December  4,  1857. 
Charles  S  Davis,  son  of  David,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county, 
July  1,  1829,  married  Polly  Brock  way,  a  native  of  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county, 
and  came  to  Utica  about  1856,  where  he  still  resides.  He  was  for  many  years  the 
proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  and  a  large  trucking  business.  When  seventeen  George 
A.  Davis  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  picture  frames  and  spring  beds  with  F.  P. 
Baldwin  but  one  year  later  associated  himself  with  his  father  in  the  trucking  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  continued  four  and  one-half  years.  He  subsequently  formed  a 
copartnership  with  William  N.  Weaver,  purchased  his  father's  business,  and  still 
continues  it  under  the  firm  name  of  Davis  &  Weaver.  In  March,  1889,  Mr.  Davis 
also  became  proprietor  of  the  Clinton  House  in  Bleecker  street  and  conducted  it  for 
six  years,  changing  its  name  in  1894  to  New  American.  He  was  also  proprietor  of 
the  Metropolitan  Hotel  for  three  years,  and  as  a  landlord  in  each  of  these  hosteleries 
attained  unusual  success.  In  August,  1894,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles 
Kilkinney,  as  Kilkinney  &  Davis,  and  purchased  the  old  Wilsey  brick  yard  and 
manufactory  at  Deerfield,  opposite  the  New  York  Central  freight  depot.  They  re- 
fitted it,  adding  the  most  improved  machinery,  etc.,  and  now  manufacture  about 
5,000,000  brick  annually.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Imperial  Council  R.  A.,  and  the  Arcanum  Club,  and  in  politics  is- a 
staunch  Republican.  November  1,  1884,  he  married  Mary  Morgan,  of  Oneida,  N.  Y,, 
who  died  September  25,  1893.  He  married,  second,  October  10,  1894,  Miss  Florence 
Bliskey,  of  Oneida,  N.  Y. 

Hatfield,  Richard  E.,  one  of  the  substantial  and  influential  farmers  of  this  town, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  immediate  vicinity  since  1851,  when  the  family  of  George  H. 
Hatfield,  hisfather,  firstsettled  here.  Theycamefrom  South  Wales,  and  the  elder,  now 
deceased,  was  noted  for  his  integrity  and  industry  and  soon  became  master  of  a  com- 
petence and  position  among  the  most  respected  people  in  New  Hartford.  Richard 
Hatfield,  like  his  father,  tilled  the  soil  with  diligence  and  has  become  so  situated  as 
to  enjoy  the  fruit  of  his  labors.  He  was  born  in  Wales,  December  25,  1836.  In  1861 
he  married  Mary  Davis,  a  daughter  of  the  late  David  Davis,  of  South  Clinton.  He 
has  served  his  town  as  assessor  and  superintendent  of  the  poor. 

Wheeler,  Frank  E.,  is  the  only  son  of  Russel  Wheeler,  who  was  born  in  Rome,  N. 

Y.,  August  7,    1820,   and  died  in  Utica  January  5,  1895      George  Wheeler,  father  of 

Russel,  was  born  in  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  in  February,  1791,  came  to  Oneida  county 

with  his  father,  and  died  on  the  homestead  near  Rome  September  2,  1882.     He  had 

uu 


370  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

one  daughter  and  seven  sons,  of  whom  Russel  was  the  third.  Russel  Wheeler  came 
to  Utica  in  1838  and  entered  the  hardware  store  of  John  Mairs,  where  he  remained 
four  years.  In  1842  he  became  bookkeeper  for  Joel  C.  Baile5%  who  had  just  pur- 
chased the  Chester  Dexter  foundry  on  Columbia  street.  In  1844  he  formed  a  pai'tner- 
ship  with  Mr.  Bailey,  as  Bailey,  Wheeler  &  Co.,  which  continued  until  1855,  when  Mr. 
Wheeler  bought  his  senior  partner's  interest.  In  1865  he  secured  that  of  S  Alonzo 
Bailey  and  in  1887  he  took  his  son,  Frank  E.,  into  the  business;  two  years  later  Fran- 
cis Kernan,  jr.,  became  a  partner,  but  on  January  1,  1890,  the  W^heelers  agaui  be- 
came sole  owners,  the  firm  name  being  Russel  Wheeler  &  Son.  They  manufacture 
stoves,  furnaces,  heaters,  etc.,  and  employ  from  150  to  200  men.  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
alderman  in  1849-50,  a  director  in  the  Oneida  National  Bank,  a  trustee  of  the  Savings 
Bank  of  Utica,  for  man)?  years  vice-president  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  the 
Globe  Woolen  Mills,  the  Utica  Willowvale  Bleaching  Works,  and  the  Utica  and 
Black  River  Railroad  Company.  He  was  also  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Colgate 
University.  He  was  an  extensive  traveler,  a  man  of  unswerving  integrity,  and  an 
influential,  respected  citizen.  August  5,  1845,  he  married  Amanda,  daughter  of 
Joel  C.  Bailey,  of  Utica,  who  died  at  Saratoga  Springs.  N.  Y.,  August  29,  1884, 
leaving  one  son,  Frank  E.,  who  was  born  in  Utica  in  1853.  November  10,  1887,  Mr. 
Wheeler  married,  second,  Mrs.  Katharine  K.  Anderson,  of  New  York.  Frank 
Wheeler  was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1876,  and  for  several  years  has  managed 
the  business  of  the  firm.  In  1878  he  married  Louise  Vanette,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Cheney  Ames,  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

White,  Charles  N.,  is  a  son  of  Nicholas  A.  White,  who  was  born  in  February.  1819, 
in  Thetford,  Vermont,  and  came  with  his  parents,  Noah  and  Frances  White,  to 
Oneida  county,  when  he  was  an  infant.  In  1827  the  family  settled  in  Utica,  and 
when  nine  years  of  age  Nicholas  A.  entered  theemploy  of  George  Brayton  and  Aaron 
Kellogg,  proprietors  of  the  pottery  situated  on  the  site  of  the  present  Central  New 
York  pottery,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Whitesboro  and  Breeze  streets,  with  which 
he  was  ever  afterward  connected.  In  1827  Noah  White  entered  the  employ  of  the 
same  firm  and  later  made  some  ware  on  .shares.  He  subsequentlj?  bought  the  estab- 
lishment and  also  leased  and  finally  purchased  the  pottery  on  the  east  side  of  Breeze 
street,  thus  having  the  only  important  concerns  of  the  kind  in  the  county.  About 
1840  he  took  his  sons  Nicholas  A.  and  W^illiam  in  as  partners,  under  the  firm  name  of 
N.  White  &  Sons,  which  continued  until  William  ,went  west  in  1856,  when  it  became 
N.  W^hite  &  Son.  About  1862,  a  grandson,  William  N.,  son  of  Nicholas  A.,  was  ad- 
mitted as  N.  White,  Son  &  Co.  Noah  White  died  November  4,  1865,  and  the  firm 
became  N.  A.  White  &  Son.  William  N.  (the  son)  died  about  1877,  when  N.  A. 
assumed  the  sole  management.  He  died  August  10,  1886,  and  since  then  it  has  been 
managed  by  Charles  N.  White.  Nicholas  A.  White  was  alderman  for  two  terms, 
member  of  assembl}' one  year,  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  during  his  life  a 
prominent  and  influential  citizen.  He  married  Julia  Tucker,  of  Utica,  who  survives 
him.  Their  children  were  William  N.  (deceased),  Mrs.  Henry  Roberts,  Dr.  Sue  A; 
W^hite,  Mrs.  E.  B.  Odell,  Chas.  N.  White,  and  Mrs.  Luther  I.  Foster,  of  Syracuse. 

Wheeler,  Hon.  Thomas,  son  of  George,  was  born  in  Utica,  Octobers,  1845.  George 
Wheeler,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Utica  with  his  father, 
John,  when  very  young,  and  died  here  in  1858.     He  was  engaged  in  the  trucking 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  371 

business.  Thomas  Wheeler  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  entered  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mill  and  later  the  Woolen  Mills.  August  30, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  146th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  was  promoted  second  lieutenant,  and 
was  mustered  out  July  25,  1865.  He  was  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  participated 
in  most  of  the  battles  of  his  regiment,  was  wounded  March  31,  1865,  at  White  Oak 
Road,  and  was  confined  in  the  hospital  till  shortly  before  his  discharge.  Returning 
to  Utica  he  followed  various  employments  until  1870,  when  he  was  appointed  patrol- 
man on  the  police  force.  In  1873  he  entered  the  district  attorney's  office  under  D. 
C.  Stoddard  and  remained  there  about  eight  years.  He  was  also  chief  detective  for 
the  New  Yprk  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company,  having  charge  of  their 
detective  department  from  Albany  to  Syracuse,  and  held  this  position  about  eleven 
years.  In  politics  he  has  been  an  active  Democrat.  In  1888  he  was  nominated  and 
elected  county  sheriff,  and  served  until  his  term  expired  December  31,  1891.  March 
1,  1892,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Utica  and  served  from  March  8,  1892  to  March  13, 
1894.  During  his  term  as  mayor  he  conducted  the  fight  against  the  Warren-Scharf 
Asphalt  Paving  Company,  and  broke  the  prices  for  street  paving,  being  the  first  man 
in  the  United  States  to  attempt  such  a  movement.  May  1,  1894,  the  present  coal 
firm  of  Wheeler,  McQuade  &  Co.,  was  formed,  and  on  February  19.  1895,  Mr.  Wheeler 
was  appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  public  works  by  State  Superintendent 
Aldridge,  and  still  holds  that  position.  He  is  a  member  of  Post  Bacon  G.  A.  R., 
the  Elks  and  the  Arcanum  Club.  April  26,  1886,  he  married  Helen  Frances,  daughter 
of  Lawrence  Doyle,  of  Utica. 

Smith,  Benjamin,  was  born  March  7,  1842,  in  Sheffield,  England,  is  a  son  of  Charles 
T.  and  Sarah  Smith,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1844.  The  family 
first  settled  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  but  in  1845  came  to  West  Utica,  where  Charles T. 
died  about  1878,  aged  sixty-three.  He  was  an  ivory  and  bone  turner  by  trade,  which 
he  followed  here  for  about  thirty  years.  He  was  also  a  dealer  in  real  estate  and  kept 
a  grocery  store,  and  was  collector  of  the  Third  ward  two  years.  He  was  a  prominent 
cricketer,  a  member  of  the  Utica  Cricket  Club  and  its  president,  and  took  many 
prizes  in  this  popular  game.  He  was  also  a  prominent  member  of  St. George's  So- 
ciety and  held  several  offices.  His  wife  died  in  May,  1891.  They  had  ten  children 
of  whom  five  are  living,  viz.  :  Mrs.  Anna  Graham,  Mrs.  Emma  Johnson,  Benjamin 
Smith,  and  Mrs.  Lydia  Ann  Higgins,  all  of  Utica,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Tompkins 
of  Chatham,  N.  J.  Benjamin  Smith  was  in  Utica  and  first  engaged  in  machinist's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  twenty  years.  In  1879  he  purchased  and  has  since  kept 
the  Western  Hotel  in  West  Utica.  In  1864  Mr.  Smith  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  Navy 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  on  the  gunboat  Shawmut.  He  is  a 
member  of  Post  McQuade  G.  A.  R.  and  the  Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  being 
connected  with  the  volunteer  fire  department  for  about  five  years.  In  1861  he  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  Levi  Atherton,  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  and  they  have 
had  two  children :  Benjamin,  who  died  aged  four,  and  Nellie  B.  (Mrs.  Josejih  Wilbert), 
of  Utica. 

Townsend,  Walter  C,  is  a  son  of  Homer  Townsend,  who  was  born  in  Grandbor- 
ough,  Warwickshire,  England  April  17,  1822,  came  to  America  in  1831,  settled  in 
Utica  in  1833,  and  died  here  April  20,  1884.  Homer  Townsend  was  long  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen  and  held  several  positions  of  trust  and  honor.     He  was 


372  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

alderman  of  the  Eighth  ward  of  Utica  for  eight  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Charity  Commissioners  for  the  same  length  of  time,  and  a  member  of  the  Exempt 
Firemen's  Association  and  of  the  Seymour  Artillery.  In  all  these  positions  he  served 
with  distinction  and  great  credit.  He  was  married  in  Utica,  November  13,  1843,  to 
Miss  Emily  Hill,  and  their  children  were  Charles  Henry,  Grace  Louisa,  Homer 
Clemens,  William  Fall,  Henrietta  Neeley,  John  Adams,  Mary  Louise,  George  Ar- 
thur, Walter  Clarkson,  Fanny  Camelia  and  Frank. 

Sheridan,  Simon,  son  of  Thomas  and  Rose  (Burns)  Sheridan  was  born  May  31, 
1823,  in  County  Meath,  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in  1847,  landing  in  New  York 
city  July  1.  He  had  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  and  coming  immediately  to 
Utica  (in  July,  1847,)  he  actively  identified  himself  with  that  calling.  He  worked 
here  and  in  Rome  until  1850,  and  since  then  has  lived  in  Utica.  He  followed 
carpentering  and  building  during  his  active  life,  working  on  the  Rome  Acad- 
emy and  court  house  and  many  other  noted  structures  as  a  journeyman,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  with  A.  J.  Lathrop  for  eight  years.  He  was  foreman  for 
"William  Metcalf  about  eleven  years,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  carpenters  and  builders 
in  Utica.  He  is  a  Democrat,  has  been  quite  active  in  local  politics,  and  has  several 
times  been  the  candidate  for  his  party  for  office.  He  joined  the  45th  Regiment, 
Emmett  Guards,  in  1854,  and  served  seven  years,  becoming  sergeant.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  old  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society  for  ten  years  prior  to  its  disbandment. 
February  9,  1854,  he  married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Patrick  Donally,  of  Utica,  and 
they  have  had  six  children :  Thomas,  who  died  in  infancy,  Mary  (Mrs.  Edward  Cal- 
lahan), of  Utica,  Rose  and  Ann,  who  died  young,  and  James  D.  and  Simon  F.,  of 
Utica. 

Stappenbeck,  Henry,  was  born  in  Seehausen,  Prussia,  Germany,  December  22, 
1850,  and  came  to  America  in  May,  1869.  He  settled  in  Utica  and  learned  the  busi- 
ness of  glue  manufacturing,  and  about  1871  established  his  present  glue  and  boiled 
bone  manufactory.  He  was  the  first  in  this  section  to  manufacture  glue,  and  has 
built  up  a  large  and  successful  business.  Within  recent  years  he  added  the  manu- 
facture of  fertilizers  from  bone.  His  establishment  is  located  in  the  town  of  Whites- 
boro,  just  outside  the  city  limits.  Mr.  Stappenbeck  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  local  affairs  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  242,  Order 
of  Harugari,  and  the  Utica  Maennechor,  and  for  several  years  was  president  of  Zion 
German  Lutheran  church  of  Utica.  He  married,  first,  Wilhelmenia  Zimmerman,  a 
native  of  Germany,  who  died  about  1877,  leaving  two  children,  William  and  Henry. 
His  second  wife  is  Laura  Gliffe,  of  Germany,  and  they  have  three  children  living: 
Emil,  Joseph  and  Clara. 

Sauer,  G.  Adam,  born  June  1,  1865,  in  Utica,  is  a  son  of  George  Sauer,  a  native  of 
Bavaria,  Germany,  who  came  to  America  about  1862  and  still  lives  in  Utica.  George 
Sauer  has  been  since  about  1870  engaged  in  the  meat  business  in  West  Utica.  He 
married  Anna  ]\I.  Weimer,  who  died  July  21,  1893.  They  had  three  children: 
Joseph  J.,  G.  Adam,  and  Macy  M.  G.  Adam  Sauer  was  educated  in  the  Utica  pub- 
lic schools  and  Assumption  Academy,  and  at  an  early  age  entered  his  father's  meat 
market.  In  July,  1888,  he  established  his  present  business,  first  on  Kirkland  street 
and  in  1892  at  his  present  location  on  the  corner  of  Plant  and  Francis  streets.     Mr. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  373 

Sauer  is  president  of  the  Retail  Butchers'  Mutual  Protective  Association  of  Utica, 
and  is  an  active  Democrat.  In  November,  1895,  he  was  elected  alderman  of  the 
Eleventh  ward.  May  7,  1889,  he  married  Anna  A.  Zimmerman,  daughter  of  the  late 
Edward  Zim^merman,  of  Utica. 

Risley,  Edwin  Hills,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Madison,  Madison  county,  N.  Y., 
February  5,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Chauncey  and  Sophia  (Brewer)  Risley,  and  a 
descendant  of  Richard  Risley,  who  emigrated  from  England  to  the  Plymouth  Colony 
in  1630,  settled  in  Newton,  and  in  1635  went  to  Hartfoi'd,  Conn.,  with  the  Hooker 
party.  Mr.  Risley's  education  was  limited  to  the  country  schools  of  those  times  sup- 
plemented with  an  academic  course  of  about  two  years.  He  taught  school  in  the 
year  1860,  and  in  March,  1861.  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Edwin  H. 
Lamb,  of  Waterville,  Oneida  county.  In  July,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
117th  New  York  State  Volunteers  and  was  mustered  as  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  D  on 
August  13,  1863.  He  served  with  the  regiment  and  on  detached  service  for  one 
year.  In  September,  1863,  he  entered  the  Albany  Law  School  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  at  the  October  term,  1863.  He  began  the  practice  of 
law  in  Sherburne,  Chenango  county,  N.  Y. ,  in  the  early  summer  of  1864.  While  in 
the  Albany  I^aw  School  he  was  appomted  captain  of  cavalry  in  the  battalion  being 
raised  by  Colonel  Newberry,  of  Chicago,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  on 
the  consolidation  of  the  battalion  with  other  troops.  He  was  appointed  captain  in 
the  103d  N.  Y.  State  Militia  and  served  with  that  regiment  till  it  was  disbanded.  In 
the  fall  of  1865  he  removed  from  Sherburne  to  Hamilton  N.  Y.,  and  continued  the 
practice  of  law  in  that  village  unril  April,  1869,  when  he  settled  in  Utica,  where  he 
has  smce  resided.  Mr.  Risley  has  had  an  extensive  practice  in  the  trial  courts  and 
in  the  appellate  courts  of  the  State  and  is  considered  successful  as  a  lawyer.  During 
the  past  ten  years  his  practice  has  been  almost  exclusively  in  Federal  courts,  involv- 
ing patent  litigations.  In  1884  he  spent  one  year  in  a  large  machine  shop  to  perfect 
his  knowledge  of  mechanical  appliances.  In  1890  he  organized  and  promoted  the 
National  Harrow  Company,  which  controls  the  entire  spring  tooth  harrow  manu- 
facture of  the  United  States,  and  is  at  the  present  time  president  of  the  company. 
In  1892  he  promoted  and  organized  the  Standard  Harrow  Company  with  a  view  of 
consolidating  into  one  manufacture  all  of  the  spring-tooth  harrow  business  in 
the  United  States.  He  obtained  options  on  all  the  business,  but  owing  to 
the  financial  panic  of  1893  only  partially  carried  out  the  project.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  he  is  one  of  the  managing  directors  of  the  Standard  Harrow  Company, 
having  a  large  and  successful  manufactory  in  Utica.  He  promoted  and  organized 
the  Savage  Repeating  Arms  Company,  who  manufacture  hammerless,  smokeless- 
powder  sporting  rifles,  being  in  this  department  the  pioneer  in  the  world.  At 
present  he  is  treasurer  of  the  company.  He  organized  and  was  director  in  the  D.  B. 
Smith  Compau)',  whose  business  was  absorbed  by  the  Standard  Harrow  Company. 
Mr.  Risley  is  president  of  the  New  Forest  Association  of  Utica,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  a  director  in  the  Westmoreland  Malleable  Iron  Company.  He  possesses 
first-class  mechanical  ability,  good  business  judgment,  and  is  interested  in  all  the 
public  enterprises  for  the  benefit  of  the  city.  He  is  a  Republican,  but  a  relentless 
foe  of  corruption  and  bossism  in  politics.  He  joined  the  Baptist  church  in  1865 
and  has  been  an  active  and  influential  member  of  that  denomination  ever  since. 


374  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Maxfield,  Rouse  B.,  son  of  Rufus  G.  and  Mehitable  (Bennett)  Maxfield,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Ohio,  Herkimer  county,  June  29,  1847,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  and  under  the  tutelege  of  his  father,  who  was  well  versed  in  the 
sciences.  O^t.  27, 1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  97th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  joining  the  .same  com- 
pany in  which  his  brother  David  E.  had  been  fatally  wounded  at  Antietam.  He 
served  until  his  discharge  on  June  15, 1865,  participatingin  thefirst  andsecondbattles 
of  Fredericksburg,  Chanceliorsville,  and  Getty.sburg,  where  he  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  right  arm  and  taken  prisoner.  He  lay  in  the  enemy's  lines  during  the  second 
and  third  days'  tight  and  until  they  retreated,  and  then  remained  with  his  regiment 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  present  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Petersburg,  Five  Forks, 
and  Appomattox.  Returning  home  he  resumed  his  studies  for  one  year  and  then 
began  teaching  district  .school,  which  he  continued  winters  until  1875.  In  1875-77  he 
taught  the  Union  school  at  Taberg,  N.  Y.,  where  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
In  1882  he  was  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Oneida  county,  and  in  188b  be- 
came a  traveling  salesman.  His  old  wound  broke  out  at  this  time  and  on  Dec.  1, 
1883,  his  right  arm  was  amputated,  which  incapacitated  him  for  two  years.  In  1885 
he  was  again  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  on  Jan.  1,  1886,  he  entered  the 
couQty  clerk's  office  under  M.  Jesse  Brayton.  Here  he  remained  until  Jan.  1,  1892, 
when  he  became  county  clerk,  having  been  elected  in  the  preceding  November  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  Jan.  1.  1895,  he  engaged  in  his  present  business  as  pension 
attorney.  He  has  been  a  notary  public  since  about  1880,  and  is  a  member  and  past 
commander  of  Post  Bacon,  No.  53,  G.  A.  R.,  and  for  several  years  its  quarter-mas- 
ter. He  is  also  a  member  and  past  grand  of  Skenandoa  Lodge,  No.  95,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
a  member  and  chief  patriarch  of  Tri-Mount  Encampment,  and  a  member  of  Utica 
Lodge  K.  of  H.,  Excelsior  Council,  K.  P.,  Imperial  Council  R.  A.,  and  the  Arcanum 
Club.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  sportsman,  a  great  lover  of  the  rod  and  gun,  and  a  pub- 
lic spirited  citizen.  Dec.  25,  1875,  he  married  Ella  M.,  daughter  of  David  Moyer,  of 
Taberg,  N.  Y..  and  they  have  had  two  children:  Grace  M.  and  Bessie  M.  (who  died 
aged  seven  years.) 

Mather,  Charles  W.,  son  of  Westley  and  Julia  Ann(Iveyser)  Mather,  and  grandson 
of  Joshua  Mather,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford,  Oneida  county.  May  1, 
1852.  The  family  descends  from  Rev.  Richard  Mather,  father  of  Dr.  Increase  Mather, 
oneofthi^earlypresidentsof  Harvard  College.  Rev.  Richard  came  from  Lewton,  Win- 
wick  parish,  England,  and  settled  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1635.  Among  his  descendants 
were  Cotton  and  Dr.  Samuel  Mather.  Asaph  Mather,  of  the  fifth  generation,  was  born 
in  East  Lynn,  Conn.,  in  1753,  and  finally  settled  in  l792atSchuyler,  Herkimercounty, 
where  his  son,  Joshua,  grew  to  manhood.  The  latter  in  1S]()  married  Cornelia, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Willis,  and  their  children  were  Lucinda,  Wesley,  Asaph  D. 
and  Joshua,  jr.  Joshua  Mather,  jr.,  came  to  Utica  in  1847  and  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  with  Asaph  D.  In  1866  the  firm  of  A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.  founded  the  present 
bank  of  that  name.  A.  D.  died  in  April,  1880,  and  Joshua  associated  with  himself 
his  nephew,  Charles  W.  Mather,  and  in  November,  1890,  the  business  was  incorpo- 
rated under  the  name  of  A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.'s  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  and 
with  Joshua  Mather  as  president.  He  was  also  president  of  the  Utica  Belt  Line 
Street  Railroad  Company.  He  died  August  18,  1893.  Wesley  Mather  was  born 
January  19,  1819,  came  to  New  Hartford  in  1847.  and  died  there  September  15,  1892. 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  375 

His  wife  died  in  1855.  Their  children  were  Albert,  and  Lucinda  (Mrs.  Joseph  D. 
Monroe),  who  reside  on  the  homestead ;  Warren,  of  New  Hartford;  and  Sarah  J. 
(Mrs.  J.  F.  Turner)  and  Charles  W.,  of  Utica.  Charles  W.  Mather  finished  his  edu- 
cation at  the  private  school  of  John  Williams.  In  1871  he  became  a  clerk  in  the 
banking  house  of  A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.,  and  rose  to  the  post  of  teller.  In  1880  he  be- 
came a  partner  and  in  1890  vice-president.  On  the  death  of  his  uncle  in  1893  he  was 
elected  president.  He  has  been  a  director  and  the  treasurer  of  the  Utica  Belt  Line 
Street  Railroad  Company  since  its  organization  in  1886.  He  is  a  member  of  Faxton 
Lodge.  No.  697,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Oneida  Chapter  R.  A.  M.,  Utica  Commandery,  No.  3, 
K.  T.,  and  Ziyara  Temple  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  a  charter  member  of  the 
Masonic  Club.  August  7,  1873,  he  married  Ida  F.,  daughter  of  David  J.  Crane  (a 
member  of  the  editorial  .staff  of  the  New  York  Tribune  at  the  time  of  his  death). 
Their  children  are  Cornelia  F".,  William,  Maud,  Ida  A.,  Katherine  A.,  and  Richard. 

Dempsey,  Hon.  James  L  ,  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Lyons)  Dempsey,  was  born 
April  29,  1848,  in  Dublm,  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  the  same 
year,  settling  first  in  New  York  city.  In  1849  the  family  came  to  Utica  and  in  1853 
moved  thance  to  a  farm  in  Westmoreland.  In  1857  they  settled  in  Kirkland,  Oneida 
county,  where  his  parents  still  live.  John  Dempsey  is  a  farmer  and  mason  by  occu- 
pation. He  had  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  James  I..,  Terrence  J., 
Thomas  E.,  all  of  Clinton;  John  J.,  of  the  town  of  Kirkland;  William,  of  Clinton; 
Mary  J.  (Mrs.  John  R.  Tierney),  of  Lairdsville,  Oneida  county;  Anna  (Mrs.  John 
Nichols),  of  Utica;  and  Nellie  (Mrs.  Michael  Dolan),  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  James  L. 
Dempsey  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Kirkland,  learned  the  trade  of  mason 
and  builder,  and  for  a  time  carried  on  a  successful  contracting  business.  In  1870  he 
became  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  Clinton,  his  partner  being  Peter  Blake,  his  brother- 
in-law,  continuing  seven  years.  In  1869  he  commenced  dealing  in  hops  and  farm 
produce,  and  has  ever  since  continued  in  that  business  with  unusual  success.  He 
has  been  an  extensive  operator  in  this  connection,  buying,  handling,  and  shipping 
large  quantities  of  hops,  etc.  In  1886  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  first  directors 
of  the  Clinton  Burial  Case  Company,  since  removed  to  Utica.  He  was  the  prime 
mover  and  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  the  location  of  the  Clinton  Canning 
Company  in  the  village  of  Clinton,  the  leading  manufacturing  industry  there.  He  was 
in  business  at  different  times  with  Henry  McNamara,  Peter  Pegnim  and  R.  J.  Billing- 
ham.  Mr.  Dempsey  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity 
of  the  village  of  Clinton,  contributing  liberally  of  both  time  and  means  toward  every 
worthy  enterprise,  and  encouraging  all  movements  promising  general  benefit.  Public 
spirited,  progressive,  and  energetic  he  is  prominently  identified  with  the  town,  and 
is  active  in  furthering  its  moral  and  material  interests.  He  is  a  staunch  Democrat, 
and  has  been  for  several  years  an  influential  member  of  that  party.  In  1890  and  1891 
he  represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature,  where,  as  the  records  show,  he 
looked  carefully  after  the  interests  of  his  constituents,  and  especially  after  the  wel- 
fare of  the  farming  and  laboring  classes.  As  member  of  assembl}'  he  was  instru- 
mental in  starting  the  movements  which  resulted  in  the  selling  of  the  old  county 
farm  and  poor  house  at  Rome  for  §309,000,  which  gave  to  the  county  the  present 
county  house  and  poor  farm  and  also  the  Rome  State  Custodial  Asylum,  two  insti- 
tutions of  permanent  local  as  well  as  general  value.     He  has  been  a  trustee  and  on§ 


376  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

of  the  water  commissioners  of  the  village  of  Clinton  since  the  spring  of  1893.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  first  sewer  commission,  and  as  such  was  instrumental  in 
introducing  the  present  sewerage  system,  resigning  to  become  village  trustee.  In 
all  matters  of  local  {■niprovement  he  has  taken  a  conspicuous  part,  and  has  labored 
assiduously  for  the  benefit  of  the  place.  May  19,  1870,  he  married  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Michael  Blake,  of  the  town  of  Kirkland,  and  they  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren: John  A.,  Francis  M.,  Joseph  W.,  Elizabeth  Maria,  James  L.,  jr.,  Kate,  Robert 
(deceased),  and  Rose. 

Daily,  Dennis  L.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Annsville,  Oneida  county,  January  23, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Cornelius  Daily,  who  was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  in  1804, 
and  died  January  26,  1894.  Cornelius  Daily  came  to  America  about  1832,  landing  in 
Quebec,  Canada.  A  few  months  later  he  became  foreman  on  the  construction  of  the 
railroad  from  Boston  to  Worcester,  the  first  equipped  steam  railroad  in  the  United 
States,  which  position  he  held  for  about  six  years.  He  then  came  to  Rome,  N.  Y., 
by  stage,  and  settled  on  an  unbroken  farm  in  the  north  part  of  Annsville,  where  he 
lived  and  died.  He  cleared  the  farm,  which  comprised  100  acres,  and  lived  to  see 
the  country  transformed  from  a  wilderness  to  a  fertile  section.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  that  part  of  the  town  and  was  active  in  all  local  affairs,  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  especially  interested  in  education,  serving  as  school  trustee  for  many 
years.  He  was  married  in  Ireland  in  1831  to  Margaret  Mahoney,  who  died  May  26, 
1893,  in  her  eighty-third  year.  Their  children  were  Mary,  deceased,  who  married 
Thomas  Murphy,  who  died  in  the  army  during  the  civil  war;  Katharine  Teresa,  of 
Lynn,  Mass. ;  Margaret  Maria,  deceased;  B.  Amelia,  of  Utica,  who  married  Lieut 
Wallace  Mott,  who  died  in  the  army;  Ellen  (Mr.s.  P.  T.  O'Toole).  deceased;  Jane  of 
Utica;  Dennis  L.,  of  Utica;  Rose  A.  (widow  of  Martin  Hinton),  of  Utica;  and  George 
P.,  who  resides  on  the  homestead  in  Munnsville.  Dennis  L.  Daily  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Annsville.  He  remained  on  the 
homestead  until  1877,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine 
Company.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  came  to  Utica  and  in  1885  established  his  present 
grocery  business  in  Sunset  avenue.  In  Annsville  he  took  an  active  part  in  local  pol- 
itics and  served  two  terms  as  town  collector  and  one  term  as  assessor.  In  Utica  he 
has  also  taken  an  active  interest  in  local  political  aflfairs.  June  7,  1883,  he  married 
Katharine  M.  Sullivan,  of  Utica,  and  they  have  six  children:  Cornelius  Sullivan, 
Margaret  Maria,  Ellen  Jane,  Katharine  Teresa,  Mary  Loretta,  and  George  Yincent. 

Prescott,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford  in  1856,  son  of  Daniel 
Morgan  Prescott.  He  is  the  owner  of  the  farm  with  which  the  name  of  Prescott  has 
been  identified  over  one  hundred  years,  and  which  descended  from  father  to  son  for 
many  generations.  His  great-grandfather  came  here  from  Connecticut  when  his 
grandfather,  Oliver  Prescott,  was  but  four  years  of  age.  The  death  of  his  father. 
Daniel  Morgan  Prescott,  in  1805,  removed  from  the  community  a  beloved  and  ven- 
erable citizen ;  he  held  the  offices  of  assessor  and  collector,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  one  term,  and  also  held  many  important  positions  about  the  State 
Capitol— postmaster,  sergeant-at-arms,  and  librarian.  He  married  Lydia  M.  Bacon, 
of  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters;  and 
she  still  survives  him  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  D.  D.  Prescott,  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  is  a  staunch  Republican,  but  not  an  ofKce  holder.     He  is  identi- 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  377 

fied  with  the  Presbyterian  church.     In  1880  he  married  Stella  Schooley,   of  Litch- 
field, by  whom  he  has  four  children:   Fannie  S. ,  Walter  D.,  Arthur  A.,  and  Eva  E. 

Durfee,  W.  V.,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  August  6,  1833,  son  of  William  and 
Ursula  (Seabura)  Durfee,  natives  of  Rhode  Island.  W.  V.  Durfee  has  spent  nearly 
all  of  his  life  in  Sangerfield,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming.  January  1, 
1856,  he  married  Maria  Bush,  who  died  June  30,  1895.  Mr.  Durfee  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  of  the  Grange. 

Weaver,  Van  Rensselaer,  son  of  George  F.  and  grandson  of  Henry  Van  R.  Weav- 
er, was  born  in  Deerfield,  Oneida  county,  Jan.  21,  1855,  and  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm.  The  founder  of  the  family  in  Deerfield  was  George  J.  Weaver,  who, 
in  1773,  came  up  the  Mohawk  with  Capt.  Mark  Damoth  and  Christan  Reall  and  set- 
tled at  the  Corners.  In  1776  the  Indians  drove  them  back  and  burned  their  improve- 
ments. Afterward  Mr.  Weaver  was  taken  prisoner  near  Herkimer,  carried  to  Que- 
bec and  thence  to  England,  and  after  more  than  two  years  exchanged.  In  1784  the 
three  men  again  settled  at  Deerfield  Corners,  where  Mr.  Weaver's  grandson,  George 
M.  Weaver,  jr.,  was  the  first  white  male  child  born  in  the  town,  his  birth  occurring 
Jan.  15,  1787,  and  his  death  in  1877.  Van  Rensselaer  Weaver  was  educated  in  the 
Deerfield  public  and  Utica  advanced  schools,  and  remained  on  the  farm  until  1894, 
maintaining  also  a  milk  route  in  Utica.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican,  has  been  a 
delegate  to  State  and  other  political  conventions,  and  for  five  successive  years  from 
1880  served  as  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Deerfield.  He  also  held  this  office  in  1892 
and  1893.  In  1894  he  waselected  sheriffofOnieda  county  for  a  term  of  three  years  by 
a  majority  of  about  4, 300,  which  was  the  second  largest  on  the  ticket.  For  several  years 
he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Deerfield  Baptist  church.  Feb.  20,  1882,  hemarried  Laura 
A.,  daughter  of  Owen  D.  Owens,  of  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  and  their  children  are  Van 
Rensselaer,  jr.,  Ralph  O.,  Harrison,  and  Clarence  W. 

Wheeler,  Russel,  was  born  in  Rome,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  August  7.  1820,  upon 
the  farm  that  was  purchased  in  1810  by  his  grandfather,  Lazarus  Wheeler,  who 
came  as  a  pioneer  from  Glastonbury.  Conn.,  with  his  eleven  children,  making  the 
entire  journey,  and  conveying  his  household  goods  as  well  as  his  family  by  means  of 
ox  teams.  Of  the  eleven  children  of  Lazarus  Wheeler,  the  fourth,  George,  the 
father  of  Russel,  was  born  in  Glastonbury,  February  21,  1791,  and  was  thus  nine- 
teen 3'ears  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county.  The  original  farm  was  afterwards 
divided  into  two  portions,  which  were  owned  respectively  by  George  and  a  brother 
Asa;  and  upon  their  death  was  purchased  by  Russel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
held  it  the  balance  of  his  life,  and  who  bequeathed  it  to  his  son,  Frank  E.,  who  is 
the  present  owner.  This  farm  for  years  has  been  widely  known  for  the  blooded 
stock,  and  especially  the  fine  Jersey  cattle  that  have  been  raised  iipon  it.  Lazarus 
Wheeler  died  upon  the  homestead  July  2,  1851,  at  the  age  of  ninety  two,  and  George 
Wheeler  died  September  9,  1882,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  Russel  Wheeler,  the 
third  son  of  George  AVheeler,  cam.e  to  Utica  in  1838,  and  entered  the  hardware  store 
of  John  Mairs,  where  he  remained  as  clerk  for  four  years.  In  1842  he  became  book- 
keeper for  Joel  C.  Bailey,  who  had  just  purchased  the  Chester  Dexter  Foundry  on 
Columbia  street.  In  1844  he,  together  with  a  son  of  Mr.  Bailey,  S.  Alonzo,  were 
taken  into  partnership,  under  the  firjn  name  of  Bailey,  Wheeler  &  Co.    In  1855  Rus- 


378  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

sel  Wheeler  purchased  the  interest  of  Joel  C.  Bailey,  and  the  firm  became  Wheeler 
&  Bailey.  In  1865  he  bought  the  interest  of  S.  Alonzo  Bailey,  and  continued  the 
business  in  his  own  name  and  without  partner  for  twelve  years.  In  1877  he  took  his 
son,  Frank  E.,  into  the  business,  and  the  firm  name  became  what  it  is  to-day,  Rus- 
sel  Wheeler  &  Son.  They  manufacture  warm  air  furnaces,  hot  water  and  steam 
heaters,  ranges  and  stoves,  and  employ  from  150  to  200  men.  Mr.  Wheeler  occupied 
many  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  trustee  of  Colgate  University, 
and  also  of  the  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  of  Utica.  He  was  for  some  years  vice- 
president  of  the  Utica  City  National  Bank,  was  director  of  the  Oneida  National 
Bank  and  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  Utica.  He  was  for  many  years  a  director 
and  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Utica  and  Black  River  Railroad; 
was  a  director  of  the  Utica  Steam  Cotton  Mills,  the  Mohawk  Cotton  Company,  the 
Willowvale  Bleaching  Company,  and  the  Globe  Woolen  Company.  He  was  an  ex- 
tensive traveler,  both  in  his  own  land  and  abroad.  A  man  of  unswerving  integrity 
and  exceptional  judgment,  he  was  in  every  way  a  most  influential  and  respected 
citizen.  August  5,  1845,  he  married  Amanda,  the  eldest  daughter  of  his  partner,  Joel 
C.  Bailey,  a  lady  who  became  interested  in  many  of  the  charities  of  Utica,  and  who 
combined  to  a  more  than  usual  degree  those  attributes  which  make  a  happy,  attract- 
ive home,  and  which  endear  one  to  all  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  be  brought  under 
their  influence.  She  died  August  29,  1884,  at  Saratoga  Springs.  They  had  but  one 
child,  a  son,  Frank  E.  Wheeler,  who  was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1876,  and 
who  has  succeeded  his  father  in  the  business,  as  well  as  in  many  of  his  positions  of 
trust.  November  10,  1887,  Mr.  Wheeler  married,  second,  Mrs.  Katharine  Kneeland 
Anderson,  of  New  York,  who  survives  him.  He  died  in  Utica,  at  his  home  on  Gene- 
see street,  January  5,  1895.  Frank  E.  Wheeler,  the  son,  married,  April  23,  1878, 
Louise  Vanette,  daughter  of  Hon.  Cheney  Ames  of  Oswego. 

Sheehan,  John  H.,  was  born  in  Ireland,  March  16,  1838.  Having  lost  his  parents 
by  death  he  came  to  America  when  about  six  years  of  age  with  an  elder  sister  and 
first  settled  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  In  1850  he  came 
to  Utica  and  finished  his  education  in  the  Advanced  school  of  this  city.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  became  an  errand  boy  in  the  drug  store  of  LTriah  H.  Kellogg.  About 
four  years  later  Mr.  Kellogg  was  succeeded  by  Grove  &  Hamilton,  with  whom  Mr. 
Sheehan  remained  for  a  short  time.  In  1857  he  entered  the  employ  of  Dickinson, 
Comstock  &  Co.,  wholesale  druggists  and  grocers,  and  in  1865  he  was  admitted  as  a 
partner.  He  continued  in  this  capacity  until  1868,  when  he  formed  a  copartnership 
with  his  father-in-law,  Peter  Vidvard,  who  was  then  in  the  wholesale  wine  and  spirit 
business  at  Nos.  29  and  31  John  street.  This  firm  adopted  the  name  of  Vidvard  &  Shee- 
han and  continued  for  ten  years,  or  until  1878.  In  January,  1879,  Mr.  Sheehan  started 
in  the  wholesale  and  retail  drug  business  on  his  own  account  on  the  site  of  the  Oneida 
National  Bank  building,  where  he  was  burned  out  June  10,  1886.  In  1884  he  took 
Charles  S.  England  (then  in  his  employ)  and  Philip  Sweeney  as  partners  under  the 
firm  name  of  John  H.  Sheehan  &  Co.,  which  name  still  continues,  although  Mr. 
Sheehan  has  been  for  several  years  the  sole  proprietor.  In  the  fall  of  1886  they  es- 
tablished the  present  store  in  Genesee  street,  purchasing  the  site  from  one  of  the  heirs 
of  the  late  John  Carton.  Mr.  Sheehan  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  a  successful  business 
man,  and  was  charity  commissioner  for  one  year,  being  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy 


* 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  379 

caused  by  the  death  of  Joseph  Fass.  He  is  a  member  of  Fort  Schuyler  Club  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city.  September  18,  1865,  he  married 
Josephine  Francis  Schaler,  step-daughter  of  Peter  Vidvard,  and  they  have  six 
children:  Dr.  John  P.,  a  physician  of  Utica;  Edward  J.,  of  the  Sheehan  Fruit  Syrup 
Company,  of  Utica;  Robert  S.,  who  died  April  15,  1894,  aged  twenty-one;  Frederick 
Paul,  a  student  at  Fordham  College  in  New  York  city;  and  Josephine  Catherine  and 
Agnes  Emily,  students  in  Mrs.  Piatt's  Ladies'  Seminary  of  Utica. 

Dygert,  George  W.,  is  a  grandson  of  Peter  Dygert,  who  came  to  Utica  from 
Schenectady  at  an  early  day  and  drove  stages  from  several  years.  James  H.,  son  of 
Peter,  was  born  there  in  1889,  and  has  been  a  life-long  restaurateur.  His  son, 
George  W.,  was  born  in  Utica,  April  17,  I860,  followed  bookkeeping  about  ten  years, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1891  succeeded  his  father  as  the  proprietor  of  a  restaurant  and 
oyster  house.  He  is  a  member  of  L  O.  of  R.  M.,  and  a  charter  member  of  the  old 
Utica  Mandolin  Club,  the  first  organization  of  the  kind  in  the  citj'.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  important  musical  entertainments. 

Pohl,  George  D. ,  was  born  in  West  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  December  25 
1855,  son  of  Adam  and  Francisca  (V'ogal)  Pohl,  natives  of  Darmstadt,  Germany,  who 
came  to  America  in  1853,  stopping  at  New  York  city,  from  where  they  came  to 
Lewis  county,  and  finally  settled  in  Ava.  Mrs.  Pohl  died  in  1883,  and  Mr.  Pohl  is 
still  living  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  He  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  having  learned 
the  trade  in  Germany,  and  the  shop  in  which  he  learned  his  trade  and  worked  was 
conducted  by  his  father,  grandfather,  and  great-grandfather,  being  in  the  family 
over  200  years.  George  D.  learned  the  trade  of  his  father.  In  1886  he  married  Jen- 
nie R.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  E.  (Hick.s)  Slone.  Mr.  Slone  was  a  graduate 
of  the  Eclectic  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia,  and  also  of  the  Homeopathic  College 
at  Cincinnati.  He  began  his  practice  at  Vienna,  and  spent  his  last  years  in  practice 
at  Ava,  where  he  died  in  1872.  In  1884  Mrs.  Slone  married  Penn  Rockwell  of  Ava. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pohl  have  three  children:  Florence  M.,  Arthur  and  Harold.  Mr. 
Pohl,' with  his  brother,  Valentine,  began  general  blacksmith  business  at  Ava  in  1879. 
In  1888  they  patented  a  curd  mill,  which  they  have  since  manufactured.  They  have 
also  invented  and  manufactured  an  automatic  curd  agitator,  and  manufacture  gas 
and  gasoline  engines,  in  which  business  they  associated  with  themselves  in  1894 
Henry  Pokosney,  of  Vienna,  Austria,  late  of  the  automatic  gas  engine  works  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.  They  also  conduct  a  foundry  in  which  Frank  Tryon,  of  Syracuse 
is  foreman.     Mr.  Pohl  is  at  present  justice  of  the  peace. 

Crandall  Charles  E.,  was  born  at  Vernon  Center,  in  the  town  of  Vernon,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  December  1,  1833.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  re- 
mained on  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  then  learned  the  currier's 
trade,  which  business  he  followed  until  1859,  when  he  became  a  manufacturer  of 
boots  and  shoes.  He  continued  this  business  six  years,  then  added  the  grocery 
business,  and  in  1872  began  conducting  a  general  store,  which  he  still  follows  with 
success,  taking  his  son,  Willard  L.,  into  partnership  April  1,  1885,  under  the  firm 
name  of  C.  E.  Crandall  &  Son.  January  29,  1881,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and 
served  about  five  years,  till  there  was  a  change  of  administration.  October  5,  1853 
he  married  Maria  T.,  daughter  of  George  C.  Cadwell,  of  this  town,  by  whom  he  has 


380  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

three  sons:  George  C,  Willard  L.  and  Charles  F.  Mrs.  Crandall  died  June  13, 
1896.  George  C.  married  Minnie  Bell,  of  Glens  Falls,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Florence.  Willard  L.  married  Marian  Barrett,'  of  Medina,  Orleans  county,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Charles  A.  and  Barrett  L.  Charles  F.  resides  at  home  and  runs 
the  stage  route,  carrying  the  mail.  Mrs.  Crandall's  father,  George  C.  Cadwell,  was 
justice  of  the  peace  twenty  years.  C.  E.  Crandall  has  held  the  position  of  notary 
continuously  for  over  twenty  years  and  still  holds  the  office.  Willard  L.  Crandall  is 
treasurer  of  the  School  Board.     The  ancestry  of  the  family  is  of  Dutch  extraction. 

Bensberg,  Frederick  W.,  was  born  in  Utica  May  21,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick 
W.  and  Barbara  Bensberg,  who  came  from  Germany  to  America  and  settled  in 
Utica  in  1846  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Bensberg,  sr. ,  was  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  and  coal  business  here  until  his  death  in  1883.  Frederick  W., 
his  son,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  advanced  schools  of  Utica,  commenced  to 
learn  the  trade  of  printing  first  in  the  Herald  office,  where  he  was  employed  from 
1863  to  1881,  being  assistant  foreman  during  the  last  twelve  years.  In  1881  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Utica  Daily  Press  and  has  since  been  its  foreman. 
When  the  company  was  incorporated  in  1883  he  was  made  a  director  and  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee,  which  position  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Bensberg  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  was  school  commissioner  of  Utica  for  three  years  (1891,  1892,  and  1893). 
He  married  Miss  Georgia  A.  Perkins,  of  Oriskany  Falls,  Oneida  county,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  P.  Perkins.  They  have  had  two  children:  Florence  P.  and  Fred- 
erick Stafford  (who  died  aged  two  years). 

Fuller,  Charles  Y.,  was  born  December  25,  1850,  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  A.  (Lewis)  Fuller,  Charles  Fuller,  son  of  Ebenezer,  was 
born  in  Schenectady  county  and  was  a  broom  maker  by  trade,  and  died  in  1857. 
He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Ebenezer  Fuller,  of  the  Mayflower.  His  wife  sur- 
vives him.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Sanborn  Ford,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
and  was  present  at  Fort  Montgomery  and  the  Seige  of  Yorktown  and  witnessed  the 
surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  Charles  Y.  Fuller  came  to  Utica  with  his  mother  in 
1857,  and  received  his  education  in  the  pubHc  schools  of  the  city.  In  1878  he  began 
learning  the  stone  cutter's  trade  in  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  about  seven 
years.  Later  he  was  employed  for  eleven  years  on  the  State  capitol  at  Albany.  In 
1887  he  returned  to  Utica  and  1888  engaged  in  cut  stone  contracting  (the  first  to  in- 
troduce machinery  for  cutting  stone  in  Utica  or  Oneida  county),  w-hich  he  still  suc- 
cessfully continues.  Among  the  many  buildings  he  has  erected  are  the  Olivet 
church  on  Howard  avenue,  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  on  Bleecker  street  (1893), 
and  St.  Patrick's  church  on  Columbia  street  in  Utica;  the  Parochial  school  in  Little 
Falls;  the  Hieber  building,  Walton  High  School,  Second  National  Bank  building, 
Oneida  Historical  building  (Munson  Williams  memorial),  schools  numbers  twenty 
and  twenty-one  and  the  Albany  street  school  in  Utica.  He  has  also  erected  many 
other  large  buildings  in  Central  New  York,  including  numerous  fine  residences, 
blocks,  etc.  He  is  an  active  Republican  and  has  been  delegate  to  several  local  con- 
ventions. He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  224,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Samuel  Reed 
Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  April  23,  1877,  he  married  Augusta 
Blumenthal,  of  Utica,  but  a  native  of  Germany,  and  they  have  three  children: 
George  L.,  Albert  B.  and  Ada  C. 


i 


FAMILY  SKETCHES.  381 

Joslyn,  William  H.,  was  born  in  Brockport,  Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  November  23, 
1835,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Brockport  and  Colgate  Institute. 
He  has  had  a  variety  of  occupations,  but  engaged  most  of  the  time  in  farming. 
October  18,  1856,  he  married  Louisa  Brockway,  of  his  native  place,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  Mrs.  Jo.slyn  died  October  16,  1874,  and  in 
November,  1875,  he  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mary  Duff,  of  Sweden,  Monroe 
county,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Margaret  M.,  W.  Henry,  Theresa  M. ,  Susan 
M.,  and  Charles  E.  April  26,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  13th  N.  Y.  Vols.,  in  which 
he  was  orderly  sergeant,  was  captured  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  was  con- 
fined in  Libby  Prison,  Old  Parish  Prison,  in  New  Orleans,  and  Saulsbury  Prison, 
North  Carolina,  and  was  paroled  December  3,  1862.  October  14,  1863,  he  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service  as  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  H,  of  the  21st  N.  Y.  Cavalry.  He 
participated  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  served  as  provost 
marshal  on  the  brigade  staff  through  the  fatal  Lynchburg  raid,  when  1,500  horses 
perished  in  the  mountams  in  one  day  from  hunger.  May  12,  1865,  he  was  pro- 
moted captain  for  brave  and  meritorious  service.  He  was  honorably  discharged 
October  5,  1865.  His  father,  Isaac  Jo.slyn,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Verona, 
March  15,  1806,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  day.  He  married 
Maryette  Peters,  of  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  William 
H.  (as  above),  Charles  A.,  Susan  M.,  Sarah  M.,  and  Elias  P.  Isaac  Joslyn  died 
December  28,  1878.  His  father,  Ephraim  Joslyn,  was  born  at  Leominster,  Mass., 
in  1774,  and  settled  in  Verona  in  1790,  son  of  Captain  Abijah,  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.     The  family  are  of  Norman  ancestry. 

Eaton,  Maurice. — Samuel  Eaton  was  born  in  Newport,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y., 
and  afterward  moved  to  Deerfield,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  was  assessor  of  the  town  of  Deerfield  for  several  terms.  He 
married  Hannah  Tanner,  of  Schuyler,  Herkimer  county,  by  whom  he  had  five  chil- 
dren: Morris,  a  farmer  on  the  homestead,  who  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is  at 
present  assessor  of  Deerfield;  Charles,  also  a  farmer  on  the  homestead,  who  is  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  455,  F.  &  A.  M., ;  Albert,  a  carpenter  of  Goshen,  Ind.  ;  Sher- 
man, a  farmer  in  Herkimer  count}^;  and  Emma,  who  married  Hugh  Jones,  a  farmer, 
of  Deerfield,  and  who  died  in  1890.  Samuel  Eaton  died  March  16,  1894,  and  his 
wife  died  in  November,  1891.  Elijah  Eaton,  father  of  Samuel,  came  from  Vermont 
and  was  a  pioneer  of  Deerfield,  where  he  was  a  farmer.  He  married  Hannah  Good- 
rich, of  Whitcstown. 

Gorton,  F.  T.,  M.D.,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  Madison  count}',  N.  Y.,  October  22, 
1843,  son  of  Thomas  Rodgers  and  Prudence  (Treat)  Gorton.  His  great  grandfather, 
Samuel  Gorton,  settled  in  Brookfield  in  1796  and  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  F.  T.  Gorton  was  educated  at  Whitestown  and  Cazenovia.  He  attended  one 
course  of  medical  lectures  at  Michigan  University  and  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity Medical  College  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  1871,  after  which  he  commenced 
practice  in  Waterville,  and  established  a  high  reputation  in  medical  circles.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Oneida  County  Medical  Society  and  has  been  coroner  of  the  county 
two  terms.  He  has  also  been  village  tru.stee  two  terms,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Waterville  Board  of  Education.  He  held  the  position  of  United  States  Pension 
examiner  from  January,  1872  to  October,  1893,  a  period  of  nearly  twenty-two  years. 


382  OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Dr.  Gorton   married   Alida  C,  daughter  of  C.  A.   Budlong  of  Cassville,  N.  Y.,  by 
whom  he  has  one  son  and  three  daughters. 

Maurer,  Deabold,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  now  Germany,  of  German  ancestry, 
May  30,  1882,  and  was  educated  in  the  French  and  German  schools  of  his  native 
country.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  his  parents,  Michael  and  Dora  Maurer,  being 
farmers  there.  In  1852  he  came  to  America  and  settled  first  in  New  London,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  one  year  on  a  farm.  He  then  traveled  in  the 
Southern  and  Western  States,  engaging  m  such  employment  as  his  tastes  and  the 
circumstances  permitted.  In  1854  he  started  for  California,  but  was  taken  ill  en 
route  and  stopped  at  Boonville,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  about  five  years,  being  em- 
ployed by  an  express  company  there.  In  ISofl  he  joined  an  expedition  to  Pike's  Peak 
and  engaged  in  mining,  but  not  meeting  with  success  he  cut  a  quantity  of  hay  in  one  of 
the  fertile  valleys  of  Colorado,  and  sold  it  for  $1  a  pound  to  the  mountaineers. 
Later  he  bought  and  shipped  general  merchandise  from  the  States  to  the  miners  of 
Colorado,  which  proved  quite  profitable.  He  also  sold  goods  among  the  mining 
camps  of  Montana,  transporting  them  1,600  miles  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams, 
and  frequently  encountering  Indians,  wild  animals,  and  other  adventures  common 
to  those  pioneer  days.  He  continued  this  business  successfully  until  18()(),  when  he 
made  a  visit  to  his  native  country  with  the  intention  of  remaining  permanently,  but 
local  conditions  induced  him  to  return  to  the  United  States  and  settle  in  New  Lon- 
don, Oneida  county,  where  he  resided  until  the  spring  of  IStlfi,  when  he  removed  to 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.  In  New  London  he  carried  on  a  general  mercantile  business  for 
twenty-seven  years,  and  during  that  period  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the 
entire  community.  He  was  an  active  Democrat,  and  was  a  deacon  of  St.  Peter's 
German  Lutheran  church  of  Churchville,  near  New  London,  and  was  also  president 
of  that  church  for  several  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  New 
London  for  twenty- six  years,  a  part  of  the  time  being  its  president.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  New  London  Lodge,  No.  420,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  for  five  years  its  trustee. 
In  April,  1867,  he  was  married  at  West  Lyden.  Lewis  county,  to  Harriet  Triess,  and 
they  have  five  children:  Otto  G.,  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.  ;  Theodore  D.,  of  Syracuse; 
Oscar  D.,  of  Syracuse;  Helen  M.,  of  Syracuse;  and  Minnie  M.,  of  Utica.  Mrs. 
Maurer's  father,  George  Triess,  was  born  in  Germany,  December  11,  1810,  came  to 
America  in  1835,  and  located  in  West  Leyden,  N.  Y.  He  married  Catherine  Maurer, 
a  native  of  Alsace,  and  has  four  children  living:  George,  Harriet  (Mrs.  Deabold 
Maurer),  William  and  Samuel. 


I 


INDEXES. 


Abbott,  Peter,  377 

Acts  resultinif  in  the  war  of  ]S]'2,  167 

Adgate,  Matthew,  126 

AikTen,  Samuel  C,  Rev  ,  329 

Alder  Creek,  406 

Alexander,  Caleb,  Rev.,  268 

Alverson,  Uriah,  279 

William,  76 
Ambler,  David,  888 
Annsville,  town  of,  372-379 

business  interests  of,  375-377 

churches  of,  378,  379 

first  town  officers  of.  377 

leading  farmers  of,  378 

list  of  supervisors  of,  377 

pioneers  of,  372-375 

schools  of,  376 

topographv  and    natural    character- 
istics of,'372 
Andrus,  David  I.,  60,  514 
Armstrong,  Archibald,  61,  62,  137 

David,  61 

E.  B.,  410 

Jonas  W. ,  61 

"Nicholas,  375 

William  C,  61 
Arnold's,   General,  ruse  to  relieve   Fort 

Stanwix,  48,  49 
-vrsenal,  U.  S. ,  at  Rome,  176.  177 
Augusta,  town  of,  379-393 

churches  of,  383,  389,  390 

early  physicians  of,  386 

first  events  in,  388 

first  officers  of,  382 

lawyers  from,  389 

leading  farmers  of,  388 

list  of  supervisors  of,  392 

organization  of,  382 

pioneers  of,  380-389 

population  of,  392 

schools  of,  383 

topography  of,  379 

town  officers  of,  393 

Center,  384 


Ava,  town  of,  393-396 

churches  and  schools  of ,  396 

first  officers  of,  394 

leading  farmers  of,  395 

list  of  supervisors  of,  396 

pioneers  of,  393-395 

topography  of,  393 

Corners,  395 
Avery,  Charles,  273 

Clark,  273 

D.  A.,  364 

Babcock,  Asa  and  Oliver,  411 

Hill,  412 
Babbitt,  John,  594 

William.  492 
Backus,  Azel,  Rev.,  268 
Bacon,  Ezekiel,  188,  297,  354 

Thomas,  440 

William  J.,  229;  sketch  of,  239;  286, 
324,  353,  364,  365 
Bagg,  Moses,  281,  290,  301 

Moses,  Mrs.,  348 

M.  M.,  Dr.,  229 

Sophia,  Mrs.,  342 
Bagg's  hotel,  290 
Bailey.  E.  Prentiss,  356 

Joel  C,  370 
Baker,  Thomas  P.,  357 

William  T. ,  357 
Baldwin,  Amos  G.,  Rev.,  214,  332 
Ballou,  Benjamin,  280 

jr.,  Benjamin,  329 

Jerathmel,  289 

Joseph,  280 

Theodore  P.,  289 
Bank  commissioner,  204 

D.  G.  &  J.  G.  Dorrance's,  423 

First  National,  Rome,  529 

of  A.  D.  Mather  &  Co.,  365 

of  Boonville,  First  National,  404 

of  Rome,  529 

of  Utica,  362 

Utica  City,  363 


384 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Bank  of  Utica,  First  National,  362 

of  Utica,  Savings,  364 

of  Utica,  Second  National,  364 

of  Vernon,  572 

Manhattan  Branch,  361 

Oneida  County,  3  3 

Oneida  County  Savings,  530 

Oneida  National,  302 

Rome  Savings,  530 

vS.  C.  Thompson  &  Co.'s,  404 
Banks   and    banking,    beginning   of,    in 

Utica,  291 
Banyar,  Goldsboro,  102,  107,  117 
Bar  of  Oneida  county,  list  of  members  of 

the,  246,  247 
Barker,  Louisa  M.,  276,  277 
Barnard,  Harvey,  310 

Harvey  and  sons,  304 
Barnes,   Benjamin  and  son,  76 

jr.,   Benjamin,  77 

Manning,  415 

Wheeler,  190,  243 
Barn  urn,  Ezra  S.,  297,  310 
Barrett,  Stephen,  76 

William,  349 
Bartholomew,  Sherman,  Dr.,  248 
Bartlett,  612 

Charles,  349 

Montgomery  R.,  349 
Barton,  David,  475 
Baschard's  Location,  124 
Bayard,  William  and  Robert,  108 
Beach,    B.    J.,    account   of    Bloomfield's 
trip  by,  138 

John  Newton,  270 
Beal,  Moses,  92 
Beardsley,  Arthur  M.,  3.55 

Samuel,  sketch  of,  235 
Beckwith,  Asa  and  four  sons,  76 
Beers,  Franklin  D. ,  531 
Bellinger,  John,  Maj.,  64,  279.  291,  329 

Peter,  280 
Bench  and  bar  of  Oneida  county,  229 
Benedict,  A.  G.,276 
Bensberg,  F.  A.    357 
Benson,  Egbert,  67,  68,  70,  71 
Best,  I.  P.,  273 
Bierbauer,  Charles,  358 
Bird's,  Colonel,  diary,  35 
Birdseye,  Rufus  P.,  265 
Bishop,  Leverett,  Dr.,  256 
Bissell,  Daniel  P.,  Dr.,  253 
Black  River  Canal,  223 
Blackmer,  Ephraim,  60 
sr. ,  Joseph,  76 
jr.,  Joseph,  60 
Blackstone,  Henry,  482 
Blaikie,  William,  365 


Blair,  John,  64 

Blanchard,  Andrew,  56 

Bleecker,  John  R.,  58,  124,  278,  351 

Rutger,  102 
Blodgett,  Ludlim,  61 
Bloodgood,  Francis  A.,  143,  183,  282,  283, 

289,  291,  346 
Bloomfield,  John,  372 

John  W.,  137 
Blossvale,  376 
Bogue,  Horace,  273 
Boom,  Abraham,  279 
Boon,  Gerrit,  105,  397,  554 
Boonville  Agricultural  Society,  405 

town  of,  396-407 

churches  of,  406,  407 

first  events  in,  399 

first  officers  of,  399,  400 

in  the  war  of  1812.  400 

list  of  supervisors  of,  399,  400 

newspapers  of,  403 

pioners  of,  397-4(i;> 

schools  of.  404 

topography  and  natural  features  of, 
396 

village.  401-405 

business  interests  of,  402-405 
Erwin  Library  at,  405 
list  of  presidents  of,  401 
Bos  worth,  Joseph  S.,  273 
Bounties  and  bounty  legislation,  197,  198 
Bours,  Peter.  295 
Boynton,   Milton,  303 
Brace.  Samuel  W.,  Rev.,  329,  330,  346 
Bradish,  John.  296 
Bradley.  Dan,  Rev.,  482 
Bradstreet,  John.  Col.,  6,  13.  17,  18,  102 
Brandegee,  John  E.,  352 
Brayton.  Edward  S.,  364 

George,  597 
Breese,  Ann,  Mrs..  342 

Arthur,  143,  296,  346 

Samuel,  293 

S.  S.,  188 
Brendle,  A.,  358 
Brewster,  Elias,  373 
Bridgewater,  town  of.  407-414 

churches  of,  413 

first  town  officers  of.  410 

leading  farmers  of,  413 

li.st  of  supervisors  of,  410 

pioneers  of,  408^12 

prominent  men  from,  413 

schools  of,  409 

settlement  of,  first,  disputed,  408 

topographv  of,  407 

village,  412 
Briggs,  Clark,  531 


INDEXES. 


385 


Bristol,  Moses,  272 
British  plans  for  1777,  28 
Broadhead,  Charles  C,  183,  284 

E.  H.,  319 
Broadwell,  Ara,  287 
Brodock,    Bartholomew,    second    settler 

in  the  county,  24 
Bronson,  Greene  C,  sketch  of,  234 

James,  61,  446 
Brothertown  Tract,  the.  H6 
Broughton,  Jared,  extract  from  reminis- 
cences of,  78 
Brown,  Enos,  287 

Matthew,  Dr.,  248 

Samuel  G.,  Rev.,  269 
Bryan,  John,  416 
Buck,  Daniel,  394, 
Buckingham,   Edward  D.,  369 

Joseph  H.,354 
BuUens,  John,  61 
Burchard,  Gurdon,  281 
Burgoyne,  Augustus,   Dr.,  389 
Burgoyne's  expedition,  28 
Burke,  J.  M.,  531 
Bush,  John  P.,  355 
Bushinger,  Eduard,  365 
Bushnell,  Josiah  567 
Butler,  Comfort,  297 

Eli,  483 

Horace,  308 

John  M.,270,  363,497 

Nathaniel,  329 

Richard,  57 

Sylvester,  77 

Truman  K. ,  333,  345 

Walter  N.,  capture  of,  and  a  body  of 
tones  and  Indians,  48 

Memorial  Hall,  488 
Butterfield,  John,  92,  226,  303 
Butts,  Gideon,  515 

Cadwell,  Dan  P.,  226 
Cahill,  Thomas  D. ,  358 
Camden,  town  of,  414-426 
canning  business  in,  421 
churches  of,  424,  425 
early  schools  and  churches  of,  515 
Knitting  Company,  419 
Library  Association,  422 
list  of  supervisors  of,  425 
pioneers  of,  414-417 
population  of,  418 
topography  of,  414 
village,  banks  of,  423 
foundries  in,  418 
hotels  of,  422.  423 
incorporation,  first  officers,   and 
list  of  presidents  of,  418 


Camden  village,  manufacturing  and  busi- 
ness interests  of,  418-424 
newspapers  of,  421 
prominent  business  men  of,  422 
union  free  school,  423 
water  works,  424 
Camp  Abram,  183 

John,  296 

Talcott,  282,  283,  287,  329,  346 
Campaign  of  1756,  the,  8,  12-14 

of  1758  under  Abercrombie,  17 

of  1759,  21 
Campbell,  Adam  P.,  137,  375 

John  P.,  632 

Samuel,  629-631 

Samuel  R.,  630,  631 
Camroden,  441 
Canal  appraiser,  204 

commissioners,  204 
Capron  Knitting  Company,  489 

"  Seth,  Dr.,  488,  628 
Carberry,  John  E.,  352 
Carnahan,  James,  Rev.,  214 
Carpenter,   Benjamin,  293 

Edward,  293 
Carraher,  Patrick,  Rev.,  340  , 

Carrington,  Samuel,  Dr.,  281 
Carter,  Joseph,  Rev.,    348 
Carton  Furnace  Company,  370 
.      John,  370 
Cary,  Ira  B.,  363 
Cassety,  James,  Capt..  61,  143,  380 

Thos.,  Col.,  382,  446 
Cassville,  501,  502 

Census,  names  of  male  heads  of  families 
given  by,  in  1800,  81-84 

of  Whitestown  in  1790,  80 

second  U.  S.,  146 

the  first  United  States,  in  1790,  79 

U.  S.,  of  1810,  159 
Central  New  York  Farmers'  Club,  213 

Homoeopathic  Medical  Soci- 
ety, 257 
pottery,  367 
Chadwick,  George  W.,  489 

John,  500 
Chadwick' s  Mills,  489 
Chamberlain,  Ephraim,  326,  365 
Chapin,  Israel,  89,  90 
Chase,  Enoch  M.,  357 

Henry  W.,  360 

Philander,  Rev.,  328 
Chenango  Canal,  223 
Child,  Jonathan,  346 
Childs,David  W..  290,  346 

Silas  D.,  92,  319,  342,  369 
Chipman,  Annie,  277 
Chittenden,  Jared,  608 


386 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Cholera  epidemic  of  1832,  193 
Chrisman,  Jacob,  59 
Christian,  Jacob,  279 
Churchill,  Alfred,  305 
Alfred,  Mrs.,  342 
Civil  list,  204-208 

Clark,   Erastus,  143 ;  sketch  of,  235 ;  282, 
283,  289,  329 
vSilas,  282 
Clarke,  Elijah,  Dr.,  516 

George,  95;  and  famil)',  96-98 
William,  297 
Clayville,  495-498 

Clinton,  Gov.  George,  57,  67,  75,  87,  108 
James  and  George,  18 
Grammar  School,  272 
Liberal  Institute,  276 
village,  456,  457 

churches  of,  459,  460 
Cloher,  William  H.,  489 
Clowes,  Timothy,  Rev..  276 
Cochrane,  James  and  Walter  L.,  302 
Coe,  Isaac,  287,  289 
Colbraith,  William.  52,61,  85,  88;  advice 

of,  to  Judge  Starring,  139 
Cold  summer  of  1816,  177 
Coleman's  Mills,  635 
Colling,  Thomas,  310,  318,  346 
CoUins,  Oliver,  Gen.,  61,  481 
Colston,  Edwin  R.,  355 
Commercial  Travelers'  Mutual  Accident 

Association,  365 
Commissioner  of  public  charities,  205 
Comstock,  Calvert,  530,  531, 
David,  272 
Edward,  528 
Elon,  530,  531 
Conant's  Sons,  F.  H..  420 
Congressional  districts,  295 
Conkling,  Roscoe,  242 
Constitution  of  1821,  188 
Constitutional  conventions,  delegates  to, 

205 
Cook,  Theodore  P.,  356 
Cooper,  Apollos,  182,  281,  291,  329,  346 

&  Co.,  H.  H.,  368 
Corbin  Cabinet  Lock  Company,  421 
Corev,  Thomas  and  Augustus,  280,  284 
CosbV's  Manor,  100-103 
Cottage  Seminary,  Clinton,  277 
Counties,  division  of  the  State  into.  63 
County  buildings,  149-152 
clerks,  208 
clerk's  office,  183 
Poorhouse  and  Asylum,  210 
seat,  struggle  for  the,  154 
treasurers,  208 
Court  house  and  jail,  146 


Court  house,  burning  of,  in  1848,  156 

of  Appeals,  230 

of  Common  Pleas,  earlv,  139,  231 

Supreme,  230 

Supreme,  of  Judicature,  229 
Courts,  Circuit,  230 

County,  232 

places  of  holding,  under  law  of  1793, 
85 
Coventry,  Alexander,  Dr.,  sketch  of,  251 ; 
282,  429 

C.  B.,  Dr.,  209,  249,  253 

Robert,  429 
Cox,  Joseph,  430 
Coxe  family,  the,  108 
Coye,  Jason  G.,  344 
Cozier,  Ezra  S.,  296,  301,  310 
Crafts,  Willard.  319 
Crawford,  Clark,  432 
Cross,  Shubael,  506 
Crouse,  Clarence  B.    367 

Daniel,  306 

&  Brandegee,  368 
Crowley,  R.  M.,  Mrs.,  348 
Culver,' Abraham.  301 
Cunningham,  Hugh,  287 

Jolin,  59,  279 

John  H.,  355 

William,  59,  63 
Curran,  Edward,  306,  365 
Curry,  Isaac,  559 
Curtenius,  Peter,  118,  119 
Curtis,  PhiloC,  367,  368 

PhiloS.,  367 
Curtiss,  Jesse,  415,  448 

Medad.  143 

Dakin,  Martin,  285 

Samuel  D.,  286,  353,  354 
Dalliba,  James,  Major,  172 
Daly,  Thomas,  Rev.,  340 
Damuth  family,  the,  62 

George,  59,  279 

(or  Damoot),  Mark,  24,  56,  426 
Dana,  Joseph,  346 
Danforth.  J.  N.,  Rev.,  313 
Darling,  Henry,  Rev..  269 
Dauby,  Augustine  G..  355,  362 
Davis,  Henry.  Rev.,  269 
Dawley,  Job^  433 
Dayton,  Elias,  Col.,  27 
Dean,  James,  56,  58,  114,  512.  604 

John,  475 

Philena,  276 

Thomas,  476 

William,  60 
De  Angelis,  Pascal  C.  J.,  558 
Deansville,  477,  478 


INDEXES. 


387 


Deerfield,  town  of,  426-432 

churches  of,  431 

first  officers  of,  428 

leading  farmers  of,  430 

list  of  supervisors  of,  431 

pioneers  of,  426-430 

topography  of,  426 

Corners,  430 
De  Grow,  Stephanes,  24 
De  Lancey,  James,  99 

OHver,  102 
Delta  village,  467 

Demo,   Hiram,   sketch  of,  237 ;  318,  350, 
363, 365 

Israel,  439,  514 
Dering   Nicoll  H.,  Dr.,  254 
Despard,  Madame,  349 
Development  and  improvements  at  the 

beginning  of  the  centurj-,  166 
Devendorf,  H.  E.,  357 
Devereux,    John    C,  285,  286,   339,   342, 
364,  365 

Nicholas,  209,  286,  319.  339,  343 

Thomas  B. ,  344 
De  Witt,  Simeon,  220 
Dickinson,  A.  M.,  357 
Dimbleby.  Wesley,  326 
Dimou,  George  D.,  365 
District  attorneys,  233 
Dix,  Charles,  and  family,  574 
Dixon,  David  R.,  346 

Documentary  History  of  New  York,  ex- 
tract from,  140 
Documents  relating  to  monopoly  of  trans- 
portation at  the  Carrying  Place,  25 
Dolan,  John  M.,  358 
Doolittle,  Charles  H.,  363 

George,  Gen.,  59,  619,  629 

Jesse  W..  348 
Dorchester.  Eliasaph,  296,  346,  348,  355 
Dorrance,  Daniel  G.,  423,  434 

J.  G.,  423 
Douglass,  Isaac  H.,  Dr.,  255 
Downer  &  Son,  Edward  F.,  368 
Dunbar,  Joel,  417 
Dunham,  George  E.,  357 
Dunmore,  Watson  T.,  365 
Durham,  Eber,  584 
Durhamville,  584 
Durkee,   Robert,   Benjamin  and  Joseph, 

381 
Dutton,  James,  307 
Dwight,  Henry,  Rev.,  329 

SerenoE.,  Rev.,  269 
Dyer,  Samuel,  439 

Eastburn,  Robert,  narrative  of,  11 
Eastman,  F.  A.,  357    . 


Easton,  Rufus,  143 
Eaton,  Ezra,  286 

OHver  P.,  137 
Ecker,  Nicholas,  100,  101 
Eddy,  Obed,  346 
Edmunds,  Andi-ew,  397 
Edwards,  J.  D.,  368 
Eggleston,  Aaron,  281 
Election  in  Whitestown,  the  first  general, 

77 
Elections  and  town  meetings,  75 
Elmore's,   Samuel,  Col.,  regiment  in  the 

Mohawk  valley,  31 
Ely,  E.  S.,  354 
Empey,  sr.,  Anthonj^  433 
Empeyville,  436 

English  activity  under   the  administra- 
tion of  Pitt,  17 
Ensworth,  Nehemiah,  482 
Erie   Canal,   first  boat  on  the,  between 
Rome  and  Utica,  180 

genesis  of  the,  215,  220 
opening  ceremonies  of  beginning 

work  on  the,  179 
opening  of,  between  Utica  and 
Rome,  185-188 
Erwin,  Cornelius  B.,  405 
Eton,  Ebeneze:,354 
Events  of  the  war  of  1812,  171-173 
Everett,  Robert,  Rev.,  550 
Everts,  Charles  C,  349 
Execution  of  incendiaries  in  Rome,  182 
E.xpedition  against  Niagara   under  Pri- 
deaux  and  Johnson,  21 
of  Belletre  in  1757,  15 
of  Bradstreet  via  Wood  Creek,  6 
of  Bradstreet  in  1758,  17,  18 
of  Colonels  Willett  and  Van  Schaack 

against  the  Onondagas,  51 
of  De  Lery  in  1756,  8 
of  General  Shirley  to  Oswego,  6,  7 
of  Sullivan  against  the  Senecas,  51 
Explorations  and  settlements,  early,  2 

Faas,  Joseph,  358 
Farman  family,  the,  386 
Farnham,  Samuel,  274 
Farnon.  Rev.  Mr.,  339 
Farwell,  Joseph,  64 

Major,  409 
Fauconnier,  Peter,  95,  98 
Faxton  Hospital,  the,  344 

T.  S.,  92,  209,  301,  343,  344,  353,  364, 
369 
Fellows,  Roswell,  517 

William,  282 
Financial  crisis  of  1837-38,  193 
Fish  Creek  Landing,  594 


388 


OUR  COtJNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLfi. 


Fisher,  Samuel  W.,  Rev.,  269 
Fisk,  Job,  399 
Flandrau,  T.  M.,  Dr.,  528 
Fletcher's,  Governor,  land  grants,  93,  94 
Florence,  town  of,  432-437 
churches  of,  434,  435 
first  officers  of,  433 
list  of  supervisors  of,  436 
pioneers  of,  433,  434 
topography  of,  432 
village,  435 
Floyd,  town  of,  437-445 
churches  of,  441 
leading  farmers  of,  442 
list  of  supervisors  of,  439 
pioneers  of,  437-441 
topography  of,  437 
Corners,  441 
John  G.,  356 
William,  68.  75,  291,  599 
Fonda,  Jellis,  25,  109 
Foot,  Moses,  61,  445 
Ford,  Stephen,  281 
Forestport,  town  of,  442-455 
churches  of,  444 
first  officers  of,  443 
lumber  business  of,  444 
State  dam  at,  443 
supervisors  of,  443 
topography  of,  442 
Forman,  Joshua,  221 
Fort  Bull,  10,  11 

Schuyler,  establishment  of,  20 
Stanwix,  armament  and  condition  of 
in  August,  1777,  30 
building  of,  19,  20 
called  Fort  Schuyler,  27 
Col.  Gansevoort's  letters  relating 

to  affairs  at,  29 
Colonel  Willett's  account  of  his 

sortie  at  the  siege  of,  44 
destruction  of  homes  at,  by  Tories 

and  Indians  in  1776,  26 
discontent  at,  in  1778,  50 
importance  of,  during  the  Revo- 
lution, 26 
investment  of,  by  Colonel  Bird 

and  Brant,  37 
location  of,  20 
murder  of  two  girls  at,  in  1777, 

29 
raising  of  the  siege  of,  through 

Arnold's  ruse,  49 
repaired  by  Colonel  Gansevoort, 

27 
St.  Leger's  proposal  of  surrender 

to..  45 
siege  of,  m  1777,  32-49 


Fort   Stanwix,  troop  in  occupation  of,  in 

1776  and  1777,  31,  32 
Forts  at  Wood  Creek,  capture  of  by  De 

Lery,  9 
Foster,  Francis,  64 

Henry  A.,   180,    190,  225;    sketch  of 

238 
Francis,  279 
Thomas,  226 
Fox,  Henry  (Lord  Holland),  105 
Francis,  John  J.,  306 
Franklin,  Abraham,  121 

and  Robinson  Tract,  the,  121 
French,  John,  181 

power  in  America,  end  of,  21 
spy,  narrative  of  a.  15 
Frisbie,  Willard  J.,  419 
Fuller.  Russell,  Major,  545 
Fulmar,  John  C  ,  358 

Gage,  Thomas,  Sir,  106 

Gale.  George  W.,  273 

Gallup,  J.  C,  Dr.,  276 

Gang  Mills,  564 

Gansevoort.  Peter,  Col.,  27,  29,  32,  45,  46, 

50,  67 
Gardner,  Benjamin,  441 

James  S.,  274 
Gates,  Horatio,  17 
Geddes,  James,  220 
Genesee  Road,  the  Great,  89 

street,  Utica,   houses  on,  in  1786,  58 
George.  Samuel.  285 
Gibbs,  Zenas,  80 
(Gibson.  Henry,  292 
Henry  B.,  291,  361 
William  T.,  Rev.,  360 
Gilbert,  Elisha  M.,  306 
Nathaniel.  60.  514 
Sarah  A.,  Mrs..  330 
Globe  Woolen  Mills,  368 
(iold,  Theo.  S.,  302,  354 

Thomas  R.,  143,  182;  sketch  of,  234; 
620 
Goodrich,  Roswell,  58 

Solomon  P.,  287,  329,  349 
Goodsell,  Thomas,  Dr.,  252 
Goodwin,  Evan  R.,  333 
Governor,  etc.,  204 
Graham,  Edmund  A.,  226,  369 
Grannis,  Timothy  O..  362 
Gray.  John  P..  Dr.,  254 
Great  Carrying  Place,  the,  3-5 

destruction  of  forts  at.   by 
Col.  Webb.  14 
Green.  Beriah.  Rev.,  274,  313 

George  S.,  Mrs..  344 
Griffith,  Harry  H.,  404 


INDEXES. 


389 


Griffiths,  C.  C,  355 

Griffith  O.,  546 

James,  Rev.,  331 

J.  C.,359   360 

Owen,  Rev.,  359 

Thomas  J.,  358.359 
Griswold,  Chester,  303 

Joab,  143 
Grosvenor,   Francis,  353 
Grove,  De  Witt  C,  324,  356 
Groves,  William,  272 
Guernsey,  J.  J.,  531 
Guiteau,  Calvin,  105,  285,  428 

Francis,  Dr.,  248;  sketch  of,  252 

jr.,  Francis  J.,  Dr.,  285 

Luther,  Dr.,  285,  555 
Gurney,  Nathan,  534 

Hadley,  Hiram,  259 
Hahn,  John,  358 
Hale,  Minivera,  434 
Halleck  family,  the,  598 

H.  W.,Gen.,77 
Hallock,  Robert  T.,  316,  350 

William,  428 
Halstead,  Timothy.  589 
Hamilton  College,  268-272 

Oneida  Academv,  266-268 
Hamhn,  William  D.,'306,  364 
Hammill,  E.   S.,  Mrs.,  350 
Hammond,  John,  Rev.,  282 
Handy,  John  H.,  297 
Harger,  Ebenezer,  393 
Harrington,  Elisha,  349 
Harris,  Joseph,  285 
Hart,  Alexander  B.,  367 

Ephraim,  291,  297,  310,  367,  449 

H.  Gilbert,  367 

Henrv  R.,  312,  367 

Martin,  226,  318,  367 

Thomas,  449 
Harter,  Nicholas  and  Philip.  59,  427 
Hartler,  Isaac  S..  Rev..  332 
Hartwell.  Thomas,  Dr.,  517 
Hasbrouck,  David,  248,  252,  287 
Haselton.  J.  S.,  528 
Hastings,  Charles,  302 

Seth,  Dr.,  248 
Hatch,  Jarvis  M.,  356 
Hathaway,  Joshua,  143,  179,  180,  240 
Haven.  S.  Z..  Dr.,  259 
Hawkinsville,  405 
Hawley,  Chester  W.,  Rev.,  277 

Jesse,  2S0 
Haves,   Mary,  273 
Head,  Harvey,  210 
Heath,  Hawley  E.,  324 
Heatherington,  Isaac,  429 


Hecla  Works,  611 

Heffron,  Daniel  S.,  Rev.,  274,  347,  351 
Hemenway,  W.  F.,  Rev.,  335 
Herbert,  Philip,  333 

Herkimer   county,    formed   from    Mont- 
gomerv,  85 

jail,  l39 

George,  61 

Han  Yost,  61 

Nicholas,  Gen.,  39-43 
Herlan,  F.,  Rev.,  336 
Hicks,  Thomas  G.,  559 
Higginsville,  585 
Hill,  David,  598 

Jonathan  A.,  Gen.,  444 
Hillman,  Levi,  399 
Hillside  (Leila),  600 
Hinman,  Benjamin,  Maj.    282 

John  E.,  293,  297,  301 

Samuel,  283 
Hitchcock,  Marcus,  Dr.,  287,  291 
Hobby,   John,    Epenetus,  and    Elkanah, 

281 
Holcomb,  Roswell,  346,  348 
Holland  Patent,  562 
Hollister,  Ephraim,  .507 

Frederick,  371,  488,  497 

Hiel,  287 
Holman  City,  502 
Holmes,  Alexander,  381 
Home  for  Aged  Men,  the,  344 

for  the  Homeless,  the,  343 
Homestead  Aid  Association,  the,  365 
Homoeopathic   Medical   profession,  the, 

255-260 
Hopkins,  Mark,  272 

Sewal,  Dr.,  248 
Hopper,  James,  Capt.,  285 

Thomas,  319 
Hotchkin,  Beriah  B..  354 
Houghton  Seminary,  Clinton,  276 
House  of  Good  Shepherd,  343 

John,  90,  281 
Hovty,  George,  443 

Solomon,  61 
Hoyt,  John  C,  283,  329 
Hubbard,  Bela,  285 

O.  P.,  Dr.,  statement  of,  relative  to 
building  the  Erie  Canal,  222 

Samuel,  61 
Hubbell,  Alrick,  303 

Matthew.  279,  280 
Hull,  Amos  G..  Dr.,  248.  252 
Humaston.  John.  76.  77,  589 
Humphrey,  Erastus,  Dr.,  255 

G.  H.,  359 
Hunt,  Jacob,  Dr.,  255 

Montgomery,  291,  292,  361 


390 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Hunt,  Ward,  313,  326 
Huntington,  Benjamin  N.,  293,  362 

George,  143,  223 

Henry,  188,  291,  292,  362 

William  R.,  258 
Hurd,  Elliott,  389 
Hurlburt,  Augustus,  310 

Kellogg,  301,  362 

Samuel,  Mrs.,  395 
Hutchinson,  Charles  W.,  211 

Edwin,  Dr  ,  255 

Holmes,  303 

Immigrants  of  1789-92,  75  et  seq. 
Immigration,  beginning  of,  55 

inducements  to,  75 
Ingham,  Joseph,  Capt.,  546 
Inman,  William,  282,  293 
Inspector  of  State  prisons,  204 
Internal   improvements   following    1830, 

192,  194,  200 
Iroquois,  the,  1 

Confederacy,  the,  73 
Ives,  Jesse  and  Joel,  408 
Ivison,  Henry,  304 

Jackson.  Asahel,  580 

William  B.,  368 
Jail,  burning  of,  in  Rome,  182 
Jauncey,  James,  102 
Jenkins,  Timothy,  570 
Jennings,  Joseph,  183 
Jervis,  John  B.,  223 
Jewell,  N.  D.,  354 
Jewett,  Benjamin  F.,  342,  344 
Johnson,  Avlmer,  285 

A.  B.,  282,  346 

A.  S.,  324 
Bryan,  282,  346 

B.  P.,  Col.,  190 

Sir  John,  and  his  Orderly  Book,  33- 
35 

Sir  William,  6,  21,  102,  104 
Jones,  Isaac,  (10,  608 

John  B.,  352 

J.  Mather,  353,  459 

John  W..  358.  359 

Jo.seph,  60 

Nehemiah,  Capt..  60.  607 

Pomroy,  607 

Simon,  281 

Thomas,  281 

William,  297 
Judd,  Elnathau,  Dr.,  248 

Jonathan,  Rev.,  332 
Justices  of   the  peace,   appointment   of 
143 

Kane,  Archibald,  284 


Kaselitz,  C,  Rev.,  337 

Kasson,  Ambrose,  349 

Keiner,  Andrew,  357 

Keiser,  Paul,  358 

Keith,  C.  B.,  292 

Kellogg,  Hiram  H.,  Rev.,  277 

John  L.,  Dr..  259 

Palmer  v.,  304,  324 

Spencer,  301,  304,  318,  350 

Truman  and  Webster,  481 

&  Sons  Companv,  368 
Kelly,  Dennis  T.,  35'7 

Jane  E.,  Miss,  344.  350 

John,  105,  137 
Kent,  James,  143 
Kernan,  Francis,  243,  324,  326,  335,  350, 

363 
Kessinger,  A.  C,  531 

A.  R.,  528 
Kimball,  Nathan,  382 

Richard,  283 
Kingslcv,  W.  J.  P.,  Dr.,  528 
Kipp,  James  S.,  281,  291,  292.  362 
Kirkland,  Joseph,  143 

Samuel.  Rev.,  67,  115,  266-268;  and 
family,  450 
Kirkland,  town  of,  445-460 

churches  of,  452 

early  manufactures  of,  453-456 

first  burglary  in,  449 

first  events  in,  448 

Indians  in,  450 

iron  industry  in,  455 

leading  farmers  of,  456 

list  of  supervisors  of,  447 

period  of  famine  in,  448 

pioneers  of,  444-450 

schools  of,  451 

topography  of,  445 
Kirtland,  Orlando.  2i3 
Kittle,  John   F.,  355 
Kline,  William,  24 
Klock.  J.  G.  and  George,  119 
Knox,  James,  312 

John  J.,  and  family.  385 
Koelbel,  Fred.  358 
Kruempel,  Henry,  358 

La  Faj-ette.  General,  57 
La  Fayette's  visit,  189-192 

reception    at   Utica,   newspaper  ac- 
count of,  190-192 
Laird,  Samuel,  64,  608 
Lairdsville,(  611 
L'Amoreux,  Andrew,  348 
"  Land  grabbers,"  trouble  with,  66 

patents  and  sales,  141 
Lands,  rights  to,  93 
Langley,  H.  A.,  392 


INDEXES. 


391 


Lansing,  Antill,  293 

Barent  Bleecker,  297,  301 

Gerrit  G.,  Col.,  620,  632,  633 

John,  75,  143 

jr.,  John,  117,  118 
Leavenworth,   Lemuel,  57 
Lee,  Arthur,  57 

town  of,  460-469 

churches  of.  468 

early  mills  in,  464 

early  residents  at  60th  anniversary  of 
settlement  of,  461 

first  officers  of,  465 

libraries  of,  466 

list  of  supervisors  of,  4()9 

post-otllices  of,  466 

proceedings  leading  to  the  erection 
of  the  town  of,  464 

review  of  settlement  of,  by  Hon.  A. 
S.  Miller  461-464 

schools  of,  465 

topography  of,  460 

Center,  467 
Legislation  affecting  the  county,  145-153 
"  Lessees,"  legislative  action  concerning 

the,  66 
Leutheuser,  Joseph,  358 
Lewis,  Benjamin  F.,  359 

Edward  Z.,  Rev.,  333 

Ladd  J.,  488 

Randall,  61 

William,  550 
L'Hommedieu,  Ezra,  55,  67,  103 
"  Line  of  Property,"  104 
Little  Paul  at  the  treaty  of  1788,  70-72 
Lloyd,  David  R.,443 
Long,  William  W.,  324 
Loomis,  Nathaniel,  57 
Lathrop,  John  H.,  286,  353 
Lowell,  612       . 
Lush,  Stephen,  117 
Lyman,  Samuel  P.,  354 
Lynch,  Dominick,  91,  100,  146,  157 

James,  339 

James  S.,  320 
Lyon,  Joseph  M.,  354,  355 

McBride,  Robert,  296,  310 
McCabe,  Hugh  P.,  357 
McCall,  John,  Dr.,  253 
McConnellsviUe,  593 
McElwaine,  John,  310 
McGuire,  Philip,  444 
McHarg,  John  B.,  177 
Mcllvane,  Joshua  H.,  Rev.,  330 
McKesson,  John,  126 
McLauren,  Samuel,  350 
McLean,  William,  137,  283,  353 


McMillan,  Andrew,  351,  352 

sr.,  Andrew,  380 
McNeil,  Henry,  492 
McQuade,  James,  Gen.,  303 

Michael,  303 

M.,  Rev,,  339 
-    T.  R.,  360 
Machin,  Thomas,  112 
Macomber,  George,  £85 
Mail,  first,  to  Utica,  91 
Mainwaring,  E.  L  ,  358 
Manchester  (Kirkland  P.  O.),  458 
Manley,  E.  W.,  276 
Mann,  Charles  A.,  310,  319,  363,  369 
Manning,  Edward  T.,  307 
Map  of  Land  Patents  in  Oneida  county, 
facing  93 

of  Utica  m  1806   288 

of  Utica  about  1835,  facing  309 
Mappa,  Adam  G.,  Col.,  554 
Marcy,  town  of,  469-473 

churches  of,  471,  472 

first  officers  of,  470 

list  of  supervisors  of,  472 

pioneers  of,  469-471 

schools  of,  471 

topography  of,  469 
Marklove,  John  G.,  369 
Marsh,  William  C,  365 
Marshall,  town  of,  473-479 

Brothertown  Indians  in,  473-475 

churches  of,  478 

first  officers  of,  488 

leading  farmers  of,  477 

list  of  supervisors  of,  479 

pioneers  of,  475-477 

topography  of,  473 
Martin,  James  B.,  368 
Mather   Asaph  D.,  365 

Charles  W..  365 

Joshua,  365 
Matson,  William  A.,  Rev.,  360 
Matteson,  Silas.  513 
Maude,    John,    extract    from   record   of, 

90 
Maynard,  ElishaA.,  305,  355 

Isaac,  226,  363 

William  H.,  241,  286,  353 
Meeker,  Moses  T.,  306 
Melvin,  James,  476 
Members  of  Assembly,  206-208 
Merrill,  Andrew,  297,  302 

Byron  B..  357 

Ira,  286,  353 
Metcalf  &  Dering,  368 
Meyer,  Otto  A.,  357 
Middleton,  Robert,  368 
Midlam,  Thomas,  304 


392 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Military  officers  from  Oneida  county  in 
the  war  of  1813,  list  of,  174 

operations  of  the  war  of  1812,  168 
Millar,  Charles,  226,  ;^70 
Millard,  David  J.,  496,  497 

Sterling  A.,  496 
Miller,  Addison  C,  36") 
Daniel    374 
Eliakim,  374 
Isaac,  475 
John  B.,  356 
Morris  S.,  339 
Rutger  B..  310,  367 
Valentine,  Rev.,  338 
Mills,  Samuel  T.,  Rev.,  347 
Mix,  J.  W.,  421 

Mohawk,  measures  to  improve  the  navi- 
gation of,  87 
route,  the,  4 

valley,  condition  of,  after  the   Revo- 
lution, 162 
Valley  Cotton  Mills,  369 
Mompeson,  Robert,  95   98 
Monroe's,     President,   visit   to  Northern 

New  York,  181 
Montgomery  county,  63 

inconvenience  arising  from  great 
extent  of,  87 
Moore,  Horatio  S. ,  352 
Moray,  Philip,  and  sons,  64   279 
Morrin,  Edward,  356 
Morris,  Daniel,  Rev.,  285,  331 
Frederick,  103 
T.  B.,  358 
William,  Dr.,  253 
Morrison,  Roderick,  608 
Morton,  Benjamin,  Jonathan,  James  and 

Abraham,  374 
Moseley,  Eli/.ur,  Dr.,  91,  143 
Moulton,  jr.,  Stephen,  438 
Muller,  Rembrandt,  121 

Tract,  the,  121 
Munger,  Erastus  A.,  Dr.,  256 
Munson,  Alfred,  302,  319,  333,  342,  363, 
367,  369 

Brothers,  367 
Edmund.  367 
Myer,  Michael,  89 
Myers,  Thomas,  24 

New  Hartford,  town  of,  479-491 
churches  of,  482,  490,  492 
first  officers  of,  486 
list  of  names  and  dates  from  cemetery 

of,  484-486 
list  of  supervisors  of,  406 
newspapers  of,  484 
topography  of,  479 


New  Hartford  village,  486-480 
list  of  presidents  of,  488 

Cotton  Manufacturing  Company,  487 
New  London,  585 
New  Petersburgh  Tract,  the,  117 
Newell,  Jesse,  285 
Newspapers  of  Boonville,  403 

of  Camden,  421 

of  Clinton,  456 

of  New  Hartford.  484 

of  Oriskany  Falls,  391 

of  Rome,  530-531 

of  Utica,  353-361 

of  Vernon,  573 

the  first  in  the  county,  137 
"  New  York  Genesee  Land  Campany," 
the,  66 

Mills,  628-632 

State  Cheese  Manufacturers'  As- 
sociation, 212 
Neyenhouse,  John  A.,  358 
Nichols,  James,  Rev.,  350 

Joseph  W.,  359 
Nock,  Thomas  G.,  528 
North  Simeon,  Rev.,  269 

S.  N.  D.,  355 
Northrup,  Beardsley,  Rev.,  338 
Northwav,  Rufus,  354 
North  Bay,  592 
North  Bridge  water,  413 
North  Gage,  431 
North  Western,  600 
Norton,  Asahel  vS.,  Rev.,  214 

David,  Col.,  535 

Thomas.  281 
Noyes,  Josiah,  Dr.,  268 

O'Gorman,  Michael,  Rev.,  339 
Old  Fort  Schuyler,  early  settlers  at,  59 
Oneida  County  Agricultural  vSociety,  212 
assessed  valuation  of,  by  towns, 

203 
Bible  Society,  214 
civil  officers  from.  204-208 
early  history  of,  one  of  bloodshed, 

22 
erection  of,  142 
Farmers'  Alliance,  213 
first  courts  of,  143 
first  settlers  of,  22,  23 
geology  of,  126-131 
Historical  Society,  211 
houses  in,  in  1787,  69 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society, 

257-259 
in  the  war  of  1812,  168,  169 
increase  in    population  of,    192, 
195 


INDEXES. 


393 


Oneida  county,  legislation  affecting,  145- 
153 

list  of  first  officers  of,  142 
Medical  Society,  248-251 
population  of,  by  towns,  202 
-  second  settlement  in,  24 
since  the  war,  199-201 
tax  ratio  and  apportionment  of, 

for  1894  and  1895,  204 
topography  of,    131-133 
towns  and  boundaries  of,  in,  133 
Castle,  570,  571 
Community,  576-578 
Glass  Company,  366 
Reservation,  122 
Turnpike  Road  Company,  91 
Oothoudt,  Henrv,  110-112 
O'Reilly,  Luke  G.,  Rev.,  341 
Oriskanv,  632-634 
battle  of,  40-42 

Falls,  and  its  business  interests,  390- 
392 
newspapers  of,  391 
Osborn,  Amos.  537,  538 
Osborne,  M.  P.,  423 
Ostrom,  David,  143,  287 
John  H.,  297,   310 
Joshua,  92,  296 
Oswego,  capture  of,  by  Montcalm.  13 
Otis,  Joseph,  514 
O' Toole,  Francis,  339,  381 
Otsequette,  Peter,  125 
Owen  Brothers,  368 

Paddock,  Benjamin  G.,  Rev.,  334 
Paine,  Benjamin,  290 

John  A.,  259 
Palmer,  Chauncey,  306 

Cyrus  F. ,  370' 
Paris,  town  of,  491-505 

churches  of,  503-505 

first  officers  of,  492 

pioneers  of,  492-495 

schools  of,  498,  501 

supervisors  of,  503 

topography  of,  491 

Hill,    sketch   of,   by  Lorenzo  Rouse, 
493-495 
Parker,  Amos.  380 

Ezra,  64,  77,  409 

Jason,  92, 281 

Milton  D.,  312 
Parmalee,  Truman,  303 
Patent,  Adgate's,  126 

Banyar,  117 

Bayard,  or  Freemason,  108 

Coke,  108 

Curtenius,  118 


Patent,  Dean's,  114 

Fonda's,  109 

Gage's,  106 

Holland,  105 

Kirkland,  115 

Lansing,  117 

Lawrence,  or  Smith,  125 

McKesson,  126 

Oothoudt,  110 

Oriskany,  95-100 

Otsequette,  125 

Remsenburgh,  119 

Sadequahada,  103 

Sargeant's,  121 

Scriba's,  119 

Servis,  104 

Steuben, 113 

Sumner,  107 

Van  Epps,  124 

Willett,  119 
Patents,  Bleecker,  124 

Machin,  112 

Wemple,  123 
Patterson,  Albert  C,  Rev.,  332 
Pease,  Harmon,  1P8 

Herbert  J.,  352 
Peck,  Gates,  361 
Peckham,  Edwin,  367 

Frank,  367 

John  S.,  366 

Merritt,  367 

Peleg  B. ,  Dr. ,  253 

Seth,  356 
Peirce,  Nehemiah  N.,  411 
Penfield,  Thomas  D.,  420 
Penney,  Joseph,  Rev.,  269 
Penniman,  William,  296 
Perkins,  Elijah,  415 

George  R.,  276 
Phelps,  Jedediah,  56,  58,  512,  581 

Zerah,  534 
Phillips,  W.  S.,  392 
Philo,  C.  H.,  488 
Phoenix  Iron  Works,  370 
Piatt,  J.  C,  Mrs.,  350 
Pierce,  Joseph,  281 
Pike.  Benjamin,  Capt.,  437 

Jarvis,  437 
Pixley,  Henry  D.,  365 

&  Son,  H.  D.,368 
Plank  road  era,  the,  194 
Plant,  Benjamin,  280,  329 
Piatt,  Jonas,  85,   88,   143,   183,   184,   188. 
214,  220,  223;  sketch  of,  234;  296,  619 

Z'ephaniah,  55,  103 
Point  Rock,  468 
Pomeroy,  George  D.,  368 

Theodore,  Dr.,  368 


394 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Pomeroy,  Thomas  F.,  Dr.,  260 
Pond,  Andrew  S.,  304,  310.  369 

Barnabas,  61 
Pool,  Simeon,  91 
Population  and  valuation,  table  showing 

the,  153 
Porter,  Augustus,  record  left  by,  T8 

Joseph  S.,  296 
Post,  John,  279,  280,  399 
Potter,  H.  C,  Dr.,  355 

Stephen,  Capt.,  280 
Powell,  Watkin,  285 
Presidential  electors,  205 
Preston,  Stephen,  Dr.,  536 
Principal  of  State  Normal  School,  205 
Proctor,  Thomas  R.,  364 
Prospect,  563 
Prost,  Joseph,  Rev.,  340 
Punitory  laws,  comparison  of,  159 
Putnam,  Charles,  80 

Quinn,  William,  24 

Radford,  C.  J.,  354,355 
Railroad,  New  York  Central,  225 

New  York  and  Oswego  Midland,  228 

New  York,  West  Shore  and  Buffalo, 
228 

Rome  and  Clinton,  228 

Rome,  Watertown  and  Ogdensburg, 
226 

Utica  and  Black  River,  226 

Utica  and  Syracuse,  224 

Utica,  Chenango  and  Susquehanna 
Valley,  227 

Utica,  Clinton  and  Binghaniton,  227 
Ramsdell,  Francis,  342 
Ranney,  Abel,  385 

Seth,  60 

sr.,  Willett,  60,  69,  514 

jr.,  Willett,  60 
Rathbone,  Justus,  352 
Rathbun,  Achus,  582 
Rathbunville,  585 
Rawson,  Pelatiah,  64,  273 
Reall,  Christ  Jan,  24,  57,  426 
Rebellion,  the,  195-198 
Recruiting  during    the    Rebellion,    196, 

197 
Reddy.  William,  Rev.,  334 
Reed,  David,  285 
Regents  of  the  University,  205 
Remsen,  Henry,  119 

Peter,  102 
Reminiscence   of   an    overland    journey 

through  Westmoreland  in  1791,  79 
Remsen,  town  of ,  506-511 

churches  of,  511 


Remsen,  pioneers  of,  506-508 

schools  of,  509 

supervisors  of  508 

topographv  of,  506 

village,  509-511 

Welsh  settlers  of,  508 
Representatives  in  Congress,  205 
Reusswig,  Fred  G.,  357 
Revolution,  closing  of  the,  52 

the  summary  of,  to  1777,  26-32 
Reynolds,  J.,  381 
Rhodes,  Anthony,  Maj.,  411 
Rice,  Captain,  76 

C.  E.,  Rev.,  339 
Richardson,  John, 180 
Risley.  David  and  Allen,  481 

Elijah,  137 
Roberts,  Ellis  H.,   324,  354,  355 

H.  L.,  355 

J.  C,  359 

Robert  W.,  355 
Robinson,  Horatio,  Dr.,  256 

William,  121 
Rockwell,  Thomas,  297 
Rogers,  Charles  B.,  362 

Jacob,  398 

Publius  v..  292,  362 
Rome,  town  of,  511-533 

banking  institutions,  529 

churches  of,  523-526 

city,  business  interests  of,  528-532 

city,  officers  of,  523 

"  Expense  Lot"  in,  518,  519 

first  officers  of,  512 

manufacturers  of,  532 

pioneers  of  512-520 

post-office,  529 

press  of,  530,  531 

schools  of,  526-528 

supervisors  of.  533 

village,  incorporation  of.  523 

village,  settlers  of,  520-522 
Roof,   John,  first  settler  of  the  county, 

23,  25,  512 
Roosevelt,  John  and  Nicholas  I.,  119 
Rose,  Elisha   287 
Rowe,  Chauncey,  310 
Royce,  Amaziah,  Major,  492 
Rudd,  John  Churchill,  Rev.,  360 
Russ,  John  A.,  310 
Russell,  David,  209 

William,  Dr.,  254 

St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital  and  Home,  344 
St.  John's  Female  Orphan  Asylum,  312 
St.  Leger's  confidence,  36 

message,   proposing  the  surren- 
der of  Fort  Stanwix,  45 


INDEXES. 


395 


St.  Leger's  retreat  from  Fort  Stanwix,  49 

siege  of  Fort  Stanwix,   33-49 
St.  Luke's  Home,  345 
vSt.  Vincent  Male  Orphan  Asylum,  443 
Salyea,  Hendrich,  279 
Sampson,  Caleb,  Dr.,  248 
Sanborn,  Nathaniel,  Mrs.,   extract   from 

reminiscences  of,  79 
Sang,  Frank,  338 

Sanger,  Jedediah,  «)4,  85,  90,  102,  137,  143, 
14(),  480,  481,  536 

Richard,  304 
Sanger  field,  town  of,  533-543 

churches  of,  541-543 

first  officers  of,  534 

pioneers  of,  534—537 

schools  of,  541 

supervisors  of,  548 

topography  of,  533 
Sargeant,  John,  121 
Sauquoit,  498-501 
Sawyer,  George  C,  348,  352 

I.  Gilbert,  404 

J.  T.,  Rev.,  276 
Sayles,  Welcome,  Dr.,  248 
Sayre,  James,  226,  302,  363 

Theodore  S. ,  331 
Schermerhorn,  Jacob  H.,  429 

John  F.,  Rev.,  332 
School    system,     establishment     of    the 

common,  260-266 
Schreiber,  John  C,  352,  358 
Schuyler,  Han  Yost,  the  medium  of  Gen- 
eral Arnold's  ruse,  48 

Peter,  95,  96,  102 
Schultz,  Christian,  statement  of,  relative 

to  Utica,  290 
Scotch  cap  factories,  370 
Scovill,  Isaac,  492 
Scriba,  George,  120 
Selden,  jr.,  Thomas,  515,  516 
Senators,  State,  206 

United  States,  205 
Seneca  Road  Company,  the,  90 
Servis,  Peter,  104 

Settlers  and  settlement  before  178S,  56-62 
Seward,  Alexander,  354 

Asahcl,  286,  353 

Nathan,  293,  481 
Seymour,  Arden,  190 

Henry,  302 

Horatio,  211.  213,  318,  319,  369 
Shaw,  B.  F. ,  342 
Sheard,  Titus,  355 
Shearman,  Ebenezer  B.,  285,  346 

Joseph,  306,  324 

Richard  U.,  354,  355 
Robert,  297 


Shearman,  W.  H,  209,  285 
Sheldon,  Esek,  and  sons,  461 

Urania,  Miss,  350 
Shepard,  Abraham,  304 

Asa,  77 
Sheriffs,  233 
Sherman,  Hazard,  428 

John,  Rev.,  555 

Lewis,  61 

Watts,  282 
Shirley,  General,  6,  12,  13 
Sicard,  Stephen,  363 
Siemers,  John,  352 
Silliman,  Horace  B.,  269 
Simon.  Joseph,  296 
Simons,    Aaron,    Adam    and    Abel,    76, 

77 
Six  Nations,  territory   occupied  by   the, 

1,  2 
Skenandoa  Cotton  Company,  369 
Skinner,  Thomas,  293,  346  ' 
Smith,  Bill,  514 

David,  and  sons,  461 

Eldad,  416 

George  A. ,  580 

Melancthon,  55,  103,  125 

Nathan,  291 

Nicholas.  293 

Peter,  76,  117,  279,  380 

Stephen  R.,  Rev.,  276 

Timothy,  427 
Snow,  Jotham,  398 

Samuel,  Dr.,  398 
Snyder,  Rudolph,  310,  350 
Soper,  Albert,  daring  feat  of,  156 

Alexander  C,  269 

Arthur  W.,  269 

James  P.,  269 
Sources  of  settlers'  knowledge  of  Central 

New  York,  53 
South  Trenton,  563 
hparrows  William,  349 
Special  judges,  232 
Spencer,  Hamilton,  158 

I.  S.,  275 

Joshua  A.,  sketch  of,  239 

L.  C,  594 

Thomas,  friendly  half  breed  Oneida, 
30 
Spinning,  John,  432 
Spriggs,  T.  J.,  324 
Stafford,  Daniel,  287,  296 
Stages,  92 

Stanford,  Jonathan  and  Samuel,  374 
Stansfield,  William  H..  419 
Stanwix,  John,  Gen.,  18,  21 
Starr,  David,  Capt.,  546 
Starring,  Hendrick,  88 


396 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Stars  and  Stripes,  the  first,  unfurled  at 

Fort  Stanwix,  44 
State  Arsenal  at  Rome,  157 

Hospital  at  Utica,  209 

engineers,  204 

superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
204 

Bridge,  585 
Statistics  of  losses  in  the  Mohawk  valley 

during  the  Revolution,  52 
Stebbins,  Joseph,  270 
Steere  (or  Steeve),  John,  24 
Stephens,  Levi,  92 

Steuben,  Frederick  William,    Baron,   75, 
113,  545 

town  of,  543-552 

churches  of,  551 

first  officers  of,  544 

pioneers  of,  545-551 

supervisors  of,  552 

topography  of,  543 

Welsh   settlements    in,    account   of, 
by  Griffith  ().  Griffiths,  547-549 
Stewart,  Samuel  W.,  256 
Stillman,  Josiah,  76 
Stittville,  564 
Stocking,  Samuel,  286 
Stocks  and  pillory,  158 
Stockwell,   Lieutenant,   perilous  tri])  of, 

with  Colonel  Willett,  4(5-48 
Stoddard,  Eliakim,  590 

Israel,  415,  416 
Stokes,  466 
Stone,  Benjamin  D.,  420 

W.  C,  421 
Storrs,  Cordial,  61 

Shubael,  296 
Stryker,  Melancthon  Woolsey,  Rev.,  271 
Strong,  Theodore,  268 
Sumner,  Hezekiah,  107 
Surrogates,  232 
Swan,  Jonathan,  597 

Joseph  R.,  355,  364 
Sweeney,  Timothy  H.,  357 
Sylvan  Beach,  594 
Symonds,  Charles  S. ,  363 

Taberg  village,  375-377 

Taft,  Dan,  137,  375 

Talcott,  Samuel  A.,  241 

Taylor,  Othniel,  89 

Thomas,  Abijah  and  Anson,  287 

Anson,  346 

Briggs  W.,  297 

Daniel,  285,  550 

Daniel  G.,  Dr.,  254 

Thomas,  296,  550 
Thomson,  Nathan,  432 


Thorn,  John,  226 

Thummel,  C.  B.,  Rev..  276 

Thurston,  D.  W..  Rev.,  335 

Tiffany,  Israel,  303 

Tillman.  William,  287 

Toll,   rates  of,  on   the  Seneca  turnpike, 

90 
Toomey,  John  J.,  Rev..  341 
Tower  family,  the,  537 
Town  meeting  in  Whitestown,  the  first, 
77 

officers  of  Whitestown,   the  first,  77 
Towns,  changes  in  territorj'  of  144 

dates  of  erection  of,  148,  149 

divisions  of,  155,  157 

erection  of,  1794-97,    140,    145.  192 
Townsend,  F.  W..  Rev.,  331 

Jesse,  Rev.,  346 

John  and  Nathan,  76 

Nathan,  Capt.,  440 

Nathaniel,  80 
Tracy.  Gardner,  305 

Sevmour,  296 

William,  312.  354 

William  G..  91 
Treaty  of  (ihent.  174 

of  1788.  festivities  at.  70-72 

with   the    Indians   in    1788,    at    Fort 
Stanwix,  67-69 
Trenton,  town  of,  552-566 

churches  of,  564-566 

first  officers  of,  553 

items  of  early  history  of,  from  Cen- 
tennial address,  556-558 

pioneers  of,  554-559 

supervisors  of,  566 

topography  and  natural  features  of, 
553 

village.  560-561 

Falls,  564 
Trevvett,  Edmund.  365 
i'roops  in  Utica  in  1812-1814,  169,  170 
Tryon  county,   subdivision  of,   into  dis- 
tricts, 63 
Tuttle,  Noah,  415 

Timothy,  61 

Vincent,  558 

Ure,  James,  285 

Utica,  abolition  excitement  in,  313-315 

Academy,  346 

arrivals  in,   from  1800  to  1805,  284- 
289 

banks  and  banking  in,  361-365 

beginning  of  banking  and  manufac- 
tures in,  291 

Board  of  Charities,  345 

Board  of  Trade,  213 


INDEXES. 


397 


Utica  Burial  Case  Company,  370 
charter  amendments  of  1843,  318 
charter  amendment  proposed,  320,  321 
charter  amendment  concerning  cit}' 

indebtedness,  322 
charter  amendments,  324,  327 
charter,  third,  of,  267 
cholera  in,  311,  312 
churches  of.  328-41 
city  debt,  320,  321 
city  hall,  319 
City  Hospital,  345 
Clothing  Company,  308 
commom  council  of,  first,  310 
condition  of  at  close  of  first  decade 

as  a  city,  318 
contention   over   police    commission 

of,  325 
description  of,  in  181  (J,  by  Dr.  Bagg, 

293 
development  of,  since  the  war,  327, 

328 
directory  of,   first,  293 
early  growth  of,  288 
early  newspaper  enterprises  in,  286 
early  travel  through  and  hotels  in, 

284 
English  traveler's  notes  on,  an,  292 
events  in,  from  1852-55,  320 
Female  Academy,  350 
financial  crash  of  1837  in.  315-317 
financial  panic  of  1857  in.  322 
fire  department  of,  in  1839,  317 
fire  department  of,  trouble  in,  326 
fire  engine,  first,  in,  292 
fire  of  March  31,  1837,  317 
fires  in,  incendiary,  320 
first  newspaper  in,  283 
(h'st  religious  society  in,  287 
first  settlers  on  the  site  of,  279 
free  school,  348 
growth  of,   from   1815  to   1825,  297- 

299 
growth  in  population  of,  318 
High  School,  349 
Holland  Land  Company's  purchase 

in,  284 
improvement    in    water    supply    of, 

326 
in  the  Rebellion,  323 
incorporation  of  the  village  of,  144, 

283 
incorporation  of  the  city  of,  309 
Knitting  Company,  370 
leased  lands  in,  284 
libraries  in,  352 
manufactures  of,  in  1845,  319 
manufactures  in,  366-370 


Utica,  market  house,  292,  300,  301 

mayors  of,  list  of,  371 

municipal  business,  1836-37,  315 

municipal     changes     and    improve- 
ments in,  from  1827-1832,  300-302 

officers   of,    under   village   charters, 
307-309 

origin  of  the  name  of,  283 

Orphan  Asylum,  341 

period   of   prosperity   in,    after    the 
war,  324 

Pipe  Foundry  Company,  370 

police  commissioners,  324 

press  of,  the,  353-361 

private  schools,  348 

progress   of,    from   opening  of  Erie 
Canal  to  1837,  299-300 

prominent    additions    to   population 
under  the  third  charter,  302-306 

reincorporation  of  village  of,  289 

schools  of,  346-352 

settlers  and  business  men  of,    from 
1805  to  1815,  295-297 

settlers  of,   up  to  time  of  village  or- 
ganization, 279-283 

sidewalks,  first  provision  for,  in,  293 

site  of,  278 

State  Armory  at,  323 

Steam  Cotton  Mills,  369 

Steam  Guage  Company,  370 

streets  in,  opening  of,  290 

Tool  Company,  488 

troops  from,  in  1812,  293 

U.  S.  Government  building  at,  326 

village  improvements,  292 

Water  Works  Company,  319 

Woman's  Christian  Association,  346 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
of  the  city  of,  312 
Utley,  David,  597 

Vanderberg,  Richard,  137 
Vanderkemp's   journey,    description    of, 

134-137 
Van  Deusen,  E.  M.,  Rev.,  345 
Van  Epps,  Abraham,  124,  568,  569 
Van  Rensselaer,  James,  296 

Jeremiah,  163,  284,  289,  290,  329,  346 

Robert,  300 
Van  SantTOord,  Abraham,  292,  295 
Van  Sice,  John,  119 
Varick,  jr.,  Abraham,  287 
Vaughn,  John,  76 
Vedder,  Nicholas  F.,  342 
Veith,  G.,  Rev.,  340 
Vernon,  town  of,  566-579 

churches  of,  575 

early  roads  in,  569 


398 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Vernon,  newspapers  of,  573 

pioneers  of,  567-5G9 

topography  of,  566 

village,  571,  572 

Center,  573 

Edward,  297 
Verona,  town  of,  579-588 

churches  of,  586-588 

first  officers  of,  582 

pioneers  of,  580-582 

schools  of  582 

supervisors  of,  582 

topography  of,  579 

village,  583 

Springs,  579 
Vienna,  town  of,  588-596 

churches  of,  595 

early  hunting  experiences  in,  5'.tii 

pioneers  of,  589-591 

schools  of.  591 

supervisors  of,  596 

topography  of,  588 

village,  592 
Volunteers  from  Oneida  county,  196,  197 

Wadsvvorlh,  William  and  James.  Si) 
Wager,  Daniel  E.,  sketch  of,  244 

David,  77,  310 

Henry.  76,  597 
Wakeman,  Tbaddeus,  296 
Walcott,  Benjamin  S.,  (i28 

jr.,  Benjamin  S..  628,  629 

Charles  D.,  629 

Frederick  C,  632 

William  D.,  274,  629-631 

William  Stuart,  630,  631 
Waldo,  Ephraim  and  Nathaniel,  76 

families,  408,  409 
Walesville,  634 
Walker,  Benjamin,  Caj)!..  10 

Benjamin,  Col,,  282 

Thomas,  91,  28(i,  291,  292,  :{46,  354, 
362,  364,  365 

Thomas  R.,  368 

W.  C,  367 

Hugh,  103,  107 
Walton,  Abraham,  285 
War  meetings,  195 

of  1754-56,  5 

of  1812,  161,  175 
Warner,  Jared  E.,  302.  363 

Jonathan,  303,  342 
Warren,  Benjamin,  380 

Lyman,  380 
Washington,  George,  Gen.,  75 

General  and  Governor  Clinton,  tour 
of,  through  the  Mohawk  valley, 
52-54 


Washington  Mills,  488 

Wasmer,  J.  W.,  358 

Waterville,  536-541 

Watson,    Elkanah,   journal  of.    64-66 

Elkanah,  extract  from  journal  of,   in 
1788,  86 

Elkanah,  extract  from  diary  of,   164 
Weaver  (or  Weber),    George  J.,   24,  56, 
426 

George  M.,  427 

Jacob  G.,  427 

Peter,  Nicholas  and  George,  59,   427 

William  N.,  324 
Webl),  Daniel,  Col.,  13,  14 
Weed,  Thurlow   293 
Weeks,  William  R.,  Rev.,  273 
Welch,  jr.,  Benjamin,  356 
Wells,  Alfred  and  Solomon,  287 

L.  B.,  Dr..  257 

.Samuel,  137 
Welles,  John,  297 
Wemple,  Abraham,  123 
Wenham,  Thomas,  95.  98 
West  Branch,  468 
West  Camden,  424 
West  Vienna,  594 
Westcott,  John,  182 
Western,  town  of,  596 

churches  of,  602 

lirst  officers  of,  59(i 

necrological  list  <>f,  6(11,  602 

]jioneers  of,  597-599 

schools  of,  600 

supervisors  of,  597 

topography  of,  596 

Centincl,  the,   137 

Inland   Lock   Navigation   Company, 
216-220 
Westernville,  599 
Westmoreland,  town  of,  60:>-615 

churches  of,  613,  614 

first  officers  of,  605 

pioneers  of,  597-609 

schools  of,  612 

statement  relative  to  settlement   of 
Judge  Dean  in,  605-607 

village,  610 

topogra])hy  of,  603 
Wetmore,  Amos,  57,  58,  85 

E.  A.,  318,  347.  365 
Whaley,  Alexander,  Dr.,  582 
Wheeler,  Rus.sel,  226 

&  Son,  Russel,  370 
Wheelock,  Alpheus,  Col.,  462 
Whipple,  Bishop,  77 
White,  Augustus,  342 

Canvass,  (519 

Charles  N.,  367 


I 


INDEXES. 


399 


White,  Daniel  C,  Col.,  619 

D.  P.,  324 

F.  C,  182 

Henry,  846 

Hui<h,    55.   56,   63,   85,   88,    103,   146, 
616-619 

jr.,  Hugh,  619 

Levi,  598 

Nicholas  A.,  367 

Noah,  305 

Philo,  158,  619 

William  M.,  364 
Whiteley,  William,  296 
White.sboro    Colonv,    additions    to,    in, 
1785,  57 

county  buildings  at,  624,  625 

manufactures  of,  627 
Whitestown,  town  of,  615-636 

churches  of,  622,  635,  636 

division  of  town  of,  in  1792,  86 

early  history  of,  61  (i 

early  military  spirit  in,  622 

erection  of  the  town  of,  63 

first  town  meeting  in,  620,  621 

supervisors  of,  621 

topography  of,  615 

Gazette,  the,  137 

Seminary,  273,  274 
Whitfield,  J.  W.,  Rev.,  331 
Whittlesee,  Samuel,  Rev.,  350 
Wienke,  FredH.,  355 
Wilcox,  Reuben,  620 
Wilcoxson,  Gilbert,  346 
Willard,  Aaron.  398 

Garry  A. ,  403 
WiUett,  Marinus,  Col.,   17,  27,  32,  33,  35, 
42,   43,   44 ;  hazardous  journey  of,  for 
assistance,  46-48;  75,  119 
Willey,  Elijah  F.,  Rev.,  336 
WiUiams,  Abraham,  285 

A.  J.,  226,  344,  363 

Comfort,  Rev.,  272 


319,  350 
211,  333 


slvetch    of,    234; 


330 


Williams,  David,  John  and  Solomon,  517 

Henry,  414 

James  Watson,  312, 

James  Watson,  Mrs. 

Jesse,  212,  514 

John,  310,  349 

Nathan.    143,    188; 
282,  289,  291,  293 

R.  S.,  363 

Stalham,  295,  364 

William,  286,  293,  301,  353,  354 

&  Co.,  I.  A.,  370 
Williamson,   Charles,  90;    statement   of, 

concerning  the  Mohawk  valley,  163 
W^illowvale,  489 
Wilmarth,  Isaac,  273,  349 
Wilson,  Charles  S.,  371 

George  S.,  304,  354 

John,  469 
Wood,  Harriet  C,  Mrs. 

Thomas  H.,  307 

Creek,  4,  7 
Woodbridge,  William,  Rev.,  349 
Woodhull,  Nathaniel,  Maj.,  17 
Wood  worth,  Amos,  432 
Wolcott,  Oliver,  57 

Samuel,  346 

Solomon,  Dr.,  285,  291 

William,  369 
Wright,  Benjamin,  92,  108,  121.  223 

Benjamin  H.,  220 

sr.,  Ebenezer,  76 

Ebenezer,  513 

Moses,  105 

Thomas,  76,  514 

Yates,  Abraham,  348 

Robert,  103 
Yorkville,  628 
Young,  John  G.,  293 

Ladies'  Domestic  Seminarv,  Clinton, 
277 


PART  II 


Abeel,  James  S.,  Capt. ,  124 
Ablett,  Robert,  28 
Adams,  Silas,  7 

Allen,  Bion  Pemberton,  M.  D.,  43 
Anthonv,  Jesse  B.,  173 
Babbitt^  John  L.,  161 
Bagg,  M.  M.,  M.  D.,  194 
Bailey,  E.  Prentiss,  186 


Ballou,  Walter,  209 
Barrows,  Samuel  J.,  46 
Birdseye,  Rufus  P.,  66 
Bissell,  Gordon  N.,  130 
Booth,  Wilbur  H.,  M.  D.,  V, 
Boyle,  John  Wellington,  38 
Brewster,  Amos  F.,  205 
Brown,  Calvin,  11 


400 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Butler,  John  Milton,  151 
Butler,  Morgan,  176 
Capron,  Seth,  Dr.,  136 
Chadwick,   sr.,   George  W.,  170 
Chadwick,  jr.,   George  W.,  172 
Chamberlain,  Ephraim,  54 
Cloher,  jr.,  William  H.,  166 
Coggeshall,  Henry  J..  198 
Comstock,  Calvert,  122 
Comstock,  Edward.  123 
Coxe,  Alfred  C.  196 
Cromwell,  Stephen,  27 
Curran,  Edward,  71 
Darling,  Charles  W..  132 
Devereux,  N.  E.,  202 
Dickinson,  Albert  M.,  42 
Dorrance,  Daniel  G.,  155 
Douglass,  James  A.,  13 
Draper,  Virgil,  109 
Dunham,  George  E.,  186 
Dunmore,  Watson  T-,  28 
Dwight,   Benjamin  W.,  94 
Ethridge,  Alfred,  102 
Farman,  Henry,  9 
Faxton,  Theodore  S.,  40 
Flandrau,  Thomas  Macomb,  117 
Frisbie,  Willard  J.,  95 
Graham,  Edmund  A.,  140 
Hagedorn,  Henry,  45 
Hall,  Benjamin,  148 
Harvey,  Edwin  A.,  92 
Helme'r,  Robert  J.,  58 
Hieber,  John  C,  67 
Hunt,  James  D.,  M.D.,  18 
Hunt,  Myron  W.,  M.D.,  157 
Huntington,  Edwrrd,  110 
Hutchinson,  Charles  W.,  189 
Jenkins,  Timothy,  37 
Jones,  Thomas  S.,  44 
Kellogg,  Spencer,  182 
Kingsley,  W.  J.  P.,  M.D.,  128 
Laird,  Frank  F.,  M.D.,  64 
Lamb,  Harri.son,   93 
Lawton,  Elon  J.,  M.D.,  115 
Lee,  Arthur  D.,59 
Lewis,  Ladd  J.  69 
Locke,  William  P.,  18 
Loomis,  Jon  J.,   10 
McGuire,  Philip  62 
Mann,  Newton,  100 
Middleton,  Robert,  48 
Millar,  Charles,  184 
Miller,  Addison  C,  56 
Millspaugh,  Edward  J.,  206 
Munson,  Alfred,  149 


Munson,  Edmund,  3 

Nicholson,  Charles  A.,  145 

Nock,  Thomas  G.,  125 

North,   Edward,  5 

Osborn,  Amos  O.,  16 

Owen,   Philip,  201 

Pen  field,  Thomas  D.,  29 

Perry,  Josiah,  60 

Philo,  Charles  H.,  57 

Prescott,  Cyrus  Dan,  127 

Ralph,  George,  61 

Reid,  Christopher  C,  M.D.,  119 

Rogers,  Publius  V.,  50 

Sanger,  Jedediah,  179 

Sanger,  William  Gary,  181 

Sayles,  Joseph  L,  120 

Scott,  Isaac  R.,  21 

Scripture,  William  E.,  197 

Scudder,  Samuel  ().,  M.D.,  114 

Searles,  James  H.,  181 

Seaton,  Albert  P.,  159 

Smith,  J.  Arthur,  V.S.,  36 

Soper,   Albert,  112 

Soper,  Arthur  W^,  118 

Spencer,  James  D.,  11 

Stoddard,  David  Curtis,  74 

Stryker,  John,  150 

Studor,  George  M.,  65 

Tower,  Reuben,  14 

Trevvett,  Edward,  146 

Utley,  David,  lOS 

Utley,  Squire,  207 

W^ardwell,  Daniel,  97 

Warren,  David  A.,  144 

Weaver,  Fred  G..  200 

Wells.  John  B.,  82 

West,  M.  Calvin.  M.D.,  104 

Whiffen.    Isaac,  168 

White  Family,  the,  77 
Hugh  White,  78 
Hugh  White,  Hon.,    81 
Canvass  White,  82 
William  Clark  Young,  87 
Philo  White,  88 
Fortune  C.  White,  89 
William  Mansfield  White,  89 

Wiley,  George  H.,  210 

Willard,  Garry  A.,  198 

Williams,  Abijah  Jewel,  188 

Williams,  Elliott  S.,  35 

Williams,  Robert  Stanton,  163 

Williams,  Othniel  S.,  154 

Wilson,  Claude,  M.D.,  6 

Woodruff,  Arthur  C,  26 

Young;  William  Clark,  87 


\ 


INDEXES. 


401 


PART  III. 


Abbott,  John  W.,  ;^ 
Abel,  William  P.,  3 
Ackerman,  Charles,  87 
Ackroyd,  Joseph.  320 
Adams,  Charles  H.,  338 

Elbridge  K.,  128 

George  W.,  365 

Justus  B.,  131 
Adkins,  F.  A.,  371 
Adsit,  Leonard  E.,  38 
Agne,  jr  ,  Jacob,  71 
Ague,  Charles,  336 

Philip  C,  301 
Albot,  Charles  T.,  168 
Aldrich,  Reuben  M.,  367 
Aldridge,  Willard  C,  198 
Allanson,  Thomas  B.,  166 
Allen,  Fred  C,  77 

George  H.,  74 

Hiram  J.,  281 
Allison,  William  E.,  335 
Alhvood,  Joseph  S.,  191 
Alsheimer,  John  G.,  342 
Alvord,  Clarence  E.,  169 
Amann,  Iguace  L.,  149 

Magdalen,  58 
Anderson,  August,  4 
Anken,  Samuel.  3 
Annis,  Albert  S.,  21 
Armbrust,  John,  271 
Armstrong,  Amos  P.,  299 

David,  166 

George  H.,  337 

William  C,  107 
Arnold,  Charles  F.,  203 
Ashmore,  George,  233 
Atwood,  Willard  T.,  4 
Austin,  Ai,  179 

David,  300 

Samuel.  163 
Avery,  J.  B.,  253 

Joseph  S.,  81 
Aylesworth,  David  W.,  Rev. 

Babcock,  E.  C,  Dr.,  37 

G.  D.,  Mrs  ,  355 

Henry  E.,  Dr.,  82 
Bacon,  Ezekiel,  306 

Hiram  H.,  335 
Baer,  G.  A.,  147 
Bagg,  Asahel  S.,  218 

Egbert,  264 
Bailey,  Myron  J.,  174 


142 


Baker,  A.  E.,  75 

Charles  F.,  319 

Daniel.  333 

Philip  J.,  4 

Thomas  F. ,  93 
Ball,  Chester  A.,  294 

Emmett  J.,  263 
Ballou,  Ellis.  103 

Walter,  5 
Bangs,  G.  R.,  113 
Bannigan,  Michael  T.,  264 
Barber,  William  F..  265 
Bardeen,  John,  311 
Bardslev,  John  S.,  322 

Josi'ah,  326 
Barker,  John  S.,  300 

Laurens  M.,  303 
Barnard,  Josiah  E.,  151 
Barnes,  Samuel  C,  233 
Barney,  Moses,  263 
Barns,  Amos,  Capt..  126 

Henry  D.,  80 
Barnum,  D.  A.,  Dr.,  114 
Barrett,  F.  A.,  180 
Barrows,  Samuel  Jones,  137 
Barry,  John  J.,  158 
Bartholomew,  Edward  J.,  149 

James  J.,  115 
Bartlett,  Howard  G.,  Dr.,  359 
Barton,  D.  W..  115 

J.  F.,  68 

Seth  E.,  5 
Bartow,  Pierrepont,  200 
Bates,  Charles  E.,  328 
Baxter,  Frank  K.,  197 
Beach,  John  J.,  77 
Beardsley,  Backus  A. ,  83 

Samuel  A.,  94 
Beck.  Christopher,  230 
Beebee,  Edward  B.,  228 
Beers,  G.  P..  311 
Bell,  Henrv  Dwight.  281 
BelHnger,  Daniel  H.,286 

Henry  H.,  67 
Bemister,  Alfred,  47 
Bennett,  C.  H.,  70 
Bensberg,  Frederick  W.,  380 
Bensted,  W.  H.,  313 
Bentley.  Henry  W.,  4 
Benton,  Eugene  C,  61 

George,  279 
Berical,  Anthony,  73 
Beyel,  Charles,  19 


402 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Beyel,  Jacob,  213 
Biddlecome,  William  D.,  72 
Bielby,  Isaac  P.,  268 
Bigelow,   H.  P.,  70 
Biggar,  David  I.,  Rev.,  273 
Billingham,  Fred  G.,  296 

Richard  J.,  82 
Birdsey,  George  L.,  6 
Blake,  Frank,  2S)6 

John, 302 
Blasier,  Irving,  175 
Bliss,  Frederick,  321 
Blue,  Malconi  A.,  51 
Boss,  Joseph,  354 
Bourke,  Miles  R.,  150 
Bowen,  John,  103 
Bowes,  John  A.,  342 
Bowman,  John,   171 
Boyd,  Chauncey,  5 
Brainard,  I.  D.,  312 
Brayton,  Frances  A.,  Mrs.,  76 

M.  Jesse,  366 
Breitenstein,  George  Frederick,  348 
Breunan,  Thomas,  293 
Breslauer,  Theobald,  160 
Brewer,  Edward  E.,  102 
Briggs,  George,  213 
Brill,  Fred  J.,  293 
Broadbent,  Frank,  89  83 
Brockway,  William  H., 
Bronson,  James  C,  124 
Brooks,  W.  A.,  112 
Brown,  Brayton  E.,  346 

Charles  A.,  218; 

James,  55 

Thomas  S. ,  5 
Brownell,  James  B.,  322 

Jonathan,  223 
Brucker,  George  L.,  343 
Brush,  Charles  W.,  292 
Bryden,  Edward  N.,  82 
Buckley,  Jeremiah,   180 

Patrick,  181 
Buell,  C.  E.,  70 

Wales.  Dr.,  258 
Burback,  Joseph  H.,  73 
Burdett,  Miner  E.,  74 
Burgess,  George  H.,  277 

William  A^  Dr.,  239 
Burleson,  William  Jay,  78 
BurUngame,  J.  K.,  181 
Burns,  Owen  J.,  296 
Burr,  Henry  A.,  76 
Burrell,  Joseph,  134 
Burritt,  A.  W.,  204 
Burrows,  H.  F.,  Mrs.,  298 
Burton,  Thomas  M.,  215 
Bushinger,  Eduard,  201 


Bushnell,  Monroe,  174 
Butler,  Marianne  H.,  Mrs.,  79 
Butterfield,  Charles,  273 
Samuel,  309 

Cady,  A.  B..  68 
Cagwin,  Marenus,  330 
Caldcr,  Frederick  Manwell,  90 
Callahan,  W   C,  310 
Campbell,  Roderic,  339 
Candee,  J.  W.,  361 
Can  field,  M.  T..  127 
Cantwell,  John  A.,  245 
Capron,  C.  G.,  Dr..  236 

James  H.,  109 
Carleton.  Charles,  51 
Carpenter,  Horace  M.,  329 

W.  H..  271 
Case,  A.  Pierson,  146 
Cassidy,  Fred  A..  341 
Castle.   Charles  C,  83 
Cavana.  James,  319 
Chapman,  O.  B.,  114 

W.  H.,  273 

William  Wallace,  296 
Chamberlin.  George  L. ,  260 
Chase,  Charles  E.,  Dr.,  354 
Chassell.  George  G.,  6 
Childs,  William  Tapping,  225 
Chrestien,  Alfred  B.,  173 

Martin,  60 

Theodore,  55 
Churchill,  George  Clarence,  357 
Clark,  Charles  H.,  6 

Charles  W.,  77 

Hiram  G.,  224 

John  F..  56 

O.  Arthur,   Dr.,  356 

Roland  H.,  328 

William  A.,  251 
Clefford.  Daniel  11,  53 
Cleveland,  Charles  F.,  222 

Charles  H.    143 
Coan.  Luke,  203 
Cochran,  John  M.,  360 
Cody,  jr.,  Francis  A.,  274 
Cogswell,  George,  8 
Cole,  John  N..  319 
Coleman,  George,  91 

E.  G  ,  138 
Collins.  Reuben,  334 
Colton,  C.  W.,  7 
Comstock,  Gastin  E..  36 

Ira  Morris.  270 

James  M.,  292 

M.  L.,  298 
Conger,  Daniel,  69 
Conley.  William,  335 


INDEXES. 


403 


Constable,  James,  93 
Cook,  Albert  D.,  173 

Caspar  I.,  41 
■   Mathias,   Dr.,  235 
Cooley,  Gary  W. ,  159 
Coombs,  Orville,  7 
Coon,  Luke  H.,  274 
Cooper,  Henry  H.,  193 

Lansing  B.,  331 

Robert,  323 
Corbitt.  James,  326 
Costigan,  W.  H.,  271 
Cottman,  Joseph  S.,  266 
Coughlin,  John  B..  Ill 
Coupe,  James,  353 
Courtney,  Humphrey,  9 
Covel,  Stephen  A.,  333 
Coventry,  Robert,  103 
Cox,  Truman,  8 
Crandall,  Charles  E.,  379 

Charles  S.,  Dr.,  341 

EnosT.,  40 

J.  Wells,  308 
Cranwell,   Frank  J.,  367 
Crippen,  A.  E.,  257 
Crisman,  William  N.,  321 
Cronin,  James  V.,  251 
Crosby,  Anson  T.,  86 
Cross,  John  Cleveland,  281 
Crossman,  George  H.,  215 

jr.,  George  H.,  7 
Crouse,  John  M.,  235 
Cruikshank,  James  M.,97 

J.  Robert,  84 
Culliton,  John,  245 
Cummings,  James  W.,  141 
Cunningham,  James,  115 

John  Howard,  92 
Curtis,  Lyman  W.,  7 
Curtiss,  Heman,  6 

Hiram  L.,  49 
Cushman,  Joseph  B.,  159 

Daggett,  A.  W.,  123 
Dagwell,  Charles  M.,  201 
Daily.  Dennis  L.,  376 
Daly,  William   Francis,  152 
Dana,  George  W.,  176 
Dapson,  Thomas,  145 
Darrow,  David  E.,  185 

Nicholas  N.,  335 
Davidson,  John,  207 
Davies,  Arthur  H.,  343 

John  S.,  354 

Morris  J.,  Dr.,  221 

R.  M.,  258 
Davis.  Charles  P.,  368 

Eugene,  257 


Davis,  Evan  J.,  355 

George,  360 

George  A..  369 

I.  E.,  237 

John  J.,  107 

John  L.,  215 

Pratt  M.,  56 
Day,  Horace  E.,  144 

Julius,  112 
Dayton,  Clinton  L.,  183 
r)eecke,  Theodore,   195 
Deeley,  David,  173 
Delester,  John,  254 
Dempsey,  James  L.,  375 

Thomas  E.,  267 
Denton,  Alonzo,  9 
De  Votie,  Duane  D..  237 
Dewey,  Charles  M.,  86 

Sanger,  Rev. ,  256 
Dewhurst,  J.  C,  154 
Dewing,  W.  H.,  Dr.,  271 
Dietche,  Henry,  151 
Dillenbeck,  Douglas  E.,  167 
Dimbleby,  Wesley,  225 
Divine,  Fred  D.,  367 
Dixon,  James,  175 
Dobson  Family,  the,  246 
Dodge,  E.  C,  107 

Jesse  E.,  222 

William  P.,  218 
Dohn,  Frederick,  328 
Don  Ion,  Joseph  M.,  240 

Thomas  H.,  154 
Donnelley,  William  T.,  224 
Dooley,  John  J.,  166 
Doolittle,  Charles  A.,  358 

F.  C,  317 

Henry  A.,  354 
Dorn,  Samuel,  106 
Dorrance,  jr.,  Daniel  G.,  91 

John  G.,  50 

W.  H.,  56 
Douglass,  A.  P..  331 

J.  W.,  Dr.,  177 

William,  228 
Drummond,  James,  156 

John,  220 

Thomas,  334 
Dunham,  George  Earl,  84 

M.  Earl,  154 
Durfee,  W.  V.,  377 
Durr,  Charles  J.,  9 
Dwver,  Michael,  252 
Dye,  Daniel  C,  Dr.,  303 
Dj^gart,  John  H.,  144 
Dygert,  George  W.,  379 
Dykeman,  Theodore  W.,  201 


404 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Easingwood,  Arthur  L. ,  125 
Eastman,  W.  J.,  313 
Eaton,  Elmer  E.,  148 

Maurice,  381 
Edic.  Alson  A.,  47 

Henry,  170 
Edwards,  John  E.,  217 

L.  D.,  313 
Eells,  Charles  W.,  135 
Ehrsam,  George,  342 
Ellinwood,  Reuben  C,  222 
Elliott,  John  Edward,  136 
ElHs,  Hugh  M.,  10 

Thomas  T. ,  37 
Elthorp,  William,  206 
Elwood,  Ernest  J.,  346 
Ely,  Belle,  238 
Ensworth,  George  W.,  2(57 
Entwistle,  John,  343 
Erwin,  Cornelius  B.,  181 
Euin,  Joseph  F.,  226 
Evans,  Charles  H.,  10 

John,  45 

John  v.,  206 

Owen  J.,  255 

jr.,   Richard,  298 

Richard  J.,  318 
Everett,  Charles  M.,  2!>7 
Eynon.  Uavid  Slade,  Dr..  358 

Fardett,  Solomon,  207 
Fargo,  Orrin  S.,  266 
Farley,  George  R.,  11 
Farnsworth,  Thcron  A.,  49 
Ferris,  Reynolds,  81 

Timothy  Harvey,  92 

V.  Seaman,  327 
Finn,  E.  L.,  313 
Fisher,  G.  M.,   Dr.,  254 
Fisk,  J.  W.,  179 
Fiske,  L.  W.,  11 
Fitch,  A.  L.,  141 

Bordman  L. ,  343 

Norman,  127 
Fitzgerald,  Edward,  97 
Flanders,  Thomas,  50 
Flanagan,  James  Henry,  175 
Flint,  James  H.,  98 
Flume,  Frank  V.,  365 
Foote,  John  B.,  124 

Samuel  G.,  266 
Foster,  Burton  G.,  260 

Ellen  M.,  145 

Nathaniel  W.,  331 

Theodosia  M.,  Mrs.,  230 

William  S.,  304 
Fowler,  jr.,  William  H.,  259 
Fox,  Henry,  10 


Fox,  Winfield  M.,  166 
Frame,  William  L.,  217 
Franklin,  James  H  ,  14 
Freiberger,  George  H.,  317 
Freiuberger,  Fred,  292 

John  J.,  294 
French,  Frank  W.,  288 

James  G.,  227 
Frisbie.  Charles  P.,  88 
Fuess,  L.  P.,  311 

jr.,  Philip,  242 
Fuller.  AsaO.,  364 

Charles  Y..  380 
Fulmar.  Edgar  J.,  211 

Gainsway,  Philip  A  ,  183 
Gallagher,  jr.,  James,  11 
Gamble,  Frederick  S.,  176 
Gammel.  George  W.,  351 
Gardner,  O.  S.\  Mrs.,  237 

Richard  H..  176 
Garrett,  Edward  E.,  13 

Henry  L..  11 
Gates,  Henry  L.,  261 

William  M.,  280 
Gaus,  Fred  E.,  13 
Gavmond,  George  A.,  171 
Georg,  Emil  J.,  278 
German,  Jerome  B.,  350 
Gerwig,  Frederick,  261 
Gibson,  William  M.,  Dr.,  248 
Gifford,  Hamilton  W.,  21 
tiilchrist,  Florence,  231 
Glatt,  A.  S.,  320 

Joseph,  305 
Gleason,  Henry  N.,  122 
Gliffe,  Henry,  12 
Golly,  Andrew,  46 
Golley,  William  E.,  203 
Goodfellow,  C.  H.,  Mrs.,  297 
Goodier,  Lewis  Edward,  72 

Wadsworth  S.,  186 
Good  sell,  Lawton  B.,  226 
Goodwin,  S.  W.,  311 
Gookins,  Milo,  212 
Gorton,  F.  T.,  Dr.,  381 
Gossin,  William  A.,  317 
Gould,  (jeorge  A.  W.,  294 
Gouge,  Frederick  H.,  136 
Grace,  John,  256 
Graham,  George  H.,  142 

Joseph  E.,  137 
Grannis,  C.  E.,  Mrs..  299 

William  E.,  122 
Grant,  John  H.,  73 
Graves,  C.  H..  247 

Ferdinand  V.,  252 

William   B.,  66 


INDEXES. 


405 


Green,  Adelbert,  254 

Alvin  L.,  128 
Greene,  Albert  W.,  Dr.,  163 
Griffin,  Charles  A.,  189 
Griffith,  William  H.,  232 

William  Penn,  12 
GriRiths,  Lewis  G.,  114 
GrofT,  Benjamin,  295 
Groves,  Adelbert  D.,  266 
Gue,  Jerome  V.,  12 
Gypson,  Adelbert  G.,  141 

Hagedorn,  Henry,  18 
Haiuault,  Francis  J.,  Rev.,  108 
Hale,  Andrew  Jerome,  270 
Haley,  Cornelius,  252 
Hall,  Henry  L.,  320 
Haliadav,  James,  158 
Hallenbeck,  William  A..  84 
Halstead,  Charles  N.,  14 

Charles  N.,  42 

John,  107 
Hamilton,  William,  275 
Hamlin,  Edward  A.,  283 

Edwin  S.,  125 

Joseph  Eugene,  37 

Fred  W.,  13 
Hanchett,  Julian  A.,  68 
Hanna,  Nathaniel,  Col.,  129 
Harden,  Charles,  174 

Frank  S.,  64 
Harding,  L.  S.,  298 
Harrer,  Karl,  244 
Harrig,  Albert,  63 
Harris,  Henry,  14 

James,  250 

John  W. ,  65 
Hart,  Seth  W.,  160 
Hatfield,  Richard  E.,  369 
Hathaway,  Gilbert,  164 
Haven,  A.  G.,  67 
Haviland,  L.  P.,  71 
Hawkins,  James  vS  ,  184 

W.  S.,   128 
Hayes,  Albert  L.,  176 

Charles  R.,  96 

E.   N.,  187 
Haynes,  Archibald  M.,  165 

George  H.,  116 
Heath,  William,  194 
Hemenway,  Henry  M.,  104 
Henderson,  W.  H.,  887 
Hepworth,  Joseph,  824 
Herbage,  William,  Mrs.,  323 
Hermant,  Ernest  T.,  860 
Hewett,  C.  E.,  803 
Hickox,  W.  Jerome,  204 
Hicks,  Alpheus,  248 


Hicks,  John  W. ,  48 

Nicholas  H.,  214 

William  Harrison,  59 
Hilsinger,  Mvron,  313 
Hinman,  William,  282 
Hitchcock,  Albert,  228 
Hooper,  John,  164 
Horrigan,  John,  171 
Horsey,  George  F. ,  Dr.,  354 
Horton,  George  C,  268 
Houghton,  Thomas,  291 
Hove}-,  George  I. ,  75 

Julietta  (Kilmer),  Mrs.,  208 
Howarth,  Frederick  E.,  864 
Hubbard,  Edward,  75 

George  M.,  813 
Hubbell  Family,  the,  241 
Hudson,  Joel,  55 
Huggins,  E.  H.,  317 
Hughes,  Edgar,  14 

John  W..  103 

Robert  P.,  295 
Hunt,  A.  A.,  Mrs.  Dr.,  291 
Hurlbut,  Henry,  212 

Illingworth,  Joseph  J.,  196 
Irion    Elias,  254 

Jackson,  B.  O.,  15 

Isaac  W. ,  181 

John  T.,  130 

Walter  D.,  180 

W.  H.,  38 
James,  A.  Willard,  264 

William  M.,  Dr.,  187 
Jamieson,  Robert,  144 
Jenks,  M.  S.,  812 
Jenny  &  Nelbach,  224 
Jessup,  Benjamin  T.,  133 
Jewett,  James  G. ,  805 
Joerisson,  Joseph,  204 
Johnson,  Charles  H.,  272 

James,  298 

Samuel,  48 

Stephen  Albert,  54 
Jones,  Edwin  E.,  344 

Evan  W.,  116 

Even  D.,  169 

Herbert  Gordon,  Dr.,  863 

Hugh,  169 

James  E.,  Dr.,  148 

J.  Lewis,  198 

John  R.,  108 

John  R.,  248 

J.  Whitfield,  195 

Lewis,  248 

Owen  E.,  55 

Richard  J.,  15 


406 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Jones,  Richard  R.,  G5 

Robert  G. ,  15 

Robert  H.,  108 

R.  K.,  Dr.,  255 

Seymour,  65 

Thomas  F.,  75 

T.  Z.,  Dr.,  312 

William,  289 

William  Jav,  53 

&  Shippey,''203 
Toslin,  C.  Ell,  182 
Joslyn,  William  H.,  381 
Joy,  William  H.,  309 
Kasson,  Calvin  H.,  214 
Kau,  Charles  D.,  179 
Keeler,  Miles  L.,  108 
Keith,  Charles  B.,  14G 

Myron,  359 
Keller,  Hugo,  91 
Kellogg,  Henry  G..  338 

Hiram  Spencer,  290 
Kelly,  Edward,  325 

Martin,  294 

Patrick  E.,  263 
Kelsey,  A.  P.,  Mrs.,  300 
Kendall,  Eugene  M.,  287 
Kennedy,  Michael,  41 
Kennev,  Marcus  E.,  238 
Kent,  Bion  H.,  184 

John  S.,  39 

Justus  Vinton,  44 

M.  J.,  252 

Perry  E.,  279 
Kenyon,  O.  S.,  Dr.,  21 
Kernan,  Nicholas  E.,  340 

William,  351 
Kilborn,  George  L.,  Dr.,  15 
Kilbourn,  Judson  G.,  Dr.,  343 
Kilts,  Andrew,  37 

Jacob,  50 
Kincaid,  Frederick  W.,240 
King.  A.  E.,  272 

'William,  19 
Kinne,  Eri,  64 
Kinney,  Thomas  E.,  191 
Kirkland,  George  A.,  308 
Klammer,  Charles  N.,  327 
Knight,  Charles  B.,  344 
Knittel.  Joseph,  330 
Knox,  J.  Theodore,  132 
Krebs,  Albert,  100 
Kunkel,  jr.,  George  M.,  169 
Kuolt,  Joseph,  348 

Lane,  A.  V.,  229 
Langley,  Henry  A.,  117 
Latus,  George  F. ,  273 
W.  W.,  117 


Law,  George  C,  116 

William  C,  293 
Lawes,  Richard,  294 
Lawrence,  A.  W.,  41 

Lewis  H.,  161 
Lee,  Arthur  Delos,  139 

Robert,  265 
Leete,  Pelatiah  W.,  261 
Lehr,  Charles  M.,  50 
Leonard,  Franklin,  277 
Lewis,  Elias,  85 

John.  180 

John  M.,  16 

Marion  P.,  275 

William  D..  162 
Lindslev,  Smith  M.,  278 
Linsley'  Harvey,  238 
Lints.  Jeremiah,  179 
Lloyd,  David  R..  99 
Lockwood,  Andrew  J.,  10(> 
Loomis,  U.  L..  272 
Lorenz,  Anton,  331 
Lowe,  Charles,  58 
Lumbard,  H.,  317 
Luther,  Thomas  and  Mary,  277 
Lyman,  Charles  Simeon.  135 
Lynch,  Anthony  V.,  363 

McAra.  William  F.,  300 
McBride,  Thomas,  297 
McCall,  Thomas  A.,.  195 
McCamus,  Lucia  C,  316 
McClanathan,  William,  IS 
McClemenls,  James,  60 
McCluskv.  Henry.  42 
McDonald,  William,  205 
McElhinnev.  Daniel  E.,  358 

N.  B.,  316 
McGuire,  Marv,  Mrs.,  17 
]\IcGurk,  William,  '.^72 
Mclncrow.  Richard  W.,  ;>53 

William  I.,  219 
McLean,  A.  Waters,  Mrs.,  241 

John,  326 

William  Gardner,  152 
McPhersou,  Henry  A.,  346 

John,  147 
McTiernan,  William.  :U)2 
MacFarland,  L.  W.,  Mrs.,  236 
MacGarrity,  James  H.,  357 
Mack,  Jonathan,  17 
Mackie.  William  S.,  325 
Macomber,  Jay,  92 
Magill,  David  B.,  148 
Maher  Brothers,  361 
Maine.  August.  229 
Mallorv,  A.  P..  232 
Maloy,  John  F.,  349 


INDEXES. 


40« 


Manahan,  Richard  J.,   208 
Mansbach,  Simon,  189 
Marsden,  William  Robb,  Dr  ,  M2 
Marsh,  John,  171 

Lyman,  IT 

Thomas,  :}6 
Marshall,  Charles  L.,  186 

ElmironC,  298 
Marson,  Edward  M.,  1(59 
Martin,  Asa  F.,  222 

Chester  H.,  283 

Leander,  80 

Louis  M.,   139 

M.  F.,  318 

Noble  F.,  187 

Plinv  F.,  117 
Marvin, 'W.  Tyler,  310 
Mason.  C.  B.,  318 

George  C.  349 

Harry,  239 

John'C,  818 

Morris,  816 
Mather,  Charles  W.,  374 
Matthews,  Joseph.  316 
Maiirer,  Deabold,  382 

George  H.,  330 
Maxfield,  Rouse  B.,  374 
Maxson,  Sands  Carr,  Dr.,  186 
Mayer,  W.  G.,  70 
Mayhew,  Mortimer  M.,  16 
Meavs,  John  H.,  110 
Melvm,  Cutler,  355 
Merna  P.,  140 
Merriman,  Emma,  Mrs.,  80 
Merritt,  George,  Rev.,  287 
Merry,  Frederick  J.,  145 

Gotleib,  87 
Merwin,  Milton  H.,  334 
Metz,  Charles  W.,  243 
Mever,  Otto  Angus,  307 
Midlam,  John  W.,  18 
Milgate,  Henry  E..  363 
Miller,  Frank  P.,  155 

Frederick  Munger,  Dr.,  101 

sr.,  G.  Adam,  18 

jr.,  G.  Adam,  18 

Jacob,  301 

Morris  S.,  281 

Philip,  118 

Philip  J.,  256 
Mills,  Andrew  W.,  81 

E.  Deloss,  111 
Monroe,  C.  Wilbur,  314 
Moore,  Maria,  18      ' 
Morehouse,  George  C,  244 

Henry  D.,  212 
Morgan,  Albert  C,  69 

Frank  W.,  153 


Morgan,  John  S. ,  257 

William  A.,  95 
Morris,  Price,  345 
Morrow,  James  E. ,  126 
Moshier,  William  B.,  345 
Mulchi,  William.  209 
Mullin,  Martm  H.,  19 
Mulverhill,  F.  C,  314 
Munger,  Charles,  Dr.,  259 
Munn,  John  Sherman,  192 

Neal,  Austin  D.,  142 

Morris  M.,  148 
Neaskern,  John,  21 
Neejer,  John  H.,  208 
Nelbach,  John,  223 
Nelson,  William  H.,  Dr.,  56 
Newell,  George  S.,  221 
Newton,  Frank  J.,  332 
Nicholas,  Henry,  Dr.,  22 
Nichols,  Charles  F.,  Dr.,  282 

Dexter  E.,  64 

George  A.,  82 

Henry,  22 
Nicholson,  William,  290 
Norton,  Adelbert  E.,  125 

E.  A..  Mrs.,  251 

Orlo  B..  153 

Peter  J.,  287 

Samuel  D.,  337 

William  M.,  22 
Nolton,  Charles  F.,  217 
Nugent,  Patrick  F.,  350 
Nutt,  Albert,  73 

Edwin,  185 
Nye,  Willis  C,  287 

O'Brien,  John,  283 
Odell,  Edgar  B.,  205 
Olds,  Marquis  D.,  236 
O'Leary,  Jeremiah,  182 
Olmsted,  Henry  L.,  275 
Olney,  George  B.,  49 

Thomas  J.,  290 
O'Mara,  Daniel,  98 
O'Reilly,  Patrick  J.,  344 
Osborn',  William,  68 
O'Toole,  Frank  W.,  118 
Overrocker,  EnosD.,  143 
Owen,  F.  W.,  39 

John,  23 

John  C,  317 

Robert  C,  303 

William  E.,  230 

Paddock.  Daniel,  61 

Harvey,  165 
Palmer,  E.  G.,  177 


408 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Palmer,  E.  H.,  259 
Parke,  Morgan  Adelbert,  152 
Parkinson,  T.  W.,  140 
Parks,  Perry,  44 
Parmelee,  David  E.,  258 
Parsell,  Charles  D.,  47 
Patten,  Delford,  HI 
Pattengill,  Lucia  G.,  147 
Patterson,  John  IT.,  ■'>■^'^ 
Pearl,  H.  D.,  299 
Peck,  Dwight  Bristol,  25:5 
Peckham,  S.  Wilber,  188 
Pelton,  A.  G.,  203 
Pender,  William,  320 
Pepper,  Edwin  J.,  45 
Perkins,  William,  216 
Perrv,  Gilbert,  100 
Phelps,  C.  A.,  44 

Pliny,  23 
Pillmore,  John,  109 

Johnson.  24 

WilHam  F.,  23 
Pitcher,  Herbert  D.,  352 
Pittock,  Lewis,  216 

William  1).,  214 
Plumb,  Henry  A.,  185 
Pohl,  George  D.,  379 
Pollard,  Grant  J.,  Dr.,  140 
Porter,  Chester  Winfield,  39 

George  L.,  104 

J.  M.,  232 

N.  W.,  355 
Potter,  Carroll  C,  102 

G.  R.,  314 

George  S.,  210 

John  H.,24 

John  W.,  106 
Powell,  FredR.,  170 

J.  L.,  40 

John  N.,  239 
Pratt,  Charles  A.,  101 

Charles  T.,  359 

Charles  W.,  178 
Prendergast,  E.  R.,  Rev.,  43 
Prescott,  D.  D.,  376 
Preston,  Medina,  Dr.,  69 
Proctor,  Thomas  Redfield,  194 
Putnam,  Charles  S.,  216 

E.  B.,  314 
Frederick  W.,  314 
Pugh,  William  E.,  109 

Quinlan,  Patrick  F.,  248 
Quinn,  John,  262 

Race,  Chester  A.,  134 
Ramsdell,  L  J.,  162 
Rawnsley,  William,  284 


Rayhill,  James  W.,  163 
Reed.  David  H.,  Dr.,  183 

John  J.,  68 

Laura  D.,  Mrs.,  331 

Leonard  R.,  66 
Reeder,  William  S.,  190 
Rees,  John  D.,  167 

Thomas  R.,  25 
Reese,  (V  W.,  291 
Reilly.  Thomas  W.,  Rev.,  324 
Remmer,  Joseph  H.,  295 

Louis,  347 

William  M.,  347 
Ressegue,  James  M.,  329 
Reusswig,  George  A.,  346 
Rhodes,  A.  J.,  239 

Rice,  Charles  F.,  40 

George  W.,  138 
Richards,  Edward,  94 
Rinkle,  David,  25 
Rislev,  Edwin  Hills,  373 

John  R.,  274 

Orville,  337 
Ritchie,  Thomas,  48 
Robbins,  Albert  W.,  146 

George  B.,  170 
Roberts,  Daniel  J.,  23 

Emma  J..  Mrs..  105 

Henry  W.,  303 

Roberts,  John  C,   144 

R.  Wilson,  69 

Thomas  D.,  25 
Robinson,  Henry,  276 
Rogers,   ].  Frank,  352 
^J.  W".,  20 

Stephen,  25 
Root,  Oren,  131 
Ronspees,  Herman,  75 
Rose,  F.  W.,  Dr.,  322 
Roser,  Charles,  95 
Rowley,  Warren  C,  246 
Rush,  Horace  J.,  176 
Ryan,  William  F.,  202 

St.  John,  N.  J.,  301 
Salisburv,  Albert  C. ,  348 

John  H.,  123 
Sanders,  E.  E.,  268 
Sanford,  Helen  B.,  Mrs  ,112 
Sargent,  Foster,  105 
Sauer,  G.  Adam,  372 
Sawtelle,  Washington  Sewell,  90 
Sayer,  James  W.,   156 
Scheehl,  Jacob,  188 
Schilz,  jr.,  Peter,  62 
Scoilard,  Clinton,  132 
Scott,  Walter  F. ,  66 


INDEXES. 


409 


Scott,  W.  I.,  27H 

W.  J.,  228 
Scovill,  James  Van  Horn,  1(51 
Scoville,  Samuel  T.  W.,  44 

William,  204 
vSeaman,  Jerome  M.,  161 
Searle,  Charles  H.,  340 
Seaton,  J.  W.,  339 
Seiter,  George,  128 
Selbach,  John  H.,  280 
Sessions,  F.  W.,  346 
Sexton,  Michael  H.,,  356 
Seymour,  Henry  A.,  29 
Sharp,  Charles  W.,  263 
Shattuck,  Luther,  210 
Shaw,  Henry  W.,  lOJ 
Shedd,  Philander,  291 
Sheehan,  John  H.,  378 
Shepard,  Luther  M.,  330 
Sheridan,  Simon,  372 
Sherrill.  L.  T.,  231 
Shirley,  Thomas  A.,  110 
Shoewalter,  Joseph  H.,  90 
Sholes,  Herbert  C,  158 
Siegman,  Frederick,  265 

Leopold,  267 
Simmons,  Cyrus  C,  29 
Singleton,  W.  H.,  315 
Sink,  William  W.,  357 
Sippell,  William  D.,  28 
Sly,  Andrew  J.    168 
Small,  Lewis  J.,  262 

W.  R.,  239 
Smith,  Angelia  E.,  Mrs.,   157 

Benjamin,  371 

Charles  E.,  Dr.,  250 

Clarence  D.,  57 

Daniel,  255 

Dewitt  Clinton,  172 

E.  C,  339 

F.  A.,  315 
Frank  W.,  178 
George  H..  26 
George  W.,  276 
Giles,  73 
Giles,  86 
Myrtalu  F.,  286 
Samuel  G.,  153 
W.  Harvey,  345 

Snell,  Albert  M.,  315 

Ira  L..  234 
Snow,  Arch.  B.,  96 

Eugene,  284 
Solzman,  Francis  X.,  209 
Somers,  E.  M.,  Dr.,  140 
Soule,  Germain  M.,  105 
Sparrow,  Joseph,  249 
Spaulding,  William  P. ,  286 


Spencer,  Lyman  C,  89 

Reuben  J.,  89 
Sporie,  Charles,  26 
Spratt,  Charles  H.,  20 
Stamburg,  William  Riley,  29 
Stannard,  J.  R.,  52 
Stappenbeck,  Henry,  872 
Starr,  jr.,  John  P.,  327 
Start,  S.  William,  160 
Stearns,  Eugene,  199 
Steates,  Andrew,  71 
Stedman,  Gilbert  R.,  167 

R.  Willett,  28 
Stevens,  Franklin,  258 

Walter  T.,  27 

William  C,  219 
Stoddard,  Dwight  L.,  290 
Stone,  Alexander  I.,  121 

John  D.  F.,  157 

Richard,  231 

Walter  C. ,  28 
Storey,  William  H.,  289 
Storm,  Arthur  C,  218 
Storrs,  William  Mansfield,  226 
Strewn,  George  W.,  64 
Strong,  Warren  C,  285 
Studor,  George  M.,  27 

Philip,  63 
Sturdevant,  Oliver  W.,  128 
Suits,  Verena  C,  Mrs.,  333 
Suters,  William,  121 
Swan,  Gustavus,  26 
Swancott,  Benjamin  L.,  350 

David,  172 
Swartwout,  Leander,  Dr.,  105 
Sweet.  Herman  L.,  325 
Sweeting,  Jesse  V.,  202 
Symonds,  James,  319 
Syphert,  William  E.,  52 

Taft,  George  H.,  79 

Rufus,  57 
Tafft,  JuHan  E.,  329 
Tanner,  Levi  G.,  170 

W.  Ray,  30 
Taylor,  George,  37 

Lorenzo  M.,  347 
Teachout,  Asa,  30 
Terhune,  W.  L.,  118 
Thayer.  Emory  R.,  285 
Thomas,  Charles  H.,  150 

Evan  T.,  99 

Frank  E.,  350 

Griffith  D.,  110 

Hugh  E.,  278 

Rees  E.,  352 

William  E.,  168 

W.  J.,  191 


no 


OUR  COUNTY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Thompson,  Henry  D.,  257 

Joseph  T.,  151 
Thorneley,  Edward,  306 
Tibbits,  Susan,  192 
Tibbitts,  Milton  G.,  338 
Titus,  E.,  355 
Tompkins,  C.  H.,   155 
Townsend,  Walter  C,  371 
Towsley,  William  Dealton,  Dr.,  61 
Tracy,  Charles,  307 
Traxel,  George  E.,  140 
Tripp,  Franklin,  45 

George  L. ,  118 

Orris  B  ,  130 
Tuigg,  Edward  D.,  349 
Tuttle,  Frank  J.,  135 

Lansing,  30 

Noah,  31 

Rufus,  30 
Tyler,  Cyrus  H.,  289 

Henry  H.,  280 

H.  N.,  338 

Ulrich,  Simon,  46 
Underwood,  Frederick  G.,  lis 
Utley,  Fred  W.,  180 
Henry  T.,  70 

Van  Auken,  Myron  W.,  339 
Van  Buskirk,  Marcus,  60 
Vandawalker,  Milton,  31 
Vanderhoof,  Thomas  J.,  45 
Vanderzee,  H.  B. ,  257 
Van  Dresar,  Francis,  32 

Steward,  31 
Van  Evera,  Virgil  E.,  78 
Van  Hatten,  Michael,  48 
Van  Home,  Nicholas,  32 
Vansize,  Hibbard  K.,  188 
Van  Slyke,  John  P.,  291 
Van  Swall,  Pernett,  233 
Van  Wagenen,  Lewis  B.,  164 
Vary,  Gideon,  31 
VoUmar,  Jacob,  178 

Wagner,  Edward  G. ,  205 

Louis,  207 
Walbran,  T.  F.,  120 
Waldo,  Wellington,  314 
Walker,  Aaron  C,  76 

Henry  J.,  36 

Peter,  34 
Wallace,  Joseph  Franklin,  172 
Walters  Charles  F. .  42 

James  N.,  35 
Warcup,  Edwin  S. ,  36 

John,  27 
Ward,  G.  C,  34 


Ward,  John  L.,  42 

Salmon,  210 
Warfield,  C.  H.,  Prof.,  34 
Warner,  Seth  H.,  124 
Warren,  Charles  K.,  285 

John  D..  Rev..  193 
Wasmuth,  Fred  W..  285 

Theodore,  156 
Wasserman,  Feli.x   283 
Waterbury,  Nathaniel  G.,  20 
Waterman,  Charles,  123 
Waters,  J.  F.,  315 
Watkins,  Thomas  D.,  196 
Watson,  James,  276 

Thomas,  Mrs.,  179 

William  L.,  244 
Weaver,  Abram  H.,  144 

Alfred  M.,  170 

Charles  C,  213 

Frederick  G.,  88 

Van  Rensselaer,  377 
Webb,  Alvin,  34 
Weber.  A.  H.,  Ill 
Weismantle,  Casper,  336 
Weller,  W.  H.,  122 
Wells,  Albert  B.,  67 

Chester  A.,  215 
Wendt,  Frederick  S.,  87 
West,  Joseph,  141 
Westcott,  Frank  D.,  210 
Wetherell,  Thomas  G.,  221 
Wetmore,  Ezra  F.,  Major,  119 
Wheeler,  E.  A.,  302 

Frank  E.,  369 

Russel,  377 

Thomas,  370 

William  H.,  77 
Whitcher,  Benjamin  Williams,  Rev.,  309 
White,  Caroline,  35 

Charles  M.,  98 

Charles  N.,  370 

George  W.,  47 

L  J., ^33 

N.  Curtis,  199 

Co.,  N.  E.,  195 
Whiter,  Andrew  J.,  43 

Hiram  A.,  33 
Whitford.  H.  P.,  79 
Whitnev,  S.  S.,  113 
Whittaker,  George  H.,  168 
Whitten,  John  B.,  318 
Wickman,  HenrvG.,  211 
Wickwire,  C.  M."  80 
Wight,  Lyman  L.,  Dr.,  233 
Wilcox,  Frederick  D.,   175 

Lucy  B.,  120 

Wallace  B.,  192 
Wilgus.  Elmer  T..  284 


INDEXES. 


411 


Willard,  Garry  Allen,  177 
Williams,  Arnon  George,  138 

Griffith,  182 

R.  C,  815 

ReesG.,  148 

Thomas  H.,  255 

W.  B..  818 
Willson,  Merrilt  N.,  46 
Wilmarth,  Margaret,  Mrs.,  95 
Wilson,  Benjamin  F.,  99 

Charles  M.,  120 

Charles  W.,  828 

Robert,  58 

William  H.,  134 
Witherstine,  WiUard,  67 
Wood,  A.  E.,   114 

Francis  C. ,  227 

John  W.,  85 

Permelia  I.,  Mrs.,  98 
Woodard,  Henry  M.,  174 
Woodbridge,  Edward,  216 
Woodin,  Julia,  299 


Woods,  Orson  C,  83 
Wolcott,  Julius  O.,  216 
Wolf,  Henry,  249 

Philip  D.,  213 
Wolfe,  George,  58 

Jacob,  164 
Wright,  George  E.,  888 

George  P.,  336 
Wyman,  Simeon  T.,  173 
Wynn,  John  D.,  255 

Yager,  Helen.  332 
Yale,  J.  Palmer,  359 
Y'erdon,  James  H.,  59 
Young,  George,  121 
George  A.,  139 
Israel  W..  159 
Robert  Grant,  311 
Thomas  P.,  356 


Zeigler,  George,  212 
Zimmerman,  L.,  Mrs. 


251 


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